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[ finger snaps ] hmm. ♪ ♪ the kohler walk-in bath features an extra-wide opening and a low step-in at three inches, which is 25 to 60% lower than some leading competitors. the bath fills and drains quickly, while the heated seat soothes your back, neck and shoulders. kohler is an expert in bathing, so you can count on a deep soaking experience. are you seeing this? the kohler walk-in bath comes with fully adjustable hydrotherapy jets and our exclusive bubblemassage. everything is installed in as little as a day by a kohler-certified installer. and it's made by kohler- america's leading plumbing brand. we need this bath. yes. yes you do. a kohler walk-in bath provides independence with peace of mind. call... to receive fifty percent off installation. and take advantage of our special offer no payments for eighteen months. a very good day to all of you from msnbc world headquarters in new york. welcome, everyone, to "alex witt reports." it's shaping up to be a big week ahead for both the white house and capitol hill. first, steve bannon will surrender to authorities tomorrow. trump's former white house adviser will appear in court after being charged with contempt of congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the january 6th committee. earlier today committee member adam schiff applauded the doj's actions. >> and now that witnesses see that if they don't cooperate, if they don't fulfill their lawful duty when subpoenaed, they too may be prosecuted, it will have a very strong focusing effect on their decisionmaking. so it's very positive. i view this as an early test of whether our democracy was recovering. >> meanwhile, tomorrow at the white house, president biden will hold a signing ceremony to enact a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. the house this week is also expected to take action on the other big piece of the president's agenda, the build back better act. earlier progressive caucus chair pramila jayapal expressed her confidence to msnbc that the house will get it done this week. >> i do believe that we will have a vote this week on the build back better act. it will go to the senate and then be up to the senate democrats and the president who gave us his commitment that he believed that he could get this across the finish line in the form that the framework was presented. so "yes" is the short answer, we will have a vote this week. also tomorrow, the president will meet virtually with president xi jinping of china. and closing arguments are expected to begin tomorrow in the homicide trial of kyle rittenhouse. security in kenosha, wisconsin is being increased for a possible verdict there this week. and the trial is expected to resume tomorrow in brunswick, georgia for the three men facing murder and other charges in the killing of ahmaud arbery. earlier today congresswoman karen bass expressed her worry for the outcomes of both trials. >> the arbery trial is a trial of a lynching. that is exactly what happened in that case. and look at rittenhouse. both of those trials were based in race. and i'm very concerned about the outcome for both of them. now let's go to the nation's capital. nbc's julie tsirkin is there for us, mike memoli is at the white house. mike, we'll start with you. tomorrow a big day for the biden administration. what do we know about the signing ceremony? >> reporter: alex, as we look ahead to what is a very busy week for president biden and his administration, this new abc news/"washington post" poll offers an interesting snapshot of the political landscape the president is heading into. there's good news, strong support for the bipartisan infrastructure plan, which he will sign tomorrow, as well as the social spending bill he's trying to get past. there's bad news, the president's approval rating dipping to 41%. but if you look at one of the biggest warning signs for this white house, six in ten voters don't think the president has accomplished much this first year in office. as you look at the signing ceremony tomorrow, the white house will try to accomplish two things, really to have the president be able to say to the american people, he's accomplished two very big objectives he laid out in the campaign. one is the investment in infrastructure, and two, we'll see republicans joining democrats, mayors, governors, business, and labor, all gathering on the south lawn of the white house for this event. then the president will hit the road to talk about this as he looks ahead to the social spending bill which he wants to get over the finish line. the white house is acknowledging concerns about inflation and using it actually to make a sales pitch to try to make the argument for passing the social spending bill. as we heard from brian deese, one of the top white house virus, on "meet the press." >> there's no doubt inflation is high right now. it's affecting americans' pocketbooks, it's affecting their outlook. it's a problem we have to deal with. it's important that we put this in context. when the president took office, we were facing an all-out economic crisis. because of the actions the president has taken, we're now seeing an economic recovery that most people didn't think was possible then. so the challenge we have now is how to build on the strength of that recovery while also addressing the price issues. >> reporter: the president also just tweeting a few moments ago, i know we don't talk about this president's tweets quite as much as the last one's, but he said if congress is concerned about the inflation we're seeing in this country, they have the tools to do something about it and that's by supporting his reconciliation measure. alex, i just want to talk about that guest list for tomorrow's event at the white house. as i mentioned, there are going to be