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(engine revving) . a very good day to all of you from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. welcome, everyone, to alex witt reports. we begin with the latest on the omicron outbreak. today there are growing concerns from parents, teachers, and students, as thousands of kids prepare to return to class. cdc director dr. rochelle walensky addressing those concerns this morning. >> in the fall of this year, we had a delta surge. and we were 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. >> tomorrow in chicago, schools will be shut down for a fourth day as the standoff over covid safety protocols heats up tweens the teachers' union and the school district. this comes after the mayor of chicago rejected the union's request to reopen school on january 18th. >> and we've spent hundreds of millions of dollars to make our schools safe. they are safe. we've got the data to demonstrate that. we've got to get the teacher's union to get real and get serious about getting back into in-person learning. >> and the white house is finalizing plans to ship millions of free at-home covid tests to all americans. the first batch of these tests will be mailed out in the coming weeks, but it could take months to procure the 500 million tests pledged by president biden, of course. on the covid watch for us this hour, nbc's liz mclaughlin in north carolina, scott cohn joins us from california. and many states across the u.s. are seeing record covid cases. north carolina is certainly high on that list, liz. so i know you're in charlotte, where the covid positivity rate is more than 30%. let's talk about that, things have gotten worse, it seems, since the new year's. >> reporter: absolutely, alex. sad to say, doctors that i've spoken with say that they're overwhelmed and under staffed. they described it as a tsunami of cases, not just here, but nationwide. let's take a look at those numbers really quick. we're edging towards 60 million confirmed covid cases in the u.s. and around 840,000 deaths. americans have died from covid-19. new case loads are really nearing or surpassing in some areas pandemic records. so many parts -- i mean, just look at this map. most of it red here. we're seeing a spike over the last two weeks in most states. and that does not spare north carolina here. that is part of that red. now, the death rate is relatively steady right now, but hospitalizations are up, pediatric hospitalizations are up. i'm here in front of carolina's medical center and levine children's hospital. covid patients in there right now. i spoke with the chief epidemiologist of atrium health. that is the largest nonprofit hospital system here. and while omicron is more mild, it's having a severe impact on health care systems. for a little more nuanced reasons than we've seen with other waves. so because of this tsunami of cases, so many new cases, it's not sparing doctors, nurses, hospital staff. so there's less resources now for sick people, whether it's covid or trauma or something completely different. they're also dealing with a barrage of other illnesses, the flu, other respiratory illnesses. some people having severe reactions, because they're having covid, along with one of those. and, of course, because of those staffing shortages, it's -- they're really having to prioritize. we've seen some hospitals put off elective surgeries or having to make decision like that. and of course, testing is still is a challenge. trying to get that appointment or get a test. we heard an interesting thing from dr. pastoreti, that people are showing up at the er, at urgent care, just trying to get a test. here's what she had to say. take a listen. >> i would just say that make sure that you're using cites of care for the purposes they're intended. so, please, please do not show up in the emergency room for a covid test if you're mildly ill. if you're sick enough, absolutely, want to care for you in the emergency room setting, but we need to use those tight resources right now to the maximal capacity. >> reporter: her advice, if you have symptoms, act like you have covid, stay at home, isolate, save those testing resources for those who need it. maybe even health care workers who need a test, who need to know if they can come back, instead of being in that emergency room, just to get that test. >> or hopefully have an at-home test you can use to confirm or otherwise. okay, liz, thank you for that. as the covid cases continue to spike, in-person schooling remains in flux. the teachers in chicago, they're refusing to go back to the classroom. and nbc's scott cohn is in san jose, california, where some districts across the state are requiring negative tests and others have teachers staging sick-outs. it's really a broad swath of things that are going on in the golden state there. i know students, scott, are supposed to go to school this week, but is there my plan to better equip teachers where these planned sickouts are happening? >> it very much varies, alex, across the state. here in snowy, they're trying to keep the schools open. there are events going on at this middle school and high school complex today, but they say they have about 800 students and staff that have tested positive or about 3% of the school's population. in l.a., the nation's second largest school district, they have delayed the return to school by a day as they return to grapple with staff shortages and students that are out sick. and as you said, there were sickouts that were staged