u.n. thomas pickering on whether there is a potential endgame for israel in all of this. also ahead, a vote could come as early as this week on the next step in the house gop impeachment even as his son hunter turned the table on the committee leader demanding that he testify. it comes as court declared insurrectionist donald trump has a new sales pitch. he's a candidate who will protect democracy. all of that plus the santos saga ends in congress. >> so i am no longer congressman santos. i'm just regular old professor major general reverend astronaut santos. protector of the realm, princess of genova. >> coming up, i'm going to talk to a screenwriter who saw his fictional story about a conman in congress come to life over the past year. stay tuned for that conversation. you don't want to miss it. we'll begin this hour with the breaking story out of the middle east. the pentagon confirmed the uss carney shot down two drones after multiple commercial vessels were attacked in the red sea, all unfolding over the last few hours. joining me now is nbc news correspondent david noriega on the ground in tel aviv for us. david, if you will, talk to us about what happened in the red seat. what do we know this hour? >> yasmin, hi. we are still getting information. the story is developing. what we know is that specifically ommercial vessels came under attack by what are believed to have been houthi drones and missiles. as you know, the houthis have taken over much of northern they've been in control there for some me. in recent weeks, they have been launching attacks against commercial vessels in the red sea. some of the prior attacks were against vessels that were linked to israel in some way. it's not clear that that is what happened. we know that a u.s. naval destroyer shot down to drones. there was a missile launched. the pentagon is saying there is no damage to any american vessels or american personnel or anything like that. this is important because people have been paying attention to potential flare-ups to this conflict in other parts of the region. the clearest places to look for that are the northern border with lebanon. this is an important region to pay attention to as well. the houthis in the scenario are kind of a wildcard in terms of how far they are willing to go to try to escalate things. it's not clear based on this infamous didn't as of now that this does not constitute or will lead to an explanation. yes? when >> you have a whole lot happening on the ground in gaza, specifically in the south, israel launching attacks in the south. what are we hearing from residents there? >> right, the expectation is that the military operations currently happening in the south are laying the groundwork for a ground invasion. as far as we know, that has not started yet, but people are kind of expecting it to happen sometime relatively soon. as far as what residents are saying, there are widespread reports of high numbers of civilian casualties. residents say this is happening all over a catastrophic humanitarian situation where people, many of whom were already displaced from the north into the south, are being made to move again in situations where they are living in overcrowded shelters with no access to clean water or food. winter is coming. it's getting colder. there is no access to shelter equipment. you know, on top of that, severely overtaxed, effectively nonfunctional medical facilities. the director of the world health organization made a statement today saying that some of his personnel visited a hospital in the south where they saw more than 1000 patients being treated, which is three times the capacity of the hospital. some of them were treated on the floor, some people bleeding out because they could not receive medical treatment. israeli authorities say they don't target civilians. they blame civilian casualties on hamas. yasmin? >> david noriega, thank you, we appreciate it. i want to bring an ambassador thomas pickering who served as a diplomat under seven presidents of both parties. ambassador pickering, it's great to talk to you. thank you so much for joining us on this. you and i spoke a little bit earlier on this weekend, i moderated a conversation with you about the war of russia on ukraine along with what is happening between israel and hamas. i thought it was best we have that conversation publicly. i am thankful for that. i want you to pick up on a little bit of what i talked about with david just now. that's what's happening in the resea, firing on these drone attacks from the houthis on the uss carney. what is your worry about this, the possibility of an expansion of this war, even if it is accidentally? >> i think, yasmin, you are entirely right. this is something of a danger which may well exnd in the region and beyond. we have seen firing by houthi from yemen over the last several weeks. apparently, they are seeking to get all the way to israel to reinforce what hamas has been doing and what hamas did on october 7th. who these are significantly backed by iran from all of the information that we have. it is difficult to foresee that the attacks taking place there are done without the knowledge of iran. it's