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Laura Coates Live

Todd Blanche's Uncertain Future Threatens Trump's Agenda; Iran Targets Troops; Governor Andy Beshear Sends Senator Mitch McConnell A Blunt Ultimatum. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired July 28, 2026 - 23:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[23:00:00]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: Seems fair.

CHRISTINE QUINN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN OF NEW YORK STATE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF WIN, FORMER MEMBER AND SPEAKER OF NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL: I mean, the first point is very well taken. I mean, if you look at the health care system throughout this country, I know it can speak to New York. It is comprised tremendously of women of color and particularly immigrants and a large number of the Haitian community from home health aides to staff.

And if these folks are sent back when you're on TPS, in addition to the damage it's going to do to them, that is going to be very destabilizing, particularly for our parents and grandparents.

PHILLIP: All right, that's the last word for us. Thank you for watching "NewsNight." "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Tonight, Todd Blanche's confirmation in jeopardy as that $1.8 billion fund comes back to haunt him with just 48 hours to go until a planned vote. Plus, the U.S. intercepts a surprise attack from Iran aimed at American forces in the Middle East. How is the president going to respond? And Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear sends Senator Mitch McConnell a blunt ultimatum, speak up or step down. Tonight on "Laura Coates Live." My opening statement tonight, what if I told you all you got to do is write down what you promised me, what you swear is the absolute truth, write it down and sign your name after it, and then you can be the attorney general of the United States? Should be a very easy lift, right, considering prosecutors ask this of defendants copping a plea every single day or what parties do when they have a contract every single day because, let's be real, what's a handshake going to do for me if you screw me over? Trust me, doesn't even get you a ride on the local bus.

And for Todd Blanche, trust me, isn't getting him anywhere when it comes to the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Blanche still needs yes votes from two GOP holdouts, senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn. They want the fund dead, like pen to paper dead. And Cornyn is saying tonight, "We need paper. We need it in writing. We don't need well wishes or, you know, impressions." Cornyn and Tillis want Blanche to honor the pledge that he made at his own confirmation hearing which, by the way, was this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I want to stick a fork in this turkey of a 1776 fund. And you've said that it's moot. All I need is language to say everybody around here said it's over. Can I get your commitment to maybe provide us with some technical assistance on what that language would look like?

TODD BLANCHE, UNITED STATES DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Looks like an X and like a line, and then your name is signed. Well, the fund may be what has Blanche's nomination in jeopardy right now. But for Democrats, the stakes go beyond the fund. It goes to the midterm elections.

And what happens if the results end up at the DOJ's door? Because if Trump tries to challenge any election results, the DOJ would become one of the most powerful players in what happens next. And that's got Democrats panicking. They're now wargaming what could happen before or during or even after the election.

The top House Democrat on the committee that oversees federal elections, New York Congressman Joe Morelle, is meeting with party leaders tomorrow to run through all the possible scenarios. That congressman will join me in just a moment. And he's got a word for what he fears Trump is already doing. Pretext. In plain English, they're the reason now to question the results later. Seed planting, right?

Now, Morelle says it's happening in plain sight: Trump's constant drumbeat of claims about election vulnerabilities, including his primetime speech this very month, the president's demand for state voter roll data, and just yesterday, yesterday, his emergency appeal asking the Supreme Court to allow him to restrict mail-in voting.

Now, Democrats say that's all groundwork to challenge the results in case, in case Trump doesn't like them. The president's own record is why they're taking that warning so seriously. He has spent years making his acceptance of an election conditional, conditional on whether he believes it was fair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election if I win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNKNOWN: You will accept the election?

TRUMP: I have to see. Look, you -- I have to see. Oh, I'm not going to just say yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[23:04:58]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election?

TRUMP: We're going to have to see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Will you trust the results of the midterms if Republicans lose control of Congress?

TRUMP: I will if the elections are honest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: A whole montage without a single yes. So, yes, we have seen this movie before, many times over many years. But here's why this is different: In 2020, even Trump loyalist, Bill Barr, said the DOJ found no fraud that could have changed the outcome. This time, this time, the man already running the DOJ in an acting capacity is Trump's former personal lawyer.

And the real kicker, Todd Blanche defended Trump against federal charges accusing him of trying to overturn that very election. That doesn't mean he would do the president's bidding, but it does explain the question Democrats are now wargaming. If Trump challenges the results on bogus claims again, would the DOJ be willing to tell him no for the first time?

