tests. that's on top of the first 500 million his administration is going to be sending out. here's how he closed out his comments. >> we haven't gotten -- if you haven't gotten vaccinated, do it. personal choice impacts us all. our hospitals, our countries. >> the pandemic was the major focus of my exclusive conversation with vice president kamala harris, like the president just a few moments ago, the vice president acknowledging that she understands americans are frustrated. in a few moments, her message to millions of americans who have been jumping through hoops just to get a covid test. what she thinks about democrat's chances about passing voting rights legislation. the price jumps we're seeing at the grocery store, and whether we will, in fact, see the same biden/harris ticket in 2024. that's a lot on my given day, but that's not all. as you see right now, house speaker nancy pelosi getting ready to hold that weekly briefing and the elephant in the room on the hill, the fat no from kevin mccarthy to the january 6th committee over the request that he sit down for an interview. mccarthy also set to hold a briefing this hour. we're going to keep track of any comments he makes about all of that when he takes to the podium. we're going to start with my one on one exclusive interview with vice president harris. right now we are notching more than 1 million cases a day as a result of the omicron surge. and the supply of tests, as you know, has become a critical issue. i asked the vice president about the struggle that millions of folks face just to get a test, and whether the administration should have been better prepared for this. >> as we sit here this week, we saw a record number of hospitalizations, adults and children. we've seen the infection record broken this week as well. you've seen the long lines of folks who are waiting to get tested. a lot of folks can't even get a test. i think a lot of people are scratching their heads and they're wondering one year into this administration, why aren't we doing better in the fight against covid? >> so let me start with saying that people are rightly frustrated with where we are. we're frustrated. we're all frustrated. i walked in here wearing a mask. none of us like to wear masks. right? but i think it's a mistake, and it would be a mistake to suggest that we've not seen great progress. if you think back to march of 2020, we were all wiping down the boxes that we got if we ordered things online. there was no vaccine. we didn't know how this thing was transmitted. we didn't know how to deal with it in terms of what possible cures there would be. now we have a vaccine. it's proved to be effective and boosters. now we have our children pack in school. 95% of schools are back open. now we have treatments that are available for people if they do contract the virus that can help prevent them from getting worse. so we have made great progress, but there no question we've been under a pandemic for two years. our economy basically was -- it essentially crashed in terms of things coming to a standstill. we're seeing effect of that in terms of the supply chain issue. but we're building back up. we're opening back up. and we are not where we were a year ago. and we have to focus on the fact that yes, we still have to get through this. we're in the midst of a surge right now. there's no denying that. but we've seen great progress. and we've seen progress in that the american people have taken it upon themselves to take control in that we have seen the vast majority of people get vaccines. we need more people to get the booster. but people are also taking it upon themselves to do the things that are necessary to get through this. to get through it. >> with regard to testing, specifically, to your point, we're two years into this. why didn't the administration just go out and secure more at-home tests after the delta surge in the fall? why are we at a point now where folks still can't get tests? >> but we just ordered -- i don't have the number in front of me, but millions of tests. we have 20,000 sites where people can go. i urge people. google it and find out where a free testing site is available where you live and in your neighborhood. but we are doing that. we just sent out millions of tests to clinics, including community clinics, libraries, where people can go and get tests. we just announced this week that if you have health insurance, your insurance will cover the cost of it. >> but you know dealing with insurance companies is -- i mean, for some folks, it's -- it's a nightmare. and the fact that we're still telling people to google where you can get a test. >> but -- but come on, now. really. if you want to figure out how to get across town to a restaurant you heard is great, you usually do google to figure out where it is and look through gps to figure out the address. that's simply about giving people, right, a mechanism by which they can locate something that they need, something that can help them. so i think that it is -- listen, we're all frustrated. i'm not going to pretend that we're not. we want to get back to what we all consider to be normal. but it's going to take all of us to be a part of that. and there's no question that the federal government has a role and responsibility as do state and local governments, and we're going to have to continue to bring the services and the resources to the people. look at, for example, the issue of school. there are lots of parents who are going to be watching this interview. right? everybody whether it's parents, teachers or students themselves, want the schools to be back open. now 95% of the them are. what did we need to do? we needed to address the fact that in particular our public schools need help with resources to improve their ventilation system. so we sent out $310 billion to the schools of america to help them get masks, do testing, get ventilation systems up to standard, so there is work that has been done. and there is still work to do. >> this sermon the administration has been reaching since last spring, get your shot, get a booster, wear your mask, social distancing. we've heard the sermon. 