very hard to know whether they or stimulated endorsed, reinforced by iran. that remains one of those questions that we look to further information to try to answer. >> that's interesting. i want to talk about what is happening on the ground as well, ambassador. essentially, what is happening in gaza is you have the palestinians to flee into the south as been told by the israelis to do so. now, in the south, they are being bombed and bombarded. david mentioned that this could be the beginnings of a ground invasion, although we don't necessarily know if that is the case. palestinians are telling us that they feel as if they have nowhere to go. we know the landscape of gaza. they are right. they don't have anywhere to go. how confident are you that israel is taking account for civilian casualties and trying to minimize the? >> it is difficult to what the israelis have been saying to reach that conclusion. the israelis have pointed out an area in gaza that apparently is open space where they have suggested that the gaza refugees from the north and perhaps now from the south set up tent villages to shelter in. no one that i have heard believes that is an adequate answer to the question of the high rate of civilian casualties and deep concern on their part that the israeli bombardments are pretty much going ahead wherever the israelis believe they have some justification to hit the. this, of course, does not in any way at all reconfirmed to the international community through the press or otherwise that there is information that leads on to believe that these are the kinds of targets that ought to be under these circumstances in the 15,000 casualties that have already been reported to have resulted from the bombardment are a clear indication that, obviously, whatever the care is being taken, it is having a significant impact on the civilian population, even if one does attempt to discount some of the figures as being reported by hamas dominated elements in the gaza government. >> john kirby, the biden administration, the president, the vice president -- at this point, they are all asking, pleading with the idf, the prime minister bibi netanyahu to practice restraint. the question is, are they doing that? if not, in your estimation, what more needs to be done at this point to make sure they do? >> yasmin, that's a very good question. what we can see is that, over the last three weeks with the kinds of pictures that you are showing now, the utter desolation of the damage that has been caused in gaza both in north and south gaza, it is difficult to calculate how and in what way steps have been taken to spare a high rate of civilian casualties. as a result, we are in a situation where we have to depend upon what we see more than what other people tell us they have done as to what is going on. this leaves, i think, the international community certainly pretty much in the situation of saying there do seem to still be higher rates of civil casualties in the region despite the explanations which have been offered. that is reinforced by the fact that president biden, john kirby, and others have been engaged in a reported effort with the israelis to seek to find all possible ways to reduce civilian casualties. we are looking right now at pictures of people being put in an ambulance which would seem in one way or another to indicate that those casualties are hamas fighters or civilians. i don't find it easy to tell. >> i want to ask you about russia while i have you, amba. the washington post wrote a fantastic piece about the positioning, the stance of vl putin indicated by the release of russian hostages ier on this week, saying this -- special treatment for t adopted russians is a new maniion of the growing alignment between the kremlin and hamas. president putin seeks to present himself and the lationship as a leader and champion of new multi polar world order and the palestinian militia tint group gets a veneer of legitimacy at a time when manycountries have branded it as a terrorist organization. what do you make of this analysis? >> i think that the analysis is something of a stretch right now. it is quite clear that two or three things have happened. the war in the middle east is obscured reporting on the ukraine russia war. secondly, president putin has been for years and engaging in trying to increase russia's influence in the middle east, beginning with a major effort several years ago in syria which we have all followed very, very closely. it's not a new manifestation of a new russian policy, it's a continuation of one that they had pursued for a long time. going back in history, i can remember back in 1973 and 1974 around the time of the yom kippur war there was clearly a great deal of russian interest in having a general middle east peace conference in geneva. one was later held. it was very short. doctor kissinger who we have been following very carefully in recent days in terms of his obituary, he made it very clear to those of us who were working with him at the time that a short position for russia in the middle east peace process could be helpful as long as it did not allow them to become a serious spoiler of the efforts to try