'REALLY WEIRD': Trump getting supporters to pledge to 'cheat like hell' in election raises alarms

0:00One did work become so much work. The meeting about the meeting, the hundreds of files to find one insight, setting aside the things you want to do for the things that pop up. Your workday's gone. But what if the insight surfaced itself? Or you could ship the deck without the distractions? Gemini Enterprise helps you get that done. It's AI that knows your business with agents that take stuff off your plate. Make work less work with Gemini Enterprise from Google Cloud. Join me, Cindy Loper, with Chef Michelle Bernstein, and Dr. Paneco to talk about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, the potential connection and risk of developing permanent joint damage. Cosintic Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis 300 milligram dose and adults with active psoriatic arthritis 150 milligram dose. Don't use a fear allergic to cosintics before starting and get checked for tuberculosis, and increased risk

1:00of infections and lower the ability to fight them may occur, like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal, or viral infections, some are fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or cough, had a vaccine or plan to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen. Serious allergic reactions and severe eczema-like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-8-4-4-Cosintics. Donald Trump is preparing himself to lose the midterm elections. On the first night of his midterm convention in Dallas, he lied to his supporters and promised a $5,000 cash giveaway to every adult American if Republicans win. And on night two, Donald Trump lied some more, no surprise there, then something weird happened. Something really weird, even for Donald Trump, he had his supporters raise their right hands

2:00and told them to act as if he were on the ballot. And then he repeated his lie that Democrats cheat and suggested that his supporters should do the same. Here is Donald Trump's mega pledge last night in Dallas. We want honesty in our elections. We want honesty in our country. So, please raise your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States, that loves us so much, he can't even breathe. That loves us so much, he can't even breathe. That loves us so much, he can't even breathe. That I will go out with my family, my friends, I'll do it anyway, I don't care if I'm registered and not I'm gonna try and cheat like hell like they do.

3:02They never, there's never been bigger cheaters that I care. I am gonna go out and I'm gonna get my friends my family and we are going to vote on November 3rd or we are going to vote before that. You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell, you know that, okay? You go to hell. Y'all, my God, this is beyond parody. He just said we want honesty in our elections right before telling those people to cheat like hell then he said if you don't vote, you go to hell. That's his strategy to win this election. It really seems he's preparing his supporters for an election that he appears to be preparing to lose because the accusation of cheating

4:04before the votes have even been cast creates a justification for what Trump may be willing to do afterwards. He's saying if they cheat, we have to fight. If they cheat, we have to cheat back. If they cheat, then losing to them cannot be accepted as a legitimate result. That is the political framework all based on his lies about rigged elections and Democrats cheating. When Donald Trump lost the 2020 election a slew of chords, some with Trump appointed judges all found zero evidence of a rigged election. Donald Trump hasn't let that lie ever die and is already using it about the midterms because he's helped make the GOP politically toxic. He seems to already be creating a ready-made justification for refusing to accept the outcome or retaliating against those who do. Former federal appeals judge J. Michael Ludic

5:04describes that possibility in a piece for the new republic titled, the final battle for America's democracy. He writes, that catastrophic end to America's democracy could welcome on January 3rd, 2027, when Trump and his Republican congressional allies wage the final battle in Trump's determined war to corrupt America's democracy and deliver a lasting political victory over the Democrats for his mega-Republican party. House Republicans are now poised to claim that the midterm elections were stolen from them when they meet on January 3rd to decide which members elect will be seated in the 120th Congress. Judge Ludic is describing a warning scenario, not a settled prediction of what will happen, but his concern is clear and well-founded. If Republicans lose, no, they didn't because he will just lie and say Democrats cheated.