this past week in san francisco and oakland. there is a big push to try to get testing and trying to get better masking, for example for the students and for the staff. but some teachers who stage these sickouts, like this one in oakland, say it's not enough. >> there are challenges. we need to be ahead of the curve. this feels like a wildfire and we need to be ahead of it and we need to be able to communicate. we're on the front lines. we're with students every day, seeing what's happening, seeing the actual situation, seeing the spread in our community. and they need to be talking to us and really getting our feedback on what needs to happen to help kids. >> reporter: the teachers there are asking for k95 masks, at least for all the students. no indication that that will happen, but take a look at the school district disruptions nationwide here. we're now up over 500 compared to just a handful during the start of the school in the fall. so this is a big issue across the country. again in california, they are trying to get on top of it with the governor activating the national guard this week, to help with testing and proposing a $2.7 billion emergency covid relief plan, longer term for the state, but getting school up and running for this new semester is turning to be rocky, at best. >> 100. you look at that graphic you showed us, as soon as the calendar turned to 2022, soaring, those numbers. extraordinary. to the day's other top stories, the week ahead is shaping up to be a critical one as critical diplomatic talks between the u.s. and russia is set to kick off. last hour, gregory meeks told me how he wants to see the biden administration approach russian president vladimir putin in trying to get him back off the threat of a ukrainian invasion. >> 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 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. and here at home, it's shaping up to be a pivotal week for the voting rights legislation. president biden and vice president harris will be speaking on the issue in georgia this week. the senate is poised to take action on voting rights or changing the senate rules ahead of a self-imposed deadline of martin luther king jr. day. earlier on msnbc, tim kaine expressed the urgency of doing whatever necessary to get legislation passed. >> we have to be willing to adjust senate rules to enable this to happen and protect people's rights to vote. we don't have to abolish the -- both joe manchin and senator sinema have said pretty plainly, they will not abolish the filibuster, but they have not taken off the table openness to rules reforms that would be good for the senate and that could enable us to accomplish our goal. and that's what we're working on right now. also intensifying is the january 6th committee's investigation into the attack on the capitol hill. earlier today, jamie raskin giving an update on how the panel has been executing its probe as it prepares to hold public hearings in the near future. >> the overwhelming majority of people, both within the trump administration and outside are stepping forward to give the evidence that they've got. overwhelmingly, people have participated. it's only a problem the closer you get to donald trump and you have a handful of people who think they're above the law, like roger stone and steve bannon and mark meadows, once he was intimidated by donald trump. but in general, we're getting terrific participation and we're really connecting all of the dots. >> and is build back better back to the starting line? new reporting as "the washington post" reports that joe manchin no longer supports advancing a $1.8 trillion spending offer that he made to the white house before christmas. that is according to three people with knowledge of the matter. earlier today, democratic senator debbie stabenow gave msnbc insight into where this puts negotiations in the senate. >> we know that we don't have the votes for the package that was talked about at the end of the year. but the elements have support. and so what we've got to do is put together the elements that we can pass and it will be very significant for people. >> now let's go to nbc's josh letterman at the white house. given the very busy week ahead, let's just look chronologically at tomorrow. the upcoming talks between uggs and the u.s. what do we know about them? >> typically ahead of high-stakes diplomatic negotiations, alex, the u.s. likes to keep its cards pretty close to the vest. but in this case, the biden administration is really taking the opposite approach. they are laying out publicly in advance a set of carrots and sticks. the carrots are what could be on the table for these negotiations, including scaling back or limiting a u.s. and nato military exercises in europe as well as agreeing not to position missiles into ukraine. and on the stick side, the u.s. laying out what it would do to punish russia if it were to go ahead with a potential invasion of ukraine. as the u.s. has been fearing. there, they are talking not only about sweeping sanctions and trade restrictions, but also potentially sending more nato troops to the eastern flank of nato. anthony blinken, the secretary of state saying that this is about giving russian president vladimir putin a choice. watch. >> it's clear that we've offered him two patz forward. one is through diplomacy and dialogue. the other is through deterrence and massive consequences for russia, if it renews its regression against ukraine. and we're about to test the proposition of which path