Today, the president elect will make his way from wilmington to washington where he will lead the nation at the Lincoln Memorial in remembering those who have died from covid19 and the timing could not be more somber. Our nation just crossed 400,000 covid deaths overnight, almost a year to the day the first case in our country was detected in seattle on january 21st, 2020. Lets start with our reporters on the ground, Geoff Bennett in delaware where the president elect is spending his final hours before being sworn in, Allison Barber a few blocks from where im standing at d. C. s Union Station. Allison got rare access to a place that has historically played host to inaugural balls a major transportation hub, not this year, Garrett Haake following the confirmation hearings behind me on the hill. Geoff, were learning more about president elects bidens plan for today and tomorrow as well. What more can you tell us about that . Hey, craig. Just hours to go before joe biden is sworn in as the nations 46th president , hes set to deliver farewell remarks here in wilmington later this afternoon before he boards that plane and heads to washington. Later this evening as you mentioned, both he and Vice President elect Kamala Harris will speak at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool as part of the nationwide covid memorial to mark the now more than 400,000 american lives lost due to the pandemic. Fast forward to tomorrow morning, the president elect will start his day with some prayer and worship, headed to church and im told by a transition official that he decided to invite the top democratic and Republican Leaders in congress. Schumer, pelosi, mcconnell and mccarthy, and theyve accepted. After he is sworn in he and his team will get down to business, set to unveil a sweeping legislation related to immigration where he will offer an eightyear path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, a faster route for dreamers and the day one executive actions including from reversing President Trumps socalled muslim travel ban, hes going to re join the paris climate agreement, rejoin the World Health Organization and that Keystone Pipeline permit and stop federal executions and that list we should say is not exhaustive theres more to it than that. Theres only so much that can fit on the tv screen. The message im getting from bidens team is that their goal is to go big, not just because of the many crisis the country faces and that joe biden will inherit but because of the scale and severity of the need, craig. Geoff bennett in wilmington. Stand by if you can. Allison, this is a city on edge, a city i know well and worked here a number of years, so did you, a city you know well. Youre at Union Station and it looks entirely different compared to past inaugurations. What are you seeing there . Yeah, it really does. This is a major transportation hub in fact northeast. This is a transportation station, joe biden has taken the train here to head to work to start their workweek on capitol hill just across the street. This is also a place that has played an integral part in many president ial inaugurations in the past. President george w. Bush held an inaugural ball here. President obama held one here in 2009. President trump did in 2017. President bill clinton did in 1996. Walk with me here because i want to take you inside and show you what it looks like today after seeing what it looked hike in the past. If you walk through here, you will see just how empty it is today. You could almost hear a pin drop in here. There are not a lot of voices in here so any time people are talking, you hear their voices echo and bounce across all of the walls. This year there will be no inauguration balls. Covid19 made that impossible. Union station, a beautiful building, a place that is normally full of life, a building that has stood here for over 100 years and has repeatedly been part of president ial inaugurations is mostly silent. Why . Because of serious security threats and a global pandemic. Craig . Allison, what about the trains that are set to amtrak, of course, uses Union Station. What about those trains and even d. C. s subway as well . Yeah. Is the d. C. Metro entrance for the Union Station stop on the red line through those doors down there, that is closed. Its one of 13 metro stops in the city that have been closed this week. Look at the board for departures and arrivals, amtrak trains are back in this other direction, the board up here, you can see not a lot of arrivals or departures. Amtrak has suspended most of their routes that head south of washington, d. C. So people coming from northeast, this is the last stop for now. Craig . All right. Allison barber at a Union Station that does not look like the Union Station that weve become accustomed to seeing. Mr. Haake, not far from where im standing, a slew of confirmation hearings for bidens nominees on the hill. These buildings are anything but silent. All of the Senate Office buildings humming with activity today and we will see five confirmation hearings before the day is out for biden nominees from the secretary of the treasury to the dhs secretary, largely folks in that Homeland SecurityNational Defense space today. Some of these hearings are at least partially remote but many senators have returned and grappling with what could be a busy start to their session trying to confirm biden nominees, trying to work on potentially another covid rescue package and by the way, theres this Senate Impeachment trial hanging over all of this which no one knows when that will begin. I asked senator mitt romney