the last 24 hours, as you know, the senator buffered his own party and killed the build back better act. manchin said he was at wit's end with negotiations and something specific pushed him over the edge. listen. >> we know the real reason what happened. they won't tell you and i'm not going to. >> we'll find out more about that, and we'll get to new reporting from our sources saying manchin is a no partly because of concerns that parents might use the child tax credit to buy drugs or use paid family leave time to go hunting. we'll have his office's response to that as we go live to the white house and capitol hill. we'll also hear from the progressive caucus who insists that build back better will be back. i'm hallie jackson as we juggle all of this this afternoon. we're also joined by marietta mayor and congressional reporter for the "washington post." mike, let me start with you. we thought we were going to see jen psaki about an hour ago. these things happen, i get it, but the white house is clearly unhappy with senator manchin after fox reportedly rejected the white house's call. you heard from the senator today. there is this back and forth. what do you expect to hear when the president takes the podium? >> jen psaki should walk into the briefing room any second now. we should also hear the press secretary begin with news about covid. the president was meeting with his covid team this afternoon. that's one explanation, my guess is, for the delay. of course, the president giving his big speech on this tomorrow. the other thing these kinds of delays prompt questions about is, indeed, whether or not we're waiting for a phone call to happen, maybe between the president and senator manchin. there is no indication -- >> do you have any signs that -- okay. when you say things like that, it makes me think maybe you're hearing something. >> you're the memoli whisperer here, so you may have the right to be suspicious, hallie. i think the big thing we'll be watching for as we see the press briefing begin is whether the tenor from the podium today matches that pretty strong statement from the white house yesterday after senator manchin made that blockbuster statement that he is a no on the build back better plan. we understand the president himself signed off on it that we don't typically see from this white house. the president has said he doesn't want to engage in these personal critiques. he says, as often said, you can question somebody's judgment but you should never question their motives. this statement yesterday was pretty close to that, saying there was a breach of trust, in fact, between the president and the senator who met in person at the white house. just last week we learned -- there is the press secretary. >> your prediction has come true. we're going to listen in to press secretary jen psaki speaking from the podium at the white house. >> this includes the most diverse class of judges in history at a rate not seen since president reagan. as you may have seen friday night and saturday morning, the senate confirmed dozens of historical and critical nominees. this includes nine federal court judges bringing the total to 40, more than any other president since president reagan. but it's not the sheer number of people nominated and confirmed. as the president said in his commencement address last week, he's proud to have appointed more black women to the circuit courts than any administration in american history. we've confirmed the first lgbtq woman ever to serve as a federal circuit court judge, and these 40 judges include people who have previously served as public defenders, labor lawyers and civil rights lawyers as well as prosecutors and government attorneys. the senate also voted to confirm 41 ambassadors to countries around the world, including critical allies including japan, france, the european union and more. these qualified competent leaders can now finally get to their work fronting america's interests abroad. we need to make sure we continue to have the people in place to serve the american people. the department of justice announced initiatives to reduce violent crime and make our community safer. this money will help to address the disdain over the last two years and will bolster steps that the administration -- with that, i would say since there's folks in the back, the people standing if they would sit in the back seats because of spacing. >> so on omicron, cases are rising dramatically across the country, americans are still traveling en masse. the speech is tomorrow. the president also has the same caught off guard. so can you help just tell a little bit about what the white house's message on the front is? >> absolutely. let me first say the president, as you noted, will be addressing the american people tomorrow and he'll talk about what to expect as we head into the winter months and detail additional steps that we will be taking. the president has been clear that while vaccinated individuals get covid -- well, he will restate tomorrow, i should say, that while vaccinated individuals get covid due to the highly transmissible nature of omicron, their cases will likely be mild or asymptomatic. we continue to see, and our health experts assess, that you're 14 more times likely to die of covid if you have not been vaccinated versus vaccinated. importantly, he'll restate where prepared that vaccinated have the tools to protect themselves with booster shots or masks. he will make clear unvaccinated individuals will continue to drive hospitalizations and deaths. that is not trying to scare people, or maybe it is trying to make clear to people in the country what the risks are here of not being vaccinated. what is clear is we're not in the same place that we were at, and something he'll reiterate tomorrow as well, the beginning of the pandemic. thanks to the