MSNBC Highlights - Oct. 1

PARTIALLY SHADOWED BY DONALD TRUMP'S OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENTS TO SEVERAL 100 GENERALS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD GATHERED IN WASHINGTON YESTERDAY. THAT HE WANTED TO USE US CITIES AS TRAINING GROUNDS, HIS WORDS FOR THE MILITARY, WAS HIS STRIKING LOW ENERGY AND RAMBLING DURING HIS HOUR PLUS SPEECH FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTING ON YESTERDAY'S ADDRESS, QUOTE, FOR A 79 YEAR OLD, HE'S OFTEN SHOWN A GREAT DEAL OF ENERGY, BUT HE SEEMED A BIT SAPPED TUESDAY AS HIS REMARKS WENT ON AND ON, HIS TOOK ON A MORE MONOTONOUS QUALITY. A DAY EARLIER WHEN HE SPOKE AT THE WHITE HOUSE WHILE STANDING BESIDE MR. NETANYAHU, TRUMP SOUNDED OUT OF BREATH AT TIMES, END QUOTE. AND FROM THE WASHINGTON POST, QUOTE, TRUMP, WHO DRAWS ENERGY FROM INSTANTANEOUS FEEDBACK, APPEARED TO SPEAK MORE SLOWLY THAN USUAL AND IN A MONOTONE, SEEMINGLY AFFECTED BY A LARGELY MUM AUDIENCE, END QUOTE.

IT IS TRUE THE GENERALS WERE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF AUDIENCE THAN A RAUCOUS MAGGOT TRUMP FEST. MILITARY BRASS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO REACT TO POLITICAL SPEECHES. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO REMAIN APOLITICAL, AND THEY DID. BUT TRUMP'S DEMEANOR HAS LED TO DIFFERENT QUESTIONS, TO QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT DONALD TRUMP IS UNWELL.

YESTERDAY AT THIS HOUR AS WE WERE COMING ON THE AIR IN THIS HOUR, WE STARTED WITH DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN MADELEINE DEAN. SHE JOINED US TO TALK ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, BUT LITERALLY SECONDS BEFORE SHE CAME ON THE AIR, AS WE SAW HER GETTING READY IN THE SHOT ON THE WALL, WE SAW A CONFRONTATION TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE CONGRESSWOMAN AND SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON. AND SHE CONFRONTED HIM ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, FRANKLY, ALL THE THINGS YOU WANT TO SEE DEMOCRATS FIGHTING FOR AND SAYING TO REPUBLICANS, SHE SAID AND DID. AND ONE OF THEM WAS DONALD TRUMP'S FITNESS. WATCH WHAT OUR CAMERAS CAUGHT AND NOTE HOW HIS IMMEDIATE RESPONSE IS NOT TO SAY SHE'S WRONG ABOUT ANY OF IT.

"THE PRESIDENT IS UNHINGED. HE IS UNWELL. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON YOUR SIDE TOO. I DON'T. OH MY GOD, PLEASE, THAT PERFORMANCE IN FRONT OF THE GENERALS THAT DIDN'T SEE IT SO DANGEROUS. YOU KNOW, I SERVE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND APPROPRIATIONS. THIS IS A COLLISION OF THOSE TWO THINGS. OUR ALLIES ARE LOOKING ELSEWHERE. OUR ENEMIES ARE LAUGHING. I JUST. YOU HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO IS UNWELL. A LOT OF FOLKS ON YOUR SIDE ARE TOO, ARE ALSO, ARE ALSO UNWELL."

OK. UM, THE SPEAKER SAID HE MISSED THE SPEECH. WE KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS ON THAT SIDE TEND TO CATCH THE PROGRAM, SO WE PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE HIGHLIGHT REEL.

"I'VE NEVER WALKED INTO A ROOM SO SILENT BEFORE. THAT'S ENOUGH TO BUY A LOT OF BATTLESHIPS, ADMIRAL. TO USE AN OLD TERM, I THINK WE SHOULD MAYBE START THINKING ABOUT BATTLESHIPS, BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WALK DOWNSTAIRS FOR LIKE I'M ON STAIRS, LIKE THESE STAIRS, I'M VERY, I WALK VERY SLOWLY. NOBODY HAS TO SET A RECORD. JUST TRY NOT TO FALL BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK OUT WELL. A FEW OF OUR PRESIDENTS HAVE FALLEN AND IT BECAME A PART OF THEIR LEGACY, AND IT WAS REALLY A STUPID PERSON THAT WORKS FOR I MENTIONED THE WORD NUCLEAR. WE CAN'T LET PEOPLE THROW AROUND. THAT WORD I CALL IT THE N WORD. THERE ARE TWO N WORDS AND YOU CAN'T USE EITHER OF THEM, BUT THE FIREMEN GO UP ON LADDERS AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE SHOOTING AT THEM WHILE THEY'RE UP ON LADDERS. I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF ANYBODY HEARD THAT, BUT AND I SAID DON'T TALK ABOUT IT MUCH, BUT I THINK YOU HAVE TO. OUR FIREMEN ARE INCREDIBLE. BUT I DEFENDED THEM ANYWAY."

ONE OF OUR NEXT GUESTS, TOM NICHOLS, ECHOES WHAT CONGRESSWOMAN DEAN BROUGHT UP AT THE SPEAKER, WRITING THIS IN THE ATLANTIC THAT TRUMP IS NOT OK. IN 1973, AN AIR FORCE NUCLEAR MISSILE OFFICER NAMED HAROLD HERRING ASKED A SIMPLE QUESTION DURING A TRAINING SESSION. HOW CAN I KNOW THAT AN ORDER I RECEIVED TO LAUNCH MY MISSILES CAME FROM A SANE PRESIDENT? THE QUESTION COST HIM HIS CAREER. MILITARY MEMBERS ARE TRAINED TO EXECUTE ORDERS, NOT TO QUESTION THEM. BUT TODAY, BOTH THE MAN WHO CAN ORDER THE USE OF NUCLEAR ARMS AND THE MAN WHO WOULD LIKELY VERIFY SUCH AN ORDER GAVE DISGRACEFUL AND UNNERVING PERFORMANCES IN QUANTICO. HOW MANY OFFICERS LEFT THE ROOM ASKING THEMSELVES MAJOR HERRING'S QUESTION?