about the sort of challenge of doing all of these things at once outside the dhs hearing just a short time ago. Heres what he told me. Very important that we have a secretary of Homeland Security in place as soon as possible. I hope that we can do both as quickly as possible and provide the justice that would be anticipated in an impeachment trial, at the same time carry out the responsibilities we have to get to a cabinet confirmed. Reporter interesting historical footnote to all of this, these hearings are being chaired by republicans. Remember, democrats will take control of the senate in that 50 50 split but not until the two georgia senators and california senator who will replace Kamala Harris are sworn in tomorrow. One last day of at least nominal republican control of the senate today as these nominations start to move forward. Thats right. War new york, ossoff and padilla. Thank you. Lets turn to adrian elrod, director of talent and external relations for the Biden Inaugural committee and was also the director of surrogates for the biden president ial campaign. Its been a while. Thanks, craig. You too. You and your colleagues have been planning this for weeks. Walk us through what we can expect, tomorrow, for biden as he prepares to assume office . Any hints about possible surprises perhaps that you can share with us . Well, [ inaudible ] we will be joining lady gaga and Jennifer Lopez at the swearingin ceremony tomorrow. But heres what i can tell you about tonight. Were going to honor those nearly 400,000 people who have lost their lives to covid by doing a memorial on the mall, early this evening. The president elect will be there and a special moment to honor those who have lost their lives and honor the frontline workers who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic. Tomorrow is the big day. Thats the swearing in. As i mentioned, you know, youll see a number of performers. We also have this incredible young woman amanda who will be giving the poem at the swearing in and then, of course, throughout the day, weve got a virtual parade that you can watch if you want to wear your pajamas and watch it from the comfort of your home thats what i would recommend and that evening we announced we have a concert that will be taking place aired on all Major Networks including msnbc, with tom hank hosting, Bruce Springsteen will be performing, john legend. Its going to be a special day. Again, craig, you can watch all of this sitting in your house, grab your cup of coffee and watch it all day. Lets talk about tonight and what where you just mentioned, the president and the very elect speaking at the reflecting pool honoring the 400,000 lives wave lost to coronavirus over the past year. Talk about the significance of that, having the commander in chief, the incoming commander in chief, acknowledge the reality of where we are as a country with this pandemic . I dont think there was ever a question, craig, honoring those who have lost their lives and reflecting on this moment was going to be a part of this inauguration. That was something that is important to the president elect, important to the Vice President elect and to the entire team. Thats a huge priority rolling up your sleeves and figuring out how to get more vaccinations to piece. Thats been a priority during this transition process. There was no doubt that was going to be a special moment. For us on the plank side we wanted to make sure we had something that rose to the occasion and what you will see tonight at the reflecting pool at 5 30 eastern standard time, will meet that moment. The stakes always high for inaugural addresses. Allies telling nbc news that mr. Bidens speech is an opportunity to build on the leadership role that hes been playing throughout the transition. What kinds of themes should we expect to hear him touch on, adrian . Well, you know, craig the entire theme that we have played up during this inauguration is unity. America coming together. The president elect has made it clear no matter who you voted for in this campaign, no matter what side of the aisle you fall on, he wants to bring this country together. That message of unity is going to be something that youre going to hear a lot. It also just happens to be something that we consistently talk about during the inauguration. He made it very clear during the campaign, craig, that build back better was his priority, which is get people back to work, focusing on, you know, the pandemic but also getting people back to work and bab in jobs they want to be doing. So not just getting people back to work, but jobs that are that are becoming of their skill set. You will hear him talk about that, a message of unity but also getting to work tomorrow afternoon and his entire White House Team will be getting to work tomorrow afternoon too. While, you know, the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration is something youre going to see tomorrow, you have to keep in mind people are actually going to be working and were not missing a beat when it comes to getting to work for the american people. Adrian, the city is largely unrecognizable. Its a fortress, 25,000 guard troops, fbi not taking chances and vetting Service Members. How are the committees feeling about security at tomorrows events . I think we feel very good about security. You have to keep in mind that the United States secret service, regardless of who the president was going to be, has been working on this inauguration and security around this inauguration for well over a year along with a variety of other Security Partners including National Park