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Remembering the man known as the people's pope. The 88 year old pontiff passing away on this Easter Monday. The world's 1.5 billion Catholics now reflecting on his legacy and the church's future. Plus President Trump's deportation plans on pause as the Supreme Court temporarily halts the administration's efforts to remove certain Venezuelan migrants and alleged gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.
And President Trump publicly stands by his Secretary of Defense in the face of new revelations about his handling of sensitive information and new questions about his leadership at the Pentagon. By the way, welcome to Media Press. Now I'm Ryan Nobles. We're going to get to all that breaking news on the Pope and the busy day in politics coming up.
But first, first we're to going to begin with another rough day on the stock market. The trading day just wrapped up with a Dow tumbling nearly a thousand points. The major indices all fell by roughly 2 1/2% and now falling roughly 10% since President Trump's so called Liberation Day tariff announcement. The latest sell off coming as President Trump lashed out once again today at Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
The trading day had just begun when the president called Powell a quote, major loser on social media, urging him to lower interest rates. It comes after suggesting last week that he might try to fire Powell. It's worth noting that Trump picked Powell in his first term to run the Fed. The pressure campaign has sparked fears among investors who look to the Federal Reserve to act as an independent body, not as a political arm of the White House and and NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Cheng joins me now with more on today's market sell off.
I'm sure many of us are looking at our four 1Ks wondering when is this going to end? What was it today that drove the sharp market drop and should we expect a further market decline in the coming days? Yeah, right. As we've been talking about with the market volatility until it was more certainty for investors, until we get a better idea of exactly what the next few weeks and months are going to look on the terraform, then we won't get more or less volatility in this market.
But now compile on top of the terror policy, the concern that the independent steward of the monetary policy here in the United States, which is the head of the Federal Reserve, might be under fire from the president. You can see markets really rattled today after the s and P500. And the Dow Jones closed the day just a few minutes ago, down about two and a half percent. I want to point out that's off.
The lows of the day on the Dow Jones were down just 3.3, 3.4% in the middle of the afternoon before there was a little bit of a bid into the closing bell. But a lot of this is in response to that true social post from the president early this morning where as you mentioned, he described Mr. Powell, his own pick during his administration as Mr. Too Late, also describing him as a loser, suggesting that he won the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates as the president is also ratcheting up his tariff war on not just China, but other countries around the world, again trying to get on the phone to try to broker deals individually with about or even more than 70 countries.
So again, the uncertainty is still out there. Investors clearly don't like it and people with four 1Ks are watching the Red Cross. And let's get into this. What Donald Trump wants the chairman to do, he's asking him to cut interest rates.
I mean, what effect could lower rates have on the economy markets, especially when there's still a serious worry about inflation? Yeah, well, I mean, look, this is certainly a situation where the Federal Reserve had actually already been in the process of cutting interest rates last year in response to positive progress on inflation. But yeah, you do have this word of this really put the Federal Reserve in a difficult buying because as the president is asking them to lower interest rates, there's also this concern that the tariff policy that's been placed by the White House would potentially exacerbate inflation. If you're lowering interest rates into an environment inflation goes up, you can even make inflation go up even higher as a result of that easier monetary policy.
Without getting to Econ101, all you need to know is that this pressure that the president has placed on Jerome Powell, it's nothing new. We saw it in 2018 and 2019 as well when the president at the time during his first administration was ratcheting up his trade war with China. In that time he was also jobbing the Fed 2018. He described the Federal Reserve chairman as having no touch, he can't putt, compared him to a golfer.
In 2019, he described the venture as a stubborn child. So the Fed chair is useless cycle metric reacting the question does he get tilted into lowering interest rates more quickly than he would have otherwise done? So that did happen in 2019, whenever that happens again this time as well. Alright, Brian Chong, thank you for that update.
We appreciate you leading us off. And we're going to turn now to the sad news from the Vatican as we remember the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who died early today at the age of 88. This afternoon, the Vatican announced his cause of death was a stroke and irreversible heart failure. Massive crowds today filling St.
Peter's Square paying their respects to the late pontiff. Papal funeral rites are now underway and this afternoon Cardinal Kevin Farrell presided over a ceremony placing Pope Francis's body in his coffin after a long bout with pneumonia earlier this year. Pope Francis participated in ceremonies throughout Holy Week, including a surprise appearance yesterday, greeting worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday. He also met with Vice President J.D.
vance and his family in a private ceremony as condolences and remembrance pour in from around the globe for the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from the Americas. President Trump posted on social media just moments ago that he will be attending the pope's funeral. We heard from him this morning at the White House Easter egg roll. I just signed an executive order putting the flags of our country, all of them, all federal flags and state flags, at half mast in honor of Pope Francis.
