Shutdown nightmare in the skies, ICE vs. border patrol, Andrew Yang | Full CUOMO Episode 10/28

Chris Buomo here. Welcome to News Nation. This is where right and left can come to be reasonable. Now, we're going to be talking about what's happening here at home, but we all know we got to have common concern when people are literally having the storm heading right at them. And that is the situation in Jamaica. We don't know yet what the numbers are, what the degree is, what the duration will be. But one of the five strongest hurricanes to ever hit the Atlantic Basin is what is devastating Jamaica right now. They're going to need everything. In terms of what we can't deal with with money and resources, again, we don't know yet. But you see what's on the screen, the Red Cross link. If you want to help, your money is the best message right now. So if you can, please do. But at a minimum, please pay attention. Now, let's talk about what's happening at home. Trump's immigration crackdown and the protests against them. This is a metaphor for a good idea gone wrong. And my headline on this is you doing too much. OK, it's not just perception. It's the reality. All right. And perception is often the reality in life, but certainly in politics and optics fuel perception as much as any actions. All right. Now, I'm telling you, when you look at the administration's actions, I know what people voted for. They voted for a secure southern border and for immigration laws to be enforced. But there has to be prosecutorial discretion. Not everybody who enters this country the wrong way is the wrong kind of person to allow into America. A lot of people came in the wrong way, but they've done everything right since. And the way they're going about executing the administration's plan is bad with optics. It's bad with perception. And I believe it is feeding a bad reality. Yes, you can say, oh, but they all broke the law. Again, prosecutorial discretion. What some people mean to their communities, what they mean to our basis of employment, OK, the money that they pay in in taxes that their employers take, even though they don't really get any services. I know what they're telling you, that Democrats want every illegal to get free health care. It's BS. Now, one of the reasons there's so much pressure is what the president wants to show. The Trump administration set a ridiculous goal of three thousand arrests a day. Do you know what kind of manpower that would take? What kind of coordination? What kind of logistics? That's why it looks so lousy. They're asking these men and women to literally do the impossible. ICE is overperforming any standard they've ever had before, and they're at about a thousand a day. So it's not enough for Trump. So you know what he's doing, right? He's the you're fired guy. So he's swapping people out because he doesn't understand the job. He doesn't understand what it takes to do it right, the right way, which is what these men and women care about. I know you got problems with the masks. I know you got problems with identification. There are two sides to that story. But I get that it's a bad look again, the optics. But to replace people from ICE who are in this business of knowing how to get people in where and replacing them with Border Patrol agents. And you think you're going to pump up the numbers and not have problems? They're putting too much pressure on these agents. Okay. Oh, but Obama, but Obama, three million over eight years, done the right way with deference to due process. That's how they got three million migrants out. Not 1000 a day. That's not how they did it, because that wasn't the right way to do it. And I would argue that's true now. Also, two things can be true at the same time. People are here illegally. We need more enforcement. The Democrats were too lax, especially under Biden, especially on the southern border. True, true, true, true, true. But, you know, the fix should not be worse than the infection. Okay. And that's why communities are upset. So now you flip it. Okay. He's bringing in CBP, he's bringing in other people. He wants more, more, more. Look, it's a mistake to bring people in who don't have the same training and expect better output if they're going to be doing it the right way. Now, the administration may not care about that. MAGA may not care about it, but I care about it. And I bet you care about it. You want people dealt with as human beings, even if they've broken the law, especially if what they're breaking the law from was this act of desperation to come here. If they're a bad hombre, if they're a gangbanger, if they're bringing in fentanyl or they're human traffickers, that's different. There's no way you're getting a thousand of them a day. And that's why they won't show us the data. Again, that's why they won't show us the data. Okay. And they'll even tell you, oh, you'll spin the data. Hey, that's my business. You're supposed to provide transparency and you're not. Okay. Now, look, this isn't guesswork. Earlier this month, voter patrol agents shot a woman. Okay. That's what happened in Chicago, right? Why she was rushing them. They were, you know, they were worried. They had a reasonable fear of a serious injury or, you know, they triggered the legal standard and they did what they did now. Then we saw the man in charge of Trump's immigration crackdown in Chicago, the border chief, Greg Bovino, seen throwing a gas canister into a crowd. Was he in the right to do that? Maybe. Was it right that he did that? Of course not. It's a terrible look. Why? Well, what's the rule? Well, you can throw it in there if they're rioting. All