to bring about that settlement. that was part of his strategy. i think it was a wise strategy at the time. at the current time, i think the u.s. has an important influence to play in the middle east just as it does in ukraine. this is perhaps because of decline in u.s. influence or at least the acceptance of reports of that. we could do with a few more friends and some backup and support moving forward in that direction. hopefully, that will be something the president will want to consider carefully. >> ambassador thomas pickering, sir, thank you, appreciate it. coming up, everybody, and just 60 seconds, the george santos saga and congress is not quite over. he's vowing revenge. i'm going to speak to a screenwriter who watched as his fictional movie about a con man running for congress came to life. >> okay, so, i lied. i told a couple little fibs like where i went to high school and college in all of my jobs and how i am something called zhu-ish -- >> what does that mean? >> it means muslim. it seems to me that i live my life like an evil forrest gump. i'm the guy who lied even too -- even to -- -- oh, genius! for more breakthroughs like that- i need a breakthrough card. like ours! with 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more. plus unlimited 2% cash back on all other purchases. and with greater spending potential, sam can keep making smart ideas- a brilliant reality! the ink business premier card from chase for business. make more of what's yours. sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ congress stuff is tough. the toughest job i ever had, and i was a nerve surgeon at nyu. plus i have the job of dad. >> i'm sorry, did you just pull a fake baby out of a piano? >> magic. okay, so i lied. so i told a couple little fibs like where i went to high school and college and all my jobs, and how i'm something called jewish. >> what does that mean? >> it means muslim. and it seems to me -- >> that was snl bidding farewell to george santos this week. it was just the latest act in a tumultuous year for the house. one hollywood movie from the early 1990s predict this santos drama early -- decades earlier. >> thomas jefferson johnson is no ordinary con man. >> take the money, take the watch, please. >> you know this goes against my -- >> this only one place for people like him. >> i wouldn't tell you about a town -- >> the streets are paved with goal. >> vegas? >> not las vegas? >> he's talking that washington, d.c.. >> i am running for congress. >> and now, thomas johnson con man is thomas johnson congressman. >> read my lips. >> joining me now, screenwriter of that film and distinguish gentleman marty kaplan. i need to rewatch, it i'm going to re-watch that film tonight and remember we're watching -- that makes me want to rewatch it having seen what is happening over the last week or year, really, with that. you wrote a really interesting ecfor politico magazine. i want to read a quote from it for folks. when i wrote the screenplay, i never imagined anyone could actually pull off a scam like that. but 30 years, almost of the day, after the movie opened, i saw the headline of a bombshell story in the new york times, who is rep elect george santos? his resume was largely a fiction. it was a -- the distinguished gentleman may not have been arts, but life was all in on imitating it. what do you make of these parallels between the film you wrote and what is happening now in congress? >> well, you knew what i'm working on now, if you know what's going to happen in 30 years, clearly. >> and what is, it tell us. >> we will bet money on it. >> i am astonished, delighted, appalled, all the things that any snl viewer might be by what's going on. i was furious that campaign expenditures and campaign money and the loopholes. this was in the late 80s and early 90s. the fact that they were all legal is what got me that you could go to congress and do everything that a small time, to get con man was doing. but in washington post, all that money was legal. there was a book at that point called legal graft, which kind of gives the idea. and if george santos had had eddie murphy showing him the ropes, you might well still be in office. >> it's interesting you say. that i want to read another portion of this piece in which you mention essentially santos could've pulled this off. had eddie murphy to show him the ropes, as you just said. george santos's grift could've been perfectly legal. instead of using the campaign debit part -- car to pay for, botox onlyfans, and -- d have whitewashed his expenditures by bending but not breaking the rules instead of charging his campaign for getaways to heroin caesars, atlantic city. santos could've cultivated a circle of billionaires who enjoyed his company, flew him to grant locales, and kept their largest on the down low. he didn't have the knowledge or wherewithal to pull off a scam i like this. >> he should've had a really expensive campaign finance lawyer on his staff. because all he needed was some guidance and things like dark money and super pacs and leadership packs and skate packs. people forget that state's also have packs. all that stuff is legal. and george santos might not even