So he was a good man, worked hard, he loved the world and it's an honor to do that now. Compassion for the poor and marginalized communities, especially migrants, were a hallmark of Francis's papacy. In his final statement delivered yesterday on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis wrote, on this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life, and ideas. NBC's Anne Thompson covers the Catholic Church and filed this report on Pope Francis's legacy.
This morning's sadness that Pope Francis papacy has come to an end. The 88 year old passing away early this morning after an extended illness. But just one day after a surprise appearance on Easter Sunday. Francis was the people's cook, reaching out, embracing including the sick, the poor, the forgotten, pushing himself even as he became visibly frail, needing a cane and a wheelchair.
Austin Ivory co authored a book with Francis Faming pope is all in and that means encountering people. He's performing the gospel and without that for him there's no 20% Papacy fame. In more than a decade, his Pope Francis moved the Catholic Church away from the culture wars and back to its original mission of love and mercy, throwing open the doors of the church to all. When he was elected in March 2013, few imagined he would be a transformative figure, preaching with actions and words, saying who am I to judge?
When asked about a gay priest at his first in flight press conference declaring I am a sinner. Accusing the vacuum bureaucracy he sought to reform of spiritual Alzheimer's. A plain spokenness not always welcomed by church officials. A dramatic shift in style from his predecessor Benedict xvi, who lived just steps away.
If only one word can define the papacy of Francis is that it was very polarizing within the church. Particularly because for 10 years of that papacy, former Pope Benedict was still alive. The son of Italian immigrants, Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied to be a chemist, but was called to be a priest, rising through the ranks of the church to Cardinal of Buenos Aires, riding the subway, becoming the bishop of the slums.
Bringing to Rome a humility that would define his papacy. Rejecting the Vatican's luxuries for a simpler style, he traveled to 67 nations, including a triumphant visit to the United States in 2015. Cardinal Timothy Dolan was the Pope's host in New York. He loved New York.
He'd never been here. He was kind of mesmerized by the size and he was very, very moved by the enthusiasm of the welcome. Francis was the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress. The land of Stephen Free at the home of the brave, urging lawmakers to apply the golden rule to those seeking a better life in the US Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated.
Yet France's tenure could not escape the scourge of child sex abuse. Shocking revelations in the US and around the world led Francis to toughen church laws against such abuse to better protect children and vulnerable adults. He elevated the role of women in the church in a series of firsts, making a woman head of a Vatican department, giving a woman a vote in the Senate of Bishops, and appointing a woman to oversee the Vatican City state. A man driven by his mission and the pressure of limited time, especially in recent years, suffering from illnesses after damage to his lungs as a young man earlier this year.
France is hospitalized for over a month with pneumonia. But returning to the public eye just weeks ago, reading crowds, thanking his hospital staff and meeting world leaders, including Vice President J.D. vance yesterday and on Easter in St. Peter's Square, out in the Pope Mobile, greeting the faithful the last time the world would see this leader of the Catholic Church who tried to keep this 2000-year-old institution vital in our modern world by practicing what he preached.
And thanks again, Thompson, for that report. Joining me now live for Vatican City as my BC News colleague, Molly Hunter Somal, you are on the ground in the Vatican. What is the mood there in St. Peter's Square?
We are right about you can see it behind me, right in the middle of St. Peter's Square. And I got here this afternoon ride and we came out here to speak with people. And you had people in tears.
You had people who just wanted to be around other Catholics. You had people who were here on Easter vacation with their families, who came because they were curious. It was incredibly moving. It's incredibly respectful at 7:30 with the recitation of the Holy Rosary rhyme.
And it was the first moment, the first official moment people could really gather and pray together. It was beautiful music. And we spoke with American couple Ryan Carol and Martin Atel from Detroit. And they had come last week.
They had come to the Easter services yesterday. They were right up they showed me a video. They were right up next to Pope Francis when he came out into the crowns on his pope mobile yesterday. And they found it so moving.
And then this morning they said they had an apartment just outside Peter's Square. They heard the bells ringing, they ran out. They came to the square just because they wanted to be around other people. I think we're gonna see the square.
It's 10:10 tonight at 10 at night. I think we'll see the square pre all night long. And so this begins somewhat lengthy process as we move from one pope to the next. But we still need to honor Pope Francis's life.
What happens next in terms of his funeral? That's right. So right now it's all a little bit of Speculation that we don't know the exact date. So traditionally we have a graphic for our audience right here.
The funeral is about four to six days after the death. So sometime this week and then the conclave, the election of the next pope will be about 15 to 20 days and that could last as long as it takes a vote, usually around two to three days. Now what's happening immediately, Ryan, is tomorrow as the cardinals around the world start to descend on Vatican City. The first meeting of cardinal will happen tomorrow.
