With jake tapper starts right now the man trump calls old crow, is flying the coop the leads Ich Mcconnell there with his own 2024 plants, stepping down as Senate Republican leader, though hes going to stay on as a senator from kentucky. The new era of republican politics. Now, loading as a new highstakes restate kicks into gear to replace mcconnell, odds are the winter will likely be an old white guy named John Plus A Monster Wildfire in Texas Exploding at one point burning through 150 football fields a minute charring through land 11 size 11 times the size of washington, dc. Were going to go live on the ground as this fire and wide open land prompts evacuations in its path and President Bidens date with the dr. The report, do any moments after his annual physical welcome to the lean. Im jake tapper. We start with our Politics Lead and the end of an era on capitol hill, senator Mitch Mcconnell, the longest serving Congressional Party leader in american history, announced today hes stepping down from his leadership role effective november the at twoyearold says he will continue to serve as a us senator representing the commonwealth of kentucky, but he says hes ready to pass the baton to a Younger Generation by which i mean, a bunch of guys in their 60s and 70s father time remains undefeated no longer their young man fitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name its time. The next generation of leadership now there is a good chance that that new generation of leadership means one of these three johns Senate Republican whip, john thune of south dakota senator John Barrasso of wyoming, the Conference Chair or senator john cornyn of texas. Cornyn so far has been the only ones that signal that hes going to jump into that race. But any man or woman who steps into mcconnells shoes will have to lead a party that is in the end stages of morphing fully into the party of donald j. Trump trump mcconnell today, acknowledging that his views on National Security and funding American Allies are at odds with many in his party, including the former president believe me i know the politics of them by a party at this particular moment in time. I have many false mr. Hundred and seven, politics is not one but mcconnell also acknowledged that he at 82 yearold, 82 years old realizes that quote, the end of my contributions are closer than i prefer, Unquote Mcconnell has visibly struggled on occasion in recent months, appearing to freeze and forget what he was saying for extended periods of time including a News Conference last july this week been good bipartisan cooperation and a string of image does he or she want to say im sure school back to you want to see anything else to the press correct lets bring in cnns manu raju on capitol hill, and i know how big of a surprise was the announcement today. Well, the timing was a surprise, jake, i think there had been an expectation that sometime this year that Mitch Mcconnell would announced he would not run again for leader. He had not been saying whether he would run and continue this term. Remember hes already gotten and what he sought out for which did become the longest serving party leader in the history of the United States senate. Hes already achieved that goal. As you mentioned, 82 years old. He has had health issues. Hes on the other side of donald trump. He has seen a growing faction within his party, a small faction, but a vocal come out and criticize them, something that he has not seen before. Being so vocal in their opposition to him. So he recognizes that this moment is the end of his tenure, time to step aside, but the timing still surprised everyone given its so early here in this congressional calendar. But jake, this will set the stage for the Leadership Races succeed. So manu mcconnell is going to serve until september amber. The race to replace them has already begun. What are you hearing about timing . Who will enter the running and who might have the edge . Yeah, its unclear who has the edge because these are secret ballot elections that will occurs after november. So weve got the next eight months or so for private and public jocking to take place between the three candidates we expect to be the leading contenders. John, john thune, the number two republican who has expressed to me in the past, but he is interested in the position John Barrasso, the number three republican, who is also expected to jump into this race. John cornyn also reiterating today that he is interested in running for this position. Now, i caught up with one of dunes porters senator mike rounds. It was a fellow south dakota republican. He indicated to me that this race essentially has already begun. And i asked him about his handling of donald trump, given the fact that theyve had a bit of a rocky relationship until thune endorsed him just over the weekend he said a bit of a rocky relationship with trump. Is that a liability . Well, i think just in the last week or so, he has publicly announced his support for the trump campaign. And i think thats something that a Republican Leader in the senate really has to ponder and be careful of how they approach it. I think he showed the right type