republicans in attendance, among those who won't be there, mitch mcconnell, the senate minority leader. he has called the bipartisan infrastructure plan a godsend for his home state of kentucky but we're seeing the pressure on republicans, as indicated by former president trump and his reaction to mitch mcconnell not being there, he said mitch mcconnell should absorb all the scorn that he deserves for what trump is calling the elect the democrats in 2022-2024 act. the former president is suggesting the republicans are handing democrats a victory. >> that's unfortunate because mitch mcconnell and joe biden have a long history of working together. right now it's a very contentious time, i get it, but mitch mcconnell, if he's saying this is going to benefit all of his kentucky constituents, why not be there? i mean, is it the power of donald trump and his calling people out that really has folks that scared? >> reporter: it's a really unusual political environment. but mitch mcconnell is also very careful. he knows that his main concern is electing a republican senate majority next year and he wants to make sure that republicans are able to do whatever they need to do in their home states so he's sending the message, do what you need to do. >> mike memoli, thank you for that. now to the other end of pennsylvania avenue. julie tsirkin is on capitol hill for us. steve bannon is expected to surrender tomorrow after being indicted on two contempt of congress charges. how big a deal is this to the january 6th committee, julie? >> reporter: well, you played a bite from adam schiff, a members of the january 6th panel, at the top there. he called steve bannon's indictment a test if democracy is recovering. and what he didn't say and other members of the january 6th select panel in reacting to the indictment this weekend is they hope to hear from bannon, because remember, even if bannon is convicted on those to counts of contempt of congress, it doesn't mean that the select committee will actually get testimony. so what are they doing now? they're looking ahead and hoping that bannon's indictment instead serves as a warning signal to any other witness they subpoena that may or may not decide to follow down bannon's path. and i'm talking about right now mark meadows, the former president's chief of staff. he of course did not show up for his scheduled deposition on friday morning. he failed to turn over key documents as well, saying that he is asserting his executive privilege, which we know president biden already denied that claim. but i want to play for you reaction from one republican lawmaker not on the select panel who voted to hold steve bannon in contempt of congress earlier this month. take a listen to what he says the future of the investigation can hold. >> we'll see what the select committee does. they have to decide, they have to move it forward. one of the reasons that i voted to hold steve bannon in contempt is he didn't cooperate at all. in fact at the time, one of the arguments was even mark meadows was having his lawyers communicate with the committee. it seemed like there was going to be some progress that was going to be made. >> reporter: that's fred upton. he is of course the michigan republican, one of nine, who voted to hold steve bannon in contempt. he received threatening voicemails last week for his yes vote on the bipartisan infrastructure plan. he's saying meadows could still cooperate, he's still hoping maybe he does cooperate with the committee without that contempt referral. >> okay, julie, thank you so much for that. we'll continue the conversation. joining me now, olivia troye, former top aide to vice president mike pence before resigning in august of 2020. olivia is now the director of the republican accountability project and a frequent guest. good to see you, my friend. the january 6th committee is looking at members of pence's inner circle. one of them, keith kellogg, was subpoenaed by the committee on tuesday. others include greg jacob and marc short. what might these people in pence's inner circle know that they could provide to the committee and does it tell you anything about where the investigation is heading? >> first, i think these are three individuals in the very inner circle. kellogg also a very, very loyal person to trump. it will be interesting to see if he honors his oath to the military when answer questions about what were the dynamics of what was being warned about. it is my understanding he was in the oval that day. what happens when the vice president is in the capitol, what is the back and forth going on between the president and the vice president's staff? for the other people on the staff, i would be interested in asking, mike pence put out this statement before he gets in a motorcade to head to the capitol, it's a very public statement saying i'm about to head to the capitol to do my constitutional duty, there's nothing else i can do. what was the lead-up to putting that statement out, why did they feel the need to put out a statement like that? and what were the events of that day that they witnessed, what was the president doing, was there interaction between the staffs? the dereliction of duty is just astonishing and horrifying. we have to get to the bottom of this. i think this will be a critical part. >> you describe keith kellogg as being a trump acolyte, in short. how about other pence people? will they cooperate with the committee? are they a different crew than trump's inner circle? >> they are indeed a different crew. i will say that i know plenty of people who worked on mike pence's staff who would have never worked on the other side of the white house. and look, greg jacob, i think he is a man of integrity. i hope that he will cooperate and tell the truth. i think he out of anyone in this group really understands what