EXCERPT:
BARNICLE: “Look at the confirmations in the Senate. So, the Senate has confirmed Pete Hegseth. It’s about to confirm RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. And the senators, the Republicans who are who are voting for these people know, they know absolutely, without a doubt, that these people are unqualified and unfit, unsuited to have these jobs. They just are wrong and should never be confirmed in these jobs. These are important roles to play in the country and ultimately in the world, and these are the wrong people. And yet it’s going through because that’s what Donald Trump demands if you’re a Republican senator, especially if you’re up for reelection in '26. You know that if you’re the vote that sends one of Trump’s nominees south, then you are going to get a primary challenge and it’s going to be really well-funded because Elon Musk is there to write as big a check as anybody needs, and your political career is likely over. And it’s that sort of heavy-handed but effective power that’s being exercised over the U.S. Senate, say nothing of the House, which is dysfunctional, as well as toady-ish, and there you have it. So, Congress is not saving us from from what’s going on."