6:06Hence, when, hence, I win, tails you lose. And there is new data explaining why Trump may be preparing for that possibility. According to a new Quinnipiac University National Poll, Democrats currently hold an 11-point advantage over Republicans when voters were asked which party should control the House. 49% said the Democratic Party, 38% said the Republican Party. And remember, Donald Trump could be doing way more to help Republicans win their races. His main campaign committee and PAC have a war chest of more than $400 million available, yet Trump has only spent a fraction of that money on vulnerable Republican incumbents. But why spend the money if you're preparing to lose and lie and say you won? Trump's former White House Attorney, Thai Cobb, recently told Ari Melber that this is Trump's plan for the midterms.

7:07I think Trump doesn't feel he needs to spend this money because it is his intention to interfere with the elections and to steal these elections where possible. And to the extent that they go big time against him, perhaps even support Mike Johnson and urge him not to seat democratically elected representatives. Trump himself has actually acknowledged that Republicans can lose in an interview with Laura Ingraham. He said this. But isn't this just as important, Mr. President? I mean, your whole legacy is on the line. It's never as important. Look, I'm campaigning for other people. When you say my legacy, I'll be a block. I'll end up being a blocker. I'll block all their bad stuff for two years. It won't be the same, but I'll be a blocker. What can I tell you? And probably be able to make deals with them. They're going to want some stuff and we'll get, here you make deals. I mean, it's one of those things. So it's not as dire. Maybe it is. Another way Trump is attacking this election

8:09before it even happens is his assault on voting by mail. On Wednesday, current and former officials, including Republican officials from several states, filed in Amicus brief urging the Supreme Court not to allow Trump's new mail ballot rules to take effect before the midterms. They warned that implementing the rules, this late in the election cycle, could disrupt voting. Quote, North Carolina has already mailed out its first ballots. Attempting to implement this rule now significantly increases the risks of problems to the election. Those problems could be different in each jurisdiction, but election officials know that late changes almost always lead to unforeseen consequences. No election office at any level of government has budgeted for the work the rules require. And none have the time or the means to fully train or test on this rule. That simply cannot be done midstream of this election.

9:10The brief describes a series of practical problems. Some states, including deep red Florida, which must begin sending out ballot envelopes by September 24, less than two weeks from now, are concerned about envelope requirements. The election officials wrote, most local offices do not currently satisfy these requirements. And the reasons have little to do with willingness. Many have already designed, approved, ordered, and printed their 2026 general election envelopes. A single error would return the entire mailing to the election office. That was the case in Leon County, Florida, where the United States Postal Service initially rejected that county's ballot envelope. Why? Because of word spacing. Yes, ballots are being rejected over spacing. That's how a name this has gotten. In Oregon and Washington State, elected officials told the Associated Press that thousands of voters had their ballots rejected

10:12during this year's primaries, due to postal service changes that may have delayed the application of postmarks to ballots. Even if they were mailed, but not postmarked, on or before election day. The Postal Service has acknowledged that changes in how it transports mail could result in postmarking delays. With the midterms, just 53 days away, election officials are warning that there is little to no room for error. Yesterday, a federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's request to lift a lower court injunction blocking the new mail ballot rules. The Supreme Court is still considering whether the Trump rules can take effect. But for now, they remain blocked. And that's the point the election officials are making. Changing the rules of voting in the middle of an election is not a minor administrative task. It can mean rejected ballots, delayed ballots, confused voters, and an election whose results

11:14are easier to challenge. Leading off our discussion tonight, Democratic Assistant Leader of the House of Representatives, Colorado Congressman Joe Negus, he's a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Rules Committee. Congressman Negus, as always, thank you for coming to the last word. Let's start with Trump's comments to Laura Ingram. He said that if Democrats take power, he would be a blocker for the next two years. Does that sound like a president preparing for the possibility of losing the midterms? Well, it's gonna be with you, Jonathan. Thanks for having me on. I couldn't agree with you more. I think it sounds to me like someone who well understands that he will lose this decisive consequential midterm election. He has access to the same empirical data that you and I and every American does. He understands well that his policies have proven to be deeply unpopular and that Americans are struggling by virtue of really the damage that he's done in the last 20 months. So it is why his language has become more desperate.

