we begin with an update on that breaking news from colleyville, texas, where a hostage situation has been unfolding for hours at a synagogue. colleyville police report the hostage-taker is communicating with fbi negotiators. they say no injuries have occurred inside the synagogue. the hostage-taker is demanding the release of terrorist aafia siddiqui, who's serving a life sentence in federal prison in fort worth and has tied to isis and al qaeda. let's bring in nbc news' morgan chesky. morgan, what are you seeing on the ground? >> well, a wide perimeter has been set up around congregation beth israel synagogue in colleyville, that is 30 miles outside dallas, alicia. authorities have been on the scene for hours. we learned from colleyville police this call came in for them to respond at 10:41 local time this morning. that is when they found out that this hostage situation had developed and that a man believed to be armed had entered that building where they were holding services at the time. that's what started this ongoing dialogue that is still happening as we speak. we do know that this man who is believed to have been taken at least a rabbi and three others hostage inside synagogue is in ongoing talks with federal authorities. fbi hostage negotiators are on scene. we don't know how the talks are going at this point in time, but we do know that they are within communication of each other. in the meantime, this all took place, alicia, with the services from the synagogue being broadcast on facebook live this morning. you could hear that suspect inside starting to make his demands known before that feed was cut off. this is now involving multiple agencies who are here on the scene. we know that atf, fbi is here as well. colleyville police still the lead agency at this point in time, but the governor has sent state authorities to assist as needed. we heard from jen psaki at the white house saying president biden has been briefed on this ongoing matter. we heard from the prime minister bennett in israel saying he's highly aware of the ongoing situation that is currently playing out as we speak about a quarter mile from where i'm standing. so as it stands right now, a very stenson situation. we believe hostages are still being held inside the synagogue right now, however, that man that is believed to be armed is in talks with federal authorities, alicia. >> jonathan, what have you learned about the hostage-taker and his potential motives? >> well, we're told that he made a phone call with the rabbi he's holding hostage in texas to a rabbi here in new york. that was one of the first calls he made demanding the release of that terror-linked woman named aafia siddiqui. he informed the rabbi here in new york that he wanted her released and that there were also going to be bombs placed in new york if she wasn't. the nypd here in new york dispatched police to synagogues all across the region as a precaution. there's no evidence there are any devices here in new york. but again, the motive appears to be this gunman trying to get the release of a convicted al qaeda-linked terrorist woman named aafia siddiqui. she was trained -- educated at m.i.t., and had been linked to a possible plotting of a chemical or biological attack on targets here in new york. she was arrested overseas. she was taken into questioning in afghanistan. somehow during that questioning she got ahold of a rifle and fired at the american interrogators, injuring two of them. she was later flown to new york, convicted here in new york, and she is serving time in prison in federal prison in texas. during her sentencing, she told the judge she does not want anyone to act out in violence in her name. she almost apologized for her past behavior to judge richard berman before being sentenced to the 86 years. as of now, this hostage-taker is holding three or four inside the synagogue demanding her release. so again, there was also some reporting that the gunman went in saying, " i want my sister released," referring to aafia siddiqui. we're told from law enforcement authorities there was no blood relation. it was a matter of -- no relation. the standoff ongoing and the hostage-taker demanding the release of the woman appears to be the motive. >> please come back to us with updates. we'll see you later. i want to bring in national security analyst clint watts. he's a former fbi special agent and distinguished research fellow at the foreign policy research institute. clint, there's a lot of attention on what is happening on the ground right now in colleyville. i want you to zoom out for us and give us a sense of the intelligence eorts that are happening behind the scenes both to determine the relationship of the hostage-taker, the potential relationship of the hostage-taker to siddiqui, and whether or not he was acting alone. >> yeah. i think that's the big challenge for the fbi as they come into this. they first want to protect all life, you know, on site in this synagogue and end the situation as quickly as possible. but it is interesting that the location was picked here in colleyville is very close to where aafia siddiqui is held, which is in the fort worth area. i think separately they want to know is this a loon actor versus a larger plot, or was there some sort of signal to try and undertake this