right. Now, did they release video that made it look worse than a protest? Yes. Turns out there were protesters throwing rocks, launching fireworks and advancing on agents. You are asking for trouble. That is too much. And I warn the left. There is opportunity in the mistakes and the choices that this administration is making. But you will not take advantage of those if you become what you oppose. Look at the no King's protests. That is the recipe for a reciprocal movement to tap into the majority of concern in this country. Forget about the wow factor of how nonviolent it was, which I was shocked by. I hate that that was the standard, but that's why it got no coverage, by the way, because it wasn't violent. The largest single day of protest, a lot of people in the prime of their lives, not blue haired, not fringe. Right. The main fabric of this country who want better, want better of their leaders, want better from the policies and they want better out of their lives. That is the model. That is the majority. That's why it was the biggest single day ever. Public citizen is a legit group. They are nonpartisan. The guys running this thing are real. That is the way to take advantage of what isn't going well, the promise of better and a movement to combat MAGA. But. You've got these anti ice protests filled with insurgents, anarchists, fringe players, people who are just about anger and trying to outrage. And you're making Trump look justified in bringing the military into cities and to saying, look at these people, they are the problem. You're giving him that excuse. It is a bad look. I'm not saying don't be outraged. I'm talking about how to exercise that outrage. You don't have to lose your best judgment just because you're angry. It's more likely, but you don't have to. AOC going after Riley Gaines. Look, why do I talk about AOC? She could be one of the main contenders for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. Maybe vice president of the United States. She matters. She's got a big following. She's got big charisma. She's got a growing amount of power. And to be in a teenage trash talking battle with Riley Gaines. Saying she doesn't have a real job, saying if you didn't come in fifth, maybe you wouldn't be so upset. You want to lead the country. Now, look, I know there's a misplaced sense of muscularity in that right now. Newsome tweeting like Trump owning him. I get it that people who don't like what's happening in the country are so desperate for a muscular response for someone to fight back. But how you do it matters. I don't think these kinds of antics are getting you where you want to be with the majority in this country. You're not going to beat what you are against by being like what you're against. I know it beat you. I know that's frustrating because you think that it's not worthy of the power that it has in this administration. But you will not beat what beat you if you become what beat you. I don't believe that. You can have the same energy. You can have the same urgency. But you've got to have different devices, different messaging. You've got to be about better. That's what the majority of the country wants. That's why MAGA has not taken hold the way Trump and his people wanted it to. It doesn't speak to the majority with its harshness, with its other rising, with its meanness, with its fear, with its demagoguery. America is not about harsh strength. It's not about bullies. It's about sweet strength. It's about people who step up to do for others and show that vulnerability, that they care, who are resilient, and who are focused on doing the right thing no matter what's happening around them. Now, let's talk about this. All right? Let's bring in the president of the National Border Patrol Council, Paul Perez, and the CEO of the Juan Proano. Juan Proano. That's right, Chris. Proano. That's right. All right. Good. I got it. Perez and Proano. Sound like a law firm. Mr. Perez, I will have it be known to my audience that I've spent a lot of time with the Border Patrol. There is no entity of law enforcement I have more respect for. I've seen the men and women who police the border because of ethnic identity, heritage, lived experience, what they give of themselves, the frustrations they feel. I know it. I know that they're not stormtroopers. I get it. How do you feel about the position that this administration is putting them in, putting border people into cities to face these crowds and face these high arrest counts of 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 a day? Look, Chris, thanks for having me. And I can speak to exactly what you're talking about, but I want to touch on something first. We in the border communities, we are the ones that dealt with what was going on for the four years where President Biden and his administration allowed millions of people to come across. So what we're doing now, our agents, we secured the border. The Border Patrol secured the border quicker than anybody ever thought we could because we wanted to do the job and now we're allowed to do it. Now, going out into the cities, we've never been told that we have a quota of 3,000 per day. What we're doing out there is targeted enforcement. They brought us out there to help ICE out because, I mean, let's face it, the Border Patrol's job is far more complex and far more difficult than that of an ICE officer. And ICE being our partner agency, I have a ton of respect for them. But Border Patrol's training is a lot more in-depth. We're a lot better equipped and better trained to do interior enforcement. And so that's why our agents are out there doing the job. Now, what