Updated
Summary
A deadly rocket attack kills innocent Ukrainian civilians at a train station. One of the Proud Boys` leaders is now cooperating and expected to testify on the planning that went into the violence on January 6. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is formally introduced as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court. Senator Brian Schatz blasts Senator Josh Hawley over his votes and statements on Ukraine.
Transcript
JOY REID, MSNBC HOST: Good evening, everyone.
We begin THE REIDOUT tonight with a scene that feels like something out of World War II, and Putin`s missiles wreaking fresh destruction and horror, this time at a railway station in the Donetsk region, where scores of people, including children, are dead after two rockets hit as thousands were trying to evacuate.
A day before the airstrike on Kramatorsk railway station, a Ukrainian M.P. shared this video. As you can see, this was an area packed with civilians attempting to flee the war, including children and the elderly.
John Sparks of Sky News was on the scene shortly after the attack with a closeup of one of the missiles and the haunting message written in Russian that was discovered on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN SPARKS, SKY NEWS REPORTER: Just to focus on the words on the side of that missile (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). It means “For Children” or “For the Children.”
Explosives from that missile have dropped here. They have — now, just remember that there will have been hundreds of people queuing up to get inside the train station. We have seen it. And they will — well, they would have been killed, a lot of them.
Terrible damage here, also blood. There`s a small crater here you can see, probably where the explosives hit, punched a small hole in the platform. This would qualify as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. This is an attack on civilians, clearly an attack on civilians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Russia has denied carrying out the attack, with its Defense Ministry calling Ukraine`s accusations a — quote — “provocation.”
Joining me now from the Lviv is Ali Velshi, host of “VELSHI” here on MSNBC, and Maksym Borodin, a Mariupol city council member.
And, Ali, we seem to be reporting on what appeared to be war crimes every day at this point. What is the point at this stage of Russia`s denials, because no one`s listening?
ALI VELSHI, MSNBC ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Actually, some people aren`t. That`s the problem.
In fact, I had a conversation with a number of young people here in Lviv whose parents all either live in Crimea or Russia, and they`re buying all of this stuff. Russia not only denied responsibility, but they came up with two different theories of why the Ukrainians were actually responsible.
One is that it was a provocation, it was meant to get the West to give Ukraine what it wants in terms of weaponry. And the other one is that it was a Ukrainian-launched missile that didn`t hit its target, because it`s very close to the line of control, if you will, between the Russians and the Ukrainians in Eastern Ukraine.
Both of those arguments are nonsense, but so are the arguments about how the Russians — the Ukrainians killed their own civilians in Bucha. It is having some impact. It`s having impact on Russian citizens. It`s having impact in conspiracy theory circles in the United States.
And, remember, there are still some very, very powerful and populous countries in the world that are still on Russia`s side of this thing. India and China, the two most populous nations in the world, are not pushing back on Russia. So the bottom line is, they do get something out of denying this.
I will say this, though. On the Ukrainian side, it only gets people more frustrated and perhaps more motivated for Ukrainians to do everything they can to win this war, and they are prepared to do it. But they cannot do it without the weaponry that they are requesting from the West, and they cannot do it without the cutting off of oil supplies from Russia.
REID: Maksym Borodin, I want to get your response that, but I`m going to – – we`re going to show this missile again.
This is the missile, Sky News — this is the imagery. And there, it says “For the Children” or “For Children” written in Russian on it. When you hear that Russian — the Russian government is still lying and trying to blame Ukrainians, as if Ukrainians would slaughter their own citizens, their own people, and just to blame Russia, how do you feel when, as Ali said, some people are listening, even in this country?
I mean, on another network of the most popular host on that network said that it`s childish to portray the war in Ukraine as a simple battle of good and evil, when what I`m looking at is evil. And he doesn`t seem to see it that way. And he`s telling two, three million people a night that.
I wonder how frustrating that is for you.
MAKSYM BORODIN, MARIUPOL CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: For me, it`s horrible to see the scenes, because I`m sometimes monitoring the Russian state TV channels, and look what they`re showing to the Russians.
And it`s — they`re blaming Ukrainian soldiers, that then they are in the answer what is done with Mariupol. They say that it`s not Russia who destroyed Mariupol with bombs from the airplanes, that Ukrainian military, is blaming for — because they don`t give up to Russians.