effort. they want to make sure this would be a loon actor and there aren't other actors out there. the call to new york obviously curious. we're probably getting very worried. separately this is a person that the taliban and al qaeda have repeatedly called for the release of over many years going back to 2010 and 2011. there have been calls for her release. the leader of al qaeda at the time actually mentioned her specifically in terms of her release. so this isn't just your average terrorist that this is in relation to. this is someone quite significant, a major catch when it was done in 2008 and a major trial when it happened. so they're definitely going to be looking for a larger intelligence plot. you would be concerned if you were the fbi about copycats. is there anybody else that might undertake an attack or in communication with al qaeda planners, coordinators, or taliban planners and coordinators? it's only been a few months since we left afghanistan. they're going to try to explore the international terrorism dimensions, and it will be a tough chore, especially working with international partners trying to really bring what may or may not be a lone actor. >> this has been going on since 11:00 a.m. central time. good sign or bad sign of how this is going to unfold? >> i don't think we can say whether it's a good or bad sign. the good news is this is a negotiation. we haven't seen anyone killed or wounded, at least of we know of yet in terms of public reporting. that's a positive sign. it would also mean maybe there's not that intention for harm ultimately. the longer this goes on, hopefully the fbi can convince through their negotiation team there to de-escalate the situation. i'm sure that's what they're trying to do. by and large i think it's a positive sign, one, that there wasn't mass violence as soon as it happened. that is better than what we've seen in other terrorist attacks. if you will remember back in pittsburgh where another synagogue was attacked, that was a mass shooting incident. so we've not seen that yet. let's hope that these negotiators and law enforcement are working tirelessly and can bring this to a zagunis any sense why he targeted a synagogue? >> no, i don't know. but it's probably to draw both intention in terms of siddiqui. if i had to guess, it's a location that's close to where she is physically present at the moment. separately, it's a great way if you're from an al qaeda or terrorist perspective to really elevate it to the international stage. you said right before i came on, the israeli prime minister already involved. this brings more attention to the scenario and it looks like a religious attack. this is not uncommon. if you look back over the last 20 to 30, even 40 years, synagogues have been a longtime target of these islamic extremist groups. if it's tied to aafia siddiqui, that would seen logical. >> clint is sticking with us. ahead on martin luther king jr. weekend, honoring his legacy, marches in archers -- arizona calling for voting rights. mondaire johnson was there. he joins us next. mondaire johnson was there he joins us nextcmondaire johns. he joins us next. omondaire john. he joins us next. nmondaire john. he joins us next. gmondaire john. he joins us next. remondaire joh there. he joins us next. smondaire john there. he joins us next. smmondaire joh there. he joins us next. amondaire john there. he joins us next. nmondaire john there. he joins us next. mondaire johns there. he joins us next. hes n soer mondaire johnson wa there. he joins us next among my patients, i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? 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"the new york times" report saying they're working on a bill to overhaul the electoral count act. if democrats can't push through voter protections on their own, do you think they need to push through narrower legislation? >> well, i have not given up hope that we can pass this voting rights legislation, because, as you know, alicia, the original voting rights was reauthorized unanimously in 2006 in the senate, and nearly unanimously in the house. but what we're seeing today is one major political party, the party of donald trump, opposed to some people exercising their fundamental right to vote in this country. and so, yes, we need to address the electoral count act, but we also need to make sure that by the time it is appropriate to certify elections, that those election results will not be distorted from the disenfranchisement of black and brown and working folks throughout the election process. it's insufficient, has many experts have noted, to simply amend the electoral count act. we got to go further and secure finally the right to vote in this country, which is facing its greatest test since jim crow because of the far-right assault on that fundamental freedom. >> congressman, i understand the vision. what i don't understand is the math on this. who is it do you believe you can bring to the table to secure the votes necessary in order to pass this? >> i believe that if avid segregationists like strom thurman could be convinced to vote for the 1982 amendments to the voting rights act, and summers sinema and manchin just a month ago could vote to make an exception to the filibuster for the purpose of raising the debt ceiling, if they