president putin wants to take this week. >> reporter: so those talks kick off tomorrow in switzerland. in the meantime, president biden and kamala harris will be preparing to head to atlanta on tuesday for that voting rights speech that you mentioned. georgia chosen as the backdrop for this address, because of its role, not only historically in the civil rights movement, but in recent election disputes, with stacey abrams election, amid all the shenanigans that took place amid the election in georgia, the presidential election this most recent year, and we also are knowing that the white house wants to send a clear signal of support for the senate actions, as chuck schumer is threatening that vote by mlk day if republicans don't agree to go along with some type of voting reforms. >> proof of what i said at the top, it's a busy week ahead for the administration. josh, appreciate that. the president right now is facing three major challenges as he approaches his second year in office. the first one being voting rights, as democrats hone in on the issue, as their latest legislative push. the second, dealing with the aftermath of january 6th, as the house select committee ramps up its investigation. and tensions with russia as the two global superposuperpowers a kicking off talks this week. joining me now, jeff mason, correspondent for reuters. pretty heavy stuff we're getting into here, jeff. let's start with voting rights. you have activist groups telling the president and vice president, hey, don't come to georgia without plans to pass these bills immediately. is there a plan? for one, the senate would need to change its rules, something that senator kyrsten sinema has said, she's against that. but over the past year, we've seen several popular initiatives of the president's really dire language, build back better, police reform come to mind. how is this different? >> well, it's a good question. i'm not sure how -- i'm not sure it is much different. i think to answer your first question, alex, the plan appears to be using the power of the bully pulpit, and seeing if that effectively can put more pressure on joe manchin to agree with democrats it's time to do a little bit of filibuster reform in order to get that legislation passed. i don't know that biden and harris -- president biden and vice president harris will specifically address the filibuster in their remarks on tuesday, in atlanta. but the fact that they are going there and the fact that they are beginning to speak about it more, including in their remarks last week from the capitol does signal that this is now at the top of the priority list. but the activists you cite have a fair point, and that's one the white house is probably sensitive to, which is, you can speak about it as much as you want, but actually having a plan to make it happen is a different thing. >> when you say it's not necessarily the top of the priority list, is that because covid is? >> it's towards the top. covid absolutely remains the top and has been really for the entire first year of president biden's presidency. and as we see, obviously, with omicron, and it is not getting better, and continues to be no only a crisis for this country, but a political crisis or political problem, in any case, for the president, as well. >> i know you heard the president deliver a striking powerful speak about the january 6th insurrection, one year anniversary of the attack, calling out the big lie, referring to donald trump as the former president, but how does he move the country forward at this point? is there a game plan to do that? >> well, i think the fact that the president so openly put blame on former president trump last week, again, without naming him by name was a shift for president biden. he has been reluctant to talk about the former president. this white house has really wanted to focus on its own agenda and on president biden's agenda. but it hasn't worked, at least with regard to moving the country forward and moving on from -- and addressing, rather, some of those issues that came up on january 6th and that violence and the division. president biden did say in his inaugural address that he wanted to bring the country together. and he has conceded since then, that that has turned out to be one of the more difficult things to act on. so i think to get back to your question, alex, i think you'll probably him talk about it more. and you'll hear the white house take it on more aggressively. i did ask in the briefing this week, after that speech, what kind of consequences the president would like to see the former president face. and jen psaki said, we're leaving that up to the department of justice. i do think that they probably are eager to hear from the department of justice on what those consequences will be and so are a lot of progressives in the party. >> well, we did hear merrick garland say that they are going to follow the facts and nobody was above the law, so that must have to placate the white house at this point, doj being typically very secretive with its investigations. let me ask you about the growing tension with russia. i'm curious how much influence president biden in the situation. this is not a singular detente between the united states and russia. you have nato involved. you have china chiming in its opinions on, you know, i guess being upset that the united states is supporting different countries that have been overtly opposed to this. you know, lithuania, for one. so when you look at all of this, what can the president actually do