have been caught had he not had the disease of wanting to be famous. >> your movie ended a little bit differently than how santos's career has ended as a number of congress, in that eddie murphy essentially develops a conscience when he is confronted by constituent who has cancer, and he admits to his wrongdoing and his charlatan ways. you wrote in this piece, before, by the way, the expulsion vote, that you are hopeful that santos would do the same. he did not. surprise, surprise. and you think any lessons have been learned here? >> well, and the fact that he developed a conscience provoked for him, his golf, and a public interest lawyers said, don't tell me you are developing a conscience? he said, in no, it would be a nuisance in congress. when santos was expelled, members of congress delighted in exposing his background as a fraudster, which is exactly what happened in the climactic scene in the distinguished gentleman. the distinguished gentleman. he is revealed to be a crook. what i was hoping he would do is say, yeah, that is true. but here, everything that i would've been caught for at home is legit. and that is the piece that didn't happen. i don't think we've learned any lessons about campaign finance reform. we've probably learned that there are colorful people, not all of whom are former presidents. >> real quick, what are you working on now? >> i'm doing a piece about an anchor at a cable network who wins the lottery. >> really? [laughter] >> if you believe me, i have a george santos i would like to sell you. >> marty kaplan, bank, you appreciate it. we will be looking out. still ahead, everybody, congressman and oversight committee member raja krishnamoorthi joins me to talk about an impeachment vote on president biden that could come as early as this week, and about the drama and his committee after hunter biden turned the tables on the gop. plus, rather santas bash's former -- after the two may dueling campaign appearances in iowa. first, though, an inside look at concerning you reporting on the number of air traffic controllers coming to work under the influence of drugs and alcohol,. as shortages push them to the brink. we will be right back. >> there is not enough staffing. our controllers are tired, it's exhausting. it's a human element that they are not quickly enough fixing. whenever you're hungry, there's a deal on the subway app. buy one footlong, get one 50% off in the subway app today. now that's a deal worth celebrating. man, what are you doing?! get it before it's gone on the subway app. ♪♪ woman: who's that, who is that? cole: this is my puppy! woman: cancer. it's different in a child. because your child is still growing. charlie: i had 14 rounds of chemo. there's thousands and thousands of kids all over the world who need help. girl: it is my first time having cancer. and it's the very worst. spokesman: saint jude children's research hospital works day after day to find cures and save the lives of children with cancer and other life threatening diseases. woman: it's scary to watch your kid battle and fight for their lives. spokesman: 1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer in the us will not survive. woman: childhood cancer is hard. it's a long road. you just have to give. you have to give someone that hope. and especially with them being so young. spokesman: please, call, go on line, or scan the qr code for only $19 a month. families never receive a bill from saint jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. man: she grew up in this. so when we go to st. jude, she's happy, because that's her home. every time i take her to the doctor, she's excited because she gets to play. and that's all because of saint jude. spokesman: when you call or go online with your credit or debit card right now, we'll send you this saint jude t-shirt you can wear to show your support to help saint jude save the lives of these children. woman: [non-english speech] spokesman: let's cure childhood cancer together. in order for small businesses to thrive, they need to be smart, efficient, savvy. making the most of every opportunity. that's why comcast business is introducing the small business bonus. for a limited time you can get up to a $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. yep, $1000. so switch to business internet from the company with the largest fastest reliable network and that powers more businesses than anyone else. learn how you can get $1000 back for your business today. welcome back. comcast business. powering possibilities. turning now to a shocking new report in the new york times about the folks that keep us safe in the skies. air traffic controllers. some are showing up to work high or drunk. nbc's jesse kirsch has more. >> reporter: disturbing new allegations and questions about the safety of american air travel. >> that was shocking. >> reporter: according to the new york times, over the past two years, multiple air traffic controllers have been reported for falling asleep on the job. others allegedly directing traffic under the influence of alcohol and illegal drugs. the times reports one air traffic controller showed up to work drunk, joking about making big