It's not necessarily part of the general conversations which will lead up to the conclave, but it's one of the first meetings where plans will start to be set and we may learn when exactly his body and his confident lie in safe here in Sierra's basilica and when exactly the funeral will be arrived. And of course we've seen reaction and remembrance porn from around the globe. The pope obviously a robust global presence. We heard him speak out against the treatment of migrants, the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza.
What are we hearing now from world leaders? We actually minutes ago just saw a post by President Trump that he and Melania will be going to the funeral. Pop Francis and Rome. We look forward to being just posted minutes ago on true social.
But of course, as you mentioned, we did see statements from leaders across the globe. Former President Biden before said method Francis multiple times that Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time. I'm better for having known him. President L Ukrainian president posted earlier today he knew how to give hope.
He's suffering through prayer and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. And from his native Argentina. Argentina President excuse me wrote earlier today it is a profound sorrow that I learned the sad morning that Pope Francis horhe bergolio for his name before Pope Francis passed away today and is now resting in peace.
And that is a very small sampling of a very, very long globalist friend. Okay, more coming short. Molly Hunter, thank you for that report live from Baggin City. We appreciate it.
And following a period of mourning, the College of Cardinals will convene in the Sistine Chapel to begin the highly secretive process of selecting a new pope. NBC News chief international correspondent Keir Simmons has a live look, or just has a look, I should say. Inside the papal Conclave, the customs of the Catholic Church are clear and carefully orchestrated. Once the period of mourning is done, the centuries old tradition to elect a new pope known as the Conclave and shrouded in secrecy gets underway over the Next few weeks, cardinals under the age of 80 from across the globe will descend on Vatican City, holding a series of formal meetings known as general congregations.
And more informal direct conversations too. Keep in mind that cardinals of human beings, the political animals as well, will be meeting in various places. You know, Cardinal X will say to Cardinal Y, I've been talking about this to Cardinal Zed, let's go, let's go have a pizza. It all comes down to the voting.
The process so fascinating, so mysterious, it's been recreated in the blockbuster hit Conclave. We're about to choose the most famous man in the world and one and a quarter billion souls watching. The word conclave comes from Latin, meaning locked with a key. The cardinals are sealed inside the Sistine Chapel, as Michelangelo's frescoes bear witness.
No phones, no electronics of any kind, not even any notes. After day one, there are four rounds of secret ballots every day until one day receives a two thirds majority. Back in 2013, Francis was elected after just two days. And this year, the list swirling of likely contenders who may be pontiff material spans the globe from Asia to Africa to the Holy Land to Europe and Canada.
Will the next pope be someone close to Francis set to continue his legacy, or a more conservative voice set on pulling back Francis progressive agenda? Also, age is very important. The Vatican is a very strange place because someone who is 65 or 70 is considered too young. Cardinals want another papacy that lasts another 30 years.
As the secret voting continues, the cardinals burn the ballots twice a day and the masses outside awake the smoke. Black smoke means no pope yet, and white smoke announces a pope has been chosen. And thanks to Keir Simmons for that report. Coming up, the escalating legal and political fight over the Trump administration's deportation efforts.
We'll get a live report from El Salvador and I'll talk to one of the immigration rights lawyers at the center of a crucial case challenging the White House's use of wartime powers. Don't go anywhere you're watching. Read the press now. It's here.
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Visit your Ontario Ford floor or Ford ca. Welcome back. Turning now to the latest fight between the Trump administration and the courts over the president's immigration crackdown. In a rare overnight order this weekend, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants and alleged gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.
The Trump administration now asking the Supreme Court to lift that hold. This video captured by NBC News on Friday afternoon shows a bus with Venezuelan migrants departing the Blue Bonnet Detention center and heading towards the airport in North Texas before abruptly turning around and returning to the ICE facility. An administration official confirmed the U turn came after DHS was told to cancel the trip while a court hearing about those DTBs was underway. Joining me now is NBC News senior Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainsley and NBC News correspondent David Noriega, who was on the ground in El Salvador.
Julia, let's start with you. What do we know about these migrants who are about to be deported? There are about 28 of them. We've seen a list of those names.
Now nine of them were given. There was some level detail given about nine of them to Fox News, including some pretty long rap sheets. But that leaves out 19 people. Some of those have actually been interviewed by NBC.
In fact, Vaughn Hilliard was able to speak to one of them inside out. These are people who say that they have no ties to TVA. Many of them, especially one fallen interview, no tatted TVA or MS.13. Those are the two gangs that were singled out to be sent to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies acting despite some tattoos.
