services. most people who are democrats would not say such things, but for trump, it's a boast. and this is why he admires xi jinping and putin, because they get away with things like that. it's been very open, the corruption, and corruption is institutionalized, and that's what he would like america to be like if he comes back to the white house. >> ruth ben-ghiat is professor of history at new york university, the author of strong men, mussolini to the present. ruth, thanks very much for talking with us tonight. i appreciate you being here. >> sure. a pleasure. >> of course, the root and branch of all american anticorruption protections has been about transparency, the

you show, it they're used for ukraine, shameful backlash towards those who would try to get away from something like that. that, effectively, loses itself. when transparency doesn't work because there's no shame, there is in fact pride doing it, you need a new tool box. all right, that's going to do it for us tonight. i'm going to see you again this weekend, saturday night, 6:30 pm eastern, i will be part of our special coverage of the south carolina republican primary again, 6:30 eastern saturday night. i will see that. now, time for the last word with brought lawrence o'donnell. good evening. >> i have nothing better to do a saturday night. i will be dropping by. joining you at the table. we have senator sherrod brown joining us tonight, which is always a pleasure. thank you very much for how you primed your audience for what we are doing later this hour with ben wiggler on the wisconsin mayor linda miracle. it shouldn't be a miracle that

democracy prevails in any situation in this country, but the way you described it so perfectly, and better than i can, better than i will later this hour, really shows people what was at stake. >> well, it is important about wisconsin, because wisconsin is important. it's also important for wisconsin as an example to other states that have had to deal with, you know, anti- democratic power grabs like that for how you can unravel them. i think it's also just important for us as a principle. if you are fighting for democracy, you have to use democratic means to stand up for yourself and to win the fight. ben whipple, or what wisconsin democrats have done, have shown that you don't need to turn away from democracy. you don't need to turn to authoritarian tactics of your own. you need to stand up for democracy by using democracy to fix our problems, including against an opponent that wants democracy not to work. you have to, kind of, repair the plane while flying.

it flores showed how you can do it. the wisconsin democrats have shown how you can do. it there is a lot to learn from them. >> all it takes is 13 years. >> yeah. 13 years. and a lot of focused effort and principal action. >> and there is a huge lesson for people up there about timeframes and politics and governor. it might have taken 13 months. it took 13 years. that's what it took. so, that's how long the commitment has to be. >> yet, that's. right you can't ever not do the right thing. you have to believe that people rewarded for doing the right thing, even if it takes a long time. thank, you lawrence. >> thank, you rachel. saturday night. thank you. >> in. the >> op-ed pages of major newspapers have been flooded with opinion essays about why joe biden should not run for reelection. today, a houston chronicle endorsed joe biden. under the leadership of the old -- and the most experienced president in

american history, the team in the white house for the past three years has performed remarkably well, despite the rancor and divisiveness that have afflicted this nation for nearly a decade. the accomplishments of an administration decade dedicated to -- one that believes in the power of government to make life better for the american people is a key reason we heartily endorse the reelection of president joe biden. the other reason, equally important, is to fend off the chaos corruption and danger to the nation that would accompany the return of donald trump to the white house. houston chronicle editorial offered a sample of president biden's accomplishments. quote, one of the clear advantages of a president as experienced as biden's wisdom. in this case, the wisdom to get the heck out of the feds way, as it masterfully applied the

brakes to what could have been run away inflation, the economy has recovered from the perils of the pandemic and is now healthier than that of any other advanced nation with unemployment approaching a 50- year low, inflation is trending downwards somehow, despite all of the dire prophecies of economists without the bitter medicine of a recession or a period of high unemployment. gas prices have fallen as the u.s. produces more oil that any country in history, including saudi arabia. the administration is investing seven billion in an ambitious solar power project and is promoting other alternative energy products. the biden administration in its first year managed to pass a bipartisan infrastructure investment and jobs act that is expected to add an estimated 1.5 million jobs per year for the next ten years.

the houston chronicle pointed out that the biden infrastructure bill targets projects in employment distressed counties around the country. one of the distressed areas to benefit is wilbarger county, texas. it's worth noting that wilbarger county in 2020 cast 21% of its votes for biden, nearly 78% for trump. it is impossible to imagine donald trump doing anything to benefit any area of the country that did not vote for him. the houston chronicles endorsement of joe biden also- less these biden accomplishments. the affordable care act, during this administration has made coverage more affordable and more accessible for millions of americans. the biden white house also has given medicare the power to directly negotiate with big pharma, thereby lowering drug prices.