money buzzed, adding another controller routinely smoked marijuana during breaks. >> this is a very, very difficult job. you wouldn't want anybody impaired with drugs or alcohol in that environment. >> reporter: citing dozens of interviews and government documents not reviewed by nbc news, the newspaper describes and overworked staff at times struggling with mental and physical health. michelle hager city she is a former controller who regularly worked six days a week. >> that is not a sustainable lifestyle, to be working that hard at a job that requires so much mental focus at all times. >> reporter: as thousands of controllers retire, 77% of critical acc facilities are understaffed, according to a recent government report. shortages coming with serious close calls at u.s. airports, also under scrutiny. 23 this year alone. >> southwest abort. >> fedex is on the go. >> like when a fedex plane almost landed on top of a southwest jet in austin, texas. the faa calling the new york times report not reflective of the overall high safety standard that exists throughout the national airspace. the air traffic controllers union writing, the article does not betray the professionalism and skill with which air traffic controllers perform their complex and stressful duties every day. but both the union and the faa acknowledge there are staffing issues. something the faa says it is working to fix with so many lives at stake. jesse kirsch, nbc news. our thanks to jesse kirsch for that report. coming up, donald trump, ron desantis, making dueling appearances in iowa this weekend, as desantis makes a bold prediction about the upcoming caucus. plus, a powerful new documentary about the case that ignited a national debate nearly two decades ago. and resonates in the culture wars that dominate the airwaves today. the life and death of terry shiba. we will be right back. right back. and ipad and apple watch se - all on us. only on verizon. get help reaching your goals with j.p. morgan wealth plan, a digital money coach in the chase mobile® app. use it to set and track your goals, big and small... and see how changes you make today... could help put them within reach. from your first big move to retiring poolside - and the other goals along the way. wealth plan can help get you there. ♪ j.p. morgan wealth management. it ain't my dad's razor, dad. ay watch it! it's from gillettelabs. this green bar releases trapped hairs from my face... gamechanga! ...while the flexdisc contours to it. so the five blades can get virtually every hair in one stroke. for the ultimate gillette shaving experience. the best a man can get is gillettelabs. with the iowa caucus just 43 days away, rhonda scent is looking to make some gains with hawkeye state voters. he has traveled to all of iowa's 99 counties to show his dedication to the state. here is what he had to say about covering iowa's ground. >> we went everywhere. we showed up, we took questions. we've been able to build a really incredible organization. we got over 30,000 people that already committed the caucus for us. >> nbc's campaign embed alex happen is back with me from des moines, iowa. set the scene for us, if you will. what are you hearing from voters about desantis and iowa governor kim reynolds, who has endorsed him? >> reporter: well, yasmin, last night florida governor ron desantis celebrated what's known as the full grassley. that means visiting all of iowa's 99 counties. it's a real badge of honor for candidates here in iowa. it shows you are willing to shake the hands, kissed the babies necessary to really meet the voters and prove that you are putting in the work. he celebrated that achievement alongside i was very popular governor, kim reynolds. we did a pullback in august which showed that iowa governor kim reynolds had about an 81% favor billet-y rating. that is quite high. but for reynolds, this was a political gamble. ever since she has endorsed desantis, former president donald trump has been attacking her relentlessly. attacking her in his campaign speeches, attacking her on social media, through his truth social app. it has become a very regular occurrence. and now, that we talked to some of these trump supporters, this sentiment of betrayal that former president donald trump has been expressing is now being echoed by trump's supporters themselves. take a listen to what i talked -- one of the conversations i had, rather, with one of these trump supporters about the way they feel about i was governor, kim reynolds. >> next time she runs, if she runs again, you are not voting for kim reynolds? >> i'm not voting for her. you know, she is supposed to be the voice of the people, and iowa already said, we want trump. so you can go and endorse somebody that's not even in doing well in the polls. >> reporter: reynolds is up for reelection here in iowa in 2026. former president donald trump is not known to drop a grudge easily. governor kim reynolds might be hoping that trump supporters here in iowa might be a little more forgiving. yasmin. ? >> thank, you alex. appreciate it. all right, there is a new documentary airing on msnbc tonight that takes an in-depth look at the nearly 20-year-old story of