you see in all these videos, a lot of people get angry and upset because of what they're seeing. But what the story doesn't show is that these agitators, these antagonists are not the people that we're going after to arrest. These are people that are impeding, they're interfering with our lawful right to enforce the laws that are on the books. And that's why the optics that you're talking about are showing that we're in a riot situation almost everywhere and almost every day. But it's not because of the illegal aliens that we're going after. It's because of the agitators and antagonists that we're having to battle every single day. I get it. I get it. But, you know, look, there is something to be said for how the policy is enforced. And the president wants this muscularity of response. That is his choice. But let's evaluate the choice. Mr. Pronow. The—Proanew. Proanew. Mr. Proanew, the reason that people are out in the streets is that there is a common feeling that not everyone who comes into the country the wrong way is a bad hombre, to use the president's vernacular, and that there are being people taken out of communities sometimes because of the pressure of the numbers, whether or not, with deference to Mr. Perez, all officers feel that way or not. They're grabbing a lot of people that weren't expected to be grabbed, and they're doing it in ways that people aren't used to seeing. Does that capture what people are upset about? I would agree. And I would agree with your comments wholeheartedly, Chris, when you opened up this program. You know, this is really tearing apart our country. It's tearing apart the fabric of our country, and it's really trying to separate our communities. What you see in Chicago, you see people standing up for their neighbors, for their brothers, for their sisters, for their children, in some cases. And then you see these really terrible photos of these agitators, as Paul was talking about. But the fact of the matter is, most of the immigrants are here, they're honest people, they're earnest people, they're hardworking people, and they serve a very particular and important function that helps drive this economy. The United States cannot be the engine of growth that it is without immigrants, without immigrants that do jobs that no one else will actually do. And Border Patrol and some of the enforcement actions have gone just too far. There's no reason why we should be pushing women or beating folks, in some cases, when they're exercising their right to freedom of speech, their freedom to assembly. And all we're asking for is our civil rights to be protected and due process to also be protected as well. Let ICE do the investigative work that it has to do, let Border Patrol do the enforcement action it has to do. But now we're bleeding into two different areas, one in which Border Patrol is in the interior of our cities, when they really should be at the border protecting and stemming the flow of immigration. That's where they belong. Well, look, but that is not our call, right? That is the call of the executive. And where they want to marshal their assets, they marshal their assets. So I don't have any problem with the choice structure. However, due process, we've got to be specific. Every person under the Constitution gets due process, but we all do not get the same level of due process. As a citizen, you get more due process than someone who is suspected or guilty of being in this country illegally and undocumented. So due process means different things depending on what you're dealing with. What I want to ask you, and then I want to go back to Mr. Perez about this, is how much of what you're seeing in the streets, because we're just showing video as you're speaking, many people are protesting and exercising their rights. Many people are not. Many people are So you've got both going on. How much of that do you believe is not about ICE or CBP in that specific instance, but it is rejection of the Trump administration? And these are people who are angry about that. A majority of it, Chris, is really about the rejection of this administration and their policies and their implementation of these tactics. That's why, you know, seven million people turned out for no kings, right? There are more and more people every single day that are protesting this administration's policies and their enforcement actions. Now, Mr. Perez, I started the way I started because that's the way I do this show. I have tremendous respect. I will be with you guys again. I don't want to go along like I saw some people early on, like fanboying, like they wish they were a member of ICE or CBP. If I wanted to be a member of ICE or CBP, I would be, although now I'm probably too old. But I support what you're doing. And I believe the men and women who are doing the job have been put in a bad position of basically being seen as political agents, not just law enforcement agents. What do you think you can, what can you explain, Mr. Perez, about who you're being told to arrest? What kinds of people are you being told to find? Well, look, a lot of this, for example, in Chicago, you know, there were people that were essentially begging us to come in and, you know, go after the people, the criminal, illegal aliens that were in those cities terrorizing not only Chicago, but other places. And so, yeah, there's seven million people, you can say that, that, you know, went and participated in the free kings or no kings or whatever it was. No kings. But how about the millions of people that voted for Donald Trump to do exactly what he's doing? Now, we're going after the targeted, we're doing targeted