able to safely keep our children in school. every jurisdiction is going to have to make these decisions locally. but what i will say is the most important thing we can do is get our children vaccinated. get our teachers vaccinated, get our teenagers vaccinated. and then, to practice all of those layered mitigation strategies that have been proven to work. >> well, the president facing all of this and more, as he makes his way back to the white house after spending saturday in nevada, where he and other top democrats paid tribute to the late senate majority leader harry reid. >> harry cared so much about his fellow americans. and so little about what anybody thought of him. it was all search light, no spotlight. >> during my time in the senate, he was more generous to me than i have any right to expect. he was one of the first people to encourage me to run for president. believing that despite my youth, despite my inexperience, despite the fact that i was african-american, i could actually win. >> let's go to josh lederman at the white house. josh, quite a busy week ahead for the biden administration, so let's get to what's all on the agenda. >> well, for biden and vice president kamala harris, the big event really is on tuesday, when biden will be in atlanta giving this major speech about voting rights. and the idea here, alex, is really to give fresh momentum to the voting rights issue. ahead of this deadline that chuck schumer has laid out for mlk day, a week from tomorrow, which is he says is the date by which republicans either have to stop blocking progress on voting rights or he says he will force a vote to change the rules, essentially have democrats side-step republicans, side-step the filibuster, and try to carve out an exception so they can get voting rights through. that is not necessarily going to work, because they need all 50 democrats to do that, and kyrsten sinema, joe manchin, an issue there, just like they were on build back better. we know the white house picked georgia specifically for this event because of its role, not only in the civil rights movement, but also in recent election disputes. now, while biden and harris are focusing on voting rights, we have these u.s./russia talks that are going to get under way starting tomorrow in europe. and here, it's really interesting, the strategy that the white house has used. typically, you don't telegraph in advance what punishments or what you might be willing to agree to in a negotiation, but here, the white house has made the deliberate strategy of making it very clear and public in advance, not only how they will punish russia if it does go ahead and further invade ukraine, but also what they're actually potentially willing to agree to in these talks, including limiting the size and scope of u.s. military exercises in europe, as well as basically certifying that they will not put missiles into ukraine. take a listen to what antony blinken, the secretary of state, had to say today about that strategy. >> president biden has been clear that we're looking at taking steps that we have not taken in the past. and that the consequences for russia would be severe. and that's something that president putin is going to have to factor into his calculus. our strong preference is a diplomatic resolution of this challenge. but ultimately, that's up to russia. if they're going to engage in a meaningful way in dialogue, if they're prepared to take reciprocal steps to address just not their security concerns but our security concerns. then we can make progress. if not, we're going down a very different path. >> so if you break down that diplomatic speak, alex, what you have here is a carrot and a stick approach. the carrot being these steps they're willing to discuss on military arrangements with russia, on positioning of missiles and other things. and then the stick being these punishing sanctions as well as trade restrictions. they're actually threatening to try to cut off russia from semi-conductors that they would need for their space industry, for their military arms industry, and those are the steps that the u.s. says it would take with its allies if russia were to go ahead and further invade ukraine. these talks set to kick off tomorrow in geneva, switzerland. they will then move to berlin in the middle of the week, and then to vienna on thursday, alex. >> okay. tense times, to say the least. thank you so much, josh, for that setup. we'll continue this conversation right now, everyone. joining me is new york congressman gregory meeks, chair of the house foreign affairs committee. welcome. happy to have you here, my friend, talking about all this, as we begin with, i mean, look, there's no way to describe it other than intense talks ahead this week with the u.s. and nato trying to get russian president vladimir putin to back away from ukraine. senior biden administration officials say no firm commitment is going to be made by the u.s. during talks this week. okay. they have also said any steps taken with russia would have to be reciprocal. so as you look at these talks, what is success for you? what does that look like? and with concessions, is there any risk of undercutting nato's authority by putting that out there? >> i think that what our administration is doing is making sure that we're coordinating with nato, with ukraine, and with our other allies. that is extremely important. so not just us, because if russia continues its aggression, we are all going to have to work together to push back that aggression. and so this dialogue and conversation is going to take place with the russians, there has also been a dialogue previously and will be dialogue