Hi there, everyone, four o'clock in New York on a very busy day of news, Washington, D.C.

today bracing for the return of Donald Trump to the presidency.

Within the last hour, Trump making clear just what kind of presidency he had in mind all along by naming

Congressman Matt Gates as his choice to be the country's attorney general.

Trump making that news in a social media post by saying that Gates will quote,

end weaponized government, which is in and of itself a delusion of the far right.

It is yet another sign, though, that Donald Trump is

rewarding loyalty this time, above everything else, as he builds a new cabinet. Since Gates was all

in on Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, in fact, he was so concerned about

his criminal exposure that he asked Donald Trump for a pardon in the last

days of Trump's first presidency. Gates was also under investigation for sex trafficking as

recently as 2023. He will now lead the department that once investigated him should he be confirmed.

That breaking news is where we start today with former top prosecutor

at the Department of Justice, Andrew Weissman,

and former Democratic Senator

and MSNBC political analyst, Claire McCaskill.

So Andrew Weissman, this to me,

while shocking and galling,

is the least surprising thing Trump has done

since he won.

I think since he won Tuesday night.

Yesterday, he put Marco Rubio atop the State Department and people at this table said,

...