enforcement. We're going after the criminal aliens, the bad hombres, as you say. But we cannot turn a blind eye to those that are illegal in this country. Our targets are those that have final orders of deportation that have had their day in court. They've had due process. There's over a million and a half that are outstanding, plus the millions of people that came in unvetted who are criminals that we're going after. We're not just going out and doing sweeps. We're doing targeted enforcement. We have a plan and we're executing that plan as per the president's orders. Listen, I think we can all agree on this. Not everybody is doing the job the right way. And the biggest problem with this policy is not how you follow it. I think there's room for criticism on that, Mr. Perez. That's not a surprise to you. But Mr. Perano, this is on Congress. They have to change the rules. They have to clarify who gets treated how when they're here illegally and on what basis. What does due process specify? What is asylum really about and qualified? They have to do the rules because it's not fair to law enforcement to leave them the way they are. And the people who could do the most to make this better are doing the least. And that's Congress. And that's something everybody should be pissed about. But Mr. Perano, I get why you're concerned. Not everybody who enters the wrong way is somebody who is not helping this country. And I've got him in my own community. I got him in my own life. And the fear is real. And I hate it. Thank you very much for being with me. And Mr. Perez, thank you for representing the men and women who do the job. They have my respect. And I don't like them being seen put in this position, to be honest with you. Thank you both for being with me and stay safe. Thank you. Thank you. Four minutes and 35 seconds. You know what's interesting as we go to break? That conversation is only satisfying to one group of people, independent critical thinkers. If you were anti-Trump, it's just all wrong all day long. They're a Gestapo. That's it. And if you are MAGA, it's, hey, you came in illegally, man, get out. And if you get in their way, they should shoot them. That's where we are. Neither of those ideas get us to a better place in this country. I know it. I don't know how to get us to a better place, but I know that. Day 28 of the government shutdown, the same people who won't change the immigration laws are allowing people to pay the price for their own perfidy, their own faithlessness. And I want to reintroduce you to somebody that you met at the town hall, air traffic controller, Jack Criss, reasonable, patient, right? Asking, hey, what's going to happen? Not anymore. He says it's getting ugly and hostile and he doesn't like it. Why? Next. For the federal evasion of immigration, been there 16 years. Under the current political climate, do you think that this shutdown could actually be longer than the previous shutdown? Because I am actually driving door dash when I get off work just to make sure I can pay for my daughter's tuition. He's trying to do it the right way. But now our friend, Mr. Jack Criss says it's being done the wrong way where he works. Okay. Today is the official day that air traffic controllers will miss their first full paycheck. So I asked Jack to come back on and let us know what the reality is for people in his line of work. Okay. And he agreed. Jack, thank you very much. It's so my pleasure, Chris. And before I start, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me thus far. And I also want to say thank you for everything that you do on a daily base. I always give credit to you on any network I've given my opinion to. I always reference you. So I want to personally thank you for what you've done. Hey, Jack, as I tell everybody, I'm so impressed by the kind of man and father that you are and how you're creating a future for your daughter. And I'm not surprised that she's doing so well in basketball and in school because, you know, you're giving her those opportunities and you're there. And I respect that. And if I can help, I'll help. And that's all it means to me. I don't care about that part of it any more than that. And I just appreciate the example you are. And now I appreciate it again, because you said people need to know that it's getting ugly. It's getting hostile. How so? Yeah, so several people. I'm like the older guy right now. And so people come to me, the new hires, and they're trying to figure out exactly what they're going to do. We're trying to anticipate how long the shutdown is going to last. We have no clue what's going on. These guys are young, just bought a car. They just got in the agency. They're wondering whether or not they should have even joined. We already have a national crisis of not having enough air traffic controllers. And you got brand new people without even all the way being certified already, rethinking having ever joined the FAA. In fact, I trained a lady last week and she expressed to me that she just had a baby eight months ago and she's away from her child spending $2,000 a month on child care and wondering, Chris, wondering when she'll get her next paycheck. And you're saying the bosses are feeling the pressure and they're passing it on. Yeah, so I would be wrong if I were to lie. So I have to tell the truth. Personally, I'm dealing with an immense amount of anxiety. I'm right on the brink of calling it depression. I am seeking assistance in the because I have all of these people around me who aren't getting the check. Even though you, DoorDash, and yourself have helped me, that was for J.C.'s school. I still