THE QUESTION IS WHERE WE START THE HOUR WITH SOME OF OUR FAVORITE EXPERTS AND FRIENDS. STAFF WRITER AT THE ATLANTIC AND A CONTRIBUTOR TO THE ATLANTIC DAILY NEWSLETTER, TOM NICHOLS IS HERE. ALSO JOINING US, RETIRED US ARMY LIEUTENANT GENERAL MARK HERTLING IS HERE. ALSO JOINING US AT THE TABLE, FORMER ASSISTANT US ATTORNEY AND PRESIDENT OF THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS. MAYA WILEY IS HERE.

UM, TOM, I'M, I'M SURE YOU HEARD FROM ALL SORTS OF OF YOUR OWN SOURCES. I HEARD FROM A COUPLE OF MINE AND I WAS, I WAS INTERESTED IN THE FACT THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST ISSUE THEY RAISED. I MEAN, OF COURSE THERE'S THE OBJECTIONABLE LINE ABOUT OUR CITIES BEING TRAINING GROUNDS. THERE WAS THE WHOLE EXCESS DEBACLE, IF YOU WILL, BUT THE FIRST THING MY SOURCES RAISED WAS HOW TRUMP SEEMED, AND I WONDER IF THAT'S WHAT YOU HEARD, AND THAT'S WHAT INSPIRED THE PIECE.

UM, UH, WHAT INSPIRED THE PIECE WAS, WAS TRUMP, UM, THAT AS I WAS WATCHING IT IN REAL TIME AND I WAS LOOKING AT THE AUDIENCE AND I'VE, UM, SAT WITH AND LECTURED TO MILITARY AUDIENCE AUDIENCES FOR MOST OF MY ADULT LIFE, UM, I JUST HAD TO WONDER WHAT THEY WERE THINKING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MILITARY OFFICERS DON'T GO TO MEGA RALLIES, UM, SENIOR OFFICERS DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO SIT AND, AND WATCH, UM, FOOTAGE ON CABLE NEWS AND I THINK FOR MOST OF THEM, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE REALLY GOTTEN A, A, A MAJOR HELPING OF 180 PROOF UNDILUTED DONALD TRUMP AND JUST HAD TO SIT THERE FOR ALMOST AN HOUR AND JUST WATCH HIM. AND I, I ASSUME, YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, AND I DID HEAR AFTERWARDS THERE, THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF FOLKS LIKE, HE DOESN'T, HE JUST DOESN'T SEEM WELL. HE'S NOT OK. I'M NOT A DOCTOR, I'M NOT MAKING A DIAGNOSIS. UM, I'M SAYING AS A LAYPERSON AND, AND A MAN OF ADVANCED ADVANCING YEARS MYSELF, THAT I LOOKED AT THE PRESIDENT AND I THOUGHT HE'S NOT OK, UH, AND THAT IT'S NOT JUST HIS PHYSICAL DEMEANOR. I MEAN, THERE THIS I THINK FOR TOO LONG, WE HAVEN'T BEEN WILLING TO TALK ABOUT THE WEIRD RAMBLING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE PRESIDENT TRIES TO CALL IT THE WEAVE. IT'S NOT THE WEAVE. IT IS SOME KIND OF EMOTIONAL DISORDERED CONDITION WHERE HE JUST CAN'T HOLD A THOUGHT IN HIS HEAD. AND I THINK WHEN YOU'RE LECTURING, UH, SPEAKING TO 800 ADMIRALS AND GENERALS, UM, THAT AUDIENCE IS GONNA NOTICE IT A LOT MORE THAN THE MAGA AUDIENCES AT RALLIES WHO ARE LOOKING AT THEIR PHONE OR LAUGHING OR, UH, YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY PAYING ATTENTION. AND I, AND IT JUST DISTURBED ME AND I THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

GENERAL HERTLING, YOUR THOUGHTS?

YEAH, TOM'S RIGHT. UH, I, I HEARD FROM QUITE A FEW OF THE FOLKS THAT I USED TO SERVE WITH WHO WERE IN THE, UH, AUDIENCE LAST NIGHT OR YESTERDAY, AND, UH, HEARD SOME OF THE SAME THING THAT IT WAS MEANDERING WAS THE WORD THAT CAME UP WITH ONE, AND IT SEEMED TO BE DISCONNECTED THOUGHTS, UH, AND, AND I'D AGREE COMPLETELY WITH TOM WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING INTO AN AUDIENCE OF THAT. KIND OF UH UH FOLK, UH, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE GENERALS AND ADMIRALS AND THEIR SENIOR LISTED ADVISORS, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO BE ON YOUR GAME. UH, YOU GOT TO TALK STRAIGHT. YOU REALLY GOT TO BE PRECISE IN YOUR LANGUAGE. IN FACT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED. UH, AT THE WAR COLLEGE FROM A GUY LIKE TOM SAYING, YOU KNOW, PRECISE LANGUAGE IS CRITICAL, UH, AND COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT WHEN YOU GET TO THE STRATEGIC RANKS BECAUSE WHAT YOU SAY IS WHAT PEOPLE ACT ON. UH, ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT I TALKED TO, UH, YESTERDAY, LAST NIGHT. SAID THAT, AND, AND I KNOW THIS GUY, HE, HE LIKES TO TAKE VERY METICULOUS NOTES, AND HE WAS SAYING HE GAVE UP TAKING NOTES, UH, HALFWAY THROUGH THE SPEECH BECAUSE NONE OF THEM WERE CONNECTING AND WERE NOT SOMETHING HE COULD TAKE BACK TO HIS TROOPS, AND THAT'S SORT OF A SAD THING TO SAY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