12:16And of course, the way you described his speech, the kind of incoherent ramblings that he offered in Dallas, Texas, as beyond parity, I think is an apt characterization. But we ought to take very seriously the ludicrous oath that he demanded that the sick offense who had gathered in Dallas for that convention take and the realities that irrespective of the fact that he is very likely to lose this election come November 3rd, that he will deny the results of the election, passed his prologue, and we've seen this movie before. And it's important for us to take that very seriously. What do you make of his comment yesterday that Democrats will cheat? I think that it's very clearly designed to do three things. One, to try to undergird the efforts that he's engaged in, which are unconstitutional to ultimately subvert a free and fair election. And as you noted, those efforts have failed thus far. We've been very active in litigation, the Amicus brief that you mentioned

13:17on the part of the Republican election officials and a brief that we led, the litigation task force with over 250 members of Congress, including former Republican members of Congress. I have every expectation that we're gonna succeed in federal court and that his effort will fail. Secondly, I think he's doing that because he wants to create fear and wants to try to create an environment in which less people will vote. But finally, and perhaps maybe most importantly, in his view, I suspect, is this effort to get his supporters and the sycophants that still adhere to his worldview that ultimately they deny the results of the election, irrespective of whether or not they lose the election. I think a lot of this is essentially trying to create an environment, not all that dissimilar from what he did during the 2020 presidential election. Is there anything that Democrats can do after we get through the midterm elections? This is what Judge Ludwig, Michael Ludwig, has written about in the new republic,

14:17about these new members not being seated. Is there anything Democrats could do to prevent that from happening? To break question, the short answer is yes. A Judge Ludwig's article, the substack that he wrote, I think is prescient and I certainly don't disagree with some of the scenarios that he potentially outlined in terms of kind of more nefarious forces trying to interrupt the certification of the results of a free and fair election. What I would tell you is that there are a group of very talented, thoughtful lawmakers, Jamie Raskin, Joe Morelli, others engaged in the necessary scenario planning and potential prophylactic steps that could be taken in the wake of the election, in the weeks after the election, if those types of nefarious scenarios that Judge Ludwig, excuse me, speaks of if those were to materialize. But at the end of the day, what I would also suggest to you, Jonathan, that the best antidote is to ensure

15:17that we win decisively on November 3rd and that the margin is large enough that there is no room, no avenue by which Donald Trump or Mike Johnson or anyone else for that matter can deny the outcome. And I believe that will be the case, the fact that you have a Republicans gathering in Texas with billionaire donors, you know, partying and saluting the president of the United States while families are struggling. I spent most of this week hearing Colorado doing town halls and engaging in service projects. I can tell you that folks are very frustrated at the realities that they're having to grapple with because of Donald Trump's destructive policy. So I think we're gonna win decisively on November 3rd and I think it's critical that we do so. Okay, that is very optimistic. We've got less than 30 seconds, but what should voters do to make sure their ballots are indeed counted? Yeah, what I would say is that they should follow all the protocols of the particular state that they live in. Here in Colorado, we have a male ballot system

16:18that is the gold standard. And over 90% of the voters here in Colorado, vote by male, I anticipate that will be the case come this November 3rd. And we are fighting in court every step of the way to ensure that that system is preserved for this midterm election and for elections to come. And I believe again that we're gonna be successful in that regard. All right, Colorado Congressman Joe Negus, thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you. Coming up two nights in a row this week at his fake convention Donald Trump made a fake promise that every adult in America will get $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms, 53 days until the midterms. And that's the best plan he's got to try to fix an economy that his policies broke. More on that next. Every Mazda is made with proactive safety technology. So you're ready before problems ever start. Find out why Mazda is Consumer Reports safest new car brand at MazdaUSA.com.