have a regular human being, things that need to be paid. And I'm just wondering when I'm going to get paid. But my heart goes out to those that are working harder than I am. There are some that are working high, high volume airports, not knowing when they're going to get paid again. They could have things going on that we don't know about. They could be going through a divorce. They could have mortgages that are right at—sometimes you take on too much loan. Think about it, interest rates are going up. I had a property that went from $2,000 a month to $2,800 a month in one year. And how do I balance that without knowing when my paycheck is going to come? I get it. Hey, do me a favor, Jack. I want to bring in Geraldo. You know Geraldo Rivera and Mick Mulvaney. He was in Congress and he worked with President Trump. And they understand the politics of it real well. And Jack, I just wanted you—you're not a political expert, but you're an expert at living your own life. I just want you to hear how they analyze what's going on. And if anything sounds wacky from your perspective of what you're living with, just pipe up and say it. We're all friends here. So, Mick, I heard Geraldo. It's great to see you. I love you. I miss you. It's good to have you here. Mick, I love you too. So I'm listening to John Thune, the kind of bellwether of your best bet of working with somebody in the Republican caucus within the Senate. And he pulls back on wanting to do a one-off for military pay and maybe snap and wick food stamps because the pain is starting to affect the Democrats. And the more pain there is, the better chance they'll have to cave. So let's not do the one-off anymore. Now, cynically, I could say, yeah, it's a good move. But man, that's dirty pool. Is that where we are? You know, listen, I didn't hear that. What I heard was OMB was trying to figure out a way to pay the troops, pay the Border Patrol and pay the FAA, ATC guys. So I guess it sort of depends on who you talk to in the Republican Party. Here's the issue. And I'd be curious to know if anybody thinks this is reasonable. If we always, always, always end up doing a clean funding bill, that goes back to the first shutdown I was involved with back in 2013. Why? Because if you don't, if you give in to the side, whether it's Democrat or Republican, trying to use a shutdown for leverage on some other policy, you end up with a shutdown every single year. We had a big shutdown in 2013, a big two shutdown six years later. Here we are again, six years later. But if you give in to whatever side is trying to use this as leverage, then the next year, the same thing is going to happen. Does that make sense to anybody but me? Geraldo, the real immediate irritant is the fact that Congress is getting paid and people like Jack are not getting paid. So the Congress can strut around, can preen, can make these proclamations here and there. And the fact of the matter is when they go home, they're going to get paid. After this weekend, poor folks won't be getting food stamps, for goodness sakes. Food stamps to the poor? No, attacking Congress for getting paid when we all know it's constitutional, it's against the Constitution not to pay Congress. Is it a loophole in the Constitution? Yes. But I mean, raising that's not going to help solve the problem, is it? Yeah, I think if you were to push them to do two things, you should. Yeah, you should pass two laws if you want the American people back on your side. First one is illegal to have shutdowns. If you pass a certain deadline, it defaults to the funding of the previous cycle. That's what it is. And then there should be a penalty. Yes, it's in the Constitution that a mandatory expense is Congress. But you could find a workaround within the caucuses so people don't think you guys are getting paid to give them pain. You know, I mean, imagine how hard it is for Jack to have to think about that. Go ahead, Jack, make your point. Yeah, I'd like to say, and I might offend some co-workers, but I would not want to get paid personally if other people are working, going to work and not getting paid. So I hope they don't do a set aside specifically for air traffic. No, that's not the way to do it. If you're a federal employee and you're working or if you're at home, if the law says you should get paid, we shouldn't have special set asides simply because it's a safety sensitive position. We're going to keep the plane separated, period. That's our job. We love doing that. But I don't think we are anything special better than anybody else or should be able to get money when others are doing work as well and not getting paid. Yeah, but you know what it's about, Jack. I appreciate him. You know what it's about, though. It's about the politicians covering their ass, because if you don't pay the military, it's a bad look. If you don't pay the ATCs and God forbid something happens, it's a bad look. So, you know, they're doing it. They're doing the minimum to get the maximum advantage over the other side. But Mick was right with his first point. So was Geraldo. It's a bad look for Congress. But if you give them what they want in exchange for opening up the government again, this will happen in the next cycle unless they pass a law that you can't do it. That's what I'm pushing for. I got to jump. Jack, it's great to see you. You know how to get me. Geraldo, I love you and I miss you. Mick, thank you for coming in and giving your perspective. Four minutes and 30 seconds. We'll be on break. Come back. Elections are coming. So they tell me. Why should you care? Well, on a straight political interest level, this is your first look