UM, MAYA, LET ME JUST PUT OUT EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THE PUBLIC RECORD ON THIS TOPIC BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL. IN 2017, THEN, UH, REPUBLICAN SENATOR BOB CORKER TWEETED THIS QUOTE, IT IS A SHAME THAT THE WHITE HOUSE HAS BECOME AN ADULT DAYCARE CENTER. SOMEONE OBVIOUSLY MISSED THEIR SHIFT THIS MORNING. UM, BOB CORKER WENT ON TO, TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO TRY TO MINIMIZE OR TAKE AWAY SOME OF UM, AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT'S NUCLEAR AUTHORITIES AS THE SENATOR, THE MEASURE FAILED. UM, IN 2018, THEN WRITING IS ANONYMOUS, BUT WE'VE SINCE LEARNED THAT IT WAS MILES TAYLOR WROTE THIS. GIVEN THE INSTABILITY MANY WITNESSED, THERE WERE EARLY WHISPERS WITHIN THE CABINET. OF INVOKING THE 25TH AMENDMENT WHICH WOULD START A COMPLEX PROCESS FOR REMOVING THE PRESIDENT, BUT NO ONE WANTED TO PRECIPITATE A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. SO WE WILL DO WHAT WE CAN TO STEER THE ADMINISTRATION IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION UNTIL ONE WAY OR ANOTHER IT'S OVER, UM, FROM 2017. UNTIL IT ENDED, EVERY REPORTER COVERING THE WHITE HOUSE HAD SIGNAL AND WHATSAPP ON THEIR PHONE BECAUSE PEOPLE INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE LEAKED ALL THE TIME ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING. THAT IS WHERE THE BODY OF INFORMATION CAME FROM PEOPLE INSIDE THE HOUSE, AND I WOULD SAY AFTER THE JANUARY 6TH, AFTER THE INSURRECTION, WE HEARD KEVIN MCCARTHY'S VOICE ON TAPE FROM TWO JOURNALISTS WHO, I THINK AT THE TIME WERE AT POLITICO TALKING ABOUT THE 25TH AMENDMENT A SECOND TIME. SO I'D NEVER HEARD IT BEING DISCUSSED BY SENIOR PEOPLE EVER. FOR TRUMP, THE FIRST TIME AROUND, THERE WERE TWO INSTANCES THAT BECAME PUBLIC WHERE REPUBLICAN ALLIES TALKED ABOUT REMOVING HIM FROM OFFICE USING THE 25TH AMENDMENT.

WELL, I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S SO FRUSTRATING FOR MANY OF US IN THIS MOMENT. WHICH IS WE HAD A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. WE HAVE THAT WHOLE RECORD THAT YOU JUST SHARED, NICOLE, AND THEN WE HAD A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WHERE SO MUCH ATTENTION WAS BEING GIVEN TO JOE BIDEN'S AGE WITHOUT WHAT FELT LIKE EQUAL TIME AND ATTENTION TO THE CAPABILITIES OF DONALD TRUMP. THAT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING JUST AS A MATTER OF REPORTING. AND THAT SEEMED VERY UNBALANCED, BUT I ALSO WANT TO GO ONE STEP DEEPER BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LEVEL, AND WE HEARD THE WORD EARLIER UNHINGED, NOT JUST UNWELL, UNHINGED, AND SO IT'S BOTH ABOUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO HAS THE CAPACITY. THE MENTAL AND OTHER CAPACITY TO BE A COMMANDER IN CHIEF, BUT WE'RE ALSO WATCHING THIS UNHINGED, UNWELL PERSON DOING WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE AN ATTEMPT AT A PROPAGANDA WALK IN FRONT OF AND USING THE NATION'S MILITARY LEADERS AS A PROP IN THAT PROPAGANDA. A DISCUSSION THAT INCLUDED THINGS THAT WERE OUTWARDLY RACIST THAT WERE SUGGESTING THAT OUR WAR WAS WITH QUOTE UNQUOTE INNER CITIES AS WE'RE WATCHING, CROSSING THE RED LINE AND SOMETHING THAT IS DISTURBING TO MANY IN THE MILITARY ABOUT HOW WE'RE EVEN SEEING THEM BE USED. SO IN ADDITION TO THE NUCLEAR CODE. IT'S ACTUALLY THE WAY IN WHICH THIS IS BECOMING PROPAGANDA TO WAGE WAR ON QUOTE UNQUOTE ENEMIES WITHIN ON US, ON A MAN WHO JUST TALKED ABOUT THE N-WORD NOT BEING ABLE TO USE HIM. I'M SORRY, SOMEONE WHO HAS REPORTEDLY USED THE N-WORD BUT HAS AN ADMINISTRATION NOW AND A SECRETARY WHO SEES IT AS IN THEIR MISSION.

JOINING US, NBC NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, COURTNEY KUY AND FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER GENERAL WESLEY CLARK. SO COURTNEY, UM, HOW IS THIS GOING OVER WITHIN THE PENTAGON?

WELL, I MEAN THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THAT THE PENTAGON HAS GONE THROUGH THIS, RIGHT, EVEN JUST IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT I MEAN THE THING THAT SEEMS TO BE GETTING THE MOST ATTENTION HERE AT THE PENTAGON IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU MENTIONED, THAT IS THAT ACTIVE DUTY TROOPS, THAT'S JUST UNDER 2.1 MILLION PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD SERVING IN EVERY DIFFERENT KIND OF JOB YOU CAN IMAGINE, ARE NOT GETTING PAID AS OF TODAY IN ADDITION TO ANOTHER 400,000 CIVILIANS. WHO ARE WORKING BUT ALSO NOT GETTING PAID TODAY, SO THAT'S GETTING THE MAJORITY OF THE ATTENTION NOW YOU MENTIONED THE NATIONAL GUARD. WHY THAT'S SO CRITICAL RIGHT NOW IS A NUMBER OF THESE NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS, INCLUDING HERE IN DC, INCLUDING THE ONES THAT ARE GOING DOWN TO BEGIN THEIR DEPLOYMENT IN MEMPHIS, THEY ARE BEING PAID BY FEDERAL MONEY THAT'S KNOWN AS TITLE 30. TO A FEDERAL ACTIVE DUTY PAY. THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, DEPENDING ON THE CITY, BUT THEY ARE BEING PAID BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THAT MEANS THAT THEY TOO ARE NOT BEING PAID WHILE THEY ARE UNDERGOING THESE MISSIONS. WHY THAT IS PARTICULARLY INTERESTING TODAY IS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETE HEGSETH, ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI, AND STEPHEN MILLER FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ARE ALL HEADING TO MEMPHIS TO TOUT THIS NEW DEPLOYMENT, INCLUDING. FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THESE NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS WHO ARE NOT GOING TO BE PAID. I WILL SAY THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST THE GUARD, BY THE WAY, AND THE ACTIVE DUTY. THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE, A LOT OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS IN UNIFORM AND NOT IN UNIFORM WHO ARE STILL COMING TO WORK DESPITE THIS NO PAY.

HOW IS MORALE, NOT JUST WITH THE SHUTDOWN AND THE LACK OF PAY, BUT WITH THAT SPEECH YESTERDAY? HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING?