17:21Consumer Reports does not endorse or promote any product. If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. It's destroying athlete, creator, and YouTube Maxer. YouTube Premium enhances how I use YouTube with awesome features like offline downloads so I can download my favorite training videos before I hit the gym. So no Wi-Fi doesn't turn leg day into loading day. Plus, I get ad free videos, background play, and so much more. YouTube Premium is like YouTube got some extra gains. Try YouTube Premium for two months free at youtube.com slash premium. Try eligibility varies, terms apply, cancel anytime. One did work become so much work. The meeting about the meeting, the hundreds of files to find one insight. Setting aside the things you want to do for the things that pop up, your work days gone. But what if the insight surfaced itself or you could ship the deck without the distractions? Gemini Enterprise helps you get that done. It's AI that knows your business with agents that take stuff off your plate.

18:23Make work less work with Gemini Enterprise from Google Cloud. Forget the prices, forget the polls, forget your bank account after you fill your gas tank because according to Donald Trump himself, America is doing better than ever. And that's why if Republicans win the House and Senate, every adult deserves $5,000. But only if Republicans win. Donald Trump doubled down on his midterm offer in a social media post saying quote, the $5,000 Trump dividend given to all adults in the United States due to the fact that our country is taking in trillions of dollars of economic development, investment, and pure success. When I say something, I mean it. The $5,000 dividend will happen

19:24because the people of our country deserve it. Vote Republican, all caps. When I say something, I mean it. This coming from the president who, according to the Washington Post, told 30,573 lies during his first term. When he said it the first time it was citizens, now it's just adults. What does he mean? Immigrant adults he's trying to deport, violent criminal adults he wants to lock up, 18 year olds protesting on Ivy League campuses. Here's how Donald Trump put it last night. If we win the midterms, we will, on the other hand, provide a, let's call it, Trump dividend, $5,000 for every adult citizen in our country.

20:28And we can do that because our country has never done better. We're taking in trillions of dollars. There's never been any country not even close. Let's come anywhere near. So it's five, we win $5,000 for every adult citizen adult, we love our adults. It's about time we take care of our adults. It's about time we take care of our adults. It's about time because the adults are still trying to pay bills in the Trump economy. Consumer prices accelerated last month with inflation up 3.4% from a year ago. Inflation adjusted wages fell for a fifth straight month. Gas prices jumped nearly 4% in August and more than 27% from August of last year. And diesel just hit a record shattering $6.06 a gallon driving up transportation costs that can eventually show up in the price of everything

21:32from groceries to deliveries. And the Trump administration proved today that they have no plan to bring down fuel prices. How we gonna bring down the cost of diesel? Right, well, there's a big, big issue with diesel because it's a refined product. A lot of their finding is in places that are disturbed by conflict either in Russia or in the straits. Okay, so Trump claims the price of diesel is high because of Russia's war on Ukraine, which Donald Trump said he was going to end on day one. And Trump's war with Iran, which he started and doesn't know how to end. Trump tariffs are also costing American households about $1,100 annually according to the Yale Budget Lab. It could explain why Republican Senator Susan Collins Maine, who is running for reelection, is speaking out

22:35about Trump's trade war with Canada. The Wall Street Journal reports, quote, Susan Collins says President Trump's own tone and rhetoric surrounding the tariffs have been inappropriate and unhelpful in her border state. Quote, we're linked in so many ways. It's economic, it's emotional. And to hear the president gratuitously calling Prime Minister's governor or suggesting that Canada should be part of the United States or renaming Lake Ontario is painful, Collins said in an interview. Collins has called the trade dispute a mistake and said the Trump administration has underestimated the impact on Maine families, but the comments were her sharpest to date about the president's handling of the trade war that is becoming a flashpoint in border states such as Maine, Michigan, and Alaska with competitive Senate races in the November elections. When asked about his $5,000 checks, Donald Trump once again, lashed out at the female reporter asking the question.

