Interview With Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA); Interview With Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA); Interview With White House Border Czar Tom Homan. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired August 30, 2026 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST (voice-over): New wave? President Trump promised to deport criminals. 

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going after the bad ones first. 

BASH: Now, as ICE picks up people without criminal records, including a right-wing activist who backed Trump's immigration plan, is the deportation push entering a new phase? White House border czar Tom Homan joins me next. 

And tech backlash, a landmark court case, as Congress takes a back seat, and Americans stress about huge technological changes. 

BILL GATES, CO-CHAIR, BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION: As the machine gets better, it's going to be a bigger deal. 

BASH: Are candidates starting to get the message? I'll ask the congressman representing Silicon Valley, potential 2028 candidate Ro Khanna. 

Plus, tide turning? Democrats' midterms optimism grows. 

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): This November, the first of many tides is coming. 

BASH: But could infighting in a key Senate race...

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: You don't ever want to trample somebody's pain.

BASH: ... get in the way of a blue wave?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Hello. I'm Dana Bash in Washington, where the state of our union is wrapping up summer break. 

We are one week out from the Labor Day kickoff of the midterms, and with many races set, candidates are pivoting from primaries to the general election, trying to reach out to the disaffected political center, while President Trump is leaning on his base. 

One area he appears to be making strides is on his deportation agenda. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, is promising a lot more enforcement action, as analyses by "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" suggest the administration's stepped-up deportation numbers are due in part to arrests of large numbers of people without criminal records. 

One high-profile example is right-wing conspiratorial agitator Milo Yiannopoulos, a one-time Trump backer who fell out of favor with the MAGA movement. He was arrested Thursday for -- quote -- "overstaying his welcome" and deported the next day back to the U.K. 

Here with me now is White House border czar Tom Homan. 

Thank you so much for being here this morning, sir. 

I want to start with the case of Milo Yiannopoulos. There is a lot we don't know here. What kind of visa was he under? And did he apply to extend that visa? 

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: Look, it's my understanding, looking at the Department of Homeland Security press release, that he overstayed his visa. I believe it was a visitor visa, but I'm not sure. 

But he overstayed the visa. He was ordered to appear in immigration court. He didn't show up. The judge ordered him deported. So, once ICE gets an order of deportation from a federal judge, their job is to execute that order, and that's what they did. 

He had his due process, ordered removed by a federal judge, and ICE removed him. It's that simple. 

BASH: Homeland Security said he was arrested Thursday. We understand he was deported the next day. That seems like a pretty quick turnaround. Was he given preferential treatment to leave, instead of remaining in an ICE detention facility longer? 

HOMAN: No, we have been working steadily the last few months on getting people out quicker, that way to save the taxpayers money in detention space.

The quicker we -- once a judge orders them out, rather than being in detention, waiting for travel documents and flight arrangements, we -- ICE, along with the CBP and Department of Homeland Security, working really good on the efficiencies of the removal process.

Get them out quick, open those beds up for more detainees to be held. 

BASH: So that's standard now, or that's the goal? HOMAN: We track the average length of stay, and we want to get the average length of stay, average length of stay in detention down. We want to execute those orders as soon as we can get them. 

BASH: Laura Loomer, who is a Trump ally, far right political activist, said she tipped ICE off to his illegal status. Is that true? 

HOMAN: Well, several -- a lot of people tipped ICE off. There are a lot of people who's calling ICE, and she says she's one of them. She probably was. 

But bottom line is, it doesn't matter. He was ordered removed by an immigration judge, and ICE's job it to execute that order. 

BASH: This is someone who had publicly praised immigration crackdowns, and yet Homeland Security chose to publicly publicize his arrest, rather -- put a rather unflattering mug shot out there, and wrote that, "He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws," and warned other immigrants to take control of their departure by self-deporting. 

[09:05:12]

Did the Trump administration choose to make an example out of him to send a message? 

HOMAN: We don't deport people based on political affiliation. 

Again, as soon as we get an order removal, our goal is remove them as quick as possible, regardless of who they are. 

BASH: Right. I'm not talking about the deportation. I'm talking about the publicizing of it, the way that it was put out there. You don't put public -- press releases out about everybody you deport. 

HOMAN: Well, I think the press release is in response to press inquiries. 