It's really hard to figure out exactly why they pick these people especially for tattoos that have seemed seemingly no real connection to the gang of thirteen, which has very explicit tattoos, or Trinidad, which also uses a few other more nebula Cycle rose. But there's some that are very clear cut to that gang. So we've seen a lot of cases where people can explain exactly why they have certain tattoos. And all this comes down to the fact that we were convicted process.
We don't get to see how he presented a court of law, any criminal allegations in their past, what they've been convicted of, who they may have paid when they came across the border. We don't get to see that because we're really being said really been told to take them at their word. So there's been a lot of developments in the courts. The Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to pause the deportations.
Did they explain their reasoning? And we did have two justices, Scalia and Ali that disagree with that word. Why? Yeah, it's getting really fractured across the district courts.
And who should exactly be weighing in at this point. But seven out of the nine justices said, in fact, there should be a pause on Trump supporting immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act. And they wanted to wait until the 5th Circuit could weigh in, in part because it looked like the Trump administration was not obeying their order to give people due process. First said, yes, he can use Alien Enemies act, but people have the right to prove whether or not they're part of these classes that are now considered enemies.
Of course, they have the same kind of rights we gave the Nazis in World War II. It's hard to imagine we would do that in this case. But you saw strong dissent from Alito and from Thomas saying that this was going way beyond the court's jurisdiction, that they should have left it up to the murder District of Texas. It did not grant a class temporary restraining order that would have allowed this to happen.
And they should have allowed that the circuit to weigh in. They thought that the Supreme Court was overstepping. There's no case. You're watching closely, of course, the case of Kilmar Garcia.
The government facing a deadline now to provide some answers. What are you watching for here? This could actually be one where we get more answers than we've seen in some of the broader cases, even though it's so narrowly about Kilimar Garcia, what the judge in this case has asked for, she may walk to a contempt order. She doesn't get it.
It's details about that contract between the US And El Salvador. We know there are a lot of secret parts of this contract. How much the US Is paying, how long people are staying there, what the conditions are like any about how they can appeal or ever get out of there. And right now, that's all been a black box.
So she's asking for those answers so that the plaintiffs in this case, for rather Kamar Bo's legal team, can say, look, he doesn't meet these criteria. He should not be there. And so perhaps this is one avenue, although in the past, they've really been reluctant to provide answers on anything having to do with this prison. Okay, Joy Ainsley, as always watching a lot for us today, appreciate it.
Let's go now to El Salvador. That's where David Noriega, standing by. You're in El Salvador, David. That's where Kilmar Garcia and others are being held.
What are you hearing on the ground there? Well, Ryan, you know, it depends on who you ask. I've spent the day talking to a number of different sorts of people here, including some ordinary Salvadorans who I've been asking about, you know, the government generally, all these impregations in the United States. Generally speaking, the government here is extremely popular because of the advances that he's made, the progress that he's made in security situations as a country that was previously really driven by gang violence and that gang violence has significantly subsided.
At the same time, people are extremely wary of criticizing the government because a lot of people have been swept up in this very wide ranging crackdown on the gangs, which even President Buke himself has admitted has, you know, swept up some innocent people who are now in the prisons. Also, Ryan, I should point out there are four U.S. democratic lawmakers on the ground in El Salvador here today. So they are here to put pressure on both the Trump and Bukende governments to release Kilima Barbara Garcia or at minimum to establish access between Puerto Rico, Garcia and his family or his council.
They have not achieved those goals, Ryan, but they also say that they are here for media and political reasons to keep public attention on this case. That they say is the thing that they have achieved. I interviewed one of those congressmen here in El Salvador this morning, Maxwell Frosta from Florida. He's been the youngest congressman currently, and this is what he Take a listen.
It is important that we draw the line here and that we come here to ensure that we keep this added pressure on the Trump administration to bring Kumar back to the United States so he can go through due process. This is on behalf of my constituents. I'm not the type of legislator to wait till something gets to the point where it's, you know, so bad we can't do anything about it. Now's the chance, now's the time to take a stand and say this is, this is not right.
Ryan, the response from Republicans to this has been pretty mocking. They think that this is a political, politically winning issue for them. They say that it's good for them to have Democratic lawmakers visiting El Salvador and in their view, advocating for people that they describe as violent criminals and gang members. In fact, the National Republican Congressional Committee offered to foot the bill for any future tricks by Democratic lawmakers.
Shall shall the workmen. Okay. On the ground force in El Salvador. Thank you for that report.
And joining me now is legalert. He is the deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants Rights Project. He's also representing the ACLU as it challenges the Trump administration over its use of the Alien Enemies Act. Ali, thank you for joining me.