23:36This time, ABC News reporter Rachel Scott. Joining us now, Congressman Brandon Boyle of Pennsylvania. He is the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Boyle. Welcome back to the last word to pick up on Rachel Scott's question to the president. If Trump's economic policies are working, why does he need to try to coerce voters with money? Well, President Trump a long time ago, actually, I think 10 years ago, first said that we would have so much winning,

24:39we would be tired of winning. He's right. If this is winning, Mr. President, we are officially tired. Please stop your version of winning because all we are seeing are increased prices everywhere, gas prices, diesel prices, food prices, all sorts of costs have gone up. And this is not unlike any other thing that's happened, economic downturn in my lifetime. Those were because of kind of the market cycle recessions, a once in a century pandemic or the great recession. This is very different. We have had really two shocks to the economy now over the last two years. The first Trump's tariff taxes that began about 18 months ago and dramatically increased the costs of imported goods. And then the second was the Iran War, which started about six months ago and have now been the singular cause of gas prices and diesel prices, being almost 50% higher today than where they were six months ago. He owns that.

25:40You know, Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik told NBC News of the $5,000 checks, quote, we earn the money that Donald Trump wants to pay out, not from the deficit and not from taxpayers. He then said it would be paid for by the Trump Platinum Card, a program that hasn't launched yet, which would allow wealthy immigrants to pay up to $5 million to extend their US visas. Congress, but this sounds like a fantasy policy being created on the fly. Do voters in Pennsylvania buy it? No, of course not, because you know, this is not the first time that Donald Trump has promised checks to the American people. It was about a year and a half ago, March of 2025, the Donald Trump first promised that we would get $5,000 checks back then. If you remember, he called them the Doge checks. There would be so much savings from the Elon Musk-led Doge effort that every American was going to get $5,000. That, of course, didn't happen. Then there was the period, I think it was last summer,

26:42in which after Liberation Day, or a few months after Liberation Day, President Trump was promising $2,000 checks because we were allegedly bringing in so much revenue due to his tariff taxes. Now here we are, we're back up to $5,000. Regardless of the promise, it still ends up resulting in exactly $0.00 and zero cents in the pockets of the American people. One more question for you, Congressman. Is the bigger democratic message that Americans shouldn't have to wait for a $5,000 check after an election, they need an economy where they can afford basic necessities? Yeah, well, two things on this. First and foremost, if Donald Trump at any point was serious about whether it's $5,000 checks or $2,000 checks, he is a Republican House and a Republican Senate. They could go back to session this weekend, pass that legislation, put it on his desk, and then the American people be getting those checks. Of course, he's not serious. The second point I would make is, okay,

27:44if you don't want to give out these massive checks through the American people, you can bring down their costs by immediately ending your stupid Iran war, which has been the singular cause of the dramatic increase in energy prices, and finally, end of these tariff taxes once and for all, which will bring down the costs of so many consumer goods. Carson, Brendan Boyle, of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you. Coming up, after years of telling lies about September 11th today, 25 years after that horrible day, Donald Trump used his speech at the Pentagon to try to legitimize his idiotic war in Iran. More on that next. If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. It's destroying athlete, creator, and YouTube Maxor. YouTube Premium enhances how I use YouTube with awesome features like offline downloads,

28:45so I can download my favorite training videos before I hit the gym. So no Wi-Fi doesn't turn leg day into loading day. Plus, I get ad-free videos, background play, and so much more. YouTube Premium is like YouTube got some extra gains. Try YouTube Premium for two months free at youtube.com slash premium. Try eligibility varies, terms apply, cancel anytime. One did work become so much work. The meeting about the meeting, the hundreds of files to find one insight, setting aside the things you want to do for the things that pop up. Here work days gone. But what if the insight surfaced itself? Or you could ship the deck without the distractions? Gemini Enterprise helps you get that done. It's AI that knows your business with agents that take stuff off your plate. Make work less work with Gemini Enterprise from Google Cloud. A beautifully designed square space website is the difference between thinking about photography school and selling your portraits online. It's the difference between giving away those cookies you just made for free.