SO I MEAN ONLY ANECDOTALLY KATIE, THERE WAS, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HAVE REALLY STOOD OUT TO THE PEOPLE I'VE SPOKEN WITH. NUMBER ONE WAS PRESIDENT TRUMP'S COMMENT WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT SENDING MILITARY, SPECIFICALLY NATIONAL GUARD, INTO CITIES FOR TRAINING. THAT WAS ONE THING THAT CAUGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE'S ATTENTION. AND THEN THESE NEW STANDARDS AND THESE CHANGES TO SORT OF THE CULTURE IN THE MILITARY, THAT'S GOTTEN A LOT OF ATTENTION AND I THINK THE BIGGEST THING I KEEP HEARING. ABOUT IT IS EXACTLY WHEN AND HOW THESE POLICIES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED. SOME OF THEM LIKE THE HAZING, THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A 30 DAY REVIEW OF THE ABILITY TO HAZE AND AS THE SECRETARY PUT IT, PUT YOUR HANDS ON NEW RECRUITS, BUT IT'S NOT BEING IMPLEMENTED IMMEDIATELY, AND THAT'S A LOT OF THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'RE HEARING AMONGST MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY TODAY EXACTLY HOW WILL THESE THINGS BE IMPLEMENTED?

YES, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT AS WELL, GENERAL, I WONDER HOW YOU RECEIVED PETE HE'S SPEECH YESTERDAY.

WELL, I THOUGHT A LOT OF IT WAS SORT OF UM BOILED OVER THE RHETORIC THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THE MILITARY FOR DECADES, LETHALITY, WAR FIGHTING, FOCUSED ON THE MISSION, MORE TRAINING AND MAINTENANCE, LESS PAPERWORK, ALL THAT. IT WAS GOOD. I I LIKED IT. IT WAS A GREAT PERFORMANCE IN THAT RESPECT. BUT UH WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT CHANGING THE STANDARDS, NOT FOLLOWING RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, UH, JUST BEING OUT THERE KILLING. REMEMBER THAT THE US MILITARY OVERSEAS OFTEN HAS TO CONDUCT OPERATIONS IN THE PRESENCE OF CIVILIAN POPULATIONS. YOU CAN'T JUST KILL WILLY-NILLY. YOU HAVE TO HAVE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. THEY HAVE TO BE FOLLOWED AND ENFORCED, OTHERWISE YOU'RE DESTROYING THE VERY EFFORT YOU'RE MAKING TO RESOLVE WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT SENT YOU IN THERE FOR, WHETHER IT WAS IRAQ AND TRYING TO GET RID OF THE TERRORISTS OR WHATEVER. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ARE IMPORTANT. SO, UH, ALSO, AS FAR AS HAZING IS CONCERNED, A LOT OF ARMIES DID THIS. SO BEFORE WORLD WAR II, THE JAPANESE ARMY USED TO JUST BEAT THE HECK OUT OF PEOPLE. IT PRODUCED A REALLY OBEDIENT FORCE. WE CAN'T DO THAT AND WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. THE RUSSIAN ARMY BEATS UP ITS RECRUITS. UH, IT'S A, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF RITUAL. WE ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT THE BEST WAY TO TRAIN IS TO HAVE POSITIVE MOTIVATION, HELP EACH SOLDIER AND MARINE BE ALL HE CAN BE. SO WE WANT TOUGH TRAINING. WE WANT PRODUCTIVE TRAINING. WE WANT GREAT UNITS. A LOT OF THIS RHETORIC THAT CAME OUT STRUCK ME AS SORT OF CULTURE WAR STUFF, AND WE DON'T NEED CULTURE WAR STUFF IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY. WHAT WE NEED IS GOOD SOLID TRAINING. WE NEED GREAT GUIDANCE FROM THE PRESIDENT, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, AND THE POLICYMAKERS, AND OUR MILITARY IS LETHAL. IT WILL FIGHT AND WIN.

WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE THAT YOU TOOK AWAY ABOUT WOMEN IN THE MILITARY, THIS IDEA THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A TOP MALE STANDARD. WAS THERE A DIMINISHED STANDARD FOR WOMEN? I MEAN, DID THEY LET WOMEN, YOU KNOW, NOT FLY PLANES AS WELL AS MEN? DID THEY, WAS THERE A DIFFERENT, A SECONDARY STANDARD TO WHICH WOMEN WERE NOT HELD TO AS HIGH OF A STANDARD AS MEN?

WELL, NOT, NOT FOR MOST OF THESE SKILLS. UH, WE'VE HAD WOMEN FIGHTER PILOTS, AND, UH, WHEN I WAS IN KOSOVO RUNNING THAT CAMPAIGN IN 1999, WE HAD WOMEN FIGHTER PILOTS, AND THEY WERE EXCELLENT FLYING THOSE F-15S. THEY HAD GREAT HAND TO EYE COORDINATION. THEY HAD G TOLERANCE. THEY KNEW THEIR STUFF. THEY WERE GOOD, UH, BUT, UH, YES, AND THE ARMY'S REVISED PHYSICAL FITNESS PROGRAM, THE ARMY COMBAT FITNESS TEST, UM, THERE ARE DIFFERENT STANDARDS FOR, UH, DIFFERENT AGES. DIFFERENT DUTY MOS'S AND SO FORTH. IT'S A VERY TOUGH STANDARD. IT'S FOR THE FOR THE COMBAT SOLDIER. IT'S REALLY TOUGH. SHOULD WE ALL BE IN GREAT SHAPE? SURE. DO WE WANT FAT GENERALS AND ANIMALS? ABSOLUTELY NOT. DO WE WANT GOOD HAIRCUTS? OF COURSE. BUT LOOK, THIS FORCE IS A VOLUNTEER FORCE. IT'S BUILT ON MEN AND WOMEN. IT'S BUILT ON DIVERSITY, AND THE OFFICER CORPS HAS TO REFLECT THAT TO SOME EXTENT, AND WE'VE GOT TO APPRECIATE THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO VOLUNTEER TO SERVE THIS COUNTRY.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK, ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU, COURTNEY KUBY. YOU TOO.