after decades of thoughts and prayers, little else in response to mass killings, the biden white house managed to shepherd a bipartisan safer communities act through a bulky congress. these are chronicles endorsed president biden's reelection ends this way -- we are all well aware of biden's age, 81 and trump's, 77. as well as memory lapses that have prompted near panic among many of the presidents fellow democrats. those of us who remember the energetic garrulous, occasionally elegant joe biden of years past, can see the difference a few years have made, even if he was always prone to gaffes. accounts other than the report of special counsel robert hur's, suggests, however, that biden remains focus, engaged, in command on the vital issues that occupy a president. experience counts, like ronald reagan, lyndon johnson, franklin

roosevelt, biden's death management of his team has made him, arguably, the most productive president since lbj in the early months of his administration. he has, as they say, forgotten more than his presumed republican rival will ever know. that's not saying much, and at the same time, it says it all. >> did you see the picture of? meet the horrible patient with the stomach to hear? so, what i do is and putting up today a picture of me actually, what i actually look like hitting a ball, smashing the freaking ball. you will see quite, i wouldn't say slim, i wouldn't sleigh slim, but not pan. but the ball does go far. i would say it goes about nine times further than biden can hit it. >> yeah, he's fine. he's just fine. he's running for president.

meanwhile, in the campaign for republican presidential nomination, the front rather is campaigning on creating, presumably through a constitutional amendment, absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for presidents of the united states and former presidents of the united states. and his opponent in the republican primary campaign is campaigning on pardoning the front runner. >> if you are talking about pardoning trump, it's not a matter of innocence or guilt at that point. it means he would already have been found guilty. i believe in the best interest of bringing the country together . i've would pardon donald trump because i think it's important for the country to move on. >> nikki haley is saying that she would allow jack smith's two criminal cases against donald trump to proceed to a verdict and only then would she pardon donald trump. but there is nothing any president would be able to do to relieve donald trump of the burdens he might face if he is

found guilty of election crimes in georgia. there's nothing any president would be able to do to help donald trump in the first criminal case ever filed against him, which will be the first criminal trial that donald trump faces, now scheduled to begin in manhattan on monday, march 25th. in that trial, donald trump is accused of business fraud to cover his hush money payments to porn star stormy daniels, so that he could be elected president. and there is nothing any president can do, including donald trump, were he to become president again, to help donald trump deal with the now more than half a billion dollars donald trump owes in civil judgments against him after losing four civil trials in a row in manhattan. our first guest tonight, and your vice man, if trump post a bond for the huge new york judgments via a third party,

say the likes of a mosque or foreign country person, that would be of enormous import to how he would behave as president. one bergen ooze reports on how donald trump's legal battles are causing his presidential campaign. trump spent 51 point $2 million in 2023 on legal expenses and can tap another 23.5 million. most of its stashed in an allied super political action committee that he can use to pay his lawyers. but as his four criminal cases ramp up, those funds are expected to run out at a critical time, around july, when the republican national convention triggers the official start to the general election campaign. trump's legal bills have been a drag on what has otherwise been a strong fund raising operation, his campaign, and allied groups, last, year collectively spent 13 point $6 million more than they raised, thanks to a

large nest egg of donations to save america from 2021 or 2022, before he was actively campaigning. that fundraising buffer has nearly been depleted. leading off our discussion tonight is andrew weiss, man former counsel and chief of the criminal division in the eastern district of new york. he's an msnbc legal analyst and the coauthor of the new book, the trump indictments, the historic charging documents with commentary, which will be available on february 27th. also with us, tim o'brien, senior investigator editor for alberta pinion, and the other trump nation. , he's an msnbc political analyst. andrew, i want to begin with nikki haley's pardon promise. at least she is saying she would wait until donald trump was found guilty of something before pardoning him for what he was found guilty of. so, she would at least let the case go to a jury.