The government is now asking the Supreme Court to dissolve its pause and allow the lower courts to weigh in if the Supreme Court does grant that request. What are your next steps? So we'll go back to the lower courts and ask for an injunction. The one thing we cannot have happen is more people be sent to this Salvadoran prison, one of the most brutal in the world, potentially spend the rest of their lives there, never having had their day in court, never having had due process.
So we hope the court doesn't dissolve the injunction, but if it does, we will ask the lower courts to put the injunction back in place while the case goes forward. And what's it been like? What are you hearing from these migrants in the Bluebonnet facility who it seemed like they were about to be deported? Yeah, I mean, they were minutes, hours away from being deported.
But for the Supreme Court stepping in, they are obviously scared and anxious. They are not really sure what's going on. They weren't sure what was going on. They were being asked to sign a piece of paper in English, not telling them anything about how to contest what was going on.
A lot of them were then loaded onto buses, as NBC reported, on their way to the airport. They are extremely scared. They know that they're still in danger and we're going to keep fighting for them in court. And it seems as though these Trump administration prosecutors are using various ways to interpret what the court is telling them to do under the Alien Enemies Act.
They are pointing the point of the fact that the Supreme Court has said that they can go ahead with these deportations as long as the individuals are getting what they call reasons, reasonable time to challenge their deportation. I mean, do you have a very different opinion of what reasonable time means than what some of these Trump administration lawyers do? Oh, absolutely. So the spring court could not have been clear.
It not only said reasonable notice, but notice that's sufficient to actually let them go into court and contest what's going on. The administration turns around and then gives them 24 hours or less with an English only form that doesn't tell them they have the right to contest what's going on, much less how to do it, much less how much time, under no conceivable interpretation of what the Supreme Court did can that be valid. And I think what's telling is that the administration went into various courts around the country in our cases and just said we're going to, quote, unquote, give reasonable amount of time, never telling the courts that would be 24 hours or less directly and never giving them the actual forms. Only once did they admit it could be 24 hours.
And after that, they just kept Saying reasonable and never showing the forms. This is an unbelievable situation where the government, the United States government, is trying to evade any court review. If they actually think what they're doing is lawful, then they should have no problem letting the court review it. And I want to read something that White House Secretary Caroline Levitt posted on X after the Supreme Court rule.
And she said, we are confident we will ultimately prevail against the onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of these terrius terrorist aliens than those of the American people. What is your response to that? And is it important for the American people to understand who's entitled to due process in this country and why it's important? Yeah, you're absolutely right to ask that question.
I mean, this affects all of us. If there's not due process, anybody could then be picked up. A lot of these men, as many as we've been able to sort of talk to, have strongly contested that they're gang members. And so the government is saying, well, we want to unilaterally alleged to their gang members and not giving them any hearing and then send them to a saloon or prison where they can spend the rest of their life.
And on top of that, the administration saying, even if we make a mistake in sending someone there, we won't get them back out. Once due process is gone for some people, it can be eliminated for everyone. And anybody get ended up in a sound law in prison by mistake. So this is a very dangerous principle the administration's pushing.
Due process protects us all, and we can't pick and choose who's going to get due process. How concerned are you that the courts will be able to rein in the administration's deportation agenda and then ensure that the administration policies are legal and constitutional? Do the courts have enough power here to stop this? Especially because it seems as though the administration is moving so quickly in deporting many of these people.
And as we've already seen, once they're deported, it's very difficult for them to get that due process that you are trying to find for them. Right? Well, you're absolutely right. I mean, so we have said we're prepared to spend every night, all night, filing cases around the country, if that's what's necessary.
We hope it's ultimately not necessary. But I think the courts are going to stand up to this, Daddy. You know, regardless of partisanship, and the courts are. The federal courts are very, very serious.
And I think what they're going to demand is that the administration provides, you process and allow them to really look at these issues. And so we're hopeful that the federal courts will stand up to this, will not let the administration continue to evade review. Okay, Legal, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.
Thanks for having me. And I'm next. Defense Secretary Pete he's back in the spotlight and facing fresh backlash over his leadership at the Pentagon and his handling of sensitive military information. The details, the responses and the fallout is next.
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It's more context and clarity from the reporters you trust. Download the NBC News app now and subscribe for more. Welcome back. We got some breaking news at this hour.
The House Oversight Committee is renewing its criminal referral for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, accusing him of making false statements to the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus pandemic about New York State's response to Covid in nursing homes. In a statement, Chairman James Comer accused Cuomo of orchestrating a cover up to shield himself from responsibility. Cuomo's lawyers have said in the past that he was not trying to mislead the committee when he testified last year after resigning his office over accusations of sexual harassment in 2021 Mr. Cuomo is currently trying to stage a political comeback as a candidate in this year's New York City mayoral election.