Again, I don't work at the Department of Homeland Security, but I saw the press release. I think it was based on press inquiries. 

BASH: OK, let me turn to a "New York Times" story out this morning, an account of 10 deportees who said they experienced or witnessed abusive or violent treatment by ICE officers.

When some resisted deboarding a plane in Liberia, a country they had no ties to, they said they were -- quote -- "forced onto the tarmac by ICE officers, who yanked and twisted their handcuffs, pinned them to the ground and pressed their knees directly onto their necks." Another said: "They treated us like we were wild animals, like beasts."

Are you comfortable with this treatment? 

HOMAN: No, and I don't -- I don't -- yes, I don't think that treatment occurred. It will be investigated, but we get allegations a lot. Every law

 enforcement agency in this country gets allegation of mistreatment. But, look, we know that threats against ICE officers are up over 9000 percent. Actual attacks are up for 1400 percent. 

So, ICE officers are trying to protect themselves while enforcing the law. A lot of people just don't want to comply with law enforcement. They want to fight. So I don't know these specific instances, but if they filed a complaint, it will be investigated by internal affairs. 

BASH: So, just to be clear, the -- what I just described, and there's a lot more in this "New York Times" really harrowing account, you're saying this is not standard operating procedure?

HOMAN: No, we use a minimum force required to make an arrestee comply. 

So, if someone acted out of line, it will be investigated by internal affairs, but the policy is minimum force necessary to make an arrest or to get compliance of an arrestee. 

BASH: So there will be an investigation in internal affairs, and if found that this is accurate, there will be consequences?

HOMAN: I'm sure there will be. I mean, that's the policy. 

I leave that question to the Department of Homeland Security, since they work for the Department of Homeland Security, but that is the policy, yes. 

BASH: The Department of Homeland Security sent two deportation flights to Haiti over the past two weeks. Haiti is a country that a Trump administration official this week said is in a dire state, saying that, for months, terrorist gangs have murdered civilians, terrorized communities, burned homes, and destroyed families. 

Why is the Trump administration knowingly sending Haitians, including many who've lived in the U.S. legally under Temporary Protected Status, into the danger that they describe? 

HOMAN: Again, we're returning deportees to their home country. Many times, if the home countries don't accept them, we send them to a third country. 

I'm not in the loop on this specific incident, but, again, that's a question for the Department of Homeland Security. But when people are ordered deported, they can't stay here. They're going to go home. 

BASH: I understand. You are the border czar, and this is happening because of a policy the Supreme Court held up, but a policy by this administration to end Temporary Protected Status for these Haitians. 

And now this administration is sending them back to a country that the administration describes as overrun with gangs and not safe to be. 

HOMAN: Well, look, the Temporary Protected Status is supposed to be temporary. 

And, as long as I have been around, for over 40 years, it seems like it's never temporary. It gets extended and extended and extended, even if the conditions in the home country have changed. So this is an order of the court. They were ordered removed, and ICE is removing them. 

They're going home. And if we send them to a third country, we -- people would be complaining about that. So ICE did their job. I'm not -- again, not involved in the specifics of this, but they lost their DPS status. They're ordered removed. They have got to go home. They have no status here anymore. They can't stay here. 

BASH: Just you, as the border czar and as a human, do you feel comfortable sending them back to a country, a country of origin perhaps, that your administration is describing as so dire? 

HOMAN: Look, bottom line is, they have been ordered removed. And I don't know the conditions in Haiti. I have never been in Haiti. I don't know if you have.

[09:10:05]

But, look, the judges made a decision they must go home. And they need to go home. I mean, I -- I'm not familiar with the country conditions in Haiti. I have never been there, but we're just enforcing the law. And we're doing it in a way that the American people voted for. 

President Trump's the president of the United States because he promised to enforce immigration law, and that's exactly what we're doing. We're sending a message to the whole world. The border is no longer open. You can't come here for a free pass and expect to stay forever if you're here illegally. 

There are millions of people standing in line wanting to be a part of the greatest nation on Earth. They're sitting in the back seat because millions of people came across the border illegally under Joe Biden under fraudulent pretenses. 

That's why the Trump administration is taking action. If you're in the country illegally, we're looking for you, and we find you, we're going to remove you. 

