Johnsons here and boy, do we have some questions . The lead starts right now urgent action on the hill as Speaker Johnson finds a way to allow votes on aid to israel and taiwan and ukraine but its johnsons a forward that has his rightward flank in an uproar i dont know how much longer are members are going to tolerate the republican speaker . For that, we elected is it all just talk just johnson need democrats to be his lifeline. Ill ask the speaker himself here on the lead, plus more drama im on the senate, sayyed and Impeachment Trials underway democrats are trying to save Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, but republicans, well, theyve got their own plans and a brand new filing. Justin from the new york Hush Money Case a line of questioning that the prosecution may take if donald trump makes good on his pledge and takes the stand welcome to the lead on jake tapper and we start today with our politics lead and just 15 minutes or so, im going to be join live by the Speaker Of The House, mike johnson, republican of louisiana, who is fighting for his political survival and facing growing pressure from his farright flank Speaker Johnson announced this afternoon, hes sticking with his plan to put funding for key allies such as israel, taiwan, and ukraine on the house floor this saturday after members have had 72 hours first to read the legislation, at least two hardline republicans say this move, putting this on the floor for a vote will cost Speaker Johnson his job. Now there are some murmurs that democrats might be willing to step in and vote to keep johnson and power is that something that Speaker Johnson would welcome nothing is going to be off limits when he joins me live ahead on the others side of the capital. The Impeachment Trial of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is looking as if it will meet a quick demise. The trial in the senate officially began just this afternoon, according, but the democraticallycontrolled senate has already voted to dismiss one of the two articles against mayorkas with a vote on killing the second one set to start any minute. Mayorkas, as you know, became the very first Cabinet Secretary to be impeached in nearly 150 years in a vote led by house but not even the entire Senate Republican conference appears on the same page, senator mitt romney, republican of utah, told axios today, quote, i dont believe theres a constitution gentle standard met unquote. Lets go straight to our repo reporters covering all the drama happening right now on capitol hill, cnns lauren fox and Melanie Zanona. Melanie first eu, the Senate Showdown going on over us Homeland SecuritySecretary MayorkasImpeachment Trial. The first Cabinet Secretary to be impeached in nearly one 50 years. Melanie, are there any sign . Lets to suggest this trial is going to go forward the way republicans wanted to well, jake, republicans wanted a full trial be also want this to end in a conviction, but that is just not what we are seeing play out on the senate floor. That first impeachment article was already killed on a partyline vote with all democrats voting to kill it. And one republican, Lisa Murkowski of alaska, someone we are watching very closely, voting presence a sign of her discontent with the process. Now, chuck schumer, the Senate Majority leader, has teed up a second vote to kill that 2nd article. But republicans at the moment, or forcing a number of procedural votes. This is a delay tactic theyre really trying to drag this out as long as possible. So were seeing some theatrical there on the senate floor, but its really important to point out that politics are driving so much of what we are seeing right now playing out on the senate floor. Republicans really want to have some Ammunition Heading into the november election where theyre planning to make them border. A top issue. But democrats feel completely comfortable taking these votes and moving too quickly dismiss this trial and dismiss these articles. They do not believe if that this Policy Dispute amounts to a high crime or misdemeanor, and they also feel really bolstered by the fact that donald trump helped kill, kill a Senate Bipartisan border still something that they said would have actually helped secure the border. But again, just a rare moment here on the senate floor, we have not seen a cabinet official impeached in nearly 150 years. So there is plenty concerned right now about the precedent for future congresses but again, well have to see how this class is praise out how long it takes. The bottom line here though is we are not expecting this to result in a conviction. Jake or lauren now to you and the republican Dysfunction Shin in the House SpeakerMike Johnsons job a job appears to be in peril. These conservative hardliners threatening to oust him for moving forward with sending money to ukraine for allowing a vote to send money on ukraine to be specific, there are accusing johnson of surrendering to democrats yeah, exactly. Jake in the speaker, as you noted, is not asking for hardliners to actually support the underlying legislation. All hes doing is putting this on the floor, but they are frustrated, they are mad specifically because this package, despite the fact that its divided into three parts, really does look a lot like the Senate Passed supplemental package that passed back this winter it, is because it includes about 95 billion. 1 specifically for ukraine. Now theres about a 10 loan aspect to this but even that is forgivable and the administration can make that decision unilaterally. So what hardliners are arguing here is that johnson is not fighting in hard enough. Now the reality for johnson is that there was no ukraine package that he was ever going to be able to put on the floor of the house that was going to satisfy someone like Marjorie Taylor greene. Of course, the difference now is that green has an ally and Thomas Massie and other conservative who was already vowing to vote with her to oust johnson if she. Moves to do that on the floor. And as she has not said precisely, when or even if she is definitely going to move to try to vacate him from his speakership. But obviously that at weighing heavily on johnson, that weighing heavily on the entire republican conference right now, as they move toward this saturday, though, jake chloride, Melanie Zanona, and lauren fox. Thanks to both you. My panels with me now to discuss the start with the impeachment hearing. If mayorkas if you would scott, todays senators were swarming, sworn in as jurors for this impeachment. They have already voted to kill one of the two articles of impeachment this all we are all always seeing doomed to fail what do you make of it all . Well, i think the republicans in the house felt like they had no other choices. I mean, you have a secretary that they think is not enforcing the laws that they think lied to them. And he has a boss who seems indifferent to the whole thing. I dont know that they felt like they had any recourse, so yeah, i think it was predictable that it was going to fail in the senate, but ill take what they have done and that theyve shined a bright light on the failures of this administration to enforce the laws at the border and expose the crisis thats there. So theyre not going to win this thing. But as a political matter, you can see whats happened in the polling. The American People are worried about it and they do think biden has failed on it. So lets play some of what Secretary Mayorkas had to say about his impeachment when trial work an impeachment i work in advancing the mission of the department of Homeland Security. Thats what ive done throughout this process we need congress to pass the Bipartisan Legislation that a group of senators worked on. That is the enduring solution jonah, if republicans want to secure the border, and i take them at their word that they do doesnt he have a Point Passing if even not even that piece of legislation, but some sort of Bipartisan Legislation. Yeah, look, i mean, the problem we have in our politics right now is a massive collective Action Problem. Collective Action Problem where the partisan incentives are not for craft and good public policy. Its for owning various issues and frankly, i look, i think this thing is largely a waste of time. The impeachment impeachment at the same time i think joe biden should have their own the guide of the wolves, a time ago. I think mayorkas should have resigned and said, look, i dont think i did anything wrong, but im clearly a distraction to these issues given give biden a fresh nominee to have in there. Take this take this issue away. You look whether its unfair to my orcas or not, is beside the point at this at this stage. Its, its all political theater. And i think biden has played it badly. And i think for the republicans who wanted to impeach him, theyve played it smart, whether its cynical, whether its going to get any policy accomplished is a different issue, but its Smarter Politic so what happens now, margaret, i mean, mayorkas has been the number one cajole for the republicans to attack joe biden. Hes now been impeached. He will not be convicted. It looks like and then he goes back to work and a lot of whether or not they like to acknowledge it publicly. A lot of House Republicans actually like working with him, isnt representative of the administer he is, believe it or not, probably more conservative on a lot of these immigration issues than a lot of people in the white house. What happens now well, there are two things happen, but one is that this moves again back to the political theater where its always been and we just know from survey after poll after focus group after consultation with voters wheres that . This issue is problematic for joe biden and like its now april in there, you know, youre in a six month stretch, told election day. So i think immigration continues to be a major issue, but yeah, its not going to stopping a political issue just because the Impeachment Exercise is about to come to an end. I do think that were going to see maybe were seeing now the limits of impeachment as a political tool. Its just like once upon a time, impeachment was like this break glass kind of thing. And now its like its pro forma, its become a matter of course, its not just going to be used against any president no matter what, but its now open to the cabinet. Yeah, so shocking back in the nixon days, he resigned before he could even be get impeached lets jonah lets step back. If we can talk about the state of the Republican Party right now. Okay. So donald trump, the partys president ial nominee, is due back in Court Tomorrow for this case, Speaker Johnson is holding onto his seat for dear life, might have to rely on the help of Hakeem Jeffries to stay as speaker how