And turning now to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth playing defense, I'm going to scathing new op ed from his former chief spokesman that the Pentagon is, quote, in disarray under Hegseth's leadership. It comes as sources confirmed to NBC News of a second instance where Hegseth shared sensitive information about US Military operations in Yemen, this time in a signal chat that included his wife and brother. Last month, it became public that Hegseth also shared highly sensitive operational details about that strike and a chat with top administration officials and the editor in chief of the Atlantic. Hexath brushed off this report this morning, blaming a, quote, disgruntled former employees for leaking the story.
You know, one big surprise that a bunch of a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out. Have spoken the president and we are going to continue fighting on the same page all the way. President Trump email remains publicly defined that Hexath's job is safe, saying today that he has great confidence in his defense secretary. The same old stuff in the video.
That's an old one. Try finding something new. Joining me now from the Pentagon is NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby. So what do we know about the second signal check, Courtney, who was involved and how much information was shared?
Yeah, it's definitely a new one as opposed to what President Trump just said. And why it's so different here is that the first signal chat that we all reported on several weeks ago was created by National Security Advisor Mike Watt acknowledged that. And why they wanted so much attention is because he inadvertently added a journalist from Atlanta into the chat. Right at the time that seemed to be the biggest offense to the Trump administration and to the White House was the fact that a journalist was added here.
Well, now fast forwarding to some great reporting about the New York Times NBC News has matched is that in fact, Secretary Hex has also created his own single chat and he was sharing information about the same strikes against Luti rebels in Yemen. But in this case, it wasn't a bunch of cabinet members and senior White House officials who were part of that chat. It was his family members, it was his wife, it was his brother, and it was his personal attorn who were on this. Why that is so critical is one of the defenses at the time about the information on the first signal chat was the fact that the other people on there would have a right to know, would have a need to know about some of those.
Well, that is a nearly impossible argument to make in this case. Family members. His brother, who actually does have a role here at the Department of Defense, is a liaison from the Department of Homeland Security. His personal attorney is a Navy reservist and has a role here at the Pentagon that we know very little about, frankly.
But the idea that they would need to know information about a strikes against Houthi rebels, it really flies in the face of reason here in this case, Ryan. And that is why this chat is getting additional attention. It is a completely different story than the first one that we spoke about several weeks ago. Yeah.
And according. Do we have any indication whether Hexath has continued to use Signal in the aftermath of these two incidents? Officials have not appear. Are not saying one way or the other.
But the reality is we know that it is. It is a. An encrypted app that officials in the administration have used. We know that the previous administration used it as well.
The critical piece here is not the fact that Signal is used, it's what is being transmitted on it. Coordination, even policy discussions, information about upcoming schedules or things. All of that would most likely in most cases be appropriate. But when you're talking about information about an imminent upcoming military operation where men and women's lives could be in direct danger if that information got out, Signal is simply not appropriate value for that kind of information, Ryan.
And we know several Democrats have, one Republican in Congress certainly suggesting that hence be removed as Defense Secretary. But as we heard, the president will survive this morning. Is there really any indication that hence could be removed from office? Yeah.
And officials here are defiant about the notion that. Secretary. That the president is in any way upset with. Secretary about this, the rallies.
We simply don't know one way or the other. Secretary, he, as you said, took the exact same stance that he took during the first Signal story, and that was to blame the media and not to actually address the allegations that are in either of the stories. It's the same thing that Sean Farnell's chief spokesperson said in a statement last night. He immediately attacked the reporters rather than addressing whether or not there was a single chat that spoke about these strikes.
Okay, Courtney. Qb, thank you. After the break, the political price of President Trump's economic agenda. There's nearly half of Americans now expect a recession within the next 12 months.
That's according to a new CNBC poll. You're watching Media Press now. Welcome back. As we know it, at the top of the hour, markets took a dive today.
As President Trump continues to put pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, markets have now fallen 10 since the president announced his sweeping tariffs on April 2, with the Dow tumbling nearly a thousand points today alone. The latest CNBC All America Economic Survey finds the president's tariff policy is not popular, with most believing the tariffs will hurt jobs and will be worse for inflation. According to the survey, 49 say the across the board tariffs are just a bad idea and just 35% say it's a good idea. Joining me now with more insight on that poll is CNBC senior economics reporter Steve Leesman, associate break down these numbers on tariff disapproval.
Who the most displeased with the president's tariff policy right now? Well, Democrats really dislike them, but also they're joined with a net negative by independence as well. It's also perhaps of note that while about 90% of the GOP approves of President Trump, overall their approval of tariffs is about 70%. And when we ask things like does it hurt everyday workers?
Does it hurt, does it hurt prices? They also tend to be higher in the net negative on that issue. Obviously it's driven on a partisan basis, but if you look at the way independents are, it's actually a bipartisan issue with even some Republicans joining it. And we've already talked about how there's a lot of worry about the state of the economy right now.