terry schiavo, who sparked a national debate over the right to life and the right to die in one of the first culture war debates that played out on cable news. watch this. >> i was pleading with them to do something, to stop this madness from happening. >> terri schiavo it is alive. she is not just barely alive. she is not being kept alive. she is alive and you and i. >> i couldn't believe it. it was so stunning i could hardly breathe. how could we be doing this again? i had just been elected to the house of representatives and now the republicans drafted legislation. >> the federal court decides to remove this case from the judge in florida, they can do so. >> and that was their crafty way of attempting to get the courts to bend to their will, to reinsert her -- >> governor, do we have you on the phone? >> it felt like groundhog day. >> we are getting into work. >> governor bush, not a person who likes to lose. what he was going to do was just call up his brother and use his power, this really wasn't about's life or feeling for her parents. >> this case -- >> it was about scoring political points. >> breaks my heart and i think it breaks the heart of the millions of americans. >> it's called between life and death, and its director, nick opole, joining me now. congratulations, by the way. i'm really looking forward to watching this. i remember watching the story of terri schiavo intently at that time, after i just graduated from college. i think this is going to be really incredible for a lot of folks to see. it's a debate that's happening now. i know that you spoke with many of her family, friends, activists as well. take us through the process of this documentary. >> but the terri schiavo case was a seismic moment in political history and we re-examined the case and we go through the whole story of this intense family drama. but we also want to connect the dots and show how the case has had a lasting impact on our political climate and our culture wars today. i think that was our sort of mission that we set out to do when we started making the documentary. >> what was it, personally, for you, about's story, the issues within her story that made you want to tell it? >> to me, i think this case brings up some really profound questions at the intersection of faith and politics. it asks how much should the government be involved in our private lives, and it also asks who gets to decide if a life is worth living. and those really provocative questions are at the core of our human experience. they were sort of our guiding questions as we started making the film. >> what was it like as a filmmaker to watch some of this emotional footage, to be there for these emotional interviews. we were taking a listen to her brother,'s brother, and that one clip that we played, he was pleading with anybody, with lawmakers, anybody, to quote unquote, as he said, stop the madness. what was your reaction to that? >> definitely. the interviews are very emotional. for the people who lived this experience, it was incredibly emotional and traumatic experience. beyond the politics, the core of the film is really following this family, this family that was divided by tragedy and profound grief. our approach was to approach that portrait empathically. a lot of people will bring preconceived ideas and beliefs about this case and about the issues the case brings up when they watch the film. our hope is that when they finish watching, they will come away with sort of a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the other side. >> her husband did not participate in the film. did you approach him? >> oh, definitely, yeah. we gave michael lots of opportunities to participate. for him, you know, the spotlight was really traumatic for him back then. i think he did want to go through that again. luckily, we went through nbc's archives. in the process of making this film, we found some incredible interviews with michael from various stages of the case. including early stages of the case, before the media, the spotlight shone so brightly and he was emotionally vulnerable then. a really revealing interview. that is in the film. >> we learn more about who terri schiavo was as a person, before all of this even happened. some of which many of us don't even really remember because all we remember is the trauma, the afterwards when she was in a coma. what was she like? >> terri, you know, by all accounts was a really fun loving, amazing person. yeah, we talk with her family and her family participated fully in the documentary and they helped us understand who she was as a person before this really tragic accident. >> what do you want viewers to take away? >> i think that the film shows how terri's case, terri became a symbol for so many disparate issues. from disability rights to pro-life issues too right to die issues. but i think and hope that people will be able to be able to see the lasting political legacy, which is still affecting us today. but also can just understand, have a conversation about death, which is a really difficult conversation that we all avoid. i think one of the lasting legacies of the case is that people, you know, it forced americans to have