comfort, teach, protect and serve in ways big and small. the first family saying you show there is much to gain in appreciation and gratitude for the gift of time and goodwill. we share. the first family going on in that statement to pay tribute specifically to those who have lost loved ones in the covid-19 pandemic saying we pray for you to find strength and from sor row and purpose from pain. there you see the first lady and the president walking into the auditorium to make those phone calls to u.s. service members. let's take a listen to that. >> come here, commander, commander, come here. joe, can you pick him up? here he comes. >> merry christmas, ladies and gentlemen. it is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce the president of the united states and the first lady of the united states. ma'am. >> hi, merry christmas. how are you? >> bahrain, qatar, romania, everywhere but home. >> yeah. >> sorry. >> we are sorry, you know, one of the things we know because we are a military family, we know what it's like to have you, you know, our loved ones serving and being away during the holidays, and so i'm sorry you have to be away. we know what it's like for your families to have that empty seat at the table like we had and my dad was a world war ii vet. he servednavy, and he served in south pacific on a ship. he was a signalman, and our sewn beau was in iraq for a year. we certainly know as a family what your families are feeling today, and that's why we will continue, joe and i will continue forever and ever to support you in any way you can, but most of all your families. >> that's commander. >> there he is. >> he's 16 weeks old. hello, everybody, and merry christmas, and it's wonderful to see you all, but i know as jill said you'd rather be home today, and i don't blame you. jill and i know how hard it is for you, but quite frankly it's harder for your husbands, wives, moms, dads, children to be apart or on duty during a season of togetherness. we bidens understand that. we still every once in a while look at that empty chair, and you know, service to your country, whether you're in iraq or beau spent a year in iraq, remember that, it felt like and all those birthdays and other occasions, celebrations we were not together. so as your commander in chief, i wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, thank you, thank you. it's a poor substitute for what you're missing but i understand i just want you to know how much we care. we're grateful for your courage, your sacrifice. not only your sacrificesacrific. the holidays really bring into sharp focus being apart is a part of the job, but it's a hard part of the job. it's who you guys are. you know, i get criticized for saying this occasionally, but you're the solid steel spine of the nation. you really are. always vigilant, always ready when duty calls, 365 days a year, and during the holiday season as we pray for peace and spread joy and glad tidings we also look for hope towards the possibility of a better year and to give thanks for everything we've got, to you, the service, your family. and to give you as much space as you need. we were going to send this guy over, but you know, give so much to make our freedom and prosperity possible. you're the best. your families serve right alongside you through every one of your missions. your deployments, your hardships, we owe you. we owe your families. as a nation we have many obligations. we only have one truly sacred obligation, to properly prepare those and equip those we send into harm's way and to care for you and your families while you're gone and when you return home because all of you are out there doing what you're doing. americans all across the nation are able to spend today with their loved ones enjoying the blessing of security of our american democracy and we're so, so grateful. now we got army, navy, marine corps, i'm looking forward to hearing from all of you about the work you're doing for our country and what's on your mind, and you can ask your commander in chief any questions you want to. i'll try to answer them. so thank you. >> sir, ma'am, ladies and gentlemen, we'll take a brief pause here for a moment. thank you. >> okay. >> we are watching as the president and first lady address all six branches of our u.s. military stationed all over the world, qatar, bahrain, in colorado as well. we see commander, the 16 week old german shepherd. it looks like we lost the feed. we might not be able to hear some of those members of the military asking questions. we want to get to white house correspondent josh lederman, the president saying because of all of you talking to the service members, americans are waking up with the blessings of the security of american democracy. >> reporter: that's right. there's a real tradition of presidents paying tribute to these service members. i remember when president obama was in office accompanying him on several christmases to a marine base in hawaii not far from where the president would spend the time with his family where he would go and meet with troops in the cafeteria to thank them for what they were doing over the holidays. it also strikes me, you know, this is a president who has been very mindful of the ways our military is overextended around the world, not inclined to put troops in harm's way. one of the groups we saw on those screens a moment ago were troops from an air force unit stationed at doha, qatar, which is a base where the u.s. used