of temperament and the way that he approached it. And the fact that he has said he will support the former president and his campaign was the right thing for him to do. If you started to talk to through and about what this campaign will look like and what you will do to help him. Oh, that started a long time ago. So i talked to a lot of other republican senators, jake and many of them simply say that they dont have a preference yet are not willing to express and they want to hear these candidates say how they will drive the future direction of the senate gop. So just a lot of uncertainty about the aftermath of a connell here. And mine are there is some Breaking News when it comes down to the shutdown showdown, the Government Shutdown scheduled as of now for close the business friday weve just learned that the House Of Representatives is going to vote tomorrow on a shortterm government funding bill. Is that expected to pass . Yeah. And this will be the fourth time theyve essentially kicked the can down the road just for some time. It doesnt expect to be a shortterm spending part of the federal government extended for one week. Theres a deadline of march 8 right now that would have set a march 1st right now this friday. Thatd be expended, extended for another week. Theres another deadline currently for the filing friday that would be extent of yet another week. The idea is to get all the annual Appropriations Bills don get them out of congress by the time did fund the federal government till the end of the current fiscal year, which at the end of september. But remember, jake, they were supposed to do is back in october, but its been such a tumultuous road getting just the basic essence of governing done, keeping the lights on from the federal government, and lead initially to the ouster of kevin mccarthy, his handling of this in the house and then all the rest of backandforth within the house and senate gop, but expect speaker johnson and take some incoming fire from conservative hardliners, unhappy with a deal, he just cut with Senate Majority leader chuck schumer. All right. Manu raja, busy day on capitol hill today. Thanks so much for checking and lets discuss with my panel. Amanda carpenter congressman matt gaetz is out there celebrating this news about mcconnell. He posted on twitter, now known as x. Weve now at six mccarthy mcdaniel, mcconnell, better days are ahead for the Republican Party is of course, talking about former speaker mccarthy, former rnc chair Ronna Mcdaniel and and mcconnell are a lot of people in the party celebrating the news. You think . Well, i think certainly the trump wing of it as, but listen Mitch Mcconnell is leaving the party in a much worse place than he found it originally in the blame i think there is a special category for Mitch Mcconnell book cuts. Perhaps me hen more than anyone in the Republican Party after january 6 was in a position to put trump behind the party in leading the senate to convict him. Mitch mcconnell tried to walk this line where he said that trump is morally and practically responsible for january 6, but he wasnt going to do anything to hold him politically countable. And so i look at Mitch Mcconnell retiring without actually having sacrifice anything personally, politically for profit, however way you want to swing it and hes just another guy leaving the field without ever standing up to trump and leaving the party in america worse off. So gloria, if mcconnell were here, which hes not, he would maybe want to say amanda, thats not fair. I am right now. Im i could do my mcconnell, but i mean, its its fair. I did Stand Up For Against donald trump. I and a number of times, yes, ive voted to acquit him for the january 6, attack on the capitol. But i then said, this former President Trumps actions preceded the riot or a disgraceful disgraceful. There are election of duty theres no question. None theyre President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. Since then, of course, trump has insulted mcconnell repeatedly calls him old crow. Hes insulted his wife, elaine chao, who used to be a secretary, Cabinet Secretary is Administration Using language that a lot of people find signed racist . Yeah. Yeah. Whats your take on why mcconnell is resigning . Do you think it has to do with trump . Or do you think hes hes just old. I said i think i think both actually look i think he sees the caucus moving away from him to a degree. They did try to defeat him once and it didnt work but i think he sees donald trump as the nominee of the Republican Party potentially the next president in the United States. Hes 82 years its all he doesnt want to deal with that anymore, by the way, and thats speech. Mcconnell also said that this would be handled by the courts, what what trumped in, of course now we see that it is being handled by the courts. Not really supported, right . Were but i think he would also say that he cost the democrats you know, to Supreme Court nominees, which im sure kate is not forgotten, certainly agree with, the right. And he and he would say and im standing up for American Exceptionalism and ukraine. And im, and im never going to stop doing that of the