service, so the wheels have been in motion on making sure that this is extremely secure. As you mentioned there are over 20,000 guardsmen in washington, d. C. I live in this city and im here and see it. I feel exceptionally safe and i can just tell you that our Security Partners have gone above and beyond to make sure this is a very safe inauguration. Again, we made it clear we dont want people to come to washington, d. C. Were in the middle of a pandemic. We dont want to create a super spreader event which is why weve created so much content on our website thats going to be streaming on twitter, facebook, Biden Inaugural. Org. See all of our content without having to step foot in the city or leave your home. Thats what we encourage folks to do tomorrow. Thank you for your time and i dont think ive seen you since the election. Congratulations and good luck. Thanks, craig. We are tracking those three confirmation hearings for president elect bidens cabinet nominees right now in the senate. We are going to keep a very close eye, very close ears on it and bring you any updates for director of national intelligence, Homeland Security security and treasury. We can tell you dni nominee avril haines would look into qanon, that was a specific request from martin himerick of new mexico. One bit of news thats come out of that hearing so far. Well talk more about the massive security efforts to keep tomorrows inauguration safe. Ill talk to former fbi assistant director frank fagoozi about the vetting happening right now. This is msnbc. Tting happening right now. This is msnbc. 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Weve got you covered. So join the carrier rated 1 in customer satisfaction. And get a new Samsung Galaxy starting at 17 a month. Learn more at xfinitymobile. Com or visit your local xfinity store today. Qanon supporters, posing as National Guard members, thats a new concern reportedly being raised by the fbi this morning. According to the washington post, quote, the fbi privately warned Law Enforcement agencies monday that far right extremists have discussed posing as National Guard members in washington and others have reviewed maps or vulnerable spots in the city, signs of potential efforts to disrupt wednesdays inauguration. To talk about that and more we turn to frank figliuzzi, a former fbi assistant director for counterintense and now a National Security analyst and the author of the fbi way, inside the bureaus code of excellence. Frank, always good to have your perspective, especially on days like this, though. The fbi is vetting these Service Members and weve been talking about that for the last few days. How does the bureau even start to vet some 25,000 guard members in the span of a few days, frank . Its a daunting challenge and its one thing, craig, to counter an external threat. Its another challenge entirely when trying to encounter the insider threat. Heres what vetting of 25,000 people quickly looks like and what it doesnt include, which worries me. Credit criminal checks, background, theyre not likely, those troops arent likely to have had significant criminal background problems or they wouldnt be in the National Guard. Theyll be checked to see if theyre on any terror watch list, unlikely but there may be a couple that are caught. Warning signs of radicalization, really rest within your social media posts, right. You dont use your true name and twitter handle or screen name and so trying to go through social media posts of 25,000 people who you really cant identify truly online and see warning signs and indicators of radicalization, thats probably not what the fbi is staffed or even able, even lawfully able to do. Now were facing the challenge of stolen National Guard uniforms which is always a problem for any kind of event. The stolen access badges and the lan yards, the purchase of in a black market environment, of authentic lanyards and access badges. Wow. I mean youve talked about the threat of domestic terrorism before, but youve also said that the fbis hands are often tied when it comes to investigating domestic terrorism. How is that and why is that, frank . Yeah. I view this as a teachable moment for all of us because a lot of people just assume there is a domestic Terrorism Law that makes it illegal to be a domestic terrorist. There is not. We have that on the International Terrorism side. We can even designate groups and organizations as International Terror groups and it provides the fbi with special investigative tools that ease up the restrictions. If youre associated with one of the designated groups and you trip into their chat rooms and associations youre going to come under scrutiny. We have nothing like that on the domestic side to help the fbi prevent something before it happens. Why is that . Well, we have to have a National Discussion about this. Its whether or not were prepared to have our federal government take a hard look at our own people. You know, at an extreme it could be abused and exploited. A corrupt president could declare his enemies as a group and here comes federal Law Enforcement spying on them. We have to recognize First Amendment speech rights and dont want to police ideology, be want to police violence, but we cant wait for the violence to happen, thats too late. Theres been many proposed bills in congress for a domestic Terrorism Law. Theyve gone nowhere. Its tim to renew that discussion and get this right. As weve been talking about here fort worth last couple hours the confirmation hearing under way as we speak for the department of Homeland Security secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas. In