[19:05:17]
If they give up, it`s — Mariupol is still be nice. It`s horrible to hear this. And it`s always the tactics or the Russians. Remember the March 17. It`s the same type tactics. At first, they say they shot down the plane. And then they said, it`s not us.
The same situation with Kramatorsk. They — at first, they said in their public, in the Telegram channels, they said it`s — we hit on the Ukrainian soldiers. And then they deleted these messages and say it`s Ukrainian soldiers make these terrible things.
It`s always the tactic of the Russia. And is the truth is, there are stop killing civil people in Ukraine and in other European countries before we stop the Russia, if for the Western side is — don`t make real strong sanctions, not with the steps, but all at once, gas and crude oil, all the things which Russia are selling and getting money for the war.
And if Ukraine side don`t get real weapons, jet planes, special systems, modern systems, not all systems, because if we don`t get, the war continues and more people die. How much peaceful citizens needs to be killed until politics understand that they`re not statistics? They`re someone`s children, someone`s friends, someone`s parents.
It`s not only statistic, not numbers. It`s people.
REID: Let me play for you — actually, very quickly, Ali, I want you to respond to that, because we talked about this yesterday.
And lucky — we`re so blessed to have you in this world and reporting for us, because you`re a finance guy, you`re an econ guy, in addition to being just a brilliant reporter overall.
This is the thing I don`t understand, because as Mr. Borodin has said, they could simply cut off the oil. And I get it. Russia needs — no one wants to pay more for petrol in Europe.
VELSHI: Yes.
REID: But it seems to me that, if you`re not cutting off the oil, you`re not all the way serious. There are mass graves in Bucha.
VELSHI: Sure.
REID: You can see it. They`re there.
VELSHI: Yes.
REID: And if that doesn`t move you to say, yes, whatever we have to do, we`re cutting off the oil.
Why do you suppose they`re not doing it?
VELSHI: Yes.
Well, there`s three problems. One is just plain old politics, right? Nobody wants to have their people pay more for gas and get thrown out of office, which in Europe is actually a real possibility. Right-wing parties are surging. You saw again another victory for Viktor Orban in Hungary the other day. We`re looking at elections in France.
So that is a real issue. The second part is, people are getting fatigued. They`re getting tired of it, right? It`s easy to look away. You`re tired of seeing the death and destruction. It`s horrible. So people choose to look away and say, all right, you know what, this is going to drag on for lots of years. I don`t know what I`m supposed to do about it.
And the third problem is, let`s say — and the Baltic states have cut off their oil imports from Russia. But let`s say everybody in Europe actually does it. India`s not doing it and China is not doing it.
These are countries that are consuming more and more gas, oil and coal every day. Russia can create an entire system around the world with the republics that they control, the countries that they influence like Georgia and Chechnya and the Central Asian republics and India and China and any other rogue nations that want to buy their oil a little bit cheaper or their coal a little bit cheaper than world prices.
So it`s really got to be a globalized effort to say, not just the European Union and NATO and the United States, but then those countries have to put pressure on other countries to say, you will ruin your trading relationships with Europe and with the United States if you continue to back-channel your support for Russia.
Russia makes most of its foreign currency off of oil, coal and gas. If that stops, if that really gets cut off, Russia will be hobbled. But until then, Russia can keep on going.
REID: Too bad we don`t live in a modern world, where you could come up with some other way to fuel cars and planes and trains. Oh, that`s right. We do.
VELSHI: Right.
REID: You could literally come up with new technologies.
But this addiction, crack addict-like addiction to oil all around the world and refusal to pay attention to climate change, turns out it`s also…
VELSHI: Yes.
REID: … allowing evil to thrive.
Let me play Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He`s going to be on — an interview with him is going to be featured on “60 Minutes” this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are defending the right to live. I never thought this right was so costly.
These are human values, so that Russia doesn`t choose what we should do and how I`m using my rights. That right was given to me by God and my parents.
[19:10:09]
SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS: What did you see in Bucha.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Death. Just death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: “Death. Just death.”
Maksym Borodin, this is the reality for Ukraine right now. Ukraine is essentially paying in blood for the world`s refusal to stop using oil. It`s horrible that it sort of comes down to that. What would you say to these countries that are saying, we can`t find any alternative, we have got to buy the oil?
BORODIN: I don`t have words to say — what to say to this — to the people in these countries.
Today, they think they`re in safe position, that the war is far away from them. But it`s not like this. Russia is not — it`s not possible to stop without a war. If they continue, they continue to Europe. And the problems is, even now, Europeans see how many peoples go out from the Ukraine, women and children.
And Europe need to react to this situation. And if it go further, the problem is more bigger. And another problem is, Ukraine is — make a lot of wheat. And with this war, a lot of countries have impact on their food supply.
So it`s not only about Ukraine. It`s about all civilized world. And if the West today is — start to ignoring this problem, and people start to — how say, to look away from the problem, the whole problem not going anywhere. It`s still here. And it`s moving forward to the war.
VELSHI: Yes.
REID: Can we, as we leave — and I thank these two gentlemen, Ali Velshi and Mariupol City Council member Maksym Borodin.
Very quickly, let`s just play this very 13 — quick 13-minute (sic) sound bite about what NBC`s Molly Hunter saw in Bucha on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOLLY HUNTER, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: In the town surrounding Kyiv, where Russian troops are completely gone for now, they have left evidence of atrocities here in Bucha, officials say a new mass grave discovered right here in the shadow of a church.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: We`re not tired of seeing it.
OK, coming up next on THE REIDOUT: This is a big deal. One of the Proud Boys` leaders is now cooperating and is expected to testify on the planning that went into the violence on January 6.
Also, time to celebrate at the White House, as Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is formally introduced as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court.
Plus:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ (D-HI): He`s saying it`s going too slow. He voted no. We voted no on Ukraine aid. And now he has the gall to say it`s going too slow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Well, you got to see this if you missed it, Senator Brian Schatz eviscerating Josh Hawley, who made it clear this week that political gamesmanship is more important than the national security of the United States.
And no surprise here. More don`t say gay bills are being introduced. I will talk to a high school student who is speaking out.
THE REIDOUT continues after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:18:02]
REID: A leader of the Proud Boys, the right-wing militia group that`s accused of organizing the January 6 Capitol attack, pleaded guilty today to two felony charges and has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in one of the most significant cases to emerge from the insurrection.
Charles Donohoe, the president of a local Proud Boys chapter, admitted to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and to assaulting and impeding police officers. Video evidence from January 6 shows Donohoe admitting on camera that he stole a riot shield from police. Another video shows the defendant, among several others, completely overwhelming a thin line of law enforcement officers who were trying to block their advanced on the East Side of the Capitol.
Now, I should also note that the graphics on that video were not added by NBC News.
Donohoe is the first person in the Proud Boys leadership to plead guilty. He has close ties to Proud Boys leader in Enrique Tarrio, who has also been charged for his role in the insurrection. Donohoe`s cooperation could provide vital information to prosecutors about the planning that led to the attack.
With me now is our friend Paul Butler, Georgetown law professor and former federal prosecutor.
And, Paul, this is juicy, because — so, the Proud Boys leader, he`s got all these charges he`s facing, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing an official proceeding, obstruction of law enforcement, destruction of government property, assault, and resisting and impeding certain officers.
But here`s the juicy bit. Donohoe — oh, no, that was — those are charges — sorry — against Enrique Tarrio. That`s what Tarrio is charged with. Donohoe in his court documents has admitted to the following.
“Donohoe under understood from discussions that the group would pursue their goal of blocking the certification of the Electoral College vote through the use of force and violence in order to show Congress that we, the people, were in charge.”
Sounds damning to me. Your thoughts?
PAUL BUTLER, MSNBC LEGAL ANALYST: Joy, the plea agreement is chilling.
In open court, Donohoe confesses to organizing an attack on Congress and assaulting law enforcement officers. He admits that the purpose of the rally was to stop the certification of the election and that he understood that violence would help accomplish that goal.
[19:20:11]
Joy, we had factions of the Proud Boys that were operating as a paramilitary unit. And Enrique Tarrio was the general, but Donohoe led 65 people want his team. This is yet another reminder of how close we came to carnage on January 6, even more carnage, carnage in cost of human life and carnage in terms of our democracy.
REID: And here`s the question of how you as a prosecutor would use him, because Enrique Tarrio is the head of the Proud Boys. He hasn`t pleaded out yet. He`s charged with all of these things, all of these conspiracies.
The idea here is that they weren`t just a bunch of losers who decided to arm up and go attack the Capitol, that they had a plan that involved understanding that what they were doing could stop Congress from certifying the election and keep Trump in power, right?
Isn`t — he could — if he starts to point up and say, I plead it out, but look at that guy, look at that guy, look at that guy, how high could this go?
BUTLER: Well, it could go all the way to the top.
And the question is, who is at the top? So this guy is looking at six years. And that`s why he flipped. Enrique Tarrio is now sitting in jail on those six felony charges, including obstruction.
So, Joy, when prosecutors work a conspiracy case, they start at the bottom, they tried to get folks to cooperate and then hand over the real bad guys. So if we think of Thompson (sic) as kind of a lieutenant, let`s say, and Tarrio is the general, somebody else is involved.
REID: Yes.
BUTLER: And, again, the question is whether the Department of Justice will have the resolve to go all the way to the top.
REID: So, if we`re talking about the king`s court, let`s now talk about the royal fool.
CNN is reporting — and this is CNN reporting, and I will ascribe it to them — we have — NBC News has not confirmed it — that Don Jr. texted Mark Meadows, who was the chief of staff to Donald Trump, ideas for overturning the 2020 election. Now, here`s the key. He didn`t do that on January 4, 5, or even January 6. He did it days after the election, just after the election.
“`It`s very simple, Trump Jr. texted to Meadows on November 5, adding later in the same missive: “`We have multiple paths. We control them all.` Don Jr.`s strategy apparently was nearly identical to what played out, filing lawsuits and advocating recounts to prevent certain swing states from certifying their results, as well as having a handful of Republican statehouses put forward slates of fake Trump electors.”
Now we`re starting to see planning. And they`re not saying he wrote these e-mails, because, again, royal fool, but he was sending them out, sending them to Mark Meadows. Your thoughts.
BUTLER: E-mails that seem to concede that his father lost the election.
And, Joy, this is a huge development, because it goes to criminal intent. And Donald Trump Sr.`s defense in the impeachment trial, the second impeachment trial, was that he sincerely believed he had won, and he was just trying to stop the steal.
And this text that Jr. sent out suggests that they all thought that the American voters were basically irrelevant on the issue of whether Trump had a second term. The texts said, we control them.
And the key, Joy, now is for investigators to find out who we includes. Is it daddy Trump? Is it Mark Meadows. Is it Ginni Thomas? Is it Steve Bannon? But many of those folks — whoever sent this text, whoever approved this text seemed determined and fully prepared to keep Trump in office by any means necessary.
REID: Long before even the December post by Trump saying it`ll be wild, join me on January 6. They seemed to be planning right after the election, before the votes were even counted and certified.
Let`s go to one more headline for you, Paul. This one shocked me today. The FBI lost a big deal case. This was the plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, make a citizen`s arrest of her maybe hurt her because they didn`t like COVID restrictions.
All three seem to be walking here, two suspects found not guilty, deadlocked on the other two — I mean, all four, I should say.
This is a wowzer for me. What do you make of it? And what message does that send to far right-wingers who want to do similar things?
BUTLER: The message is, if they get the right jury, they can get away with it.
Joy, the evidence in this case was overwhelming. But, as a prosecutor, you never know what a jury is going to do. And these defense attorneys were able to persuade that this violent act, this act of, again, trying to subvert democracy in a different context, but wasn`t a crime.
And when folks look at some of the plea agreements in the January 6 cases and ask, well, why is the government settling for that, in part, it`s because a conviction is a sure thing in a plea bargain. And, again, when you don`t you don`t know what a jury is going to do, sometimes, as a prosecutor, you have to be willing to accept a sentence that you think doesn`t really reflect the depravity of the crime or the seriousness of the crime just to get a sure conviction.
[19:25:20]
REID: Yes.
BUTLER: They didn`t get that in this case in Michigan. And, as a result, we are less safe. These people are kooky. And verdicts of acquittal embolden kooks.
REID: Indeed.
Sounds like jury nullification to me. It`s like 1950s old trials of all- white juries convicting folks — acquitting folks of — when you knew they did it. Wow.