as a hub to airlift tens of thousands of afghans out of afghanistan in those final days before the u.s. withdrew in august from the war in afghanistan. that is a sight that was used not only as a base of operations for the war in afghanistan but then to get people out safely at the end of it, a decision that was widely disputed given the way that that had ended up. we also saw the president there speaking with troops from a unit of space force in colorado. obviously the newest addition to the u.s. military service branches. >> all right, josh lederman reporting there. thanks, josh. we want to turn now to the coronavirus pandemic as the u.s. surpasses 52 million cases today. nbc's liz mclaughlin is in charlotte, north carolina. this is the second christmas that we are all clouded by covid. the omicron variant is having a ripple effect across the country. i see cars behind you at this testing facility you're at. how busy has it been? >> reporter: lindsey, this morning before the sun was rising, cars started lining up to get a test. that's fife hours before they even opened. limited hours today because it is christmas day and coming for various reasons. some people had to get on a flight tomorrow. others for work or to see family. the demand for testing has gone through the roof and worries over omicron has really been part of that. that's also led to a lot of travel woes for folks who are trying to get somewhere by plane this holiday weekend. we saw thousands of flights grounded according to flight aware, a flight tracking website. on christmas eve more than 2,300 flights globally were canceled, into, out of or within the u.s., nearly 700. today the numbers just keep going up. right now more than 2,500 cancellations globally, and more than 900 for the u.s. and delays are also happening. we're seeing more than 5,300 delays. that omicron variant is really to blame here. the airline saying that airline workers are calling in sick or saying they've been exposed to covid-19. that caused this increase in testing demand. one of the folks that we talked to hours ago just now getting to the front of the line. we were table to speak to some people in line. let's have a listen to what they had to say. >> figured we needed to be here early because the lines have been so bad all week. didn't expect it to be this bad already. >> i'm going to visit family, i'm feeling shaky a little bit. i just want to make sure everything's okay. >> obviously if i'm positive i'm not going to go see my mom. >> i was here on wednesday. i haven't gotten my results yet. i'm bag for a rapid test after i get my results today. i can't go back to work until then. >> reporter: and the must have holiday gift this year, it might be one of these at-home covid-19 tests. they're sold out across the country at pharmacies, online deliveries are delayed, and folks have been trying to get their hands on these because they're quick and pretty accurate, pcr tests being more accurate but because of the fast spreading nature of this omicron variant having a test like this can give you quick results that are still pretty accurate. it's kind of like the difference between an mri and an x-ray. they have been really hard to fand. i went to ten different pharmacies this weekend trying to find one. one little cheat is looking on the cvs website. you can look up the test. it shows where they're in stock in stores. not sure how accurate that is, but it is one way to kind of whittle down to stores that might have one. if you don't want to wait in a long line for one of those testing sites. the bye administration saying they're going to provide a half billion at home tests and mail them to people who want them. those deliveries won't start until january. >> who wants to wait hours on christmas day in one of those lines when you can take one of those tests at home. liz mclaughlin thank you. joining me now is the chairman of the house budget committee. merry christmas, thank you for being with us today. >> merry christmas to you. how are you constituents holding up right now given not only this year of covid but the fact that we are once again where we are? >> we have a great governor who's handled the entire pandemic with incredible authority and confidence and grace and compassion. but -- and kentucky is holding its own. we're not seeing enormous spikes right now, but my fear is -- and i've seen anecdotally evidence of this, many people in kentucky are taking a very cavalier attitude toward in, and whether it's that they hear that the effects of the omicron variant are not severe or they're just tired of the discipline, there was a basketball game a week ago, my louisville cardinals lost to western kentucky hilltoppers in bowling green. there was a packed house in bowling green, which is an area of the state that is not overwhelmingly vaccinated. virtually no one in the stands had a mask on, and that kind of behavior is concerning for sure. so far kentucky is holding its own. >> congressman, we want everybody in your state and around the country to stay safe. wanted to turn now to voting rights. i want to play what president biden said this week about getting it done. >> whatever it takes. change the senate rules to accommodate major pieces of legislation without requiring 60 votes. >> so you support a carveout of the filibuster for voting rights? >> the only thing standing between getting voting rights legislation passed and not getting it passed is the filibuster. i support making an exception of voting rights for the filibuster. >> do you support that as well, a carveout for the filibuster, and is there any way senate democrats can convince centrists like joe manchin or kyrsten sinema to also change senate rules? >> i certain ri hope so. one of the things that i'm very strongly supportive of is changing the rule that requires the majority to put up 60 votes. we ought to make the minority put up 41 votes. that doesn't change the burden in terms of numbers but it changes the responsibility. right now you could have a vote in the is that the that's 55 to 10, and nobody has to go on the record on the minority side and bills don't move forward. it seems to me that everybody ought to be forced to go on the record. i hope the senate will change that aspect of the filibuster rule. we have minority veto in the united states senate right now, and when you compound that with the fact that the small conservative states have disproportionate representation in the senate, that's the constitution. we can't do anything about that, but you basically have the prospect and not the prospect but the reality that things that overwhelming majorities of the united states population support don't get enacted. and democracy can't survive that way. the founding fathers never thought that the minority should prevail. that's what we're dealing with right now. so i certainly hope that senator manchin will understand the realities that we face right now. there is no bipartisanship in the senate. there won't be bipartisanship in the senate, and if we want to move this country forward, and if we want to save our democracy, we have to make a change. >> and maybe you can understand senator manchin's unique position. when it comes to build back better, it's been nearly a week since senator manchin announced he couldn't support it. he is a democrat in a state that overwhelmingly voted for trump. voters are trusting a democrat to represent working people of west virginia and not veer too far to the left. as the lone democrat in your state's congressional delegation, how much room do you think he actually has? >> i don't know that he has any room. we're faced with a very unusual situation in that we have pressing needs this this one of them being saving democracy. every one of us, every democrat in the house and senate can be joe manchin if we want to be because we can kill any initiative, and i think in this position with what i would say to senator manchin is, yes, you represent 1.9 million people out of 330 million. do you think that you have the right to deny progress to the other 331 million people based on your assessment of what west virginian s need or want. most of the data show that west virginians would benefit immeasurably from the initiatives in the build back better plan. so i would hope that senator manchin comes to the realization that he has a national responsibility here because of partisan divide. i've been saying to my colleagues for months now, we've kind of -- because of this situation, we basically have lost the ability to be truly independent. we have a greater responsibility than our own interests and our own districts' interests and our own state's interests. >> so congressman real quick, i only have about 30 seconds left, how do you see build back better appearing on the president's desk? >> well, let me say this. i suspect we will narrow it down and concentrate on three or four initiatives. i have to stress every one of those initiatives, whichever ones we end up focusing on are really important things that are not only worth doing but absolutely have to be done. if any one of them were done it would be a major victory for the american people and the future of the country. i'm really hopeful that we will identify those initiatives and we will move forward and then we'll live to work enough to fight another day for some of the other initiatives that we have to put aside for the time being. >> all right, congressman, thank you for your time on this christmas. we appreciate it. the fda authorizing a pill for covid treatments but is it less effective than first thought? we'll ask a doctor next. t thought? we'll ask a doctor next. n, we switched to tide hygienic clean free. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. 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(gasps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: just stop. go for a run. go for 10 runs! run a marathon. instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette. o man, that's a whole lot of wrinkly at least my shoes look good! looking good start with bounce wrinkleguard, the megasheet designed to prevent wrinkles in the dryer. xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like sing family fun nights! rent sing for $1 then belt out all your favorite tunes from the movie with sing karaoke. plus, see sing 2 in theaters with buy-one-get-one free fandango tickets. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. airlines including united and delta say they've been forced to cancel hundreds of flights today and yesterday because of infected employees and crew members. according to flight aware, nearly 2,500 global flights were canceled today alone. the current seven-day average of cases is above 120,000 with an average of about 1,180 deaths per day. and new video just in of new yorkers lining up today on christmas day to get a covid test. this is a scene that's playing out across the country, and it's been doing this for days. to help make the process more efficient and accessible, the white house is planning to distribute 500 million at home covid testing kits. also this week, the fda authorized a second at home drug to help treat covid. the pill made by merck is a five-day course for people 18 and older who are at high risk of severe covid. with me right now is dr. uche blackstock, an msnbc medical contributor and the founder of ceo of advancing health equity. thanks for taking time away from your family to chat with us for a few minutes. following up on this merck pill, tom kraus with the american society of health system pharmacists told "the washington post" at the end of the day omicron is racing across the country. the existence of these drugs is unequivocally a reason to be positive. it is absolutely another substantial arrow in the quiver to fight this pandemic. what impact could this pill have on helping more americans fight covid? >> thanks so much for having me on today. this merck pill is very different than the pfizer pill. this merck pill works by creating mutations in the virus's genome, and some of the data that we saw in the final analysis showed it was only -- it had a 30% risk of dropping hospitalizations and so the fda advisory board, they only modestly recommended this particular pill compared to the other pfizer pill. so what i would just say is they have placed limitations on it. they have said pediatric patients so anyone under 18 years old, they do not take it because it can cause bone in cartilage problems, for anyone who is considering getting pregnant, they're recommending to use some form of birth control because it can cause fetal growth problems, and so definitely given where we are in the pandemic, it is great to have something that needs to be given orally by mouth at home. however, with this particular pill there are those precautions on it. >> some limitations for sure. israel this week became the first country to recommend a fourth dose of pfizer or a second booster essentially to some citizens. the president was asked if that's something that could happen here. let's listen. >> they're already moving forward with a second booster now, so this would be the fourth shot for people 60 and older and for front line medical workers. is that something you're considering? >> i listen to the scientists, and i'm sure the scientists are paying very close attention to that. there may be a need for another booster. that remains to be seen. >> so it remains a possibility. >> it remains a possibility. >> so talk to us about what you think about a fourth shot, but also concerns here that the race to combat omicron could increase inequality between richer and poorer countries and their access to vaccines. >> well, i will say the data that israel has is still very preliminary. they're basically seen ten weeks after that third dose some waning immunity against infection, but we don't have any data yet of whether or not that influences the worst outcomes of covid-19, severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths. so i think the israelis were concerned that given omicron, even though it hasn't surged yet in israel, but given that their hospitals are headed towards capacity, the booster could help ward off any increase in hospitalizations. they have decided to give the booster to a select group of people, health care workers, people over 60 years old, and those who are immunocompromised. they have not yet recommended it for the entire population, and there's also concern about, you know, giving repeated vaccination, repeated boosters to people because that can exhaust the immune system and not be effective. we still have waiting for more data about whether that fourth dose is actually needed. >> okay. dr. uche blackstock, we'll have to leave it there. thanks so much. >> thank you. the house committee investigating the january 6th riots eyeing a possible criminal referral for former president trump all because of what he did not say. for hours as his supporters stormed the capitol. osters keepy smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. voiceover: riders. wanderers on the road of life. the journey is why they ride. when the road is all you need, there is no destination. uh, i-i'm actually just going to get an iced coffee. well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually -- no, i-i usually have a destination. yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. nope, just the coffee shop. announcer: no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... please don't follow me in. do i need to pretreat my laundry? 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for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. we are tracking new developments in the january 6th capitol riot investigation. former president donald trump's spokesman is suing to keep his financial records from the house select committee. chairman bennie thompson tells "the washington post" his committee is focused on trump's hours of silence during the attack. before he eventually released this video on twitter. nbc's julie tsirkin joins us now from capitol hill. this sounds like maybe a working holiday for some members of the committee. >> reporter: lindsey, members of the committee have been really busy over this holiday season as we come into the midterm year and up against the one-year anniversary of the january 6th attack on the capitol. they definitely don't want this investigation to drag out any longer than it has to so they've been focused interviewing hundreds of witnesses, obtaining thousands of pages of documents as they try to establish whether there was a clear link between former president trump and those rallies that led to the riots on january 6th. now, they're running up against a couple of roadblocks and one of those is of course former president trump actually appealing to the supreme court to stop the committee from getting those 700 some documents from the national archives. a decision the committee wants them to expedite to mid-january. you also have that lawsuit mentioned that was filed by trump's spokesman taylor budavich. he is saying he already cooperated with the investigation. he's turned over 1,700 pages of documents but he doesn't want them to get their hands on his financial records. the committee wants to hear from him speeskly because he was accused of sort of calling to attendance for these rallies for january 6th. he released a statement overnight saying, quote, democracy is under attack. however, not by the people who illegally entered the capitol on january 6th, 2021 but instead by a committee whose members walk freely. he went on to say he complied completely with the committee could inning sitting for that four-hour deposition. he received a note from his bank saying they would be handing over the documents to the committee if they did not receive a court ordered stoppage. >> julie tsirkin, thank you for that reporting. joining me now is hugo lowell, congressional reporter for "the guardian." why might the making of that and also trump's silence during the riot be significant as bennie thompson suggests? >> yeah, so as julie said, the committee is investigating a number of things, not least whether the scope of criminal referrals if trump was complicit in a crime. one of the avenues they're going down, though perhaps not most explosive is whether trump obstructed an official proceeding through action or inaction. this is where the video comes into play. we now know trump made several takes of that video before he posted it to twitter. this was the video supposedly condemning the rioters. the committee wants to know what was being said and done in the takes before the one that became public so' where trump's mind was at, what he was saying publicly and what he was doing privately. >> we also saw the committee now seek ing information from sitting congressmen. congressman jim jordan, scott perry. how significant is this shift of focus to members of congress? >> yeah, i think it's really significant. up until now the committee has been going around the bush a little bit, right? they've been subpoenaing former members of the administration. they've been subpoenaing critical operatives, but they've not actually got down to subpoenaing members of congress. it seems this is where the investigation is heading next. they may be voluntary requests for information to scott perry, jim jordan, and i think it's quite a strategic approach. they don't want to be seen as going in all guns blazing. they want to show there's due process and they're trying to work out an accommodation with their fellow lawmakers, but after scott perry said he's not going to cooperate and jim jordan discussed skepticism it seemed as though the committee height not have any choice but to issue subpoenas in the coming weeks. i think this is going to be an interesting threat on how the committee proceeds. >> you have some new reporting about what's unfolding in trump world as this investigation ramps up. you write the former president appears deeply unnerved. you wrote, quote, donald trump is increasingly agitated by the house select committee investigating the capitol attack according to sources familiar with the matter and appears anxious he might be implicated in the sprawling inquiry into the insurrection. even as he protests his innocence. what more do you know about what's going through his head right now? >> so the portrait that emerges talking to current and former aides to donald trump is that he feels backed into a corner. he's furious with mark meadows, his former white house chief of staff for cooperating with the committee and turning over documents that were pretty damning and pretty incriminating. he was especially upset when the committee started reading out these text messages that meadows received and sent to lawmakers and received from fox news hosts about the capitol attack and he exclaimed at the tv and swore at the coverage. you know, this is one of the things that upsets him most, negative coverage. he's also upset with aides for invoking fifth amendment protections before they go before the committee because he thinks it makes them look weak, and he's worried this could all bounce back at him and make it look as though he is involved in a crime. he's really furious and having a bit of a meltdown at the direction of the investigation. >> so what does he want his allies to do? >> well, his allies, he wants his allies to do what steve bannon did, mount a full court press against the committee, defy subpoenas, and ignore the investigation altogether. this is not particularly amenable to all his aides. they look at steve bannon and don't want to get held in contempt of congress and look at the prospect of jail time and fines. it's a tussle for these aides who want to stay loyal to trump. as a former president, he no longer has the influence or authority to command his aides and to influence the direction of the investigation. you know, with mueller, the special counsel investigation and the russian inquiry, he doesn't have the ability anymore. it's a congressional committee. as he knows they're looking at criminal referrals. >> hugo lowell, thank you so much. a senate candidate fumbles on the campaign trail with a bizarre claim involving a legendary congressman. was it a mistake or curious strategy? curious strategy - what's going on? - oh, darn! - let me help. lift and push and push! there... it's up there. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them with downy wrinkleguard. feel the difference with downy. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: try hypnosis... or... quit cold turkey. kidding me?! instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette when our daughter and her kids moved in with us... our bargain detergent couldn't keep up. turns out it's mostly water. so, we switched back to tide. one wash, stains are gone. [daughter] slurping don't pay for water. pay for clean. it's got to be tide. nyquil severe gives you powerful relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms, on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. developing now, a security scare at windsor castle to report today. a 19-year-old man is under arrest after breaching the grounds where queen elizabeth is spending christmas. investigators say he was in possession of, quote, an offensive weapon. sky news reports it was not a firearm. the man did not enter any buildings and no injuries were reported. new this hour, the commander in chief sending holidays wishes to members of the military. just a short time ago the president and first lady held a video conference with members of all six military branches including the space force. the first family acknowledging the sacrifice of their service to the country. >> as your commander in chief, i wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, thank you, thank you. it's a poor substitute for what you're missing. but i understand. i just want you to know how much we care. we're grateful for your courage, your sacrifice. not only your sacrifice, but your family's sacrifices. holidays bring into sharp focus, it's a hard part of the job. >> the president then took questions from overseas troops after he and the first lady made their statements. new concerns in the final stretch of 2021 over whether democrats can pass federal voting rights legislation before the 2022 midterms, after 19 states passed laws making it harder to vote. as my next guest writes for the wildly popular maddow blog, while 2021 was awful for voter suppression, 2022 may not with better. a producer with the rachel maddow show and an msnbc political contributor, not only are these state laws coming in 2022 more than i should say but trump loyalists are still challenging the 2020 election outcome. if democrats don't get federal voting rights done, what are we going to see next november? >> we're going to see a series of hurdles that republicans have put in place between voters and the ballot box on areas such as early voting, absentee ballots. it will be more difficult to participate in democracy next year unless democrats in congress are passing new reforms that would in effect get rid of the republican hurdles. >> you also write a pretty extensive article about former football star herschel walker who's running for senate as a republican in georgia and how he stumbled over the john lewis voting rights act. he's criticizing raphael warnock for supporting it saying, quote, you know what's sad about that to use the name of a great man to brand something that is terrible to do. for african americans that was absolutely incredible. first off you point out john lewis was not a senator, a congressman. why else did that comment rub so many the wrong way? >> fundamentally we're talking about the foundation for john lewis's work in congress over the course of decades. he was a champion of voting rights. he was there and instrumental in the passage of the original voting rights act. the idea that securing the right to vote at the federal level would be something that john lewis was against suggests that herschel walker has no idea what he's talking about. i mean, this is something he ought to know something about. he's a u.s. senate candidate, but for him to suggest that somehow democrats are doing something wrong by honoring john lewis with a voting rights package is fundamentally ridiculous. it was shocking to hear herschel walker make these comments in such a way to suggest that he hasn't studied the issue at all. >> here's what walker said when asked for his position on voting rights. if you want to get people to vote, if they're legal to vote, you want to try to encourage people to vote. that's the most precious thing that you have. not encourage but encourage. you get things done now, you don't talk about it after or talk about it during, but get it done right now. no one is not legal to vote. why don't we go in and get the i.d.s and get everything done right now instead of waiting until it's time to vote and start talking about it. how do you interpret this? >> you know, i wish i could. i have no idea what that means. i see it like as a word salad, where he throws a bunch of things together and kind of hopes it works out. i haven't the foggiest idea what he's saying when he makes these comments. we take a step back, herschel walker is someone who doesn't have background in public service. he's not really familiar with the political debates, he has a background in athletics, which is great, fine. but at the same time we have to remember he is the donald trump supported u.s. senate candidate in a swing state. he has the backing of the republican leadership in the senate. he has to have some familiarity with the basics of democracy such as voting rights. for him to struggle in complete sentences is alarming. this is something he really ought to know. >> is this a gift to democrats if he ends up being the nominee? >> well, maybe. i think that there are a lot of voters in a lot of states that don't care whether the candidates are familiar with the issues. i think that they're see an r after his name, and republicans will vote for him anyway. and there are people who see raphael warnock with a d after his name and vote for him. it's too hard to say with any confidence, i think there are going to be swing voters out there in georgia and elsewhere who want to see candidates with some understanding of what's going on in the world and will look at quotes like the one you read and say maybe herschel walker isn't ready for prime time. >> we'll have to leave it there, thanks so much. it's been a year of recovery for downtown nashville after a christmas day bombing destroyed the historic district and left dozens homeless. one year later a survivor of that attack reflects on what's changed. that attack reflects on what's changed. as a professional bull-rider i'm used to taking chances. but when it comes to my insurance i don't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? 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>> yeah, it's probably been the hardest year we've had. there have been just a lot of challenges and complex issues to solve, but yeah, we've really pulled together. we've pulled together as a family, and we've pulled together as our friends and our community and our neighbors. it's something that we couldn't do alone, definitely, and so we're still in the process of rebuilding, but it is -- it's coming along, and we're encouraged by that. >> i was working that day, that video that was playing out of the trailer before the explosion, so eerie, you and your family woke up to officers knocking on your door, saying, get out. you grabbed the diaper bag and your two kids. obviously, your home, completely ruined there on 2nd avenue. your son, who was 4 at the time, also witnessed the attack. how's he coping? >> he's doing great. he really is. we had -- he seemed okay in the beginning, but then as the months went on, he had some symptoms of ptsd come out, and so we, of course, have not been educated, just as your average parents, on trauma in childhood, and we were able to get him really wonderful counseling, and so that has kind of been the turning point for him, just learning to put a name to his emotions, to be able to draw about them or talk about them or even just run, go run around and get the really big feelings out for such a little person. so he's been able to process a lot. >> you know, i want to share a photo of you with another survivor that was taken at a remembrance center for the attack. you know, i mean, what kind of bond do you all share, having survived this terrible event together, and also, does christmas take on a new meaning now? >> yeah. we have slowly been able to connect with other survivors, and that has really been helpful for me. it's a really odd set of circumstances that we have experienced with a bombing on christmas, and not a lot of people can relate. we've had wonderful outreach, but having other survivors that know exactly what that meant, exactly what that felt like, has really helped us feel not alone. and that has really brought us strength this christmas. you know, we're here with family this year, not in nashville, and have done our traditional christmas, you know, things, but christmas has felt so different. the presents and the traditions are really kind of icing on the cake, but the cake has felt different to us in that it's about love and it's about family. and last year, we lost everything, on one hand, and on the other hand, we saved everything that mattered, which was our lives and we have really held on to our faith this year to try to make it through. and just focus on christ and what this day is all about, and it feels a lot more poignant this year. >> you've given us a lot to think about, noelle rasmussen, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you, merry christmas. and thank you for watching. merry christmas. i'm lindsey reiser, i'll see you tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern. alex witt will be back tomorrow and "politics nation" starts now. ... and forgot where she was. you can always spot a first time gain flings user. ♪ alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice and long-lasting gain scent beads. try spring daydream, now part of our irresistible scent collection. nicorette knows, quitting smoking is freaking hard. you get advice like: just stop. go for a run. go for 10 runs! run a marathon. instead, start small. with nicorette. which can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette. when you really need to sleep you reach for the really good stuff. new zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. new zzzquil ultra. when you really really need to sleep. do i need to pretreat my laundry? 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