president's extraordinary work to get over 200 million people vaccinated. it's not the same as it was in march of 2020, and i'll outline some of the reasons why. as i said at the top. he'll also announce additional steps. he will outline this clearly tomorrow. he has been candid and he has been direct as he's provided updates to the american public throughout on our steps to address what we know is it an unpredictable virus and our fight in a once in a generation pandemic. that's what people can expect tomorrow. >> on the resolution, the we see senator manchin's opinions differ from the white house. i just wanted to know if you could talk a little bit about where the gap is if the negotiations fall apart over the child tax credit issue, if the white house is prepared to go around legislation on this if necessary. where are we with manchin? >> i would say i think it is lengthy statement that i issued yesterday outlined pretty specifically the events of the last few weeks. and it was important to the president and to all of us to make that clear to the american people. the status and the steps that have been taken, but i'm not going to relitigate the tiktok of yesterday to here today. from the president's viewpoint, and i saw him this morning, he has worked with senator manchin over the course of decades. they share certain values, they are long-time friends. that has not changed. what's most on the president's mind is the risk of inaction. if we do not act to get this legislation done and the components in it, not only will costs and prices go up for the american people, but also we will see a trajectory in economic growth that is not where we wanted to be and we've seen projections from goldman sachs and others today on that front. so he's no stranger to legislative challenges and we are going to continue to take steps and work like hell to get it done. go ahead. >> does the president feel betrayed by this front? >> i think our statement yesterday made pretty clear what was the factual depiction of events that happened. but, again, the president sees senator manchin as somebody who is a long-time friend, somebody he has worked well together on, and our objective and focus now is moving forward. >> where do the lines of communication stand at this point between either the president and joe manchin, joe manchin and the white house staff? is there a contact at all? >> i'm just not going to give you an update on specifics from here. >> on covid, ahead of tomorrow's speech, should americans expect any new restrictions? >> this is not a speech about locking the country down. this is a speech outlining and being direct and clear with the american people about the benefits of being vaccinated, the steps we're going to take to increase access and to increase testing, and the risks posed to unvaccinated individuals. go ahead. >> does the president still trust senator manchin? >> again, i understand the questions here, but our focus is on moving forward. i think our statement yesterday made clear what the course of events were over the last couple of weeks. it was important for the american people to know and see that. he considers senator manchin a long-time friend and our focus is on moving forward and getting this done. >> are you confident that all 49 other members of the democratic caucus are still on board? >> sure, i understand that. i can't speak for all of them, but i think you saw quite a bit of uninimity among everybody to get something done. >> what would happen now that everything is moved over to the senate, as he has warned? >> i think his message would be he's going to work like hell to get it done. that's his message and january is a time to do just that. >> the state department issued a level 4 travel warning today, saying u.s. citizens be aware of significant military action by russians to ukraine. apparently the pentagon said they conducted an assessment of needs for ukraine. obviously you said you're monitoring this. is u.s. intelligence picking up something new? >> let me first say the travel warning from ukraine remains at a level 4. it includes frustration on military buildup on ukraine's border just to provide additional information, but it has been at a level 4. >> and nothing new otherwise? >> the state department provides additional information through travel advisories to make sure they are being transparent with american citizens who are in different countries, and that's exactly what they did in this case. we have historically seen large numbers of americans and others traveling to ukraine this time of year in the holiday season, so it was an effort to provide that information directly. go ahead. >> jen, your statement yesterday alluded to working more on build back better next year. is your expectation that president biden and senator manchin will talk at all before the end of the year? >> i'm not going to give you any updates on their engagements from here, i wouldn't expect, and we're going to keep those private. >> do you regard his $1.3 trillion bill includes the child tax credit? >> i think the president has been clear on that, and i'll let senator manchin speak about the particulars of his proposal. i know there have been reports out there, but i'll let him speak to that. i would say the president, of course, wants to extend the child tax credit. that is something he has spoken to. we know that was a significant contributor to cutting out the poverty rate. he doesn't think compromise is a dirty word, either. >> on sunday new york's mayor bill de blasio asked for the act for treatments, and he also said the antiviral pill should be fast-tracked. are any of those things under consideration? >> we're in touch, i should say, first of all with the city of new york and the state as well as all officials across the country experiencing upticks. we've sent 30 ambulances to the state and an accompanying team of personnel to help balance patient loads in hospitals across the state. we've already used the production act and spent $3 billion to expand the number of home tests, so that is something we've tapped into. the president will have more to say tomorrow during his remarks about our efforts to expand contacts. >> the staff put some things out there that were absolutely inexcusable. they know what it is and that's it? do you know what he's referring to there that has senator manchin upset? >> i don't. i would point you to senator manchin to outline further. >> could you walk through the cost benefit, the president is so careful about laying out details of legislation. senator manchin was very clear about palpable anger. >> i think senator manchin had a strong statement yesterday, and we had a strong statement as well. we're ready to move forward and get this done and work like hell to do that. with senator manchin, with members of the democratic caucus across the democratic party, and that's our focus moving forward. that was the basis of our calculus yesterday. >> what senator manchin put on the table which you preface in your statement, was it a final offer that hadn't been rejected, a process that was underway. what is the process now? are you working through proposals? is staff dealing with policy issues? where do things go from here in terms of the actual proposal? >> clearly the next couple of weeks will be important and pivotal and certainly involve high-level staff engagements and involve the president and his engagements with members. we have been engaged with leadership, with members of the senate and their staff over the course of the last 24 hours to talk about the path forward. you saw, i'm sure, leader schumer's statement this morning, and we will stay in close touch and in close coordination with him and his team on the path forward in january. go ahead. >> i have two, one on covid and one on -- on covid, has there been an outbreak on covid between the staff, and has the president been in quarantine? >> the president has a full-time staff and has not needed to be in quarantine. we talked about our commitment a few months ago about being transparent, about close contacts. i don't have any updates for you at this point in time, but again, we expect there to be breakthrough cases across the country, right? and certainly in the federal government. and the most important thing to note for you and for others is that the 99% or more at this point of the white house staff is vaccinated, boosters are strongly recommended and distributed. we have a very thorough process here that people abide by who are going to have close contact with the president and even beyond that, and those protocols go above and beyond cdc guidelines. >> you're not going to say whether or not there's been a significant outbreak in the various parts i pointed out? >> again, i point to agencies to give additional information, but we expect there to be breakthrough cases as we expect across government. >> did you see the cdc article blaming the white house for civility between senator manchin and specifically the statement released on thursday evening in which the read or the assessment was that the senator thought the president blamed him in a way that wasn't in keeping with the approach that he and the president have had? >> i have not yet read his article, it's been a busy day. but i will tell you our intention, if you look back to last thursday, was to provide an update on the future of build back better. i think it is not a secret where there is opposition to build back better moving forward and where there is support, which is the vast majority of the democratic caucus. that was not intended to be a directive or hurtful but to be a statement of fact. >> thank you, jen. in a press call this afternoon, a representative called on president biden to pursue executive action to pass components of the build back better legislation. is this something the white house would consider or even thinks is a realistic possibility to pass some of these elements? >> i haven't had a chance to discuss representative jayapal's call with our legislative team. i'm not aware of that being under discussion. obviously we have used executive authority and executive action for a range of steps to make a range of progress. the president has not hesitated to do that. the benefit of legislation obviously makes it permanent, so there is a lot of value in that, but i can see if that's something more under consideration. >> with communications with senator manchin, you did not say much on that. are you able to confirm whether or not president biden has reached out to the senator today? >> i'm not going to detail contacts further. go ahead. >> just to dwell a little bit on that, moving forward, you've already taken senator manchin to the woodshed. are you going to invite him back into the fold, try to reach out? >> of course, and we said that yesterday. i should note the final two sentences of the statement was, but we will not relent in the fight to help americans with their child care, prescription drug costs and elder care. the build back better plan is too vital to give up. it makes clear we want to work with senator manchin and all democrats to get this done. >> are you going to try to bring gop members into the fold? >> we would certainly welcome their efforts or their support for lowering costs for the american people and driving up economic growth. >> if i may, on covid, you said 14 times more likely to die unvaccinated. is there a point in time where what you said recently about, hey, for those who are vaccinated, it's mild or asymptomatic, death or destruction awaits you. are you pretty much done trying to be diplomatic on this? is it over with? >> i think our responsibility and the president's responsibility is to continue to convey the risks, to continue to make sure we are increasing access for vaccines, access to information to the public, and that's what you'll hear him talk about tomorrow. go ahead, jackie. >> did the white house share the thursday statement with senator manchin before it was put out, and what was his reaction to that? >> i'm not going to detail private discussions or private sharing of statements in advance. >> and then on his callout to democrats for badgering him, saying they believe that he could be moved in his position, is there any regret either in the white house or the leadership just about how this negotiation went, given that statement from him, that he feels he's been badgered and beaten? >> that certainly is not our objective. never has been our objective. but our objective is getting this legislation passed and reminding the american people and all people who could vote for it what the stakes are. so, no, we don't have regrets about aggressively communicating about it and making sure people understand that if we don't pass this legislation, costs for the american people will go up and economic growth projections will not go in the right direction. >> this shows that democrats just don't have enough of a majority to pass this legislation without significant bumps in the road. the president ran as a moderate. joe biden is asking for -- excuse me, manchin is asking for major policy changes to be bipartisan. so why are biden and manchin seemingly so far apart on this where manchin is wanting to bring republicans in and the president has tried to work this out just within the house. >> the president would welcome republicans to join in this effort to lower the cost of child care, to make sure families aren't paying thousands of dollars for insulin, to make sure people can afford care for their parents and loved ones. he would welcome that. i think it's not a secret that opposition is driven by the concern by many in the republican party that they don't want to raise taxes on corporations and highest income. that's not a secret. but certainly we welcome support or engagement from any republicans to get this done. >> i know the announcement comes tomorrow. what are the items you guys have consistently said is on the table and being evaluated is vaccine mandates for domestic air travel. is that something you guys reached a decision on? >> i don't have anything new on that. i think we said in the past that masking is something we know is effective and works. i would expect tomorrow to hear more from the president on what we're going to do more about making vaccines and testing accessible and what the american people can expect over the next couple of weeks. >> obviously this has been back and forth between different circuits and it's still caught up in the white house. i understand the white house has consistently said look to this deadline. you're having some businesses like last week they said they'll have to cut service and a few days later said, just kidding, we're not going to. this obviously might change that calculus again. >> i shouldn't say that it was related to a vaccine mandate that said they give other reasons for it. also they had 94% of employees vaccinated. >> they did. they also said on the hill because they would need to hire qualified employees who met their vaccine requirements that they anticipated having to cut service from january to march. i know what you're referring to where they listed off some other concerns. i think it was related to hiring that was paused during -- >> we talked about a range of challenges they were having, but also i would note that 94%, if not higher at this point, of amtrak employees are vaccinated. we also know that 60% of businesses, if not higher at this point, have nut place -- have in place. we feel the vaccination or testing rules will create more certainty for the economy, and we don't feel this is a time for organizations to be backing away from these requirements. >> do you feel the customers are getting whiplash. we're putting in place restrictions and requirements, testing requirements, that it's an indication that this creates certainty in the workplace, ensures there is a healthy workplace and that is outside of this osha requirement. go ahead. >> jen, the president's own medical advisors have suggested that if people are gathering with family this holiday that they try to do an at-home rapid test beforehand, but we're seeing such a lack of supply at too many different stores. there are fairly long lines all across the northeast. what is the white house doing specifically right now to help americans get access to these tests, and will the president speak to the frustration on that front many are feeling during his remarks tomorrow? >> absolutely he will. i would note to date, we always said this would be a building process. we want to make tests accessible and free for americans. you can go to your doctor. if everyone does not have health insurance, 150 million americans obviously do. we've also made 50 million tests available to community health centers and health sites. there are 23,000 testing sites across the country, and we are going to continue to build on that and the president will talk about that tomorrow. >> does the white house feel right now that the administration is doing enough to give americans access to these tests? >> we always feel we should be doing more, and that's what the president will talk about tomorrow. >> just some housekeeping items. given the surge and the spike from the variant, how often is the president being tested for covid and when was he last tested? >> he is regularly tested. i will check for you the last time he was tested. >> on campus right now, but on changing to accommodate -- for instance you talk about breakthrough cases. that's something you would expect would be fully vaccinated people. are these staffers who also have been boosted and is it white house policy that if you're working on campus or in close proximity with the president that you have a third dose? >> our policy, it is heavily recommended to get a booster if you are going to be in close proximity with the president, you are to be tested that day. given the workplace we work in, that is certainly appropriate. of course, we have masking requirements that are in place as well. there hasn't been a change. obviously we will continue to consult with our health and medical experts if any changes need to be put in place. >> are there any changes right now to the holiday receptions that are already open to some people at the white house? >> the open houses? there are individuals attending those who are required to be tested in advance. >> and any changes in the president's holiday plans at this point? >> not at this time. >> what was the reaction to senior staffers here when joe manchin said the president feels he alienated him. >> i think the statement speaks for itself. >> joe manchin thought that was a retaliation by the white house. >> the statement was facts of what happened over the last few weeks, and it was simply an effort to make that clear to the american people. >> what does this episode teach the white house about the prospects of voting rights? joe manchin has also said he wants that to be bipartisan. is it going to become law? >> that is certainly our objective. i think in leader schumer's dear colleague that he put out this morning, he plans to put voting rights up when the senate gets back in january. we certainly support that and we'll stay in close coordination with his team to get that done. >> in terms of the climate provisions in build back better, does the president think he can achieve the goal that he set out to reach the number without legislation? and are they looking at additional legislative actions that could be taken on climate to try to meet his goal? >> we're always looking at additional steps we can take. that has not changed. as you know, there are multiple paths to reaching the president's climate goals. we have every intention of passing build back better which includes enormous climate provisions. i would note that there are a number of steps we have taken without legislation and certainly will continue to build on that, including a sitting bull target to cut greenhouse gas pollution in america, 52% by 2030, addressing methane leaks focusing on methane in glasgow. we intend to roll out plans on car makers to save america money. we expect one of every two cars sold to save greenhouse emissions. they're also components in the infrastructure package and law that will also help take steps forward, including the largest investment in passenger rail, helping to reduce ghd emissions, building a national network of chargers, thousands of school buses, infrastructure to lower congestion and the largest tackling of legacy pollution. it is clear from the president's accomplishments and agenda to date that climate and the climate crisis is going to continue to be front and center for him. we're absolutely going to work to get build back better done and we are not going to wait to continue to look at a range of options. >> about schools, prince georges county nearby is going to virtual learning through mid-january. do administrators have a view on whether local school districts should revert to virtual learning in the next few months as the omicron variant progresses? >> we continue to believe that local school districts will need to make the decisions that they feel are appropriate for their communities. our objective and the president's objective is to keep schools open. 99% of them are open, have been open, and we believe we have the tools to do that. one of the steps we've talked about a little bit is test to stay, which is a proposal that's been out there by a number of health officials, where if your kid is in school now -- and you probably know this and i know this, and they have a close contact typically they have to quarantine or be out of school, and there have been health experts who recommended there can be a contact tracing and testing regimen that can allow kids to stay in school, and that is very intriguing to the president and that is what our focus is on. >> with regard to the speech tomorrow, the president has spoken with his health advisors at the cdc on whether they need to change their guidance in particular. we're seeing a lot of breakthrough cases with vaccinated people who aren't boosted, and he said if you are fully vaccinated, you don't have to isolate. can we substantially overhaul these issues for the omicron variant? >> i think the president's view is that if that is the guidance and the belief of his health and medical experts, who he engages with and is briefed by regularly, then he's looking to them for that guidance. as you know, they haven't changed that guidance to date, but given the spread of omicron, given the trans miss transmisib omicron, this is something they can look forward to in the next couple months and an update of what he and his administration are going to do more. >> given cases are going to continue to rise? >> i think dr. fauci has discussed that as well. as you know, josh, i think some of it depends as they have both, i believe, spoken to on the steps taken by people in this country to get vaccinated, to take necessary precautions, but certainly we continue to believe that based on science that the boosters can protect people, can prevent hospitalization and death, and that's why we are going to continue to echo that out to the public. >> you have been listening to white house press secretary jen psaki take questions on a number of topics, most notably given today's news on the build back better act, a key piece of the president's agenda as well as the covid spike that is happening right now in many places across the country, laying out what the president may say tomorrow on his address to the nation. i want to bring back mike, sajwe and nicholas, let's talk first about the build back better and then we'll talk about the covid issues the president has laid out. jen psaki didn't back away from the pretty intense statement the white house put out yesterday in response to senator manchin saying he was likely going to effectively pull the plug, that he was a no on the build back better act. there's been back and forth on that today. there have been cryptic comments made by senator manchin, mike, as we talked about at the beginning of the show, and the press secretary said she didn't know what he meant. she said, i don't know what he means when he says this is a staff issue. sajwe, maybe i should take that to you. what did he mean, do you know? >> it's quite unclear what senator manchin was talking about. i read that as more of an advance to psaki's statement yesterday. he thinks that was more put out by frustrated and upset white house staffers than the president himself. you saw psaki there. she used the phrase "work like hell" at least three times when talking about the next steps for build back better. it's clear the white house is not throwing in the towel there. she reemphasized and reemphasized the relationship joe manchin and the president have. jen psaki pointed out that the president is not vindictive and no matter what happens with the build back better, it's not replaced with animosity and tension. this person took a more optimistic view of the fate of build back better, that it is not buried. basically what the white house will have to do is restructure this bill to meet manchin's center line which is that everything in the bill has to be funded for the next ten years. that will be extremely difficult, and the tax credit about 10.5 over the next ten years. there's going to be a lot of disappointment, a lot of painful sacrifices to be made. based on what the white house has said, based on what senator manchin said, and his history with this stuff, it's not necessarily done reporting, hallie. >> the press secretary, even when given the opportunity that he felt betrayed by the president, she didn't go there. she made sure to pivot the relationship that joe biden and joe manchin have had for years. also made sure to leave the door open to future work and the next couple weeks are going to be pivotal. mike, you know as well as i, it's the holidays. it's christmas. we tend to know that senators, and perhaps even the president himself, might be taking a bit of a break for the holidays. how do you see this playing out? >> yeah, i was struck, as you were, by the fact that psaki was not walking back from that statement at all. all of the statement of facts. she mentioned they weren't going to be litigated and really wanted to move it forward. she said the president was aware of risk of no action, and there was a long process to trust that senator manchin would be there and navigate the very difficult politics within the republican party that every time you moved in manchin's direction, you still had the other side of the caucus, the proceeding sieves, walking in lockstep. one of the big challenges of the white house at this point is given the frustrations we've seen, given what manchin did yesterday, can you bring progressives back along to trust what happens at this point if there is moving forward? but i will also share some of the reaction in the white house to senator manchin's comments today, particularly the idea that the staff knows what they did, essentially, and they are choosing to interpret that statement as a sign of goodwill moving forward -- i did it again, hallie. the president was not singling out the senator, he was singling out staff. once the temperatures cool a little bit and there is a little r and r over the holidays, they can try to put this back together again. >> nicholas, you also heard jen psaki talk about relative unanimity other than joe manchin on getting this done. >> yes. i mean, hallie, as democrats i've talked to put it, they want something rather than nothing. you have things in build back better that have been democratic policy priorities, aspirations for years. whether or not all of these things are going to make it into some sort of biden package, assuming it even makes it to the floor, remains to be seen. but look at something like the childhood provisions, right, this is something they've talked about for years and years and years, but they also have not had. >> nicholas wu, mike memoli and salwe kippur, appreciate it. congressman, thank you for being back on the show. good to see you. >> good to see you. thank you. >> i don't know where to starlt at the moment because tlfrs so much news today. let me ask you about joe manchin not agreeing to the build back better. i know a few months ago, you were pretty pissed at senator manchin when these issues were being made. part of the reason manchin is concerned is he worries the parents can use the child tax credit to buy drugs or use paid leave time to go hunting. what is your message given all this to senator manchin? >> well, first of all, it was infuriaing to hear the president pretty much kill the build back better act yesterday. going back to me being pissed months ago when it was continuously being gutted, and when i hear that he doesn't trust our parents to do right by their own children with the child tax credit payments, it takes me back to the ronald reagan days and they called them welfare queens to describe what's happening. it seems to be happening with real people and what's actually happening in their lives and how people are yearning to get back to work but they don't have child care. he seemed to understand that the child tax credit lifted 56% of children out of poverty and helped the economy to move forward. it's important to continue at least for a year, but i would love to see it put in place permanently. as we know, manchin is also against corporations paying their fair share and taxing the wealthy elite. it's also important to recognize that it seems that manchin is more responsive, manchin is people like him, because he's representative of something bigger. he's more responsive to his donors and lobbyists than he is to the people of west virginia. west virginia has the seventh highest poverty rates in the country and one of the highest poverty rates overall. we have to look at each other and decide what kind of country do we want to be and what does build back better look like? we can't have one member of the party killing the major part. it might be on its deathbed, but we need to make sure it passes this major point. >> senator manchin said he believes in the child tax credit and believes it should be used by people who need it most. you heard the white house say repeatedly, as we heard from jen psaki, that the president, in his words, will work like hell to get it done. given what you've specifically been through the last couple months, do you trust the president to believe he's going to work like hell to finish this? >> i trust the president. i don't know about trusting manchin. and then there are other senators over there that we have to question in terms of where they stand, because manchin is often out front and others come from behind, but senator sinema also objects to certain provisions. hopefully that is not the case. this has been a year-long negotiation regarding build back better, and this will be historic investments in dealing with the issues of climate change, dealing with drug overdoses and making sure our seniors are taken care of, an expansion of public education with universal pre-k. this is how we rescue our democracy and create a healthy society, economy and environment for our children and our grandchildren. so this has to get done, and i'm glad the white house came out with a strong statement, and i'm glad senator schumer said that he is going to bring build back better to a floor vote so we can get manchin on the record. if you're a no, go on the record with your no and speak to the people of west virginia about why you voted no rather than the donors you're dealing with. >> is there any part of you that feels like "i told you so" to the folks who didn't take his word? >> for me i'm just thinking about passing this bill. i wanted to trust senator manchin and all of my colleagues who have some reservations about the build back better act. then i saw it get gutted from 3.5 trillion to 1.75 trillion. then i saw a back of the napkin calculation where the senator mentioned he didn't want to go above 1.5 trillion. so we've tried to negotiate in good faith. we tried to show trust frks but we also know that lobbyists have spent more money this year, the pharmaceutical lobby, especially, to kill this bill. we also know senator manchin has raised more in fundraising than he ever has in his career. again, let's not lose sight of many of the things that senator manchin captures in terms of what's wrong with congress. big money in politics drive too many of our decisions and not the people in our state and in our districts, and that's what we need to have honest conversations about as we move to passing build back better and hopefully voting rights, immigration reform, george floyd which has been dead as well. we passed so much out of the house and guys in the senate. why is that? 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(upbeat music) back now to the other big news of the day, the sfik in covid cases w wreath, i'm sure you have seen it today on a roller coaster ride spiraling on fears that omicron will lead to more shutdowns and dampen economic recovery. the dow is down. just a couple of minutes to the close. the markets reacting to the surge in case. you can see that spike here with a lot of folks having concerns over where this gose next. we have president biden set to address the country tomorrow with those spikes and new mandates being announced in some cities today. proof of vaccination is going to be required for indoor venues in boston, d.c., here. it is going to require masking at indoor venues. lines for testing stretch for hours. you are looking at the new york governor delivering an omicron briefing right now. i want to bring in lindsey reiser who is with us, in new york city, and dr. jabila. you are in new york, right? it feels de -- deja vuish. talk to me about what you are seeing? >> you are outside a school. >> we are outside a school, outside a covid testing van. the line wasn't bad when we got here, but it is getting longer now, right now at least the numbers that we have, the governor may be updating those. as of yesterday, we had a statewide record for the third day in a row. hospitalizations are steady, around 3800. in january it was,000. while cases are skyrocketing, it appears hospitalizations aren't. in terms of schools, the mayor says he does not want the close schools down. he wants to keep them open. i talked to the head of the teacher's union of the public schools here in new york city. he agrees. it is important to keep kids in school. he does say testing needs to be quicker right thousand there is too much of a lag. right now there are four schools in new york city that are closed because of coronavirus exposures, that includes about 600 classrooms completely closed. 3,000 partial closures. youst see also on the screen, 193 staff tested positive yesterday, 378 students. i talked to some parents in line this morning at this covid site to talk about the situation rear in. >> the fact he can't get vaccinated isn't a big deal for him. but the fact he could be carrying and his grandmother is supposed to come for christmas and we are trying to figure out what to do about that is a little bit stressful. >> i think the testing situation is really bad and needs to be remedied. this is just the beginning of what we are going to have to live through for the next few months. >> jen psaki said tomorrow night the president does intend to address the testing issues and maybe even build on the sites they have currently. >> drunk lindsey. doctor, why is it so hard to find rapid tests. the white house said they increased access to testing and they never put the kibosh on the rapid tests. >> it is still in process. i don't think we have gotten to the point where we have produced so many that no region will go without hurting. the distribution issue is linked to demand. places like new york city are more dense. and you are seeing a population that's more likely to take the public health advice the use testing. you are seeing shortages in those places and rather than places that might be more rural, may not see sort of the same update of the had been health advisory or the need. the last thing is the demand shot up. we are seeing these cases going up because of omicron. this is the cold and flu season. every time somebody gets the sniffels they want to test to make sure it is not covid. all of those reasons, it is a shortage in the country, we need to produce more, it is a distribution issue and the demand has gone up. >> you make the good point that that is what you should be doing if tough cold or the sniffels, reaching for rapid test. there is an attitude i am sure you have heard that's encapsulated from an infectious disease experts who said omicron will spread so quickly making it impossible to contain even with stringent measures. there is an attitude that seems to be well, we are all going to get it, doesn't matter, right? people who live with somebody who is immunocompromised, who live with somebody unable to get the vaccine because they are too young might say i don't accept that assessment. what is your assessment on this? >> i am glad you brought that up, again and again you hear two of the three messages that i would love to hear in the situation. the first message is look, the vaccines are protecting us, the boosters are doing their job, protecting from severe disease. the second message you are getting is how bad things are for people who are unvaccinated or people who are vulnerable or whose immunity may be waning with the date of the vaccine. unfortunately, i know this is a lot to ask for people who have already done so much. it is that it is moving so fast that even if people started getting vaccinated today, we want them to get vaccinated, the immunity is going to take time to build. so we have to all, those who are vaccinated, vulnerable, and vaccinated, boosted, and not vulnerable to take all the steps we can to reduce the spread. because health care, access to health care is a common public good. when we overwhelm the hospitals that mean if you are giving birth tomorrow or having a stroke you won't be able to access health care because of the number of cases that might be coming. that's why we have to take the extra step, to reduce the transmission in cases as well. >> great point. doctor, thank you for your expertise this afternoon. appreciate it. back now to our other big story of the day. the future of the build back better act. now, effectively in senator joe manchin's hands and he has given the thumbs down. you have some households living paycheck to paycheck already feeling the effects of the again raid he has thrown, he announced he would vote no on president biden's bill. the end of the child tax credit act ended last week. parents are facing hard choices during an expensive time of year made harder by covid andis forric inflation. joining me a single mother with three kids a democrat who ran for local office in 2020. stormy, good afternoon. thank you for joining us today. >> good afternoon. >> tell me what's going through your mind as you now see this extension not only isn't come through in the beginning of january? >> i wanted to correct you. i am a registered republican. >> got night but i don't believe this is a partisan thing. i am kinds of stressing out right now because, you know, i have depended on this child tax credit to continue to feed my kids so that, you know, i don't have access to any other benefits. so that was allowing me to help me help myself. >> what does it mean for you to know that this is not going to come through in the next, let's say -- very likely next month, as you were potentially counting on. i know you said and you just answered there, this is something you rely on. tell me more about that. >> the reality of it is before the child tax credit i had increase in my expenses over this year because we had a fire where i lived and my engine on my car blew up. so with $1,400 extra in extenses i had $15 left in my paycheck to buy groceries, goat work, anything like that. this child tax credit was helping me put food on the table for my kids. the reality is that i will go without eating so my kipds kids don't have to. >> hard to hear that folks in this country are in that position. stormy jenson, i appreciate you sharing with us. thanks to you all for watching this hour of hallie jackson reports. "deadline: white house" starts right now. it is 4:00 in new york city. i'm john heilemann in nicolle wallace all week long for you. as america heads into the second holiday season of the covid areaa the virus is running rampant through both the psyches the american public and on ground in some places thanks to the omicron variant. if you are in genuinely panicked new york city seeing record numbers of cases and seeing impeding levels