BUT MAYBE EVERYBODY IN THE BELTWAY TO SEE PROGRESS ON
INFLATION LIKE THIS. WALL STREET CELEBRATES.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MIDDLE AMERICA? WE TALK ABOUT THE CORE.
IT IS INTERESTING STRIPPING OUT FOOD AND ENERGY, THAT IS WHAT
MOST PEOPLE ARE PAYING MORE FOR. >> EXACTLY.
WHILE THE NUMBERS ARE BETTER AND YOU SHOWING INFLATION GOING
DOWN, THIS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO HAVE STICK FOR THE CURRENT
PRESIDENT. HOWEVER, IN THIS YOU ARE ALSO
SEEING WAGES GO UP A LITTLE BIT. THAT IS SOMETHING PEOPLE WILL
SEE, AND THEY WILL SEE IT RIGHT NOW.
THEY WILL SEE INFLATION GOING DOWN WHEN THEY ARE PAYING A
LITTLE BIT LESS FOR THINGS LIKE GAS, EGGS, AND MILK.
THIS ONE, WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE SOME WAGE INCREASE. KAILEY:
MAYBE THEY ARE SEEING IT, BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE
CHANGING HOW THEY ARE ANSWERING HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT AND ECONOMY. IN A POLL RELEASED THIS
MORNING, PRESIDENT BIDEN'S APPROVAL RATE WAS AT 40%.
THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN IS THE ECONOMY.
21% OF THOSE WHO RESPONDED SAID THAT WAS THEIR TOP CONCERN.
I WAS ON CAPITOL HILL. I ASKED A CONGRESSMAN FROM
MISSOURI ABOUT WHY HE THOUGHT THE DISCONNECT EXISTED.
>> THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PROGRESS.
PEOPLE PROBABLY HAVE NO IDEA THE RISE AND FALL OF INFLATION.
THERE IS A MAN SITTING IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> DOES IT TRACK FOR YOU THAT EVEN THOUGH THE DATA MAY
SUGGEST ONE THING, PEOPLE ARE SET IN THEIR WAYS AND IN THEIR
OPINIONS?
>> POLARIZATION PLAYS INTO IT FOR SURE.
IT IS ALSO ONE THING TO SAY YOU DON'T APPROVE OF THE PRESIDENT,
IT CAN BE A DIFFERENT THING TO VOTE FOR A SPECIFIC OTHER
CANDIDATE. DEMOCRATS STILL FEEL PRETTY
GOOD ABOUT LIMITING THEIR LOSSES IN THE MIDTERMS. AS YOU
LOOK FORWARD TO 2024, PEOPLE CAN BE KIND OF UNIMPRESSED WITH
PRESIDENT BIDEN. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK HE MAY
NOT STRIKE AN IMPRESSIVE FIGURE. THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT HIS
AGE. VOTERS MAY PIN IT ON AN
IMPORTANT ISSUE LIKE THE ECONOMY, EVEN IF THINGS ARE NOT
NECESSARILY DISASTROUS. IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO READ
THOSE POLLS AND UNDERSTAND HOW IT CORRELATES OR DOESN'T
CORRELATE TO THE ECONOMIC FACTS OF PEOPLE'S LIVES.
>> REPUBLICANS ABOUT TO LOSE A TALKING POINT?
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE WINNING MESSAGE FOR DEMOCRATS.
HANG INFLATION OFF OF JOE BIDEN'S NECK.
IF THIS IS REAL, BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE CAMPAIGN SEASON, WE
MIGHT NOT BE AT 2%.
>> EVEN TODAY AFTER THE NUMBERS CAME OUT, MITCH MCCONNELL HAD A
STATEMENT OUT CRITICIZING THE FACT IT IS STILL ABOVE THE
TARGET RATE OF 2%. YOU MAY HEAR REPUBLICANS
CRITICIZING THE FACT ONCE INFLATION HAPPENS, THERE ARE
QUESTIONS TO WHAT DEGREE PEOPLE'S WAGES CATCH UP.
WE ARE NOT DEFLATING OUT OF THESE HIGHER PRICES PEOPLE HAVE
TO PAY FOR THINGS. BUT ALSO, I CAN TELL YOU IT HAS
BEEN RAISED FREQUENTLY ENOUGH BY REPUBLICANS ON THE HILL.