But who's getting the blame for it? Is it President Trump is taking the blame in part again when it comes to independents and Democrats? Yes, less so for Republicans. But actually, I was just checking that number.
Fifteen percent of Republicans say that if there is a recession, President Trump would be to blame. So it's not a big number, but he's losing a little bit at the edges. And I think the key here is he doesn't lose the overall support, but on these economic issues, which was a key issue for the president and getting him elected, he seems to have lost some support even from his base. Now, today was obviously a pretty difficult day for the markets.
It seems like there's been quite a few of these difficult days for the markets of the past couple of weeks, driven in part by President Trump's pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell. But just put this in a context for us. How unusual is it for a president to put so much public pressure on a Fed chair like this? And what does that pressure mean for the central bank?
Well, it was almost not done publicly for many decades. I can't remember the last time. I think there was a comment from the first George Bush, who made a one public comment. I think actually after he left office, it was not uncommon for a president, either through this treasury or behind closed doors, to put some pressure on the Fed.
And it could be either ignored or accepted. When it was accepted, it generally led to bad economic outcomes, for example, during the 70s and the Arab oil embargo. But it is very unusual for a president to make these kind of public comments about the Fed. And it is equally unusual, in fact, unprecedented for a president to be calling publicly for to be talking publicly about the possibility of dismissing the Fed chair before his term is up.
Okay, thank you for that. We appreciate it. Silicon deportations, due process, and Democrats. The president's immigration agenda has opened up a rift inside the Democratic Party over its messaging on the issue.
The panel is next. You're watching me, the press. Now, this is the distraction of the day. Art of distraction.
Don't get distracted by distractions. We say here we Ziggy and Zag. This is the debate they want. This is their 8020 issue, as they've described.
Welcome back. That was California Governor Gavin Newsom warning Democrats against giving too much attention to the case of Kilmar and Grego Garcia, the Maryland father and alleged gang member that the Justice Department says was mistakenly deported to El Salvador without due process. Here's what Maryland's Senator Chris Van Holland, fresh from meeting with the Garcia and El Salvador, had to say about Governor Newsom's comments on Meet the Press over the weekend. How do you respond to Governor Newsom?
I don't think it's ever wrong to stand up for the Constitution. And this is not about one man. If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights for everybody. I think Americans are tired of elected officials or politicians who are all finger to the wind, what's going this way, what's going that way.
And anybody who can't stand up for the Constitution and the right to be processed doesn't deserve the lead. And to discuss Democrats mixed messaging and more, let's bring our panel political correspondent and reporter, commercial reporter Shanti Kolas Wu, former communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris and Representative Nancy Pelosi Ash Ashley Etienne and former Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Corbello, who's also an NBC News political analyst. All right, so, Nick, four House Democrats are in El Salvador right now. David Norriega is with them.
So it appears that they're signing more with Senator Van Holland than they are Gavin Newsom, in terms of bringing attention to this Abrego Garcia case, what does your reporting say about how Democrats are dealing with this from a messaging perspective? I find the messaging really interesting. I interviewed Congressman Ansari, one of the records, before I was there this morning. Now, she and other Democrats have been really careful to talk about this case in the lens of like constitutional argument with two processes.
And in doing so, this allows him to kind of sidestep the four year immigration issues that we saw Trump hammer Democrats over last election. And otherwise we're seeing the White House ramp up right now with and it's very inflammatory rhetoric about him being a gang member, part of terrorist organization and so on. And so the question is, you know, which will resonate with the voters more? I mean, I'm sure they've seen the poll in the Right.
The issue where Democrats resonate is on the economy. Aren't any of them concerned that by talking about this case, they're not talking about the economy right now? The Democrats I've talked to are pretty confident that they can talk about multiple things at the same time. But I think that is part of why we see such a narrow argument from Democrats about this case.
They're trying to keep it on more favorable territories to them rather than, you know, getting bogged down on other elements. So actually, Democrats may want it to be a narrow argument, but Donald Trump's not going to allow it to be a narrow argument. Is this smart for them to continue hammering this particular issue? Absolutely.
I mean, you know, when I ran the opposition for Pelosi when Donald Trump was first elected, we leaned into the threats to American democracy, how he's our national security. And people at the time said, you know, Democrat books on the economy. The reality is we've got to explain the audience of people that we're talking to. The economy will work for some, but the issues of national security, what Hexaf is doing, the blunders from Hexaf, what the president's doing, a lack of the president's action to make the world less safe actually has resonance with some disaffected Republicans, some national security hawks on the Republican side.