With me now, Democratic congressman and the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, Joe Morelle. Tomorrow, he will lead a shadow hearing alongside Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on election security. Congressman, connect the dots for us. What do you believe the president is trying to do right now to lay the groundwork to challenge November's election results?

REP. JOE MORELLE (D), NEW YORK: Well, thanks for having me. It's a great question. I spend literally all my days thinking about this because Donald Trump, to his credit, says the quiet part out loud. I mean, he has talked forever about changing district lines, upsetting the way people vote. He has continued to cast doubts on the 2020 election which is beyond doubt an election he lost, but he just can't seem to get over it. So, we're going through all kinds of scenarios. Tomorrow, we'll be talking about ways that we can help ensure that the president is not successful in trying to inhibit people's votes, subvert the election.

COATES: You know, congressman, when most people think about election threats, they are going to be focused on what's going to happen leading up to Election Day. But your warning is that the threat doesn't actually end when the polls close, and you have described a nightmare scenario that actually plays out in Congress. Describe it.

MORELLE: Yes. So, my responsibility from now until Election Day, when ballots are cast, and then the counting of ballots, and then, of course, the organization of the House on January 3rd in 2027, and I don't think, you know, that I necessarily believe it will happen, but in going through and looking at these scenarios, what we want to do is make sure that the will of the American public is carried out and that there are games played to try to either stop Democrats who have been elected from being seated or any other way to disrupt the proceedings that would normally occur on January 3rd.

And, frankly, look, the president did this on January 6th. We all know this, 2021. So, anyone thinks that he's incapable or unwilling to use all things at his disposal to just try to distract and disrupt the election, I think, don't know Donald Trump. So, we're preparing for it. I believe that he would be unsuccessful if he attempted it.

But, you know, if you're going to be responsible and have a position like mine, you have to think through what those possibilities are and then to, you know, continue to work at mitigating and then dealing with it if it occurs. You know, that scenario.

COATES: You know, I'm all for preparation. They say if you stay ready, you never have to get ready. And what you are articulating for some is very, very scary, particularly to a democracy. And there is criticism as much as there is praise for hypothetical planning, that this could be considered fear mongering. What is your reaction?

MORELLE: Well, look, I have enormous confidence in the electoral system.

People who administer elections at the local level, Democrats and Republicans, do an amazing job. They care deeply about this. They see it as a sacred trust with the American people to deliver the results and continue this 250-year experiment in self-government.

So, I don't think we're doom scrolling. We're not -- you know, we're not trying to frighten people by any means. But by the same token, I think we would not be doing our jobs if we hadn't considered the possibility of the president trying to subvert the election because he has already done it.

COATES: But there is somebody else who is now joining that realm, and that is Jay Clayton, because he was just confirmed by the Senate as the next DNI. And this, of course, ends Bill Pulte's very brief tenure, but there was a lot of things that he did during that tenure. You were not, not in favor of Clayton's confirmation after he refused to say who won the 2020 election and got a little bit cheeky about electoral college votes.

[23:10:04]

Does that appointment factor into your preparations at all now?

MORELLE: Yes, I think all of the people that the president surround himself with, even the nomination of some federal judges who refused under oath simply to acknowledge what we all know, which is Joe Biden won the 2020 election. It is almost unfathomable that you have someone leading the country who doesn't have the emotional maturity to acknowledge a loss. It's not a personal failing.

People in politics, you know, whether you've been successful personally or not, you clearly -- almost everybody has been involved in campaigns that didn't work out the way you would like. You just accept that. You play all kinds of sports. Sometimes, you win. Sometimes, you lose. I mean, that's just life.

I think the president would do us all a great favor if he would just acknowledge it, move on, do all the other things that so desperately need the attention of the president of the United States, not doing something that would undermine American democracy.

But, look, when you do things like Clayton, when you do things like Todd Blanche, when you appoint people to positions and they won't even acknowledge the obvious truth, that got to have a chilling effect and it got to make you aware and make sure that you take every precaution.

COATES: Congressman Joe Morelle, thank you for joining.

MORELLE: Thank you for having me.

COATES: So, is Todd Blanche even going to get confirmed as the president's attorney general? Well, his nomination is in limbo as two Republicans warn they're still not satisfied with the answers they're getting on Trump's IRS settlement. And one of those senators, Senator John Cornyn from Texas, says he's going to meet with Blanche on Wednesday. Cornyn says the DOJ needs to provide a written proposal that kills the weaponization fund. And if he doesn't get it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Would you recommend that it be postponed if it's going this way?