29:47And running your cookie empire. A beautifully designed square space website is the difference between having a movie reviewing hobby and a movie reviewing career. Squarespace, because no matter what you're into, a website makes it real. Use offer code difference for 50% off select plans, terms and conditions apply. 25 years later, Donald Trump's exact whereabouts after the September 11th attacks are still a mystery. The New York Times reports Mr. Trump was watching television the morning of the attacks, which is verifiable from news coverage of that day. But what we what he did next has long been a matter of debate. He has repeatedly said that he took a construction crew with him to Laura Manhattan and was deeply involved in cleaning up the site. A claim that has been called into question by at least one former fire official who was involved in the recovery effort. Almost from the moment the planes hit the towers, Mr. Trump has sought to position himself close

30:50to the recovery effort. He also has also made a series of questionable and provocative statements to burnish his political brand, notably by sharing a widely debunked claim that Muslims in New Jersey were celebrating after the planes hit. Earlier this week, Donald Trump told a variation of a 9-11 story. He's told several times over the last 25 years. The New York Times reports quote, there is no evidence backing up Mr. Trump's claim about the firefighters carrying him to safety shortly after the attack. Despite claiming to be involved

31:56in the recovery efforts, Donald Trump passed on the opportunity to attend today's ceremony in Laura Manhattan, opting to go to one at the Pentagon, an event which he appeared to at the very least lose interest. Several observers believe he nodded off at a 9-11 commemoration. When he did speak at what should have been a nonpartisan ceremony, Donald Trump brought up his wildly unpopular war in Iran. For 25 years, our best and bravest have kept America safe. And today we salute every member of the United States military. And we salute the service members working right now to ensure the world's number one sponsor of terror. The Islamic Republic of Iran will never, ever have

32:56a nuclear weapon. For the record, zero of the 19 hijackers were from Iran. 15 of them were from Saudi Arabia, a country which recently gave Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, $2 billion. This comes as Trump's Iran war has put renewed scrutiny on the leadership at the Pentagon. MSNOW's Ken Dillanian reports on America's readiness to thwart another large-scale terror attack. Quote, there are many veterans of the war on terror who say Americans are unknowingly living in a uniquely dangerous time when it comes to terrorism. They say that was already true. But some also say Trump has made things much worse by dismantling some of the most important counterterrorism defenses, including chasing out experienced and valuable counterterrorism hands.

33:58Now they say with intelligence agencies hollowed out FBI agents forced to support immigration raids. International alliances deeply frayed. The United States is more blind and less capable against terrorism than it has been in years. Joining us now, Democratic Congressman Suha Brahmanyam, a Virginia, he is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee's military and foreign affairs committee. Congressman, welcome back to the last word, 25 years after 9-11. How vulnerable do you think America is to future terror attacks? And has Trump's second term made us less safe? We're more vulnerable than we should be because Trump has and Hegseth have flown away, have pushed out some of the top minds in this effort. And they've taken away a lot of the capacity that we've built over the years, not just when it comes to planning wars or

34:59planning defense, but on new technologies like cyber security, like offensive technology. And so they have created failures in our mobility, they've created gaps in our knowledge, and it has created a situation where we're less safe than we should be. What can Congress do to strengthen the damage Donald Trump has done to U.S. intelligence agencies? Well, first of all, we have to protect the men and women who serve our intelligence agencies and make sure that they do not politicize these efforts. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican, if you're someone who can help our intelligence agency, we need you, right? And what they've done is they've made, they've tried to traumatize these federal civil servants and these folks who work in these agencies and to where they are quitting and droves. And we are now in a situation where our intelligence agencies are not up to par at times. And so again, this is a big problem and it started in this administration. We'd spent many administrations, even the first