do. You see this current status of the gop the technical term from Political Science is hot mess and i think look said we have a collective Action Problem before. Like were going into this situatiowhere think if if nikki haley were the nominee she would be running away with this election. But people have invested their interests and donald trump and the theater of the absurd that hes going through a majority of republicans want to support ukraine aid but theres this rump of hotheads who think the worst crime you can commit is actually using democratic votes for anything again, everyone has narrow incentives that they benefit from doing the wrong thing. That lead to it being very difficult to do the right thing collectively, just to point to the chi iran right now, the senate is voting to kill the 2nd article impeachment against dhs secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, scott do you agree with jonas assessment of your party . Well, i mean, the republicans dont have a monopoly on hotness is i mean, thats true. Democrats have no, no, but they are in control of the House Majority right now. Yeah. Barely. And that meant that ultimately is the is the most Forefront Problem that we have right now. Speaker johnson, who i think is doing his level best here, is effectively leading a Coalition Government most days part of, the coalition is trying to throw him overboard. And now he may switch the coalition in order to save his job. He may import a few democrats, at least for the purpose of leadership and so it does show the limits though, of the way the house works. And when you have a majority, this small and if the election is going to be as close as we all think its going we may have another congress where the majority is this small, one way or the other. So we may just be at the beginning of people with an ungovernable House Of Representatives. So lets just dip in. I just im such a history nerd i want to hear some just some of the Roll Call Vote if we can mr. Tuberville mr. Van hollen mr. Vance mr. Warner mr. Warnock ms warren mr. Welch mr. White house mr. Wicker mr. Widen mr. Young the i vote is a vote to kill. The second article of impeachment. And that was a real speed round. I dont think ive ever heard take go that quick with a vote. But you heard all the democrats, warner warnock, voting i to kill it. Im not sure what i heard from todd young of indiana. But you heard some of the republicans voting now. So here we are a little moment in history. Yeah, actually you heard the more liberal Democratic Senators screaming. I much louder than the more centrist democrats. And then the republican to say no. Well, yeah, no, it was that you did you did just watch it play out. But, you know this is what you back to ukraine as Speaker Johnsons dilemma. I think you really, thats a real legacy moment for that speaker and it does feel like every republican House Speaker of recent years or months realizes theres that moment when theres a decision they have to make that might end up killing them, but that is going to live long on their legacy. And this is one of those votes. Its okay for there to be policy differences within a party. There are big differences in both parties. It just in this case, i agree with jonah. I think most republicans and maybe a slim majority, but i think a majority of republicans want to do this. They want to help all of our allies certainly this package that came out of the senate got 70 votes. So when you look, i mean, yes, there are there people who strongly oppose this . Yes. But thats why we vote. And lets see where the votes was. So thats whats so interesting about this is because what theyre mad about a number of things, but some of them appear matches that hes allowing a vote on this even though it will be when he brings his forward, i predict and im sure we all agree some substantial majority of the House Of Representatives is going to vote in favor of aid to ukraine, israel, and taiwan they dont even want that. Im one of the things that i always think is interesting about like a congressman massey if you have the strong opinion that there shouldnt be foreign aid, go convinced 200 and other members of the house that your, that your point is correct . Right. I mean, well, also, theres this weird thing and we saw this with the defenestration of mccarthy as well. The chief indictment, the chief reason why you cant have a speaker who uses democratic votes is that it somehow, its outrageous to use democratic votes for anything. But the gang of a, that ousted mccarthy. Use the, all of the democratic partys votes to oust mccarthy and the motion to vacate and now theyre furious at the possibility that democratic votes, mike save Speaker Johnson. You cant have it both ways either either. You think its outrageous to use democratic votes, or its not. And what this really boils down to is the tail really wants to run the dog when it comes to this handful of republican, lets listen in to the senate, the knees are 49. The Point Of Order is well taken. Article, article to false. Madam president dirty leaders recognized. I move to adjourn the Impeachment Trial of Alejandro Mayorkas cna die. And i ask for the yeas and nase. Is there a sufficient 2nd . There is a sufficient second clerk will call the roll. Miss baldwin . Mr. Barrasso mr. Bennett did he say i mrs. Blackburn . So mr. Blumenthal, senator Senator Bennet of co