Paul Butler, thank you very much.
Still ahead: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks at the White House following her historic confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. And President Biden has a few choice words about the way that she was treated during her confirmation hearing.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:30:35]
REID: It was a momentous day at the White House today, the culmination of a promise made and a promise kept, following this week`s historic confirmation of the next Supreme Court associate justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Judge Jackson, you will inspire generations of leaders.
When I presided over the Senate confirmation vote yesterday, while I was sitting there, I drafted a note to my goddaughter. And I told her that I felt such a deep sense of pride and joy and about what this moment means for our nation and for her future.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I knew the person I nominated would be put through a painful and difficult confirmation process. But I have to tell you, what Judge Jackson was put through was well beyond that.
There was verbal abuse, the anger, the constant interruptions, the most vile, baseless assertions and accusations.
In the face of it all, Judge Jackson showed the incredible character and integrity she possesses.
JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
JACKSON: But we`ve made it.
The path was cleared for me so that I might rise to this occasion.
And in the poetic words of Dr. Maya Angelou, I do so now, while bringing the gifts my ancestors gave.
(APPLAUSE)
JACKSON: I am the dream and the hope of a slave.
We have come a long way toward perfecting our union.
In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Amen, sister.
And, tonight, the White House released the first official portrait of soon- to-be Justice Jackson taken by Lelanie Foster, a black photographer from the Bronx.
And up next — that is beautiful.
Up next: Hawaii`s Democratic Senator Brian Schatz — Schatz, Schatz, Schatz, Schatz, Schatz, Schatz — delivered a devastating takedown of Republican Senator Josh Hawley on the Senate floor, calling out his hypocritical and potentially dangerous obstructionism.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:38:03]
REID: Insurrection booster Josh Hawley has been throwing a poop-in-his- pants temper tantrum over President Biden`s national security nominees since last September in protest of our withdrawal from Afghanistan that included delaying the confirmation of a Russia expert even as Russia`s invasion of Ukraine loomed.
Well, Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz absolutely annihilated him on the Senate floor yesterday, after Hawley pulled his latest stunt on another nominee this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHATZ: But he is blocking the staffing of the senior leadership at the Department of Defense. And this comes from a guy who raised his fist in solidarity with the insurrectionists.
And this comes from a guy who, before the Russian invasion, suggested that maybe it would be wise for Zelenskyy to make a few concessions about Ukraine and their willingness to join NATO.
This comes from a guy who just about a month ago voted against Ukraine aid. He`s saying it`s going too slow. He voted no. And this final insult is that, until, what, Secretary Austin resigns? That`s not a serious request. That is not a reasonable request from a United States senator, that, until the secretary of defense quits his job, I`m going to block all of his nominees?
That`s preposterous, and coming from a person who exonerated Donald Trump for extorting Zelenskyy, for withholding lethal aid.
So, spare me the new solidarity with the Ukrainians and with the free world, because this man`s record is exactly the opposite.
I yield the floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: Well, this, of course, follows a month where Hawley and his fellow members of the Republican goon squad made fools of themselves with their harassment of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
I`m joined now by Dean Obeidallah, host of the eponymous “Dean Obeidallah Show” on SiriusXM, and Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University.
[19:40:02]
Dean, any thoughts on Josh Hawley? I mean, my only question is how he drinks without a chin.
But do you have any thoughts on him or on Brian Schatz?
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, MSNBC DAILY COLUMNIST: Oh, for sure.
Brian Schatz did a great job. I mean, Josh Hawley apparently took a break from researching child pornography to make this ridiculous speech about the idea we have to hasten the amount of military aid to Ukraine, when Schatz called it up beautifully.
But here`s the bigger picture thing. Democrats, look what Brian Schatz did. He made a two-minute video that went viral. It`s called messaging. It`s the ultimate TikTok video. Senator Schumer, if you`re watching, take an improv class, then do this kind of stuff, because he has good words, Schumer, but no passion.
Schatz showed Democrats here you can go viral with content, just destroying Josh Hawley`s hypocrisy, and everyone`s going to share it. We need more Democrats like that. So I can`t applaud it enough.
REID: Yes, I agree with you.
And I — the whole weird thing about Josh Hawley being, like, he lays awake at night worrying that his little kids are going to get child pornography on his computer, I`m like, I raised three whole children, and I never laid awake at night think about that.
What`s on your computer, bro? You better get some stronger passwords if that`s what you`re worried about. What`s your parenting like?
Christina…
(LAUGHTER)
REID: And what are you Googling, because how would they get it?
Let`s move on to some other members of the goon squad that decided that they were going to harass the student soon-to-be justice — soon-to-be associate justice of the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Lindsey Graham made a whole video. And I was in it. So here`s a little bit.
(LAUGHTER)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Remember Amy Coney Barrett, how they came after her? Remember Kavanaugh? I do. To compare that hearing with what happened to Judge Jackson is ridiculous.
She wasn`t ambushed. I asked her hard questions, and she gave bad answers. When we nominate a qualified African-American woman, they filibuster her without apology.
BIDEN: I can assure you, and she probably would be filibustered.
GRAHAM: When we asked hard questions of an African-American nominee who is liberal, all of a sudden, we`re racists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REID: OK. That was my he`s following her around with a sword thing.
I mean, look, I remember those hearings too. Justice Kavanaugh was credibly accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl. And Amy what`s her name is barely qualified to be a Supreme Court justice. Your thoughts?
CHRISTINA GREER, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY: Well, Joy, as I wrote my piece for The Grio, Amy Coney Barrett couldn`t list the five freedoms that are in the First Amendment. This is something that my intro to politics freshmen know. And this is someone who wanted to serve a lifelong appointment on the highest bench in the land.
So, when Lindsey Graham says, we — they did not ambush Ketanji Brown Jackson, they were asking her insane questions that had nothing to do with the bench. How many times did she say, that is not in my purview, that is not something that I have ever had before the court, this is not something that you all should even know? If you want to keep my personal life out of my judicial decisions, then don`t ask me these questions.
So, Lindsey Graham, as we know, just like Dean said with Josh Hawley, there`s so disingenuous. These are the same people that stood by Donald Trump and his antics for four years, as he almost tried to drag our country off of a cliff and take the rest of the world with him.
And they have gone deeper and deeper. And the lack of self-respect that Republicans have, especially that was on display during the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings, just lets us know the direction that the Republican Party has gone since, I would argue, 2008, when Sarah Palin showed up, 2010, when the Tea Party really arrived.
And they are no longer the fringe. They have taken over the party full stop. And, sadly, so many senators have followed suit, which is a really sad day.
REID: Yes.
GREER: Because we didn`t have Republicans that were this egregious just a few years ago.
REID: Yes, I mean, they`re — and the issue Dean, too, is that he`s not even running for reelection in four-and-a-half years.
If he`s so proud of his barking Dixiecrat performance, just screaming at the woman and not letting her finish her sentences, then why do you have to make a video? If you`re proud of it, why`d you make a video?
And, by the way, just for our audience, they`re going to keep on talking about Janice Rogers Brown. That`s their new thing, because they`re like, here`s a black lady, we like her.
“Brown had a record of extremism that fully justified” — this is Ruth Marcus writing — “justified Democrats` opposition. In October 2003, `The Post“s editorial page called Brown one of the most unapologetically ideological nominees of either party in many years. A June 2005 editorial headline `Reject Justice Brown` described her as a judge who has been more open about her enthusiasm for judicial adventurism than any nominee of either party in a long time, adding, `No senator who votes for her will have standing any longer to complain about legislating from the bench.`”
The bottom line is, Dean, what Republicans have shown is that they pretend that they like — that they want diversity too, but your views have to essentially be anti-whatever group you are. So, you have to legislate if you`re — you have to legislate to basically harm people in order to prove your fealty to them.
OBEIDALLAH: Right.
[19:45:00]
In fact, one of the listeners to my show — skin folk ain`t always kinfolk. And so it doesn`t matter — it doesn`t — share the same race. You have to share the same values.
Here`s the thing, though. Donald Trump had three choices for the Supreme Court. Did he pick a black woman? Did he pick an Hispanic woman? No, he went team white all three. In fact, Donald Trump picked almost 230 judges. How many were black women? Two. Two. Literally two. That`s the lowest since Ronald Reagan.
In fact, Donald Trump`s choices for federal judges, altogether, the lowest people of color in decades. So, when Donald Trump had a chance to put a black woman on there, he didn`t do it, because that would not have made team white happy.
And this is just the white right, I should say. It`s not just all team white. It`s remarkable.
And there`s another thing, Joy. I have noticed the white right is really upset about strong black women, if it`s Vice President Harris, Maxine Waters, Judge Jackson, or someone named Joy Reid…
(LAUGHTER)
OBEIDALLAH: … because, for some reason, Joy Reid really triggers them.
And I`m so proud when you do. It makes my heart grow three sizes.
(LAUGHTER)
REID: I live inside their heads rent-free. I don`t even pay rent.
And, Christina, the thing is — right. They — even then they deployed Tim Scott to like moan and complain that I was one of many people who were — I feel bad for him. He is somebody who is going to go into the history books as having voted against this African-American woman. Representation matters. His representation matters as a black man in the United States Senate.
But if he was to say that, they would turn on him.
(CROSSTALK)
REID: So, he has to essentially endorse, right, white power structure. And he cannot step off that team for — not even a little. I feel sorry for him that he has to go into the history books this way.
But, apparently, that`s where he wants to be.
GREER: I mean, Joy, in for a penny, in for a pound.
I mean, if he was that distraught, he could leave the party. He has had several choices. I mean, he stood by Donald Trump for four years. And so I like to think of it this way. Everything that I do in my life is to make my ancestors happy and to really help sort of lead a life to acknowledge and honor the sacrifices they made.
Tim Scott will have to face his ancestors one day. I don`t know what kind of people they were, but he will have to answer for all the choices he`s made, all the decisions. He said that Ketanji Brown Jackson`s nomination was historic, and then said that she was a radical justice, could not provide any receipts for that statement, but just parroted a lot of the Republican talking points.
And so, yes, on the days that I have compassion in my heart, I look at people like Clarence Thomas and people like Tim Scott, and actually wonder, what happened to you in your life?
(LAUGHTER)
GREER: What is going on so that you have decided to cast your lot with people who have — who have gone out of their way to make sure that inequity and that people of color, poor people, the people who are in need in this country are the least among them?
And so the days that I don`t have compassion for Tim Scott, I view that he has made his bed.
REID: Yes.
GREER: He lays in it at night, and he seems quite happy with the choices that he`s making.
REID: Baby, you had one shot to make a difference and put yourself in the history books. You had police reform.
And I`m going to repeat what I tweeted, since you didn`t like it. You let Lindsey Graham dog-walk you on that. He put the sheriffs against you, when there was an agreement that you were negotiating. This could have been your bill, sir. You decided to back down from police reform when you let that man, your fellow South Carolinians, who did not have your back, did not let you make history, did not let you have a big accomplishment.
Don`t blame that on me. Blame that on him. Have a conversation with him.
Dean Obeidallah, Christina Greer, thank you very much.
Coming up: A Florida high school junior takes a stand against Governor DeSantis` don`t say gay bill. And their name is Will Larkins.
And they join me next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:53:16]
REID: America is a nation filled with contradictions.
Today, we saw the first black woman celebrate her historic ascension to the highest court in the land. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ kids have become the victims of craven Republican politicians.
According to NBC News, state lawmakers have proposed a record 238 bills that would limit the rights of LGBTQ people just this year alone. That is more than three per day. Half of them target transgender people specifically.
These bills, like Florida`s don`t say gay bill, would restrict talking about LGBTQ issues in schools, allow religious exemptions to discriminate and limit trans people`s ability to play sports or receive gender-affirming health care.
These bills are not passed in a vacuum. They have a — they have very real consequences. According to the CDC, one in four teenagers who identified as LGBTQ said they attempted suicide during the first half of last year.
But many of these kids are fighting back. More than 500 students staged a massive walkout at a high school in Winter Park. Florida, in protest of the don`t say gay bill. The walkout was organized by Will Larkins, the president and a co-founder of the school`s Queer Student Union.
Will testified before Florida Senate committee when don`t say gay was under consideration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL LARKINS, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, WINTER PARK HIGH SCHOOL QUEER STUDENT UNION: I have heard different members of the legislature say something along the lines of, parents know what`s best for their kids.