70% of eligible americans have been vaccinated, boosted. at what point does the administration say you know what? this strategy isn't working. we're going to change it. six former administration officials last week wrote that open letter urging the administration to change course, to change strategy. is it time? >> we know. we still have a number of people that is in the millions of americans who have not been vaccinated and could be vaccinated and we are urging them to get vaccinated, because it will save their life. and how do we know that? because the recent numbers are well over 95% of the people who are in hospitals right now because of covid. or who have died who are unvaccinated. that is still current, relevant, important information, and those are the facts. the booster will reduce anyone's likelihood of if they contract covid, getting sick, being hospitalized. and god forbid, death. >> we've known this for months now. at what point does the administration acknowledge these people aren't going to get the shot? they're not going to do it? >> i don't believe on giving up on people. i don't. i don't believe on giving up on people. if we know what can help people, isn't it our responsibility as leaders to keep urging people to take advantage of what is available to them? you know, i do believe that sometimes people may not be ready for whatever reason is their reason, but if you don't give up, you might catch them on that day where they say you know what? it's time for me to reconsider this. >> the 500 million tests that have been ordered that are going to be sent to every american, do we know when those are going out? >> shortly. they're going to go out shortly. >> this week? >> they've been ordered. i have to look at the current information. i think it's by next week, but soon. absolutely soon, and it is a matter of urgency for us. >> should we have done that sooner? >> we are doing it. >> but should we have done it sooner? >> we are doing it. >> to be clear, a short time ago an official at the white house confirmed that those tests will be going out by the end of the month. there will be more information regarding those tests tomorrow. the white house officials saying that the 500 million at-home tests sent out later this month, they expect all the contracts to be awarded over the next two weeks. let's talk about the pandemic strategy. i want to bring in carlos curbelo, and kristina grier. a big thanks to both of you for being with me this morning. the biden-harris ticket sold itself on getting this pandemic under control. there's this new poll out just a week shy of the president's one-year mark. it shows his approval rating right now, 33%. disapproval, 53%. as you can see there, his approval has been sort of steadily ticking down while his disapproval has been steadily increasing. the pandemic, it's easier said than done fighting it, but this administration is it doing enough to tell the american people that there is hope, that the end is in sight? >> you know, craig, i thought your line of questioning was absolutely fantastic. because there are a few things that are going on simultaneously. one, the biden administration and i would argue that democrats in general, really do struggle with articulating their vision and what they are doing to the american public. i know that the biden administration is taking this seriously. i know that they're working with local leaders and state level leaders as much as they can to disseminate as much information and resources, especially to people desperately in need financially of some relief. i think, though, you know, your line of questioning that really struck me was we will never get on the other side of this as long as we have a significant portion of the population that just refuses to get vaccinated. and i think the biden administration needs to think a little more substantively in working with the cdc on what to do about this percentage of the american public where no matter what, they are in the going to change their minds. they've been clear. they've seen the thousands upon thousands of people who were in the hospitals, who are dying of covid because they're unvaccinated. we're going into our junior year as a professor we sort of use semesters and academic calendars. we're going into the junior year of the pandemic, and there's some people who are just refusing to even think about the consequences not just for themselves and for the greater good. so hopefully the biden administration will take that a little more seriously and figure out how to work around that. because we still no matter what they say or do or provide, there's