BASH: Yes, I hear what you're saying about Haiti. You haven't been there, I haven't been there. And I'm just quoting your own ambassador, Jennifer Locetta, who is a representative for special political affairs at the U.N. Those were her quotes. 

I want to turn to what's being reported in Connecticut. Senator Chris Murphy said ICE officers targeted parents at school bus stops this week. He said -- quote -- "In Danbury, they are just targeting parents sitting at school bus stops just to terrorize little kids."

Are ICE officers detaining parents at school bus stops? 

HOMAN: ICE isn't in the business of terrorizing children. That's -- that's just -- that's just political fire. 

ICE is out there enforcing law that was enacted by Congress. Then we arrest illegal aliens? Are some parents? I'm sure many are. But we're not out there to terrorize children. We're out there to look for illegal aliens with final orders of removal, those who overstayed, those that are criminals, and we're out there looking for them and arresting them. 

ICE has no intention of terrorizing children. That is just a political statement made to enrage the American people. In the last two years, I constantly hear the attacks on ICE and what ICE is doing. They think it's a winning message to know to vilify ICE. 

And I have said for a long time all these hateful words against ICE and what ICE does, that's a reason assaults against ICE officers are up over 9000 percent, the threats. It -- and no other law enforcement agency in the world has that percentage of increase in threats. 

And I say most of it is based on hateful writer and mischaracterization what ICE does, just like the Delaney Hall, right? Delaney Hall was a big story. Everybody's protesting up in Newark on Delaney Hall, said there was a hunger strike. 

I went there. There was never a hunger strike. People weren't eating at the cafeteria, but they're eating in the commissary. And there -- no one was missing medication. They said one person, one father was arrested while buying diapers. No, he was arrested at a jail, and he was there for domestic violence charges. 

But all these false stories come out, and people buy off on them. 

BASH: Well...

HOMAN: But you notice, when we prove those stories are fake, no one ever covers that. No one ever says, OK, we were wrong. There actually wasn't a hunger strike. There wasn't actually mistreatment at that facility. 

BASH: Yes, well, that's literally why we have you on, and we appreciate you coming on. Three detainees did die at that facility. 

But I want to stick to bus stops, because I -- my question is, even more broadly beyond Connecticut, are bus school stops fair game for a place where parents can be arrested?

HOMAN: Look, we -- the ICE policy is -- it used to be what we call a sensitive location policy. We don't have that policy anymore. 

But I have pointed out, for the last two years, you -- no one can point to one single incidence we arrested anybody in an elementary school. We haven't arrested anybody in a hospital. We haven't arrested anybody in the church. ICE is real good at their job. 

Now, did they -- somebody arrest somebody at a bus stop? I'm not aware of that. But ICE is out there to enforce law those that have been ordered removed by a federal judge. And if the -- especially if they're a criminal or if they're a national security threat, there's no safe harbor for them in this country. We will go where we need to go. 

But to this day, ICE has not made arrests in one of those three sensitive locations I'm aware of. But you read a lot of stories they have, but no one's giving me one instance...

BASH: Yes. 

HOMAN: ... one name, one date where somebody's arrested at one of those three instances. As far as the school bus, I'm not aware of that incident at all. 

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Will you look into this incident in Connecticut? Because it's not just the senator. It's the mayor, it's the governor who are saying it happened there. 

HOMAN: I will -- I will make an inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security, yes. 

BASH: OK. 

Last question. You are a big proponent of body cameras. You said in July that ICE was going to require body cameras and that -- and ICE actually subsequently said that every field officer would have one by the end of August. We are at the end of August now. Has that happened? 

HOMAN: I don't know. I know ICE is -- the camera purchase was held up when the government was shut down. I mean, there's millions of dollars to buy those cameras. 

I'm a big proponent of cameras...

[09:15:00]

BASH: I know.

HOMAN: ... because the cameras -- I want the American people to see what the officer sees when he makes a decision.

Whether it's a hands-on decision or a shooting incident, I want the American people to see what that officer saw when he took that action. I'm a big proponent. I know they have got the cameras purchased. The last I knew, before I was on the road a few weeks ago, the trainer happened. 

That's where they send trainers to each field office to train somebody on the use of body camera, how to turn them off, when to turn them on, what did we do with the film and keeping the record someplace. That has happened. I know they're being deployed. Are they 100 percent deployed today? I'm not sure. 