at what the midterms may be. OK, this is the first reflection of the presidency and how that redounds, how that echoes into the localities. Which ones? Why? Andrew Yang runs the forward party, which, as you know, I believe is part of the solution. How does he see these races? And he's got one of the best ideas to deal with social media I've heard. He'll tell you next. All right. We're a year away from the midterms. So why would you be paying attention now? Well, God forbid you care about your community, right? I mean, if you're going to vote in anything, the more local the elections, the more they're going to affect your life if you think about it. So that's one reason. All right. Just practicality. But in terms of political science and prognostication, just to keep it alliterative with all the Ps, this set of elections is our first smell test on how strong the administration is. OK, because you're going to have people across the country casting ballots in some key elections. But I believe just the overall experience is a signal of President Donald Trump's presidency. So let's ask a smarter, better political mind, founder of the forward party, Andrew Yang. Now, they have been endorsing candidates and monitoring the situation. So I want to talk to him about that. And I want to talk to him about this side hustle he's got to deal with social media and reward people for using it differently. OK, Andrew, it's good to see you, brother. It's been too long. Yes. Thanks for having me back, Chris. So how do you size it up? What matters to you at the forward party? Like you said, there are local races that are not just a bellwether for what's happening nationwide, but are going to make a huge difference for the people in that community. And we just endorsed a guy named Pat Dugan, who's running for D.A. in Philadelphia, military vet, former paratrooper who's running against a liberal D.A. that frankly has let crime get a little bit out of control in Philly. I think people are accustomed to what's happening when you have a D.A. that's somewhat ideological, whereas Pat Dugan's a pragmatic military veteran who's been a judge for 17 years. And that's going to be a difference maker for the folks in Philly. So there are races like that around the country that Ford is trying to help with. And hopefully we can make a difference. So, yes, my brother is running for mayor. Yes, he is up against a candidate who is a Democrat, but I also believe is in front of a movement. And do you think that it doesn't matter that the guy is Muslim and or not, but his personal politics aside, do you believe that the reaction formation to MAGA, that what we may see in the midterms that the administration should worry about most, is the Democratic Socialist Movement? Do you believe that that is MAGA's equal opposite? You're already seeing Republicans promote Zoran Mamdani as one of the future faces of the Democratic Party because it's good for them to draw a contrast. I actually think they'd be chomping at the bit if Zoran becomes the next mayor, which right now he's on track to become, if you believe the polls, because he's the kind of face that they could use to fuel polarization. In my view, they might be cheerleading for Zoran in a way that some might not expect. Yeah, but the Democratic Socialists, let's separate the globalize the intifada. No disrespect to anybody. I know it's an ugly phrase. I would never let anybody use it on my show without slapping them around. But I'm saying just the domestic policy pieces that Democrats across the country, Bernie and AOC are coming to help this guy, not because they like a guy who has subtle Islamist tendencies. It's because of tax the rich, socialistic policies. Let's start redistributing income differently in this country. It's very attractive to a lot of people all across the country of legitimate grievance. Do you think that that's something to watch? A hundred percent. There are a lot of folks who are trying to embrace an affordability message, and I do think that's why Zoran won the Democratic primary. I think prices are a daily concern for most Americans. You just heard from one who's an air traffic controller. Folks aren't convinced that the Democratic Party's moderate wing really wants to tackle these affordability issues, and so they're turning to an alternative. Whether that's the right approach, when I ran, I like to think that we can solve some of these affordability issues in a way that's not terribly polarizing or controversial. I know, but that doesn't sell in politics, which takes us to social media. Outrage sells. The algorithms are designed to exploit it because they can in a way that no other media platform is allowed, and it's because of an antiquated law, but now they are part of our culture. I would argue the most suggestive aspect of our political media culture, and people are feeding on extreme ideas because that's what they are being fed. You believe that it is absolutely a problem, but that there is a way to deal with it that we have not tried yet, and what is it? Chris, Americans are upset for two main reasons. One, they're not able to save enough money, and two, they have these messages from social media that are turning them against their neighbors or making them fear people in their community. Noble Mobile addresses both of these problems by getting what you pay per month down to $40 or $50 on average, maybe even lower, but it pays you to use your phone less. You can get up to $20 back every month based upon how much data you use, and then we give you 5.5% interest on your savings. Noble Mobile is the first carrier that actually pays you to