they are dahl. when asked about the decision by the leaders of texas and mississippi to lift mask mandates. message to texas and mississippi, texas and mississippi? . >>, i think it's a big mistake t. look, i hope they realize by now masks make a difference. we are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because the way in which we are able to get vaccines in people's arms. . >> the last thing, the last thing we need is neanderthal thinking in the meantime, everything is fine, take off your mask, forget it. it still matters. . >> that's the president on wednesday. here's what martha black burn of tennessee had to say about the president's comment. . >> we were called neanderthals when i led the fight against the imposition of a tax. i started the neanderthal caucus. they are hunter-gatherers, they are protecters of their family, they are resilient. they are resourceful. they tend to their own. so i think joe biden needs to rethink what he is saying about the states that are choosing to move away from these mask mandates. . >> i promise this will be over soon. one more, though. senator marco rubio tweeted, president biden's use of an old stereotype is hurtful to modern europeans, asians and americans who inherit about 2% of their genes from neanderthal ancestors. he should apologize for his insensitive comments and seek training on unconscious bias. tongue in cheek throwing identity politics back on president biden. . >> well, i have no comments. first of all, it's widely known senator blackburn is still the head of the neanderthal caucus, this time in the thaoeudz senate. my mom told me never to be a brag garth. but 2.8% of all of us have neanderthal, i'm up 12% to 13%. >> had you're an elite neanderthal. it's hard not to laugh outloud. >> mike has long been a defender of knee an der thals. i'm glad he is on set for this historic conversation. this is a nonsensical argument but one where republicans are trying to seize upon in a series of culture war assaults. that seems to be their attack line against the biden administration much we have seen them not cooperate with the covid relief bill. they have submarined one of his picks. they will have the bill likely passed in the coming days. they feel good about where they are in the cap net. it's back to the culture wars. in particular, willie, neanderthals, i shutter to think where they may turn next. . >> my gosh. anna palmer, is this real? they believe they're onto something like with deplorables when hillary clinton said that. >> it's a sideshow, right. anybody who is serious is not really taking up the issue and starting to cut attack ads against joe bidenor democrats. they're going to be focused on vaccines, getting the economy pack going. there's not a lot of things where they are pushing alignment on post trump era. >> we will move on here. the senate is moving forward on debate with president biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief. that vote came after democrats made changes to the house passed version of the bill, including lowering the cutoff for $1,400 relief checks and excluding a $1,500 minimum wage. they could pass the bill as soon as this weekend. but they appear to be setting up a long debate. as soon as the senate voted to proceed with the bill, wisconsin senator ron johnson insisted the entire 628-page bill be read out loud. he argued because of its price tag, we should know what's in the bill. majority leader chuck schumer dismissed the stunt as a delay tactic. . >> we know this will merely delay the inevitable. the senate clerks work hard day some and day out >> two senate clerks and other members took shifts reading the 628-page legislation. the effort began around 3:30 yesterday afternoon and ended at 2:04 a.m. this morning, nearly 11 hours in total. . >> usc 7544 a 1 for activities authorized a 23 of the elementary and secondary act of 1965, and other related activities. >> so anna palmer, the bill has been read. it wrapped up about four hours ago now. so what happens from here. we know there is some debate coming and a vote-a-rama. how soon can we expect it to pass if it will. . >> that is impressive speed reading. i don't know if i would be caused to take on that role and read the bill. it is basically going to be 20 hours where they can debate this bill. it is unclear if either side will take up the full 20 hours. then we go into the vote-a-rama. it's a free for all. they can put up any amendment. you will see a lot of delay tactics from republicans. they will try to force them into tough votes that can be political poison pills back home. but ultimately this will come the next couple of days. we think late friday, saturday, depending how much time each side takes. it's basically inevitable at this point that democrats will be the only story that supports this bill and it's going to be on a party line and go back to the senate. they are moving a pace. it is slow. it is washington. something could dam it up. this will be his first legislative victory. >> it looks like a straight party line vote is on the way. vice president harris had to come in and break the tie again. the first amendment we expect to hear in this so-called vote-a-rama is bernie sanders and that will be the $15 minimum wage will not be in this bill. what do you expect this final package to look like and what counts will some progress if's perhaps be disappointed? . >> well, i think -- well, first of all, instead of using knee an they are thal, maybe we should use vulgaria or trogladite. for many the pretkabgz of the $15 minimum wage will be an important issue. the reduction will be an issue. for the most part we will be concerned about the fact that over half a million americans are dead and people are out here suffering. and the 1.9 trillion package will do some work in this regard. i want to say this really quickly. with the $15 million minimum wage removed from the package, we need to think about that against the backtrack of the march bloody sunday. we need to look at it not as a historical fact but today. poverty actually overwhelms selma,s alabama in this moment. the fact that we don't have $15 minimum wage, we need to figure this out to stay in line. >> and we had an interview last week, his economic team said we are still going to pursue this $15 minimum wage. he has guaranteed people like bernie sanders and elizabeth warren they will stay on the $15 minimum wage. . >> they will get it one way or the other at some point. they will build up to the $15 minimum wage. jonathan, the introduction of this by bernie sanders potentially strikes a familiar chord in oddly enough to a lot of people, not to you probably, but to a lot of people the devotion that bernie sanders has had to the biden agenda has been really rewarding for the biden administration, no? . >> no, absolutely, mike. he's given them real cover and support on the left flank. biden ran for president, more of a moderate in the democratic primary field. not someone as far left as elizabeth warren or bernie sanders. he was trying to win back the blue collar democrats who donald trump took away in 2016. biden and senator sanders, first of all, relatively friendly. no personal animositity like there was between bernie sanders and hillary clinton. remember how bitter and extended that primary fight was. and senator sanders wouldn't get out even if it was clear senator sanders would be the nominee. this time he did get out when it was clear joe biden was going to be the democrat nominee. pine and his team have been talking to sanders. they have been grateful for his support. >> bernie sanders is there and push the minimum wage and other lefty agenda items, which is of course there's a wing in the democratic party, progressive wing that wants that, that needs that. there's a lot of energy there. they are pushing for it. as long as they draw their cues from him, stick with the white house, be patient, he will get some of the stuff done. it is a big sigh of relief to this point. >> it has been focused on the fact they believe it is bloated and a liberal wish list as some of them have called it. here is chris murphy on the floor of the senate rebutting that case. >> it's a little hard to listen to my republican colleagues claim this bill is too expensive when they were willing to spend the exact same amount of money in 2017 on tax cuts for their wealthy and millionaire friends. in many ways the crisis today is exponentially worse than it was a year ago when republicans, to a person, were willing to spend $2 trillion on the crisis. now, all of a sudden when democrats are in charge of the white house, when a democratic majority leader sits here in the united states senate, 1.9 trillion is too much money to spend on a crisis that is taking on a daily paves, three to four times the lives than a year ago. here is the second critique made over and over about about this bill. it's a partisan bill, republicans say. well, that is a complaint of republicans' own making. because it is only a partisan pill in the united states senate. 3 out of 4 voters support the american rescue plan. all of a sudden, since democrats took control of the white house and took control of the senate, all of these things categorized by covid relief in march are no longer covid relief. you're supposed to think of these as extras, as democratic priorities. 90% 9 5% of what's in the package we're voting on today is simply an extension of the same set of funding streams we authorized in a bipartisan way a year ago. and so this idea that this is a democratic wish list when we are essentially just extending or increasing the same funding streams that were in the c.a.r.e.s. act is nonsense. . >> anna, we have been talking about the approval of this package for the last couple of weeks now. even among republicans. a bill proposed my a democratic president in this age of division, 60% approval. what risks do republicans run when they vote against the big package of relief that would help many of their constituents as well. >> yeah. oftentimes we have these polls come out where issues are finding bipartisan support. but in congress they can't find bipartisan ship because of political reason. we are seeing a couple of things. donald trump didn't care how much he spent the last four years. republicans basic live gave a plank check on all of these big ticket items. the second thing is, i think they're having these provisions in passed acts, trying to stimulate the economy, get ahead of covid relief. and third, this is one of the only things republicans are kind of aligning on in this post trump era. they will return to this fiscal conservativeness, which was really the mantra of the early 2010s. but it went away under donald trump. we will see how that plays out with republican voters, particularly as it goes in the midterm election. if joe biden gets credit for getting vaccines out and the economy back on track, i think that's a pretty strong message for them to take to voters. >> eddie, is this the future of the next four years under president biden, most things are going to be 50/50 and vice president kamala harris will have to make the trip down pennsylvania avenue to break ties? you see republicans in a widely approved of package here, can't bring themselves to vote for it. but there will be things much more divisive than this they are going to have to vote on. is this what it's going to look like going forward? >> i think so, willie. all kaegzs suggest that. in some ways it has become the mod everyone day version of the no nothing party. what do they stand for? we just have to ask the question. they were against aca, they were going to replace it with something. what did they do? nothing. we got the $1.9 trillion tax cut that benefited the millionaires and the richest of the rich. but what do they stand for? how are they going to respond to the suffering out in the country? the only thing, to answer your question directly, it is the party of grievance, resentment, and the party of op 6 0s. there is no substantive agenda there. remember with the donald trump administration what was the platform? nothing. they just supported trumpism. we are seeing it acted day in and day out in the congress here. >> we will come back to the covid relief bill in a moment. "new york times" releasing a report that details the links the new york governor's office went to to conceal the number of nursing home deaths from coronavirus. last june a report written by state health officials noted 9,000 elderly residents had died during the pandemic to that point. the information was not public. governor andro cuomo's senior aides wanted to keep it that way. they rewrote the report to take the number out. six people with direct knowledge of the discussions. the intervention came as cuomo was starting to write a book on his pandemic response. at the same time, the state health department's data put the death toll roughly 50% higher than the figure being reported by his team. the nursing home deaths were included in the state's overall count. "the times" reporting special counsel from the governor's office released a statement that reads in part, the out of facility data was omitted after doh could not confirm it had been adequately verified -- this did not change the conclusion of the report. thrs a story that goes back many, many months. the nursing home deaths when initially governor cuomo issued that directive back in march sending patients from hospitals pack into nursing homes, leading to deaths. and now undercounting them, more evidence of that from the taoeupls this morning. . >> no question. it has been a steady stream of revelations as to what happens. the top aides, including the most powerful melissa derosa. it comes as the back drop against two things. justify the further clarity that so much of this might have been motivated by cuomo and his efforts to write that back during the pandemic. we remember the early days of the coronavirus. president trump would offer his scattershot briefings and cuomo was somber, serious, reassuring. a lot of people all over the country drew real comfort in that, even those who lived thousands of miles away from new york state, whose own states weren't battling the virus like cuomo did. he was praised. and now it comes against the pack drop of allegations of sexual harassment. cuomo is already in a politically weakened stance. he denied that he ever touched anyone inappropriately. we have been through that on this show. a number of women say they felt uncomfortable. he apologized this week for doing so. and it's a lot of elected officials in new york who have long been kowed by him. they have suddenly found their voices. he's in a vulnerable position right now. he may have a harder time surviving further questions into the investigation of the nursing homes. . >> we have nursing home deaths being undercounted, and three claims of sexual harassment against the governor. a poll out yesterday showed a majority of new yorkers want him to stay in office but don't want him to run for re-election. interesting dynamic there. we will stay on that story. still ahead on "morning joe", former president trump ramps up his attacks on top reps as he continued to assert control over the party. plus, moderate democrats growing frustrated with leadership strategy of passing high priority agenda actions without republican support. leigh-ann caldwell joins us with her new reporting on that when "morning joe" comes right back. k my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. growing frustrated with my joi, growing frustrated with swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™ leadership strategy of passing , leadership strategy of passing ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™ janssen can help you explore cost support options. the epson ecotank. no more buying cartridges. look at all this ink it comes with. big ink tanks. lots of ink. no more cartridges. incredible amount of ink. the epson ecotank. just fill and chill. ♪people have ideas♪ ♪ideas are all around♪ ♪you watch them, bag them, ride them into town♪ ♪and yet for every big idea that rose to wild acclaim♪ ♪there are so many more, that never found their fame.♪ ♪and some might seem bizarre to you,♪ ♪and some are only for a few...♪ ♪but many are small businesses that simply lack the tool♪ ♪to find excited people who will stop and say 'that's cool'♪ ♪there's an idea for everyone♪ ♪and you'll love yours, she'll love hers too♪ ♪these two get served up coffee, 'cause they adore the brew♪ ♪if you're the type who needs to cruise,♪ ♪or likes your bags in vivid hues,♪ ♪behold, it's there.♪ ♪these bikers got some new headwear.♪ ♪small businesses and people - make connections so profound♪ ♪and all 'cause personalized ads help good ideas get found.♪ ♪ ♪i've got the brains you've got the looks♪ ♪let's make lots of money♪ ♪you've got the brawn♪ ♪i've got the brains♪ ♪let's make lots of♪ ♪uh uh uh♪ ♪oohhh there's a lot of opportunities♪ with allstate, drivers who switched saved over $700. saving is easy when you're in good hands. allstate click or call to switch today. this legislation is there to protect the right to vote, to remove obstacles of participation. hr-1, for the people, for the people, the first 300 pages were written by john lewis. to remove voter suppression tactics from our political system. what's exciting about it is that it restores confidence that people have that their vote and their voice is as important as anyone's. . >> that is speaker nancy pelosi celebrating the passage of voting rights bill hr-1. every house republican voted against it. it is expected to die in the evenly split senate we have been talking about this morning. capitol hill correspondent leigh-ann caldwell. leigh-ann has new reporting this morning she's titling not interested. moderate democrats chafe as house moves fast on progressive priorities. which moderates? >> so, willie, this isn't necessarily about the covid bill. this is everything else that democrats are trying to do in the next few weeks. these big democratic agenda items. we have already seen some of them, including the lbgbtq, the george floyd legislation this week, looking ahead to gun rights bills that are expected to come up. perhaps some components of immigration, women's rights. but there's moderates, including problem-solvers caucus, include dogs who are concerned about the democratic strategy. and that is pushing the bills forward which mind you, have been passed in the last congress with the exact same way with no legislation to appeal to republicans. the reason that matters now is because the last bill they were just messaging the bills. mcconnell was never going to bring them up in the senate. now it reaches president biden's desk if there is those republicans support. remember they need 10 republicans to pass anything that's not done through reconciliation. a lot of moderates are saying, look, if we actually want our messaging bills to become law, we need to work with republicans and house speaker nancy pelosi has died just to push the bills forward in a very democratic way and very partisan way, willie. . >> as you know leigh ann, many others would say republicans have shown no willingness to work with us. why are we wasting our time to get the votes? we need to be bold, they would say, and push forward with our agenda. what does that look like internally between the moderates month would like to see outreach to republicans in the more progressive wing of the party. . >> some of the mod rats are saying, look, the legislation has gone in the wrong direction. equality act passed with fewer republicans than it did last congress. the george floyd bill had three republicans last kofpblgt it passed this week with zero republicans. so moderates are contemplating threatening their masses that they have tough no tank legislation if things tonight change. you saw a little bit of that regarding hr-1 bill. there are last-minute changes to that bill forced by moderates. eight of them is enough to cinque a bill in a very narrowly divided house of representatives. they said they were going to withhold support until there were some changes. the tactic worked. they got a little bit of what they wanted. they will not be afraid to use it if things run off the rails. and they are just not getting any results beyond the house of representatives. . >> so, anna, on the senate side we have the same polarization coming up. we have the vote a rama beginning in 20 hours of debate on both sides. my question to you is, when the amendments begin dropping, when republicans in the senate try to amend the bill, does the vice president have to be on hand for that entire time? are there going to be a series of votes taken for the vice president to cast the tie-breaking vote? >> i don't anticipate that she is going to be there for the entire vote a rama. most of these, as you know, are messaging and poison pill kind of amendments that are not in any, you know, kind of position to actually pass. but, you know, i'm sure she will be on stand-by. it will only be in the tie-breaking instance where there was actually a 50/50 split on something. we will have to see how that goes forward. we have not heard yet she is planning on being in her office in the next 48 to 72 hours. . >> so, eddie, on this tension between the republican and democratic party, democrats feel like we just endured four years of donald trump. we now have the house and senate and white house and it's time to do big things approximate push through. what is the push back they are getting and the desire by some to attempt to reach out to republicans? . >> well, you know, in some ways i find it baffling, willie. to pursue a bold agenda because i think there is a germ consensus that the country is broken, or at least there is some serious problems in that we have to respond at scale. so it doesn't make any sense, at least to me on its face, that we would return to a politics that existed prior to the ascent of trumpism, to the white house. that we would return to that which actually gave trump the white house. and then there is a basic practical question. what does it mean to work with republicans in this way? what would you concede? and the third point i would make, willie, is this. this is a strange echo of what happened in the context of radical reconstruction. there was a moment when moderates thought they could work with andrew johnson. and what happened was the south returned to the hands of those very folk who led the rebel yann that left 600 dead. it demands a response at scale we would hear folk, whether they're moderates or whatever, trying to return to old politics that in some ways contributed to giving us that in the first place >> thank you. we appreciate it. donald trump is spending the early part of his post-presidency attacking republicans. he issued a statement hammering karl rove after the long time op sieve wrote an op-ed criticizing his speech at cpac. and he went after mitch mcconnell, the most unpopular politician in the country, while claiming credit for helping him win re-election in kentucky. and he attacked "the wall street journal" editorial board. they wrote, for someone who says we don't matter, he sure spends a lot of time read something responding to us. thanks for the attention. it goes on, what really sees to rankle the most famous resident of mar-a-lago isn't his caricature of our policy differences. it's that we recognize the reality that mr. trump is the main reason republicans lost two georgia seats. . >> people are wondering is donald trump still in control of the republican party. we learned from cpac, his speech and the reaction of many republican senators, especially over the last two months or however long it's been since he's been gone that he is in fact, still at the levers of control of this party. >> there's no down about it. he is way more powerful than mitch mcconnell, karl rove and the wall street journal editorial page. i don't think there is that big on of a division. it is probably 60% to 70% of the party is with trump. it's why most house republicans are begging to come to march law -- mar-a-lago. he knows that's where the base of the party is. you go inside the polls, you see how people think about him. he resonates with most republicans. that's just the reality. while they love "the wall street journal" editorial page, it is the republican party that used to be. it's not the republican party that is today. yes, maybe it will return one day. but i don't think it will, actually. because if you look at the direction of the party, even when trump burns off, he's moved it from a party that was imed at wall street journal to everyone now talking about a working class party as opposed to a wall street party. it was a radical shift, a shift down by donald trump. as long as he's around, he's going to have a bigger megaphone, more authority than the journal. and why mitch mcconnell has cooled it in terms of his rhetoric by donald trump. he sees the backlash. he wasn't wrong. if you look at the polls, he is not a terribly popular politician, including among republicans. and donald trump can take some credit for that pause he's been sort of vicious in his attacking of him. . >> let's remember, of course, mitch mcconnell denounced donald trump from the floor of the senate the day that trump was acquitted in the second trial only to suggest if he was the party's nominee in 2024 he would support him again. so, jim, there was a moment there of some silence. trump was relatively quiet. now he's back out there. no tweets. but press releases. he started doing media appearances, the big cpac speech. what's the reporting you have as to what his next steps will be? there is skepticism he will have the discipline to form a a little bit apparatus to go after republicans in primaries that he feels were disloyal to him. is this just going to be him spouting off in press releases, doing more interviews? how will he impact the republican party and remain relevant as he eyes the moment where he will have to make a decision about 2024? >> jonathan, i think you nailed it. his weakness, one of his big weaknesses and why he didn't do more with this presidency, he's not an organizational guy. he is not thinking long-term strategy. it is all improvisation. yes, he wants to lord over the republican party. but creating another party would be way too many resources and focus to pull off. he does what you see today. he will try to find platforms, whether it's fox news, parler, whatever he ends up using with time to weigh in and heckle republicans who have turned on him, to air the tpraoef answers he has about different republicans who have turned on him. my guess is he will endorse candidates to be a pain to the republicans who are against hip. look at what he talks about in the press releases. he's obsessed with liz cheney, mitch mcconnell, anyone who voted for impeachment. he is just obsessed with anybody who is a republican who doesn't love him. make no mistake, if he sits on the sidelines, does what he is doing, he probably gets stronger, not weaker, among republicans as you drift away from january 6th. and if he were to decide to run, which i think he may run. i know a lot of people think he won't. but he is so addicted to the attention, being in the game, knows he has this massive base of support. i would not be surprised at all if he runs again. he knows it gives him the power of us talking about it and other people talking about it. . >> anna, i wonder if you get the same sense i do, a, they would love for him to go away. b, as long as he's not going away, they have to bow and scrape to him because he controls such a large percentage of the base, the voters they need to get re-elected and to take back the senate and do all the things they need to do. >> republican senators are tired, exhausted for answering every single tweet, every single thing donald trump does. are we talking about that stkpwhepb i'm paraphrasing john cornyn when they tried to talk about the latest thing donald trump has done. mitch mcconnell, all he cares about is winning. in the house, just like jim was saying, you have seen a lot of house republicans largely from a leadership, kevin mccarthys going to kiss the ring in march law mar-a-lago. kevin mccarthy wants to be speaker, believes he can be speaker when you look at the midterms in party and in power loses seats. he needs donald trump to do it. . >> you pointed out probably quite accurately that the republican party is in the process of trying to remake itself into the party of blue collar workers. so in the short-term, as well as the long term, how does that work out if they will soon be on record voting against the $15 minimum wage, against rent relief, mortgage relief, more mope for local public schools, more money for food banks where people who are suffering from malnutrition or not enough food in their own pantries at home. they vote against all of these social things and revert to things like immigration. how do they become the blue collar party when they vote against blue collar workers interests every time out. >> it's a very good question. because the rhetoric has undoubtedly changed. you do see minor changes. tom cotton and others talking about increasing the minimum wage in a way they haven't in the past. not as high as $15 that bernie sanders and other democrats want. but moving in the direction. job security, health care, does the rhetoric even matter. they are like, wow, he did a little bit better with african-american men, with hispanic men. he does well with working class whites. could that be a new coalition they could start to speak to. i think that's what they try to focus on. when you think about the republican party, too often we think about it through a washington lens. one of the reasons that donald trump has so much staying power is how many people that run the state parties and the state legislativers, how many of those people like donald trump, talk like donald trump and feel the party should be more trump not less trump. it's the reason every republican who crossed donald trump has censured or had a primary challenge threat almost instantaneously from the party leadership. so i would pay attention to that dynamic because that's where a lot of support comes from. that's where a lot of the money comes from. by the way, a lot of those people control the redistricting process that will give you moreirense that look like donald trump than not. and i think anna was pointing it out. if you look at "punchbowl news", they focus very much on the members of congress. if you look at the nature of them and the nature of what it takes to get to a primary process, you need to be more like donald trump. so the split between the house and the senate is real. not every senator is up in 2022. every house member is. watch the primaries. watch the type of candidates that emerge. they will sound a lot more like trump. >> jim, your political beliefs almost as strong as those drapes. they're nice. not a joke. anna palmer, thank you very well. "punchbowl news" has become must-read. china's biggest political meeting of the year is under way in beijing. and the biden administration is watching very closely. nbc's janis mackey frayer joins us live from beijing with why this gathering matters to the u.s. "morning joe" will be right back. back how great is it that we get to tell everybody how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? i mean it... uh-oh, sorry... oh... what? i'm an emu! no, buddy! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ i'm a performer. always have been. and always will be. never letting anything get in my way. not the doubts, distractions, or voice in my head. and certainly not arthritis. voltaren provides powerful arthritis pain relief to help me keep moving. and it can help you too. feel the joy of movement with voltaren. amid rising tensions with the united states, china boosted its defense spending budget 6. 8% this year. we find foreign correspondent janis mackey frayer. janis, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the rise in spending was not a total surprise. xi jinping has been modernizing the military since he came into power. adding stealth fighters. part of the increase is actually to improve pay for its armed forces. now, u.s. policymakers pay attention to these meetings, even though everything has been preordained, to get some sense of the blueprint. what are china's priorities not only for the coming year but for coming years. key to the strategy right now for the economy and china's global positioning is technology and this quest, if you will call it, to be self-sufficient. this is a five-year plan they are laying out for chips and semi conductors since the u.s. blacklisted companies like huawei. they have identified dozens of so-called chokehold technologies they can't yet produce. it is very strategic. it really says something about the magnitude of china's ambition to pass the u.s. in military strength and economic weight. the president of the asia society and former prime minister of australia with how the u.s. should see competition with china. . >> i think many americans conclude that the world has sort of stood still while americaen tkpaeupblged in its own ginormous bung fight. china continued to grow and grow significantly. and the rest of the world looked at america and scratched its head and said, what on earth is going on there? i think it's important for american political leaders to understand therefore that the world is a little more skeptical of american power than it once was. >> reporter: what is important about that skepticism is the u.s. is counting on reengaging with its allies to temper china's influence particularly in this region. what is awkward is the eu just did a big trade deal with china. and chinese vaccines are being spread across much of the developing world. what kevin rudd is advocating is strategic managed competition where the two countries put in guardrails and approach competition has something that has to be managed and not necessarily solved so there can still be room for discussion on issues that require discussion like climate change. we have to remember as well that china is coming into this from a position of confidence. and this is something that is perpetuated in state media, this idea that the east is rising and the west is in decline. it doesn't mean the u.s. and china have conflict in the cards. but confrontation and tension seem inevitable. >> the biggest geopolitical test for the 2021 century for the united states. still ahead on "morning joe", the united states is picking up the pace of coronavirus vaccinations. we will have the very latest on the vaccine rollout as president biden inches closer to reaching his goal of 100 million doses in his first 100 days. "morning joe" is coming right back. pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser-drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. tylenol rapid release gels. it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. get 0% apr financing on the 2021 is 300. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. before discovering nexium 24hr get 0% apr financing on the 2021 is 300. to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. now no fruit is forbidden. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? ♪ hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play ♪ ♪ hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid ♪ ♪ and all that glitters is gold ♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's. some say this is my greatest challenge ever. with any handcrafted burger. but i've seen centuries of this. with a companion that powers a digital world, traded with a touch. the gold standard, so to speak ;) ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. thank you! hey, hey, no, no leap, no leap! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. the moment you sponsor a job on indeed you get a short list of quality candidates from our resume database. claim your seventy five dollar credit, when you post your first job at indeed.com/home. my name is austin james. as a musician living with diabetes, fingersticks can be a real challenge. that's why i use the freestyle libre 14 day system. with a painless, onesecond scan i can check my glucose without fingersticks. now i'm managing my diabetes better and i've lowered my a1c from 8.2 to 6.7. you can do it without fingersticks, too. ask your doctor for a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. and visit freestyle libre.us to try it for free. eddie glaude jr., he mentioned selma a few minutes ago. sunday will be the 56th anniversary of that march on "bloody sunday" led by 25-year-old activist, the late john lewis. what are your thoughts heading into this weekend? >> well, we want to recognize the courage, but we need to understand selma as a complex moment. that was the first of three marches. the second was turned around with the phurbd of pastor skraeupls reeb the and the famous speech in montgomery. what we don't want to do is fix selma in the past in 1965. we need to look at selma today and ask ourselves the question. what happened for the sacrifices on the edmund pettus bridge. have we seen the improvements in the team corners of selma, alabama. that's why we need i think to continue to fight for the agenda. let's look at it right now. . >> eddie, thank you for your insights. we will talk to you soon. nearly 11 hours later, they have finished reading the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package out loud. the senate debate over the legislation just getting started. we'll have details when "morning joe" comes right back. joe" comes right back. hi sabrina! >>hi jen! so this aveeno® moisturizer goes beyond just soothing sensitive skin? exactly jen! calm + restore oat gel is formulated with prebiotic oat. and strengthens skin's moisture barrier. uh! i love it! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ nicorette® knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: aveeno® try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey are you kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette®. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette® i think the sketchy website i bought this turtle from stole all of my info. ooh, have you looked on the bright side? discover never holds you responsible for unauthorized purchases on your card. (giggling) that's my turtle. fraud protection. discover. something brighter. i'm draymond green with my subway sub with tender steak and melty cheese. my sub is gonna dunk all over your sub. excuse me? my sub has bacon. choose better be better and now save when you order in the app. subway eat fresh. but not jayson's sub. it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. lease the 2021 nx 300 for $359 a month for 36 month's, and we'll make you're first month's payment. experience amazing. donald trump is said to be plotting his political future. the market is he's in for a new running mate. he should make it into a show. . >> 24 candidates. one highly coveted position. who will be the next vp? the daughter, the second favorite son, third favorite son. heehaw hawley, the ghost of rush limbaugh, this pile of old wet socks. my pillow with a mustache. or miss venezuela 2003. thursdays at 8:00, followed by how i met mother. only on news max. >> jimmy kimmel for you there. welcome back to "morning joe". it's friday. joining our conversation pulitzer prize and msnbc political analyst eugene robinson. editor-at-large for the 19th and msnbc contributor aaron haines. and donnie deutsche joins us as well from god knows where. a lot going on in that image. we will talk about that later. joe and mika have the day off. the four-day visit is his first international trip since the coronavirus pandemic. mike barnicle, a lot of people thought this might be called off because of coronavirus cases surging, iraq because of the security concerns with the rocket attacks. but the pope said it is important to go there and meet what he calls persecuted christians in the country. . >> you know, willie, any papal trip is filled with symbolism, as is this. but as you just pointed out, the enormous security threat posed about i this trip is something to behold. the people in charge of papal security, they will have american security, what is left of iraqi security. it will be an interesting four days to watch. it will be a dangerous four days pause of the pope's president. hopefully pause of the pope's presence it will be a calming four days in a country that needs to be calmed. . >> the pope greeted by the prime minister and the president of iraq to begin that four-day visit. we'll be watching closely. vice president kamala harris cast the tie-breaking vote to advance the bill after it failed to win support from a single republican. that vote came after democrats made changes to the house version of the bill, including lowering the cutoff for $1,400 relief checks and excluding a $15 minimum wage. the senate could pass the bill as early as this weekend. but republicans are setting this up for a long debate. as soon as the senate voted to proceed with the bill, wisconsin's republican senator ron johnson insisted the entire 628-page bill be roud aloud. he defended the move in a tweet yesterday, arguing because of its large price tag, we should know what's in the bill. so senate clerks took shifts reading the legislation. it began 3:30 yesterday afternoon and ended 2:00 this morning. it took nearly 11 hours in total. . >> usc 75444 a 1 for activities authorized a 23 of the elementary and secondary act of 1965, 20 usc 7544 a 23 and other related activities. . >> gene robinson, that stunt aside, it has been read. debate will be open now. amendments will be debated. this vote rama we have been talking about this morning where amendments can be proposed, the first from senator bernie sanders to put the $15 minimum wage back into the package. it is to move through saturday or sunday and be approved along party lines. . >> right. and the important thing that happened, aside from the reading of the legislation, if you have ever looked at an actual piece of legislation, it is numbing, right? every provision, changes three or four other laws that have to be listed. us da, da, da. that's why it is so long. it's not that there are that many elements of the bill. nonetheless, the important thing that happened was democrats did all stay together to advance the bill and to pass it through to again this debate. it took approval probably without a $15 minimum wage. i don't think the democrats have the vote for that. they don't seem to, unless there has been a big change on the part of joe manchin and maybe one or two others who don't want to try to get this through especially over the objections of the senate parliamentarian. but the rest of the bill, the meat of the bill i think will make it through the senate. . >> errin haines, president biden has tried at least to appear to reach out to republicans, brought a group to the oval office to discuss their concerns about the bill. now they are just going to go forward without them. we tried. it's time to put forward and get through. march 14th, a week from sunday, these unemployment benefits expire. that's a real deadline they're up against. they want it done this weekend to get time to get the checks into people's hands before they run out on the 15th. . >> exactly, willie. when i talked to vice president harris a month ago, she said she was optimistic they could work with republicans. and they really don't have a choice but to get this relief to americans whether they get sick or not but who are suffering in this pandemic as we round a year of being in this crisis from public health and economic standpoint. they wanted to be consensus builders, specifically in congress. she certainly wants to move the process forward. democrats are united in their belief this relief is absolutely necessary for americans. they are reframing bipartisanship outside of washington. if they don't have republican support in congress, they are leaning on the republican support of folks who are governing outside of washington as well as the american people who are both political stripes to buoy them into getting this done and getting it done quickly. >> ron johnson wanted the bill read aloud. democrats, including majority leader chuck schumer said, yes, please, read it out loud. . >> we are delighted that the senator from wisconsin wants to give the american people another opportunity to hear what's in the american rescue plan. we democrats want america to hear what's in the plan. and if the senator from wisconsin wants to read it, let everybody listen. . >> so, mike, we know this is a popular bill. chuck schumer knows this is a popular bill. 60% of republicans in one poll support this bill. schumer is happy to sit back and have it read out loud. >> 60% of republicans who support the bill are not in the senate. >> right. . >> it brings us to the point, we used to teach civics back in fifth, sixth grade you would get a civics lesson. sitting there would be how a bill becomes a law. clearly they didn't envision ron johnson suggesting that a bill this length and this complex be read out loud finishing this morning at about 2:30 in the morning. your thoughts on how many americans were sitting around and taking notes on everything that was being read because of their need to be informed of the contents of this bill. >> mike, other than you, willie, and myself coming from otb after a couple malt liquors, not too many people. and i, too, am wearing pants, by the way, mike. . >> that's good. . >> republicans and democrats and the antics and the vaudeville nonsense of ron johnson demanding 12 hours being read versus the competency and the straight ahead of the biden administration. about to pass this big bill. tons of executive orders. no controversy. no nonsense. no daily tweets. and the republican party not only is the party of nonsense. the americans don't want to see that. the republicans right now are tone deaf. you have the democrats. stark, stark contrast. >> donnie, i'm curious, i know it's early in the morning. but are you the only person there in terminal a? >> this is the living area of my manhattan residence. gene and i often watch "real housewives of new jersey" here. . >> teresa is his favorite on the show. look at this from the white house point of view. however joe biden is watching this unfurl. as we look at the politics of it and what it means for the republican party, there are millions of people waiting for the checks, trying to get their small businesses open, millions of people waiting for a vaccine. they need to package to go through. how is the white house viewing this process? . >> well, certainly they had hoped to have some bipartisan support here. president biden spent quite a lot of time trying to win over a couple republican votes. he had republican senators to the white house. he had been working the phones. that was a legitimate, sincere effort. however, okay with how things are going now. we talked about the vote a rama coming up in the senate and how republicans hope to make democrats weigh in with uncomfortable votes. well, there is a big one that the white house is posing. they're eager to make republicans go on record and vote against this package, to vote against the direct payments to americans, to vote against the funding for the vaccines on and on and on. and could there be some quibbling overall the size of this package? sure. are there some who might believe it is a smidge too big, moderates who think that? yes, that's true. the white house feels this is their stance. they point to public polling that shows the vast majority of republican voters support this, 60% or so as noted. and they think there will be consequences here. there could be consequences for republicans. whether senators face a tougher fight. which is furthering the perception that republicans are out of touch with the crises that are sweeping the nation right now. the white house is eager to get this done. they feel like it can happen in the next few days before benefits expire. and then we will anticipate moving on to infrastructure but also using this as an inflection point about the 50-day mark of their first 100 days. and we should soon hear the president have his news conference. they will want to spring off with momentum. >> if this does pass through the senate, it may be without a single republican vote. another delay tactic, senator tom cotton of arkansas is looking to slow down merrick garland's position to lead. he used judge garland of dodging questions about immigration and suggesting democrats were trying to ex me tight the process. it will slow it down. chuck schumer will have to clear more hurdles before a final vote. that probably won't happen until next week at the earliest. more waiting for merrick garland, who of course in 2016 waited in vain for supreme court confirmation hearings that never came. jonathan lemire, there is no risk here at garland not being confirmed. is it just being kicked down the road a bit. ? . >> the poor phi having to wait some more. cotton trying to make a political stance. it would be his bread and butter issue. let's take a step back to stphoet the severity of this stpapbs. it is a political stunt. merrick garland is still going to be attorney general. yesterday there were ongoing domestic terrorist threats against its own citizens, the same attack we saw january 6th. experts believe every day that goes by the justice department, which of course is the center of these investigations both in the capitol and perhaps into future efforts, a, ta, threats. every day it goes without attorney general, it has a negative impact. garland will get on in the next week or so. but every day counts in a moment where we have seen the threat remain at the capitol. we have seen the military former security perimeter around it. and requests for national guard troops to stay another two months because the terror threat remains so high. . >> they want the national guard there for two more months. thank goodness, no violence, as some people intended around the capitol or in washington yesterday. gene, you write, we have a choice between two covid-19 futures. let's make the right one. what are those two futures and which should we choose? >> well, the features are laid out by anthony fauci and president biden in which vaccines are getting out and beginning to have an impact. cases have fallen dramatically. it seems to have installed a little bit right now at a level that is still too high. about 65,000 new cases a day. that still needs to go down. we are sort of at the cusp of winning. we're at the cusp of bringing this down to a low level with this decline in cases and vaccinations. mask wearing, social distancing. it's all working. so we have a chance to get back to something akin to normal. it won't look exactly like the normal we all knew before the pandemic. we will still be wearing masks, still distancing for some period of time. but we will be able to get back to our lives maybe by the summer. maybe have a normal fourth of july if we continue to keep the pressure on covid. the alternative vision by greg abbott and trent reeves, the governors who lifted their mask mandates is that we'll just declare victory and stop beating down the disease. and that's what president biden called neanderthal thinking. that's the way we can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, by giving the virus yet another chance to increase the number of hospitalizations and deaths and put us back into the stew. those are the two visions. and i sure hope we pick the right one. >> the vaccine story is very interesting when you think of it i think from this perspective. we have three different vaccines available to large numbers of american people. they announced by the end of may, it was going to be available to every american, one of the three vaccines. this is tremendously good news. >> yes. >> yet we seem unwilling to accept it as good news. we no longer know what good news is because of the cloud, the blanket of negatiism for far too long. but you can't help wondering what would have happened had the former president of the united states, who secretly received the vaccine in early january, had he received the vaccine in public on television as an event, got the vaccine shot, and urged just quickly in one sentence, you should get the vaccine too wherever you are out there, thinking about americans. get the vaccine shot. i just got mine. what difference would that have made in the way we are fighting the virus? i think it would have made an enormous vaccine. but we blew it. >> three vaccines and the deal between johnson and john and merck to produce more vaccine. dr. fauci was on the show yesterday. he said, look, if we stick with this vaccine regiment we have in place, i'm asked about this every day, how soon can i go back to normal. he said by fall, if we continue to mask and social distance and do all the things the cdc recommends, by this fall you will start to see normal come back. and certainly by the end of the year it will be back. >> and your point with merck working now with johnson & johnson to distribute larger volume of vaccines around the country, that is right out of franklin delano roosevelt. joe biden knows this. in world war ii, millions of companies working together. what happened? we won the war. >> the cautious optimism is there, that the pandemic could be turning a corner in the united states. there is another problem brewing. millions of covid survivors still dealing with lingering symptoms. you're watching "morning joe". we'll be right back. ng joe". we'll be right back. (deborah vo) i was hesitant to get the hearing aids because of my short hair, but nobody even sees them. (vo) discover the exclusive, new miracle-earmini- a nearly invisible hearing aid from the brand leader in hearing aids with over 70 years of experience. (deborah) when i finally had miracle-ear and i could hear for the first time, i started crying. i could hear everything. new miracle-earmini. so small and comfortable that no one will see them, but you'll notice the difference. call today to start your 30-day risk-free trial at your local miracle-ear. i'm a performer. always have been. and always will be. never letting anything get in my way. not the doubts, distractions, or voice in my head. and certainly not arthritis. voltaren provides powerful arthritis pain relief to help me keep moving. and it can help you too. feel the joy of movement with voltaren. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™ with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™ janssen can help you explore cost support options. introducing the new sleep number 360 smart bed. it's the most comfortable, body-sensing, automatically-responding, energy-building, dually-adjustable, dad-powering, wellness-boosting, foot-warming, snore-relieving, temperature-balancing, recovery-assisting, effortlessly life-changing, proven quality night's sleep we've ever made. and now, save up to $500 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. plus, 0% interest for 48 months & free premium delivery when you add a base. ends monday. ♪ you've got the looks ♪ ♪ let's make lots of money ♪ ♪ you've got the brawn ♪ ♪ i've got the brains... ♪ with allstate, drivers who switched saved over $700 click or call to switch see every delivery... every yikes... and even every awwwwwwww... wait, where was i? introducing self protection from xfinity. designed to put you in control. with real-time notification and a week of uninterrupted recording... all powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determinatio. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. live picture of to him square 7:30 on a friday morning. coronavirus patients will experience lingering symptoms, meaning millions could be affected, called long haulers. dr. vin gupta tells us about the extremes some are going to get post covid care. >> reporter: she has been battling covid for nearly a year. . >> i was getting racing heart, stabs and pinches in my chest. and i was getting like hypertension headaches and dizziness and nausea. . >> unable to find treatment options, the former pilates instructor made a drastic decision. she moved. in september, rerelocated to a new house nearly three hours closer to the university of washington's post covid center. . >> is it true that you moved specifically to get treatment for long covid? >> yes. i did move specific live so i had access to a long covid center and doctors that were knowledgeable and had experience with covid patients. . >> dr. erin burnell says there is a national shortage when it comes to post covid care. . >> the numbers of patients are staggering. so i think it will take a while to adjust and build capacity to help everyone. >> studies indicate up to 30% of covid patients, including those never hospitalized, experienced some post-infection symptoms for a period of months, meaning millions of americans could experience heart, lung and neurological issues. new york's mt. sinai has one of them. and desiree showed us how high demand for treatment is. . >> you have 283 new messages. >> hundreds of messages from patients seeking coveted appointments come in each day. >> many of my patients are so, so desperate to get care. they drive five to six hours, and some get on a private jet plane. >> they have traveled here from florida or texas, who have traveled here from va i kwrous other areas where there aren't these yet. . >> she said she is grateful to only be a short drive from post covid care now. . >> i wasn't getting better. and i wasn't getting any answers. i needed to get here and see doctors that understood what was going on. . >> her body still hasn't recovered. but now she has peace of mind. . >> dr. vin tkpaoup ta reporting for us now. dean of the national school of tropical medicine at pay lore college of medicine and co director of the texas children's hospital for vaccine development, dr. peter hotez. he's out with a new book. and national correspondent anna nivaz. dr. hotez, i want to start with you on the topic of long haulers. what do they know. the sample set isn't big. it's a year old. no way to know years out what this disease will be on people. what are doctors learning about the long-term effects of covid? >> yeah. i mean, and the volume of the problem is enormous. think of the numbers we're looking at. so far we know 30 million confirmed cases almost in the united states. so that's an underestimate by three or four. so maybe 100 some will people have been affected by covid-19 in the united states. 30 million people with long haul symptoms. we don't have the capacity yet to manage that. this is going to transform medical practice almost like hiv/aids might have done as it started to ramp up in the 1980s. we are seeing people with long-term shortness of breath, chest pains. what worries me especially is the neurological symptom, brain fog. they just don't feel they're at the top of their game the whole time they're exhausted, long-term fatigue. we are seeing psychiatric illness, unipolar depression. this is going to be a game changer for medical practice. we don't know the mechanisms. yale has shown auto antibodies may have a role. a lot of fascinating science going on. the national institutes of health is ramping up in terms of funding. so this is a game changer for medical practice. . >> we have been living with this pandemic for a year now. certainly a lot of americans have been sick or dealing with long term complications. you have a podcast showing how society has been reshaped by the pandemic. tell us whether those changes will be permanent. >> yeah. i'll tell you what, we're looking over four different episodes back at this first year of the pandemic. it's hard to even kind of get your arms around what we have been through, how the country has changed. the many ways in which we live, work, grieve, and learn and all those things have changed. one of the things that we have found the last year is how deeply seeded some are in certain communities in america. we talked about the vaccine rollout, how uneven it has been. with three vaccines making its way out to the american public, we know there are communities in which there is a lot of confusion, mistrust of the season. the vaccine rollout will be slower there. that means a slower recovery in those communities as well. and the covid relief bill. you look at the relief people need out there in communities. if you live in a black community, native communities, asian communities, you have been harder hit. that's not just on the health front. your schools have probably had a tougher time reopening. your local businesses have had a hard time getting pe funding. we found this wide variety how people's lives have changed and how people people talking about the vaccine and getting back to normal, that normal looks different depending who you are and where you live. it's a long, long recovery ahead for a lot of people. >> dr. hotez, errin haines has a question for you. . >> thanks and good morning, dr. hotez. watching dr. gupta's segment definitely made me think about the racial disparity impact of the long hauler situation. particularly for these communities we know have been disproportionately hard hit. and even for folks who are surviving black and brown, their access to address these long-term symptoms. and especially for a lot of african-americans who have said that maybe if they go to a medical professional, being believed, being listened to, having their symptoms addressed, what does the medical community need to be thinking about from an equity perspective in addressing the folks who may be minorities who are black and brown suffering from the longer term symptoms? . >> yeah. i mean, you know, clearly we had huge inequities and covid has ramped everything up. look at the situation. we know african-american and hispanic groups are far more likely to be hospitalized and unfortunately to lose tragically to lose their lives from covid-19. that's point one. the other point that not a lot of people talk about is the differences in age. when we think of covid-19, so much narrative is people over 65. 30 to 35% of the deaths and severe illness among hispanics, african-americans, native americans are under the age of 65. what does that mean? we're looking at a generation of moms, dads, procedures and sisters in their 40s and 50s, 60s, some of the most productive periods of people's lives now being robbed from covid-19. and low-income neighborhoods, we often -- people don't have the access to the level of health care required. we heard just now a story about pretty boutique health care for long haul survivors. i can promise you a lot of clinics are not in low income neighborhoods. how we address is this going to be politically important. there was a problem pre-covid. now after covid it's an absolute tragedy. . >> this landscape that you referred to earlier, the brain fog element, i have spoken to four people who have been victims of the virus. four people the past couple of weeks each of the four indicated that the thing they are still suffering from is neurological, in ability to retain names and things like that. what can be done? anything can be done right now to deal with this very, very new awareness of an issue? well, right now there is a lot of intense effort to figure out how it's occurring. we don't really understand it. there are interesting studies showing activation of certain types of cells in the brain. if that's the case, in theory, one could design some specific drugs or even mono colonial anti bodies to target some of the signs and symptoms. but that's going to take time. and in working out how we can step up prevention measures. the best news that i can offer is we are going to vaccinate our way out of this. because we have new information now that these vaccines are not only stopping symptomatic illness which we knew from the clinical trials, but data out of israel, a study in the new england journal last week, his is halting asymptomatic transmission. we will prevent people from becoming pcr positive. we can vaccinate our way out of this pandemic. the hard part right now is preventing people from tying between now and when we have the load of vaccines available. that's what i'm worried about about us we have the variant in florida, texas, elsewhere. this is where we can have a much higher rate of deaths. that weighs heavily on us all. >> you report on the long-term impacts of this pandemic on our society and what it might look like on the other side of it. we were talking to dr. fauci yesterday about schools, education. it's hard enough for people with resources to keep their kids engaged in remote learning. what about all the kids who don't have the resources, behind the eight ball. they don't have a laptop or wi-fi. or reports we are hearing about 2, 3 million kids who haven't checked in or touched base with their schools, missing entire years of education. as you think about kids and the importance of getting them back into schools, what do you see over the hill? what does it look like when we get through this? . >> willie, i think there's a lot of questions about that, right. we talk about how the pandemic has revealed a lot of our social and cultural inequities. my husband paul and i were talking last week. one year tomorrow since our kids stepped into school. and we are people of privilege. we have laptops and wi-fi. i was speaking recently to the head of the baltimore city public school system. they had to figure out how to work their budget so they could put in air fewer fires, have additional space to properly space kids, invest in ppe and masks so teachers don't have to buy their own. some don't have money for proper air-conditioning in the summer or enough desks for children that are worried about funding these kind of mitigation measures. the other thing i'll mention of course is you see this dispair rat response in how they are handling mitigation efforts. you saw the mississippi governor lift the mask mandate. people are saying, doctors who look at the longview, unless those mitigation efforts stay in place, it will be harder to vaccinate ourselves out of this pandemic. we know there is a big hill ahead learning the trust of the communities to get them to trust this vaccine. we have been a ton of this at the pbs news hour as well. in america interrupted, the longest year podcast, we will look at the wide swath of americans who have been affected and pay tribute to just a few of the over 500,000 americans who have died. it is important to point out, willie, the virus isn't done with us yet. . >> no question. we will look forward to america interrupted, the upcoming podcast. thank you. coming up next here, there's some big economic news due out less than an hour from now. we will break down the monthly jobs report from february as soon as it crosses. >> plus, for the sports fans, best-selling author rich cohen details his fall from supportive parent to hockey dad insanity. o. it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. lease the 2021 is 300 for $359 a month for 36 month's, and we'll make you're first month's payment. experience amazing. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with... just 2 medicines... in 1 pill,... dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed... and get to and stay undetectable... can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato if you're allergic to any of its ingredients... or if you take dofetilide. hepatitis b can become harder to treat while taking dovato. do not stop dovato without talking to your doctor,... as your hepatitis b may worsen or become life-threatening. serious or life-threatening side effects can occur, including... allergic reactions, lactic acid buildup, and liver problems. if you have a rash and other symptoms of an allergic reaction,... stop taking dovato and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis b or c,... or if you are, may be, or plan to be pregnant. your doctor may prescribe a different medicine... than dovato if you plan to be pregnant or if pregnancy is confirmed during the first trimester. dovato may harm your unborn baby. use effective birth control... while taking dovato. most common side effects are headache, nausea,... diarrhea, trouble sleeping, tiredness, and anxiety. so much goes... into who i am. hiv medicine is one part of it. ask your doctor about dovato—i did. ♪♪ (car horn) ♪♪ (splash) ♪♪ turn today's dreams into tomorrow's trips... with millions of flexible booking options. all in one place. expedia. this is an athlete, twenty reps deep, sprinting past every leak in our softest, smoothest fabric. she's confident, protected, her strength respected. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. welcome back to "morning joe". mayor bill de blasio has been engaged in a years-long feud with andrew cuomo criticized the governor for using the city's troubles as a scapegoat in the midst of his own scandal. >> we have new york city, which is in a very precarious situation. it's teetering, to use a word. crime is way up. homelessness is way up. many people have left new york city. >> to paint an apocalyptic picture, that's what donald trump would have done. throw out sharp terminologies and gaudy pictures of what's happening that don't resemble the reality. >> donnie deutsche, so much has been built into the background. mayor de blasio criticizing serious accusations made against governor cuomo, criticizing his handle of the nursing homes. they changed the numbers of deaths that came in the nursing homes. this spilled out in the open. new york city has problems now related to the pandemic. what do you see as the future of the city and what about the relationship of the two men who have never liked each other. . >> cuomo i think has got his problems, but he has his hand on the pulse. the city is really in a tough situation. i came back from florida. i've been back between florida and new york. tale of two cities. new york, every other store is closed. it looks and feels beat up. still a lot of people out of work. commercial real estate is a huge part of the new york economy. even when we are all back to work, three, four, five six months from now, employees and employers realize working from home is a real option. it will affect overall new york economy. >> a walk home from work every day, and you look at midtown at all these commercial buildings and go, my gosh, that's a lot of office space sitting empty. great to see you. thanks so much. actor who is a serious oscar portrayalal in" jude as and the black messiah" won a golden globe the other night. the movie everyone is talking about. "morning joe" is coming right back. out. "morning joe" is coming right back wealth is breaking ground on your biggest project yet. worth is giving the people who build it a solid foundation. wealth is shutting down the office for mike's retirement party. worth is giving the employee who spent half his life with you, the party of a lifetime. wealth is watching your business grow. worth is watching your employees grow with it. principal. for all it's worth. good afternoon, 20-year-old chairman of the "black panther" party, fred hampton, was shot and killed in a predawn shoot-out some his west side apartment. another party member, 22-year-old mark clark of peoria, also died in the shoot-out which left four panthers and two police officers wounded. they were fired on when they tried to enter the apartment on a search warrant for possession of illegal else with. three more panther party members are in police custody in connection with the shooting. >> when you knocked on the door, what happened? . >> well, i didn't actually knock. i heard our officers at the front announce their office and shots fired. so i kicked in the back door. and as soon as the door opened, i could see shoots fired on the backside. . >> was it lit. >> the kitchen and was lit. the bedrooms were dark >> did you know they were black panthers? >> no, we didn't. we were informed there were guns and con tkra band in the building. >> did you have indication that fred hampton might be there. >> not teenage. >> the ride raid was conducted by the states attorneys office. . >> that was the news report from wmaq december 5th, 1969 following the shooting death of fred hampton, chair shooting de fred hampton of the black panther party. he was shot and killed on december 4th of '69. he was shot in a raid by chicago police who were executing a warrant for illegal lleged it w battle, but only one shot was fired by the black panthers. this is the focus of the new film, "judas and the black messiah." here's a look. >> it's not a question of violence or nonviolence, it's a question of resistance to fascism or existence with fascism. you can murder a freedom fighter, but you can't murder freedom! >> i am -- >> a revolutionary! >> i am -- >> a revolutionary! >> let me people be! >> that's daniel kaluuya there. joining us now is activist, mother akua, a former black panther who was fred hampton's fiancee at the time of his death, and the producer of the film, shaka king. appreciate you both being here. everybody is talking about this film, daniel kaluuya just won the golden globe for best supporting actor on sunday night for the performance we just saw there. shaka, for people who don't know the full story of what happened on december 4, 1969, everything that led up to it, everything that came after it, what grabbed your attention about this story? >> initially what grabbed my attention about the story was the fact that i never heard anything about william o'neal, the fbi informant who infiltrated the illinois chapter and gave the fbi blueprints for the apartment. the story i heard growing up was just that, you know, fred hampton was a black panther who was shot by the cops. i didn't realize it was an intricate assassination plot that was essentially, you know, crafted by the most powerful government organization in the country. >> mother akua, gene robinson has a question for you. >> mother akua, maybe you could explain to the audience who may not know, what was it about fred hampton that made him deemed so dangerous, so potentially dangerous to the power structure in chicago, nation's largest black community, and to the nation in 1969? what was it about him? >> well, the federal government, j. edgar hoover fbi head described the black panther party as the greatest threat to the internal security of the country. panther offices were attacked everywhere. chairman fred hampton, his phones were tapped at his parents house when he was about 13 or 14 years old by the fbi. he was a tremendous organizer, a brilliant man and a powerful speaker. and also he was against the exploitation of oppressed people, colonized in the u.s. and around the world. he became a threat because he was able to pull together tremendous coalition which became known as the rainbow coalition, began to unite various groups across various racial lines to fight against the attack that we were experiencing in colonized communities all over the country. so the fear as the documents show, the fear of a black messiah. someone that could electrify and unify the masses of people. in that clip right there you see the bed where they came in and stood over chairman fred and shot him point blank after they got me and everybody else out of the room. >> shaka, errin haines has a question for you. errin? >> yes, good morning. congratulations on this film, which really is just such a triumph of truth telling about something that happened in our country that all americans need to know about. i want to ask you about, you know, the fred hampton story and why it matters today, especially in terms of the black community's ongoing relationship with law enforcement, which this story certainly addresses. you have the george floyd policing act moving through congress even as we speak. so i guess my question to you is why this story matters today, why these issues remain relevant and why, you know, fred hampton's story is part of this continuum of the need to address the relationship between the black community and policing in america. >> i mean, i think the issues are relevant because, you know, nothing has been addressed or changed. i speak to organizers on the ground and they tell me that they're still being surveilled, their organizations are still being infiltrated by informants. you know, if you look at, for example, the young brother in ferguson who was sentenced to eight years for setting a trash can on fire allegedly versus, you know -- we'll see what the sentences are that are handed down at the capitol riots, i can't imagine they'll be nearly as draconian. you know, it's relevant because these topics are in this country. >> mother, the core of this story as shaka mentioned, could well have happened in chicago yesterday. no-knock warrant, a cook county state's attorney, a powerful figure, and multiple deaths involved in a shootout in a house. what goes through your mind when you think about what happened in 1969 and what happens too often now in this country each and every day under similar circumstances? >> well, documents were recently released how j. edgar hoover had a hand as director of the fbi, he had a hand in the assassination of chairman fred and defense captain martin clark. so this wasn't police or some pigs gone bad, it was an order that was the number one project of the federal government, the state government and city government combined, in collusion with the arm of the state, the media and the portrayal of the black panther even the portrayal of what actually happened on december 4th, the early morning, about 4:30 in the morning, december 4th of 1969 when they said the police were met with a barrage of bullets, shots fired by the occupants of the apartment. so it was a massive universal attack on the black panther party that was understood and recognized as the vanguard of the revolutionary struggle here in the united states all around the world. >> if you have not seen it yet, this is a good weekend to do it. the film is called "judas and the black messiah," it's in theaters or you can see it on hbo max. mother akua and director shack shaka king, thank you. after nearly 11 hours, senate clerks have finally finished reading president biden's nearly$2 trillion coronavirus relief package out loud on the senate floor. all of it. we'll talk about what comes next when we come back in one minute. . let's start with all the dads who aren't exactly “sports guys.” narrow it to all the non-sports dads who love watching sports... in the rain. with kids who can catch “almost” everything. especially a cold. that brings us to you. you're the one we made mywalgreens for. an easier way to save, shop, and perhaps catch a break. introducing mywalgreens. join and get 30 minute pickup at walgreens.com >> as you can see here, we found you're about 43% northern european, 37% mediterranean, and 18% southwest asian. your genetic profile mostly is your standard caucasian british person. and you might be interested to know that you're 2.8% neanderthal. that's fairly high. >> what is that about? >> they were a species wiped out by homosapiens. >> wiped out? washington has turned into a scene from "south park." i'm willie geist. with us, we have mike barnicle in the building with me. jonathan lemire, eddie glaude jr. and joanna palmer. mike says for the second time in a year he's wearing pants, which is very exciting. >> it's an exciting morning. >> good way to start the morning. let's dive into this, this fake controversy. here's what president biden said on wednesday when asked by the decision of the leaders of texas and mississippi to lift mask mandates. >> a message to texas and mississippi? >> i think it's a big mistake. look, i hope everybody realized by now these masks make a difference. we are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because the way in which we are able to get vaccines in people's arms. the last thing, the last thing we need is neanderthal thinking in the meantime, everything is fine, take off your mask, forget it. it still matters. >> that's the president on wednesday. here's what republican senator masha blackburn of tennessee had to say about the president's comment. >> we were called neanderthals when i led the fight against the imposition of a state income tax in tennessee. so you know what i did? i started the neanderthal caucus. neanderthals are hunters, gathers, they're protectors of their family. they are resilient. they are resourceful. they tend to their own. so i think joe biden needs to rethink what he is saying about the states that are choosing to move away from these mask mandates. >> i promise this will be over soon. one more, though. senator marco rubio tweeted, president biden's use of an old stereotype is hurtful to modern europeans, asians and americans who inherit about 2% of their genes from neanderthal ancestors. he should apologize for his insensitive comments and seek training on unconscious bias. obviously senator rubio has tongue in cheek throwing identity politics back on democrats. your thoughts on the neanderthals and their contributions to our civilization? >> i have two. first of all, it's widely known senator blackburn is still the head of the neanderthal caucus, this time in the united states senate. the second aspect is -- my mother told me never to be a bragger -- but the south park thing, 2.8% of all of us have neanderthal aspects to us. i'm way above that. i'm up to about 12%, 13%. i'm feeling good about myself. >> you're an elite neanderthal. i'm looking at our banner as we talk. it's hard not to laugh outloud. gop lawmakers defend neanderthals. >> mike has long been a defender of neanderthals. i'm glad he is on set for this historic conversation. this is a nonsensical argument but one where republicans are trying to seize upon in a series of culture war assaults. that seems to be their attack line against the biden administration. we've seen them not cooperate with the covid relief bill to this point. they submarined one of biden's cabinet picks. they will have the bill likely passed in the coming days. they feel good about where they are in the cabinet. a lot of the attacks towards joe biden much like the campaign are not sticking. so it's back to the culture wars. in particular, willie, neanderthals, i shutter to think where they may turn next. >> my gosh. anna palmer, is this real? as jonathan said they believe they're on to something like they were on to something with deplorables when hillary clinton said that. is this just another chapter in their efforts at winning the culture war? >> it's a sideshow, right. anybody who is serious is not really taking up the issue and starting to cut attack ads against joe biden or democrats. they'll be focused on vaccines, getting the economy back going. i think it's something that republicans are doing, grasping at straws right now. there's not a lot of things where they're pushing a positive agenda or in alignment on in the post-trump era. >> eddie, i'll spare you. you're a prominent professor, i don't want to insult your intelligence. we'll move on. the senate is moving forward on debate with president biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. kamala harris cast the tie breaking vote after the bill failed to get support from republicans, this after democrats made changes to the house passed version of the bill, including lowering the cutoff for $1,400 relief checks and excluding a $15 minimum wage. they could pass the bill as soon as this weekend. but they appear to be setting up a long debate. as soon as the senate voted to proceed with the bill, wisconsin's senator ron johnson insisted the entire 628-page bill be read out loud. he defended his move in a tweet yesterday arguing because of its price tag we should know what's in the bill. majority leader chuck schumer dismissed the stunt as a delay tactic. >> we know this will merely delay the inevitable. it will accomplish little more than a few sore throats for the senate clerks who work very hard day in and day out to help the senate function. >> two senate clerks and other members of the secretary of the senate's office took shifts reading the 628-page ledge laying. the effort began around 3:30 yesterday afternoon and ended at 2:04 a.m. this morning, nearly 11 hours in total. >> usc 7544a-1 for activities authorized a 23 of the elementary and secondary education act of 1965 and other related activities. >> so anna palmer, the bill has been read. it wrapped up about four hours ago now. so what happens from here. we know there is some debate coming and a vote-a-rama. how soon can we expect, if it does pass, that it will? >> that is impressive speed reading. i don't know if i would be caused to take on that role and read the bill. we're moving to the next phase of this. it's basically going to be 20 hours on each side where they can debate this bill. it is unclear if either side will take up the full 20 hours. then we go into the vote-a-rama. it's basically any senator, it's a free-for-all, one of the few times that any senator can put up any amendment. you will see a lot of delay tactics from republicans. a lot of political messaging bills. they will try to force democrats into tough votes that can be political poison pills back home. but ultimately this will come the next couple of days. we think late friday, saturday, depending how much time each side takes. it's basically inevitable at this point that democrats will be the only party that supports this bill and it will be on a party line and then it goes back to the senate. so they are moving at a pace. it's slow. it's washington. something could potentially jam it up. but this might be joe biden's first big legislative victory and he has it in his eyesight. >> it looks like a straight party line vote is on the way. vice president harris had to come in and break the tie again. the first amendment we expect to hear in this so-called vote-a-rama is bernie sanders and that will be the $15 minimum wage that looks like will not be in this bill because of the rules put forward by the senate parliamentarian and reinforced the other day. what do you expect this final package to look like and what counts will some progressives be disappointed? >> well, i think -- well, first of all, instead of using neanderthal, maybe we should use trogladite or vulgaria. for many progressives, the redaction of the $15 minimum wage will be an important issue. the reduction will be an issue. for the most part we will be concerned about the fact that over half a million americans are dead and people are out here suffering. and the 1.9 trillion package will do some work in this regard. i want to say this really quickly. with the $15 minimum wage removed from the package, we need to think about that against the backtrack of the march bloody sunday. we need to think about selma, alabama today not as a historical fact, but today. poverty engulfs selma, alabama. poverty actually overwhelms selma,s alabama in this moment. the fact that we don't have $15 minimum wage in this bill, we need to figure out a strategy to raise this if we're going to stay in line as it were. coming up on "morning joe," new reporting about governor andrew cuomo's office altering a report on nursing homes in order to hide a higher death toll. what does that mean for the intense scrutiny the governor is already facing? we'll talk about that next on "morning joe." the sun is incredible. it makes our lipton tea leaves better. which makes the smooth tea taste better, and time together even better. and drinking lipton can help support a healthy heart. lipton is a proud sponsor of the american heart association's life is why campaign. nicorette® knows, quitting smoking is hard. you get advice like: lipton is a proud sponsor try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey are you kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette®. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette® did you know you can go to libertymutual.com to customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? really? i didn't-- aah! ok. i'm on vibrate. aaah! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ in the romo household we take things to the max oh yeah! honey, you still in bed? yep! bye! that's why we love skechers max cushioning footwear. they've maxed out the cushion for extreme comfort. it's like walking on clouds! big, comfy ones! oh yeah! plaque psoriasis, the burning, itching. the pain. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™. janssen can help you explore cost support options. i think the sketchy website i bought this turtle from stole all of my info. ooh, have you looked on the bright side? discover never holds you responsible for unauthorized purchases on your card. (giggling) that's my turtle. fraud protection. discover. something brighter. before nexium 24hr, anna could only imagine a comfortable night's sleep without frequent heartburn waking her up. now, that dream... . ...is her reality. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts, for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? ♪♪ the "new york times" has a breaking story overnight releasing a report that details the lengths the new york governor's office went to to allegedly conceal the number of nursing home deaths from coronavirus. last june a report written by state health officials noted more than 9,000 elderly residents died during the pandemic to that point. the information was not public and governor andrew cuomo's senior aides wanted to keep it that way. they allegedly rewrote the report to take the number out. that's according to documents reviewed by the times and in speaking with six people with knowledge of the discussions. this as cuomo was writing a book on his pandemic response. at the same time, the state health department's data put the death toll roughly 50% higher than the figure being reported by cuomo's team at the time. we should point out that the nursing home deaths were included in the state's overall fatalities but not noted as nursing home deaths. governor cuomo finally released the complete data saying he withheld it over concerns that the trump administration might pursue a politically motivated inquiry. in response to the times reporting the special counsel from the governor's office released a statement that reads in part, the out of facility data was omitted after department of health could not confirm it was adequately verified. this did not change the conclusion of the report. jonathan lemire, you covered governor cuomo for some time and have been on this story, this is a story that goes back many, many months when the ag's office came out with that report about nursing home deaths, when initially governor cuomo issued that directive back in march sending patients from hospitals back to nursing homes leading to deaths and now undercounting them. more evidence of that from the times this morning. >> no question. it's been a steady stream of revelations as to what happened. the top aides, including the most powerful melissa derosa, acknowledging this was not made public, the nursing home deaths. this comes as the backdrop against two other things. to justify further clarity that so much of this might have been motivated by cuomo and his efforts to write that back during the pandemic. we remember the early days of the coronavirus. president trump would offer his scattershot briefings and cuomo was somber, serious, reassuring. he dealt with the facts and the numbers. a lot of people all over the country drew real comfort in that, even those who lived thousands of miles away from new york state, whose own states weren't battling the virus like cuomo did. therefore cuomo was praised and he wrote the book. now it comes also against the backdrop of these allegations of sexual harassment, when cuomo is already in a politically weakened stance. he denied that he ever touched anyone inappropriately. we have been through that on this show. now a number of women have said he behaved inappropriately to them. they felt uncomfortable. he apologized this week for doing so. and it's a lot of elected officials in new york who have long been cowed by him. they have suddenly found their voices and attacked him. he's in a vulnerable position right now. he may have a harder time surviving further questions into his handling of the nursing homes during the pandemic. coming up, former president trump is attacking republicans from mitch mcconnell to karl rove. what it says about the future of the republican party next on "morning joe." age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. derriere discomfort. we try to soothe it with this. boost® high protein also has key nutrients cool it with this. and relieve it with this. but preparation h soothing relief is the 21st century way to do all three. everyday. preparation h. get comfortable with it. i'm jayson tatum check out my subway sub with delicious turkey and crispy bacon. it will help you hit shots from anywhere, unlike those other subs. my sub