ON DAY ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, DONALD TRUMP IS TRYING TO EXERT SOME PRESIDENTIAL PRESSURE, BUT TOP DEMOCRATS ARE DEFIANT. FOR DECADES, REPUBLICANS HAVE CONSISTENTLY SHUT THE GOVERNMENT DOWN AS PART OF THEIR EFFORTS TO TRY TO EXTRACT AND JAM THEIR EXTREME RIGHT WING AGENDA DOWN THE THROATS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. ALREADY TRUMP IS TARGETING BLUE STATES IN A WAY THAT SOME DEMOCRATS CLAIM IS AN ABUSE OF POWER. WE WILL GET INTO THAT AND MORE, BUT WE START TONIGHT WITH A RED ALERT FOR THE COUNTRY AS FEDERAL TROOPS ENTER MORE AMERICAN CITIES, AND DONALD TRUMP SUGGESTS THAT. SOME AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE ENEMIES. TODAY TRUMP CLAIMED THAT THE NATIONAL GUARD IS NOW IN PLACE IN PORTLAND, OREGON. THIS DESPITE LOCAL ON THE GROUND REPORTING THAT NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT HAS ACTUALLY BEEN DELAYED AMID LEGAL CHALLENGES. ALSO TODAY, FEDERAL TROOPS ARE ON THE GROUND IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, AND MISSOURI'S REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR HAS AUTHORIZED THE NATIONAL GUARD TO ASSIST ICE WITH DEPORTATIONS ACROSS THE STATE. ALL OF THIS COMES OF COURSE JUST MONTHS AFTER DONALD TRUMP DEPLOYED TROOPS TO LOS ANGELES AND WASHINGTON DC, AND IT COMES JUST ONE DAY AFTER TRUMP TRIED TO JUSTIFY DOMESTIC MILITARY ACTION, TELLING PENTAGON LEADERS TO HANDLE THE ENEMY FROM WITHIN. TAKE A LISTEN.

"TO SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, THEY'RE VERY UNSAFE PLACES, AND WE'RE GOING TO STRAIGHTEN THEM OUT ONE BY ONE, AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A MAJOR PART FOR SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM. THAT'S A WAR TOO. IT'S A WAR FROM WITHIN. WE SHOULD USE SOME OF THESE DANGEROUS CITIES AS TRAINING GROUNDS FOR. OUR MILITARY NATIONAL GUARD, IT'S THE ENEMY FROM WITHIN, AND WE HAVE TO HANDLE IT BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF CONTROL."

THE WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL BOARD RESPONDED TO THESE STARTLING DEVELOPMENTS, WRITING SIMPLY, QUOTE, US CITIES AREN'T MEANT TO BE MILITARY TRAINING GROUNDS, AND OUR SOLDIERS DIDN'T SIGN UP TO BE POLICE OFFICERS. THAT IS WHERE WE BEGIN TONIGHT. NEW WARNINGS THAT DONALD TRUMP'S RHETORIC AND ACTIONS ABOUT MILITARY TROOPS IN AMERICAN CITIES IS ESCALATING AT AN ALARMING PACE. JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS ALL OF THIS IS MICHELLE GOLDBERG, A COLUMNIST FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, AND MOLLY JONG FASS, COLUMNIST FOR VANITY FAIR. BOTH ARE MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYSTS. MICHELLE, LET'S START WITH YOU. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE EXPANSION OF THE MILITARY'S PRESENCE THROUGHOUT AMERICAN CITIES? IS THIS NORMAL?

I MEAN, NO, IT'S NOT NORMAL. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT FOR YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON THE VERGE OF AUTHORITARIANISM. WE WE MIGHT LOSE OUR DEMOCRACY, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE'RE PRETTY WELL HERE WHEN YOU HAVE A PRESIDENT STAND UP BEFORE THE ENTIRE MILITARY AND BASICALLY SAY, I WANT YOU OR YOU'RE GOING TO USE AMERICAN CITIES AS. TRAINING GROUNDS FOR YOUR FOREIGN WARS WHEN HE DECLARES HUGE SWATHS OF THE POPULACE, HIS ENEMIES WHEN HE SENDS THE MILITARY TO INTIMIDATE AND POTENTIALLY CRUSH THEM, WHEN YOU HAVE SCENES LIKE WE HAD RECENTLY IN THE IN THE IMMIGRATION COURT BUILDING HERE IN NEW YORK, YOU'VE SEEN A WOMAN, A MOTHER, THROWN TO THE GROUND. THE AGENT WHO DID THAT WAS BRIEFLY FIRED BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMEONE I GUESS IN THE BUREAUCRACY WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND WRONGLY AND WRONGLY AND SO THE MESSAGE IN SOME IS EVEN WORSE BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY SAYING NO, SOMEBODY WILL COME TO YOUR AID. THERE WAS A JOURNALIST WHO WAS TAKEN OUT ON A STRETCHER THE OTHER DAY, SO IT'S JUST, IT'S GETTING WORSE AND WORSE AND WORSE AND WE'RE NOT CAPABLE, I THINK AS A SOCIETY OF REACTING APPROPRIATELY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PARTLY BECAUSE THE MECHANISMS OF ACCOUNTABILITY HAVE SHUT OFF PARTLY I THINK THE LEADERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAVE DECIDED THAT IT HAS TO BE HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE, AND THAT PEOPLE DON'T REALLY THAT THESE KIND OF BROADER IDEAS ABOUT AUTHORITARIANISM AND DEMOCRACY DON'T MOVE THE NEEDLE, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING THAT THE THE SHUTDOWN FIGHT IS ABOUT HEALTH CARE. YOU COULD IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE THE SHUTDOWN FIGHT IS ABOUT WHY WOULD. WE FUND YOUR EFFORTS TO DECLARE WAR ON US.

SO THAT'S MY QUESTION TODAY, MOLLY JUNGFASA. THERE WAS A NEW YORK TIMES INTERVIEW WITH CHUCK SCHUMER, AND HE'S TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE EMPHASIZING THAT THIS SHUTDOWN IS ABOUT THE REPUBLICANS' REFUSAL TO GIVE ON THE HEALTHCARE CUTS, BUT THERE'S SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, THINGS THAT COULD BE ABOUT BREAD AND BUTTER ECONOMIC ISSUES. WHY IS IT HEALTH CARE? WHY AREN'T WE TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS CALLING PEOPLE LIVING IN BLUE CITIES, ALL OF US? THE ENEMIES.