look up, touch grass, talk to your kids, and it's been an incredible month since we've launched to the public. How do you deal with the value proposition of people saying, oh, you want people to be stupid, you don't want them to be informed, are you afraid of the democratization of media, Andrew Yang? Well, you and I are old enough to remember the ways that you could get information without staring at what Hassan Minhaj calls our rectangles of sadness. I mean, we all have this ambivalence where what started out as a tool for communication has become the source of grievance and negative emotion, and Noble Mobile hopes to help moderate that relationship in a way that puts money into Americans' pockets, which I dare say makes us feel a lot better. I feel much better when I'm saving money rather than paying it. I like it. I'm going to sign up with you, and I'll probably lose money because I'm on social media all the time, but I believe in it because I believe we've got to reward people for doing it a different way. You can't punish it. You can't scold. You've got to reward people for making a different choice. Andrew Yang, I just love your ideas. I love what you're about, and you're always welcome wherever I am. Thank you for being with me. Thank you, Chris. We'd probably give you it for free because you're a celebrity, honestly. All right, finally. It's paying off. Andrew, I'll talk to you soon. Four minutes and 15 seconds. So, Smile Gone. Why? Exactly the kind of story that should be getting more attention. We've got to focus more on it. A mother, very rare, very rare, mother takes her nine-year-old daughter, three-day road trip, California, Nebraska. Mother returns. Daughter doesn't. Three weeks ago, no sign. Her name is Melody Buzzard. Surveillance video shows the nine-year-old put into some sort of disguise. Where is she? The mother is not cooperating. How should that be viewed? What can be done? Answers, next. All right, missing persons case, very important, very strange. Nine-year-old girl, Melody Buzzard, okay? I'll put some pictures of her. Here's what we know. Three weeks ago, October 7th, okay, Melody's mom, Ashley, decides to take a three-day road trip from California to Nebraska. It is believed Melody likely went with her. Do we know that for sure? No. What we know is that when the mother came back, there was no Melody. The mother and daughter started their trip by picking up a rental car. Well, then how do we not know that she went with her? Because we can't track it and the mother is not cooperating. Surveillance footage at the facility where they picked up the car, so the beginning of this trip, shows the kid in what looks like a wig. I mean, look, you know, does it have to be a wig? No. Why? Because I know hair like that. I got a kid with it and you can make it look different ways. It could be a wig, it could not be a wig. Once on the trip, the mother takes a detour through Kansas before returning to California on October 10th. A quick trip, three days there and back. It's a lot of driving. Yeah, but people do that. Here's the catch. No Melody and no cooperation. That's the weirdest part of all of this, okay? The little girl's school notifies law enforcement she hasn't picked up school assignments and they ask for a wellness check. Good for them. Good for that school doing its job. Investigators go to the house, question the mother. They say she's not cooperative and would not give or could not give a reasonable explanation as to where her daughter was. Let's bring in my ultimate source, News Nation law and justice contributor, former FBI special agent Jennifer Coffin-Daffer. Jennifer, what am I missing if I'm like, stick on the mom, stick on the mom. There's no way that she's not advancing the search for her own kid. There's no way she's not giving answers unless she's worried her answer is a bad answer. I totally agree, Chris. It reminds me so much of the Gabby Petito case in this way, right? Loved one who has issues takes off and comes back without the person. So what is law enforcement doing? Right now they are tracking the credit card that had to be used for that rental. They're looking at gas purchases. They're looking at the digital footprint, which by the way, is very small because she's not on social media. Probable cause is the standard for arrest. You have to be careful in jurisdictions not to arrest if you can't make it stick because re-arresting can be a little tricky. But when a mother won't tell you where their kid is and won't cooperate, at what point is that enough? Well, I'm going to bring it back to the Gabby Petito case. You had the laundry parents who never cooperated despite the fact that the van of the daughter of Gabby Petito was in their driveway and they were never charged either. Listen, Chris, this is going to come down to the public's health. Who saw her where? Remember, it's 20 hours and that's pedal to the metal, 70 miles an hour to get to Nebraska and come back. What did she do there, Chris? I'm so concerned. I think there's only three choices. One, unfortunately she left her with somebody that is unknown to the family, according to the family. Number two, she sold her and this was brought up by a half sister of Melody that's 30 years old. And number three, unfortunately, she did something far worse. Jesus. Jennifer Coffin-Daffer, thank you very much. We will stay on this. There has to be an answer. And the sooner they get it, the better chance that they find this kid. We all know the statistics. Thank you very much. We'll be right back. Thank you for being with us here at NewsNation. Leland Vittert picks up our coverage right now.