But I know the plan was to get them deployed by the end of August, but I do not know if that has been completed yet or not. BASH: OK. Well, if you find out, get back to us. I appreciate it, and

 really I'm grateful to you for joining us this morning, Tom Homan. 

HOMAN: All right, thank you. 

BASH: And it could be the top issue in the midterms. Democrats are not exactly on the same page. I will ask a potential 2028 contender how scared we all should be of A.I. 

And coming up: Another 80-year-old is running for reelection. This time, are Democrats dropping their concerns about aging politicians? 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

[09:20:24] 

BASH: In a landmark settlement, Facebook parent company Meta this week agreed to pay nearly $18 billion and make sweeping changes to its platform over allegations it deliberately targeted kids and fueled a mental health crisis. 

Does it go far enough? And will anything actually change? 

Here with me now is Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley in Congress. 

Thank you so much for being here. 

Among the changes agreed to in this settlement are a two-hour daily time limit on Facebook and Instagram, nightly mode, and school mode. Some of your fellow lawmakers are joining Meta in calling for social media companies, including TikTok and YouTube, to institute similar safeguards for teenagers. 

The executives of these companies are your constituents, Congressman. Are you having talks with them? Are they going to do it? 

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): I am. 

I have been calling for kids' online safety and standing up to the tech billionaires for years. Look, this is an important step, but it doesn't go far enough. Obviously, Meta agreed to this because the average use of a young person on Instagram is about an hour anyway. So they don't see much competitive downside from agreeing to these terms. 

We need to pass a law that covers all of the platforms, but, more than that, we need to cover a -- pass a law that covers design. Meta can still have harmful design on Instagram that is feeding junk to your kids, that is feeding information about suicidal thoughts or eating disorders. So this is a step forward, but it is not nearly sufficient. 

BASH: In those conversations that you're having with other tech and platform executives, do they seem open to doing it, short of federal legislation? 

KHANNA: Some of the people at the companies are open. But I don't think we can take the goodwill of tech companies. We need legislation. We need legislation that has a duty of care, that says you cannot have algorithms that are feeding junk to our kids. There has to be a standard of protecting children, and we need the federal agencies to have the power to enforce that. 

BASH: You are and Democrats are in the minority now in Congress, but over the past 20 years or so, you have been in the majority. So, particularly someone like you, who understands, as you said, the risks and the reality of what's going on with tech and teens, why not -- why didn't you push this and why didn't you pass this when Democrats were in control? 

KHANNA: I came out with an Internet bill of rights calling for these proposals with Tim Berners-Lee, who is the founder of the World Wide Web, in 2017, Dana.

And I have been calling for regulations to protect our kids, regulations...

BASH: Right. 

KHANNA: ... to make sure our data was there. We didn't pass it, one, because of the lobbying efforts of some of big tech and money.

But, secondly, we did not have a Congress or political leadership that understood the importance of these issues. And I don't think people understand the importance of A.I. We need to have a vision for how we're going to create jobs for young people. 

Let me give you two ideas. We need to tax the usage of A.I. and robots, so that we incentivize human hiring. We need a federal jobs program, I have called it Work for America, to hire young people coming out of high school and college to rebuild communities of the federal government at a time where a lot of people are having a tough time with entry-level jobs. 

I mean, we have -- Congress, people haven't used OpenAI or ChatGPT. Some people haven't used these technologies. They don't see how urgent it is. 

BASH: Yes. And when I said you, I meant the royal you. The Democrats didn't pass it. I know that you have been pushing it, and it sounds like you're pretty disappointed in your party that you haven't gotten it done. 

I want to talk about sort of a different version of this whole question about tech, and that is data centers. You now say data centers shouldn't be shoved down the throats of communities like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, which happen to be swing states. 

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders go a bit further. They are calling for an immediate federal moratorium on all data center construction. Why don't you want to go that far? 

KHANNA: Well, I believe it should be state-by-state decision, and there should be terms of engagement. 

[09:25:02]

So I supported a pause in Pennsylvania in Michigan. I don't think they should be shoved down the throats of communities. Communities should say no. I support a ban in residential communities and a ban on farmland. 