WELL, AND THE QUESTION IS ALSO WHY ARE THEY MAKING A DEAL WITH THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS THAT HAS GIVEN UP ITS POWER? LIKE THINK ABOUT THESE DACA RESCISSIONS RIGHT AT THE END OF THE YEAR. YOU HAD REPUBLICANS CLAW BACK $5 BILLION IN FOREIGN AID AND FUNDING FOR PBS AFTER IT HAD BEEN SIGNED INTO LAW. SO HERE'S THE QUESTION LIKE HOW DO YOU MAKE A DEAL WITH SOMEONE WHO YOU CAN'T TRUST AND I THINK THAT IS A REAL BIG PROBLEM AND YOU SAW EVEN REPUBLICANS ON THE APPROPRIATION. COMMITTEE SAYING THAT THEY NEED TO HAVE SOLID, YOU KNOW, BUY-IN FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IF THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE DEALS. AND SO I THINK DEMOCRATS ARE, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN VERY TOUGH FOR THEM TO SORT OF, THEY THINK THAT HEALTH CARE PULLS BETTER THAN ICE, THAN THIS PARAMILITARY POLICE FORCE THAT HAS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN OUR CITIES. I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT IS A WISE MOVE. I THINK THEY CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM AT THE. DOING TWO THINGS AT ONCE VERY INTERESTING POSSIBILITY, MICHELLE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS EMPHASIZED OVER AND OVER AGAIN AS IT SENT THE MILITARY INTO AMERICAN CITIES IS THAT THIS IS NECESSARY TO FIGHT CRIME, AND DEMOCRATS, I THINK, HAVE RESPONDED IN LARGE PART BY POINTING TO STATISTICS THAT SHOW THAT IN FACT THERE ISN'T A CRIME PROBLEM. IS THAT MISSING THE MOMENT AND MESSAGING THE WRONG KIND OF THING?

WELL, I DON'T KNOW THAT POINTING TO STATISTICS IS GOING TO CONVINCE ANYBODY. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY IN THESE CITIES ARE BY AND LARGE NOT VOTING FOR REPUBLICANS, PEOPLE OUTSIDE THEM ARE NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO DEMOCRATIC STATISTICS AND IT FEELS LIKE IT'S ABOUT MAKING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE URBAN AND THE RURAL EVEN MORE PROFOUND, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS ARE RETIRED AND LIVE IN ARIZONA. MY DAD TELLS ME HE HAS FRIENDS OUT THERE WHO ARE SHOCKED THAT THEY COME VISIT ME BECAUSE THEY THINK IT'S SOME SORT OF DANGEROUS HELLHOLE THERE IN NEW YORK INSTEAD OF A PLACE WHERE MY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, UM, BUT. I ALSO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S UM. THERE'S THIS MESSAGE, THERE'S ALSO THAT THIS IS I THINK THAT THEY GET CAUGHT UP TALKING ABOUT CRIME WHEN IN A WAY THAT'S KIND OF TAKING THE ADMINISTRATION'S PRETEXT AT FACE VALUE THE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RECENTLY PUT OUT THIS MEMORANDA DESCRIBING HUGE BASICALLY THE AMERICAN LEFT WRIT LARGE IN SORT OF TERMS OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM, YOU KNOW, THREATENING TO GO AFTER GEORGE SOROS. THREATENING TO GO AFTER ALL SORTS OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PEOPLE WHO UM WHO WHO DISSENT RIGHT NOT NOT WHO ARE VIOLENT, BUT WHO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DEMONIZE IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS, FOR EXAMPLE, AND SO AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU HAVE TRUMP IN FRONT OF THE MILITARY SAYING, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE ENEMY WITHIN AT ONE POINT HE SAID CIVIL UNREST SO HE'S TALKING ABOUT MASS PROTESTS. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR. AND IF WE'RE, YOU KNOW, QUIBBLING ABOUT CRIME STATISTICS, YEAH, WE'VE MISSED THE POINT, RIGHT?

EXACTLY, YEAH. SO MOLLY, SOMETHING SEEMS VERY UN-AMERICAN ABOUT THIS. LAW PROFESSOR HERE WAS LOOKING AT THE CONSTITUTION TODAY, LOOKING AT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE FOUNDING FATHERS FEARED MOST DEEPLY WAS THE PROSPECT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT BEING ABLE TO USE A STANDING ARMY AGAINST THE PEOPLE. AND HERE WE ARE. HOW CAN THE PARTY OF LAW AND ORDER AND THE PARTY THAT TALKS ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION DO THIS WITH A STRAIGHT FACE, RIGHT?

AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THIS IS NOT LEGAL. WE JUST SAW THIS LIKE IN CALIFORNIA, IN LOS ANGELES, POSITS, LIKE IT'S NOT LEGAL. SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, GOVERNOR PRITZKER HAS BEEN REALLY CLEAR ON THIS, AND I THINK IN A REALLY EFFECTIVE WAY, AND HE SAYS YOU. PEACEFUL AND YOU DOCUMENT EVERYTHING AND PEOPLE NEED TO DOCUMENT EVERYTHING WITH THEIR PHONES IN A PEACEFUL WAY AND YOU KNOW, WHY? BECAUSE THERE'S GOING TO BE A MOMENT IN THIS COUNTRY AND WE'VE SEEN IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN BECAUSE WE'VE GONE FROM BACKLASH TO BACKLASH TO BACKLASH WHERE THERE'S GOING TO BE A VIDEO WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE LIKE, OH NO, THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE AND DONALD TRUMP IS VERY SENSITIVE TO IMAGES TOO, SO HE WILL SEE ONE OF THOSE VIDEOS AND BE LIKE. WHOA, STEPHEN MILLER. SO YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AND I JUST THINK IT'S A VERY SCARY MOMENT IN AMERICAN LIFE, BUT WE HAVE TO KNOW THERE ARE LAWS, THERE ARE RULES, THESE COURTS ARE FINDING THESE THINGS ILLEGAL, AND WE HAVE THESE CELL PHONES THAT ARE INCREDIBLY POWERFUL AND THESE IMAGES CAN TRAVEL AND I DO THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO HIT A TIPPING POINT PROBABLY SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.

MICHELLE, FINAL QUESTION TO YOU. WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO PLAY THIS TAPE, BUT WE HAVE SOME AMAZING FOOTAGE OF A PORTLAND CITY COUNCILOR WHO'S ALSO A MILITARY VETERAN WHO OMITS THE TRUMP DEPLOYMENT TO HIS CITY, HAS SAID THAT EVEN THESE TROOPS HAVE TAKEN AN OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION, AND PART OF THAT OATH INVOLVES AN OBLIGATION TO DO THE RIGHT THING IN THIS MOMENT. IS THAT A LESSON FOR ALL OF US RIGHT NOW? LIKE MAYBE DISSENT IS THE RIGHT THING.