was happening there. there have been some interactions reported about what he did that day and the pushback that he faced dealing with people like john eastman. marc short, i think that is a very different question. i'm very familiar with marc short and his demeanor and what he tends to do. i've often questioned his loyalty for who he was actually working for. but i'm hopeful that they will describe what it was like that day and cooperate, because it's important for history. it's important for the future of our country. it's important to get the information out there in a manner, you know, that is critical to this investigation on the january 6th committee for many reasons, including for our national security. >> and i want to reiterate that keith kellogg has been subpoenaed, jacob and short not yet. steve bannon, we know he's been indicted by a grand jury for contempt of congress. what is the message that will be sent to the other trump aides that have been served? let's talk about mark meadows, stephen miller, how do you suspect they respond to this? will they cooperate or try stalling as bannon did, unsuccessfully? he's definitely been charged, at least at this point, whether he cooperates going forward, we'll see. >> it could go either way. i do think these are the loyalists, the truest of the most devout. i think they're going to stall. they have done this repeatedly until the past, facing situations where they're undermining the rule of law yet using the rule of law in the court to stall the process and wait it out. i think if they can sort of slow roll this along the way and hope that they regain power in the midterms and that this stalls and waits until then, then i think that is their plan all along. >> are they doing that stall to protect themselves or to protect donald trump? or is it both? >> i think it's a mix of both. i think they have decided they are loyal to this one individual at whatever cost. and i think what other choice do they have now? they've gone all in with this individual. and they're hoping, given that trump is still out there in political circles, he still has a lot of sway in the republican party. it is the party of trump right now. and he's still threatening to run in 2024. so i think all of these people think these are the coattails we've decided to ride, unfortunately. >> as we watch all this pressure for loyalty within trump world, it's still playing out before our eyes, you have a bizarre experience while working in the trump administration. you were listening to a taylor swift song. so what happened? >> well, it goes to show there was a lot of loyalty tests within. you had to show extreme loyalty to be working in this administration or around it. they would do social media checks. they would be paying attention to your actions or who you were interacting with. that day i was listening to taylor swift, i am a fan of hers, and i did have a colleague come by. it was late, 10:00 at night, i was angry after a meeting that day on the covid pandemic. and i was told i might want to consider turning that down, that listening to taylor swift wasn't going to buy me any favors. at the time i kind of chuckled. i was thinking about this the other day, and i had a taylor swift album cover and i guess along the way i remember that moment when i switched it out, because i realized that anything you did would be calling into question your capabilities. it would undermine your work, possibly. which sounds trivial and insane that i'm saying this as an american living in a free country of the united states, that i should be concerned about the music that i listen to. but this is what it was. >> i bet you taylor swift will take this whole story as a badge of honor for her. but let me move on to another thing, the department of homeland security bulletin which says domestic extremists are threatening violence against congress, against schools, against health officials. it reveals foreign terrorists and domestic racists, bad actors are influencing online forums trying to spread violent narratives. olivia, how persistent are threats like there and how can the u.s. combat them? >> it's really concerning right now, because not only do we have domestic threats happening. we have the congruence of foreign adversaries that are exploiting the current divisiveness in our country, that are exploiting these types of scenarios happening. and that bulletin, it's real. the threat is real. we're seeing this increasing on a daily basis. and unfortunately, we have elected leaders who are enabling the rise of the threat by their rhetoric and their behavior and their demeanor. people watch this, they watch certain networks that cover it, and they push these narratives, and it's dangerous. i don't see it fading anytime soon. i'll point to the fact that this past week there was a letter i signed onto with nearly a hundred other national security officials talking about the threats of misinformation, disinformation, that are happening here in our country that are undermining our electoral system. we're very concerned about the future of our democracy. we remain concerned about the threats to election officials, to poll workers, and what this means for the future right now. >> our conversations are all sobering but very necessary. olivia troye, thank you for coming on again, good to see you. students in florida will no longer have to wear masks in school. this week the last holdout school districts will lift mask mandates as cases in the state are trending downward. nbc's stephanie stanton has more. >> reporter: alex, reaction is mixed, not everyone it seems is ready to drop their masks quite yet. all schoolchildren here in the state of florida can now go mask-free, as you said, thanks to that steep drop in covid cases. here in the sunshine state we have one of the lowest covid