here? >> reporter: josh laid it out pretty well in his chat with you earlier. they have been very up-front about what they're going to do and i think laying out clearly what kind of economic sanctions russia would face if it decides to invade ukraine is making clear what it can do. and they have those tools available. and those tools are not just u.s. tools. they include europe. one of the things that they've talked about with europe and specifically with germany is suspending the north stream 2 pipeline, which would be a big blow to germany and something that is very controversial in this country, as well. that is one thing on the list of things that they are considering doing, if russia were to make that move. so, again, back to your question. certainly, it's hard to -- it's hard, as another country, to have an impact on something like russia and its decision making and it's still, i think, unclear what is going through president putin's head and what decision he will ultimately make. but the president has certainly made it clear, if he makes that decision, the consequences will be severe. and they have not just used the word "severe," they have laid out exactly what those words will be. >> jeff mason, thank you so much. more on the talks between the u.s. and russia. our richard engel is in ukraine with his take, next. r richard e thwi his take, 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. fill your medicare prescriptions with walgreens and save. ♪ ♪ 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 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for immune support. boost® high protein. with the threat of war looming over ukraine, there's a lot at stake for the president and nato's talks with russia this week. richard engel joins us from ukraine with more. richard? >> reporter: alex, we are once again in the trenches in eastern ukraine. this is the front line, not very far from here, russia has about 100,000 troops and tanks and other offensive weapons. and ukrainian soldiers, men and women, tell us that they will use these positions to defend this country and that they will fight to the last man and woman. a lot is riding on negotiations that are taking place, starting with real intensity on monday. the troops here say that they are encouraged by the negotiations. they want these negotiations to go forward. and u.s. and russian officials are signaling a what they want to come out of these talks. what they're willing to talk about. u.s. officials say that they're willing to talk about limiting military exercises. not far from here, the u.s. and nato do carry out military exercises and russia carries out military exercises on its side of the border. and both sides find these provocative and intimidating and they hope to de-escalate them. and so the u.s. says they're willing to talk about the limiting the scope and size of these military exercises if russia is willing to do the same. the u.s., according to officials, is willing to talk about missile deployment, and says it's willing to put on the table that it won't send offensive missiles into the ukraine. finally, the u.s. says it's willing to talk about missile deployment across the nato space going back and reviving some previous arms control agreements that have been in place with russia. russia says that so far, it's not very impressed with what its hearing. russia's main position, what it says it really wants is for the ukraine never to become nato and for there to be guarantees that this country will never form part of the u.s.-led alliance. now, nato says that's a non-starter. nato decides its own members, not russia. but russia is making this demand. the real question, the real fundamental question, alex, about all of this. and the question that matters most, particularly where we're standing right now, is do these negotiations mean anything at all? i think we'll know fairly soon, perhaps in the next few weeks, which side -- which outcome it really was. were these serious negotiations or were they a fig leaf negotiations in order to mask an invasion. alex? >> richard engel, many thanks for that report. joining me now, texas congressman, mark visi. he's also cochair of the congressional voting rights caucus, which means, sir, you're a very busy man. so thanks for your time here. richard points a good question there. the big question, really is, do these negotiations between russia and the u.s. and nato, do they mean anything? will russia back down from the ukraine border as a result of them? >> i do think the negotiations can be meaningful. i think the most important thing that can happen is that russia needs to understand. and it needs to be made clear to them that this is not some, you know, 1980s cold war exercise between the u.s. and russia or back then, the soviet union. they immediate to understand that all the countries that are concerned about this, in europe and the other baltic states that if there are any sanctions and if there are -- all political pressures will come not just from the united states, but from these other countries that are concerned, as well. it's important that they all be on the same page with the united states in these negotiations. the russians need to see us as united. and i believe that that's the first step in making sure that they back off and realize that long-term, that this is just not a good move for them. >> but as you look at what's been happening behind the scenes, we know the biden administration has been working with allies on a pretty punishing set of technological, financial, military-type sanctions against russia if they invade, and russia is awe ware of this. should nato stop issuing some of those sanctions now instead of waiting for an invasion. couldn't they walk back those sanctions if putin complies, but basically send a message like, we mean business? >> and i think there are some disagreements amongst some of the nato countries, too, on exactly how harsh that should be. and i think that making sure that everybody is on the same page as they get ready to move forward is going to be important, too. and al, just reinforce to russia, too, that the ukrainian people do not see themselves as a part of russia. and for that to be made clear to them. i think that's one of the excuses that they're using, as they amas these troops along the border, is that people see themselves culturally aligned with russia. and that's just not the case. the ukraine values their independence. we certainly should not allow them think that the ukraine couldn't join nato one day. that should be something that ukraine understands on their own. but as far as these sanctions are concerned, we need to be on the same page about how severe they're going to be, and again, that is something that will catch putin's eye and i think will give us a stronger hand in negotiation. >> absolutely. vladimir putin should not be telling nato whether or not ukraine can join. that should be something they will decide, if that were to happen. it's between ukraine and nato. anyway, let's look at stateside here as we reflect on january 6th and the attack. you, sir, said in part, the best way to honor the braver of those who risked and lost their lives on that day is through action. and you said, congress must advance legislation to protect our democracy and the sacred right to vote, because we can't allow the selfless sacrifices that our brave capitol police officers and so many others made on january 6th to be in vain. are your colleagues in the senate feeling that urgency on voting rights. how critical is passings voting rights legislation to preventing a similar tack to 1/6. >> absolutely, i want you to think about, we lost sidney portier. and i want you to think about the scene that's called the slap around the world, where sidney portier's character, tibs, is playing a man who is tending to his greenhouse and he slaps sidney portway and he backhands him back. and the man says to them, there was a time that i could have shot you dead in the street. and part of the reason why they were there is because they can see that america is changing and one of the ways that they want to try prevent america from changing and from the new people in america that are exercising their right to vote is to roll back some of those rights. and the senate really needs to understand that. that we have to push back, because if you look at some of that polling that shows that there are actually some people who think that it's okay to commit violence against the government. this won't be the last time that they try to roll back rights to people, new immigrants, people who are newly registered to vote. it won't be the last time that they try this, because they would like to go back to that time and period where, quote, there was a time. and we can't let them go back, take us back there. >> let me get a quick reaction to what senator ted cruz said on his podcast this week, predicting that republicans would try to impeach president biden if they retake the house in the midterms. take a listen to this. >> whether it's justified or not, the democrats weaponized impeachment. they used it for partisan purposes to go after trump because they disagreed with him. and up with of the rell disadvantages of doing that, the more you weaponize and turn it into a partisan cudgel, you know, what's good for the goose is good for the garpd. >> just a quick response to that if you have one. >> oh, just sad that ted cruz is using his position in the senate to try to appeal to radical crazy republicans, similar to the people that incharaded the capitol on january the 6th. i think it's just sad. so how far the tradition of strong texas senators. >> hey, okay, congressman mark visi, thank you so much. good to see you, my friend. meantime, a surge in omicron cases meeps more workers out sick. the impact to businesses and stores across this country struggling to keep their doors open. ry struggling to keep their doors open this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 billion so millions more students, past... and present, can continue to get the tools they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. are you tired of clean clothes that just don't smell clean? downy 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causing a significant impact on the economy and the workforce. really something that has to be paid attention to, while to keep people safe, we still have to keep an eye on the economy, of course, alex. >> any idea about the coming weeks, where it's projected that these cases will drop? do you agree with that? >> i agree they'll drop, but the question is, how far will it drop? how fast will it drop? and i expect by the next few weeks, we'll have a much different picture of the covid outbreak in the united states. where it will have still lingering cases of both delta and omicron covid. but hopefully, less severe, less cases and we'll start getting back to normal. but this is just a prediction on thin ice, plus anything could happen and changes are always afoot, alex. >> let me ask you about a stunning new study that found that kids that had covid were at substantially higher risk of developing diabetes after their covid infection. why do you think this is? >> as if we needed anymore reason to get our children vaccinated. these new studies are showing, and these come out of the cdc, pretty definitive evidence that if somebody -- a child who has covid could end up with either type i or type ii diabetes. either way, this is a significant new finding, which gives us pause. viruses can have that kind of effect on the human body, including predisposing people to getting diabetes. so we really have to watch this closely. but again, alex, remind parents, please, let's get your children vaccinated as soon as they're eligible. >> yeah, 100%. thank you, again, dr. erwin redlener. in just a few hours, the world's number one tennis player goes before a judge. what's at stake before novak djokovic, next. what's at stake before novak djokovic, next as a dj, i know all about customization. that's why i love liberty mutual. they customize my car insurance, so i only pay for what i need. how about a throwback? you got it. ♪ liberty, liberty - liberty, liberty ♪ uh, i'll settle for something i can dance to. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ ♪ ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ staying up half the night searching for savings on your prescriptions? just ask your cvs pharmacist. we search for savings for you. from coupons to lower costs options. plus, earn up to $50 extra bucks rewards each year just for filling at cvs pharmacy. in about four hours, novak djokovic will take center court before an australian judge. a judge will decide whether his claim of an medical exemption to enter the country to play the australian open is valid. nicole johnson is outside that hotel where djokovic is being detained. nicole, what's the latest? >> reporter: novak djokovic is spending his fourth night in this immigration detention hotel. it's a long ways from the type of accommodation he would be used to. there are police at the door. it regularly houses refugees and asylum seekers. outside, many of his supporters from the serbian community have been gathering for the last few days, demanding that the australian government reinstate his visa. on monday, a court in melbourne will meet to make a decision on that and djokovic's legal team will be arguing that he should be granted a medical exemption, because he has had a prior infection with covid-19. that infection was on the 16th of december. but questions are being raised now, because for the two days after that infection, he appeared in public. all of this is proving very embarrassing for the australian government, the victorian government, and tennis australia. time is running out, because the start of the australian open is only one week away, and the most important tennis player doesn't know whether he'll get his day on court or end up on a plane flying back to serbia. thanks, alex. >> okay. well, nicole, i guess we'll find out soon. thank you for that. the ramifications of the rejection of reality in america, that's next. rejection of reality in america, that's next. >> woman: what's my safelite story? >> vo: my car is more than four wheels. it's my after-work decompression zone. so when my windshield broke... >> woman: what?! >> vo: ...i searched for someone who really knew my car. i found the experts at safelite autoglass. with their exclusive technology, they fixed my windshield... then recalibrated the camera attached to my glass so my safety systems still work. who knew that was a thing?! >> woman: safelite has service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ one year after the january 6th insurrection a large swath of americans sympathize with the rioters that stormed the capitol. 21 million believe force is justified to restore the trump presidency and that the biden presidency is illegitimate, according it a new study from the university of chicago. i'm joined by owe dets yousef and msnbc columnist hayes brown. as i welcome you both and you try to digest the stats that are absolutely stunning, i know you have reported on this poll, 74% of americans do not go along with these falsehoods, 21 million people is still a lot of people who do. what are the demographics of this group that he researchers are calling the american insurrection movement? >> well, according to the new chicago numbers, these are people that are largely between 35la and 55 years old, so late millen nall gen-xors, middle class, largely employed, people that are fairly e stable when i comes to their -- having a job and their family situation. this is a very different profile than i think the u.s. is accustomed to looking at when it considers domestic extremism. >> yeah. among these, 21 million people who support these false claims, 75% report believing in what is called the great replacement. what is that and what are the implications of such a large group supporting these ideals? >> the great replacement is conspiracy theory that originated several years ago from france, and it's been largely on the fringes, basically this idea that a particular group of people in this case, you know, largely to believed to be democrats, are deliberately trying to bring in immigrants so that they could disenfranchise or basically water down the rights of people that were bornht in this countr. this is something that, as i mentioned, was considered on the fringe for a long time, but we've seen this increasingly creep into mainstream discourse, particularly on fox news we've seen this reflected in some of the programming there. >> okay. i want to pick up on the france part so i'm sure i'm clear about this. this is an idea that originated in france relative to france, and its influx of immigration and that it's not that france started it and said this is what's happening in the united states? >> you're right. this is something that was raised in france in response to demographic changes in that country and has been adopted by people in the united states. >> got you. okay. thank you forot that. hayes, to you now in your recent column you say the big lie is the latest version of the myths that reactionaries have told themselves calling it the new birtherism. birtherism referring to president obama's presidency and yorts begins of his life. how do these two connect? >> i feel like there's easier for people who feel disenfranchised who feel like they'reo losing out in terms o social and political dominance to tell themselves these fairy tales right after a t loss. you saw this back in civil war, the southerners told themselves that they hadto fought a great lost cause, that it was not about slavery that they fought and lost in the union, but it was about states rights and protecting their way of life. you w saw it after world war i when the german army collapsed and the u.s. getting into the war they told them the fault of our new republican government back in berlin and the fault of the jews and socialists et cetera. following the winst of presiden obama in 2008, birthers told themselves the only wayir that could havey a black president through -- that he was born in kenya, through a massive conspiracy we have violated the constitution and put this black man into office and they believed that. at his peak around 70% of republicans believed thisk abo obama. as recently as 2019, about 56% of republicans polled by ugov believed it was probably if not definitely true that obama was bornte in kenya. i feel like this is a continuation of that into this idea that joe biden and some vast conspiracy somehow managed to steal the election from trump. it's the e same people who are believing these sorts of lies, who are pro disposed to believe thesebe lies because it makes tm feel better. >> what's interesting, i looked at your article and one of my favorite things was the way you quoted donald trump. he's a constant contradiction of terms of himself. heof writes or said rather, he doesn't have a birth certificate, he may have one, that's right after saying he doesn't have a one. he may have one. but there's something on that birth certificate, maybe religion, maybe he's a muslim, i don't know. i have to put that out there because that's a contradiction. >> in 2011 when trump was considering for running for president the first time and said i'm good. he was not the originator of birthism, but he was a prominent supporter at the time.he i feel like the people who latch on to that are the same people who are latching on to the big lie, tong the idea that the election was stolen from trump. this isn't to say this is only a conservative or republican thing. a lot of conservatives like to point after these 2016 election the way that a lot of democrats are like thno, putin was direct blackmailing trump, he has stuff on him, but unlike the republicans and conservatives, once the evidence came out and the mueller report came out, the intelligence committee report came out showing that was not necessarily the case, people stopped sayinge that. people no longer are trying to directly argue that point. unlike the big lie and birtherism, there is an underpinning of truth that yes, russia did interfere in the 2016 election and there were elements in the trump campaign who took advantage of that fact. i feel like the comparison that a lot of conservatives make between those two doesn't line up. >> yeah. question to you, with regard to january 6th a year later it wash hoped that the extremism in this country looking back on that horrible day, would eventually bring everybody around to the same page and acknowledging as americans, as a singular body as americans, whatod happened. why hasha that not happened? >> you know, we haven't seen the events of january 6th largely rejected by republican leadership, sopu i think that's one of the ongoing issues that we've hadng in this country. and what the numbers have shown is that belief in the big lie has held fairly stable over the past year. it continues to be echoed at all levels. so it's kind of remarkable that we've seen even as reporting has come out continuously over the past year that documents what happened, that, you know, people justpp refuse to believe it. we've seen the proliferation of various, you know, scapegoats and alternative theories about what really happened that day, but facts don't seem to be swaying anybody on what happened that day. >> such a sobering statement right there. thank you so much. seeing you both again, soon. you would think that school students should learn about the attack on the capitol, but one school district ordered teachers to skiptr it. reaction ahead. he was a legend on the big screen and in american civil right's movement, sidney poitier, his immense impact on the country. mmense impact on the country. ♪ i'm way ahead of schedule with my trusty team ♪ ♪ there's heather on the hedges ♪ ♪ and kenny on the koi ♪ ♪ and your truck's been demolished by the peterson boy ♪ ♪ yes -- ♪ wait, what was that? timber... 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