could be convinced to rise to the occasion and to allow a limited exception to the filibuster for the purpose of saving democracy itself, and so i draw strength from the people who came before me. the lesson from history is that goodness will always prevail, and i have got to remain optimistic that common sense and that the weight of history, especially as we approach the mlk holiday, will prevail, and we can still convince senators sinema and manchin to do the right thing. >> since we're honoring marshaling, here's what he said about the senate in 1963. take a listen. >> i think the tragedy is that we have a congress with a senate that has a minority of misguided senators who will use the filibuster to keep the majority of people from even voting. they won't threat majority of the senators vote and they wouldn't want the majority of people to vote because they know they do not represent the majority of the american people. >> civil rights leaders made this argument six decades ago. we're sitting here having the same conversation today. why? >> the reason is that not everyone cares enough to learn from history. we have got, as i mentioned, one major political party who understand that due to the deep unpopularity of its policies, the only way it can take control of the federal government is through voter disenfranchisement. and unfortunately, we still got today two democratic senators who are so obsessed with the fleeting idea of bipartisanship that they are willing to place that over common sense freedoms like the right to vote, which is the infrastructure of our democracy. talk about the bipartisan infrastructure bill that we passed a few months ago. i mean, this is of existential importance, and unfortunately around this time of year, too many people cherry pick the quotes that make them feel good from martin luther king and not enough quotes that actually are instructive, that will make them better human beings, and that will make this country a better place for all people regardless of their race. >> congressman jones joining us from arizona. thank you so much. now i want to shift our attention back to the state level. georgia state representative dr. jasmine clark is here with us. also the cohost of the suburb "suburb woman problem". do you agree with the congressman's analysis? >> absolutely. he echos a lot of my feelings about what's going on right now, what's happening in d.c., what's happening with senator sinema. it's a travis. it's tragic, especially as we celebrate the birthday of martin luther king. >> now to new reporting from "the new york times" about the impact these voter suppression laws have on organizing specifically. activists say they are resigned to have to go spend and organize their way around the new voting restrictions. a prospect many view with hard-earned skepticism, citing the difficulty of educate masses of voter on how to comply with the new rules. they say it would require them to compensate by spending tens of even hundreds of millions of dollars more on voter registration and turnout programs, funds that might otherwise have gone to promoting democratic candidates. without federal voting protection, how are democrats in georgia preparing for this fight? >> we're doing everything we can to prepare for this because that's what we have to do. we do not have a choice. however, let it be stated that we cannot out-organize voter suppression. this federal legislation needs to pass because it is of the utmost importance if we are going to have fair elections and make sure that everyone has the freedom to vote. >> i mean, i think part of what is interesting about this conversation is that it's very easy for it to get locked into a conversation about blocking ballot access. because for most of us as voters, that is how we interact with the process. but georgia's new election law gives republicans more power when it comes to certifying the vote. what happens the next time someone like former president trump calls up an election official in the state asking to find, quote, 11,780 votes? >> so i'm so glad you asked that question because i think that's the thing that's not being talked about when it comes to georgia's law. you know, the law not only targeted voters at the ballot box, not only targeted the methods in which people use to vote, not only targeted the way that people access absentee ballots and lines and things when it comes to actually voting. it also targeted election administration. it caught a lot of people off guard and it was very confusing, exactly what this legislation was doing. but ultimately it gives partisan actors the ability to take over elections, and that should scare everybody. >> so we've talked about access to the ballot, we have talked about who actually counts these votes. i want to bring in another element, and that is the gop plot to dilute the voting power of people of color through gerrymandering and voter suppression. ari berman with mother jones writes, quote, at the heart of trumpism is the fear where white power no longer dominates. it's no coincidence this is being fought in a state where black voters who vote democratic have the most to gain or lose. how are you seeing this unfold in georgia? >> so that quote hits the nail on the head. the reason why we saw laws like jim crow 2.0 here in