36:01Trump administration building up this capacity. And now we've taken two steps back because of the work of Donald Trump. If Democrats regain control of the House this fall, we'll investigate the Pentagon's actions under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth be a top priority in the oversight committee. I mean, I cannot believe that we've got a year and a half right now since Signalgate and Pete Hegseth is still Secretary of Defense. And then he has gone through and he has purged all of his political opponents at the Pentagon. He's gone through and he has pushed out the top minds at the Pentagon. And what he's doing at the Pentagon is he is hurting our military and he's hurting our ability to even have this war in the first place. And we shouldn't even be there in the first place, right? And so we're in a position now where we have someone who is unqualified for the job continuing to wreak havoc on our military as Secretary of Defense. And so he should have been investigated from the very beginning back in March when the Signalgate issue came out. Earlier today, you posted on social media

37:09pushing for the passage of the Susan E. Lucas 9-11 Service Member Fairness Act. Talk to us about that. Well, a lot of people know about the casualties during 9-11, all the victims, and we've done everything to support their families, as well as the first responders who are there and put their lives at risk to try to save people. And there are also a lot of service members at the Pentagon at the time who stayed there, who came back to work the next day, and they were exposed to the same toxins as the first responders and as others. And they've had lifelong health issues because of it. And we have not taken care of them. We have not given them the health benefits they deserve to be able to take care of their respiratory issues, for instance. So that's what the Susan E. Lucas was one of those folks who came back to the Pentagon the next day to serve their country and to protect us at a time where we were in need. And so they deserve the best from us and they haven't gotten that. Virginia Congressman Sue Ha supermanium, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

38:13Thank you. Coming up, a new lawsuit in Louisiana could have far-reaching consequences when it comes to abortion access nationwide. We'll explain why next. The overturning of Roe v Wade by the conservative Supreme Court and the banning of abortion in more than a dozen red states across the country is not enough for Republicans. Now Republicans are working to restrict access to abortion medication prescribed through telehealth and delivered by mail. The federal appeals court heard oral arguments this week and a lawsuit brought by the state of Louisiana which seeks to strike down the Biden-era policy. But if the policy is reversed, telehealth and mail access to the abortion pill Mifrapristone would be cut off nationwide, even in blue states where abortion is legal. The advocate reports that Louisiana's arguments

39:15seem to draw a frosty reception from a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals as Louisiana's solicitor general argued that the policy enacted under former President Joe Biden is stifling Louisiana's sovereignty by blocking efforts to enforce the state's near total abortion ban. More than 20 Democratic states weighed in arguing in a filing that granting Louisiana's request improperly elevated the policy preferences of states that had banned or restricted abortion over the preferences of other states that have made the different but equally sovereign determinations to promote access to abortion care. The cases expected to land before the Supreme Court. The advocate reports that could trigger quote, a sea change in the patchwork balance of abortion access in Post-Roe America where studies show mail ordered pills are used in a growing share of abortion's nationwide. Joining us now, many Tamiraju president and CEO of Reproductive

40:21Freedom for all many welcome back to the last word. This is not the first lawsuit targeting access to abortion medication. Lay out the stakes for us and how do you see this playing out? So you're right. You'll recall that in 2024 a similar case went all the way to the Supreme Court from the state of Texas and there are also cases right now moving through the courts from Missouri, Texas and Florida on similar grounds. The stakes are really critical. Abortion access in this country continues to rise and exist in the states without abortion bans because of the availability of telehealth and mithyprostone by mail. It's been life changing. It's allowed so many more Americans to have affordable access to care in states with bans and without bans in parts of the states like California where we have massive rural health deserts, maternal health deserts and folks can get access to care. The majority of all abortion care in this country is done

41:21currently by mithyprostone and over 60% of care. So it has ramifications across the country. It has ramifications in states with protections as you point it out. In an op-ed for MS now one doctor writes and I'm quoting here, if that retail pharmacy option disappears, emergency doctors like me will have far fewer ways to treat patients experiencing pregnancy loss. Some patients may need to be referred or transferred elsewhere. Undergar procedure they might not otherwise need or return for additional care. Many tell us more about the consequences of losing telehealth and mail access to abortion medication. So this doctor actually also points out that this Louisiana case is also trying to restrict access to mithyprostone and brick and mortar pharmacy. So in addition to the telehealth, the telehealth requirements being shifted, this case is trying to challenge the ability of pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens to carry that medication. And this doctor also points