>> you know, there is a very interesting legal issue. the israeli supreme court addressed this, which is, whether a pardon should be only permitted after there has been a determination of guilt. meaning that it is important for the public, for the polity, to know what the facts are and what happened and then a decision is made with respect to the president deciding whether there should be a pardon in the interest of justice, as he or she sees fit. that is not the law, obviously, here in this country. from the nixon case and from other lower level pardons. if she really means it, at least, you know, i would sort of agree with her on half of, it which is i do think it's very important that there is a trial

first. i'm not sure about the message, especially when you're dealing with the crimes charged here. we are not talking about a parking ticket. these are crimes that, if approved, go to the very heart of the sanctity of our democracy and having been part of the intelligence community, go to setting, frankly, an example for keeping our national security safe. understand why political reasons why she is saying it. at least she is not saying she would do it at the outset. so, i would say, you know, she gets batting 500 for her judgments. >> tim o'brien, one thing that can't be pardoned away is that now more than half a billion dollars that donald trump owes in civil judgments, but andrew has raised the question of where might donald trump turn for that money? >> well, as andrew tells you,

he put his finger out. it that's, of course, a court issued about a presidential candidate being subject to enormous financial conflicts of interest that will compromise him now. we'll compromise him when it enters the oval office, should he went in the fall. it's also really important to recognize that it is not a new problem. this problem was there in 2016 when trump was elected. trump was trying to get a real estate deal done in moscow while he was running for president. during his first term or perhaps his last term. he did political favors for the saudis after he left the white house, his son-in-law who has no track record that would have warranted this kind of investment, as an investor, got two billion dollars from the saudis. his former treasury secretary got billions from the saudis. trump has always been a human billboard. he's been willing to sell his name and his voice to anyone who will put a bag of cash on his desk.

that is fine when you are self promoter and a serial bankruptcy artist, who has never been able to operate a business very effectively. it's a world of difference when you become president. it's never gone away. the gop has never tried to step in and create any barriers with tough and ethics rules around him. or disclosure rules around him. they've opposed it every step. now, we have the latest reminder, which is that he has these massive judges against him. he is a real estate empire that is highly leveraged and is subject to all of the threats as covid induced on urban real estate. he is going to be strict grambling to pay his bills. that makes him a mark. when you have a president that is a mark, it's bad for public interest. >> let's listen to what donald trump said this weekend about e. jean carroll, while being terrified to actually say her name. let's listen to this. >> how about the 12 weeks ago?

a woman, and saying who the hell is she? who is the woman? it's so unfair. >> andrew heisman. that seems like a man terrified. he made sure he did not say her name. he didn't even say why he was referring to her. prior to that, 83 million dollar judgment against him, he was throwing her name around all of the time. even though he had already gotten hit with a 5 million dollar judgment. >> yeah, well, the look recently went from 5 million, initially, to 80,000,002 is because of the continued conduct, the continued defamation found the jury. indeed, it was, yes, the lawyers for e. jean carroll said it was basically donald trump as an exhibit in the courtroom in terms of his conduct and behavior that was some of their

best proof. so, i heard one of her lawyers today saying, you know, he can't control himself. he -- they still can bring cases if he continues this behavior. right now, i think, everyone is watching to see, you know, as you have commented, as tim commented, where is he going to come up with either half a billion dollars, which he has to do in a very short order, these orders, these judgments, are forcible by e. jean carroll and the state. he's going to come up with the money or he's going to have to come up with a company that is going to give him up bond. it's something he didn't apparently, was apparently able to do with the 5 million dollar bond. now, basically talking about $500 million. where that money comes from and how he's going to get out of this is going to be very important and it could have very

interesting political consequences, depending on how he finances it. >> e. jean carroll's lawyer, crowley, was armed with joe psaki earlier today. she said, we are watching everything she says. we thought every $3 million was enough to shut him up. very concerned about that comment this weekend. you notice he is afraid to say her name. he is living in fear of those lawyers of e. jean carroll. let's listen to what sean kelly said about actually collecting this money from trump. let's listen to this. >> this money has to be paid. if he's not able to secure a bond or pay the full amount to the court, we will take steps to make sure that the judgment is enforced. >> tim o'brien, the first number up is the $83 million that he has to put up. that is the next thing he has to do in order to mount an appeal against the e. jean carroll case. >> he probably has that in cash that he can begin to.

the problem is going to be when the next, you know, several hundred million dollars and judgments comes along. that's going to stress the assets that he has on hand, that cash that he can dig into. everything else he has is land and real estate. you can't just pull of bricks out of the building and take a few hundred million out of one building there, a few hundred million out of a building there. he's going to have to sell off big pieces, possibly in a whole, of things that he owns in order to pay up. he's going to be really stretch to do that. they're going to be banks who are reluctant to lend him money because he is a very public reputational problem and legal problem now. he is going to be in a corner. there's no easy way out for him . if the lawyers in the courts get aggressive and file leans on his properties. >> tim o'brien and enterprise, and thank you very much for starting off our discussions tonight. >> thank you, lawrence. >> you're welcome. >> when we come back, ohio's senior senator, democrat cheri brown, joins us next. brown, jo

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it is a recess week for the united states senate, which means for some senators, it is time to go on codel. codel is shorthand for congressional delegation trip. that is most common way for united states senators to travel to foreign countries. a group of senators gets together, almost always a bipartisan group, and designs a trip that they think will help them do their jobs better. it's a good idea. most codel's are legitimate. gone are the days where codel's would turn into junk it's to paris, some other fun spots where the united states government doesn't exactly have a lot of difficult decisions to make. senators have a duty to participate in all of the events scheduled for the odell. if they don't, then they have used the taxpayers money to travel somewhere where they then failed to do their job.

and it, who knows what instead. that's with the junior senator from ohio did this weekend. we the taxpayers of the united states, very much including ohio taxpayers, all paid for republican senator j.d. vance's trip in a codel of ten senators to the munich security conference. the most important meeting scheduled for the codel was a meeting with ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy and j.d. vance decided to go do something else at your expense. instead of intending that meeting with ukraine's president. the purpose of the codel was to consider issues of national defense involving our allies. it is an annual codel, named after senator john mccain, that is called, codel mccain. j.d. vance defied the very purpose of the codel, the very justification of him using taxpayer money to travel to europe by refusing to meet with president zelenskyy, the reason he gave it that is, of course,

ally. punchbowl news reports, vance said he had other meetings and didn't think he would learn anything new. the truth is, of course, j.d. vance isn't afraid of facing president zelenskyy because j.d. vance opposes aid to ukraine. he has all the courage it takes to say that in right-wing media, but he is afraid to say that to president zelenskyy. if he could listen to president zelenskyy in a meeting and learn nothing, then that tells you everything you need to know about j.d. vance's learning capacity. luckily, for the state of ohio, they have a senior senator who is faithfully and responsible to his duties as a united states senator. he never wanders off on his own drink odell's when he is supposed to be meeting with presidents of other countries. during this senate recess, senator sherrod brown is right where you can find him during

most senate recesses. that is, of course, in ohio. where tonight, three republican candidates met in a republican primary debate in the campaign for the republican nomination for senate to run against sherrod brown and november. i'm >> the best thing we can do is make sure we set an example for democracy around the world, that we don't have a president, which is what we have right now, persecuting his number one opponent, which is president trump. that we don't have an fbi that is going after catholics because they're calling the radical. that we don't have an fbi that is going after moms at school board meetings. >> joining us now is democratic's sherrod brown of ohio. he is chair of the senate banking committee and his running for reelection to united states senate. senator, you just heard from the republican candidate who has endorsed by donald trump and hopes to be on that ticket running against you in november. i'm not sure he knows that the president of the united states is catholic, but what is your

response to what you just heard? >> i watched the debate. when i had some study where i did this from cleveland. my wife i'm knows lawrence. i watched downstairs, watched and that was one part of it that was a little peculiar. i've watched three ridgecrest, three millionaires, who have spent already combined more than $25 million to, shall we, say when this senate seat. no mention of cost to prescription drugs. no mention of manufacturing jobs, no mention of dignity of work. no mention of pensions or veterans. no mention, really, of how to secure the border wall that of journey when we passed with 70 votes with support to ukraine and israel, all of those things. it was that debate that they made back and forth. one subsequent thing that they didn't say was that they all stand with national abortion ban, even though iowa burgers is

settling this show. we did an interview back then, lawrence, voters by 13 points said they want reproductive rights for ohio. so, the debate didn't surprise me. didn't really deal with issues that affect ohioans every day. >> you're gonna be facing one of them in november. again, let's listen to more from the already trump endorsed candidate, brittani moreno. let's listen to something else that he set. when >> we sent an l cider to washington, d.c., in 2016. fundamentally change this country, put us in the path of prosperity. we sent a professional career politician to washington, d.c., in 2021 with joe biden. i'm asking you to do the same thing you did in 2016. but for the outsider. we have enough proof politicians that all they want is a job. >> senator, what is your response to that? when >> i don't even know when.

ultimately, what none of these candidates and i don't see much difference among them, none of these candidates really understand politics about going around the state, listening to voters. whether it is round tables i've done, round tables at 40, when i, think counties and i've been to east palestine and listening to what they want the government to do to help keep the railroads responsive to accountable to what they do. it's not a key -- they all came out against minimum wage. they are not listening to workers, not listening to communities. to me, it's about that and we do. i work with's the senator in the pact act, working to save peoples pensions, 1 million -- excuse, me 100,000 ohio union members had their pension saved and i can spend a whole hour on the show telling stories about people that came up to me, including a grandfather in my church. he was a visitor as his grandson was being baptized and he told me beside the church, these stories are really what

makes this job so great about saving pensions stories about the child tax credit, stories about getting support from the b a pikas paper exposed to these football build signs. you know from your time with the fans committee, lawrence, all of that you did in the committee when you heard those stories about people who got a break in their lives, hope to join the middle class, hope them stay out of poverty, help them with their medicare, medicaid. that's what i live for in this. that's the stories that you get when you travel. if you listen first and deliver on promises or you say that you will try, it's no feeling quite like that in public office. >> what about the people of east palestine and people in ohio that have every right to fear what can happen in a train derailment? what did they hear in tonight's debate and how republicans will protect them from train

derailments like that? >> they heard nothing. i'm not sure from east palestine, some eight times. i do know they kept breaking about deregulation, cutting back on morals. when in fact, what happened -- east palestine, kind of a wall street business model. you -- you lay people off. you then compromise and take stock buybacks, bigger dividends, executives do very well. even compromise on public safety or public health. something like east palestine happens. all they say is tax cuts for the rich and more, weaker regulations on supporting unions are weaker regulations of public health. look at what we did to bring the cost of insulin down. look at what we did so that seniors keep -- don't have to pay out of pocket so many thousands of dollars. does with this job is about. it's not just kind of up here that we don't want women to have abortions and we don't

want this and we don't want that and we want our corporate friends. you've had me on the show before and you've always said, how do you win a state like ohio? you win in ohio by standing up to wall street, holding accountable. standing up to railroads, standing up to the companies, standing up the oil companies. that's why -- that's why they're trying to beat me. that is why i know i depend on literally hundreds of thousands of people around the country to come to sherrod brown dot come and help me. they are going to outspend me. they always do. i have a whole lot more people on my side. that's what wins elections like this. >> ohio senior senator sherrod brown running for reelection this year. thank you very much for joining us again tonight, senator. >> thanks. >> thank you. coming up -- the darkest times call for the greatest heroism. alexei navalny's heroism is now the brightest light in the dark times of vladimir putin's russian reign of terror. that is next. that is next. clean? downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters

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how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. you want to see who we are as americans? i'm peter dixon and in kenya... ♪ we built a hospital that provides maternal care. as a marine... we fought against the taliban and their crimes against women. and in hillary clinton's state department... we took on gender-based violence in the congo. now extremists are banning abortion and contraception right here at home. so, i'm running for congress to help stop them. for your family... and mine. i approved this message because this is who we are. the economy is simply not working for millions of hard working families. they're working harder than ever and they still can't make enough to get by to afford food and medicine to even keep a roof over their heads. we need to build more housing that's truly affordable. we need to address this terrible epidemic of homelessness. we need to invest in good paying jobs, union jobs and investments in our future.

this, this is why i'm running for the us senate. i'm adam schiff and i approve this message. michael mcfaul, who served as president obama's ambassador to russia, reminded us today that corker guard said, the tyrant dies and his rule is over . the martyr dies and his rule begins. >> alexei navalny [inaudible] right now?