georgia and laws just like that across the country is because this is a full-blown panic to voters showing up at the ballot box and showing their strength, exercising their right to vote. and we even had legislators go into the well in the chamber of the state house of representatives and basically say, too many people voted. what they meant was too many people of color, too many black people voted, and that is the reason why they felt that they needed to pass this type of suppressive legislation, this jim crow 2.0 legislation. >> georgia state representative dr. jasmine clark, thank you so much for your time. i hope you will join us again as we continue to follow this important story. ahead, a rise in extremism is violence and a new study tying both to a rise in misogyny. later, for parents, the pandemic simply not letting up. how congress can give them a break. we continue to physical the situation in texas amount of suspect holding a rabbi hostage at a synagogue. stay with us. g a rabbi hoagste at a synagogue stay with usur style. make the morning chaos, organized chaos. and make sure everything's in it's place. so nothing is out of place. however you make it, make your home a place like no other. 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. ♪ ♪ liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shh! i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. it's what we call, the pursuit of normal. what about rob's dry cough? 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(vo) verizon is going ultra, so you can too. back in court this week, the man charged with driving through a holiday parade in waukesha, wisconsin. darrell brooks jr. is accused of killing six people and injuring more than five dozen with his suv the weekend before thanksgiving. his arraignment is set for next month. brooks was out on bail after allegedly running over his ex-girlfriend earlier in november. prosecutors say brooks attacked his ex-girlfriend again just minutes before plowing through parade. it's not unusual for violence against women to be linked to terror. according to new research from everytown for gun safety, a report finds many extremist acts are tied to misogyny. joining us, shannon watts. clint watts is back with us too. everytown reports misogyny and extremism overlap. how do these two issues correlate? >> that's exactly right. we haven't been out this report this week. misogyny, extremism, and gun violence. you can find it online. it really is about the intersection of far-right extremism and misogyny and really the growing threat that this is presenting in our country. you know, the mass shooting in atlanta in 2021 really brought attention to misogyny as a motivation for gun violence and certainly misogyny isn't a new phenomenon in america or any nation. but in our country it has very deep ties to racism and far-right extremism. so we decided to look into that and really this report is the culmination of over a year of research on misogyny and the far right and violence. and we're finding misogyny is the glue that holds these things together. it's what motivates those who express hatred for women, but also have easy access to guns. you know, as long as guns are so accessible in this country to especially men who are willing to act violently on their grievances against women, unfortunately these attacks will continue to terrorize people and survivors of gun violence and women. so we really hope that this report will play an important role in educating policy-makers and lawmakers about the need for things like, for example, red flag laws, and also reauthorizing the violence against women act. >> clint, this relationship between misogyny and far-right extremism, was it always there? has it grown? what has changed? >> so it's always been there, alicia. to some degree, part of ha their belief system is how they see sort of a revisionist history, you know, trying to go back in history and try and go to what they would call traditional values, which is a male-dominated society. so separately, i think there's been a trend over the last ten years in particular in the social media era where you've seen a younger generation of misogynists that have come online and they have congregated together. it's not even just race-based groups, but race-based groups tied in with misogyny groups. many of these individuals, younger men -- >> can i just ask, because i think there are some viewers who don't know what incel is. >> these are individuals who don't think they have the ability to be in relationships, that they've been pushed out, involuntary celibates and the idea they've been pushed out of society and aren't able to get into relationships with women. but that turns out to be straight male misogyny. when they get in groups together in the online space, it is really hate speech, not really about race, but about men versus women and really targeting them. it's one of the phenomenon in the social media space particularly over the last five to seven years is the amount of hate speech towards women, and that's a different sort of identity that is white, that is far right, and both male dominated. and the three of those collided. i agree with shannon 100%, particularly with the younger generation when i watch those spaces, you see lots of hate towards women, and many of the worst attacks we've seen, which we sort of see as white supremacist acts or one-offs random acts of violence are really attacks against women. and i think this is a growing trend we've seen in the last five years, and one that is likely to get worse in the near term because it's really colliding with the far-right extremist movement. >> this week the justice department announced a new unit dedicated to domestic terrorism saying the number of fbi investigations into extremism has more than doubled since 2020. where does misogynistic violence fit into this landscape more broadly? >> there are several ways you can look at it. it's not ironic they're called the proud boys and not the proud girls. i mean, that is definitely about a male misogynist component. you'll see it across militia groups, but also in the white supremacist race-based groups. you will see that. what i would say that's interesting about incel movements is they tend to be decentralized and online and tend to act independently of each other. compared to what we've seen of international terrorism with al qaeda versus the far-right militia extremists we've talked about, or wean white supremacists race-based groups, with incel, they're isolated, angry, and armed and it's part of a larger ideological movement about hating women. that's what's uniqueb. it's hard to define because it's hard to define a single group name. >> thank you both so much. moments ago an update on our breaking news from texas. one hostage has been released. officials say the man walked out uninjured. more on what officials are telling us after this quick break. officials are telling us after this quick break. i'm still drawn to what's next. even with higher stroke risk due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin that's a trail i want to take. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk better than warfarin. and has less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis has both. don't stop taking eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor about eliquis. the new ww personal points program. it's particular to you. what's your favorite food? avocado. you can fill a bathtub. i love it. with guacamole. all over. helps the skin, helps the body. join now, pay later. get three months free at ww.com hurry! offer ends january 17th. get three months free at ww.com ♪ ♪ ♪ hey google. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ back to that breaking news in texas. about 30 minutes north of dallas in colleyville. authorities announced a male hostage was released uninjured. my colleague richard lui is tracking the latest. richard? >> hey, alicia. the latest now we're hearing since the top of the hour throughout this afternoon from colleyville, texas, a hostage situation under way, about eight hours long right now. according to what we're hearing, 10:41 is when the police first got the call. just in from colleyville police, a male hostage released uninjured around 5:00 p.m. central time. so that's about an hour and a half, hour and 40 minutes ago. the man will be reunited with his family. he does not require medical attention. fbi negotiators still communicating with the hostage-taker. also on the scene, counterterrorism units from the nypd. authorities saying the suspect forced the colleyville rabbi to call a rabbi in new york city who alerted police earlier in the day. as a precaution, nypd is deploying extra police to synagogues in the city. he is demanding the release of aafia siddiqui who is serving a life sentence in federal prison and has ties to both isis and al qaeda. now back to you, alicia. >> all right, richard. thank you. another big story we're following this weekend, this week the supreme court struck down president biden's vaccine or test mandate for private companies, upholding the requirement only for health care workers serving medicare and medicaid patients. labor secretary marty walsh calling the ruling disappointing. >> we put a lot of effort into this. we had medical experts who agreed with us. we had legal experts who agreed with us, and so it is disappointing that the court chose not to defend or support people from covid-19. what's next is we're going to be work with businesses and encourage businesses to continue down this path. >> next wednesday the biden administration will launch a website and phone line for americans to request free at-home covid testing kits. officials say it will take 7 to 12 days for them to be delivered. james hamlin is a lecturer at the yale school of public health and the author of "clean: the new science of skin." doctor, what's the supreme court's decision going to mean for vaccination efforts? >> it's really unfortunate setback. we've seen over and over again throughout the pandemic that vaccine mandates work. they are simple, effective ways to get big groups vaccinated, and to take it off our plates. we don't have to worry about it. we don't have to be having long, complex discussions and arguments and, you know, seeing relationships devolve over this. we just get vaccinated and get it over with and it's done. it's way of keeping workplaces safe and making sure that we do our best to persevere, especially to protect the vulnerable among us. so the inability of osha to mandate these vaccine requirements is a setback, but fortunately we still know that private companies can still choose to implement vaccine mandates on their own. so my hope is that they will continue to do that and more will do that in the future. >> let's talk about the tools that are still in this administration's arsenal. in addition to mailing out those free covid tests that i was talking about, the biden administration is going to require insurance companies to cover eight tests a month per person. is that going to be enough for a safe return to work and to school? >> i don't think it's possible to have too many tests. that sounds like a large number. if people actually take it up and are easily reimbursed and use the tests, that would be great i wish they would have been available sooner and they were in abundant in supply on every street corner where you can get tested before going into anything. so it's hard to say what would be an ideal number, but that's a good start. we're behind the ball, but it's good to see that's happening. you know, i think we're still not reckoning with the fact of how far behind we are on boosters. there are states that are in need 20% to 30% level of having boosters, which really means that, you know, you're not fully vaccinated if you don't have a booster, a third shot. we're so far behind on that. that is where there's a lot of ground to be gained because we've seen people who are very willing to get vaccinated but just haven't gotten around to getting their third shot, and that's what needs to happen right now. >> as derrick thompson writes in "the atlantic," many americans are, quote, vax and had done. their attitude is for more than a year i did everything the public health authorities told me to do. i wore masks, canceled vacations, made sacrifices, i got vaccinated, i got boosted, happy to get boosted again, but this virus doesn't stop. what is your message to those people who are just over it? >> i totally understand. and i think the burden of that lies on people who promised that the pandemic would be over, that this was a finite problem that would have a concrete end point, and that was a miscommunication. this is an ongoing issue, and to suggest that you're just done with it is to say -- it's similar to saying, you know, there's a high likelihood i'll get in a car accident at some point, so why do i bother wearing a seat belt? just let it happen because i'm going to get in a car accident anyway. that's not how it works. this is something we live with. it's something where no one is suggesting you shelter shelter in place or lock down indefinitely, but we need to keep doing as much as we can, especially during these surges like we're seeing right now where we have almost 3,000 americans dying every single day, health care workers are exhausted, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the small things continue to matter. and the more you can do, the better, and we have a lot of ground to be gained in terms of getting that third dose. so if you know someone who hasn't done it yet, hasn't gotten around to it, that's something really meaningful people could do right now. >> doctor, thank you for are our time. for parents the pressure of the pandemic is not going away. there is a solution as we'll discuss next. plus, an update on our breaking news out of texas. one hostage released from a synagogue in the dallas area unharmed, but a rabbi and potentially others still being held against their will. updates throughout the night here on msnbc. updates throughout the night updates throughout the night here on mslimu? limu?hat right ? sorry, one sec. doug blows several different whistles. doug blows several different whistles. [a vulture squawks.] there he is. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty♪ entresto is the number one heart failure brand prescribed by cardiologists and has helped over one million people. it was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. the reality of living with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease... means you might be dealing with a lot of symptoms... which can change your plans at any time gut-focused entyvio is made for you. entyvio is the only medicine just for uc and cd that is gut-focused. entyvio has helped many patients achieve long-term relief and remission. it may help you, too. infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen... during or after treatment. entyvio may increase risk of infection which can be serious. although unlikely, a risk of pml, a rare, serious, potentially fatal brain infection cannot be ruled out. tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. liver problems can occur with entyvio. if other treatments haven't worked well enough, ask your doctor about entyvio. find out if entyvioconnect can help... with the cost of treatment, whether you are insured or not. entyvio, made for the gut, made for remission, made for you. as the fast spreading omicron variant wreaks havoc in homes and schools and daycares and work places, parents are forced to pick up the pieces. as one mother puts it, we are hanging out by an expletive thread. the most frustrating part, the coronavirus's response act helped parents by creating emergency paid sick leave and paid family leave mandates to provide financial help. all of that has expired. my next guest says, do you know what might help with the dumpster parents are facing right now, the emergency paid leave that 363 reps and 90 senators already voted for. the author of crawling behind america's chilled care crisis and how to fix it. also with me, the director of paid leave for all. good to see you both. you said it right there. there is no answer for this. but there could very well be a safety net. why does that matter for care takers and for the people we care for? >> i don't think anybody who is a parent or knows a parent doesn't know someone who has to have a child quarantined because their school or childcare center closed or their child was exposed. the idea that we have no protections in place. we have no levers the working parents can pull to know they can put food on the table for their family. it is absurd we have to get pandemic paid leave back. we've had it. both parties, signed by president trump. president biden has called for it. it is a no brainer. it has to get done. it could help with the omicron wave and others as well. especially politically, if you want to have this wrangling over who is the party of parents, get parents some help right now. they are desperate. calling out for help. we have a turnkey solution. we just need to reinstate it. >> i can't see dawn but that i know she is violently agreeing with you. part of what strikes me is the long tell of this. for those of us who are parent with children under 5, we're in a particularly fraught situation. they are not eligible for vaccines. the university of berkeley finds that there are roughly 112,000 working people compared to 2020. parents are at their wit's end. they don't have access to childcare. they are doing it. they. this is not an issue that is going away. >> absolutely. and reinstating emergency paid leave is something that would directly and immediately address. the public health, the care giving, and the labor crisis that we're experiencing right now. so right now we should be reinstating this. we already passed it on a bynum basis and we can do it now and we also should be prioritizing permanent paid leave at the top of the build back better agenda. we shouldn't be scrambling for these solutions the next time a crisis comes around. this is something we can do right now. families are at a breaking point. and we've all been there for quite a long time. this is something that would immediately help with school closures, with quarantine, with recovery, and with all of our peace of mind. >> you talk about, there is an opportunity and parents are screaming for help. part of it is paid family leave. part of it is the child tax credit. make the political argument for it's why necessary to get this done before mid-terms. >> yeah. parent are a huge constituency. this is a huge deciding factor in our gubernatorial. parents are not asking for the world. they're asking for affordable childcare. for help to afford diapers and putting food on the table and taking care of their kid when they're sick. we have this, a scholar has written a become said we have a 47 market family policy. we just throw families to the raw free market and capitalism and it doesn't work. if a party wants to be the party of parents, we can't just say they're the party of parents. we have to show they're the party of parents. parents are paying attention. you're the ones that made sure i can be home with my kid. you're the one that made sure i'm not paying for childcare i can't even find. that when i have a knew baby, i can be home for four, six, 12 weeks to bond. they're paying attention. and i really think the democrats in particular are facing a tough mid-term have a relevant opportunity to say, no, republicans, you're against all these things. what do you mean you're the party of parents? right now they're not acting like it and they need to step up. the emergency paid leave is such an obvious solution. >> i've got about 30 seconds here. this is your key issue. you have the final word. >> we know had we had emergency paid leave in 2020, even in a limited form, it prevented more than 15,000 covid cases per day. we know that it saves countless jobs, families through school closures in crisis. we should reinstate it, we leave. again pass permanent paid we should do something now. we're all hurting. all of russ struggling. and this is something that we can do right now to help families and to support all of us and to learn something in a crisis about care and family and being there for each other. this is what we're fighting for. >> thank you both. continue to follow breaking news from texas. a man holding a rabbi against his will inside a synagogue. we learn one hostage was released, uninjured. crisis negotiations now exceeding seven hours. the latest throughout the evening here on msnbc. out the evening here on msnbc. 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. ♪ ♪ don't settle for products that give you a sort-of white smile. try crest whitening emulsions... it's what we call, the pursuit of normal. ...for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets... ...swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. shop crestwhitesmile.com. it's time for our lowest prices of the season on the sleep number 360 smart bed. what if i sleep hot? 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