three replacements. I dont know if we have that graphic. Lets put them up there again. Soon. Cornyn barrasso, thune barrasso, cornyn down at dawn from where i sit barasa is the more maga candidate he has been unwilling as far as i can tell, to cross trump whereas Foun In Cornyn have shown flashes of independence from the maga wing. Do you agree or do you not see theres much difference . Not sure. I see a ton of difference mean well see thank you know, eight months is a long time for people to campaign publicly and privately for this job. I think weve seen across the board a reticence on the part of leadership, the Republican Party to break with donald trump. I have a really hard time imagining that any of these guys, as theyre as theyre campaigning jockeying for this job are going to make standing up to donald trump a centerpiece of their case. I just i dont see that happening. So as much as i have my own issues with Mitch Mcconnell, certainly i think he has politicized the judicial nomination process more than probably anybody else in the history of the country, which is i think has been damaging he was somebody who at times was willing and to work across the aisle. He obviously voted for bidens Infrastructure Bill and those two Work Together when biden was Vice President absolutely. Absolutely. And as gloria was saying, i mean, he supports American Leadership on The World Stage and continuing to arm ukraine in the face of russia. So my heart is not personally broken to see Mitch Mcconnell go as a democrat but i also am very worried about the trajectory of the Republican Party here because its hard to imagine somebody more reasonable than Mitch Mcconnell taking that. So thats putting you down for four tickets to new zealand all right. Thanks to all of you Breaking News, a new York Appeals Court judge just weighed in on that Civil Fraud Case ordering donald trump to pay 454 million, 354 million. Trump tried to get a hold in that order. Lets get right to cnns kara scannell. Kara walk us through this latest decision yeah. Jake, so Appeals Court judge in new yorks have a donald trump must post the entirety of this bond, 454 million including the interests on the judgment in order to satisfy the judgment to stop the new York AttorneyGenerals Office from trying to move forward to execute that. Now, this is a ruling from one judge, so it is temporary in nature and there will be further briefings on this. But what the judge said is that trump will have to come up with this money. He has about until essentially the end of march to do this. And but what the judge also said is that trump is this one of the bands that was trump is facing was that he couldnt take out any loans from any new York Financial institution or any financial station that was overseen by new york regulators, which is essentially a large swath of the Global Banking system. So the judge here saying that trump can apply for loans because that was one of the Arguments Trumps team has made. They said that to satisfy this judgment, to come up with that much money in cash, they might need to get alone or to sell property but they said they were prohibited under this judges order from accessing the banking system, from going and say taking out a loan against maralago or one of the golf properties. So the Appeals Court judge is now saying they can go ahead and access the capital markets. They can try to get loans in order to satisfy the judgment because what one of the Arguments Trump teens made also is that even get a bond of this amount of money, the people that underwrite these bonds want cash. And that is why they need access to markets. So trump is going to have to come up with this money, but now hes able hes given more ways to try to do that short of selling as property, of course, big question is, will he be able to get someone to underwrite this bond . Will he be able to get access to the markets . Will someone read them alone . That all remains to be seen, but the clock here is Ticking Briefs in this case when they will take this to the full Appeals Court panel are due by the end of the month and that is also around the same time that this judgment is due, which is also right when trump is going to be sitting for Jury Selection in the criminal hush money case on march 25th, jake. All right. Kara chris canal with the Breaking News. Thanks so much to another Major Political wakeup call that uncommitted vote tally in the michigan primary, President Biden, where you watching why that tally in this single state is so significant and should be a warning to any politician in this big election year. Stay with us United States of scandal with jake tapper on sunday, a nine on cnn from pep in their step to shine in their coats. And people switch their dogs foods to the farmers dog, the effects can seem like magic but theres no magic involved its just smarter, healthier pet food. Its amazing what real food can do. If youre looking for a Medicare SupplementInsurance Plan that smart now, im 65 and really smart later. Im 70 consider an aarp Medicare SupplementInsurance Plan from United Health care. With this type of plan, you well, no upfront about how much your care