When it comes to the queer community, that is not true. If parents know what`s best for their kids, why did my best friend get kicked out of his House and have to live with me? Why is 40 percent of the homeless youth queer, while only making up 5 percent of the general population?
Why do so many kids get abused for their sexuality and gender identity? If for some reason a queer kid comes out to the teacher, and it turns into a discussion, and the parents have the right to know that, that endangers us, when we`re already in danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:55:08]
REID: Joining me now is Will Larkins, a high school junior, and president and co-founder of the Queer Student Alliance at Winter Park High School in Florida.
Every time I have a young Florida student on, I am amazed and feel much more confident about our future.
Will, thank you for being here.
So, talk about — I want to talk to you just about how this law is impacting students like you in the real world. For the people who are in favor of this don`t say gay bill, and they say, well, it`s just because you shouldn`t be talking about sexuality in schools to third graders, what would be your response to them?
LARKINS: I would argue that teaching about sexuality and gender identity is the most vital in those formative years.
I grew up not knowing that the LGBTQ community existed, and my classmates didn`t either. And because I was the only nonbinary person that I knew — and it was very obvious to other people that I wasn`t, like, like other boys — I dealt with a lot of bullying. And I dealt with a lot of self- hatred. I didn`t know why I was the way it was.
And if someone had just told me in K-3 that being — not being like this is OK, the course of my childhood would have been completely different.
REID: And it strikes me. Something that you said in your testimony is, to me, is so powerful.
These laws are not about the kids. They`re about their parents. They`re about trying to get their parents to vote a certain way by scaring them and making them think that the mechanics of sex are going to be taught in school, which is ridiculous, and it would never happen.
So, I mean, does it offend you that students, that kids are being used, not because anyone cares about the kids, but just to get their parents to vote a certain way?
LARKINS: Absolutely.
I mean, they are putting an entire generation of LGBTQ people in danger in order to push this false and disgusting narrative. And, first of all, there was an amendment filed by a Republican senator in the Appropriations Committee that would change the wording from sexuality and gender identity to human sexuality.
And it was voted down by Republicans. They`re not trying to get sex ed, which was never being taught in K-3, out of the classrooms. They are attacking queer people. And it doesn`t even affect just K-12. If you actually read the bill, it says K-12 — or K-3 or through 12 in a manner deemed inappropriate.
REID: And just from a personal level, you talked about the fact that — in your testimony, you said you had a friend that had to come and live with you.
I mean, just to reiterate for those in the audience who may not have queer people in their lives or may not know they do, what is it like as a kid to know that you can`t even talk about your own or your parents` or your friends` identities?
LARKINS: It`s really scary.
I mean, being queer and being surrounded by other queer people, every single one of us, even people like — like, even me, I was lucky enough to be with parents that I never feared would abuse or kick me out for being myself. But I still went through extremely traumatic things because of my identity.
And every single queer person I know, especially being the president of the Queer Student Union, every single queer person I know has gone through something horrible for it. And if we`re taking away school, which is supposed to be a safe space — so many of my friends are literally living homeless, and school is where they are able to be amongst peers and able to be somewhere safe.
And now we`re trying to — we`re attacking that. We`re making it less safe. We`re making teachers feel less safe to talk about these important subjects all the way through senior year, not just in K-3.
REID: And have you heard from teachers? Because this bill targets them to.
LARKINS: Absolutely.
There`s already teachers — even — teachers in Florida and all across America are already not being treated as well as they should. They`re underpaid. They are overworked. And I have actually had a couple of teachers this year quit in the middle because they got better-paying jobs.
And I have a teacher who is not returning next year because they have to leave the state because of the anti-trans attacks, and their son is trans. And one of the biggest parts of their teaching is being there for queer kids, and they`re not going to be able to get in the way that they would like
I know so many teachers who are thinking of leaving because they`re not able to safely be there for queer people, which makes it even worse for us.
REID: Yes, indeed.
Well, Will Larkins, thank you so much for being here. I wish I had been as together as a 17-year-old as you are. Thank you for your advocacy. You`re doing great work.
Please promise me you will come back. We would love to have you back on the show.
LARKINS: I will be back anytime. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate you guys.
Peace and love.
REID: Thank you. Peace and love. Cheers.
OK, that is tonight`s REIDOUT.
What a wonderful kid.
“ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES” starts now.