But if there is, let's say, a brownfield, a deindustrialized area, where you could build a data center, where it's not going to jack up electricity prices, where it's not going to use the local water, where the hyperscalers are actually pledging money for jobs and schools beyond the electricians and beyond the building of the data center, then I think that should be for communities and states to decide. 

What we need to make sure is, it's not just the benefit of extraction from big companies in my district, that it's actually benefiting the community. 

BASH: Getting into a little politics here, Massachusetts is having its Senate primary this Tuesday. You endorsed the incumbent Democratic Senator Ed Markey. 

Last year, talking about Democrats, you said the old guard needs to go. Ed Markey is 80 years old. Why isn't he that old guard? 

KHANNA: The old guard of ideas, the old guard that does not support health care as a human right with Medicare for all, the old guard that got us into these endless wars, the old guard that has not understood the issue of wealth inequality and the importance of taxing billionaire wealth, the old guard that subscribed to NAFTA and globalization and watched the communities be hollowed out. 

Ed Markey, on the other hand, has been a champion for working-class values. He's been a critic of globalization and wealth inequality. So, to me, it's not about just your age, though I think that is a relevant factor. It's also your platform. 

BASH: Turning to the Senate race in Texas, you had backed Jasmine Crockett. She lost the Democratic primary to James Talarico. 

Jasmine Crockett told my colleague Laura Coates this week that she will be campaigning downballot, instead of with Talarico in his race against Ken Paxton. You know this Senate Texas seat is actually in play. Should she rethink that and campaign for Talarico? 

KHANNA: I hope she does campaign for Representative Talarico. 

I think Representative Talarico is an extraordinary talent. He has been energizing the state. We have a great chance after almost a generation to win that state. I have a great relationship with Jasmine Crockett. She was, is brilliant on the Oversight Committee. That's why I endorsed her. 

But she is an extraordinary asset. We need her on the team. And if there's anything I can do to convince her, I will, but I hope she will. 

BASH: So, will you call her, since you have such a good relationship, and try to convince her or have you? 

KHANNA: Well, I will see her on the -- in the Oversight Committee, and, yes, I will talk to her. 

I mean, I -- the Talarico campaign hasn't asked me to do that. I'm not sure I'm the best person. I have a good relationship with her. But if they want me, if they think I'm the best person, I'm happy to do it. I believe that these seats, -- we need to unify the party. 

And, Dana, you know I'm from the progressive wing of the party, but I have also worked for President Obama. I wrote a book, "Progressive Capitalism." I believe that I'm a New Deal, FDR Democrat. I think that can unify our party, and we should be unified in all these Senate races. 

BASH: Looking ahead to 2028, you have said you're seriously thinking about a presidential run. You just mentioned that you are a proud progressive. 

If your fellow progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez runs, will you still run? 

KHANNA: It will have no bearing on my decision. Obviously, she's extraordinary.

But my vision is an economic vision. Look, Dana, one-third of the nation's wealth is in my district, $20 trillion. We have five companies over a trillion dollars in my district. But where I grew up, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, this economy of the future isn't working for them. 

And I have a vision called economic patriotism, which calls for having the greatest economic mission in generations to build a future economy that's going to be working for people I grew up with, deindustrialized communities, the black South. How do we bring economic success, not just in Silicon Valley, across this country? 

I understand tech. I have had the guts to stand up to them, and I have a road map of how we build that future economy everywhere. 

BASH: All right, sounds like you're honing that 2028 pitch. 

Congressman, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. 

KHANNA: Appreciate you. 

BASH: Up next: Abdul El-Sayed is taking some steps to quiet Democratic unease about the must-win Senate race in Michigan. Is it enough? 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

[09:33:58] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EL-SAYED: My comments might have been misconstrued to be justifying something I did not intend to justify, right? 

To anybody who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I'm really sorry. That was not my intention. We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright. What I was trying to do is offer context for why it happened. But it wasn't the time for context, and you don't ever want to trample somebody's pain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That was Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed yesterday apologizing for his response to an attack on a Detroit area synagogue in March, including his use of the phrase "Hurt people hurt people."

It comes as he's trying to win over skeptical Democratic voters, including Jewish voters, ahead of November. 

My panel is here to discuss. 

Hello, everybody. 

Xochitl, is that enough? 

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think that he is doing a lot of work to unite the party right now, whether it is apologizing. He's met with Jewish Democrats. He is doing everything possible that he can do. 