his opening statements, there he is, live look, mr. Mayorkas, he cited the threat of domestic terrorism, frank. How encouraged were you to hear that . Well, im extremely encouraged. He is a highcaliber, experienced individual, but look, this should be no surprise it should be the focus. Chris wray has testified recently on the hill saying domestic terrorism has become our number one threat and went a step further in that group its hatebased domestic terror. We cant pretend its not there when the fbi director says its our number one threat. Transition officials have told nbc news that domestic terrorism is going to be a key focus of the incoming president s National Security council. Nsc. What, frank, can bidens incoming National Security team do differently to make us safer . So first, weve already talked about legislative solutions, investigative tools, designating certain domestic groups getting that right but people should understand this is not entirely a Law Enforcement solution. Were talking about a segment of our population that has essentially been radicalized over the last four years and a deradicalization problem that needs to be wholistically approached by private corporations, social media platforms, clergy, educators, teachers, everyone all hands on deck, seeking the truth, exposing people to sunshine and essentially deradicalizing a significant part of our population. Frank figliuzzi, we always learn something when we have you on, thank you, sir. Always appreciate you and be well. We are watching these live pictures from three, count them three, key Senate Confirmation hearings right now for president elect joe bidens nominees, moments ago republican senator James Lankford asked dhs nominee Alejandro Mayorkas about border barriers. Langford asked mayorkas whether he will support dismantling barriers or we needed more. Mayorkas said he needed to study the issue a bit more. A live look at these confirmation hearings under way. Were going to go live to the white house in a few moments to see how President Trump is going to spend his last 24, almost 25 hours in office. First, though, my today show colleague, Jenna Bush Hager sat down for an exclusive conversation with soontofirst daughter ashley biden. They talked about what she expects tomorrow morning. So on wednesday. Yes. When you were standing in front of the capitol next to your parents. Yeah. What do you think will be going through your mind . I think im going to take in the moment and just be fully present. I know beau will be there with us. What do you think he will be thinking . Oh, its hes so proud. Hes so, so proud. Hes so proud of dad. So, so pr. Hes so proud of dad son no dad, its a video call. You got to move the phone in front of you like. Like its a mirror, dad. You know . Alright, okay. Hows that . Is that how you hold a mirror . [ding] power e trade gives you an awardwinning mobile app with powerful, easytouse tools and interactive charts to give you an edge, 24 7 support when you need it the most and 0 commissions for online u. S. Listed stocks. Dont get mad. Get e trade and start trading today. What do you think he will be what do you think he will be President Trump has just about 24 1 2 hours left in office. He has no Public Events on his schedule for his final day. But he is expected to issue a list of pardons in these final hours. Nbcs monica alba is at the white house for us. What more do we know about the president s plans for today, plans for tomorrow morning . What do we know about those pardons . Craig, its striking given that this is the last full day for President Trump in office and there is Nothing Specific on his public schedule. Its become a little bit of a running joke among his critics that the only thing weve seen on the daily guidance is this reference to the president allegedly waking up early in the morning, working late into the evening and according to the white house, having many meetings and many calls. They dont happen to read out or give us any details necessarily about what those are in any public fashion, but we do know, craig, to your point, that the president has been in discussions over the last 48 hours with his closest aides including his soninlaw Jared Kushner about what pardons and commutations will be issued and we expect those to come essentially at any time, it could be as soon as this afternoon or this evening. All of that has to be finalized before noon tomorrow. We do expect dozens and dozens of pardons, but not on the list were told at least at this moment, this could change, it doesnt seem the president will be poised to do a selfpardon, something that had been very controversial and at this time we dont think hes going to be doing any preemptive pardens for members of his family either. Subject to change. Welling be looking once the list does come at at the notable names on it, but there might be many that are unfamiliar to most americans. As we are talking about this horrific milestone and marker of more than 400,000 dead from the covid19 pandemic, that is not something that current occupant of 1600 pennsylvania avenue is addressing in any formal way instead monica, standby for just a moment. I want it show folks at home really quickly, the scene here outside the capitol. That was the last of i would say roughly a dozen or so military vehicles streaming inside to the sort of next layer through the next layer of security. Last night we came through two layers. This is a third layer. The other side of the capitol where the inauguration happening. I didnt mean to interrupt you but i wanted folks to get a sense