I THINK SO. I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE IT'S ALL WE HAVE. I'M NOT NECESSARILY AS SANGUINE AS MOLLY IS ABOUT THE ABOUT THE LAWS AND THE RULES PREVAILING, BUT I THINK YOU HAVE TO BEHAVE AS IF THEY WILL, RIGHT? YOU SORT OF CAN'T PREEMPTIVELY DECIDE THAT WE ARE ALL AT THE MERCY OF THESE PEOPLE.

GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK. I'M CHRIS HAYES. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW SHUT DOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE, WELL, THE PREVIOUS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, AND IF YOU LISTEN TO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TODAY, THIS IS ENTIRELY AND COMPLETELY DEMOCRATS' FAULT. THEY'RE RUNNING A PR CAMPAIGN TO CONVINCE EVERYONE INCORRECTLY, I'D SAY, THAT THE DEMS ARE SOLELY TO BLAME FOR THIS SHUTDOWN. THE REASON YOUR GOVERNMENT IS SHUT DOWN AT THIS VERY MINUTE IS BECAUSE DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS AND EVEN A FEW MODERATE DEMOCRATS SUPPORTED OPENING THE GOVERNMENT, THE CHUCK SCHUMER AOC WING OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT. DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS HAVE OFFICIALLY SHUT DOWN THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASSED. NONPARTISAN CLEAN PIECE OF LEGISLATION TO EXTEND CURRENT GOVERNMENT FUNDING UNTIL NOVEMBER 21, BUT NEARLY EVERY SINGLE DEMOCRAT SENATOR VOTED AGAINST THIS BILL. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO DO THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO DO, AND IT'S BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS HAVE PUT US INTO THIS POSITION. IF THE DEMOCRATS DID NOT VOTE TO SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT, WE WOULD NOT BE STANDING UP HERE TALKING ABOUT LAYOFFS TODAY. THEY'VE ALSO PLASTERED THAT SAME SENTIMENT ACROSS A BUNCH OF GOVERNMENT WEBSITES IN WHAT LOOKS LIKE A VIOLATION OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS RULES, ALTHOUGH GOD, THOSE ARE LONG GONE. THEY'RE REALLY WEIRD MESSAGES, BY THE WAY, IF YOU HAPPEN TO CHECK THEM OUT. BUT HERE'S WHAT I WOULD SAY ABOUT THIS ARGUMENT. IT DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS CONDUCTED ITSELF OVER THE LAST 9 MONTHS. DONALD TRUMP IS GOVERNING LIKE THE DICTATOR OF AMERICA, RIGHT? HE, HE PROMISED TO BE A DICTATOR ON DAY ONE, HIS WORDS. HE'S COMPARED HIMSELF TO AMERICA'S KING, EVEN TO THE POPE. THE GOAL OF THE SECOND TERM, QUITE CLEARLY IS NOT HIDING THIS, IS TO ASSERT COMPLETE. CONTROL OVER EVERY ASPECT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. HE WANTS TO DIRECTLY CONTROL WHO GETS FIRED AND HIRED ACROSS THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT AND EVEN CIVIL SOCIETY FROM FED DIRECTORS TO TALK SHOW HOSTS. HE WANTS TO DIRECTLY CONTROL WHO GETS INDICTED, MOST RECENTLY WITH THE RIDICULOUS PROSECUTION OF JAMES COMEY. HE SAYS RIGHT NOW THE POSITION OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND DONALD TRUMP IS THAT HE BY HIMSELF UNILATERALLY CAN RAISE TAXES ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BY $1 TRILLION. ENTIRELY BY EXECUTIVE FIAT, JUST BY BEING LIKE, YEAH, YEAH, TAX IS UP. HE SAYS HE CAN RESCIND OR REALLOCATE ANY CONGRESSIONALLY APPROPRIATED FUNDS BASICALLY AT ANY TIME ENTIRELY BY EXECUTIVE FIAT. OH, THERE'S A BILL TO TO SPEND STUFF THERE. NO, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO IT. OK, BUT THINK OF ALL THAT, BUT NOW IT'S THE DEMOCRATS WHO ARE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT WHEN IT COMES TO SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT. THAT IS A PRETTY TOUGH SELL, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING TRUMP IS USING THE SHUTDOWN TO DRUMROLL, GOVERN LIKE A KING. JUST TODAY, RUSSELL VOGT, THE TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING THIS KIND OF UNITARY EXECUTIVE AGENDA, RIGHT? ALL POWER FLOWS FROM THE PRESIDENT, ANNOUNCED THAT MORE THAN $8 BILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING, AGAIN APPROPRIATED FUNDING, LEGALLY APPROPRIATED EXCLUSIVELY FROM BLUE STATES WOULD BE FROZEN OR CANCELED. THAT INCLUDES TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING HERE IN NEW YORK, CLIMATE INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING IN MORE THAN A DOZEN OTHER STATES INCLUDING CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, NEW JERSEY, BUT ONLY STATES THAT DIDN'T VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP. NOW THERE'S A A LOT STILL UNCLEAR ABOUT WHAT SPECIFICALLY HE IS REFERRING TO, BUT PRESUMABLY THIS IS CONGRESSIONALLY APPROPRIATED MONEY. IT'S PASSED INTO LAW, RIGHT? AND IT'S THE MONEY THAT'S APPROPRIATED. BUT AGAIN, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S CLAWING IT BACK, CITING DEI LIKE THERE'S TOO MUCH DEI IN THE TUNNEL THEY'RE BUILDING ACROSS THE HUDSON RIVER AND THE GREEN NEWS SCAM. RUSSELL VOTE'S ALSO GOING TO USE A SHUTDOWN AS AN EXCUSE TO FIRE EVEN MORE FEDERAL WORKERS, BUT HE'S BEEN DOING THAT. THEY'VE BEEN DOING THAT IN AN EXTENSION OF THE RECKLESS DOGE CUTS THIS ADMINISTRATION UNILATERALLY ENACTED EARLIER THIS YEAR. THE PRESIDENT IS EXCITED TO DO WHAT HE CALLS BAD THINGS THAT ARE IRREVERSIBLE. SO THE LAST PERSON THAT WANTS TO SHUT DOWN IS US NOW. WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE CAN DO THINGS DURING THE SHUTDOWN THAT ARE IRREVERSIBLE, THAT ARE BAD FOR THEM AND IRREVERSIBLE BY THEM, LIKE CUTTING VAST NUMBERS OF PEOPLE OUT, CUTTING THINGS THAT THEY LIKE, CUTTING PROGRAMS THAT THEY LIKE. AND YOU KNOW, ALL, YOU ALL KNOW RUSSELL VO HE'S BECOME VERY POPULAR RECENTLY BECAUSE HE CAN TRIM THE BUDGET TO A LEVEL THAT YOU COULDN'T DO ANY OTHER WAY. WE'RE DOING WELL AS A COUNTRY, SO THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS SHUT IT DOWN, BUT UH. A LOT OF GOOD CAN COME DOWN FROM SHUTDOWNS. WE CAN GET RID OF A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T WANT, AND THEY'D BE DEMOCRAT THINGS. SO A LOT OF GOOD CAN COME FROM THE SHUTDOWN. IT WILL HURT DEMOCRATS. IT'S DEMOCRATS THAT ARE SHUTTING THE GOVERNMENT DOWN. AND SPEAKING OF DOES, THERE'S ALSO THE TRUMP-BACKED BAILOUT OF THE ADMINISTRATION'S KOOKY FAR RIGHT BUDDY IN ARGENTINA, THIS GUY. THE ADMINISTRATION IS JUST GIVING HIM A $20 BILLION BAILOUT LINE TO HELP HIS STRUGGLING, POSSIBLY APPROACHING CRISIS ECONOMY, UH, BECAUSE HE DID ALL THESE SORT OF RIGHT WING REFORMS AHEAD OF ARGENTINA'S UPCOMING ELECTION. THEY'VE EVEN SAID IT'S LIKE A BRIDGE TO GET HIM OVER THE ELECTION. NOW DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS DON'T GET A SAY IN THAT. JUST AGAIN, $20 BILLION. ALL THAT BEING DONE WITHOUT ANY OUTSIDE INPUT, BUT THE DEMOCRATS ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR SHUTTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOWN. AND I WILL SAY IT DOESN'T APPEAR FROM THE POLLING THAT PEOPLE ARE REALLY BUYING IT. NEW POLLING INDICATES MORE AMERICANS ARE BLAMING THE REPUBLICANS FOR THE SHUTDOWN OF THE DEMOCRATS, AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE IT IS OBVIOUS TO ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION THAT TRUMP IS RUNNING THE SHOW, RIGHT? AS TERRIBLE THAT MAY BE. HE WANTS YOU TO THINK THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO THINK THAT GOVERNMENT'S CONTROLLED BY DEMOCRATS.