rates in the country with about seven cases per 100,000 people. that is prompting, as you said, three remaining public school districts to drop their mask mandates. here in the orlando area, this is part of orange county, students here can go mask-free but they need permission from their parents first. also teachers can drop their masks as well. now, you may recall back in august governor ron desantis ordered school districts here in the state not to mandate masks or they would face some pretty steep fines. there were several school districts, orange county among them, that defied the governor and went ahead and mandated masks anyway and some even did end up getting fined. but as we've been talking about now, the final three holdouts, that includes orange county, alachua, and miami-dade, have now made masking optional. we spoke with some parents to get their reaction. >> all i want is my child to be able to get a proper education without having to wear a mask. >> my kids will continue to wear masks. i understand there are vaccines and whatnot. right now i'm more on the cautious side. these are my babies. >> reporter: and alex, all of this of course coming as vaccines have been rolling out for children as young as 5. back to you. >> stephanie stanton, thank you for that. coming up next, high gas prices. what's the cause and when will they come town? and exit interview. why are a record number of americans, millions of them, quitting their jobs amid so much economic uncertainty? one of this country's leading economic analysts weighs in. ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to unveil them to the world. ♪ to unveil them to the world. kevin! kevin? kevin. oh nice. kevin, where are you? kevin?!?!? hey, what's going on? i'm right here! i was busy cashbacking for the holidays with chase freedom unlimited. i'm gonna cashback on a gingerbread house! oooh, it's got little people inside! and a snowglobe. oh, i wished i lived in there. you know i can't believe you lost another kevin. it's a holiday tradition! that it is! earn big time with chase freedom unlimited. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours. when you hear the word healthy it always feels a little out of reach. but it's all about the baby steps. maybe it's a jump or eating something green. or taking mom to get that vaccine. ♪ healthier means bringing stuff to the folks ♪ ♪ that really need it. ♪ ♪ like help at 2 am or care that's right at home. ♪ ♪ believe it. ♪ ♪ and caring for them all means ♪ ♪ we're doing healthier right. ♪ ♪ so, let's do it all together people, ♪ ♪ 'cause this is what healthier looks like. ♪ ♪ so, let's do it all together people, ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. record high gas prices are affecting millions of people around the country. right now national average is $3.41. it's up more than 50% from this time last year. but again, nbc's scott cohn is in the real pressure point there, san jose, california. gas prices are exceeding the national average by quite a bit, scott. so what is it that's causing the surge at the pump? >> reporter: yeah, alex, it's painful. $5.09 a ga unleaded behind me. we're seeing the rate of this rise, look at that national average again, $3.41. a year ago, we were paying in the $2 range. what's causing it? it's basic supply and demand. we're driving again, going back to work. that's the demand side. the supply side hasn't matched that. and there's competing demand for refined products like heating oil leading to a pretty complicated economic picture. >> i think that gas prices, high cost of energy, are certainly one aspect of why inflation has risen in the last year. and certainly part of it is the fact that the economy is booming. americans are getting out and about. vaccine shutdowns have basically been in the rearview mirror. and americans are just -- there's tremendous pent-up demand for gasoline. >> reporter: energy prices, the biggest factor in that huge inflation jump that we saw earlier this week, according to government statistics. and there's very little that policymakers, the white house, can do about this. there's the strategic petroleum reserve, they're talking about releasing oil from that but that's not going to do anything in a big way. they're talking about asking the federal trade commission to crack down on price gouging. what it really comes down to, experts say, is supply and demand. that will come back into balance, but experts say it might not be until sometime next year, alex. >> scott, thank you so much for that. we'll now bring in moodys analyst mark zandi. inflation hit a 31-year high in october as consumer prices jumped by 6.2%, this graphic tells us right there, it's painful to look at. it's something people feel directly as we just spoke about the gas prices and food prices we'll show here. how concerning is this spike? how long do you think it's going to last? >> it's concerning. it's pretty hard on americans, to give you a sense, alex, the acceleration in inflation over the past year means that the typical american household is paying about $20 more a month just to buy the same stuff they did a year ago. so, you know, for a typical family, that's had a they spend on restaurants, that's what a typical family would spend on entertainment. so it's sizable, it's painful. my sense is that we're seeing the worst of it right now. i think this is a direct result of the pandemic, and more specifically the delta wave of the pandemic. that did a lot of damage to our economy, but particularly the rest of the world, particularly southeast asia where a lot of these global supply chains begin. they got severely disrupted. and the result is shortages for all kind of things and rise in prices. if my diagnosis is correct, if the pandemic recedes, and hopefully it does, we'll start to see inflation moderate. it