So the party has to continue to do is build out the narrative, explain to the American people why it actually matters that the president is violating due process, why it actually matters in the president's operating above the law and is allowing the law. That's what we really have to do. But you have to continue to expand and hit down Trump on all these fronts. He's not, David, we're not alive.
It's not going to be one stone. You're going to have to hear him on everything. And reality is those messages have resonance with different audiences and we need to be speaking to as many of them as we can. But Carlos, Democrats get themselves in a kind of corner here where they start this long argument about constitutional powers and due process and this is not the way it should work.
And then Donald Trump just says he's a gang member. Is that why it's hard for them to break through on this issue, at least for right now? I believe immigration is a dead end for Democrats. The country is still behind the president and the administration on immigration, despite the fact that there have been controversies, excesses.
But there's a perception, I think accurate, that there were excesses and incompetence and mishandling on part of the Biden administration. So that's why I think the country's willing to be more patient and give the administration more leeway on this immigration issue. When it comes to the economy, there is no such patience. Americans are anxious.
It's an issue that divides Republicans. We know that on this tariff issue, Congressional Republicans are not happy with the administration. On immigration, Republicans are together. They're united.
It's the party's greatest strength right now. I think Gavin Newsom is making a lot of sense. That doesn't mean you ignore this issue. But the focus for Democrats should be on the greatest weakness for Republicans right now, which happens to be, I don't disagree with the congressman.
I think we don't talk about it in the context of immigration. Talk about it in the context of the president sort of operating above the law and his total disregard for the law, the Supreme Court and courts underneath it. That has resonance with Republicans. And you know, those, especially some of those that are feeling like there's little law buyers remorse right now.
Next to your point, I want to put up what Ryan Shaft, the senator from Hawaii, said about this. He said treating due process as an immigration issue is morally and strategically bankrupt. It doesn't mean we stop talking about Trump ruining the economy. But my goodness, a competent movement can make two points at once.
So let's try, I guess the question here on the nick is the Democratic movement right now a competent movement? Is that part of the problem? Well, I think part of the question for Democrats right now is how did you break through as a notoriety party in the House and Senate? They have no power over policy making.
Democrats are saying this week they're trying to launch a week that's focused on low prices and the economy. But of course, as with many things during the Trump years and the News is overtaken them. And so instead the rcs, the biggest one right now. Sorry.
Let's talk about how the news cycle seems to decide what Democrats have to talk about, because we have this new development with Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is of course embroiled in another scandal related to his use of the app signal. This is what White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt had to say about Hegseth this morning. The president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon. And this is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement.
So, Carlos, she's suggesting that the entire Pentagon is working against the Defense Secretary. How can you then sell this message that things are going well? If that's what's happening. If that's exactly what's happening there.
Yeah, right. Look, obviously there's some very serious issues about how this information is being shared. I mean, I don't think there's a whole lot of people out there defending the secretary's decision to put this in other than the private chat. He's standing with him, but not necessarily defending his actions.
But again, we're living in such noisy times. I mean, these are not issues that affect people's everyday lives. That doesn't mean they're not important. But as the Biden administration learned, at the end of the day, what people care about is what they face every day in their daily lives.
Is it grocery prices? Is it trying to get a mortgage? Is it the cost of other goods? That is what matters.
And I think Democrats get very easily distracted. They want to talk about process, they want to talk about our institutions, all very important things, but things that most people cannot relate to or don't have time to think about. Well, here's the thing. You know, again, I ran opposition for police.
We're in 23 investigations into the Trump administration. Administration. Six cabinet cabinet secretaries resign in scandal. What does Democrats have to do is again, continue to build this negative narrative.
Hexa is part of, of the narrative we need to be pushing about the incompetency of this administration and how it's actually threatening our national security. And so I, I, I, you know, where I disagree with the congressman, what I found to be helpful is some of this stuff right now you're not really applying to voters in the, in the out in the country economy. Definitely some of the stuff you want to get rid of, the incompetency in the interest of protecting our troops, protecting our national security and I think that's where hex that falls and you can get rid of as many of these incompetent cabinet secretaries as you possibly get that's a win for Democrats the difference between then and now is that trucks standing by these folks we didn't necessarily do that the last time we've seen the president really dig in to defend his people effort especially someone like pizzaf someone he seems to like as a fighter but the question is whether there will be enough political pressure to force him out for his resignation so Republicans are starting to step up the Biden administration did not hold their defense secretary accountable for some it's here the Ford is a big not yet the Ford it's a big deal oh guys just wait the Ford it's a big deal event is on really now Murray intel lease a 2026 Maverick XLT Hybrid all wheel drive for one 97 by a weekly 5.29% APR for six months with 2995 down that's like $99 a week the Ford is a big deal visit your Ontario 4 store or 4 catch.