a collective conversation about death, about dying, about end-of-life wishes. and actually, there was an uptick in the number of people who made living wills and advanced directives after this case happened back in 2005. one hopes that people will have those conversations with loved ones and maybe it will happen again. >> incredibly hard conversation. nick opole, thank you so much. appreciate it. by the way, you can watch between life and death, terry schiavo's story tonight at ten pm eastern right here on msnbc, streaming on peacock as well. you do not want to miss that. after the break, everybody, as the house gop repairs to vote to move ahead on the impeachment of president biden, as early as this week, hunter biden has thrown a wrench in their plans by turning the tables on the republicans who want him to testify before congress. he says he will do it, but only if the public can watch. congressman oversight committee member russia krista murphy joins me next to talk about that. that when you have chronic kidney disease... ...there are places you'd like to be. like here. and here. not so much here. farxiga reduces the risk of kidney failure which can lead to dialysis. ♪far-xi-ga♪ farxiga can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. when you have chronic kidney disease, it's time to ask your doctor for farxiga. because there are places you want to be. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. ♪far-xi-ga♪ this afternoon, gop lawmakers are indicating they will push forward with impeachment efforts against president biden. how speaker mike johnson signaling saturday he plans to tee up a formal vote on an impeachment inquiry, calling it a necessary step, saying i think it is something we have to do at this juncture. all this happening after past impeachment investigations against president biden turned up absolutely nothing. join me now with reaction to the latest news is illinois congressman raja krishnamoorthi. congressman, thank you for joining us on this, appreciate it. i want to begin with these latest on impeachment efforts here against the president. what are you hearing and expecting from this? >> i think after the first impeachment hearing, which did not go so, well there wasn't a shred of evidence implicating the president in any wrongdoing, they have decided to go for a desperation way and a vote on the floor for an impeachment inquiry. but again, on football sunday, we should remember that desperation plays are usually the hail mary, the last play of the game. it appears this is the only play in their playbook at this point. i don't think it's going to go anywhere. >> i want to talk about the former president as well, who's essentially out there now saying on the campaign trail, no, in fact i am the defender of democracy. hence why you need to reelect me to the white house. what do you make of that? >> well, of course, that is ludicrous, given how much donald trump has done to undermine democratic norms. of course, we know what his agenda is going to be in a other term, if he were somehow reelected, he would further erode our democracy. he would also, for instance, give immunity to all those january 6th insurrectionists who are going through the legal justice system right now, criminal justice system in most cases. i think his claims are just laughable at this point. >> let's talk hunter biden for a moment. on fox news today, house oversight committee chair james comer said, now is the time to depose him. i want to take a listen to that and then we will talk. >> we have to depose him because we have five, six, five or 600 specific questions about specific transactions that we need to know, you know, what they did to receive the millions and millions of dollars around the world, and what level of involvement joe biden had. >> biden is offering to testify as well. what do you make of this back and forth? >> i think hunter biden is probably responded in an appropriate fashion. he basically said i'm willing to answer any question that you have, i just want to do so out in the opposite and open to the public and hear from me. because the risk of a private deposition happening and then having the majority do what they always do, which is distort what happened in private and then basically create a narrative that is at odds with reality, is very high. i think hunter biden is correct to ask for a public opportunity to answer any questions the majority has. >> do democrats have any recourse to force a public hearing for hunter biden? >> as you, know it would be voted on in committee. unfortunately, we don't have the majority of votes, but we certainly can use our -- which we are doing right now to say, look, if you have questions, bring them in and let's have a hearing. let him answer them out in the open. >> liz cheney, this new book out, it is called oath and honor. she talked about kevin mccarthy's trip and how he justified it's when he visited the former president after january 6th. he said it was because he wasn't eating and he was depressed after losing his reelection bid. what do you make of this justification for that finalist shiny? >> yasmin, a lot of us who lost elections, including myself, i