THEY DON'T THINK IT HAS GONE AWAY AS A POLITICAL STRENGTH.
KAILEY: SOMETHING ELSE RAISED BY REPUBLICANS IS THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT AND FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION IS BEING
WEAPONIZED AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP, PROTECTING THE
CURRENT PRESIDENT, JOE BIDEN. REST OF WAS IN THE HOT SEAT ON
CAPITOL HILL EARLIER TODAY IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE AND FACED TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM THE LIKES OF
CONGRESSMAN MATT SKATE -- MATT GAETZ.
>> YOU SEEM DEEPLY ON CURIOUS ABOUT IT.
ALMOST SUSPICIOUSLY ON CURIOUS. ARE YOU PROTECTING THE BIDENS?
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
>> YOU WILL NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT
THAT IS A SHAKEDOWN.
KAILEY: CLEARLY, ESPECIALLY THE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF THIS
COMMITTEE, ARE VERY CONCERNED WITH THIS ISSUE.
HOW MUCH DOES THAT TRANSLATE TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS, THIS
MISTRUST OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT?
>> THIS IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING YOU SEE ON THE
CAMPAIGN FOR SOME TIME. I WOULD IMAGINE CHRISTOPHER WEI
WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THOSE TYPE OF QUESTIONS.
THE WEAPONIZATION OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS SOMETHING
THEY ARE CONTINUALLY SAYING ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL AND WILL
CONTINUE TO SAY. THE DEMOCRATS USING THIS TO
TALK ABOUT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP.
YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THIS THROUGH THESE TYPE OF HEARINGS.
BOTH SIDES ON THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP, REPUBLICANS SAYING THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
HAS BEEN WEAPONIZED. CONTINUE TO EXPECT THAT.
>> IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET BOTH SIDES OF THIS.
YOU TALKED TO JERRY NADLER. THE RANKING MEMBER ON THE
COMMITTEE.
LISTEN TO HIS REACTION OF THIS CHRISTOPHER WRAY TESTIMONY.
>> I CAN'T SEE THE REPUBLICANS BEING CRAZY ENOUGH, THE
LEADERSHIP BEING CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO THAT.
THEY WANT TO GO PUBLICLY OUT TO DESTROY THE LAW, IT IS ON THEIR
HEAD. JOE: THE IDEA OF DEFUNDING THE FBI
OR TAKING CHRISTOPHER WRAY'S PAYCHECK AWAY, WHAT IS IT ABOUT
THE ALLERGY THAT MANY REPUBLICANS HAVE HAD FOR THE
TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN THE COUNTRY?
>> IT IS A BIG ENOUGH ISSUE THAT IF I TRIED TO LIST THE
ISSUES THAT WERE BROUGHT UP BY REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, IT IS HARD TO LIST OFF THINGS ABOUT HUNTER
BIDEN, TARGETING OF PARENTS WITH COMPLAINTS OF SCHOOLS, IT
IS A VERY LONG THIS. THE CULTURE WAR OF POLITICS
ANIMATING TO REPUBLICANS. THERE HAS BEEN A DIVIDE WITH
HOW THEY GO AT IT. PEOPLE LIKE JIM JORDAN WHO SAID
THEY SHOULD WORK IN GOVERNMENT SPENDING BILLS TO GO AFTER THE
FBI. THEY SHOULD NOT FUND THE FBI
HEADQUARTERS, THEY SHOULD MOVE IT TO ALABAMA.
THAT HAS WORKED ITS WAY INTO SOME BILLS.
THEY ARE LOOKING TO PAUSE FUNDING FOR FBI HEADQUARTERS.
AS BILLS MOVED TO THE FLOOR, YOU WILL PROBABLY HEAR MORE
RANK-AND-FILE ENTHUSIASTIC MEMBERS PUSHING FOR STRONGER
MEASURES AGAINST THE FBI. AND IT TIES INTO SO MANY
ISSUES, IT IS HARD TO SUM UP. A LOT OF IT HAS WORKING ITS WAY
INTO REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE.