This has been a big week that continues to be busy this weekend in the fight over democracy in america. Duelling democratic priorities are jockeying for attention on Capitol Hill. First, weve learned tonight that three Texas State lawmakers have tested positive for covid19. They left their state to try to block passage of new Voting Restrictions there. These are considered breakthrough cases since all three are vaccinated. Their group is In Washington to push the White House and democratic leaders in congress for action on Voting Rights. The Ideal Outcome for them is federal legislation to counter the bills that are on track to become law in texas. So far their efforts have yet to bear fruit. Case in point, more than a dozen of the texas democrats met with Senator Joe Manchin on thursday. Here is what he had to say about it afterward. It was a very informative meeting and its basically that weve all come to a total agreement that what we want is basically to protect Voting Rights, thats it. Basically make a piece of legislation, one piece of legislation, that protects the rights of voting, the procedure of voting, the democracy, the guardrails on democracy. Thats all. And there shouldnt be a Republican Or Democrat that should oppose it. But there are many Republican Senators that oppose such legislation, and if democrats cannot find ten republicans to get around a filibuster their Voting Legislation has nowhere to go. Another obstacle that texas democrats face, getting congresss attention. Congressional democrats biggest priority this week is not voting Rights Legislation but president Bidens Infrastructure and Spending Plans. On Tuesday Senate democratic leaders agreed on a 3. 5 trillion spending package. They plan to pass it by a Budget Reconciliation with a simple majority. Can they pass both that plan and the bipartisan Infrastructure Plan, which is worth about 579 Billion . Well, that task was described to the New York times as, quote, trying to land the plane on a very narrow Landing Strip in the middle of the ocean. Unquote. Setting aside the democrats razor thin margins in congress, time is not on their side. Getting both the Infrastructure Plan and the Spending Plan through congress is probably going to take weeks, and the August Recess is rapidly approaching. To kickstart that process, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he wants negotiations on the Infrastructure Package wrapped up for a procedural vote by this wednesday. This is a lot of work to be done, and that is where we begin our work with Scott Mcfarland, an investigative reporter for our Station Nbc 4 In Washington, joining us from Our Washington bureau. Scott, what is standing in the way right now of getting that procedural vote on wednesday as Senator Schumer has said he wants . Hey, joshua, you described that narrow Landing Strip. It is getting smaller and smaller. Days are running out august reses. After that recess they have to get the Debt Ceiling raise, so theres a finite amount of time to get it done. Thats why Majority Leader schumer said he would have a Test Vote next week which means we could see a vote before we see a bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. It remains to see whether it mobilizes both parties this weekend during negotiations or whether it breaks down negotiations. I talked to congressional staff throughout The Weekend. They say there is a path, but it is far from clear whether there are the votes. What about the 3. 5 trillion Infrastructure Plan . We should be clear, it would not be 3. 5 trillion today. It would be 3. 5 trillion over years and years. Still, what about the Life Span of that one . That has a long ways to go as well. That will involve weeks as well. That involves getting one party in lock step, and thats a big challenge. Not just in the senate. I have congressional staffers telling me in the u. S. House theres a yearlong balance of ensuring the progressives and moderates are on board with everything. Leave infrastructure aside, theyre whipping votes this week on the annual Spending Bills that are taken up later in the month. Usually one party is on board with the annual Spending Bills. Theyre whipping that. So a reconciliation on Infrastructure Bill is a much taller mountain to climb. As for Voting Rights, we know that there were a number of groups that met with Senator Excuse me, Vice President Kamala Harris this week. Here is part of what she said at a Listening Session this week about Voting Rights. Lets be clear. Not about any one racial Group Or Gender group, this is about all americans. This is not an issue about democrats versus republicans. This is about americans. And this group of national leaders are very clear about that. This is a fight for all people, regardless of who they voted for in the last election or who they vote for in the next election. So, scott, where does that stand at this point . If there is any optimism about infrastructure, there is much less about Voting Rights. Here we are tonight, one year since the death of John Lewis, the civil rights icon. One year after the funeral for John Lewis at which President Obama said we need to get rid of the filibuster, it is a Jim Crow relic. We are still facing the filibuster as the big impediment towards new voting Rights Legislation, and the two most moderate democrats in the senate have been unequivocal, they dont want to get rid of the filibuster. So there is a transcendent pessimism about voting Rights Legislation as we move towards, again, this big, looming summer recess. To that point one of the moderate democrats, one Joe Manchin and the other Kyrsten Sinema of arizona, Joe Manchin was asked about that and his unwillingness to move on the filibuster. Here is what he said. Reporter civil rights groups are asking for a carveout for the filibuster for the Voting Rights. Could you support that . The Bottom Line is we should be working together on the whole on basically theres legislation that protects the peoples right to vote. That should be something that should be common sense. The people should have a right to vote. It should be secured and it should be accessible and fair. Have you gained republican support . Were getting some. We are getting there. We will see how far it goes in terms of getting republican support. Scott, before i let you go i have to ask you about the latest on the investigations and prosecutions into the capitol riots of January 6th. Where does all of that stand right now . Very big day coming on monday, joshua. The Firstist Felony Case goes to sentencing. The first person who the feds would consider a serious offender in the Senate Chamber with ropes and gloves and goggles. The feds say he was ready for violence. Does he get prison time . Prosecutors are recommending 18 months as his sentence. Does the judge go along with it, give the prosecutors what they want, or does the judge spare Paul Hodgkins of florida from any prison time . Worth watching. Thank you, scott. Thats nbc 4s Scott Mcfarland from Our Washington stays. Much appreciated. Now, on Wednesday President Biden discussed his Infrastructure Plan with a bipartisan group of governors and mayors from across the country. Among them were governor phil scott, a republican from vermont, governors Phil Murphy of New Jersey and j. B. Pritzker of illinois, both democrats, as well as David Holt. He is the republican mayor of Oklahoma City. The mayor met with President Biden to talk about that bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, but does he also support the democrats 3. 5 trillion Reconciliation Package . It is possible that for any Reconciliation Bill to pass, all of it might need to pass. Mayor David Holt joins us now. Mr. Mayor, welcome to the program. Good to have you with us. Hi. Good evening. Thanks for having me. What were you big takeaways after the meeting on wednesday . Well, a couple of things. First of all, i think theres some real hope here. If you are in the mayor world, you have been hearing about infrastructure for the better part of a decade, and i really feel like we might be on the Goal Line here with something tangible and real that would really make a difference in cities like mine. Roads and bridges, transit, passenger rail, i mean major investment in all of those areas are a part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Framework of 1. 2 trillion, and it feels ream. It feels like we might really get this done. The second takeaway for me was certainly all of the talk of bipartisanship, and i really saw the president and the Administrations Commitment to that for this particular package. And what really was a new perspective for me was the idea that Theres Something bigger here than just the package itself. Theres an opportunity to pass something important In Washington with republicans and democrats working together, and that that is to the president an important message to send to the country and to the world that our form of government is functional again. So, obviously, somebody who is a mayor and has to bring people together and serves in a very purple city and wants to always see republicans and democrats working together, thats very appealing to me. You know, Bottom Line for me is i want to get this package done, but i love the secondary benefit of showing the functionality of american democracy again. Talk about what it would mean for the future of Oklahoma City. There was a report that i saw just today from the Oklahoman Newspaper about how well Oklahoma City is doing in terms of ecommerce, things like hubs and warehouses for things like amazon and vacancies are down and rental prices are up. So i imagine, mayor holt, that infrastructure in some ways is sort of the way that you pave the road to the future for cities like Oklahoma City. Sure. Literally, you know. And when we look at this package, theres some things there that would make a very tangible difference to our economic and Quality Of Life future, specifically transit. So, like a lot of cities kind of in the southwestern united states, it is always a debate where Oklahoma City is located, but, you know, we kind of align in our layout with cities like in texas or in arizona, which means we are very big and were very sprawled and we really need a partnership with the federal government to provide a level of Public Transit that people in the northeast or on the coasts are used to. Thats an area where Public Transit gets people to their jobs, and so it is not just a Quality Of Life measure, it is an economic improvement to our city. So Thats Something thats important to us. I mentioned it, but i will go into more detail. Passenger rail is something that we dont go north, you know. When our city was created in a land run, settlers came down on trains from kansas to arrive in Oklahoma City. You cant do that today. We had better Rail Service in 1889 than we do in 2021. So this package specifically proposes to bring Rail Service from Oklahoma City north to kansas. Again, thats a connection to a Rail Network across the northern united states that we could really use for any number of reasons, Quality Of Life and the economy. So, yeah, i think that the Infrastructure Package means jobs in the long term. Of course, it also always means jobs in the short term, never forget that. These are a lot of great jobs building these things that would roll out of this package. What is missing from this Infrastructure Plan . Is there anything that is not there that you wish was there . Thats an interesting question. No, im pretty pleased, i mean, because we havent really talked about it. But obviously theres that roads and Bridges Component as well, that is really critical. We are a city built around the automobile. Thats not necessarily going to change. I would love to see better city transit, but i know most of my residents are going to move around on roads and bridges so thats important. Thats a component of it. Broadband and Water Infrastructure is a part of it. This is the kind of stuff that the federal government does and has done for many decades. It is just that we havent had this opportunity to give it an extra injection like we feel like we have here. Every year congress, you know, puts Road Funding down to the states, and were appreciative of that. They put Transit Funding down to the cities and states. Were appreciative of that. But this has been a decadelong effort to do something more than that, to catch our country up, because our infrastructure has fallen so far behind. Thats what the opportunity we hope will be seized here. Last few seconds, how optimistic are you for the prospects of people to work in a bipartisan way . It is very different being a mayor where you have kind of executive responsibilities in a purple city like Oklahoma City, as opposed to being on Capitol Hill where, you know, digging into your political trenches can become something of a career. How optimistic are you . I know, i get it. I get it. This is not the era of bipartisanship In Washington, but for something like this it has traditionally been the kind of package that would be passed along bipartisan lines. I think what has been originally proposed here by a bipartisan group of u. S. Senators, if you can keep that character i think you will see bipartisan support. Im very hopeful of that. Again, as i said earlier, it is not just good for the package. It is good for our country, and so im very hopeful. Im very grateful that i think the president is committed to that, and i certainly saw that in our meeting on wednesday. Oklahoma city mayor, David Holt. Mayor holt, im really glad you made time for us. So thanks very much. Absolutely. Thank you. Be well. We will have more on the fight for Voting Rights later on in the program, including todays celebrations to honor a man who spent his entire life fighting for those rights, the late congressman John Lewis. Still to come, did you notice a little extra cash in your Bank Account this week . If youve got kids, you may want to check your balance. The Child Tax credits from the american Rescue Plan rolled out this week. Well tell you what you need to know. But first, a rally for democracy in cuba is happening now in miami. The cuban government is cracking down on historic protests across the island. What comes next . Were glad you are with us for The Week on msnbc. Moisturize with Shea Butter and shes wearing my robe. Mom Ahem Ahem Ahem were out. Trelegy for copd. Birds flyin high you know how i feel breeze drifting on by you know how i feel [man coughing] its a new dawn, its a new day. No matter how you got copd its time to make a stand. 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And it helps keep you asleep by sensing your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. Proven Quality Sleep is lifechanging sleep. Only from Sleep Number. Right now in miami crowds are gathered for a rally for democracy in support of the cuban people. Thats the Freedom Tower in miami. This follows unprecedented scenes in havana this week. Thousands took to the streets there to protest the cuban government. Many cubans are angry over a lack of food and medical supplies as well as over the Governments Response to coronavirus. After some initial successes, Case Numbers as you can see from the chart are skyrocketing. This week the cuban government pulled the plug on the Nations Internet Access in hopes of suppressing more protests. Today a heavy Police Presence was on hand to prevent any further demonstrations. Thousands showed up for a progovernment rally. Joining us now is a democratic pollster and the son of Cuban Exiles. Welcome to the program. Thank you. I wonder if we could take a look at Freedom Tower. This was the cuban Assistance Center in the 60s And 70s where Cuban Exiles who were seeking assistance after fleeing the Castro Regime in the early days would be processed. This building has a high significance to South Florida historically and to Cuban Americans and Cuban Americans culturally. What is your sense how things are going in South Florida and whether the message of the protesters there is being heard . Well, joshua, you couldnt be more right in describing that building. My parents and grandparents were processed through that very building, as were scores of others. I think the reason it is so important is because it is called the Freedom Tower. That is the very nature, make no mistake, about what these protests in cuba, these unprecedented protests, 62 years in the making, are all about. It is not about the coronavirus. It is not about the lack of vaccines. It is not about the lack of internet access. It is about a generation of cubans that have had enough of the repressive, authoritative regime that has, as you have seen in the Way Theyve reacted to these protest, done everything possible to stifle their ability for a better life. Thats why the protests in cuba are calling for freedom, and here in South Florida and around the country where you see Cuban Exiles congregating, theyre trying to show solidarity with that same sentiment in cuba, which is a Cry For Freedom and an end to the 62year regime and dictatorship. What is your sense of what cuba is dealing with right now . I think a lot of us have a better sense of Fee Dell Castro and Ruhle Castro to an extent, not so much of the current president , miguel diazcanel. What is your sense of what cubans are now dealing with and whether it is different from what we knew of under the castro brothers . Oh, it is a question that you have asked because fundamentally the Castro Regime was a cultive personality, similar to how the republican party is a cultive personality under trump. It is not the same if you dont have the Figure Head or the leader. With Fidel Castro and his death in 2016, Raoul Castro retiring earlier in the year, you have miguel diazcanel, someone who does not fill the void. He doesnt have the Intimidation Factor that the castro brothers had, who ruled with an iron fist, both of them. I think thats why you see now so many people who are also suffering the ravages of hunger. Cuba is in probably the worst economic crisis at any point in the revolution. Just a lack of everything. Folks are rationalizing, saying, we have nothing else to lose, we no longer have fear of the repressive regime. We are willing to go out to the streets even if it means risking life and limb, which is what the regime is doing. By the way, joshua, those images you showed earlier of the protest or the counter demonstrations in cuba, those are dear ladier regimeorchestrated events almost at literal Gun Point that force the population to participate. If they dont they risk loss of job, or even jailing or lack of access to food. So you dont see people on their own volition participating in these events. It is sham protests, if you will. What do you think is the way forward . Ive got to admit, im not sure how it goes from here. I mean cuba still has support from venezuela, which has its own array of issues right now. Thats another conversation. You have a very strong political connection between south and Central Florida including tampas Cuban Community and the island. Washington seems very desirous of supporting the protesters in cuba. Obviously we are a beacon of democracy around the world, but we are just pulling ourselves out of one major International Entanglement with afghanistan. I dont know what the appetite is of the american people to get into something that may turn into a quagmire. It sounds like there are A Thousand ways for the u. S. To respond, and as a result there are A Thousand ways for the u. S. To respond badly. So what do you see as the right way forward . Like what not even should we do, but what could we do . Well, lets first look at it from the u. S. Perspective. We are six decades, joshua, since the failed bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961. The policy of the u. S. Government has been they wanted to wait for the cuban people themselves to rise up and ask for their freedom and their own sense of selfdetermination. Now that that has happened, something by the way that 12 united States President s called for, were waiting for, never happened under their watch, i think President Biden has a moral obligation as the leader of the free world, and certainly as the president of the united states, to do more than just offer statements in support with the protesters on the island, as he has correctly and appropriately done. I think it is his responsibility as the president of the united states to engage beyond statements. Right. And whether it is leading an international coalition, certainly coming to South Florida, the heart of the Cuban Community outside of the island itself, and addressing those folks on the island who are courageously risking life and limb, expressing solidarity in Word And Deed with them. I think it is an appropriate first step, and then rally the community of nations around this cause to seek what u. S. Principles are, which are freedom and democracy. We heard biden call for those in the G7 Summit three weeks ago in europe. Yeah, the international coalition piece, i think you touched on something. Thats what im looking out for in The Weeks and months to come, whether other countries say, hey, we will do x if the united states jumps on as well. Fernando amanda i thank you for taking the time. A new book on President Trump has unsettling details on his final days in office. Among other things, americas top general was apparently worried about a possible coup. Hey google, turn up the heat. Ugh, these balls are moist. Or is that the damp weight of selfawareness you now hold in your hands . Yeah laugh keep your downstairs dry with Gold Bond body powder. Limu emu. And doug. Kso then i said to him,y you oughta customize your Car Insurance with liberty mutual, so you only pay for what you need. Oh um, doug can we talk about something other than work, its The Weekend. Yeah, yeah. [ squawk ] hot dog or. Chicken . 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It comes out next week. One excerpt says that the general and branches of the military began, quote, informally planning how they could block a president ial order to use the military in a way they considered illegal or dangerous and illadvised, unquote. To be clear, Nbc News has not independently confirmed this reporting. For his part, President Trump has denied that he ever considered a coup and a spokesperson for general milley declined to comment on the reporting in the book. Lets discuss it with retired brigadier general mark kmet. He served as Assistant Secretary of state for political and military affairs. Welcome to the program. Thanks. I read this and i thought, shut the front door. How is this possible . What did you make of this when you heard about it . Well, i dont think anybody who has worn a uniform was surprised in the least. We have watched President Trump over the four years prior. We saw near The End of his administration how he put some of his own people into the pentagon. We expected when we saw that the election was lost and he was making such an issue of it that there would be nothing this man would do to ensure that he stayed in power. Let me just be clear what were talking about here. The president is the commander in chief. We are talking about the top general in the military thinking about how to disobey an order from the commander in chief and do so in a way that is as honorable as possible to the oath that he has sworn and also kind of presuming or wrapping his brain around the possibility that the commander in chief of americas Armed Forces would ask the military to do something unthinkable and flatout unamerican. Am i dealing in hyperbole at all . Am i reading too much into that or is that what you take from this . I dont think so at all. Look, your father was a vietnam vet. He knew the standard. You dont follow an illegal order, whether it is given from a lieutenant, whether it is given from a captain or whether it is given from the president of the united states. So im sure that Mark Milley and his service counterparts talked to their lawyers, had prepped themselves completely so that they were on firm legal bounding, standing if the president called up and said, i want you to do x, Y And Z. Thats the great thing about the military. You know this, joshua. We follow orders. We dont follow illegal orders, and the country comes first. Youre in the job to protect the country, not the man. Here is an excerpt from the book that the Washington Post featured on its website, and i want to just reiterate these are excerpts that are reported by philip Rucker And Carol lennig. Nbc news has not independently con firl them. Here is one of the excerpts i think is among the most startling. Milley Saw Trump as a classic authoritarian leader with nothing to lose. He had earlier described to aides that he kept having a stomachchurning feeling that some of the worrisome early stages of 20th Century Fascism were replaying in america. He saw parallels between trumps rhetoric about Election Fraud and adolf Hitlers Insistence to his followers at the nuremberg rallies that he was both a victim and their savior. This is a reichstag moment, milley told them. What do you make of that . I would have to be sitting in the room when mark said that. I know him to be a very sober man, a very good academic as a matter of fact. He didnt go to west point, he went to princeton. I think he was probably drawing a political a historical parallel not to shock anybody but to just talk about what was happening at the moment. Candidly, he made those comments before January 6th and it is hard not to suggest that what happened on January 6th was not reminiscent of what we saw in germany in the 1930s. So i think it is an absolute historical analog, and i think things played out in The Weeks following to demonstrate that he was right. Where does this leave us now . I mean Donald Trump issued a statement on thursday denying that he ever considered a coup and saying in part, quote, if i was going to do a coup one of the last people i would want to do it with is general Mark Milley. So he didnt miss his opportunity to take a swipe at the chairman of the joint chiefs. Where does this leave us . I mean i dont know whether to feel that now that Donald Trump is no longer the president , and at least this guardrail of our democracy held, that that particular threat is worth knowing about, but it is not a threat anymore. Donald trump is not the president of the united states, and so we can kind of note that and move on. But i dont know if thats the right way to view this. How do you see it going forward . Well, i think the right question, joshua, is what happens if Donald Trump is reelected in 2024. I think this incident and these incidents described potentially in the book demonstrate how strong the institutions are in the united states. The military doesnt put up with that. We can prevent those types of people from rising through the ranks of the military because theres an Advise And Consent and a Confirmation Process in the united States Congress that doesnt allow the president to pick his coterie around him and the people that make the decisions. Shocked is not the word i would use. I would use reassured that the systems held, the institutions held. Even though we had an incident like January 6th, i think even that will be seen in the future as an aberration and not a foretelling of what is to come. Retired brigadier general mark kmet. Thank you very much. Certainly. Covid cases are rising in nearly every state, and now Los Angeles is reinstating a mask mandates. Is it necessary . Youll hear dr. Anthony faucis thoughts on that next. Plus, lets all go to the movies. Or maybe not . Should we go . Can we go . Should we just stay home and stream the latest releases from our couch . Well put that to our Saturday Night panel in our next hour. Ur power your thing. Above everything . You decide fast. Is never fast enough. You put muscle over matter. And you make horsepower. A superpower. Welcome to the brotherhood of muscle. With relapsing forms of ms. Theres a lot to deal with. Not just unpredictable relapses. All these other things too. It can all add up. Kesimpta is a oncemonthly athome injection. That may help you put these Rms Challenges in their place. Kesimpta was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses, active lesions, and slowing Disability Progression vs aubagio. Dont take kesimpta if you have Hepatitis B, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. Kesimpta can cause serious Side Effects, including infections. 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The Delta Variant accounts for 73 of those covid cases. That is the highest percentage of any state according to the cdc. Hospitalization levels are higher than last winter and only 40 of missourians, two out of five, are vaccinated. Meanwhile, other places like Los Angeles county have higher vaccination rates, but l. A. County is going back to mask mandates just before midnight sunday. Last night we discussed that decision with dr. Anthony fauci over On Peacock. Here is some of what he had to say. With key start with the story out of l. A. County. What do you make of their decision to mandate masks for everybody vaccinated or not . I hear both sides of it. We heard from dr. Scott gottlieb earlier today on cnbc where he said vaccinated people should not need to wear masks because theyre not the ones spreading the virus. How do you see it . Well, you know, i think you have to leave that kind of discretionary decision up to the local authorities. The broad, general recommendation from the cdc is that if you are vaccinated you do not need to wear a mask either indoors or outdoors, but there will be certain locations where the level of infection is very high and perhaps the level of people vaccinated, the percent of vaccinated is low. When you have a high degree of dynamics of virus transmission, you can understand how some authorities, as you heard the person from l. A. In the piece you just played, saying just, you know, we cant be worried about who is vaccinated, who is not. We just want to shut down this transmission, so everybody needs to wear a mask. Thats understandable. Thats going the extra mile of caution, even though, strictly speaking, it is not necessary because people who are vaccinated are protected and certainly are protected against severe disease. So, yes, it appears like theres a contradiction there, but you can understand how local authorities feel that in order to get that extra bit of Protection And Assuredness that they want to shut down the transmission, that they want to do that. Part of my conversation with dr. Fauci. You can watch the rest over On Peacock including his thoughts about spending some time this week with Pop Star Olivia rodrigo. Thats over On Peacock. The first payments of the new Child Tax credit hit Bank Accounts this week. If you are wondering whether you may be a recipient, we will walk you through it just ahead. Stay close. Ugh, these balls are moist. Or is that the damp weight of selfawareness you now hold in your hand . Yeahhh. laugh keep your downstairs dry with Gold Bond body powder. Im morgan, and theres more to me than hiv. More love, more adventure, more community. R downstairs dry but with my Hiv Treatment, theres not more medicines in my pill. 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Tell your doctor if you have Kidney Or Liver problems, or if you are, may be, or plan to be pregnant. Dovato may harm your unborn baby. Use effective Birth Control while on dovato. Do not breastfeed 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 dovatoi did. judith in this market, Youll Find Fisher investments is different than other Money Managers. other Money Manager different how . Dont you just ride the wave . judith no we actively manage Client Portfolios based on our forwardlooking views of the market. other Money Manager but you still sell investments that generate high commissions, right . judith no, we dont sell commission products. Were a fiduciary, obligated to act in our clients best interest. other Money Manager so when do you make more money . 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If you are a parent, you may have noticed some extra cash in there. This week millions of americans received the first installment of the Child Tax credit. Experts say it could slash Child Poverty in half. Senate Majority Leader Chuck schumer put it a little more bluntly. Dear friend, former senator and current president joe biden, this is a big deal, one of the biggest deals thats been passed in decades and decades. Language. Here is how the credit works. Eligible parents of children ages 5 and under will get up to 300 a month per child. For parents with kids between 6 and 17 years old, that drops to 250 a month. The full credit extends to individuals with an annual income below 112,000 and families making up to 150,000 a year. Dont worry, we will share all of this out on social so you can find it later. Now, this Weeks Payment was just the first. More money is set to go out every month until december. Joining us now is kristin row finkbinder, ceo of moms rising, a group pushing to make the program permanent. Welcome to the program. Good to have you with us. Thank you for having me. Clarify more how this works. It is a bit different from some of the other Child Tax credits people may be used to that are like a onetime Lump Sum Refund you get when you file your taxes. This is different. Well, this Child Tax Credit Expansion is a big deal, as we just heard the clip say, and it is a huge relief for families, for women, for businesses and for our economy. As you just saw, it is up to 300 per month per child coming into your Bank Account, and that is a historic moment bought it is lifting up families and putting 50 of children out of poverty. Now, lets put a little context in. The data is in from the pandemic, and we found that women and moms experienced the most harms from the pandemic, and women of color experienced compounded health and economic harms from the pandemic. So this Child Tax credit doesnt just lift children out of poverty. It also boosts our economy and helps moms get back to work because Child Care now costs more than college right now in the united states of america. So being able to have that bump up monthly Child Tax credit coming into our Bank Account helps us afford Child Care, helps us get to work, helps us boost families, helps us afford food on the table, roof over childrens heads. It is a big, Big Investment in a Care Infrastructure we all need. What about the parents and families who may fall into the gaps and not get this Child Tax credit . By one account there may be between 4 Million and 8 Million children whose families would not get this credit because their parents dont file taxes, dont have to file taxes, or they may just kind of get lost in a Tax System that is incredibly obscure to begin with, what about them . This Child Tax Credit Expansion was aimed at really getting the funds to people who dont normally get Child Tax credits. So if you did not file your taxes this year, you can go to the Irs Website and you can apply right now and get the peft benefit. Because for the first time ever, the Child Tax credit extends to people who earn zero income or very little income. You can go to momsrising. Org childtaxcredit for a lot of commonly asked questions and answers. The big thing here is that when we went into the pandemic, our Care Infrastructure was hanging by a thread. And we saw that Thread Unravel altogether and push moms out of the labor force, push children into poverty, and really hurt our economy. And this Child Tax credit is a good step forward, again, towards that Care Infrastructure, which also includes coming up paid leave for everyone, universal access to Child Care, home and communitybased services for people who are ageing and the elderly. Living wages for Care Workers and everyone. And then, also, importantly, a path to citizenship for essential and Care Workers. I wonder what you see before i have to let you go is the political path forward for this . Senator marco rubio, Republican Senator from florida, released a statement saying that President Biden has, quote, transformed the fromworker, profamily Child Tax credit into an antiwork welfare check, unquote. I understand you also spoke to Speaker Pelosi this week about the push to make the credit permanent, but no republicans voted in favor of the credit, which was part of the american Rescue Plan. Before i let you go, what about just the political future of something like this . It may be popular, but how do you see the path forward on Capitol Hill to taking this further . Theres a Bright Future ahead. We saw just on tuesday, the biden administration along with leaders in the democratic House And Senate leadership pushing forward the biden budget blueprint. In the biden budget blueprint, we do see this Care Infrastructure. And thats because republicans across the country, democrats across the country, moms, dads, and people who are caregivers, organizations are rising. Our members have made over 200,000 constituent contacts just on building the Care Infrastructure alone. There is a movement growing. And we do expect congress to act quite soon, and well keep raising our voices until they do. Kristen, i appreciate you making time for us. Thanks very much. Thank you. Up next, we are live in california where wildfires are growing by more than A Thousand acres an hour. Acres an hour. Hey google, turn up the heat. Limu Emu Doug oh are you using liberty Mutuals Coverage Customizer tool . Sorry . Well, since you asked. It finds discounts and policy recommendations, so you only pay for what you need. Limu, youre an animal whos got the Bird Legs now . Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Super emma just about sleeps in her cape. But when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to Tide Hygienic clean free. Its gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. Tide hygienic clean free. Hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. Extreme weather continues to punish the u. S. This weekend. Wildfires are raging across the country, especially in the west. According to the national interagency fire center, there are now 70 large fires in 12 states. Together, they burned more than A Million acres. For more on the wildfires, lets go to nbcs Scott Cohn. He joins us in los gatos, california, which is just south of san jose. Scott, whats the latest . Its not good, joshua. As you said, 70 wildfires going on right now and lets remember, this is july. The peak of Fire Season is normally a couple of months away, but were seeing Moisture Levels that we dont normally see this early in the season. So that has a lot of people concerned. Fires are burning In Washington, oregon, california, nevada. They did get a little bit of relief in the southwest with monsoons, but the issue with that is, forecasters say theyre likely to trigger thunderstorms in this part of the world, in northern california. Thunderstorms mean lightning. Lightning and all of this dry vegetation, thats a bad combination. Lightning is not accompanied by a bunch of rain, called dry lightning, as the potential to spark anything. Right now, pretty much anywhere across the inner Mountain West from california to the great basin, which is your nevada utah area, up through the northern rockies. Reporter thats heath hockenberry. Hes in charge of the Fire Weather Program for the national weather service. So basically, he communicates the forecast to the different agencies that are looking for this. The Forecast Calls for some of this lightning to come in possibly around this time tomorrow and into monday. And so what theyre doing is theyre actually stationing fire crews out in the field to be ready for it. They say that it is not likely to be as bad as the outbreak of lightning last year that sparked several major fires. And that was back in august. Joshua . Goodness, it looks so dry there at the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains. Thank you, scott. Thats nbcs Scott Cohn joining us from los gatos, california. Meanwhile, in western europe, Search And Rescue operations continue after days of catastrophic flooding. At least 160 people have died, hundreds more are unaccounted for. Floodwaters have receded in many areas, revealed the extent of the destruction. In germany, rescuers had to check flooded cars and trucks for victims. Army tanks pulled vehicles out of the water. Thousands of germans are now without homes, after the disaster destroyed their residences. Take a look at this video of floodwater carrying a house down a river before it crashed into trees and knocked them down. Just one dramatic piece of Video Weve seen there. Weve also learned about the deaths of 12 disabled residents at a care facility. They were trapped on the first floor and drowned before Aid Workers could arrive. Also in eastern belgium, Train Lines and Roads Remin blocked. Authorities are rushing to provide Drinking Water to residents without potable supplies. In the netherlands, soldiers and firefighters are working to reinforce dikes and prevent flooding. We cannot precisely say how much all of this is due to climate change. At least not yet. But we do know, as the world warms, theres an increase in extreme downpours. That is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water. This increases the chances that a storm will produce more precipitation. According to the Nbc News climate unit, the rain that fell over western germany made it one of the wettest, if not the wettest day on record in that region. Some call it a 1 in 100year rainfall event. Well, it is the top of the hour and very good To Be With You tonight. People across the country are celebrating the Life And Legacy of congressman John Lewis, one year after his death. He spent decades fighting for Voting Rights and that fight continues. Well get the current state of voting Rights Legislation, especially in texas. Plus, is this the face of americas pastime. Shohei ohtani from japan is shaking up the world of baseball and challenging ideas of who the game belongs to