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS (voice-over): That's being discussed. That's being discussed. But, hopefully, it won't be necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: I want to bring in Miles Taylor, former national security official during Trump's first term. He's also the founder of Defiance News. Glad to have you here, Miles. First of all, I mean, we've been down this path before, so people probably aren't holding their breath as to whether somebody says, let's see, I'm going to hold the line here, and then they might confirm the 11th hour. It lets people think, well, this is all some sort of a political ploy and strategy.

Is that going to happen again or do you think Tillis and Cornyn are going to say, nope, no A.G. for you?

MILES TAYLOR, AUTHOR, PODCAST HOST, FOUNDER OF DEFIANCE NEWS, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF AT DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: It's the big mystery this week. But I'll tell you what, here's the thing: Regardless of how that turns out, regardless of whether Todd Blanche wins the nomination or not, I'm going to venture a guess right now that this ends up being the worst week of his life.

I'll tell you why. Because, already, he has been humiliated in the nomination process. He has been forced to relive Trump administration controversies. He has been forced to deny, deny, deny and not answer questions. Twelve hundred DOJ employees said he should not be confirmed. Only 77 former DOJ employees said he should be confirmed. It has been a humiliating process. But here's the thing, Laura.

COATES: Assuming he cares about the humiliation.

TAYLOR: Assuming he cares. So, even if he loses, it has been historic humiliation. That will make it worse for him.

But here's the thing: If he wins this job, I'm going to tell you, having watched up close Trump's first two attorneys general in the first term, it's not going to get better for him. He may regret taking this job because what those first two attorney generals learned under Donald Trump was that he often asks you to do illegal things. And if your disposition is, I'm going to say yes to the president of the United States, you are putting yourself at grave political, legal, and professional risk for the rest of your career.

Todd Blanche could escape right now as a guy who's going to face a lot of depositions, court hearings, and congressional hearings for the rest of his career or he could stay, which it looks like he might, and face much, much worse. That's my warning to Todd Blanche tonight.

COATES: Is that why you think he's not putting anything in writing with respect to weaponization fund?

TAYLOR: Absolutely.

COATES: Is there pressure working then?

TAYLOR: I think it absolutely is. look, I think -- I think pushing him to sign his name to things, pushing these folks to document these commitments, it increases their liability if they break from those commitments. Look, these are the same folks right now that are trying to prosecute people for previous administrations over their congressional testimony and little things in their congressional testimony. They are very well aware of the risk they could accrue for themselves if they document some of the commitments they've made under this president. COATES: One of the reasons people might be skeptical about his vulnerability to humiliation is because people are still wondering about the conversation between himself and Ghislaine Maxwell. Many people thought it was outrageous for a sitting deputy attorney general in his position to go there essentially by himself and then have a person convicted from what she has been convicted of be moved into sort of a prison camp of sorts.

[23:14:58]

I wonder what your decision-making process was in evaluating Todd Blanche, but also deciding to do this bookmobile essentially that's happening right now, this Epstein mobile, which is essentially files in a bookmobile carrying 3.5 million pages for people to read for themselves exactly what's in them, not rely on sound bites or cherry- picked strategic statements that people want you to hear. Tell me about that and why.

TAYLOR: Seeing the volume of the files printed has an impact on you. To a lot of folks, this feels like an intangible. The media talks about the Epstein files. Does it matter? Look, I'll tell you, having worked in that guy's administration for two and a half years, nothing has better exemplified his corrupt tendencies than what we've seen with the Epstein files and that cover-up.

Then you see all 3.5 million in person. I've watched survivors cry in the presence of those files. I've seen strangers from the street come in and do the same thing at the pop-up in New York. We felt like Americans all across the country should see for themselves and to be reminded in the coming months and be reminded this week as Todd Blanche faces his nomination what the totality of this cover-up is and what still remains unreleased.

In fact, at this moment, Laura, people can go to trumpepsteinbookmobile.com, see what cities this is going to be headed to, vote for the cities that this should go to so that they can make up their own minds about what this means, what it says about Donald Trump, what it says about his movement, and what has happened to justice in this country.

COATES: I know we have to go, but I got to ask you about the confirmation of Jay Clayton, knowing your role in intelligence in the past. He refused to even say that there had been a win by President Joe Biden. He was cheeky about the Electoral College and beyond. Do you think, in his new role as DNI, he will get the people's confidence?

TAYLOR: I don't think he will. I think Jay Clayton knows that that was a humiliating thing to go through. I don't know this for sure, but you could see it on the man's face. He knows that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. He must be deep inside humiliated that he has to deny that or refuse to answer that to get his job.

But here's the thing we should really be worried about, Laura. Why are they putting a prosecutor as the head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence? And I suspect that's because the president wants to continue to use that job to go after his enemies, to prosecute his enemies, not to defend this country.

COATES: Miles Taylor, thank you so much for joining. Remember, we want to hear from you. Give me your questions, your comments. Text me at 818-972-7272. Include a first name and your city or state, and we'll answer them later in the hour.

Up next, Iran pokes Trump with a surprise attack on U.S. troops that will now have the president facing new pressure to escalate. Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu factor in to his response? My panel is live with me on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: There has been a major escalation in the war with Iran. U.S. Central Command announced that Iran attempted a surprise attack targeting U.S. forces in the region. We're told all of the missiles were successfully intercepted. New video obtained by CNN appears to show interceptors stopping Iranian missiles over Jordan, where U.S. troops are based. This dangerous flashpoint comes barely a day, barely a day after President Trump claimed Iran wanted to talk and declared U.S. strikes were on hold. And hours after a high-stakes Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With me now, lead global security analyst for "The Washington Post," Josh Rogin, and senior politics reporter for Axios, Marc Caputo. Marc, I'll begin with you because this is the first Iranian missile strike against a U.S. base in the region since the president paused strikes against Iran to give diplomacy a chance. So, where should expectations be on Trump's response?

MARC CAPUTO, SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: I think Trump's response is going to be a mixture of more tough talk, more sanctions. I think we're in a prolonged period of tit-for-tat strikes. That's the best read that I can get from people in the administration.

But the president has, I think, charitably speaking, been sort of erratic in his approach to this. At times, he says, we're going to strike them, we're going to strike them hard. OK, I'm not going to do it, then he strikes them hard. Then he stops and says, I'm doing this to help talks happen, the Iranians want it, and the Iranians say, hey, we didn't ask for this, and the Iranians bombed the United States military bases. So, we're in this sort of prolonged cat and mouse game between the two.

COATES: Saudi Arabia is, we're learning, carrying out limited strikes with the United States against Iran-backed militias in Iraq that were linked to attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Is this a one-off or could Saudi Arabia become more involved?

JOSH ROGIN, LEAD GLOBAL SECURITY ANALYST FOR THE WASHINGTON POST, AUTHOR: You know, there's no doubt that the longer the war goes on, the more it expands regionally. More countries are getting attacked. More countries are attacking. It's a natural outcome of having no strategy to extricate the United States from this conflict.

And the erratic behavior of the president to bomb, and then talk, and then to misrepresent what's going on in the talks, and then to misrepresent what's going on in the strait causes a predictable and predicted outcome, which is that this will get worse before it gets better. And that lack of a strategy is forcing other countries in the region to look out for themselves and to make their own calculations.

But we know from past history that when more countries get involved in bombing more countries, that doesn't actually make things better, it actually makes things worse, it actually makes things harder to solve.

And now, you have the Houthis increasing their involvement. You have the Red Sea being attacked. You've got increased attacks in Jordan and more attacks on places like Kuwait and Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

[23:25:03]

That's not good news. That means the strategy, such as it is, is not working. And until the administration decides one way or the other to make a deal, whatever that deal is, or to escalate, which Trump doesn't want to do, we're going to leave our fate and the fate of this war and the fate of the world in the hands of a lot of rogue actors. That's all bad news.

CAPUTO: And to add to that list, the new leader in Iraq is talking about going after the Iranian-backed militias there. Recently, bases of soldiers, U.S. soldiers, were attacked in Jordan. So, yes, the theater is expanding. The bombs are exploding in more places.

COATES: You have some new reporting, Marc, on the war, where U.S. officials think that sanctions might be more impactful and useful here.

CAPUTO: They based that in the talks before the memorandum of understanding, you know, RIP, was signed. That brought a measure of peace for a while. The Iranians in negotiations made very clear, obviously, they don't want to be bombed. And so, there's sort of a tongue-in-cheek idea on the United States' part saying, hey, they don't care about getting bombed, they just want money.