won't be this month or this quarter, but this time next year if you invite me back, we won't be talking about inflation. >> i would love to have you back next year. the administration's moves on climate change might affect fossil fuels, the supply and increased costs to the consumer. >> i think the surge in oil and gas prices is, again, related to the pandemic. demand got crushed back at the height of the pandemic. it's made its way back, as scott pointed out. interestingly enough, it's not quite back to where it was pre-pandemic, demand has improved but it's not back. producers of oil, opec and the u.s. produces a lot of oil, the fracking fields, they pulled back on production in the teeth of the pandemic but they have not picked up production now with demand. so it's a lot of demand, not enough supply. here again, the producers are making a lot of money. and it's pretty attractive to produce. so i suspect that over the next few weeks, few months, we'll start to see a lot more production and prices will start to moderate. so, you know, 3.50, $3.60 for a gallon of regular unleaded, my guess is that probably will be the top. it's not going to come down fast, but a year from now we should see prices that are south of $3 a gallon. >> in recent months, mark, you endorsed the bipartisan infrastructure deal that's since passed and the reconciliation package negotiated on capitol hill, concluding that the initiatives would benefit the economy. how would it help curb inflation? is there something that can be done more quickly? you keep talking about a year from now, which is great for a year from now, but that's a long time of pain and hurt for some families between now and then. >> great point. the build back better and infrastructure plans, that's not for now, we'll get the benefit of that two years from now, three years from now. it will take the edge off inflation because it will help improve labor productivity growth, get more people working, grow the economy, take the edge off inflation. also parts of the plan are designed to address specific aspects of the inflation problem. for example, we all know there's a supply shortage in the housing market that's been building since the financial crisis. not enough homes, and the result is accelerating rents, which is a big part of living costs. and the build back better agenda devotes a fair amount of money to try to build more homes, particularly affordable homes. it will take the edge off inflation. but for the here and now, it's a difficult problem. there's no good tools or levers. there's things that maybe on the margin might help. we're talking about lower tariffs, president trump raised tariffs on a lot of imported goods particularly from china, you could lower those, maybe that would have some benefit. but there's other geopolitical issues involved there. i think the administration's working hard to convene all the folks that are in the supply chains. these are very complex, a lot of moving parts. i think they're getting everyone talking and collaborating. alex, the problem is there's no good levers here. >> one more stunning headline i want you to talk about, the newest labor department report in which it reports over 4.4 million u.s. workers said "i quit" in september. that beat the previous record of 4.3 million that was set just a month earlier. is that a good sign or a bad sign for the economy, mark? or is it neither? >> i think it's a good sign. i think the reason why people are quitting is because there are a lot of open positions. when the economy got going here earlier this year, when the vaccines got rolled out, it felt like every business in america put out help wanted signs. we have a lot of open situations. if you're working in a job you're not enamored with, you might not like the pay or working hours or working arrangements, you figure, i can quit this job and look for another and push comes to shove, i can find one pretty quickly, another one pretty quickly, because there's a lot of open positions. i think this augurs well going forward, that we'll see a lot of job creation. i do think, longer run, if people find the right kind of job for them, i think it means they'll be on the job longer, that's good for them and good for the economy. it's a near term adjustment for everyone, a bit painful, but i think it lands us in a better place. >> mark zandi, look forward to seeing you next november and hopefully many times until then. thank you so much. next, silence from republicans and the concerns about whether congressman paul gosar could go unpunished. r cou. vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks. ♪♪ (calls dog) buttercup... 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[ finger snaps ] hmm. ♪ ♪ the kohler walk-in bath features an extra-wide opening and a low step-in at three inches, which is 25 to 60% lower than some leading competitors. the bath fills and drains quickly, while the heated seat soothes your back, neck and shoulders. kohler is an expert in bathing, so you can count on a deep soaking experience. are you seeing this? the kohler walk-in bath comes with fully adjustable hydrotherapy jets and our exclusive bubblemassage. everything is installed in as little as a day by a kohler-certified installer. and it's made by kohler- america's leading plumbing brand. we need this bath. yes. yes you do. a kohler walk-in bath provides independence with peace of mind. call... to receive fifty percent off installation. and take advantage of our special offer no payments for eighteen months. a group of house democrats is now calling for a censure against republican congressman paul gosar in response to a violent cartoon video shared by the arizona republican in which he's depicted stabbing democratic congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez to death. yesterday i spoke with