I think that it -- I have to praise him for it. I have been someone who has been critical of him previously for those comments, and I think it says a lot that he is actually reaching out to that community. 

[09:35:04]

I think that this will hopefully help him. And I think at least the campaign hopes that he can pivot to start talking about the issues. Tariffs are impacting people in Michigan a lot. And Mike Rogers isn't really necessarily saying much about it, and he can't because he is loyal to Donald Trump, right? 

And so I think the issue of tariffs is actually going to play a ton in that race, and the hope is that he can move past this so he can focus on the issues that voters care about in that state. 

BASH: Congressman Carter?

REP. BUDDY CARTER (R-GA): Too little, too late. Six months later, you're trying to explain a statement that you made when you were trying to -- trying to justify the actions of the attacker on the Jewish people. 

Look, the Jewish people understand that he is not sincere with this. He's just simply trying to play politics here and trying to cover up. 

BASH: Faiz?

FAIZ SHAKIR, FORMER BERNIE SANDERS 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER: (OFF-MIKE) cares deeply about fighting antisemitism. 

And it's also true that, probably in that primary, you saw a candidate who said, when 70,000 Gazans are killed and 170,000-plus are wounded, is there any accountability over the Israeli government's actions? 

And for the most part, there was an opponent who said very little accountability. And now his views are winning not only in Michigan, but across this country. And I think he is doing his part to say, this point of changing the way we think about holding Israel accountable means that we also have to include Jewish voices and reach out to Jewish people to hear their concerns. 

And he is doing it. I think his model of politics hopefully persuades other progressive candidates to follow his lead. 

DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You're explaining, you're losing, right? Basics. If you're explaining, you're losing. He's not talking about what Xochitl said was -- he's not talking about other things. 

There are 150,000 Jews in the state of Michigan. The last election was won by a Democrat by roughly 20,000 votes. So you can't afford to lose anybody, right? Politics is about addition, one plus one plus one. It's not about subtraction. You don't want to alienate any groups. 

He alienated a major voting bloc. We have the 25th anniversary of 9/11 coming up. I want to see if Mr. El-Sayed disavows Hasan Piker by name. He's going to be asked about it. He's going to be asked about it. Democrats all across America to be asked about this terrible -- I know he's a California Internet sensation or whatever, but you know what? 

A lot of people campaign with this California Internet guy to get them where they are. So conveniently that he was helpful to get through their primaries, but now nobody wants to disavow him by name? I think people are going to have to answer it. 

Somebody who said 9/11 -- America deserved 9/11 25 years later is a very bad look in lots of places across America. 

Faiz?

SHAKIR: This is cancel culture politics that goes on both the left and the right here.

But when Tony Hinchcliffe says a joke at the end of a Trump campaign and there's decrying, and they're, hey, that guy doesn't speak for Donald Trump, they're right. Nick Fuentes dines with Donald Trump. No, Nick Fuentes doesn't speak for Donald Trump. 

And then even if Hakeem Jeffries meets with Jared Kushner, if Gavin Newsom sits down with Steve Bannon, in a democracy, those should be fine. They -- you are listening to voices. Who speaks for Abdul? Abdul speaks for Abdul. 

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: Yes, but, Faiz, why doesn't he just come out and denounce him by name, say, listen, I denounce Hasan Piker, what he stands for? We did it on the Republican side. Just do it. You could do it right now. 

SHAKIR: The issues that Hasan Piker was campaigning on with respect to Israel, Abdul agreed with. And you know that Piker campaigned on those issues for Abdul. 

It doesn't -- then why are you categorically slamming an individual for everything that they stand for just because of a couple of comments they made? You can disagree with the couple of comments. 

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: A couple of comments? Those aren't a couple of public comments. Those aren't a couple of public comments. 

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: America deserved to be attacked on 9/11? You should just say I disavow this gentleman.

(CROSSTALK)

SHAKIR: ... hate everything about Puerto Ricans, as Tony Hinchcliffe said?

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: We did. We said we disavowed Tony Hinchcliffe then. 

(CROSSTALK)

SHAKIR: Disavowed him entirely?

URBAN: Yes. No, people said he said terrible things. Democrats should stand up and say this gentleman is reprehensible for the things he said and what he did. And if you don't...