of what its like here in the Nations Capital. Monica. Not at all, craig. You lived here for some time. Ive been here for the last five years, and i live not far from capitol hill. It is a completely surreal scene to see this in your backyard and neighborhood and weve been seeing that over the last couple days, those fences that have been erected around a place that most people in the capitol hill neighborhood love to bike and walk around. It is completely bewildering to see it so militarized at this moment because of security threats from potential other americans. With the coronavirus pandemic, before january 6th, one of the main concerns and reasons for scaling back the inauguration. The president now is trying to issue and say he wants to ease up on some travel restrictions globally that he had put into place, but now with the incoming biden team, we are getting the first sthals that they actually plan to keep those travel bans in place, specifically as it connects to those who are coming from abroad who may be sick with coronavirus. Thats a huge change that were going to see and a major problem for the Incoming Administration coming into their lap tomorrow at noon, theyre ready, they say, to take it head on. It also signals to you, craig, that as president elect biden once sworn in is going to try to undo a lot of what the Trump Administration did, there will be some things he wants to keep in place to try to keep americans safe, they argue, craig . Monica alba from the white house on the other side of where im standing thank you. Lets get perspective from msnbc political analyst Michael Steele, former chair of the Republican National committee and with us msnbc president ial historian michael berb love. Two michaels i have to use your first and last names. Mr. Steele, well start with you. Our political unit put together some examples of the best figures that we have from when President Trump took office compared to now. Well start with unemployment. Unemployment going from 4. 7 to 6. 7 . The dow has climbed from around 19,800 to more than 30,800. The number of americans living below the Poverty Level has dropped from 40. 6 million in 2016 to 34 million today. The federal budget deficit has jumped from 584 billion in 2016 to some 3. 3 trillion in 2020. President trump ran on the economy. How would you characterize the state of the economy he leaves behind . Well, you know, its a very mixed conversation when it comes to the economy because as those statistics show, there are spots that are good and strong where Poverty Levels are lower and unemployment we know what the distortion was there with respect to covid19. In a noncovid environment the unemployment numbers would probably be very strong. Its a mind boggling moment to think about the good stuff that the administration could have talked about in this 2020 president ial cycle. They got nowhere close to. They did not create a conversation around those things that were good that could benefit. It also showed the disparity, the continuing disparities of the imbalance in the economic recovery. Wall street doing well from 19,000 to 30,000. But thats not necessarily reflected on the streets of main street america. And so thats the other achilles heel that comes out of the mibsed messaging of this economic conversation that i thought the president could have tackled head on but as we all know, that, you know, wasnt about him, it was about the economy and he didnt want to talk about it. Michael beschloss, President Trump ending his term on a low note. According to gallup the president leaving office with a 34 approval rating, the lowest of his time in office and that is saying a lot. What do you hope, michael beschloss, what do you hope we see from him as he enters this phase of postpresidency . Repentance and atonement for the terrible job he has done as president. Craig, the worst thing a president of the United States can do is what donald trump did in the last couple of weeks. He delib plately incited an insurrection against the United States congress to overturn a free and fair president ial election and came really close to assassinations and hostage takings that could have fractured our democracy. Weve had president s for over 200 years. I dont know any president who has done anything as bad as that. As much as we might say 400,000 plus americans have lost their lives to covid, many of them did not need to dies but for his bad leadership and Miss Management of the economy that Michael Steele is talking about, and the fact that Racial Injustice and systemic racism have had a champion and a friend in the oval office for four years, hard for me to see anything good that donald trump has done that will outweigh all that. Michael steele, in pennsylvania alone, about 4100 republicans have switched their Voter Registration in just one week. Thats according to the secretary of States Office there in pennsylvania. That, of course, in the wake of the insurrection at the capitol behind me. Nbc is more bearish, went to cumberland county, a republican stronghold, and talked to a Republican Party official about that specifically. Heres what they said. The spike was way out of form compared to what we would normally see. Theres always a baseline number of folks who are changing parties. This was very attention getting. It apparently was not a oneday phenomenon and it could go on for a while. We have to determine if were going to remain committed to the historic republican principles or if the party is going to shift and potentially split. Michael steele, i mean what do you say to that . Where does your party go