the congressman's sister, jennifer gosar, who expressed her frustration with the silence of the republican party over all this. >> my brother deserves the spotlight for this. and i really actually want to spotlight the hand-wringing, no-action of leadership. yes, censure is an appropriate first step, agreed. let's go there. but let's actually give it some teeth. let's take away his committee assignments. he's a senior member in the house. >> joining me now is arizona congressman ruben gallego, a democratic member of the house armed services and natural resources committees and the author of the new book "they called us lucky: the life and afterlife of the iraq war's hardest-hit unit." congressman, we'll talk about that book in a moment, but as your democratic colleagues push for a censure vote for congressman gosar, you heard his sister saying she wants something more substantial. is a censure show the the right route to go or is there some other action the congress could take? >> steve king was removed from his committees for less offensive remarks. gosar has continuously involved himself in threatening violence, has hung out with anti-semitic -- with antisemites, has used anti-semitic language. it's ridiculous. at the end of the day we can only blame gosar so much. the real problem is kevin mccarthy. kevin mccarthy has no soul. all he wants to do is become speaker and he's afraid of alienating gosar because he'll need his vote to be speaker some day. republicans are willing to sell their soul, to sell democracy, to sell our jewish community, african-american communities, any community at all. >> do you think any republicans will join democrats if there is a censure vote taken? >> i'm sure some will. but the problem is that, you know, there is no leadership here. leadership has to be the one who takes up this fight. and that's leadership of the republican party, the steve scalises of the world, the elise stefaniks of the world. but they're moral cowards. they won't stand up to donald trump, they won't stand up to the pole gosars of the world, they're so power hungry they're willing to put up with paul gosar. >> i'm just trying to envision a scenario where you see paul gosar and alexandria ocasio-cortez passing one another in the halls of congress, it's extraordinary. >> i would put my money on aoc. paul gosar, for trying to act like a tough guy, is a pretty weak guy. he would go down like a ton of bricks. >> let's hope it never gets to that. house democrats this week will get the build back better act passed, that's what they hope to do. does this week end with a successful vote? i'm going to add that congressman ro khanna told me yesterday he's thinking it will be more like thanksgiving or maybe immediately after. what obstacles stand in the way of passing the bill? >> i think we do have a good chance of passing it this week. i think we'll get a cbo score that will make our moderate friends happy. and they have committed to us that that is what they're looking for, that provided the numbers aren't too far out from what we've already reported it's going to be, they'll vote for this. i have faith that we pass it this week and it moves on to the senate. i think it's important for us, especially with the feedback we keep getting back, that we pass the build back better plan. we have 16 nobel prize winning economists saying this would be important to bringing down inflation and kickstarting the american economy, i think we should listen to them. >> the book is "they called us lucky: the life and afterlife of the iraq war's hardest-hit unit." you write about your time in the marine corps, serving with one of the units that obviously sustained one of the highest casualties in the entire iraq war. how important was it for you to tell this story and what do you want readers to take away from it? >> i did not want to write this story, it brought up a lot of memories. i suffer from ptsd. i'm in therapy. the only reason i could even write this is because i've been doing well in therapy. but it brought out memories i had suppressed for many years. and then i also talked to a lot of my comrades who also, you know, were fighting a lot of these demons we've been fighting. we wanted to write this story because this legendary group of men who came from all walks of life, are starting to die, we're starting to forget. my commander captain knapp and sergeant major altieri died during the writing of this book, which made it all the more urgent for me to write and publish. i wanted america to understand what really happens in war, who are these young men who go to war. these are 18, 19-year-old men led by 20 and 21-year-olds, and the things we have to do to survive when we get back. i wanted to give a real depiction of what is war. >> you did it in this book. i have so much admiration for you, because you and i talk about things that are political in nature, arizona in nature. it's easy to forget the horrors that you survived. so much admiration for you and for this book. thank you so much for sharing. and best of luck with it as well. good to see you. >> thank you so much. >> the book is titled "they called us lucky." it is by author and arizona congressman ruben gallego. thanks for joining us. of all the items on president biden's agenda, this could be the most important not just tomorrow but in quite a while. those details next. r hands or f? 