SHAKIR: I'm not for cancel culture here. 

URBAN: It's not cancel culture. It's saying a person said something terrible. It's not hard to do. 

SHAKIR: In a big tent -- we got criticized we go on Joe Rogan's show. Oh, and Joe Rogan said the worst things in the world. 

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: I bet you Xochitl's sister in Austin, Texas is going to disavow Assad Piker, guaranteed. 

HINOJOSA: Absolutely. And also... (CROSSTALK)

BASH: By the way, just for the record, your sister's running for governor in Texas.

HINOJOSA: Running for governor, and I should not be talking about her on the panel, but I can talk about Texas.

URBAN: Well, I did. I did. 

HINOJOSA: But what I will tell you about my views on this is, I do think that he is a liability. 

I do think that Democrats obviously are usually good about disavowing even people within their own party if they're saying comments that are terrible. I do agree with Faiz the Republicans do not do that. 

You might do that because you're a reasonable Republican. Donald Trump is not a reasonable Republican. My friend Scott Jennings, I love him to death, but he's also not going to disavow some of those people. 

And I think that there is part of the MAGA base that they don't feel like they need to apologize for stuff, and it is always on Democrats to apologize.

[09:40:03]

URBAN: OK, but I'm just talking about one guy, Hasan Piker. That's it. 

HINOJOSA: Yes. No, and I agree. And I agree that I don't think Democrats should be campaigning with him. I agree that his comments are problematic, but that's me. That's part -- that's a lot -- those are a lot of people in the Democratic Party...

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: Twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11 coming up. 

BASH: Do you want to quickly weigh in before break? 

CARTER: It's not a matter of convenience here. I mean, you don't adhere to what someone says if you like it, and when they don't like something, you're going to disavow them. 

You need to make sure that you're consistent. Politics is about being consistent. And I would submit to you that the Democrats have not been consistent, particularly with Piker. I mean, this guy is off the rails and should not be representing any Americans, much less Democrats.

(CROSSTALK)

SHAKIR: Congressman, you don't agree with Sean Hannity on everything. Do you go on his show? Of course you do. 

Do you agree with every right-wing commentator? Even when Charlie Kirk was alive, bless him, did you agree with everything that he said? I don't think you did, and yet you would talk to these people, right? And I'm saying, you appreciate the audience, Hasan Piker's audience. 

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: This is like Alex Jones-esque, right? This is so reprehensible. This is like somebody who said Sandy Hook was a conspiracy, right? 

Hasan Piker saying that 9/11 -- Americans deserved 9/11, reprehensible, full stop. 

SHAKIR: Of course it is. Of course. 

BASH: We have to sneak in a break. 

Don't go anywhere, because, obviously, this is good. President Trump wants the midterms to be all about him. Could that actually help Republicans more than you think? Stick with us. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:50]

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) 

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): We've got 71 days. And, right now, we don't have a positive message to tell farm country, and we haven't since liberation day last year. 

QUESTION: How does the party make the case to voters that you hear them on affordability, if he's doing actions.

TILLIS: You can't. Voters care about the here and now. They don't care about how they felt a year ago. They care about how they feel at the moment they're voting. And I think we just need to settle these policies down. 

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BASH: That was Republican Senator Thom Tillis. He may not be on the ballot in November, but he's warning that President Trump's latest moves on trade and the economy are making it harder for Republicans who are to actually win. 

My panel is here with me to discuss. 

Congressman, you are leaving, but you are the only one here, I think, who's been on the ballot as a Republican. You haven't, right? 

(LAUGHTER)

BASH: How do you feel about the message that the president is handing to Republicans right now? Is it...

CARTER: Well, the message is the results, and that's what we should be running... 

BASH: Which are?

CARTER: The results. I would submit to you that this president in his first year-and-a-half of his second term has had more consequential results than just about any modern president. 

Look at what he's done. He's secured the border. He's made us more prosperous. He's delivered on his promises. I'm running on his record. I'm not running away from his record. That would be something that I think Republicans need to be doing. 

Democrats are running away from their record. Republicans, we're running with Donald Trump and his record. That's what we need to be doing. 

BASH: Helpful for Republicans on the ballot for the president to say it's all about me, David?