afterwards with our nato allies. as well as our eu allies, as well as the ukraine. so there's that conversation going on. but there are stern conversations that will take place to let russia know that there will be serious consequences if it continues with its aggression with those troops that are on the border and in trying to infiltrate ukraine. >> okay. but vladimir putin has got to know that discussions, plans being drawn up like this between these allies have been under way, and yet he has not backed down at all. so what -- you know, josh was talking about the carrot and the stick. what are the carrots and the stick in this circumstance? if he hasn't backed down, knowing that these discussions are happening, what's going to make him back down now? >> well, we haven't seen him cross int ukraine. he moved some of the troops back and they have gone back and forth in that regards. we don't know what's in his mind at this point. and i don't think he knows. and i think that what he has to hear is that there will be severe consequences, not just like what took place in crimea, and think about what is at stake for russia if they continue their aggression. >> so you just said something very interesting that nobody has articulated yet to me. that being that vladimir putin may not know what he's doing. really? >> he may not know what he is going to do next. so he looked at what took place with reference to crimea. and the results and the sanctions that were put in place there. but now, he's hearing and seeing where, and this is why working in a multilateral way is extremely important, what the consequences will be. and that's why, you know, in the segment previously, saying that he's hearing things now that he may not have heard before as far as what some may be, because we want him to know, the administration wants him to know what the serious consequences of his actions are. and so sometimes when you go in something and you know what the serious consequences will be of your actions, it causes you to pull back and do something else. >> okay. these waters have been muddied a little bit because we're not just talking about ukraine here. vladimir putin has sent trooped into another country, that being kazakhstan. this in an effort to try to restore order after the deadly anti-government protests. could that situation impact russia's calculus in some way on whether or not to go into and literally invade ukraine? >> i think that they could be intertwined. i don't put that behind russia also. russia will take advantage of any scenario it has or it sees. and it could be instigating or trying to take advantage of the situation in kazakhstan, which is something we have got to focus on also, because that's another very complicated scenario, situation. and we know that russia could play -- try to play both sides against the other in that region. i do believe that what ultimately what he would love to do if he could is to reconstitute the soviet union. but just as ukraine has to have the freedom to determine whether or not they want to be part of nato or not, other countries are in the former soviet countries who many of whom i have visited, have indicated they want a closer relationship with the west. if that's what they want, we should make sure we get closer and work with them, with our nato allies. >> like that aspiration indeed would be something putin dreams of, that horse has left the barn. it seems remarkable to even consider that. as all of this unfolds, the u.s. is simultaneously dealing with the tensions with china over taiwan. thursday, you had china blasting the u.s. for its support of lithuania, which has gone further than most other nations in recognizing taiwan. and last month, sir, you told the hill that you wanted to lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers to taiwan this month to reassert america's commitment to the self-ruling island. so is that trip happening? if so, what are your concerns on how it might affect u.s. tensions with china? >> well, unfortunately, because of the pandemic, i'm not planning a trip there at the end of this month. but i can say that some time in the future, once the pandemic is under control, i may very well lead a delegation to taiwan. we must not allow china to also change the status with taiwan. and the united states has been very clear that we're going to stand by and make sure that that doesn't happen. it's a very dangerous thing that china has done recently also. and so i think it's important for us to also let china know that the united states and our allies, again, is more than just -- australia is involved, nato is involved, and our allies, are not going to stand idly by and allow them to be attacked to change the current and existing relationship with taiwan. >> okay. >> and we're going to do certain things like making sure taiwan has defensive weapons to protect itself. >> and china's reaction to that, what you just said, making sure that tibon has defensive weapons to protect itself? >> well, that sends a statement to china that we're not going to allow them to just walk in there and change the relationship that they have had. they have had a relationship with taiwan, as we have, and it should continue in the manner that it has been. >> let me ask you one domestic question, if you will, specific to the one-year anniversary on the attack on capitol hill. there's been a growing call for action on voting rights legislation. how does that become a reality? how does any legislation on this topic get to the president's desk without any republican support? >> well, it's easier said than done. it can get done without any republican support if senator manchin comes to his senses and makes sure that we protect our democracy. because what's at stake is our democracy. voting rights is essential to the democracy of the united states. and if we're going to lead in democratic circles, we should lead by example. you know, when i think about what took place on january 6th, the attempted coup to our democracy to turn around and not allow the people's votes to count, the big lie can't live. and the best way to make sure the big lie does not live and does not happen tomorrow, is to make sure we have voting rights. there's been more coup d'etats attempted around the world in the last year than the last five years. and if we're going to keep our leadership, we have to stand strong, and i think we should implore and continue to talk, and i know senator schumer is doing just that, to show senator manchin that the issue of voting rights is an issue of democracy and preserving our democracy right here in the united states and keeping us in the lead about democracy around the world. >> okay. new york congressman gregory meeks, keep on keeping on. thank you very much. it's good to see you. thank you. as the u.s. approaches yet another sobering milestone in the fight against covid, hospitals are under crushing siege. with hospitals pushed to their limits, what will it take to reduce the spread of covid? the latest next. te nstext. a debit card for kids, and a set of tools to help them learn good money habits. by creating allowances and assigning chores, they can practice earning every day. with a debit card just for them, 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cdc is defending its decision to shorten quarantine guidelines. this comes after the initial announcement sparked some confusion about the sudden shift from ten days to five. >> this is hard. we have ever evolving science with an ever evolving variant. and my job is to provide updated guidance and the context of rapidly rising cases. and that is what we have done, and i'm here to explain it to the american people, and i am committed to continuing to do so and continuing to improve. >> well, businesses could be pushed to their limited this week. the "wall street journal" estimates 5 million americans may be forced to stay home after either testing positive or being exposed to the virus. and public schools in chicago will enter a fourth day of canceled classes on monday, as the stand-off between the districts and the teachers union remains at a standstill. talks between the two groups resumed this morning after city officials publicly rejected the union's proposal to return to in-person learning on january 18th. let's go to sam brock who is in miami, where in just this past week, florida has reported nearly 400,000 new covid cases. sam, to you. >> increased infections, and now hospitalization numbers are smashing records coast to coast. here in florida, we just reported nearly 70,000 cases in one day on saturday. not exactly signs that things are slowing down right now, as those on the front lines are exhausted and just trying to keep up with this latest surge. >> for hospitals trying to tread water under this latest covid wave, a crushing milestone just reached in the last 24 hours. icu capacity has now eclipsed 80% nationwide. a mark matching delta, and signaling serious problems ahead if it climbs even higher. >> that's where you start to see situations in which lives that we could save with modern medicine actually will not be saved. >> hospital staffs caring for more patients with depleted ranks. >> we're in worst shape than we were prior to the holidays. >> covid cases now average nearly 700,000 a day. up 265% in two weeks. while hospitalizations are up 72% in that period, but quickly approaching a pandemic high. the vast majority of patients unvaccinated, and some regretful. >> i heard that it could have been touch and go. i could have ended up probably passing away if these people didn't put in 100% effort each and every day. >> many children haven't even had the option to get a shot, as pediatric covid hospitalizations break records. including in california. where governor gavin newsom just activated members of the national guard to help out at testing sites. the demand coast to coast still stunning. >> most places are only accepting appointments or they just don't have times. it's bun rough. >> yet for many hospitals, a new trend is emerging, in cities like new york and miami, one out of every two people hospitalized with covid came for something else that later tested positive. >> i think it's because we're now admitting patients who have incidental infections who might be earlier in their disease and are more contagious. >> the omicron variant proving no space is safe from infection. >> so far, covid deaths during the latest wave have remained relatively stable, but stable still means more than 1500 deaths every single day. doctors right now say they're seeing signs of rising cases among nursing home staff and employees which could spell disaster among one of the most vulnerable segments of our entire population. sam brock, nbc news. >> on the heels of that report, let's bringen anne rimoin. welcome, it's very nice to see you again. as i think about what sam brock was just reporting, when he shows that 80% of the icu beds in this country are occupied by patients being treated for covid, the vast majority of those being patients that were unvaccinated. the point that one doctor made in the report is what that does is occupy icu beds, potentially for patients who would be able to benefit from medical technology and treat other issues. these occupied beds by unvaccinated patients are keeping others who might need icu assistance from having the opportunity to get it. how hard is that for you to digest? how frustrating at this point in the pandemic? >> i think what you're highlighting is a point that nothing is happening in a vacuum here, and that is exactly what we're seeing. if we focus just on the metrics of cases or even just deaths, we are not actually going to be able to capture what's really happening, which is that this incredible surge in covid here is impacting everyone. if you have a car accident, if you have an appendicitis, if you need care urgently, if you have a heart attack, a stroke, any number of things, care is going to be limited. it's not even just in the icus. it's including in the emergency room departments. it's also impacting the number of technicians available to do standard things like scans, like ultra sounds. small procedures. everything is impacted here, and that is why we have to do everything we can. we can't just have this policy of letting it rip. we have to do everything we can to reduce the spread because everything is impacted. >> yeah, point well taken there. there's a lot of debate, as you know, about whether or not kids should return to school. what are the factors that should play into this decision, and can it be a different calculation depending on a community? i know i had a doctor on recently yesterday who said there is a difference from maybe new york to some place in nebraska, right? >> absolutely correct. this is not a one size fits all strategy. and frankly, hasn't been for a long time. we're going to see varying rates in communities. so the risk to you, to your child, is going to differ. it's going to depend upon community transmission. going to depend upon local vaccination rates. going to depend upon hospitalization rates. a whole constellation of things. again, remember, nothing is happening in a vacuum. it's not even just about whether the kids can go to school. if we have high rates of community transmission, the teachers will be sick, the staff will be sick. there will be nobody there to manage the schools. again, a reason why we can't have everything. you can't have everything open. you can't have people doing everything that they just want to do and be able to keep schools open and hospitals safe. >> and to your point about really covid being something of a domino effect, the cdc put out a new report, can it shows that kids who test positive for covid are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. type i diabetes. that's a lifelong illness. do you know anything about that, why that is, and how concerned should parents be about this? >> you're referencing a new study that just came out released by the cdc, an analysis of data. this is just an important observation. you have to remember what the actual conclusion was. based on these preliminary data and these analyses that had limitations that health care providers should be screening kids that have had covid for diabetes because this could be an issue. i think this highlights, again, this is a novel virus. we don't know what it's going to do long term. we don't have enough data. so it's better to be safe than sorry. staying out of trouble is better than getting out of trouble. and so another reason why we should be doing everything we can to protect those who can be protected against covid-19. >> excellent advice on all. anne rimoin, thanks so much. appreciate it. novak djokovic just hours away from a hearing that determines whether he gets to play in the australian open. new information on that next. maybe it's another refill at your favorite diner... or waiting for the 7:12 bus... or sunday afternoon in the produce aisle. these moments may not seem remarkable. but at pfizer, protecting the regular routine, and everyday drives us to reach for exceptional. working to impact hundreds of millions of lives... young and old. it's what we call, the pursuit of normal. ♪ ♪ okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete balanced nutrition for strength and energy. woo hoo! ensure, complete balanced nutrition with 27 vitamins and minerals. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ ♪ tomorrow, a high stakes security meeting between the u.s. and russia set to take place in geneva. with thousands of russian troops amassing along the ukrainian border, the u.s. secretary of state is offering vladimir putin two options. diplomacy and dialogue, or, quote, massive consequences. i'm joined by "new york times" white house correspondent peter baker, our good buddy. good to see you. in fact, i want to remind our viewers you reported from moscow from four years. so as you put this into perspective, how consequential does this week seem to you as the u.s. meets with russia tomorrow, nato countries are meeting with russia on wednesday. secretary of state blinken said he does not expect any breakthroughs. so what are the expectations from the white house? >> yeah, obviously, it's a big week of diplomacy. look, for one thing, just the act of diplomacy is itself a delay on any physical violence. as long as they're talking and gnaw shooting that by itself is something. you're right, it's hard to see where they come together in the middle. you know, what the white house is saying is there are some things they can talk about with russia. if they want to have some sort of an agreement, station missiles further away from the border on both sides, that's one thing. if they want to have some sort of agreement limiting war exercises that make the other side nervous, that's another thing. one thing they won't do is meet putin on its number one demand, they say they will never accept ukraine as a nato member. the white house rejects that, saying we can't put handcuffs on some country's right to define its own alliances. they're still far away as they define these talks and the question is whether they can narrow the differences and avoid an armed conflict. >> that's a very dictatorial conversation. i'm going to demand this from one country. you heard this morning secretary blinken addressing the demands the u.s. provide more military assistance to the ukrainians. take a listen to this. >> we have been providing significant defensive assistance to ukraine. including as recently as the last couple weeks. almost half a billion dollars. this year alone. that's continued. that will continue. and if there is further aggression by russia against ukraine, we'll see even more of that. >> i think i know the answer to this, but do americans have any appetite for more military spending and threat of an all-out war with russia? >> well, no, obviously americans at this point would just as soon focus on things at home. we have enough of our own problems, you would hear people say. one thing the biden administration made clear is we're not going to put american forces into harm's way here. that's not on the table. so what they're talking about is helping the ukrainians defend themselves. that's something that's probably more acceptable to at least some americans, many americans. the problem is, of course, putin knows this. he knows where our limits are, where our red lines are. he's already calculated them into his formula. he's decided he knows what punishments the united states and the west might inflict in sanctions and deciding whether he can live with them or not. the west hasn't decided what exactly he's trying to get out of this that the united states and the west can provide without backing down on matters of principle. and that's a real problem. you don't put 100,000 troops on your border with another country unless you're planning to use them, and that's the real risk here, that something could get out of hand quickly. >> absolutely. as we focus on our own issues, reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the attacks on january 6th, you wrote this week that the idea that tribal divisions of the era might be overcome by a shared sense of revulsion over the attack on the capitol just didn't happen. instead, january 6th has become another wedge dividing this nation. can you see anything that president biden can do to bridge that divide? >> well, i think he's decided he can't. that's why he came out, you know, full throated condemnation of president trump and the other allies who have been trying to discredit the election and spreading lies about what happened. and not allow them to rewrite the history of what happened on january 6th. it wasn't just a protest, wasn't just some thing that got out of hand. it was a full-scale attack on the capitol at the very moment congress was taking its most solemn act under the constitution, which is counting the electoral college votes, sanctifying the election of a new president. he decided there is no bridging and he's going to come out and be more full throated about his views of this after a year of mostly trying to avoid talking about the former guy, as he likes to call former president trump. >> he didn't call him for name, that's for darn sure. okay, peter, thank you so much. can i say it's a little chilly in the studio here. that fireplace behind you, so cozy. i'm like, oh, if only. so enjoy the afternoon. thank you. >> you're welcome any time, alex. >> i will show up one day and you'll be like, wait, did i invite her? thank you. new tonight, the like of novak djokovic goes on full displace in an australian court. the number one tennis player will get a visa hearing in the next six hours after spending day four in detention at a hotill facility. documents filed by his lawyers claim he was granted by a medical exemption to enter the country after he contracted and recovered from the coronavirus in december. let's go to ralph sanchez. i tell you, this has gotten a lot of buzz around the world, this particular story. what are we expecting from the hearing? >> yeah, alex, so djokovic, the australian government have been volleying back and forth in court filings over the last couple days. that's given us some sense of what kind of arguments we might hear in court. djokovic's case is twofold. one, he says he tested positive for covid in mid-december. that should give him, he says, an exemption from australia's vaccine requirements, and two, he says he got assurances from australian authorities his paperwork was in order and he would be allowed back in. the australian government returning serve. they are saying there's no such thing as assurances you can definitely enter australia. that's a decision that we make when you show up at the border. and we look at your paperwork. they're also saying, a positive covid test in and of itself wouldn't count as the kind of acute medical condition that might get you a medical exemption from the vaccine requirement. now, the view among some legal experts down under is that djokovic might have a real hill to climb here because the australian constitution gives the federal government very wide ranging powers to decide who comes in to that country, which makes sense. it's an island country cut off from most of the world. i want you to listen to the view of one of those experts. >> if mr. djokovic has a high profile, as an antihp vaxer, then the government might say that that was inconsistent with the australian government's policy of encouraging australians to be vaccinated. if they were expressing public views that vaccination is a waste of time, et cetera, et cetera, that would be contrary to the government's policy. that may well excite the undue attention of the government. >> alex, separate from what's going on in the court, there are a lot of questions about these posts on social media which appear to show djokovic out and about unmasked at a tennis event in serbia on december 17th. now, that is significant because djokovic's lawyers say he tested positive for covid the day before, december 16th. now, we don't know whether or not he was aware of his diagnosis at that point. we have reached out to his representatives, and we haven't heard back. but it's raising a lot of questions about what was he doing out in public if he had tested positive for covid the day before. alex. >> yes, and to be quite candid, it's difficult to understand how someone can test positive for covid and not know about it. i mean, if you have been tested, i know from myself and everybody around me, we look and want to get those results as quick as you can. so you know either way. anyway, raf, thank you very much. a lot to unpack there. the big lie and the truth republicans just cannot accept. are these just political hurdles or something far more worrisome for the future of the republic? my sunday panel discussion next. why does walgreens offer prescription copays as low as zero dollars? ♪ ♪ so you won't have a medicare in the world. ♪ ♪ plus, 90-day refills and same day delivery. larry? that's even less to medicare about. 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increase the risk of serious side effects see for yourself at botoxcosmetic.com one of the worst things about a cold sore is how it can make you feel. but, when used at the first sign, abreva can get you back to being you in just 2 and a half days. be kinder to yourself and tougher on your cold sores. new comments from ted cruz prompting criticism and mockery at the texas senator for telling the truth, calling the january 6th a terrorist attack and almost immediately walking those words back. cruz even appearing on tucker carlson's show to clean umcomments with the conservative base which quickly backfired. >> the way i phrased things yesterday, it was sloppy and it was frankly dumb. >> i don't buy that. whoa, whoa, i have known you a long time, since before you went to the senate. you were a supreme court contender. you take words as seriously as any man who has ever served in the senate. and every word you repeated that phrase, i do not believe that you used that accidentally. i just don't. >> tucker, as a result of my sloppy phrasing, it's caused a lot of people to misunderstand what i meant. i wasn't saying that the thousands of peaceful protesters supporting donald trump are somehow terrorists. i wasn't saying the millions of patriots across the country supporting president trump are terrorists. and that's what a lot of people have misunderstood. >> joining me now, rachelle richie, former press secretary for the house democrat, policy and communications committee. susan del percio, republican strategist and msnbc analyst, and david jolly, former congressman from florida and msnbc political contributor. welcome, all. this is going to be fun to get into. david, you first. you had aaron blake of the washington post who wrote this about this. if you try to script an interview that epitomized the gop's post-january 6 evolution and its rewriting of the element of the capitol right, you would struggle to do better than ted cruz's interview with tucker carlson on thursday night. what do you make of it? >> yeah. absolutely right. look, i thin ted cruz knew what he was saying had he used the word terrorist, because that's what happened. we had american citizens use terror, use force to try to interrupt a free and fair election. that makes them a terrorist. and i think the telling thing is not just ted cruz and how he wants to be everything to everybody so he can be president of the united states, which will never happen. but it also says something about where the gop is, and frankly, where conservative media is. because the narrative for the base and the narrative for gop media in a post-january 6 world, is nothing of consequence happened on january 6th. they're burying history. it's a shameful moment. >> absolutely delusional. there's a new poll that a shockingly small number of republicans recognize the reality of biden's victory over trump. only 6% say biden's win was definitely legitimate. 46 pest say it was definitely not. when you see that number, susan, you hear the comments from ted cruz, where does the republican party stand one year after the insurrection, one year after the big lie? >> it's in certainly much worse condition than what it was a year ago or five years ago. and it's not all on donald trump. yes, he was the catalyst that people got around, but the fact that people in the base of the republican party is looking to go there and in fact getting even more extreme as time goes by, shows us that that's where the problem lies within the base. yes, there's donald trump at the top there, egging them on, but it's not just a donald trump problem we have within the gop. and there's one other thing i would like to add about the ted cruz interview. i think it's very interesting that tucker carlson wanted to take on a ted cruz, that he was looking for that fight. i don't know if it means that he's looking to do something politically, but he was willing to make points off of one that you would argue in ted cruz a very much a strongly supported trump ally. >> you are the second person on this broadcast to suggest that tucker may have political aspirations. thefirst came yesterday. i was like, hmm, interesting. anyway, also interesting, on thursday, the president's speech. he gave that speech excoriating trump without ever mentioning him by name. >> the former president of the united states of america has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. he's done so because he values power over principle. because he sees his own interests as more important than his country's interests, than america's interests. and because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution. he can't accept he lost. even though that's what 93 united states senators, his own attorney general, his own vice president, governors, and state officials in every battleground state have all said, he lost. >> which makes that 46% of republicans who believe that he definitely didn't lose remarkable. that said, rachelle, this is a different tone from the president than we are used to. he avoids talking about his predecessor in general. and you know, he never mentioned his name, right, but overall, was this the speech and the tone that democrats and anyone outside of maga world has been waiting for? >> no. and really, when i was listening to this speech, i thought to myself, yeah, we know. we know all of these things about donald trump. people are still trying to figure this out, then let them be. okay. because we don't necessarily need to try to convince a bunch of crazy, delusional people about what happened during the presidential election. donald trump lost. that's it. so for me, it was just like, you know, i'm listening to this and thinking to myself, we already know this. i also thought it was a little aggressive to compare to compar this to 9/11 and pearl harbor, where thousands of people died. and i do also want to comment really quick on this terrorist comment. i think, obviously, ted cruz was right the first time he called ate terrorist attack. but the thing that's moe obvious to me the people who carried out these terrorist attacks are not being treated like terrorists. many have been arrested, but they are not receiving jail time and the jail time they have received will get them out just in time to vote for donald trump if he chooses to run again. or they have home detention. and sorry, with covid going on right now, it's not that hard to be on home detention. we're all pretty good at it at this point because many of us are staying at home due to the pandemic. i would like to see these people out there being treated as terrorists, not just your average american citizen. >> okay, points all well taken, but i want to get back to the nugget of my question to you. did you not listen to the president's speech on thursday, rochelle, and think, this is a different tone. i've been waiting for this, because he has largely avoided this tone. was there nothing about that that when you heard it, you went, okay, finally. because i know a lot of people did feel that way. >> no, i didn't feel like "finally",w, because i feel like everyone has been talking about donald trump in this aggressive manner for a very long time, and i'm sick and tired of really hearing about donald trump. we know who he is and what he stands for. but i wanted to hear more from the president, was for him to talk about the insurrection, the honor the people, the officers that died trying to stand up and protect our democracy. i wanted to hear more of that than about how donald trump is a jerk. we know he is. >> okay. senator lindsey graham responding to the president's speech, though, tweeting this, what brazen politicization of january 6th by president biden. i wonder if the taliban, who now rule afghanistan with al qaeda elements present, contrary to president biden's beliefs, are allowing this speech to be carried. one, two, first, you, david, then you, susan. your assessment, david, of graham's assessment of this. did point "a" lead to point "b" for you? >> no, look, it was an absurd statement, but it also represents the deflection that republicans are trying to exercise in the face of all things january 6th. for lindsey graham, it was about afghanistan. for others, it's about the social justice protests with incidents of violence a summer or two ago. none of them, no leading republican will actually wrestle with the crux of the problem, which joe biden tried to do in his speech. >> okay, final thought to you, susan, about that statement from graham? >> i think it went from "a" to 332-z. it made no sense whatsoever and did some loopty loops. and it's just reflective of how careless senator graham has become. >> okay, i didn't think that would be in the broadcast today. anyway, thank you all three of you for making sense. appreciate your time. have a good one, guys. first, it was a scene of beauty and then suddenly a setting for disaster. that's ahead for you. you on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. once upon a time, at the magical everly estate, landscaper larry and his trusty crew... were delayed when the new kid totaled his truck. timber... fortunately, they were covered by progressive, so it was a happy ending... for almost everyone. in brazil, a freak occurrence leads to tragedy. we've got some video of a deadly cliff collapse as it happened yesterday. we're going to advise you, it may be pretty disturbing for some of you to see, but at least eight people died. look at that. that slab of rock broke away from a cliff, fell right on to those pleasure boaters. and you see the boaters there totally surprised by the falling slab. i mean, who would expect that. as many as 20 people have been reported missing. more than 30 others injured. authorities say that recent heavy rains may have contributed to 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