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♪♪ your mother loved this park. ♪♪ she did. ♪♪ (swords clashing) -had enough? -no... arthritis. here. new aspercreme arthritis. full prescription-strength? reduces inflammation? thank the gods. don't thank them too soon. kick pain in the aspercreme. on monday evening the president will meet virtually with president xi jinping of the people's republic of china. the two leaders will discuss ways to responsibly manage the competition between the united states and the prc as well as ways to work together where interests align. >> so there it is, a big meeting between president biden and chinese president xi jinping tomorrow during a virtual face-to-face. they are expected to discuss trade, human rights, the escalating tensions in the south china sea, and more. for more on what to expect i'm joined by michael mcfaul, former u.s. ambassador to russia and an msnbc international affairs analyst. always good to see you, ambassador. the leaders of the two largest economies in the world are going to meet tomorrow. what's the number one issue on the table? what do you think americans should look for? >> well, the number one issue and the number one deliverable will be the fact that the two leaders are talking. it's already close to the end of the year. they have not had much of a conversation. a few phone calls, and that's it. they most certainly haven't had an in-person summit. xi jinping hasn't left china for almost two years. so i think the big outcome is that they are talking. and remember why that's important. it's two things. number one, it's always important in diplomacy. we're going to have conflicts with china over the coming decades and maybe the rest of the century. we can't afford to have conflicts based on misperceptions or bad information. this reduces that. but number two, remember the chinese system. nobody else in that system can make decisions, nobody else can do anything but read talking points when they're meeting with our national security adviser or secretary of state, secretary of defense. xi jinping, because of the nature of that system, is the only decisionmaker. and that's why i think it's vitally important for president biden to have one on one face time with him directly. >> but to your point, you're saying, look, the good thing is that they're actually meeting. you have jen psaki saying don't expect any specific deliverables from this be discussing how to, quote, reasonably manage the competition. so what can this meeting accomplish, especially since they're not going to be sitting down face to face? how much would that change the interaction if it weren't being held virtually? >> well, for me at the top of the list that you described, the top of the list is taiwan, without question. and i hope that president biden will make clear the disastrous consequences of any military action against taiwan. i don't want xi jinping to think that we're weak, that we're divided, that we're not paying attention, and therefore he has a free hand there, because that would be disastrous not just for taiwan, not just for china, but for the global economy. and this is his chance to deliver that message. and i think it's important to remember not everything with china is about competition. yes, there is competition, and i would add the word, by the way, containment. we want to contain parts of chinese military power and ideological, um, export around the world. but we also want to cooperate with china on climate change, on pandemics, nonproliferation. we don't want to compete on those issues because we learned during the pandemic that competition around vaccines makes everybody worse off. >> yeah. but, to the point that you say is top of mind for you, today senator john cornyn of texas confirmed for the first time that he and a republican congressional delegation travelled on a u.s. military plane to taiwan this week. it was a trip that china quickly condemned. tensions have certainly been escalating of what china considers its territory. and secretary blinken is warning of potential collective action if china were to use force against taiwan. so, can the u.s. hold that position of strength you are looking for throughout this region without sparking a confrontation? >> it's a great question. it's a hard question. and i don't have an answer to that question. i actually believe that the nonwar, the nonconflict over taiwan over the last four decades is one of the greatest achievements of american diplomacy over the last four decades. remember the nonevents are sometimes as important as the events. but now the costs are higher because xi jinping has done as escalated both rhetorically and what he's done militarily to threaten the island. i think that calls for greater resolute response like that trip that you just mentioned. and i think closer coordination with our allies just to remind xi jinping of the dangerous consequences of action. and then, finally, i think we need to do more to help the taiwanese defend themselves. and i think that's the multipronged strategy that the biden administration should pursue, including a frank conversation about it tomorrow. >> okay. we'll see what happens with that and have you back to discuss it, michael mcfaul, always a pleasure, thank you. it was supposed to be her first public appearance in nearly a month. the concerns about queen elizabeth's health and what the palace is saying. ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to unveil them to the world. ♪ see blood when you brush or floss can be a sign of early gum damage. to unveil them to the world. parodontax active gum repair kills plaque bacteria at the gum line to help keep the gum sealed tight. parodontax active gum repair toothpaste will is saving big, holiday shopping at amazon. so now, he's free to become, wonderland will. deck the halls with printer paper! recycled of course. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® is a pill that lowers blood sugar in three ways. increases insulin when you need it... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. wake up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today. gordan ramsey this is a cold call! nfl teams are turning to cold with tide. will you? 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