Now it's time for the last word with Lawrence O'Donnell. Good evening, Lawrence.

Good evening, Alex. We have Andrew Weissman and Neil Coutiall joining us to talk about the Jack Smith report.

But before that, we're going to be joined by a couple of the tough questioners in today's hearing.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Mark Kelly.

And thank you, Alex, for your coverage of the hearing.

Because your description of the way Republican Senator

Joni Ernst finally got to yes tonight is absolutely critical to understanding where this

nomination stands. Her vote was not known until tonight. And the way you tracked it through

that incredible pressure campaign on her, big money coming at her

over the course of the last several weeks to force her in effect to voting for this nomination.

Just a stunning chain of events leading us to where we are tonight. I'm eager to hear other

perspectives, Lawrence. I will be watching you tonight. Thanks, Alex. Thank you. Have a great show.

Thank you. Well, it wasn't always this way.

Back when I was the staff director of the Senate Finance Committee, I helped that committee run several

confirmation hearings, dozens of them for Treasury Department nominations,

Health and Human Services Department nominations, and others. And at every one of those hearings, both sides, always asked serious questions, always.

In fact, each senator on both sides in those days asked serious questions.

Some were better questions than others, but they were all serious.

That was the minimum standard, serious. In the 21st century Trump Republican Party in the United

States Senate, serious questions are disappearing. How many push-ups can you do?

I did five sets of 47 this morning. The top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee today, Jack Reed of Rhode Island,

the former chairman of that committee, began the hearing on the Democratic side of the panel

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