from here . I say strap in. That 4,000 voter drop is just the tip of a very, very long, tall iceberg that the party is going to have to contend with. You know, you can one off that and say its not a big deal, you can say that thats not indicative of where the party is going to go. It is. When you are losing republican members and youre left with qanon and proud boys, youve got to reassess whether or not you are even close to being a viable party. And thats going to be a big part of the conversation for the gop. A lot of us have been warning about it and trying to jumpstart it so that we can have that serious, internal discussion, but folks still want to hang with trump. So you will literally hang with him. Because there is no future when youre dropping 4,000 voters in a week. And so thats just pennsylvania. We know how important pennsylvania is in the president ial electoral season and that can also spell big problems down ballot when you get into legislative races, et cetera. Theres a lot for the party to consider here. Two michaels, not enough time. Michael steele, michael beschloss, a thanks to both of you on this inauguration eve. Thanks. Right now here in washington, d. C. , and across the country, families are hurting, businesses are hurting, how this pandemic has made this inauguration unlike any other. We also want to show you live pictures from inside the capitol once again because just a few moments ago, left side of your screen, of course, president elect joe bidens treasury secretary nominee janet yellen, miss yellen was talking about the Economic Relief she thinks makes the most sense in this pandemic. She said that she thinks its better to spend right now to spend right now, to get out of the pandemic. She also went on to say Economic Relief will lead to lowering the debt in the long run as the economy grows. Janet yellen saying that just a few moments ago. Apparently in between when her shot would freeze there during her virtual confirmation hearing. Well be right back. This is msnbc. ll be right back. This is msnbc. This morning our country hit an Unthinkable New milestone in this pandemic. Heres the latest facts at this hour. We have lost 400,000 american lives to this virus, thats 400,000 people gone in less than a year. Get this, it took us a little more than a month to add another 100,000 new covid deaths. Thats the fastest increase ever. Just 1. 6 million americans have received both vaccine doses according to the cdc. Overnight the Trump Administration announced the end of restrictions on air travelers from europe and brazil starting after he leaves office but president elect joe biden said not so fast and quickly rejected the idea, thats likely not going to happen. Here in d. C. Right now, shops and restaurants in the Nations Capital are already hurting because of the pandemic and now they face a devastating drop in business ahead of one of the citys biggest events every four years. Were talking about the president ial inauguration. Msnbc Senior Business correspondent Stephanie Ruhle with me here in d. C. , hence the mask. You talked to one local Business Owner yesterday. What did they say about all of this . Craig, i talked to baunch. Think about it, d. C. Is known for government and tourism. Because of covid we know how much tourism has hurt but there is a thought this would be somewhat of a little comeback but now with 7 of the city on lockdown, i know that seems like a small portion, but even the mayor saying dont come to d. C. Its been devastating for businesses. Take a look. In the anticipation of getting some inauguration business, but now everything is all the downtown businesses are shut down, the city is in lockdown. Usually january is a slow month. In washington, d. C. , especially, we look forward to the inauguration because it really boosts our business by 40 or 50 . But this year it wont. Craig, beyond restaurants think about all the tshirt guys, the bootleg tshirts that would be sold on the national mall, there are garages full of inauguration 2021 tshirts and where are those guys going to sell them . Theyre not. Real money and more loss. To your point, because i mean again folks who live in d. C. , the bootleg tshirt business for a special event is big business. A lot of these folks dont have websites and not putting them on the web. Its not like going to Online Shopping thats not an option. When you see food trucks and Street Vendors ordered all their supplies and have no tourists, i get it the tourists arent here because of security issues, that doesnt change. This is risking lives what we saw two weeks ago and now livelihoods. Stephanie ruhle, thanks. Thank you. Just over 24 hours from now, Kamala Harris becomes the countrys first female Vice President , she becomes the first Vice President of south asian descent and she also becomes the first black Vice President. Up next, well go live to howard university, the hishistorically black university that helped shape her politics and career e. D shape her politics and career e. Like an unjection™. Xeljanz. 