42:21out that mithyprostone isn't just using abortion care. It's also used in miscarriage management and it is really a critical component of that miscarriage management. So look the ramifications again are broad. Mithyprostone has been safe, effective, safer than Tylenol. It's been studied over and over and over again. The court has requested that the FDA provide an update on its latest review of mithyprostone by early October. But look, this is not going to be the end. Republicans are going to keep trying to kick the can post midterms and we can expect to see a lot of action on this issue with the incoming FDA administrator Heidi Overton, who is a known anti-abortion extremist and her confirmation will be I'm sure pushed until after we get through a contentious fight on this issue in the midterm elections. As you well know, this is about more than a portion in just one year of Trump's so-called one big beautiful bill. National Women's Law Center reports women have faced ongoing losses of healthcare coverage through Medicaid and the ACA

43:22marketplace, devastating loss of access to primary, preventive and reproductive and pregnancy-related healthcare. And greater burdens on already marginalized women such as women of color, low paid workers, immigrant women, and women living in rural areas. Many what should people know about how women's health is suffering under Trump before they vote in November? You know, the National Women's Law Center report is startling in that it puts together all the data and all the points. But even before the big beautiful bill, we saw the Trump administration attacking access to family planning services, gutting Title 10 services. Those are the basic OBGYN preventative care services, cancer screenings, birth control, gutting teen pregnancy programs. And now you have one year after the big beautiful bill, maternal health deserts across the country, compounded by closures of planned parented clinics that were defunded for a full year as well alongside that bill. What folks need to understand is the Trump administration

44:24and Donald Trump himself promised to leave this issue to the states, promise to address affordability. They've done absolutely the opposite. They have weaponized their entire administration and Attorney General Todd Blanch has promised anti-abortion activists that he will weaponize and use every part of this administration to ban abortion nationwide. Simultaneously, they're gutting women's healthcare. They don't care about women's lives. They don't care about women's care. They want to campaign as if they do, but voters when they get the facts and we've done exits and we've done focus groups on this issue in battleground districts across the country. When voters get this information, when they understand what is happening to women's healthcare and abortion access, the perfect storm that's being created by this administration. And how critical the freedom to decide if one and how to have a family is to the affordability issue, right? The decision to have a family, the decision to have a child is one of the most important economic decisions families will make. So voters need to understand that going in. We have a chance to flip Congress

45:27and a hold to administration accountable and put a stop to this weaponization of this administration for this extremist agenda. Miniti Miraju, thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you, Jonathan. And we'll be right back. If you don't have plans for brunch tomorrow, now you do. With me, first, I'll see you as usual tomorrow morning on the weekend, starting at 7 a.m. Eastern. We'll discuss Republican midterm chaos with Senator Alex Padilla. And then Democratic momentum as Trump makes the midterms about himself with Pennsylvania Congresswoman Madeline Dean. And after the weekend, I'll take your questions on our MSNOW membership live Q&A, the weekend brunch. That's me explaining the Jackie that there is such a thing called brunch. That's it, Eastern tomorrow. And exclusively for members. So join today and submit your questions online

46:29at mms.now and on the MSNOW app. Scan the QR code on your screen or head to ms.now slash membership to connect with your favorite hosts and reporters and find a community that cares about democracy as much as you do. I hope you'll I hope I'll hear from you tomorrow at brunch. That is tonight's last word. Real talent is defined by what people can do, not where they learn to do it. So by stopping at the education section of a resume, you might throw away the perfect chire. Skills first hiring helps you see talent others miss. Like more than 70 million stars, skill through alternative routes. Let their story unfold and gain a competitive advantage because hiring managers who start with skills are 60% more likely to find a successful higher, higher skills first. Learn why at tetherpapercealing.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the