URBAN: Listen, Donald Trump is going to be on the ballot whether he likes -- whether anybody wants him to be on the ballot or not, right? I mean, Democrats are going to make it about it. The media is going to make it about it. 

Polling -- poll after poll after poll shows Donald Trump is wildly popular amongst Republican base voters. Midterm elections tend to be about turnout, so it is very helpful to have them come and turn out. And I will say this. I was in four Ubers yesterday, and I always poll my Uber drivers because they're real people in America, right? 

And Democrats, all four Democrats. None of them like Trump. And -- but they said to me, I don't know what Democrats are -- I don't know what they're running on. I don't know what -- they just can't say they don't like Trump. And I will -- all four -- just N equals four, so that's my sample size. And they didn't know who I was.

And so just interesting, right? You have to put forth a positive vision, and I'm not quite sure Democrats -- I saw Speaker Jeffries try to do that, right? Democrats lack a coherent message. When Republicans ran, had a big sweep, you had Contract With America. You have these bullet points you can kind of talk about. 

Here, people -- the challenge is -- and I say this. I use this analogy all the time. When people go to the pump, the mom's coming home, has got to buy her kids dinner, put some gas in the tank. She takes out that $20 bill, used to be able to fill up your tank, get your kids some food. 

Now, right, that's a tougher -- that's a tougher decision every time they got to do it. You got to fill up your tank and get your kids food. 

BASH: You sound like Bernie Sanders. 

HINOJOSA: That's our message. Thank you. 

(CROSSTALK)

SHAKIR: Progressive candidates are doing very well right now. 

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: No, but I'm saying that's real. But that's a real concern. That's a real concern. 

(CROSSTALK)

SHAKIR: They have this vision. I mean, you think about who -- taxing the wealth, of expanding health care, getting money out of politics, it's been associated with a vision of what progressives are bringing. 

But I also think, to David's point, accountability over Trump is also weighing in favor of Democrats right now. They want somebody to end the war in Iran. They want reassessment of these tariffs that are not doing much for them. And just on that alone, you're going to have a number of Democrats come in, even if they don't have your five-point Contract for America plan. 

They're going to come in because people are saying, somebody put a check on this guy. And if people want to run on his agenda, bless you, go for it. I think it's deeply unpopular. I would urge all the Des Moines -- all the Republicans out there to say, oh, I'm against data centers. 

Well, you should condemn Donald Trump because he is for data centers. He's telling you...

(CROSSTALK)

URBAN: By the way, he told -- he told all -- he gave everybody a pass. You saw that. He said you can run against me on data centers. 

(CROSSTALK)

SHAKIR: Condemn him. Condemn Donald Trump. I ask you. 

HINOJOSA: And I will say data centers is playing in a state, my home state, of Texas. 

One thing I will say is that we saw Speaker Johnson out on the campaign trail in South Texas, large Latino area. Donald Trump won that area and especially Bobby Pulido's district by about 15 points. He is underwater in the latest polling by 14 points. 

[09:50:01]

I just want to give Republicans some advice. In South Texas, where it's 90 percent Latino, Mike Johnson isn't necessarily going to help you bring in votes. And I'm not even -- like, that is not the right surrogate. 

And so, like, Mike Johnson might want to make it seem like he is out there pushing for Donald Trump's agenda. I'm sorry, Donald Trump's agenda is unpopular, and Mike Johnson is not the right person to be in a 90 percent Latino district. 

BASH: We're going to -- we're going to have to leave it there. I'm so sorry. Thank you all. We'll get you next time, Congressman. 

Are we on track to discover the biggest mysteries of the universe? The rocket that just lifted off and what it could find in the cosmos next. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

[09:55:30]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, ignition, and liftoff. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: We have liftoff. As you hear there, a massive observatory that scientists have called a discovery machine launched this morning towards the cosmos, beginning a journey that could mark a significant shift in our understanding of the universe. 

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope -- no, not that Nancy Grace -- we're talking about NASA's first chief of astronomy -- is designed to seek out otherwise invisible and faint space objects. Over the next five years, the bus-sized telescope's observations could reveal answers to enduring mysteries such as dark matter, which provides the cosmos with structure, but remains unseen. 

It could allow astronomers to spot previously unseen galaxies, as well as rogue planets that don't orbit stars at all. Pretty cool. 

Thank you for spending your Sunday morning with us. The news continues next.