can understand how someone would be despondent over losing an election, but you don't go out and create an insurrection at that point. you know, hillary clinton and al gore both last very close elections when they actually won the popular vote. they didn't go out and try to overturn the election results. for mr. mccarthy to say that he was going to go down there and help him get through his stages of grief is one thing. but then the very next day, to then support donald trump and his narrative that somehow there was fraud in the election, and then worse, to turn the other way after the insurrection happened, to object to the certification of votes, and then to avoid calling for his impeachment and resist that following all the series of risks that happened, it's just completely unacceptable. >> congressman, we thank you, appreciate it. a quick programming note, everybody. tomorrow on the rachel maddow show, former congresswoman liz cheney joins official to talk about her new book, out and, honor in which she reveals how republicans braided her and the threat she feels former president trump poses to democracy. that's tomorrow night, -- in less than an hour, the president and first lady will host a reception in honor of the new as group of kennedy center honors. a live report from the white house coming up next. and they make it simple. he's right. with the medicare helpline, powered by selectquote, a licensed sales agent will do the work for you. we simplify choosing a medicare advantage plan with our easy 3-step process. we work with many of the nation's most recognized insurance companies, on your behalf, to find the right plan for your needs. susan told us: “my experience was outstanding, easy, and informative. i got all my questions answered and left the conversation feeling excited about the decisions i made.” the annual enrollment is october 15 to december 7. to find out about the medicare advantage plans with benefits available to you, call the medicare helpline now. welcome. call this number for a free plan review back this afternoon, president biden and the first lady are hosting a reception for the newest attendees and honorees to commemorate the era lifetime achievements in art and entertainment. actor queen latifah, comedian britley crystal headline this year's group of artists. -- with more on this. erin, who else is on the list here? >> reporter: gonna be a big celebration here at the white house in just over half an hour or so here, yasmin. you listed some of this year's class of kennedy center honors 's. they were hosted at the state department last night for a state dinner. we are talking about very gibbs, from the bee gees, a singer there, as well as several others you listed, queen latifah, the rapper, singer, and actress, her real name is dana owens. she will be honored at the kennedy center tonight and here at the white house. billy crystal, the actor comedian as, well and dion -- who's had more than sanity -- and renee fleming, you see in the photo there in the green, she is also is an opera singer, soprano who's had an amazing career as well. so that's really where the kennedy's honors centers is all about. these individuals have had a lifetime incredible contributions to the arts the performing arts for these people celebrated by the president and first lady here at the white house this afternoon. and then at the kennedy center tonight. >> that seems like the secretary of state is having a good time alongside those artists as well so many images that we've been showing here, aaron gilchrist, thank you so much. appreciate it. last night, everybody, the band kissed close at the final performance of their farewell tour but it won't be the last time fans see them. during their encore, kissed performed one of their hits using digital avatars, teeing up the next chapter of their legacy, one that is virtual. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and the band says the new format will allow them to live on forever. you've got a left kisses farewell tour. an incredible musical talent to say the least that will span decades. that wraps up for me, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian. you can catch me tomorrow, 10 am eastern, right here on msnbc, filling in for ana cabrera. i'm also going to be back in the chair right here next saturday and sunday at two pm eastern at my friend symone picks up things right now. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> greetings, everyone. you are watching symone. with israel shifting its offensive to southern gaza and warning palestinians to evacuate again, there is mounting pressure from u.s. officials to protect civilians. and the national security council's john kirby tells nbc news the united states did not have any advance warning or knowledge of hamas's october attack plan. in response to reports that israel obtained a plan over a year ago. we are talking to a former israeli peace negotiator about where this conflict goes from here. house speaker mike johnson thinks he has the votes to authorize an impeachment inquiry into president biden. but did this already happen? i don't, know you tell me. maybe this will happen this week. this