has steak. wait, what did he say? steak! choose better be better and now save when you order in the app. subway eat fresh. every veteran family deserves to fulfill their dream of owning in a homep. and to continue living that dream throughout their lives. at newday usa, we have va refinance loans to do just that. from refinancing to lower your monthly mortgage payments to refinancing and getting cash for your family. whatever you need, we're here. if you smell gas, you're too close. leave the structure, call 911, keep people away, and call pg&e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. if you see wires down, treat them all as if they're hot and energized. stay away from any downed wire, call 911, and call pg&e right after so we can both respond out and keep the public safe. ♪♪ donald trump is spending the early part of his post-presidency attacking republicans. he issued a statement hammering karl rove after the long-time republican operative wrote an op-ed criticizing his speech last weekend. and he went after mitch mcconnell, the most unpopular politician in the country, while claiming credit for helping him win re-election in kentucky. and he attacked "the wall street journal" editorial board. they wrote, for someone who says we don't matter, he sure spends a lot of time read something responding to us. thanks for the attention. it goes on, what really seems to rankle the most famous resident of mar-a-lago isn't his caricature of our policy differences, it's that we recognize the reality that mr. trump is the main reason that republicans lost two george senate seats and thus the majority. mr. trump refuses to take responsibility for those defeats. let's bring in jim vandehei. even a few weeks ago, people were wondering is trump still in control of the republican party. i think we learned from cpac, his speech and the reaction of many republican senators, especially over the last two months or however long it's been since he's been gone that he is in fact, still at the levers of control of this party. >> there's no down about it. he is way more powerful than mitch mcconnell, karl rove and the "wall street journal" editorial page. that's the reality of the party right now. i don't think there is that big on of a division. it is probably 60% to 70% of the party is with trump. it's why most house republicans are begging to come to mar-a-lago. it's why kevin mccarthy does everything he can to placate donald trump. he knows that's where the base of the party is. when you go inside the polls, when you see how people think about him, a lot of republicans want him to run again, would vote for him again. think he should be president now. think the election was picked. all the stuff that you hear from donald trump resonates with most republicans. while a lot of washington republicans cheer on mitch mcconnell and love the "wall street journal" editorial pain, it's just the republican party that used to be, not that is today. yes, maybe it will return one day, but i don't think it will actually. because if you look at the direction of the party, even when trump burns off, he's moved it from a party that was aimed at the "wall street journal" readership to much more a party aimed at blue collar workers across the board. if you look at the rhetoric from marco rubio, if you look at the rhetoric from kevin mccarthy. everyone is talking about a working class party as opposed to a wall street party. it was a radical shift, a shift done by donald trump. so as long as he's around, he's going to have a bigger megaphone, more authority than the "journal" and that mitch mcconnell is. at and that why mitch mcconnell has cooled it in terms of his rhetoric by donald trump. he sees the backlash. he wasn't wrong. if you look at the polls, he is not a terribly popular politician, including among republicans. and donald trump can take some credit for that because he's been sort of vicious in his attacking of him. >> let's remember, of course, mitch mcconnell denounced donald trump from the floor of the senate the day that trump was acquitted in the second impeachment trial, only to suggest a few weeks later if he was the party's nominee in 2024, he would support him again. so, jim, there was a moment there of some silence. trump was relatively quiet. now he's back out there. no tweets. but press releases. he started doing media appearances, the big cpac speech. what are you hearing -- what's the reporting you have as to what his next steps will be? there is skepticism he will have the discipline to form an actual political apparatus, to go after republicans in primaries that he feels were disloyal to him. is this just going to be him spouting off in press releases, start doing more interviews? how will he do this? how will he impact the republican party and remain relevant as this kingmaker as he eyes towards the moment where he will have to make a decision about 2024? >> jonathan, i think you nailed it. he's not -- his weakness, one of his big weaknesses and why he didn't do more with his presidency, he's not an organizational guy. he is not thinking long-term strategy. it is all improvisation. yes, he wants to lord over the republican party, but the idea of creating an alternative party would take way too many resources and focus to pull off. he does what you see today. he will try to find platforms, whether it's fox news, parler, whatever he ends up using with time to weigh in and heckle republicans who have turned on him, to air grievances he has about different republicans who have turned on him. my guess is that he will endorse candidates to be a pain to the republicans who are against him. look at what he talks about in the press releases. he's obsessed with liz cheney, mitch mcconnell, anyone who voted for impeachment. he is just obsessed with anybody who is a republican who doesn't love him. he'll heckle them. probably raise money for them. he won't be that organized. but make no mistake, if he sits there on the sidelines, does what he's doing, he probably gets stronger, not weaker, among republicans as you drift away from january 6th. and if he were to decide to run, which i think he may run. i know a lot of people think he won't. he's just doing this to stay in the game, but he's so addicted to the attention, being in the game, knows he has this massive base of support. i would not be surprised at all if he runs again. he knows he has to be foolish to not pretend that he's running again to the end because it gives him the power of us talking about him. our next guest says the only way to fully recover from the pandemic is to address economic inequity. dr. richard besser joins us to explain. you're watching "morning joe." introducing voltaren arthritis pain gel. the first full prescription strength non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gel... available over the counter. voltaren is powerful arthritis pain relief in a gel. voltaren. the joy of movement. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™ with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. emerge tremfyant™ janssen can help you explore cost support options. ♪ and a little bit of chicken fried ♪ ♪ cold beer on a friday night ♪ ♪ a pair of jeans that fit just right ♪ ♪ and the radio up ♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's. facing leaks takes strength, so here's to the strong, who trust in our performance and comfortable, long-lasting protection. because your strength is supported by ours. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. ♪♪ forget what your smoking-hot moms and teachers say, just remember my motto. if you ain't first... you're last! woo-hoo! just over a year ago, i was drowning in credit card debt. sofi helped me pay off twenty-three thousand dollars of credit card debt. they helped me consolidate all of that into one low monthly payment. they make you feel like it's an honor for them to help you out. i went from sleepless nights to getting my money right. so thank you. ♪ see every delivery... so thank you. every yikes... and even every awwwwwwww... wait, where was i? introducing self protection from xfinity. designed to put you in control. with real-time notification and a week of uninterrupted recording... all powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determinatio. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. breaking news on the economy. new data from the labor department shows 379,000 jobs were created in february with the country's unemployment rate at 6.2%. let's go straight to cnbc's dominic chu. 379,000, good number. >> it's a good friday for sure, not just that number we saw for this past month but january's numbers were also revised higher. january we thought was at 49,000 job growth, it comes in at 166,000 revised. aside from the headline number you gave us, it's that january was a much better month than expected. also looking at the labor force participation rate, 61.4% as well there. the u6 or real unemployment rate, that takes into account those unemployed or those who are marginally employed is unchanged at 11.1%. the dig deal here is private payrolls drove most of the growth here. 379,000 gained, 465,000 was private payrolls which suggests that government hiring was actually negative for that particular period. also want to highlight one of the particular points of interest here, leisure and hospitality, which has become a focal point for the pandemic and its recovery, they gained 355,000 jobs during that month indicating perhaps that this reopening trade, this reopening of the u.s. economy is taking foot, leisure and hospitality it benefiting from there as well. also that retail hiring was up about 41,000 as well. again, there is a notion over the course of the past few months, we have started to see real strength pick up in the hardest hit parts of the u.s. economy with a specific focus, willie, on leisure and hospitality. i'll continue to go through the numbers. but again, this is a positive report overall. we'll see if that momentum can continue into the march report coming up next month. back over to you. >> dom, one might expect the trend to continue as we have news of the vaccination, if you tie together the economy with public health as vaccinating continues, as this program that the white house has pushed forward and dr. fauci was on our show talking about yesterday continues into the spring, into the summer, would you expect the trend in job creation to continue on this track? >> absolutely. one of the things as well, too, many viewers out there know i live in connecticut. we just got news over the past couple of days that connecticut is looking to reopen its economy with full seating for restaurants and certain other large gathering type locations, houses of worship. if you start to see that trend continue it could be a scenario that as vaccinations increase, everybody starts to feel more comfortable. obviously there are mask wearing protocols that will have to be adhered to in many jurisdictions, but if you get leisure and hospitality outlets, especially bars and restaurants to open up to more than a quarter or half capacity, many of those types of operations will employ many of those people who have been underemployed or unemployed over the past year. that will be big. all of that leads to more consumer spending. so you couple this with the efforts that are being made to get more stimulus checks out to people, enhanced unemployment benefits, this could be a sign that perhaps the market thinks the pandemic and all of its real, real atrocities during the course of the last year are over and we could see something in the rearview mirror as close as the next few months. >> 379,000 jobs added, but we have to put it in context and remember we're digging out of a historic giant hole. dominic chu, thank you very much. we appreciate it. jonathan lemire, this looks like the beginning of a recovery, 379,000 jobs in leisure, travel, places effectively shut down for the last year. >> there's no way to take this other than good news. you provided some important context. there's a long way to go. these are important steps. certainly the biden white house will be heartened by this news. and i think you'll also take the republicans perhaps will take this argument and use it against the size of the covid relief bill saying if the economy is alreadyrecovering, do we really need $1.9 trillion. you will hear the counter from the democrats saying, look, you don't want to endanger a recovery that is still fragile. certainly the good news this week on the vaccines is in part adding further optimism that things could get back to normal perhaps sooner than first anticipated. i think you'll see the white house -- they'll forge forward. they won't change what they think they need. this is the first of several packages they'll put forth as the economy starts to creep back. >> that word, optimism, you keep hearing, willie, from people who know far more about the financial picture than i do, that there is a notion of money sitting out there. it's highly likely, more likely than not that by the middle of the summer when things begin to come back in full, in real, state by state, that there will be, like, a jailbreak sort of breakout in terms of the economy and the growth of the economy because people have been sitting there for 12 months, 14 months, 15 months, sitting back as we have been, you know, on remote and they'll be out there and they'll spend money. the economy will see the result. >> a lot of pent-up demand. a reminder that there's still about 9.5 million jobs that were here before the pandemic that even with this good number from february have to be reclaimed. let's turn to former acting director of the cdc, president and ceo of the robert wood johnson foundation, dr. richard besser. great to see you this morning. let's continue on this conversation. that is economic news, as i said it's tied in to your beat in public health. what is the state, as you see it, of the vaccination program that now has a third weapon in its arsenal with the j&j single shot? >> well, before i answer that question, i do want viewers to know that our foundation owns stock in j&j. one of the things that gives me hope is the increased spread of vaccines around the country. when you look at who has been getting vaccinated, it ties into the conversation you're having around economics. it ties into the conversations we've been having time and time again around who is being hit hardest by this pandemic. the pain has not been spread evenly across. the economic recovery you're talking about is not going evenly. one of the things about the vaccine rollout that gives me great concern is the great disparity between vaccination rates among black, latino and white americans. far more white americans have been vaccinated than have people of color, even though the pandemic is hitting communities of color the hardest. i get some hope when i see increasing efforts by the federal government and by states to reach people where they are, to scale up vaccination in communities of color, to do vaccination drives in churches, in community centers. these efforts are critical if we want to ensure that those who have been hit hardest have the protections that they need. so, doctor, in addition to that legitimate aspect of the vaccines, people who are not able to get the vaccines as you pointed out, there's something else going on out there in the country. it's this -- we have three vaccines. it's a miracle we have three. maybe by the end of may, as the president indicated, vaccines will