Watch The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell Highlights: Feb. 19

>> Well, while op-ed pages of major newspapers have been

flooded with opinion essays about why Joe Biden should not

run for reelection. Today,

the Houston Chronicle endorsed

Joe Biden

under the leadership of the oldest and arguably the most

experienced president in American history. The team in

the White House for the past 3 years has performed remarkably

well. Despite the rancor and divisiveness that have

afflicted this nation for nearly a decade, the

accomplishments of an administration dedicated to

governing one that believes in the power of government to make

life better for the American people is a key reason we

heartily endorsed the re-election

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.

The Houston Chronicle editorial offered a sampling of President

Biden's accomplishments. Quote,

one of the clear advantages of a president has experienced as

Biden is wisdom in this case, the wisdom to get the heck out

of the Fed's way as it masterfully applied the brakes

to what could have been runaway 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 downward. Somehow. Despite all of 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 than any country in

history, including Saudi Arabia.

The administration is investing 7 billion and unambitious 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's expected to add an

estimated 1.5 million jobs per year for the next

10 years.

The Houston Chronicle point to do that. The Biden

infrastructure bill targets projects in employment,

distressed counties around the country.

One of the distressed areas to benefit is will Barter county,

Texas. It's worth noting that will Barber County in 2020

cast. 21 1% 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 Chronicle's endorsement of Joe Biden

also lists 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

and little else in response to mass killings. The Biden White

House managed to shepherd a bipartisan safer Communities

Act through a balky Congress

and the Houston Chronicle's endorsement of 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 president's fellow Democrats. Those of us who

remember the energetic garrulous occasionally, even

eloquent 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

suggest, however, the Biden remains focused, engaged in

command on the vital issues. The occupier president

experience counts like Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson and

Franklin Roosevelt. Biden's deft management of his team has

made him arguably the most productive presidents since LBJ

in the early months of his administration. He has, as they

say, for got more, that he's presumed Republican rival.

We'll ever know.

That's not saying much. And at the same time,

it says it all.

>> Did you see the picture be the horrible picture with the

stomach out to hear those?

So what I do is I putting up today a picture of me, actually

what I actually looked like hitting a ball smashing that's

breaking ball.

>> And you see why

I wouldn't say slim. I would you say to them but not bad.

>> What the ball does go far.

I would say it goes about 9 times for their than Biden can

hit it.

>> Yeah, he's fine. He's just fine. And he's running for

president.

Meanwhile, in the campaign for the Republican presidential

nomination, the front runner 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're talking about pardoning Trump, it's not a

matter of innocence or guilt that point because that means

he would have already been found guilty.

I believe in the best interests of bringing the country

together.

I would pardon Donald Trump because I think it's important

for the country to move on.

>> Nikki Haley is saying that she would allow special

prosecutor Jack Smith's 2 criminal cases against Donald

Trump to proceed to a verdict and only them which 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's found guilty of election crimes in Georgia and

there's nothing any president would be able to do to help

Donald Trump and the first criminal case ever filed

against him, which will be the first criminal trial. But

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 that half a

billion dollars Donald Trump owes in civil judgments against

him after losing 4 civil trials in a row and Manhattan. Our

first guest tonight, Andrew Weissmann wrote if Trump posts

bond for the huge New York judgments via a 3rd party say

the likes of a mosque or a foreign country person that

would be of enormous import to how he would behave as

President

Bloomberg News reports on how Donald Trump's legal battles

are costing his presidential campaign.

Trump spent 51.2 million dollars in 2023 on legal

expenses and Ken Tap another 23.5 million. Most of it

stashed in an allied super political action committee that

he can use to pay his lawyers. But as his for criminal cases

ramp up, those funds are expected to run out at a

critical time around July on 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 fundraising operation

is campaign and allied groups last year collectively spent

13.6 million dollars more than they raised. Thanks to a large

nest egg of donations to save America from 2021. 2022.

Before he was actively campaigning, that fundraising

buffer

has nearly been depleted.

And Senator, you just heard from the Republican candidate

who's endorsed by Donald Trump and hopes to be on that ticket

a running against you in November. I'm not sure he knows

that the president of the United States is Catholic.

But what what is your response to what you just heard?

>> I watched the debate. I'm now in coffee shops in some

study where I do this from a more politically month. My wife

study and she knows large sum I watched downstairs I watch

innovative with and that was one part of that. That was a

little chillier. But I watch 3 rich guys, 3 millionaires who

have spent already combined more than 25 million dollars

to, shall we say when the Senate see no mention of the

cost of prescription drugs, no mention of manufacturing jobs.

No mention of the dignity of work and no mention of pensions

are veterans. No mention really of how to secure the border.

While the House of Representatives adjourned when

we passed with 70 votes support for Ukraine and Israel, all of

those things. So it was a sort of app, a debate that they made

a back and forth. All one such a thing that they did say is

that they all stand with a national abortion ban, even

though Ohio voters is all as I said on this show and we have

done an interview back then, Lawrence, Ohio, voters by 13

points and they want reproductive rights for Ohio

and so on. The debate didn't surprise me, but didn't really

deal with issues in effect, Ohioans every day.

>> Well, you're going to be facing one of them in November

of and again with lets us know more from the the already Trump

endorsed a candidate, Bernie Moreno. Let's listen to

something else he said.

>> We sent an outsider to Washington, D.C., in 2016

fundamentally change this country and put us on a path to

prosperity. We said a perpetual career politician to

Washington, D.C., in 2021. with Joe Biden.

I'm asking you to do the same thing you did in 2016 both for

the outsider. We have enough career politicians and all they

want is a job.

Senator, what's your response to that?

>> Well, I I don't even know quite how to answer all of only

what none of these candidates and I I don't see much

difference among them. But none of these candidates really

understand that politics is about going around the state

listening to voters, whether it's that the round tables I've

done round tables in 41, I think counties on the pact Act,

I've been east Palestine 8 times and listen to what do you

want government to do to help you keep that to help keep the

railroads responsive to accountable for what they do.

They're not. They came out essentially they came out

against the minimum wage. They're not listen to workers

are not listening to communities. And to me, it's

about that. And then will we do. And I work with Senator

Tester in the PACT Act. I work to save people's pensions.

A million 100,000 Ohio Union members had their pension say

then I could spend a whole hour and the show telling stories

about people that came up to me, including a grandfather in

my church. She was a visitor as his grand son was being

baptized in Egypt. Leave aside after church. And I mean,

these stories are really what what makes this job so great

stories about saving pension stories about the child tax

credit stories about. They're getting support from the VA

because they were exposed to these football field size burn

pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. You know, for your time in the

finance committee warrants and all that all that you did in

that community, when you heard those stories about people that

got a break in their lives and help them join the middle

class, help them stay out of poverty, help them with their

Medicare, Medicaid. That's what I live for in this. And that's

the stories you get when you travel the state. If you listen

first and deliver on one promises or at least do it,

you say will try and the new lover and there's there's no

feeling quite like that in public office.

>> What about the people of east Palestine and people in

Ohio have every right now to fear what can happen in a train

derailment?

What did they hear in tonight's debate about how Republicans

will protect them from train derailments like that?

>> Well, they heard nothing. I'm not sure any of them attend

East Palestine. I don't know that. I think said I've been a

times. I I do know they kept bragging about deregulation,

cutting back on rules when, in fact that what happened in east

Palestine, sort of this Wall Street business model, you,

you lay people off, you then compromise, then you take stock

buybacks and bigger dividends. Executives do very well you

than compromise on public safety or public health in

something like East Palestine happens. But all they say is

tax cuts for the rich and more when weaker regulations on

wanted to support unions are weaker regulations and public

health. Me look what we did to bring the cost of insulin

doubt. Look what we did so that seniors keep don't have to pay

out of pocket so many thousands of dollars. And that's what

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 to serve our

corporate friends and you had me on this show before and

you've always said, how do you win a state like, wow, you win

Ohio by stand up to Wall Street, hold him accountable.

Stand up to the railroad. Stand up to the drug companies,

send up the oil companies. And that's why, you know,

that's that's why they're trying to beat me. And that's

why I know I depend on literally hundreds of thousands

of people around the country to to come to Sherrod Brown dot

com and help me because they're going to outspend me. They

always do. But I got a whole lot more people in my side and

that's that's what wins elections like this.

>> As Rachel reported to you in the last hour, there was

another big win for democracy. Today in Wisconsin, Democratic

Governor Tony Evers signed into law new electoral maps that did

Republican gerrymandered maps. The New York Times reports the

new maps outline an almost even split between Democratic and

Republican leaning districts. 45 or Democratic leaning?

46 are Republican leaning and 8 are likely to be a toss up

according to an analysis from the Milwaukee Journal 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 been as as Rachel

described in the last hour, it only took 13 years and the what

does it mean for the changes in the the the party shape of the

legislature?

>> This is a sea change moment. It is a it's a profound,

a tectonic shift in the basic structure of political power

and whether Wisconsin is a democracy. Scholars have called

this continent democracy desert for the last 13 years, because

there was no possible way that even a huge majority of the

public, but every end of the Republican majority in the

state legislature. And that just ended today with the

stroke of Governor years. As Dan from now on. If the

public wants to throw out the people in power, they can and

they can put someone else in charge. And that means a new

day for democracy is finally dawning in the Badger State.

>> As Rachel showed the last hour, there was an election

where 54% of the vote for state legislature went to Democrats

and they ended up with about one-third of the seats.

>> That's exactly right. It's it's shocking, shocking

man. And beyond that, it means that in Wisconsin, the

Republicans in the legislature have only worried about

Republican primaries from there, right? So they just

leapfrogged further and further away from what most people

want, what people want to expand Medicaid. They won't be

productive freedom. They want workers to be able to organize.

They want to legalize marijuana. Republicans don't

want to hear any of that. And they never had to pay

attention to the actual people of the state. Now suddenly all

over Wisconsin, their districts that have been totally rigged

before where people are about to run for office and have a

real chance, not just winning but winning in helping build a

majority. They can write bills the the I slowed and that's

that's drawn and the governors executive office, what is the

will of the people so be the law of the land that is now

possible? It wasn't before, but now it is because people

organize year after year to make this happen.

>> Then we know their voters out there who a vote for

president on. It's not even easy to get them to do it,

but they eventually do it because they're convinced that

the end that it's kind of serious and then they think

their job is done. I think it's all over. This took 13 years.

This is the kind of less of things that happen frequently

in politics and government to take more than just one vote

and won election.

>> This involved and frankly, millions of people ultimately

voting over and over not just in state legislative races and

the governor's races, but in state Supreme Court races.

Huge landslide victories in 2018, 2020. 23 in moments when

it seems like all is lost, people knocking on doors in the

middle of the winter in Wisconsin not giving up.

They built this moment. And now we begin an election cycle

where they can actually use the power that voters have now won

this next year in dozens of places across Wisconsin,

voters will be able to say no more extremism and actually win

seats when the legislature being involved with Dems DOT

Org. This is the moment