YESTERDAY, DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN MADELEINE DEAN CONFRONTED SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON FRONT OF THE CAMERAS AND SAID WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE THINKING THAT DONALD TRUMP IS UNWELL.

"THE PRESIDENT IS UNHINGED. HE IS UNWELL. WHAT DO YOU DO ON YOUR SIDE, TOO. I DON'T. OH MY GOD, PLEASE, THAT PERFORMANCE IN FRONT OF THE GENERALS THAT DIDN'T SEE IT IS SO DANGEROUS. YOU KNOW, I SERVE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND APPROPRIATIONS. THIS IS A COLLISION OF THOSE TWO THINGS. OUR ALLIES ARE LOOKING ELSEWHERE. OUR ENEMIES ARE LAUGHING. I JUST. YOU HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO IS UNWELL."

CLAIRE MCCASKILL IS FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR IN MISSOURI. BRENNAN BUCK WORKED IN COMMUNICATIONS FOR HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER, PAUL RYAN. THEY BOTH HAVE EXPERIENCES WITH GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS, AND THEY JOINED ME NOW. UM, CLAIRE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE THE SORT OF SPIN TODAY ABOUT WHO GETS BLAMED FOR IT?

WELL, UH, LISTEN, THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO HERE. UM, THE MESSAGE IS NOT COMPLICATED. UH, THEY WON'T NEGOTIATE TO SAVE YOUR HEALTHCARE. AND BY THE WAY, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS SHUTDOWN THAT HAVE NEVER OCCURRED BEFORE IN A SHUTDOWN. THE FIRST ONE IS THAT THE FOLKS IN CHARGE OF GOVERNMENT WILL NOT NEGOTIATE. THAT NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. THAT NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. THERE WAS ALWAYS NEGOTIATION GOING ON AND BY THE WAY, AT A MINIMUM THEY WOULD SHOW UP AT LEAST TO NEGOTIATE. I MEAN, JOHNSON DOESN'T EVEN WANT THEM IN THE CAPITOL BECAUSE HE'S AFRAID OF FRANKLY, PROBABLY OF THE EPSTEIN VOTE, BUT AND THEN THE SECOND THING THAT'S DIFFERENT HERE IS NEVER BEFORE HAVE TAX DOLLARS BEEN USED TO POLITICIZE A SHUTDOWN. YOU CAN GO ON EVERY WEBSITE AND YOU CAN SEE THE LANGUAGE IS BEING USED, THAT IS A BLATANT VIOLATION OF THE HATCH ACT. UH RHETORIC BEING USED WITH TAX DOLLARS ON GOVERNMENT WEBSITES. I MEAN THIS HAS NEVER EVER HAPPENED BEFORE UNDER A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT OR A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT. SO THESE ARE, THIS IS A MUCH DIFFERENT KIND OF SHUTDOWN AND BY THE WAY, I HAVE A FRIEND WHO TOLD ME THAT HER SISTER WHO'S A MEMBER OF A COAST GUARD FAMILY, COAST GUARD FAMILIES ARE WERE IN FOOD LINES TODAY KNOWING THEY WON'T GET PAID IN OCTOBER. I STILL GET PAID. BECAUSE THEY GOT ALL THAT MONEY IN THE BIG UGLY BILL, BUT THE COAST GUARD WON'T GET PAID, SO HE'S DEMONIZING FEDERAL WORKERS, AND MANY OF WHOM ARE SACRIFICING GREATLY TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY, AND I JUST, I, I, I JUST PRAY THE DEMOCRATS GET AGGRESSIVE AND STAY ON MESSAGE. THIS IS ABOUT HEALTH CARE VERSUS TAX CUTS FOR BILLIONAIRES. IF THEY DO THAT, THE GOVERNMENT WILL BEGIN TO SHUT DOWN. IT WILL IMPACT THE ECONOMY, AND I DO THINK THE REPUBLICANS WILL HAVE TO NEGOTIATE.