>> they're making a big mistake. the way they are walking away from the threat of russia, the way they are walking away from nato, the way they are walking away from [inaudible] its shocking. i've never seen anything like this. [inaudible] >> nudging house republicans to get ukraine aid? [inaudible] >> i hope so. a [inaudible] >> sanctions on russia over navalny's death? >> but we have sanctions and [inaudible] additional sanctions, yes. >> on friday, vladimir putin's government issued a statement saying that the death of his opponent, alexei navalny, and a russian prison, was, quote, sudden death syndrome. when dictatorships murder, they don't really care about how they describe it, including inventing a nonexistent form of death. donald trump has still not said

anything about alexei navalny's murder or alexei navalny's murderers. he did mention alexei navalny's name, and only his name, finally today, on a social media post, that accepts battery putin's label for the cause of death. donald trump wrote, the sudden death of alexei navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our country. you he followed that with two more sentences and not a single word about russia. of course, he did not dare say the name vladimir putin. he did refer to a nation in decline, a failing nation. he didn't meet russia. he meant the united states of america, which means donald trump remains the only presidential candidate in history to call the country he is running in a failing nation. his opponent for the republican presidential said this, -- >> i mean, it's amazing to me,

how easy it is when it comes to putin. you look at the fact that he is yet to say anything about navalny's death, which putin murdered him. it's what he does to his political opponents. he has yet to say anything about seizing russian assets and allowing that money to go to ukraine. why would you not want to have those assets seized? it's sitting in congress. he should be calling but that. he doesn't talk about anything. all he does is go on late night ranch, talking about his court cases. >> ben rhodes, former deputy national security adviser to president obama and msnbc political analyst. ben, it is just impossible to calculate or describe the loss of alexei navalny. this will be on the order of nelson mandela being murdered in prison by the regime. what does it mean for hope in russia? hope that the russian people might be able to hold on to? >> well, i mean, it is a dark,

dark time and why navalny represented was someone who was unafraid of putin. his whole life and career was dedicated to exposing the wrought and corruption and hypocrisy and lies of putin and his regime. navalny, who was poisoned, and almost killed by putin, of course, was in germany and famously chose to go back to russia, knowing exactly what was in store for him. i think he believed that either he would stay alive and someday be president of russia, or he knew the risks. i talked to lawrence in the last book, i will never forget him saying to be, when the door claims shut in the present behind you, you know that they can do anything to, you were his words. i think he played that if he died i'm broken and unafraid, that that example would someday

cause the bill to come before putin in his circle. and so, he may be dead, but i think he is perhaps going to be stronger in death and in life. at some point, that memory will be within whatever russian people rise up for a different future. >> ben, a new poll is showing, a few poll, showing 47% of americans view the war in ukraine as important and in the united states, national interests, 43% of that group describing it as, very important. 74%, that is a hard agreement number to get on anything in this country. >> yeah, i think that's really important. i think there has been a lot of effort by republicans who oppose funding to gaslight people and indicate americans don't really care about this. this entire fight. we shouldn't spend money over there. never mind that the money, frankly, goes to u.s. defense to supply ukraine.

what this shows is americans understand the stakes. they understand that this is all connected. but if russia is able to run russia out of ukraine, and wait them out and chew them up, that other parts of europe are next. also, we are in a world that a dictator like this is allowed to kill his chief political opponent in front of the eyes of the world, invade countries, get away with that, that is inherently going to be a much more dangerous world. navalny himself also told me that democracy was at stake. all of these issues. that donald trump, these were navalny's words to me, when you are dissident like navalny, you spend your whole life trying to argue that democracy it leads to that better people being on top, when someone like trump gets to the top, who is so evidently corrupt, it undermines that whole argument. these things are connected. our election, donald trump's candidacy, what putin is doing in ukraine, what happened to navalny. they are all part of one big struggle. what kind of world are we going to live in? i

think that americans understand that. the majority of americans understand that. >> then, quickly, before you go, in my few discussions with russian dissidents and people who putin would like to eliminate, i bring up bravery. and their bravery. i get no comprehension. they don't seem to understand when i say that this is so brave, what you are doing. it seems like they don't even feel like it is a choice. there's absolutely no choice. i wonder with navalny, did you discuss -- did you bring that up? did you talk about his bravery with him? >> i did. he said the same thing you hurt. he took it as a given. i need to be russia. i need to be in russia, no matter what happens to me. if i ever get afraid, all i need to think about are the lies that are told to my people. all i can think about are the lies that are told to my face by the stretches when they put me in prison.

he said, a full, life being alive, is not running away. that's incredibly powerful thing. he died, lawrence, in prison. but he died a free man. he was acting on his beliefs. he was in a place that he felt he needed to be, which is russia. again, if we had an ounce of that courage, the collective we hear, we don't have to go to siberia. but if we were able to get a little more sacrifice. shameful house republicans, they are afraid to take about that donald trump doesn't. like when this guy got on a plane to fly back to a country where he was poisoned, knowing he would be put in prison. that kind of fearlessness is the example that i think is going to stick with people for a very long time in russia, and around the world, ultimately, it is going to carve navalny's place in history as a far better place than how vladimir putin is going to be remembered. >> ben rhodes, thank you very much for joining us tonight on this important story. thank you. coming up -- a big win for

democracy today in wisconsin. that is next. in wisconsin. that is next. odies are the sam. some pads, never got that message. but, always flexfoam did! it protects against different flows for up to zero leaks. and it flexes to fit all bodies, for up to zero feel. feel it yourself with always flexfoam. wanna know why people are getting a covid-19 shot? i'm turning the big seven-o and getting back on the apps. ha ha ha. variants are out there... and i have mouths to feed.

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republican-leaning districts, 45 are democratic leading, 46 are republican-leaning and eight are likely to be a toss- up, according to an analysis by a milwaukee sentinel. joining us now is ben wikler, chairman of the democratic party in wisconsin and the person this program turns to whenever we hear the word wisconsin. ben, as rachel described in the last hour, it only took 13 years and what does it mean for the changes in the party shape of the legislature? >> this is a sea change moment. it is a profound, tectonic shift in the basic structure of political power and whether wisconsin is a democracy. calling a democracy dysart for the last 13 years, because there is no possible way that even a huge majority of the public could ever and the republican majority in the state legislature. that just ended today. with the stroke of the

governor's pen. from now what, if the public wants to throw the people in power, they can. they can put someone else in charge. that means a new day for democracy is finally donning in the badger state. >> as rachel showed in the last hour, there was an election where 54% of the vote first date legislature went to democrats and they ended up with about one third of the seats. >> that's exactly right. it is shocking. shocking math. beyond that, it means that in wisconsin, the republicans and legislature have only worried about republican primaries from the right. they leapfrog for their and further away from what most people want. most people want to expand medicaid. they want reproductive freedom. they want workers to be able to organize. they want to legalize marijuana. republicans don't want to hear any of that. they never had to pay attention to the actual people of the state. now, suddenly, all over wisconsin, there are districts that have been totally rigged before where people are about to run for office and have a real chance not just at winning, but winning and helping build a

majority that can write bills. the slogan that is drawing the governor's executive office the sweet is that will of the people shelby the law of that land. that is not possible. it wasn't before, but now it is. because people organized year after year to make this happen. >> ben, we know there are voters out there who vote for president. it's not easy to get them to do it, but they eventually do it because they are convinced in the end that it is serious. and then they think their job is done. they think it is all over. this took 13 years. this is the kind of lesson of things that happen frequently in politics and government that take more than just one vote and one election. >> this involved, frankly, millions of people, ultimately, voting over and over, not just in state legislature reaches, governors races, but in state supreme court races. huge line victories in 2018 and 2023. moments when it seemed like all that lost, people knocking on

doors in the middle of the winter in wisconsin, not giving up. they built this moat. now, we begin an election cycle where they can actually use the power that voters now want. this next year, dozens of places across wisconsin, voters will be able to say, no more to extremism. actually when seats, when the legislature. they can get it done at west downs dot work. >> ben mclemore, thank you. first of all, congratulations on this 13-year victory. thank you very much for joining us on this report tonight. >> thank you so much, lawrence. >> thank, you we will be right back. , lawrence. >> thank, you we will be right back. some rinvoq patients felt significant itch relief as early as 2 days. some achieved dramatic skin clearance as early as 2 weeks. and many taking rinvoq saw clear or almost-clear skin. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal, cancers, including lymphoma and skin;

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