going to be a significant numb of people who believe that this is either a, a figment of our imaginations, or b, they're immune to covid somehow, and they don't have to worry about it. >> congressman, if you are a republican who is gearing up right now to run in the midterms in november, is the approach to the pandemic, the response to the pandemic, is that the message for republicans come midterms? >> it is, craig. because number one, the biden/harris ticket promised they were going to get americans past this pandemic. and in many ways, they have. i mean, it is wonderful. of course, but the rollout of the vaccination campaign, the fact that so many americans have gotten vaccinated, now so many americans have gotten boosted. we're seeing the results of that because the numbers of severe illness and death are much lower than they used to be. but where the biden/harris administration is failing is in communication. and by the way, it's the reason democrats lost in particularly some hispanic areas in the 2020 election. it is so negative. it is always about the bad news when it comes to the pandemic. and the truth is, craig, there's a lot of good news out there. even former administration officials are telling the biden administration that it's time to get the country out of this state of panic. this state of alarm that people just cannot handle anymore. and that they can see isn't justified. i've run into dozens of people in the last few weeks who said i was so afraid of getting sick with this disease, and i had it, and i didn't even notice. of course, that's not everyone. there are some people, a lot of people have passed away and a lot of people have gotten very sick, but the truth still is that for most americans, getting infected with covid-19 is not a life-altering event. it's something that most people recover from and the administration just focuses all the time on the bad news. there's a lot of good news out there when it comes to the pandemic. they have to tell that story. >> we're just getting started here. carlos curbelo, and christine, don't go far. we're going to share what the vice president said about the record inflation that's making everything so expensive for american families. her comments on 2024, and what vice president harris said about the two democratic senators who have not gotten on board with the push for a new voting rights bill. >> why has the administration not been able to get senate democrats on board? 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>> president biden, i believe took the right and courageous step to say that senate rules should not get in the way of protecting the american people's access to the ballot. and he compared this time to a previous time in our history which is apt for comparison. we are looking at laws in our country being passed that would make it illegal to give people who are standing in line to vote sometimes for hours, standing, water and food. there are laws being passed that are going to make it more difficult for students to vote. i've been convening in this very office people from around the country from native american advocates on this issue who these laws have been targeted to hurt, to students, to americans with disabilities who have relied on things like vote by man which these laws are attempting to eliminate or reduce. so let's look at what this is. i was just yesterday with an ambassador, andy young, who is by many accounts, the last living member of those extraordinary leaders who fought, who marched from selma to montgomery, who mourned the death of those little girls in birmingham, and when we look at the restrictions that were in place to give all people meaningful access to the ballot, it was real. in this year of 2022, these restrictions are real. therefore, we need to put in place checks and balances on frankly what i would consider an abuse of power when for political purposes people are passing laws to make it difficult for certain people to vote. >> but madame vice president, it's not just republican opposition, as you know. i mean, once again, it would seem as if this piece of legislation is going to come down to one or two moderate democrats in the senate who don't seem convinced that changing the rules of the senate is the way to get this done. as you know, leadership has promised action on or before monday. mlk day. in months and weeks, the administration hasn't been able to convince one or two senators to come around. how are you going to do that in two or three days? >> well, when we have the discussion about who is responsible, i will not absolve the republicans from responsibility from upholding free and fair elections and access to the blots for all eligible voters. >> what about senator manchin. >> i don't think anyone should be ab solved, especially when they took an oath to protect and defend our constitution. >> are you working the phones trying to twist the arms? >> absolutely. yesterday i talked to at least a dozen members of congress both senators and congress people on the house side. >> republicans and democrats? >> i talked to a bunch of democrats yesterday, but i will tell you i am talking to everyone. i will talk to anyone who will listen. there is nobody i will not talk with, because i do believe this to be an american issue. let me make a point here. i have been as vice president in very intensive one-on-one conversations with presidents and prime ministers who represent countries that are our allies and friends around the world. we have always held ourselves out as being a model of democracy. flawed, though we may be, imperfect, though we may be. and they are watching what we are doing with voting. i had the previous chancellor of germany at my home at the vice president's residence for breakfast. and she brought it up, and she was acutely aware of the details of what is happening here out of concern about whether this is going to impact the united states of america and our ability in terms of our standing around the globe. this is a real issue that can have major consequences to american corporations in terms of -- >> why is the administration -- -- why has the administration not been able to get senate democrats on board? >> we are not giving up. >> but the question was why has it taken this long? >> you're acting as though it's over. >> well -- >> it's not over. >> so it's going to happen by monday? >> i'm saying t not over. and we don't give up. we don't give up, and we will not give up. >> coming up, i'll talk to the panel about the vice president's comments there on the voting rights push, and what to expect when president biden huddles with senate democrats a little more than an hour from now. plus former president obama now entering the debate on this strategy to pass voting rights legislation. his new message to the nation, and his party. d s hiparty. how about a throwback? ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? 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[copy machine printing] ♪ ♪ who would've thought printing... could lead to growing trees. ♪ president biden will head to capitol hill 90 minutes from now to meet with senate democrats. the white house press secretary said he will, quote, make the strong case directly for carving out a voting rights -- he's getting a boost in the push. former president obama writing in an op ed for usa today the filibuster has no basis in the constitution. and, quote, that's why i fully support president joe biden's call to modify senate rules as necessary to make sure pending voting rights legislation gets called for a vote. vice president kamala harris made it clear in our exclusive conversation that she is also talking to everybody in the push to pass two major voting rights bills. back with me former congressman carlos curbelo and kristina grier. congressman, there's been a lot of focus on senators manchin and sinema and their opposition to changing the filibuster rule. the vice president also had strong words for the 50 gop senators not backing either of the voting rights bills as recently as 2006, 98 senators voted to extend the voting rights act. what say you, congressman? >> well, look, i was a big supporter of the voting rights act, and i was in congress today, if i was there, i'd be voting to renew the voting rights act. craig, the problem here is that, again, there's a messaging issue here from the biden administration. joe biden ran as a consensus builder, as a pragmatist, as someone who spent years and years and years in the united states senate not only supporting the filibuster rule, but working with republicans and democrats, cutting deals when he was vice president under president obama, he and mitch mcconnell worked closely together and got the country through some tough times. on the voting integrity issue, there is an opportunity for congress to act. mitch mcconnell said just a few days ago that he is open to reforming the electoral count act, which is the law that is vague enough that allowed january 6th to happen. and allowed donald trump and his supporters on the hill to exploit it for their benefit. and to divide and in many ways destroy the country. so why isn't joe biden doing what he promised the american people that he would do? get those bipartisan victories. get the low-lying fruit, and then continue working on everything else. i understand his frustration. i understand he's angry about some of this. but why not get what we can now? why not show the american people that joe biden can work with congress, with centrist democrats and with centrist republicans to get something done. to get us to a better place than we are today to prevent another january 6th from happening in our country? >> professor, you heard vice president harris there say that this fight is not over. leader schumer, as you know, senator schumer has set that monday deadline to vote. there does not as we sit here having this conversation appear to be an obvious path to changing the senate rules or changing the path. something that could change that during the course of this luncheon that's going to happen on the hill. what do you make of where we are, professor grier, with regard to this particular fight over voting rights and this administration's approach to it? >> well, craig, we're past time for democrats, especially biden and harris, to start naming and shaming republicans. they consistently talk about republicans who they speak to deby hind closed doors. we're sympathetic to the people, but then they fall in line with mcconnell and don't say anything. biden was in the senate for over 30 years. i think he needs to get the spirit of lbg. he and schumer need to go to colleagues who have voted for voting rights acts in the past and say why it that you have fallen in line? trump is sort of corroded