MEET THE NEW INTERIM CANNABIS DIRECTOR.

AND WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF POLITICS FOR YOU INCLUDING A POLITICAL PANEL FILLING THE COUCH.

>> ERIC: AND POLITICS IS WHERE WE START TONIGHT.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS HIT THE END OF THEIR FIRST MONTH AND THE CONTROVERSIAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS, CABINET CONFIRMATIONS AND FIRING OF FEDERAL WORKERS HAVE CONTINUED THIS WEEK AS THE PRESIDENT HAS ALSO ENGAGED IN A VERY PUBLIC WAR OF WORDS WITH UKRANIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKY.

THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGN LAST FALL, WE REGULARLY CHECKED IN WITH NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTERS AND EDITORS WHO ONCE CALLED MINNESOTA HOME.

AND WE'RE HAPPY TO WELCOME BACK ANGELA GREILING KEANE, NEWS EDITOR FOR BLOOMBERG GOVERNMENT.

ANGELA, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

WHAT'S THE MOOD IN WASHINGTON AND ARE REPUBLICANS STILL FULLY ON BOARD?

>> I'LL ANSWER THE SECOND PART FIRST, YES, REPUBLICANS ARE FULLY ON BOARD.

THE WASHINGTON "AND IPSO HAD A POLL THAT KIM OUT THIS MORNING THAT SHOWED SOMETHING LIKE 90% OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS ARE HAPPY WITH WHERE THINGS ARE GOING.

I WOULD SAY THAT DIFFERS GREATLY FROM THE MOOD IN WASHINGTON ITSELF, WHERE I'M SPEAKING TO YOU FROM THIS EVENING.

WASHINGTON, OF COURSE, IS A CITY, ITS MAJORITY VERY OVERWHELMINGLY DEMOCRATIC AND IT IS, OF COURSE, HOME TO MANY MANY FEDERAL ORKERS OR PEOPLE WHOSE JOBS ARE PERIPHERAL TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.

SO, THE MOOD HERE IS ONE OF UNCERTAINTY.

LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHAT THINGS MEAN FOR THEIR JOBS, FOR THEIR FUTURES.

BUT, OVERALL, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE ARE STILL SEEING VERY VERY STRONG SUPPORT FROM REPUBLICANS FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND FOR WHAT ELON MUSK AND HIS DOGE EFFORT ARE DOING.

>> Cathy: SAY, WE'RE HEARING FROM "THE WASHINGTON POST" THAT THERE'S SOME SUBTERRANEAN RUMBLINGS WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION ABOUT LON MUSK.

ARE YOU HEARING THAT AS WELL?

>> WE HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING YET ON THAT FRONT.

YEAH, HE'S A STRONG PERSONALITY.

PRESIDENT IS A STRONG PERSONALITIMENT.

THEY'RE THICK AS THIEVES RIGHT NOW.

BUT WE DON'T KNOW, OF COURSE, HOW FAR THIS GOES, HOW THE STORY ENDS.

BUT FOR THE MOMENT, YOU KNOW, EVERY PICTURE YOU SEE COMING OUT OF PRESS POOL PHOTOGRAPHY OF TRUMP SEEMS TO HAVE MUSK BE SOMEWHERE IN THE PICTURE ALONG WITH HIM.

YOU KNOW, OFF TO THE SIDE, RIDING THE HELD CORRELATE, ALL E SORTS OF THINGS.

SO FOR THE MOMENT MUSK SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL AND SHOWING NO SIGNS OF ABATING.

>> Cathy: SAY, ANY PUSHBACK YOU'RE HEARING FROM ANY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS?

>> MITCH McCONNELL, YES.

MITCH McCONNELL, OF COURSE, WAS THE SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER FOR MANY MANY YEARS.

ANNOUNCED LAST YEAR THAT HE WOULD BE STEPPING DOWN THIS YEAR AS REPUBLICAN LEADER, AND THEN JUST ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT HE WILL RETIRE IN 2026.

SO, HE IS ASICALLY FREE TO DO AS HE PLEASES.

HE'S NOT TRYING TO LEAD THE PARTY.

HE'S NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION.

AND HE HAS TAKEN SOME, NOT ALL, BUT SOME VOTES AGAINST SOME OF THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL NOMINEES OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE.

BUT, REALLY, HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO IS SPEAKING OUT PUBLICLY AT THIS MOMENT.

LAST NIGHT DURING SOME BUDGET VOTES OVERNIGHT, WE SAW SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS, WHO'S A REPUBLICAN OUT OF MAINE, WHICH IS A MORE INDEPENDENT STATE, NOT STRONGLY REPUBLICAN, BUT CERTAINLY NOT A BLUE STATE, BUT SHE TOOK SOME VOTES ON AMENDMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS HAD SPONSORED IN FAVOR F THINGS, LIKE PRESERVING MEDICAID, SOME, YOU KNOW, MORE MODERATE POSITIONS THAT PROBABLY ARE A RESULT OF HER BEING UP FOR ELECTION, WANTING TO RETAIN HER SEAT NEXT YEAR.

BUT SHE IS NOT SPEAKING OUT OVERALL AGAINST THE COST-CUTTING EFFORTS OR AGAINST NOMINEES.

>> Eric: IS A DEMOCRATIC STRATEGY EMERGING?

>> I'M GOING TO SAY NOT QUITE YET.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING SO FAR IS THE DEMOCRATS, PARTICULARLY HAKEEM JEFF RICK, THE DEMOCRATIC LEADER IN THE HOUSE, IS TAKING A -- JEFFRIES -- IS TAKING A STRATEGY OF TRYING TO CAPITALIZE ON LAWSUITS.

THEY'RE VERY VERY CLOSELY TRACKING THE LAWSUITS THAT HAVE BEEN FILED SO FAR AGAINST THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND THEY'RE TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO USE THAT TO DEMOCRATS' ADVANTAGE.

WE'VE SEEN CERTAINLY INDIVIDUAL DEMOCRATS TALKING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT SEEM TO MOTIVATE VOTERS AT THE POLLS LAST FALL.

YOU KNOW, EGG PRICES WE ARE HEARING A LOT ABOUT.

A LOT OF POCKETBOOK ISSUES.

SO DEMOCRATS ARE ADJUSTING THEIR MESSAGING A BIT, BUT 'M NOT REALLY SEEING A UNIFIED PARTY STRATEGY THAT SEEMS OBVIOUS TO ME AT THIS POINT.

>> Cathy: SAY, ANGELA, THE "ASSOCIATED PRESS," I GUESS, HAS SUED OVER THE PUNISHMENT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE FOR NOT USING THE PRESIDENT'S PREFERRED NAME FOR THE GOLF OF D THEY'VE BEEN SHUT OUT OF WHITE HOUSE EVENT, WHAT IS THE REST OF THE PRESS CORPS SAYING ABOUT THIS?

>> RIGHT.

THAT LAWSUIT CAME JUST ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO.

THAT'S VERY NEW NEWS.

WHAT THE PRESS CORPS IS SAYING, ALMOST UNIVERSALLY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS, BUT MOST OF THE PRESS CORPORATION IS SAYING THAT -- PRESS CORPS IS SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE FOLLOW A.P.

STYLE AT BLOOMBERG, FOR INSTANCE, AND A.P.

SETS THE -- THEY LITERALLY HAVE A STYLE BOOK THAT MANY MANY NEWS ORGANIZATIONS USE TO HAVE A COHESIVE WAY OF WRITING AND TALKING ABOUT LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN THE NEWS.

SO, TO HAVE THE "ASSOCIATED PRESS" SHUT OUT OF ACCESS TO COVERING THE WHITE HOUSE, COVERING HE PRESIDENT, IT'S HUGE.

IT'S NOT IN THIS COUNTRY, IT HASN'T BEEN UP, AND IT SHOULDN'T BE, UP TO THE WHITE HOUSE R THE PRESIDENT TO DECIDE WHO GETS TO COVER THEM.

THAT WILL BE A DECISION OF THE PRESS.

WE'LL DECIDE, YOU KNOW, WHO WANTS TO COVER THINGS AND WHAT WE WRITE.

WE LIVE IN A LOWER CASE DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IS ENSHRINED IN THE CONSTITUTION.

SO THOSE THINGS ARE VERY VERY IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY TO THE PRESS BUT TO CONSUMERS OF INFORMATION.

THE PRESS DOESN'T WRITE FOR OURSELVES.

WE WRITE FOR EVERYBODY WHO, YOU KNOW, CONSUMES THE NEWS IN SOME WAY, WE'RE THE EYES AND EARS OF THE PUBLIC.

SO LOTS OF OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, NEWS OUTLETS, AS WELL AS ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB ARE SPEAKING OUT IN FAVOR OF THE "ASSOCIATED PRESS" BEING REGRANTED ACCESS TO COVER THE WHITE HOUSE.

>> Eric: THANKS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR EXPERTISE.