be available to every american. that would be wonderful. yet you hear the undercurrents out there from people who say, you know, how come i'm not getting the two-shot vaccine? why will i be getting the one-shot vaccine? do we need a bigger informational program right now to deal with these questions? >> yeah. this is really challenging. it's a challenging issue to communicate against. from a public health perspective -- i think for most peoples perspective, what we're trying to protect against is severe disease, hospitalization and death. and all three vaccines are incredibly effective at preventing deaths from covid. when you hear the numbers, though, in terms of prevention of any disease, they look different. one thing that is clear is the vaccines have never been tested against each other. the moderna and pfizer vaccines were tested earlier in the pandemic when we weren't having the number of variants in the community that we're seeing right now. so it's very hard to do a head to head comparison. but, you know, in settings where a one-dose vaccine logistically is the way to go, many places where people are transient, where it's hard to get people back, the j&j vaccine will be absolutely terrific. in settings where you're able to offer people a choice and in the future as the supply goes up, that may be possible, then i say give people a choice. that will take some of the sting out of the idea that one vaccine may be better than others. there are people who will say, i want one and done. i don't want to come back for this. other people will say i do want to come back. i do want the two-dose series. when you give people choice, and you give people information, they can make informed decisions. >> dr. besser, errin haines has a question for you. >> good morning, dr. besser. i saw with great interest your piece addressing the economic inequities around covid and i'm texting with our economy reporter who points out that even if these jobs numbers, the unemployment rate for black women is way up, 8.9% this month, up from 8.5%, the only group of women for whom it went up that much. white women also had an increase, from 5.1%. i'm from philadelphia, reading in the inquirer about the vaccine deserts that still persist in philly even as i went to the mass vaccination site that opened here at the convention center, which certainly was aimed at addressing the disparities in the vaccine rollout. only about 1 in 5 black philadelphians has been vaccinated up to this point. from both the public health and the economic perspective, these inequities persist. can you talk about how those -- addressing those inequities is crucial to us getting to the new normal with this pandemic? >> it is absolutely critical. i worry when you hear the jobs story as well, this is the great news story. you have to break down the information by race, by ethnicity, by gender, by disability. when you look at communities that have been hit the hardest, as you say, the pandemic has hit black, latino, native american communities the hardest. so has the economic crisis. the job loss and the job recovery will take longer in communities of color. we've seen this with every economic downturn that we've seen. and there's this false separation that you see between physical and mental health, economic health. the point i'm trying to make in the hill piece, you have to see those things as joined together. when you look at why communities of color were hit the hardest during the pandemic and continue to be hit the hardest, it's because a greater proportion of individuals of color are in lower paying jobs and have to go to work. if you have to go to work, whether or not you've been exposed to covid you will go to work to put food on the table and pay the rent. if we're not attentive to those hit the hardest economically, those whose savings have been entirely used up, then what we're going to see is a very uneven recovery here. we'll see the same communities hit the hardest so far continue to be hit. and we're not going to see the jobs coming back in communities, the minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, businesses that employ people with disabilities, they'll be the longest to recover. if congress views this as important, they can make a difference here. they can put money in peoples pockets so people have income to spend. they can extend protections against evictions and housing foreclosures. they can finally take on the issue of economic -- of health injustice where at the start of this pandemic 28 million people lacked health insurance and currently because of job loss millions and millions more lack even the basics of access to good, quality health care. >> dr. besser, jonathan lemire. there are few silver linings in this pandemic, but one is the virus did not hit children nearly as hard as adults. yet we still, of course, hear tragic cases. there have been examples of children who have gotten sick or died across the country. can you give us an update on where the vaccination efforts stand with younger americans, teenagers, children under 10? where are we in the trials? when should we expect children like that should get a vaccine to get that vital protection? >> yeah. jonathan, i'm a pediatrician, i'm a parent. we're not going to be out of this pandemic until we have vaccines that are available for everybody. that includes children. we're not going to have parents being able to go back to work fully if children are not in school fully. that's going to be hardest to do until there's a vaccine for everybody. the good news on this is that all of the vaccine companies that have vaccines that are available in the united states are starting or are in the midst of trials in children. most of them, the approach they take is a step-wise backwards movement. if the vaccines currently are approved for people who are 18 and older, they'll go down to 12 to 18, then below that. j&j talked about trials in children as young as infancy. this will be important. they're not the same kinds of trials done for adults. they don't need to do trials in the same way to show in tens of thousands of people that they prevent hospitalizations and deaths, which thankfully are very unusual in children. what they'll need to show is that the vaccine is safe so it doesn't cause severe side effects, significant side effects, and people who receive it amount the immune response, the antibody response that's shown to be protective in adults. when i listen to dr. fauci, i hope by early 2022 we'll see it for children across the board and hopefully by this fall we'll see it for adolescents. so those going off to colleges will be able to get vaccinated, too >> we're all hoping for that. former acting director of the cdc, dr. richard besser, always great to have your expertise on the show. thanks. if you are the parent of a child who plays organized sports, our next segment is for you. the best-selling author rich cohen says he began his son's pewee hockey league as a mild mannered dad. by season's end he was in a shouting match with the coach comparing him to a notorious dictator. mike barnicle can relate. more of rich's "confessions of a hockey parent" next on "morning joe." introducing voltaren arthritis pain gel. the first full prescription strength non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gel... available over the counter. voltaren is powerful arthritis pain relief in a gel. voltaren. the joy of movement. it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. lease the 2021 rx 350 for $429 a month for 36 month's, and we'll make you're first month's payment. experience amazing. how great is it that we get to tell everybody how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance and we'll make you're first month's payment. so you only pay for what you need? i mean it... uh-oh, sorry... oh... what? i'm an emu! no, buddy! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ before discovering nexium 24hr to treat her frequent heartburn, marie could only imagine enjoying freshly squeezed orange juice. now no fruit is forbidden. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? . are you practicing that triple "d"? >> yeah. >> then you're all set. may make it, you may not, but that doesn't matter, charlie, what matters is that we're here. look around. who would have ever thought we'd make it this far? one, two, three, triple deek. take your best shot. i believe in you, charlie, win or lose. >> thanks, coach. >> go get em. ♪♪ >> that's a nice move to light the lamp. a scene from the 1992 movie "the mighty ducks" the hollywood version of youth hockey but our next guest explains what it's really like on the inside these days. joining us now best selling author rich cohen, his latest book is titled "peewees, confessions of a hockey parent," you've got a bunch of parents on the set, and parents who have played youth sports, talk to us about your down journey, coaching your son in connecticut. you were the guy who was going the dad to watches, cheers and encourages and next thing you know you're nose to nose yelling at a coach. >> well, i find that basically parents are divided into two groups, the big group don't really care, drop their kids off and let them play. those are the sane, well adjusted people and then there's a small group of people that completely lose their mind, that's me, we're the complete nut jobs, i would never expect it of myself. i left the game as a kid and then it pulled me back in, and i felt like i was doing things that i knew were wrong but couldn't stop doing them. and that is the youth hockey disease which is you completely lose your mind and i care more about this than about anything i've cared about probably since i was 15 or 16 years old. >> so rich, what is it about hockey? it seems like -- you know, i've seen it in little league, seen it in my youth basketball leagues and that kind of stuff. maybe it's the glass, the dads are up slamming at the glass, yelling at the team and the other kids, what is it about hockey? >> partly, it's expensive and there's a huge economic diversity who plays, some people are scraping everything they can together to play this game. you're up at taun, driving all the time. the really one giant road trip and you get emotionally invested and also i think hockey is the best sport. if you watch 10-year-old kids playing baseball it's not really like the game you're going to watch if you go to wrigley field but hockey is hockey and you find yourself turning into a fan. you're like heckling. there's people heckling little kids. you have to remind yourself these are not pros. it's just a bunch of little kids. the great thing about hockey, the reason i like to play is, the glass keeps the parents at a safe remove. it's like a zoo and the parents are on the other side of the glass so there's an incredible intensity among the parents who are sort of separated and you come to slowly realize, for me this book, "peewees" it's about parenting, you slowly realize you, in fact, don't control anything and your kids are in control and all you're doing is watching. >> you know, rich, i've watched a lot of hockey games involving my sons over a number of years at various levels, and i came to the conclusion quite early on in my hockey watching career that the parents are the most dangerous elements of the game when you go see, whether it's a grammar school game, a high school game, or a college game. the parents are absolutely crazy but there's another aspect of hockey, specifically hockey that has always intrigued me, and it is this, and especially in new england, where hockey is such a big sport for high school and prep school players. and you wonder, given the cost of hockey, and the cost of college educations, the number of parents who put their kids into hockey and the kids are great at hockey, and they do it knowing that hockey affords them the best shot at getting a leg up into getting into an ivy league school or a great college, largely in new england and i ended up surrounded by parents like this. >> yeah, people who tell me that they're having their kids play hockey because it's going to help them get into college i say what about fencing? hockey is like such a tough sport and that's one of the things that makes it intense. our league there's a double a, team, an a1 team, a b team, and we're in the middle of the pack. there's an incredible hierarchical status. they say your kids are not playing in the nhl, this is not getting them into college, this is their hockey career right now. give up your dreams, of course you don't. you find yourself starting to believe that this is the way in, but it really isn't. it's got to be for the love of hockey. and the fact is, you realize, somebody wrote yesterday, an nhl player said, well, you might not have the most talent but you can work the hardest. but the working the hardest, i think, especially with youth kids is the talent and the love of the game is the talent and if the love isn't there, we've all seen parents trying to make their kids play and you can't. the kids's got to love it. but when it works, the college all that stuff doesn't matter, the game is so sound and fun for these kids that it makes them better people. you deal with all the parents and to the kids it's like the voices in charlie brown, it's a wash of color, they just want to play the game. >> rich, we love hockey in my house. i'm a parent wired like you, take it entirely too seriously, do some coaching too. may or may not be too intense at times. give me some advice. should i attempt to sort of -- what lessons have you learned, should i try to mellow, relax a little bit, bea little less hands or or should i just go with it and be vince lombardi for my 9 and 6-year-olds? >> well, i actually wrote a list of hacks for hockey parents. they play 80 games a year, my kids. so that's like an nhl season. so one of my main lessons is, don't go to all these games. first of all, you want your kids playing without you present sometimes. my father, who was from brooklyn played basketball, didn't know anything about hockey, he only came to two of my hockey games in my life, one thing, and said it twice. he was laid out on the ice and he was yelling from the stands get up, you're not hurt. that's the lesson of hockey, you might think you're hurt, but you're not. the other advice i have is, you know, basically my father had this other thing he said, which is the key to life is caring, but not that much. i find that's very, very hard to do i've failed at it but the big thing is when you get upset, go for a walk, man, there's always a dunkin' donuts according to to waze within 1.3 miles. go for a cup of coffee and do not drink the coffee at the rink. >> mike barnicle knows where all those dunken donuts are. >> which dictator you called a coach during an argument. confessions of a hockey parent, the latest must read from rich cohen. that does it for us this morning, mike, thanks for being in the studio, and thanks for wearing parents, it means the world to me. i know you don't do that for everyone. stephanie ruhle picks up the coverage right now. i'm stephanie ruhle live here in new york city, it's friday, march 5th and we have got to start with breaking news, economic news, february jobs numbers just came out in the last 30 minutes, and they were off the charts. the economy adding 379,000 jobs last month. that is nearly twice the numbers analysts were expecting. three out of every four of those jobs were leisure and hospitality, a very clear sign this is all linked to the country reopening. the