the republican party where they're all afraid to work in any capacity with democrats. they are the party of no. and so it's time for joe biden to explain to the american public why we don't have certain things. not just with covid progressions. why we don't have policing acts and free and fair elections across the board. it's because of his colleagues that were once sensible people who he worked with clearly. and so i think he needs to pull them out of the shadows. they are hiding behind donald trump and mitch mcconnell, and he needs to say, you know, these are the folks who are willing to work with me, but they're too lily livered right now. where is mitt romney on this? we've given manchin and sinema what they want, and they reverse course and say maybe i won't vote. their 15 minutes of fame are up. it's time to start putting real pressure on moderate republicans to actually do what is best for the country and not just best for a man watching television in mar-a-lago. >> i want to bring in our capitol hill correspondent here for a few minutes. leigh ann caldwell standing by for us at her post. again, we heard speaker pelosi say that the house is going to vote today to send both voting bills to the senate. the president also heading over to the hill to meet with fellow democrats. i mean, how soon could we see some action over there? >> so the house just passed those voting rights bills. and they will head over to the senate. they're doing it in a specific way so that when the senate takes it up, i'm going to get kind of deep into senate procedure, though, is that instead of having to have two votes that require a 60-vote fresh hold, there's only going to be one vote at the very end of the debate that requires the 60 vote fresh hold like most pieces of legislation on the hill. the senate will be able to have a debate on those voting rights legislation, something they hadn't been able to do before because republicans blocked it. but still, the problem is going to be what happens after they are unable to get ten republicans and republicans are going to block it at the very end of the process, then senator schumer has a decision to make. that is when he would perhaps bring up this idea of changing the senate rules in order to get -- do away with that 60-vote tloesh hold for this specific legislation. that's why president biden is coming to the hill to try to convince all the wavering senators, including senator manchin and senator sinema and others who, of course, support the voting rights bills but don't support getting rid of at 60 vote threshold that governs the senate and this modern day. so president biden has a really big job ahead of him today, and we'll see if he's going to be able to deliver. >> leigh ann caldwell for us on the hill. thank you. congressman, kristina, thank you. stay with us. everything much more expensive than a year ago. what vice president told me about how the administration is dealing with inflation. >> so we need to deal with the short-term issue which is supply chain. we also need to deal with the long-term issue. to deal with t to deal with t long-term issue. you can act quickly. that's decision tech, only from fidelity. hi, i'm st and i live in austin, texas. i work as a personal assistant to the owner of a large manufacturing firm. i've got anywhere from 10 to 50 projects going at any given time. i absolutely have to be sharp. let me tell ya, i was struggling with my memory. it was going downhill. my friend recommended that i try prevagen and over time, it made a very significant difference in my memory and in my cognitive ability. i started to feel a much better sense of well-being. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. how bout sushi? 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ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. i mean, lately every time you go to the store, it seems like you have to shell out more money for the same goods. there's a report that showed that consumer prices rose 7% in 2021 alone. look at this. a dozen eggs in december of 2021 cost $0.31 more than 2020. a pound of beef costs you $0.59 more. a gallon of milk $0.20 more. even oranges are costing you $0.12 more a pound than a year ago. that 7% rise in prices makes 2021 the worst year for inflation since 1982. for perspective, that's the biggest increase in prices since michael jackson's thriller album was released. in my conversation with the vice president, i asked her about this inflation, the administration's plan to turn things around. take a listen. >> you saw the numbers this morning. as you know, it's the worst it's been in roughly 40 years. the cost of gas, groceries, the cost of about everything is going up. given what we've seen over the past year, why should americans believe that this administration has a fix for inflation? >> so essentially the issue is whether folks can afford the cost of living. is the cost of living going up? to your point, issues like groceries and gas. and, again, there are issues that can be addressed in the short-term, and there are issues that are going to be addressed in terms of impact on families in the longer term. one of the issues at play here is, again, we've been in a pandemic for two years. things shut down or slowed down tremendously including supply chain issues. so what did we do in the short-term? we said, for example, some of the major ports through which we get the things that american products that people need, through the california ports in los angeles and long beach and in savannah, georgia, we said can't do 9:00 to 5:00, let's open them up 24/7. we have seen the relief of pressure because we did that. we said let's bring production and american jobs into this and grow american jobs so we can create the products that americans need here in our country instead of relying on it to travel foreign seas to get to us so that we can do the things we need to do on a daily basis. those are the things that cause prices to increase. so we need to deal with the short-term issue, supply chain. we also need to deal with the long-term issue. the cost of living is about gas, is about groceries. it's also about the issue of child care. our administration has been saying since the beginning, we need to bring down the cost of child care. that no family should have to spend more than 7% of their income on child care. we have been saying one of the biggest burdens on the american family about the cost of living is prescription drugs. >> i want to bring back former congressman carlos curbelo and kristina grier. there's changes the administration has made to slow inflation in the short-term. specifically the supply chain issues, but those changes, are they enough to make a difference soon enough for families who are struggling right now, professor grier? >> you know, craig, it's hard to say. i mean, you know, as carlos said, it's about communication. there's so many positive things the biden administration is doing to help give relief to millions of american families, but we know people go to the ballot box and think about their own pocket box issues. this is a concern for the democrats moving into november when people feel when they go to the grocery store or gas station that things are more expensive, and they're going to blame the democrats. it is imperative that biden and harris articulate to the american public by things are more expensive. and eroding the social safety net that democrats countily build every time they have power and republicans consistently staff away every time they have power and give their friends tax breaks at the highest levels. the idea that the biden administration has to spend the next few months providing economic relief to american families but also letting the american people know what they're doing to help them out, especially when it comes to their personal pocketbooks. >> stand by here. kevin mccarthy talking about the january 6th investigation. let's listen. >> why was the capitol so ill-prepared that day yerks and how do we make sure it will never be ill-prepared again? i just had a conference with our members and the sergeant of arms and capitol police. you weren't in the room, but let me give you an answer to some of the questions that were asked. in some of the questions that were asked to the capitol police, the chief said that was above his pay grade to make the answer. i asked him well, who is above you? simple question about magna tommer thes coming before the change bers, he said if -- another question was has the january 6th committee asked for any of the communications from the former sergeant of arms to the speaker that day? to the best of his knowledge, they have not asked for any of that. the more we learn about the situation, the more we find that from ininvestigation to investigation, the changes made in the capitol police intel department in november of not providing them information going further has been a real problem on the basis for that day. and the call of what we need to have happen here is why was this building so ill-prepared, and how do we make sure that never happens again. >> reporter: did you tell house republicans the president -- some responsibility for january 6th? >> i'm not sure what call you're talking about, so. how is cnn doing. are you guys okay? >> yes. >> reporter: the creation of an outside emission from the start, you also -- >> that's not true. >> reporter: but you also -- >> go ahead and ask your question. i'll verify what's true and not. >> reporter: you said sure, you'd be willing to testify about your conversation. >> what was the date of that? >> reporter: may of last year. >> okay. >> reporter: and you now are saying you won't agree to voluntarily cooperate. why should the public now conclude that you're trying to hide the facts from getting out? >> great question. i hope everything gets corrected at cnn. work through all that with your employees. after january 6th, you can state this. who was the first person to offer a bipartisan commission to lock at that day? was it me? i'll help you. the answer is yes. nancy pelosi waited four months. in that time period as we came here and discussed many times, you were here, you would ask me questions. my fear began to erode that she would play politics with this. you watched it unfold, how she would prepare who could have a subpoena power, who could have the scope, continuing to fight it along the way that we now found she played politics while the senate had two committees, bipartisan look at what happened on january 6th. the fbi was doing their own investigation, and you all know the role of congress, the only role we have is legislative. you asked me that question in may. that was two months before nancy pelosi decided for the first time in history by any speaker to deny the minority to even put their individuals on a committee. so when you ask me that question, never did did i think speaker would play such politics and in appoint a chairman who starts the committee by saying, the only person out of bounds is the speaker. now that we find even when we asked to preserve that information with the sergeant of arms, that they will not provide it. maybe if nancy pelosi had done what other speakers would do and not play politics with it, there could have been a different answer. yes, sir. go right head, go right ahead, sir. >> you have a unique window into the president on that day, january 6th. you were one of the only few people who spoke to him that day. doesn't the american public have a right to know what the president of the united states was thinking while the u.s. fost was under attack? >> you know, that's a great question. you know the great thing about that i didn't wait a year later. on january 6th, i spoke to the american public. not by one network, but by many networks. my conversation was very short, advising the president of what was happening here. there is nothing that i can provide the january 6th committee for legislation of their moving forward. there is nothing in that realm. it is pure politics of what they're playing. yes, sir. >> the only you got is congress has [ inaudible ] a long review of oversighting that doesn't necessarily result in legislation. that's just a long history of that. >> really. and how often have we gone after people's phone records? >> what you will do with your directive only conduct oversight that is -- >> you know what we'll do, if we are entrusted with the majority? the first thing we'll do is talk about how do we lower the prices for the american public? how do we make gasoline price affordable again? how do we put food back on the shelves? how do we stop this rise of inflation of prices of everything you deal with? how do we secure our border? how do we stop government mandating and controlling our lives? how do we make cities safe again? and, yes, we will hold this administration accountable. we just found this week, i sent a letter with virginia fox, the secretary of education asked the national school board to send them a letter, so he can go to the attorney general to now investigate the parents who go to school board meetings of terrorism. afghanistan. we have 13 new gold star families. that never had to happen. how many americans are still stuck there? have any of you asked that question? the president said just weeks before he would not leave until every american was gone. the taxpayer funded all that weaponry the taliban now has. do you got any reporting and recording of where that is? where is it being sold to now on the black market? irs, releasing american's tax returns. yes, we can do both and we will. i hope you all have a great weekend. take care, stay safe. >> there you have it, house minority leader kevin mccarthy there talking at first at least initially about his refusal to comply with the requests of the january 6th committee and then the leader there veering into some other territory towards the end. nbc news' leeanne caldwell back with me '. the minority comments there, what do they signal to you about what january 6th committee members are going to face with regard to that investigation going forward? >> reporter: hey, craig, well, leader mccarthy was asked specifically about that speech he gave on the house floor a year ago today, where he said the former president bears responsibility for january 6th and what happened on that day. and when he was asked about that, he completely dodged, didn't address it, said the problem is that he needs to find out why this building, the actual building was so ill-prepared and that is what mccarthy has been continuously trying to do to distract and redirect what the most important part of january 6th was from what actually happened on that day, the attack on the capitol and the leadup to it by saying it is a very small problem of preparation of the capitol police. the sergeant at arms and the decisions that house speaker nancy pelosi made as far as security is concerned on that day. and so leader mccarthy would not say that, give any insight into the meeting he had with the former president just a couple weeks later when his tune about the former president on january 6th completely changed. and so those are questions that the committee still has that they want to talk to him about and that mccarthy has said that he is not going to cooperate with, saying that there is no legislative reason for the committee and that he can offer nothing of substance. craig. >> leeanne caldwell on camille, thanks as always. before we go, nbc news has obtained a letter from the rnc, the republican national committee alerting the commission on presidential debates that the rnc is preparing to pull out from presidential debates. a spokesman for the rnc confirms to rnc that they are moving to require presidential candidates that are seeking the party's nomination to sign a pledge to not participate in any debates sponsored by the commission. much more on that all day here on msnbc. that's going to do it for me this hour. my thanks to former congressman carlos cobella and andrea mitchell reports starts next. rt i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? 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