But the Iranians made very clear that what they want was money as soon as possible, more on frozen assets, fewer sanctions, more rights and ability to sell oil on the international market. Iran is one of the largest or among the larger oil-producing countries in the world, yet it got gas shortages, it is having problems in its financial sector, its economists have warned about hyperinflation. So, there are a lot of deep economic problems in Iran.

The critics, though, of the administration point out that, yes, sure, maybe all of this is true, but that doesn't mean the Iranians are going to suddenly buckle.

COATES: Today -- I want to get your insight on that, but I also want to play for everyone because there was a meeting with Netanyahu today in Washington, D.C., with the president of the United States. The president seemed a little bit dismissive of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Satellite imagery and intel indicates that Iran is actively constructing and fortifying Pickax Mountain. How will we respond?

TRUMP (voice-over): Yes. Well, I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: I mean, then hours later, Netanyahu actually called the meeting, one of the best conversations that you've ever had. The president said it was a very good meeting. I mean --

ROGIN: What is he going to say?

COATES: -- what is this?

(LAUGHTER)

ROGIN: What else? What is he going to say? It was a horrible meeting and the president is not going to do what I want? No. I mean, if you would have told me a year ago, Laura, that Zelenskyy would be up and Bibi would be down at Trump's estimation, I would have said you were crazy because that's exactly what happened today.

Trump is very enthused about the way that Ukraine is doing in its war, and he's not happy with Bibi at all. He has said so many, many times. The bottom line is that he's not going to escalate. He's not going to attack a mountain. It's a mountain, by the way. You can bomb it all you want. It's still going to be a mountain. So, it doesn't really make a lot of sense in the first place. But even if you could, Trump is not going to do it. And so, he sent Bibi packing. They couldn't even have a public Q&A in the West Wing after the meeting because Trump didn't want to do it.

So, it's pretty clear where the president is. He's down on the Israelis. He's not buying what Bibi is selling. He's not going to escalate which, again, sort of leads back to the question. If you believe the administration officials quoted, in Marc's report, that, oh, if we just put on a couple more sanctions, they're going to fold, then fine. But nobody really thinks that.

Everybody knows that the Iranians are waiting because they don't care about economic pain because it's a dictatorship. They can suffer economic pain for years and years and years. They're not coming up for election. You know who's coming up for election? Republicans, in November. And the Iranians are going to keep the pain on those Republicans and on the administration until November, if they can. It's a very obvious and smart strategy.

COATES: Marc, you look too tickled. I have to ask you. What you're thinking?

CAPUTO: Oh, I was -- I just got a kick out of the way he sorts of described the meeting with Netanyahu. One of the points, to just make very clear about Trump's psychology, is that one of the reasons Zelenskyy is up in his estimation and Netanyahu is down, Trump likes a winner. And he perceives Ukraine right now and Zelenskyy as winning. And Netanyahu, certainly considering his poll numbers and the approval of Israel worldwide and the United States polling, Netanyahu is not a winner right now.

ROGIN: It's just a stupid way to make foreign policy.

COATES: Full stop. Josh, Marc, thank you both so much.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D), KENTUCKY: If he doesn't have the capacity to serve, then yes, he and or every other member of Congress should resign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Governor Andy Beshear fed up with the stonewalling from Senator Mitch McConnell about his health. Will any Republican back him up? Next.

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[23:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COATES: Prove you can serve or resign. That's the message Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has for Senator Mitch McConnell. It has now been six weeks since he was initially hospitalized after a fall. The two images that you see here are what his office has released. The left, July 12th. On the right, yesterday. His office says he's recovering and isn't yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility. The statement, not anywhere good enough for the governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BESHEAR: Senator McConnell has a duty to the people of Kentucky to show that he continues to have the capacity to do this job, and it's time that he stepped forward and do it. Listen, if he supposedly had a 17-minute conversation with Scott Jennings, he can call in and have a three-minute conversation with you.

[23:34:58]

He can go to camera and just let us know he's doing all right, which is what we all ultimately hope for. We don't have any timetable for when he might get back. And so, it's not like we are asking a lot. We're asking the bare minimum. And if he won't do it, it is up to John Thune and the majority in the Senate to make him do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: Governor Beshear shouldn't hold his breath because today, Senator Thune flat out said it's an issue best resolved between -- quote -- "McConnell and the people of Kentucky."

Joining me now, Carine Hajjar, editorial board member of "The Washington Post" and Steamboat Institute fellow, and Sawyer Hackett, a Democratic strategist and content creator.

I have to say, the idea of it being confined to the people of Kentucky and McConnell, I mean, we know that every senator, yes, they have constituents in their home state, but they serve the people of the United States as well. And so, a governor asking for some more assurances that the person can serve, given all the attention that was on other politicians like President Biden, how is this working?

CARINE HAJJAR, EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER, WASHINGTON POST: I don't think it's working very well, actually. And all you have to do is open Twitter to see that everyone is asking the same question. Of course, the constituents of Kentucky deserve, I think, an update.

But, look, I don't think it's unusual, if you've suffered a medical event, to need 40 days, 50 days to recover if that's what your doctor is recommending. What is unusual and what's raising suspicion is that they weren't transparent from the get go, and they haven't been as transparent as I think that they could have been throughout this.

I know that Senator McConnell really values privacy around this. This seems to be a pattern throughout his career. He wants privacy around his personal life. But when you've been out this long and so many people are asking questions, I think you owe more than two pictures, a phone call, a voice note, a video to your constituents. That would help take some of the suspicion away from all of this.

COATES: You could even call into a radio show and not have any visual, right? You could do that if you want to preserve whatever physical --

HAJJAR: Right.

COATES: -- restraints you might be having. I mean, Sawyer, Senator Rand Paul also weighed in and responded to Governor Beshear. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I think it's a campaign ploy by Beshear to look relevant. He wants to jump in. There's a lot of news over how Senator McConnell is doing. And so, to appear relevant, he's putting out inflammatory statements and this and that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: So, he's claiming it's about relevance or is it about trying to get resolution for the people of Kentucky?

SAWYER HACKETT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, CONTENT CREATOR: You know, I'm frankly sick and tired of being gaslit by Republicans into thinking that, you know, by asking questions of Mitch McConnell, we're being crazy or being uncivil, by asking questions about a U.S. senator who has been absent for more than 40 days from the U.S. Senate, who has missed 38 votes, who was found unconscious and, you know, told us explicitly, as Carine just mentioned, that he had suffered a fall and he had pneumonia.

And then we hear the audio dispatch from the 911 call. We hear that a male was found unconscious, and that CPR was being performed. That has still not been adjudicated. We still don't have answers to why that happened.

And yet, you know, despite all those questions, you still have Republicans out there saying, like, this is all a political ploy and Democrats are trying to use this to their advantage.

To Carine's point, if Mitch McConnell was well and fine and recovering in the hospital, he could simply just record a 10-second video telling the American people, you know, that he's recovering, or he could step into a news show for five seconds, or he could, you know, call up any news program on any evening and make it -- you know, kind of assuage people's concerns about this. He's leaving the door open, and that, you know, leads me to believe that he's not capable of making that call.

COATES: And let's not pretend. Even if he did that, people might still have questions. But there are also a number of senators and members of Congress who could go to where he is and provide some level of assurances as well. But yet the credibility and trust for that branch is dwindling.

And surprisingly, so is it for the Supreme Court of the United States. I want to turn to that next, Carine, because there was a Gallup poll that came out today, and it caught my eye for a number of reasons. But look at the Supreme Court job approval rating and how it has gone down. I mean, it was at that record low, 33 percent. Thirty-three percent of people approved. That was 58 percent in 2020. I mean, did this help Democrats make the case for reforms in the Supreme Court or even the idea of adding justices, which they've often talked about doing? Not court packing, they've said, but adding justices.

HAJJAR: Look, I think this is actually less about politics and more just about a broader trend we're seeing about trust in major U.S. institutions. Gallup also tracks trust in -- it's a variety of U.S. institutions. And that's down across the board, but especially when you're looking at Congress, when you're looking at the presidency, when you're looking at media.

So, Americans are wary of institutions across the board right now. There's a lot of reasons for that. I think one of them is when you have major technological changes, not keeping up with government, not necessarily keeping up with the way that people feel the pace of society. Technology is changing. People feel insecure.

[23:40:00] You see the rise of populism. So, there's a lot of big explanations for why this might be happening. But the Supreme Court still has at least higher trust than some of these other institutions I've mentioned. So, I don't think it's that unusual, given broader trends.

COATES: Well, let's talk to the people because they're weighing in right now. They have questions. I want to go to Randy from California, who asked this question: Is it not a major conflict of interest for any president to put their private attorney as head of the DOJ? Sawyer, you want to take that one?

HACKETT: A question that would have seemed ridiculous just a year ago.

COATES: It would have.

HACKETT: Yes. No, it is a conflict of interest. Of course, that's a conflict of interest. And it's funny watching, you know, Todd Blanche try and defend that in his confirmation hearing, saying, you know, I'm not the president's attorney, I'm the people's attorney. It's a joke. I mean --

COATES: Until he accidentally said --

HACKETT: Until he accidentally said.

COATES: -- he was the president's attorney. But, you know.

HACKETT: Yes.

COATES: Kim from North Carolina asked this question: Are Democrats banking on Trump's failures to win over voters in the midterms? When will they start campaigning on their solutions for the American people? Carine?

HAJJAR: I think they are banking. And luckily for them, especially on the economy, the president's approval is quite low. But that is not a sustainable strategy for Democrats. There isn't a central movement right now. You have more radical socialist factions rising up. And those might be able to win in urban settings and isolated settings here or there.

But that's not a sustainable strategy for the Democratic Party.

COATES: Texas has a question. Monica: Has the Senate denied any Trump cabinet picks? What is the point of all of this if they're going to just approve everyone? Well, actually, the U.S. Senate has not formally rejected or denied any of Trump's cabinet picks in his second administration. Carine, do you have insight as to the idea this is a formality, performative?

HAJJAR: I mean, look, the president did get elected with the popular vote. He has a mandate -- he has the House. He has the Senate right now. But I think that the midterms might -- you know, people are getting a little tired, especially the economy, as I mentioned. So, we'll see. COATES: All right. Texas, strong there today. Kenneth asked this question: What is the Democratic platform going into the midterms, as I am a confused, independent voter? Sawyer, what's your answer?

(LAUGHTER)

HACKETT: I mean, the Democratic platform is going to change dramatically between now and when 2028 happens and we have a new nominee. We're actually having that conversation right now within the party about, you know, whether the Democratic Party puts forward an affirmative platform before ahead of selecting a nominee. I think you're going to see that come to come to an argument as we head into 2028.

But right now, you see a lot of Democratic candidates running on the same things. I mean, right now, if we take back power, you know, Congress, their job is going to be to hold Donald Trump accountable and to kind of stymie a lot of these policies and his agenda that is rising people's costs or, you know, enriching himself and his friends and allies. Those are the kinds of things that I think Democrats can do from a defensive position if they take back either branch of Congress.

HAJJAR: But how do they sort of hold the center if you have people running for Senate in the same party of people who want to abolish the Senate? What do you do in that situation?

HACKETT: I don't think anybody wants to abolish the Senate. Inside the Senate -- who's running for Senate?

HAJJAR: Well, people within the larger movement.

HACKETT: You're talking about very, very fringe people who have never been elected to any position --

HAJJAR: I don't know.

HACKETT: -- and don't hold any sway within the party.

HAJJAR: A lot of DSA candidates are getting elected --

COATES: Which goes back to the point of which came first, the candidate or the platform? Carine, Sawyer, thank you both.

Up next, the Haitians vilified by Trump in Springfield, Ohio now bracing for ICE to come and deport them even as the state's Republican governor calls it a mistake. One of the Haitians who has called Springfield home for the last six years is live with me, next.

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[23:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: No, it wasn't happening in our country. But you remember those shocking comments from President Trump during the 2024 presidential election, making that claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were doing what he said that they were doing? He was targeting Haitians who live in the U.S. on a form of humanitarian relief called Temporary Protected Status. More than 330,000 Haitians have TPS because of the chaos and the violence that has gripped Haiti since 2010, including a catastrophic earthquake, a presidential assassination, and mass killings by gangs. Haitians say it's not safe to return.

But the Trump administration says it is. And last month, the Supreme Court handed him quite a victory. The justices ruled the administration can terminate TPS without courts reviewing it. As a top lawyer at DHS put it, the "T" stands for "temporary." And yesterday, that temporary protected status ended for Haitians. Now, the administration is vowing to launch a new deportation operation aimed at removing Haitians with TPS and sending them back to Haiti.

My guest tonight is in the United States with TPS status and is the executive director of the Haitian Community Health and Support Center in Springfield, Ohio, Viles Dorsainvil. Thank you so much for being here, Viles. I mean, there must be such an unbelievable sense of fear and anxiety among Haitians now that the administration says it's going to ramp up deportation operations in Springfield. Tell me what the community is feeling tonight.

VILES DORSAINVIL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER: Thank you for having me, Laura. It's a pleasure to be here. I think that what I hear from the community since after the ruling of the Supreme Court up to yesterday -- our families were so much concerned about their future here.

[23:50:07]

And, you know, when you are a parent, a mother and a father, and you know that you have to provide for your children and even help yourself, and now your livelihood is being threatened, and you know that you won't be able to work anymore, this is so much concerning. I am grieving for those families in our community and across the United States who won't be able to work and provide for their family.

So, what I hear from them is that they are very uncertain. They are very anxious because they know that they won't be able to stay here and work to provide for themselves.

COATES: You yourself are a recipient as well of TPS. You must be feeling that same uncertainty, that same anxiety, yet you're finding the strength to help your community members. Where are you finding that strength?

DORSAINVIL: Basically, I always get that question from folks, but I never let fear overcome me because -- why? I know what is at stake. On a daily basis, I've been having experience with families, young Haitians who are going to college. I experience their fear on a daily basis. I try to be a voice for them, speak on their behalf, because I know what is at stake.

So, I don't do that by the fact that I am not afraid myself, but at the end of the day, they should have somebody to speak on their behalf and tell what is at stake if they are returning to Haiti and if they will be able to work here.

COATES: Describe those stakes. There is a lot of fear about what is happening, the kidnapping, the crime. And the State Department has issued the highest-level travel warning for Haiti. I mean, it has been gripped in chaos for years. What is the concern and what is the plan for those who might be forced to go back?

DORSAINVIL: Yes. Basically, you know, those folks came here because the condition of Haiti has not been good over the years. And now, in Haiti, there are women and girls who live in shelters, being forced to leave their houses. Those women and girls are being exposed on a daily basis to rape. Those folks who have been living in those shelters, they do not have access to clean water, to medications or food. And more than five million Haitians now are in food insecurity phase.

So, you know, we have an international airport in Port-au-Prince that has not been in operation for over two years or three years. The Haitian government is not able to provide political goods to those folks. The gang members are becoming stronger and stronger from day to day. So, once those folks think about all of these, that creates so much fear for them not to return to that condition in Haiti right there.

COATES: Viles Dorsainvil, thank you so much for sharing. I'm going to continue to follow this story. It's very important. Thank you so much.

DORSAINVIL: Thank you so much for having me.

COATES: A quick programming reminder. Tomorrow, I'll be covering the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy. This is a mother in Massachusetts accused of strangling her three children. She says she's not criminally responsible and was mentally ill at the time. You can watch the coverage on CNN All Access or cnn.com/watch. Up next, a sign of the times and the friendly robot-free skies.

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[23:55:00]

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COATES: Well, it's almost midnight here on the East Coast, which means it is time to talk to our friend, Elex Michaelson, over in L.A. Good to see you. All right, Elex -- ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you.

COATES: -- I mean, picture this: You're boarding your flight and your seatmate, it's a robot, an actual robot. That's apparently a thing. There are at least three airlines that have now updated their policies, though, to ban humanoid robots. I didn't know it was a thing, let alone enough to actually have a ban. I mean, have you ever seen this?

MICHAELSON: I have, actually. And this is a thing. But I am curious. In some ways, does this mean you don't have to have small talk? Is that kind of a good thing?

COATES: Now you have robot talk. I think it's like R2-D2 or Alice (ph) from "The Jetsons." You adopt them. Are you kidding me? How often have you seen it? Is it an L.A. thing? Is that what this is?

MICHAELSON: I've seen these videos. I've not personally --

COATES: Oh, I was going to say --

MICHAELSON: -- been to LAX and sat next to a robot.

[00:00:00]

COATES: Well --

MICHAELSON: Although -- maybe an alien --

(LAUGHTER)

-- but that's just my guesses about certain people I've met. I don't know.

COATES: OK. Well, tell me, what is your biggest airline pet peeve?

MICHAELSON: So, I'm a taller person, at 6'5", and I don't understand the seats -- the leg room is just such an issue. I just physically do not fit in an airline seat. And so, that's my issue. What's your issue?

COATES: My issue is people in the window seat who close the window. It's a window. Why do you have a window seat? It's a window. Open it. Have a great show, Elex.

MICHAELSON: But what if people are trying to sleep? OK. We're not trying to put any --

COATES: OK --

MICHAELSON: -- we are not trying to put anybody to sleep.

COATES: A face mask.

MICHAELSON: We want -- we want them to stay up.

(LAUGHTER)

Laura, thank you.