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Stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing. Serious side effects may include pancreatitis. Tell your doctor if you have Diabetic Retinopathy or vision changes. Taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. Common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. Some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. Onceweekly ozempic® is helping me reach my blood sugar goal. Oh, oh, oh, ozempic® you may pay as little as 25 for a 1month or 3month prescription. Ask your Health Care Provider today about onceweekly ozempic®. Keeping your oysters business growing has you swamped. You need to hire. I need indeed indeed you do. The moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a shortlist of quality candidates from a resume data base claim your seventyfivedollar credit when you post your first job at indeed. Com promo when someone is on the verge of making history, so much of their background is suddenly in the spotlight, and that is very much the case with Vice President elect Kamala Harris. Among her many firsts, she will be the first graduate of an hbcu to lead this country, a Historical Black College or university. Its a rshgable moment for her alma mater, howard, especially as more americans are learning about a school that has shaped the minds of so many influential black americans. Nbcs tremain lee is on the campus of howard university, a neighborhood i know well, not far from where i used to hang out on u street and live. So howards band is tapped to kick off the parade tomorrow. What are students telling you about all of this means for their beloved hu . Reporter craig, you can only imagine how excited not just the students are but everyone connected to howard university, how excited they are one of their own will help lead this country. This school has pumped out greats like thurgood marshall, tony morrison, so folks are looking at Kamala Harris as the next in line. I spoke with the president Wayne Frederick about what this moment means and he said its about more than sentimentality. Lets listen to what he had to say. The distance between right here, at northwest and 1600 pennsylvania avenue just is really small. I think thats important for them to know, that this seat of power in their government is not that far. Reporter that sense of power and excellence not far from this campus, following a long tradition that folks are overjoyed and thrilled, brimming with pride. I spent some time a month or two ago with arguably this countrys leading black intellectual and writer, and anyone whos ever gone to howard university, to your point, trymaine, they are quite proud, quite proud of hu. One more thing before i let you go, trymaine. Weve seen funding from some of the Biggest Companies in this country. What do you think her becoming Vice President could mean for the future of hbcus and the students they shape . Reporter i spoke to president Wayne Frederick a while ago once the money was announced that hundreds of millions of dollars would be spread to these schools. I heard time and again it would give them an opportunity to collaborate more with others and give these students, among the best and brightest across the country, more opportunities. These are not just legacy institutions. These are institutions that give a lot of kids an opportunity, again, highlighting the best and brightest. I want to say, back in 1996 i had the greatest time at Howard Universitys homecoming. I tore the si down. Howard was welcoming, but its about the party, about the power, and its about excellence, craig. Trymaine lee, thank you. That does it for me this hour. We will have full coverage of todays big confirmation hearings on the hill all day here on msnbc. Tonight, joy reed sits down with House Speaker nancy pelosi for an exclusive interview about the events at the capitol and the impeachment of President Trump. Thats tonight, 10 00 eastern, only on msnbc. First, though, Andrea Mitchell reports after a short break. [ engines revving ] its amazing to see them in the wild like th shhh. [ engine revs ] for those who were born to ride, theres progressive. Do you have a Life Insurance policy you no longer need . Now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. We thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. But we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. If you have one hundred thousand dollars or more of Life Insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. Dont cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what its worth. Visit conventrydirect. Com to find out if you policy qualifies. Or call the number on your screen. Coventry direct, redefining insurance. Im greg, im 68 years old. I do motivational speaking in addition to the substitute teaching. I honestly feel that thats my calling to give back to younger people. I think most adults will start realizing that they dont recall things as quickly as they used to or they dont remember things as vividly as they once did. Ive been taking prevagen for about three years now. People say to me periodically, man, youve got a memory like an elephant. Its really, really helped me tremendously. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Good day. Im Andrea Mitchell in washington where at this moment tomorrow just a few blocks from here, joseph biden will be taking the oath of office to become the 46th president of the United States, completing a dream he first had as a youthful senator 50 years ago. He inherits a broken country ravaged by the coronavirus and fractured by political divisions that ignited an insurrection on the very balcony where he will be delivering his inaugural address. The inaugural events officially kick off next hour when the president elect delivers farewell remarks in delaware before heading to washington, not on his beloved amtrak, his first choice, because of security concerns. Here in washington tonight, alongside Vice President elect Kamala Harris he will be at the Lincoln Memorial for the countrys First National commemoration honoring the 400,000 americans who have lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic