club," "wayne's world," the statement the family writes, quote, "we know how much he meant to so many of you, we appreciate all the love and support as we move through this time of grief and losing such an inspiring artist and a beautiful man." from his heart and your soul, willie, don't ever stop writing. that's a statement from the family. this is a guy when he came out, okay, one hit wonder. he just kept going and kept going. >> yeah, i caught him later in high school that songth i would do anything for love but i won't do that. >> raised questions by what that was. >> thank you, john. >> onset with you at 6:00 a.m. what about you willie? >> here you are. >> i think a lot of people are shocked, sold 100 million albums. >> that's a very elite club. it is surprising, right? >> i can tell you i was in maybe middle school? it is all a blur. anything before 2015 is a blur. but "bet out of hell" was massive. two out of three was not bad. it was every slow dance at every dance through the '70s and '80s. >> 1977, "bat out of hell," his album produced by rod. that record sold 43 million copies on its own. >> wow. >> there is no one can move 43 million records. as you said we were in highlight, ubiquitous, you could not turn on a car radio in florida or los angeles -- >> upstate new york. >> any of those locations, it was top 40 radio and fm rock radio, he was everywhere. everywhere. from the late '70s to the early '80s and picture show for a lot of high school kids who were into that midnight show. they got it produced to meat of this. >> that's a great phenomenon too. elise is with us. >> michael steele and our political analyst mike barnicle as -- asked meat loaf this question when he was here. >> you were singing to willie. >> the songs when you listen to it repeatedly, "i will do anything for love but i won't do that," they become more than songs. they become like plays. >> they are and that's what they meant to be. i never sang a song on a record that there is not a character involved with that. i take a character for every song. if you watch videos, you will see i have different hand movements because movement is an actor. if you want to be an actor, you have to take a movement class as abbott line. it is all about movement. it is all about -- i try to make an audience when there is an audience i want. i try to make an audience, i take and i try to make them one human-being and they disappear from me and i am singing to that person the whole night. when you come to the show, a lot of people say it felt like you were just singing to me. that's what it meant to be. >> great question, mike, they are stories kids took as their own, sort of many operas and made it their own and hundred million albums sold. >> you know, joe, for years and still up into this moment, paradise has a dashboard life, it is an epic song ever written and composed and phil resudo was in it. he made an apology later that he didn't know what the song is about. i am going to play it all day today. >> you know you just did a quick wiki check. the guy won a grammy in '94. it was on the sequel album of 2020. 17 years later he comes out an album and "fight club" was '99. you think of reestablishing your credit, that's how you got longevity, right? you keep getting written in a new generation of fans. >> it was deeply dark movie, i got to say "fight club." joey and i having this conversation after going back and looking at the first "matrix" again and "fight club" it was an alternative reality, you talk about something that captures just the look and feel of the place. l.a. in '99. that was one of its better moments. >> finch is one of the greatest directors of all time. people forget why it was so controversial in addition to some of the violence in it was it ended with a terrorist bomb and image of that building crashing in '99 which prestaged 9/11. >> do you remember the song? >> come on. >> go ahead. [ laughter ] >> it is a great movie. >> do we need to start the show? anything else for the good of order here? >> i think we are good. >> "bat out of hell," "thriller," and "the body guard," it is top ten biggest sellers. >> 43 million. >> they had extraordinary songs in "fight club." it is a great one but i will be listening to "where is my mind," me too. >> the guy 12 years old, sitting in the car and pixy comes on. >> no way. >> the surfer guy? >> he wears my mind is the gateway. he's in there. >> her comes your man. i think we have to start news at some point. >> we are not just talking about the pixies? >> yes, that would be great. >> as the building starts to go down, like i say, the pixies are a mitigating factor. >> it is an artist. you don't remember how controversial that movie was, there were theaters won't play "fight club." it was a massive controversy. >> i don't remember anything before 2015. i established that. >> except for a lot of pixies art. >> i am thinking i really miss mika. >> she's not a pixie fan. her father had her reading nothing but shakespeares in polish. 18 years there. >> got some ground to make up. >> i can show her the first two god fathers. i can do anything but i can't do that. i won't do that. she kept pushing. i said you don't want to watch it, it will ruin the first two. and about ten minutes in she goes yeah, let's watch a will farrell movie. >> she used to mock will farrell movie. i got her old school. it was hard getting her all the way through old school but i did. >> you want to talk about love. for someone who's anti-will farrel, you still married her. >> love the challenge. >> i almost got kicked out of movie theaters when "wedding crashers" came on, i was laughing so loud. i was gasping. my kids were like dad, dad, i could not breathe. >> he comes down sort of silhouette. all you said was please god, let that be will farrel and he steps into the light with a kimono. if you don't like will farrell, you should be investigated. >> drag before congress. >> i am trying to figure out how we got from the death of meat love to "the wedding crashers." >> that's incredible journey. >> elise is writing her own call, did i wake up on this. >> elise, we are very sorry. >> oh man. and now here, here, and alex impose, i will say hi and welcome to "morning joe," hope you had a great christmas, okay, ready? welcome to "morning joe," we hope your christmas was great as ours. now here is willie with the news. no time to waste. let's get right into it. the district attorney in georgia is requesting a special grand jury to aid her investigation into the 2020 election interference by former president trump. a letter sent from the chief judge, va willis asked for assistance in finding any coordinate attempts of the outcome of the 2020 election. she wrote a large number of witnesses refused to cooperate with the probe and a grand jury would have the power to issue subpoenas. willis says the scope of the investigation includes but not limited to the phone call on january 22, 2021 when trump asked raffensperger to find the votes. >> i only need 11,000 votes. give me a break. all i want to do is this, i just want to find 11,780 votes which is one more than what we have. there is nothing wrong with saying that. you know that you recalculated. >> on tape. >> what else do you need? >> that's so bad. >> is that not full jail banana republic, what is? >> i think you have talked about it in the show. if that's not illegal, if that's not illegal? like we need a wall? if that's not illegal, somebody should write the law. find me one more vote, come on. you can go and tell me you found me one more vote that i needed the win. you know that would be smoking gun there. >> that's it, right? >> michael steele. this is one of those things that unlike fine wine, i hear it gets better with time. this actually gets worse with time as we get away from the madness and craziness. you play this, it is really jarring. >> it is jarring. just as my little -- to meat loaf. i got to watch him and enjoyed him, he's really a transform activity artist, really appreciate the legacy he left all of us. to your point, joe, the reality is very much that, when you hear the president just get me one more vote that we already have. just 11,000 votes. just tell people you found that for me and did that for me. you hope that wrangles and sensibility of the american people and make them aware how proverse and to elise's point how banana republic to get the election tuned around in their favor. all of this is not just for the january 6th commission but as we know for the new york prosecutors as well. it will be interesting to see from my perspective how the american people reacted and response to this when they see the whole thing played out, contextualized. >> elise, i am sure somebody out there has had a worse week than donald trump. when you look back and you see the new york attorney general and ron desantis insulting him and the supreme court of the united states just slapping him down. he would say his supreme court completely just rejecting his claim and all of this information which is john said yesterday, it is bad as it gets. but the documents don't lie. now georgia, i mean this is a really, really bad week. >> his kids are under pressure. does he care about that? his kids are under pressure. a normal person would. all of those things, i wonder what bothers him the most. i kind of think maybe ron desantis. that's really personal. he felt like he really made him on the pedestal to be governor of florida and now this guy may be coming out to get him. >> yeah, elise is going through the juggler there. >> ron desantis running him up a little bit. >> ivy league guy donald trump. well, ivy league guy, the guy with little hands. >> senator hawley. >> what about the guy from texas? >> they're all ivy leaguers. >> they all went to willie's school. thank god for every ivy league schools rejected me. try to overthrow the government. >> oh, the oath keeper guy. >> they teach like populists republican politicians how to talk like southerners? what is it about the republican party are all ivy leaguers. >> well, they want the credentials and the connection. but they want to act like they have no part of it whatsoever. >> well, i am a man of the people which is why i went to southern states school. i am not connected. one of my favorite moments when these elitists, steve bannon. >> i like how you lean back in your chair. >> it is comfortable. >> counselor, i will get to you in a second. one of my favorite moments when steve bannon who was proud of his college degree attacked me for going, he only went to the university of alabama. >> bannon said that? >> he said it, scarborough, he's attacking me. he only went to the university of alabama. i think he was in birmingham. hey dude, it is like a rock band. >> president trump did put out a statement claiming his call with raffensperger which was more perfect than his phone call with ukraine president. the nixon tape was not anywhere near explicit as what we heard from donald trump. >> no. the sad part about this is all critical in undermining our democracy. if you walk around and go to a grocery store or gas station or whatever, we have become the country of the moment and that in january 6th and he's talking about raffensperger is past in everyone's mind. what we just heard in this tape, you want to know how critical it is. walk into any bank and with your hands in your pocket, hey, i need $11,000. i don't have it right now but you can give me $11,000, you would be arrested. he broke the law when he said that and he's still walking around free as our many of his accomplices. people are sick and tired of this. they're tired of the issue. >> i saw one thing up here and elise talked about it, we saw one thing the headline about ivanka trump. i think all of the bad stuff that's happening to donald trump. the committee wants ivanka trump. there it is. what's in that request is suggestions that the committee believes that there is a video of trump outakes from 1/6. suggesting of the attempts he did where he didn't use. the suggestion in the letter is that there maybe video evidence where he said what he actually wanted, all that is a little bit implicit in the letter. that's another thing. if the committee obtains a video of trump in criminating, true statements, it was essentially a bad moment for donald trump this week. >> we see michael steele, some of the people that's going to testify, kaley -- we are looking at the bannon and the other people and the rudy giuliani we think - not we think but it is the past prologue will likely lie or not cooperate. there are dozens of people in the trump white house deeply offended by what happened on january 6th who are willingly talking about everything they saw. >> yeah, joe, that's an important point, they should not beover looked. when kaley and others are now going forward and have gone voluntarily to the committee when asked to appear, they said all right, i will be there. either way, i am coming. what that says to me when you look at their time in the white house, they had the color of executive privilege that you know would lend itself to their taking a harder edge against the commission like this. now outside of that, they don't have that privilege. they don't have that protection that you will have abandon and others trying to falsely claim it and that being shot down at every turn and the reality of it is when you get the subpoena baby, you better show up because the next step is a jail cell. for kaley and others, what's the stakes for them or pretending they got nothing to contribute? in fact, they do. you are seeing this clearance from the trump's orbit as much as they possibly can. they see the glide past of this thing and it is not a good glide past to be associated with it. you will find more and more the committee already told us a significant number of people from the administration testified and i know others who are coming out the next few weeks too talk about what they said and that's going to be a problem for donald trump. >> that explains why mark meadows, they asked him for information and he emptied them out until the last penny fell to the floor and said here you can take it and once people found out oh, wait, i was lying or whatever. >> because unlike steve bannon, he does not want to go to jail. kaley does not want to go to jail. a lot of them were really disgusted by what happened on january 6th. all you have to do is read the text messages. they were deeply offended. >> that's the truth not just by mark meadows by other people who are on tv or podcast railing against this committee. they given up a ton and hundreds of pages of documents. they do that and signal their virtues to the audience. the question to people like kevin mccarthy, are you okay with that tape we just played from donald trump? >> it is a great question. >> i know you want to undermine this investigation and saying partisan. are you okay of what you just heard the president calling the secretary of state and say find me the 11,000 votes that don't exist. are you okay with that? >> is lindsey graham okay with that? when you play something like that, it is a question you have to keep asking yourself, how is ben sass, you talk about phony moral realism. oh my god, joe biden is just like donald trump. come on, ben. come on. come on. >> you talk about virtue signals. a lot of people are failing, really smart people who are clowning themselves. what does ben sass think about this and mit romney think about this. what should people tell us we should give the republican party a break which i tried to do in the senate. what do they say about this? >> right. >> well, i think there is the more precise and pertinent question, they're willing to live with it. lindsey graham have made his choice. i don't care what he says about it or doing about it. the republican party must take a knee in front of and bow to the king in mar-a-lago. mccarthy would take that 11,000 votes and make him speaker of the house. the question is how can you liver with yourself at the human level and there is the question for the other guys which is the sasses and the romneys who tried to stake out a different position. how do they not change laws? how do they not press for the prosecution of someone who's obviously broken the laws. the word is whatever. the question is what do you want to do? ensure there is no voter subversion and prosecute this president when he broke the law. >> i don't want to sound naive, when i was there, i was around 434 other people. there were times we were booirnd behind closed doors. we went through a lot of government shutdowns. we went to deposing newt gingrich. a lot of really fraud moments where people's political career were on the line. i never once saw a single person out of those 434 people i worked with one time that approaches the bs, that people would put up with now. they're actually -- people love crashing congress. there was a code, there was a code and if somebody stepped over the line. it is almost like you can't do that. shut up, you can't do that. i am going to pretend i never heard you say that. i mean that's what it is so shocking about especially the republicans right now. there is no code. donald trump completely eviscerated. i will say the overwhelming majority of the people i work with would have gladly lost their seats before putting up with one day of donald trump as president of the united states. would gladly lost their seat instead of biting their tongue over and over again. play that tape again. i am telling you if george w. bush had said this, if anyone republican had said this, we would have gone into the floor that afternoon and would have voted for impeachment or if they were there, voted to sensor them. play this tape. >> i only need 11,000 votes, fellas. give me a break. look, all i want to do is this, i want to find 11,780 votes. which is one more than what we have. there is nothing wrong with saying that. you know that you recalculated. >> does not get anymore clearer than that, asking the secretary of state for 11,780 votes to flip the state. there is a reason raffensperger recorded that phone call. still ahead, nancy pelosi pushes back on the idea of breaking up the build back better act. a look at the possible approach for a look at president biden's agenda. >> plus, an employee have been put on leave after asking employees to get vaccinated. caught on camera, a reporter hit by a car on live tv. >> come on. >> we'll go through what exactly happened here. she popped up and finished the report. she popped up and finished the report this is the new world of work. each day looks different than the last. but whatever work becomes, the servicenow platform will make it just, flow. whether it's finding new ways to help you serve your customers, orchestrating a safe return to the office... wait. an office? what's an office? ...or solving a workplace challenge that's yet to come. wherever the new world of work takes your business, the world works with servicenow. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching... wherever the new world of work takes your business, the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is the only medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®... ask you doctor about tremfya® today. ♪ baby got back by sir mix-a-lot ♪ unlimited cashback match... only from discover. it's our january sale on the sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to relieve pressure points. and, it's temperature balancing so you both sleep just right. save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed, queen now $1,999. plus, 0% interest for 36 months. . not only the building is coming down but the mess people are watching this morning. >> a ton of good themes on the show today. >> where is my mind? >> we didn't get to hear michael steel's experience. >> we'll get back to that in the next hour. >> michael, did you dress up? who's the character did you dressed up as the midnight show? >> i am sorry. >> let's go to break. >> oh. whoa. >> wow. >> let me get this straight. breaking news. you are willing to hear that in your neighborhood but you can't admit to people that you like meat loaf. >> i like him. >> not trying to walk back the stocking thing though. >> he's just rolling with it. >> the fish nets. >> embrace your inner selves. >> dow that and i will stay close and remote and shut off. an extraordinary story, a local tv news reporter at our nbc affiliate in huntington, virginia was hit by a car while doing a live reporting. >> reporter: tori yogi was just about to start her live report when she became the story. >> sorry, i just got hit by a car but i am okay, tim. >> reporter: her first instinct to reassure everyone including the woman who hit her that she was all right. >> i am okay. >> i saw her safe. the woman that was driving the car. she was mortified. i felt really compelled to let her know that i am good. it is all good. i got hit by a car just like that. >> reporter: she says she's a little sore and surprised by how quickly her story went viral. >> i didn't think it would get that big. >> reporter: the 25-year-old is about to start a new job at a bigger station. >> hopefully people don't look at me that say oh that's the reporter that got hit by a car. oh, she's tori and she's going to go out and tell an impacting story. >> reporter: adjusting the camera to continue her report and she's back at work. those the accident and driver are still on her mind. >> i believe her car is okay. >> reporter: a young reporter unfazed by internet fame. >> we'll not say this reporter that got hit by a car twice. >> she's unfazed by internet fame, unfazed by getting hit by a car twice. >> she can handle anything. >> what people don't realize about tv particularly in a small market. >> i don't want to see it again by the way. >> they do something called a one man ban where this is been going on for decades where the reporter is on her own or his own and you set up the camera and you frame it up and you turn it on and make all the connections and you stay in the frame and deliver your report. there is no camera man or producer, sometimes you end up with moments like that. she's incredible. the anchor back in the studio, as she went down and hit by a car, that's a first for you tori. you mean almost getting killed? >> she said it was not a first, i got hit by a car in college. this woman is in destructible. we have not had a chance to talk about the cowboys. the last play. >> it was a mess. >> i can't believe. we grow up all watching football and you hear okay, 12 seconds, you got a chance for two passes and one of them better be out of bounds. dak runs up the middle like 20 yards? like if you are going to do that the coach -- you are going to go down and throw the ball to the rev who's going to come up zp play. they did everything wrong. this is a great franchise. this is a great team. this is the cowboys' time. how and i have never seen a team with no time-outs left and about 14 seconds left in the game. it is still mind-blowing. >> he's a good quarterback but he made a bad play. you lost track of the time and the situation. the cowboys fans are getting rest less, they got all these weapons and good receivers and michael parsons and the kid out of penn state that's incredible on defense. they have not been to that big game in a long time and they are restless. i hear people blaming the rev. >> it is not the ref's fault. he could not get through the line. alex is saying we are all fired? >> alex is saying why don't we talk about teams that are still in the playoffs, joe. >> i think after break we'll do that. >> i am thinking of all that green grass just going. # that green grass just going your heart is at the heart of everything you do. and if you have heart failure, entrust your heart to entresto. it's the number one heart failure brand prescribed by cardiologists. entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. heart failure can change the structure of your heart, so it may not work as well. entresto helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. and with a healthier heart, there's no telling where life may take you. 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 for heart failure. entrust your heart to entresto. ♪♪ welcome back to "morning joe." we got a new york story and plus we are all over the place. you know the iconic staten ferry. the oldest of that ferry was up for sale. they are getting rid of it. who do you sell an old staten island ferry to? pete davidson and colin jost joined with a comedy club owner to buy the commission old staten island ferry boat. the trio has big plans for the vessel to turn it into a live entertainment space with comedy and music, art and more. >> can we do the show there? >> when they refer in the morning when they do their opening. >> that's "morning joe" live up the staten island with colin jost and pete davidson. >> it is such a good idea. >> best idea i have heard in a long time. >> we have got to pair it. >> who's calling me during the show? >> who is this? >> oh my goodness. >> it is mika, she just landed. do you know what time it is on the east coast. it is 6:47. we are on the air. >> mika, it is so good talking to you, we got to talk about the playoffs, elise really misses you. i am going to put you on speaker here. will you apologize to elise for me. you are on live tv. >> mika, i wish i could have gone to poland with you. poland in january sounds lovely. >> please hold the line for me. >> there it is. i will talk to you soon. i love you. >> another iconic phone call like the raffensperger/trump. and now let's go to playoffs. this is what she would want us to do if she were here right now. tennessee is number one seed in the afc. i think people still the chiefs are the best in the afc. that bengals team is young. joe burrow and it had swag. i would not bet against the bengals. got to like the packers at home in lambo. watch out for the rams. you never bet against brady of course. that's a really good rams team on both sides of the ball. the game of the day is the bills and the chiefs. josh allen against mahomes, the two great quarterbacks. that'll be a fun one on sunday night. >> mike barnicle , if i were the packers, number one seed, i would not want to go against the 49ers team. it was down 14-0. about to be eliminated and they came back, roaring back and won a huge game against the rams and won the playoffs, won a big game against the cowboys, dominated them for the first three quarters of that game. lambo field, that could be a classic. >> totally agreed, joe. the packers are a little better and they're going to win that game. jimmy garoppolo, he's great and been great. he's kind of sketchy at some point. the big game of the day as willie just pointed out. mahomes verses josh allen. i think buffalo is going to win that game. buffalo is going to win the super bowl. >> whoa. whoa. >> you know there is a gambling debt in buffalo? you owe money in buffalo? >> no, i love josh allen. i love watching him play. the guy is a better runner sometimes than he is a qb. he's got a rifle for an arm. >> michael steele though. >> mike is onto something. i think the mvp of last year will be the mvp again this year and green bay and buffalo are going to do the dance out in l.a. i think it is setting itself up nicely for that. i think michael's right, i think a lot of people have taken some of the missteps up in buffalo the wrong way and think oh, okay, they'll get their come up this weekend in kansas city. mahomes and his defense have not been the power house the way they were have been over the last five years. hey, green bay buffalo, baby. >> i got to say last year about 14 or 15 tweets, joe scarborough says brady is going to win it. just what, he did. i can't believe it. i am not betting against brady. >> i understand the bills, looking pretty good. the packers but seriously, we all thought or at least i thought kansas was going to tramp tampa bay and brady has been in more playoff games than every other quarterback that's playing on those teams combined. >> every year you say he's too old and he can't do it. last year was a cherry on top, he won one with that new team. every year he proves everybody wrong. at some point we stop questioning. >> the packers all the way through whether the rams -- >> they have to go to lambo. >> all right, coming up next with year one in the books for president biden now. how should he be approaching year two? we are also following what's happening in geneva where anthony blinken is meeting with his russian counter part, can they stop a land war on the border, "morning joe" is coming right back. n the border, "morning joe" is coming right back every year we try to exercise more, to be more social, to just relax. and eating healthy every single meal? if only it was this easy for us. ♪ ♪ ♪ "how bizarre" by omc ♪ no annual fee on any discover card. ♪ ♪ finally. our honeymoon. it took awhile, but at least we got a great deal on our hotel with kayak. i was afraid we wouldn't go.. with our divorce and.... great divorce guys. yeah... search 100s of travel sites at once. kayak. search one and done. my asthma felt anything but normal. ♪ ♪ it was time for a nunormal with nucala. nucala reduces asthma attacks it's a once-monthly add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occured. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist about a nunormal with nucala. when a truck hit my car, back pain, and fatigue. ask your asthma specialist abouthe insurance company la. wasn't fair. i didn't know what my case was worth. so i called the barnes firm. i was hit by a car and needed help. i called the barnes firm, that was the best call i could've made. i'm rich barnes. it's hard for people to know how much their accident case is worth. let our injury attorneys help you get the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm injury attorneys ♪ ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ the committee seeking for a meeting with ivanka trump, to look into the former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election caught on tape. secretary of state in geneva, angela is joining us with her new reporting. "morning joe" is coming right back. ew reporting "morning joe" is coming right "morning joe" is coming right back ♪ i see them bloom ♪ ♪ for me and you ♪ ♪ and i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ a rich life is about more than just money. that's why at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner so you can build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. as a professional bull-rider i'm used to taking chances. but when it comes to my insurance i don't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ this is the new world of work. each day looks different than the last. but whatever work becomes, the servicenow platform will make it just, flow. whether it's finding new ways to help you serve your customers, orchestrating a safe return to the office... wait. an office? what's an office? ...or solving a workplace challenge that's yet to come. wherever the new world of work takes your business, the world works with servicenow. a year ago biden addressed covid and after 12 months of tiredness, we are all getting free masks. >> is that awesome? >> all i ever wanted. >> very helpful. >> at this point, i would say on planes, i am cool with masks. you got to wear masks. seriously, we have been flying through everything, delta and omicron and zeus and whatever the next variant is. how long are we going to have to wear masks again? i understand and i get it but i am allowed to say, get on the plane and i got to deviate it. i got slammed to the ground and my nose jammed in the cold ice in upstate new york, it is hard to breathe and even with a mask. >> how about for kids in school all day and if you are lucky, you get a break outside. >> my kids, they wear masks, they still are now because of omicron. they're going to have a more of a problem with it, they kind of adapted to it. they're younger and they're adapted better than somebody like me having trouble breathing. >> did your kids adapted to it? >> they like -- n 95 is cumbersome. the blue one is not as effective but it is a smaller piece of the bigger story which is like for these kids it went from being a novelty for you are out of school to this is your childhood and their childhood is spent in masks with all these rules and restrictions around them. there is a lot of science now two years in that they don't necessarily be wearing them. i get they have adapted because only they have to. >> and with omicron, now they say n-95 works and the cloth masks does not work that well. you have n-95 masks and everything around you and a football helmet and you bubble wrap it. at some point you are like dude, i just want to breathe. i am a normal guy and i wake up every morning, i check on covid deaths. i want to see the arc. i want to see someone coming on the show saying this going down. you look at the data for new york city, it is going down. and the line in south africa and the line in britain. >> we are hopefully a week or two. new york feels like it is functioning at a normal level. restaurants are more quiet but it is just there and does not seem to be, omicron in new york didn't bring it to a halt. because people gotten really sick but the overall consensus feeling was you are not going to die. obviously people have died. new york kind of kept going. >> january is usually empty, people are starling to go back to restaurants. you look at donny, they still got their tanning beds opened. >> do they still have tanning beds? >> it sounds like an '80s thing. >> clearly. >> this is just -- i was down in miami, it is natural. >> miami, nothing is closed. they never close anything in florida. people come up and lick you in the arms, oh, thank you. desantis -- fired some guy for asking people to get the vaccines. his pitch. desantis' pitch to the republican party is donald trump is too responsible on covid. he's running with that. >> i was just recently given a talk at florida university, it was funny how outcome ward people trying to be fazed and trying to figure out. >> i remember last january, it was insanity. when you come from new york where at that point, we were bubble wrapped and i don't know. >> top public health official in orlando placed on administrative leave after he sent an e-mail to employees encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against cry russ. dr. peno who serves as the director of department of health in orange county sent the at the mail. he noted 568 employees and only 77 had the booster. a number he calls super low. the doctor wrote this, i have a hard time understanding how we could be in public health and not practice it. he wants to say i am sorry but in the absence of reasonable, it is irresponsible to not be vaccinated. dr. pino urging employees to get vaccinated. the florida department of health sent his statement calling the decision to get vaccinated calling it "personal medical choice should be made." >> eddie, this is ridiculous. the guy gets fired. hey, you really should not smoke. it is bad for you. that's where i am with this. you don't want to get vaccinated. you want to put your family at risk and yourself at risk. your call. it is america, you know? a guy that's in a public health department can encourage people to get vaccinated? >> it makes no sense for me for doing something that's common sense that's responsible in some way. it gives me an indication and it indicates to me this is why it takes us to so long to get out of this. people have a caricuture sense of what freedom is. hyper individualism has been invoked for the past 20 years or so. it gets crazier and crazier. the point now is donny, people who got to fight vaccinations to go in school and fight vaccinations to give to their kids to go to school. you look at states like mississippi who hated to live out in california who were the progressives who so granola, the original anti-vaxers. mississippi had some of the toughest vaccine requirements before covid. you are getting the vaccine and they would brag about the highest vaccine rates and now suddenly vaccines are bad. >> it is just and i love that there is the freedom there but then we don't want the voting rights act. the definition of freedom has a narrow take on it. at this point there is no logical discussion you can have with somebody on that side of the equation. what messaging would you put out there? >> none. >> there was nothing and there is no right brain or left brain or save the kids. there is just nothing. >> it is just a wall and there is no words for it. >> you mandate it or don't mandate it. i got a lot of friends and relatives who would much rather take every crazy off brands - >> you say to them in the most loving way, what's the answer to come? it is just like voting for trump. everybody has an excuse. everybody has a different reason. everybody has something they felt on the internet and everybody got their own story and it is not consistent. they're never consistent with each other. it used to be oh, it is not fda approved. give me three responses. >> well, it used to be it is not fda approved. then got fda approved and oh, there are fetuses in there. no, if you a taking advil or any medicines, chances are good that you can make -- and they go it is dangerous. they all have a story. it is just like the election being stolen. i have tried to go through it logically with dear friends and loved ones. and you know -- they bring a theory and you don't know and here is the link from fox news and the wall street journal and get conservatives in. send it back to them. they're looking at websites that are run by chinese cults. oh, you know what this does. such and such. you get one of them. it does not matter. it is a constant whackamow game. they're inconsistent and you take it down. i had one friend cornering me everything. what about the russia hoax? i sent him a link of some other report. that's what they do. >> it is like you are on a team. >> you know what i do? you know what my family does and my kids do? we just pray for them now. pray for our family and pray for our friends and our loved ones. we pray for everybody out there because my god, the stories i have heard of people and some friends who called me up thinking they were about to die. crying they didn't have the vaccines. these jerks who get on twitter and celebrate human beings suffering because they were not vaccinated. i mean do they dance on the graves of people who smoke? people do what people do and sometimes they are misguided and taken down the wrong path. i don't understand their addiction. i had a lot of friends who are addicted and it is sad and painful and it is a disease. you weep for them when they die and you pray for them while they are going through rehab. that's where we are at this point. all you can do is pray for them because at this point there is no educational campaign that's going to reach people without master degrees or attorneys graduated from good law schools that are quoting chinese religious cult websites and risking their life and their spouse's life and children's life. how do you reason with them? you don't, you just got to pray for them. >> just thinking of one of your statements, nick saban, for months saying go get the vaccines, and tommy tuberville is saying that. nobody is listening to them either. the people you are talking about are the victims of the hospitals we have been talking a lot lately. people in the media and politicians saying yes there is something nefarious about this vaccine. click here so you can fire fauci. they just want to take your money. >> there was a fascinating moment last week with former president trump, eddie, he was interviewed with news max, they thought the president was on his side, they threw up the softball with all side effects. trump cut them off, there was side effects. i got the vaccine. and now he's talking to ron desantis. with donald trump saying i got the vaccine and the booster, i am fine. everybody get the booster. >> how do you engage people? i was triggered by marsha blackburn and what she's saying, how do you debate with rick scott and how do you put forward arguments when they don't, you can have your own opinions but not facts. then i was thinking about the intimacy of our hatred. the fact that you have people that you love saying these things. saying ugly things, saying stupid things, asking one ugly things. what do we do with that? >> pray for them, yes. but what do we do with the feedback that hatred festers in these intimate spaces with people we love and interact with everyday and we can't breakthrough. >> i will tell you that i have seen al couple of people. curt anderson went to west virginia and wrote about it. he had a great piece there. others have gone out trying to find out that civil war and between red state americans and blue state america. they found the opposite. i think so much of this is contained in the media. it is spoken to our politicians and media. and wrote about it in the washington post. i have seen this before. this is my grand-mom, grew up watching the billy graham crusades. we were moved by it. bill li graham, a hero of mine. people saw what billy graham was doing, look at all that money so they start the ptl club. pretty soon sent to their social security checks every week. it was obvious to us that it was a scam. it was not obvious to my grandma because my grandma loves jesus and these people she thought were 40 jesus kingdom here on earth. my parents talked to her. we talked to her. and willie, just so this is a hustle. people have an economic incentive to lie to americans and tell them don't get the vaccines or send me $100 and help me fight this election fraud. they have stolen your election from you. i mean it is all a scam. >> you have these crack pot attorneys who pushing election lies are making million of dollars for people who have been sold the lies and believed the lies and donate to former president trump so he can pay using your money to pay thinks private legal bills. >> we'll be right back, we got just a fleet of historians, presidential historians, you could not fit them on a decommission staten island ferry, if we had it right here outside, all right, well -- stay with us. we'll be talking about joe biden's first year when we return. talking about joe biden's first year when we return ♪ it wasn't me by shaggy ♪ you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. biden: this is the challenge of our collective lifetime. and every day we delay, the cost of inaction increases. we have the ability to invest in ourselves and build an equitable, clean energy future, and in the process, create millions of good-paying jobs and opportunities around the world. there's no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves. so let this be the moment that we answer history's call. this is the new world of work. each day looks different than the last. but whatever work becomes, the servicenow platform will make it just, flow. whether it's finding new ways to help you serve your customers, orchestrating a safe return to the office... wait. an office? what's an office? ...or solving a workplace challenge that's yet to come. wherever the new world of work takes your business, the world works with servicenow. let's go to andrea mitchell. i understand sergei lavrov just finished speaking. what have we learned? >> reporter: sergei lavrov has been holding a press conference after a photo opportunity which we uncovered, which was pretty tough, we were over at the russian hotel when lavrov and lincoln met. lavrov -- it went downhill from there. the u.s. side has not responded to their proposal. this proposal is a treaty that would say nato can't expand further and in fact has to move back from this current forward position and ukraine can never be a member of nato. now at the meeting according to lavrov and we are waiting to hear from secretary blinken of his side but lavrov has been telling reporters at his news conference that blinken did promise written responses. there were a lot of complaints, i talked to lavrov's press secretary and she's yet to hear proposals. well, this is sanctions that were levied yesterday against four ukrainians and two of them current parliament members accused by the u.s. attorney and state department trying to overthrow the government. lavrov just now said in drchs conference complaining of the rhetoric in the west. so his division is that ukraine is getting too many weapons from the west, nato and now from the eu trying to compete with others in nato to provide more weapons and trainers and they want to put a stop to that. they see a threat, i am not going to comment on the reality of that. but, it is ukraine against russia. he did call the talk instructive today. they'll give written responses and i'm waiting to hear tony blinken's version of this. there were western media there as well. look, the big issue is whether or not will invade. i asked lavrov that, is russia likely to invade as president biden say and he says i do not think so. there is a glimmer of some hope. joe. >> andrea, let me ask you how president biden's press conference statements have been taken there. the white house put really strong record, an invasion is an invasion whether you talk about one foot or 100 miles and president biden talked about a minor incursion and he cleaned it up after the press conference and then the president yesterday had tough words, what is your read on how both the russians and secretary of state blinken is taking that message to geneva? >> reporter: well, what he's taking to geneva and what he said today probably in his opening remarks was the allies are united behind severe response. if there is any invasion. so he keeps them -- our allies are unified but what president biden was saying the unity of the airlines were the truth. germany and france had different positions in the u.s. do we affirm airlines? there is clearly as to what the sanctions would be if there were an invasion. there was damage control immediately from the white house and the president's readings and the notes from yesterday. blinken has been in damage control. andrea mitchell, thank you so much. we look forward to talk to you again. we look forward to the german and the french getting shoulder and shoulder with us. let's hope they don't have to spend the next five years apologizing to us basically giving russia a green light going into ukraine. they need to be shoulder and shoulder with us. let's bring waller isaacs and doris goodwin. the author of leaderships of books i absolutely love. doris, i want to talk about joe biden's first year and walter, i want to talk about biden's first year and by the way, you obviously been hanging out in the same neighborhood with don any deutsche. very sunny. >> go to the sun in new orleans. >> you guys are something. >> well, i will see you in aruba, okay? >> holly-molly. >> i spent an awful a lot of time reading one history book over another. the more you learn about lincoln, the more ex trash bag more extraordinary the man is. it is why everybody ranks him still the greatest president. tell us why you decide to do this and what we are going to see. >> well, the history channel came to my production partner and me. the first one was george washington and they came and looked at the leadership and turbulent times and realized this four guys in there that they may like to do starting with abraham lincoln. when you are working on a film like this is an entire team. when i write, i write alone. it took ten years to write about abraham lincoln. here is this director and actors and musicians, people who know the expert world and all my colleagues are there talking and giving their ideas about it, people that knew lincoln so well. it is an extraordinary adventure. i am proud of how, 7.5 hours coming out. it is not just what he did saving the union and emancipating the slaves and winning the war, it is who he was. that character of his humility and resilience and able to get through the depression through human more and relaxing and replenishing his energy. it is lesson to all of us how to liver a life. i felt like i became a better person because of him. all my historians feel almost the same way. watching him for 7.5 hours will be terrific. >> i got to say you read fdr's history and you read so many other political leaders' history. it is uplifting. you see how they get past challenges. here is a guy that was tortured and he wrote about it in leadership, lincoln thought about killing himself and the only reason he was not going to end his life because he had not done anything to make people remember him. he was torn from all sides. he was abolitionist. he was too conservative. conservatives hated him. he was too radical. he out-thought them all, the first year and the legislature 1964. up until he beat the south and frill 9th, and three days later, he was dead. april 15th, he was assassinated. it is a extraordinary story. it is a 30-year journey. when he finally gets to the end of that journey, he is killed. this is biblical stuff. >> oh you know you are so right, joe. it really, it was heartbreaking for me to realize he just had a few days to absorb the fact that the war had been won and maybe he can turn to try to figure out what the peace could be. he worked with his relationship with frederick douglas. douglas is an abolitionist. me may be slow and in different. if you measure him as a standard who had to deal with the sentiments of the country, he was radical. the two of them come together in a certain sense in the end. all of that then he only has a few days to appreciate that before he's killed and having been through such difficulty. he said when the war started. he felt such anxiety. he didn't think he would live through it when he looks back on it. for a lot of people seeing the level of that depression and how he had life preservers to get him out of it. he tells so many stories in it. that's the way he relaxed and replenishing. i find myself laughing even when i understood him and read about him. i knew how fun he would be. i think viewers will see the same thing. >> story telling was his way of getting his life preserving back. >> studying lincoln, the two most remarkable people were frederick douglas and abraham lincoln. >> mr. lincoln seemed dull and in different but measuring him by the sentiment of his country. a sin man he was bouned as a statement to con silt. he was swift and radical and determined and taking him all and all and measuring the tree tree -- >> you know i think douglas understood the complexity of lincoln's charge. lincoln in so many ways had to rise to the equation and so when ever we return to lincoln. i think of that moment where the country has split. i think about today. where the states, who are those who are looking to lincoln as an example for this moment? it seems like we have come apart at the scene and who's concerned like lincoln, right? >> about that. what lincoln had to do, we grew up thinking, lincoln hassleblad to do with the race itself and lincoln that had to deal with the racist south and a racist north. and the racist from his home state, illinois. >> they had a referendum on whether black people should be allowed in their state. >> 70% and then you will get elected in congress of people voted to ban all black people from their state. >> that's the north, that's what abraham lincoln had to guide this country through when he knew this country does not want e -- it is breathtaking and so see what he did. >> without question, walter isaac, that's why when we hear of these long pieces and sections about this country today, again the context of what we described and what abraham link lived through. a peal in comparisons and to use that term in some ways trivalizes. >> benjamin, they'll be out a couple of months. >> he's supposed at really good calming the water. we were split as a nation just as we were little silver war. >> during the american revolution, it was not a consensus about breaking away from england. he used to have a walking stick which he put a little bit of oil and he would do a trick whether there is water. he calmed it. when joe biden was talking about going big a year or so. i hope that was the big thing he would have done. i can get a calm presidency, he did it with the infrastructure bill. i still think we need people like lincoln and franken who can say let's try to deal with the incredibly divided nation and see how we can go with a mccorkell campus. >> what does joe biden need to do in the second year? >> i think joe biden should as i hope he says he's going to do, break up this huge on the build back better act bill and may have made sense to throw everything into a dog's breath but it did not pass. >> he was successful when he did infrastructure. >> he was successful when we did the covid relief bill. these were things that people understood and they sate yes. >> government can work. >> you had supporters from all sides and you could probably get most americans, that's something you should do. if you focus on inflation, we should be able to that. you don't want a gallon of milk and bread to be past $30. government can produce and this poison can be reduced. i don't think she should try to keep pushing this rock uphill of a bill that has everything from e -- >> we are at a 50/50 split by the way for the united states senate. a new phase entered. >> what does joe biden needs to dough in in the second year. what he said is right. he's got to get out of washington because a lot of those polls have a favorability for the people. >> he said public sentiment its everything. with it, nothing can fail and without it nothing can succeed. >> so i mean there is a sense in which he's got to get that country who wants these bills, these pieces of the bill to be pressuring from the outside in. that's the whole idea. >> outside pressure is not necessaily to get covid moving. maybe with the education and does not happen in testimony times of the midterms. where are the republicans and democrats. he's drawing a line now. >> i think he came in understandably as somebody who wanted to wake the my year as walter was saying reduced. >> the infrastructure got through with the republicans. now these larger bills have gotten to be broken up. he's got to get out of the country. let them make the fight. where are the college campuses? >> tom rogers talked about it on cnbc. where are the people who compared about climate control. they need to be bringing their pressure in. that's when things happen in the country. lincoln says don't call me a liberator. it was the progressive movement that they got teddy roosevelt in doing what he did and being able to bring rational reform. the difl rights movement made it possible for what happens in the '60s. we need that movement. if a president can help mobilize it. that's the first thing he should do. >> the white house promised this week president biden will be out in the country on year two. >> in year two, biden needs to be the bus. jean writes this, biden should give the nation more than what we saw this week. >> doing so, it is apart of his job. biden stop going to the capitol and meet legislatures and instead having them go to him at the white house. >> he's not they're colleagues anymore. >> he needs to be the boss. >> i talked about this on the air last week and that a lot of people are claiming well, democrats' message. i say the messenger has been off. we have to be honest that joe biden of his first year, we are looking at his performance. west knot coming across as feeling strong and in charge. he comes across as old and i don't mean as ages. >> the presser last week as good evening says there were moments in there when he turn and said, republicans, what do you stand for? >> he needs to be more and more in doubt, he nodes more mojo. i think a lot of problems it should not be. >> you lay it out. $2 trillion infrastructure bill. >> unemployment rate 3.9%. the most jobs created. >> i think the problem has been joe himself. i know it is not going to be popular on the show. he needs to be firmer and stronger and there were moments in that pressure that shows that. >> their to advise for you is to punch and get out there and throw on those. >> figured so. aloong with the dog a breakfast with the bill, you got to put the hay down where the goat is going to eat it. keep it simple. >> triple it down. you know what i am going to do this month? >> i am going to make sure the pharmaceutical company sops scamming the american people when it comes to insulin. i am going to have a vote at the end of the month. >> manchin says he'll give us universal pre-k. he said he'll give us that. >> let's hold it in march. we'll do the electoral count act to make sure no vice president pushing away. >> the people have spoken, you taken a niniscule rules. >> waller, what are you talking about? >> keep it fen shl. >> do what bill clinton did to us. he put it on the floor and you vote against it because there are 80 and 20 issues. >> one of the big things that this country needs is be assure that government can learn again. >> if you do exactly what you just said, do you want pre-k or manchin. let's go and do it. >> do the doable and figure out prescription drugs and all the things you talked about and it will show the country that the government can get things done. it will put pressure on the republicans saying, okay, are you for it or against it. >> walter isaacson and as always, thank you guys so much. the history channel, ape brach lincoln. i can't wait to see it. >> we don't want to know. >> thank you for being here. >> we shifted to a longest. there you go. what a reference. a great burt reynolds. coming up, the story of the mop. he's been radicalized. the report behind that incredible story joins us next. "morning joe" is back in a minute. us next "morning joe" is back in a minute your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire to make my vision a reality. i have to take every perspective, and see clearly from every point of view. with my varilux progressive lenses i seamlessly transition from near to far. and see every detail in sharp focus. when you see no limits, there are no limits. book now at your local essilor experts to push the limits of your vision. varilux lenses by essilor. find your rhythm. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. welcome back to "morning joe." military veteran from kansas city was sent probation entering through a window that had been smashed, the former marine told a federal judge he was ashamed he was part of the events that day and would take it all back. brandie spoke extensively with another person part of the events on january 6th, stopped short of entering the capitol. she writes about it in her latest piece titled "escape from qanon: how january 6 changed one person's path." it's great to see you in person. i know all your back drops in your apartment. >> they won't be waddling in today. >> i kind of miss them. >> me, too, actually. it is so representative of it is your neighbor, it could have been anyone how did he get radicalized. he was a professional, educated, 30 years old, lived a couple blocks away from me in brooklyn. tweeted something about i think qanon people will have a come to jesus moment, and i think maybe that was me. so three years of increasingly problematic internet history, getting into pizza gate, which we talked about on the show quite a bit, and then qanon, just sort of spiraling. he lost family relationships. he lost his job. he lost girlfriends. he lost everyone he knew until that day that he came to the capitol. he stood on the steps of the capitol waiting for the storm, this prophesied day, where all the evildoers will be rounded up and had a come to jesus moment, i'm seeing people in maga hats beat police officers, radicalized people that were just at the park like normal folks. he didn't want to be associated with that. he went home. he had a loving family, which you talked about. how do we talk to our family members who are into this stuff? he had a loving family waiting to do an intervention. and for a year he went to therapy and started to do radicalizing himself. it took a long time. that's the process we're going to have. have a come to jesus moment where you realize what these moments are, a loving support system to come back to and do the work. >> it got real for him that day. it wasn't an online fantasy for three years. what is it about him and others who, as you say, had a relatively normal life, a successful career, why was he so susceptible to this? why did he lose a girlfriend and say i'm going to choose this over my girlfriend? what was it about him and others that opens them up to this kind of manipulation? >> so it's different for every person, right? i know a little old lady who owns a mitten store in michigan. for her this is a religion. this is all about jesus and good versus evil. for justin this was about an online game almost. he did the puzzles. there's a very gamey aspect to this where this purported q person behind qanon released these sort of puzzles. you guessed the clues and could see how the conspiracy theory was going to play out in real life this is what drew him to it. it really does change for each person. yoga moms in new mexico are latching on to qanon because they think they're saving the children, something we talked about. it has something for everyone, it's an umbrella conspiracy theory movement. though q hasn't posted in a year, though trump is no longer president, the conspiracy theory is very much alive. >> so how does he grapple with the consequences of this journey? so it's a moment to have a moment of revelation, you have the psychology of the mob, you can get caught up in it and the like, and you can go home and have your moment and people love you, but there are consequences that follow from all of the things you've been doing over the course of that journey. how is he grappling with the consequences? >> well, he's in therapy. i can say that. i think he's sort of doing the work in that way. i was supposed to report the story months and months ago, and i don't think he was ready to sort of come out as he has with it. he knew he had contributed to a thing that was negative, that was not a positive thing in this world, and he feels truly, truly bad about that and you can see someone who feels bad about what they contributed to. and so six months later i'm not ready to really see in the public what i've done, still talking to him briefly because he's my neighbor and we keep in touch and i am an investigative reporter. so six months later, he's sort of ready. i think that is instructive. when you're willing to say not only i've made a mistake but i've made a mistake and how can i rectify it? and i think -- i've been getting hundreds of emails from people saying my sister, this reminds mean of my sister, this reminds mean of my son. i think that is how you grapple with the mistakes you've made. >> you see it in the video, on the capitol steps that hits him. >> he videoed the whole thing. he's very open with me, shared all of his videos, texts with family and friends over the last year. and as i was watching his video footage of the capitol, he did go over the first barricade. he was at the steps of the capitol. but as the violence started and as violent mobsters started attacking the police line, you can see him sort of inch away. that for me was another symbol of you could see it happen in real time. >> he said to brandy i felt like i had been kidnapped, taken for a wild ride that was a lot of fun and dumped back on the street figuring out where did i go? what just happened? senior reporter at nbc news brandy zadrovny. great to see you. the high-stakes meeting in geneva between top diplomats from the united states and russia. the secretary of state taking questions right now. we will have the very latest. plus, the select committee on january 6 wants to talk to ivanka trump. we're learning more about what she reportedly saw in the oval office that day. we'll be right back. e oval office that day. we'll be right back. from the beginning, newday has been the mortgage company for enlisted veterans, helping thousands buy a home, get cash, or lower their mortgage payments. we start by asking one simple question: how can we help that veteran? with more ways to help more veterans, no bank, no lender, no one knows veterans like newday usa. well, would you look at that? jerry, you gotta see this. seen it. trust me, after 15 walks... gets a little old. i really should be retired by now. wish i'd invested when i had the chance... to the moon! ugh. unbelievable. i booked our hotel on kayak. it's flexible if we need to cancel. cancel. i haven't left the house in years. nothing will stop me from vacation. no canceling. (laughs) flexible cancellation. kayak. search one and done. i've been absolutely clear with president putin. he has no misunderstanding if any, any, assembled units move across the ukrainian border. that is an invasion. but it will be met with severe and coordinated economic response. let there be no doubt at all that if putin makes this choice, russia will pay a heavy price. >> that's president joe biden yesterday doing some cleanup work clarifying his comments from wednesday's news conference about what he called a minor incursion insisting any russian troop movement inside ukraine would be krpd an invasion. this morning we've been following that high-stakes meeting between secretary of state antony blinken and sergey lavrov as a potential invasion into ukraine. speaking just moments ago secretary of state blinken said there were no breakthroughs in those talks today but added the united states and russia are on what he called a clearer path to understanding each other's concerns. elise jordan is still with us. president of the council on foreign relations richard haass and former deputy security adviser to president obama ben rhodes, an msnbc contributor. so far this morning, richard, what do you make of what you've heard from the two men? they have had the meeting, have given their addresses. lavrov said the united states will give us a written point-by-point reply to our demands. what do you make of it so far? >> there's zero chance. soap the real question is what does mr. putin, not mr. lavrov, he never shows more flexibility, what is putin prepared to accept? the president said an interesting thing today. putin needs something. can he find that something diplomatically in europe? does he decide to do something in the western hemisphere to create a parallelism? you've created threats to me. i'm going to create some threats to you in venezuela or cuba, nicaragua or something like that. that's the real question f. he wants to climb down, if he wants to off ramp, it's there. the real question is whether he wants it or whether for reasons of his legacy and psychology he is using diplomacy as a pretext rather than purposefully, and that's what we will find out. >> richard, that's really the question. there's a split and it seems like a good number of people believe this is ideologically driven. he wants to stitch back together the old soviet union as his lasting legacy. others just think he wants to get something out of this deal. where are you? >> i am more the former. putin has no legacy when it comes to russian society. the economy this is a one-dimensional economy, it's energy. the society is terrible. demography is sinking. the real deaths are probably five or ten times larger than the official death counts because of covid. he's a disaster internally. his only chance for a positive legacy is something abroad, to stitch back together something of the old soviet union, the old soviet empire. i actually think he's serious about it and given the biden administration, given afghanistan, our divisions, he believes the time is right for him to be more, not less, aggressive. so i worry that he is thinking that way, that any price he will be asked to pay will be more than offset by what he perceived as the benefits. >> ben, elise jordan here. if i had to bet, it seems very likely that russia is going to go to war on the border in ukraine. what do you think the biden administration can do given that there's not much the americans will have an appetite to do, and his comments this week were probably pretty honest saying the u.s. probably wouldn't do all that much? have we over promised to the ukrainians? >> i think you look at what's available to the u.s. in thames of response, we can provide military assistance to ukraine, but the reality is even if the united states and nato is providing defensive weapons to the ukrainians, that's not going to -- the kind of -- that we've seen where you have over 100,000 russian troops essentially encircling ukraine. then the question really becomes can we impose enough economic costs in russia through sanctions? and that's -- they're talking about cutting russia off essentially from the financial system potentially, about denying russia the capacity to import the technologies necessary for key sectors of their economy, really consequential things. i think what was so challenging out of the press conference, though, is for those sanctions to work, europe has to be fully onboard. and europe takes a bigger economic hit from the imposition of those sanctions. and what biden may be hearing from the europeans is, well, if the russians kind of move further into the parts of eastern ukraine where they've already been present or there's just a further encroachment and cyber attacks, maybe we won't cancel that pipeline into germany. maybe we won't be willing to take a huge hit to our energy sectors by imposing those sanctions, whereas if there's a full invasion and a war like we haven't seen in decades europe will be united. it felt like that's what was revealed is work still needs to be done to project that united front, because the biggest cost we can impose on russia are economic, and to date, that does not seem to have deterred them. >> ben, we heard from president biden at that press conference, too, where he effectively conceded that in some way putin is going to go in and he has to do something. is that your assessment of where we are, too? is this a foregone conclusion? >> i mean, that's certainly what it appears to be. the challenge, say in 2014 when they moved into eastern ukraine with these forces providing support, russian-backed separatists there, there was this question would he go further in ukraine, and negotiations started to be about things inside of ukraine. could there be rights and autonomy for certain regions with large russian seeking populations. and that was able to be channelled into a diplomatic process. what they are arguing for now and demanding is responses in writing are whether the united states basically just agrees to pull back nato from eastern europe, to pull nuclear weapons out of europe, foundational aspect of how things operate in european security, whether countries have the right not just to join nato but in ukraine's case whether they have the right to even be a democracy, things the united states cannot trade away at the negotiating table. the combination of the inflexibility of the russian position with that build-up that is far beyond anything we've ever seen before in ukraine context suggests putin will do something. it doesn't matter even though there need to be consequences in any case, of course, an effort to con concern ukraine with a grab putin will do for annexation of territory. all those things are terrible, are invasions, are an assault on democracy and putin is the only one who knows how far he's willing to go. >> thank you for being here. richard, if he invades this is putin's third invasion of a european country since 2008. it sends a horrible message to people who consider them sechls themselves to our allies. what do we do? >> putin wakes up every morning and not only wants to undo the past but hates the, quote, unquote, liberal world order. and his use of force in europe, as you say now, georgia, ukraine and so forth, you see if he uses force in syria, he wants to break out of that. this is his assertion of russian greatness. >> the only way is if we allow him to break out of that. that's just the reality. he went into georgia when bush was exhausted. he went in in '14 -- the calculation always is the americans don't have the nerve to stand up to me, so i can do whatever i want to do. at what point does an american president let him know if you go into ukraine, you need to think back to what happened to syria when your 300 russians assaulted an outpost. we are terrible occupiers, but we can help a country make short order of other people who are occupiers. >> that's what we would do in the porcupine defense, the way we gave stingers to afghanistan when the soviets went in. you would have some sense of that playbook. >> would we do that? >> yes. >> should we? >> yes. we can't stop russia from taking ukraine if it wants to. they can conquer ukraine, quote, unquote. we can raise the cost of occupation. >> like we conquered iraq. >> can we raise the cost of occupation? absolutely. you would have decentralized insurgent bands or groups. as the soviets learned in afghanistan against the taliban and against the other groups, that would be extraordinarily difficult. we don't want u.s. forces to get in there directly. that's geography, a military risk of doing that. so the russians have not challenged nato, if you think about it. they're very careful. we have to strengthen nato. nato can't just be a verbal commitment. nato has to be an actual -- we have to make sure our capabilities meet our commitments. ukraine is in the gray area where we don't have formal commitments but we have other commitments. and what we've got to do rather than directly doing things ourselves, can we raise the cost to the russians? the problem is, and you just talked about it, we can't really raise some of the economic costs. the europeans won't be there with us. they weren't there often with us during the cold war against the soviets, particularly this new german government. they're not going to be strong. >> see, that's the thing. it's more in europe's interest to push back russia. why do we have to be at the forefront? why aren't the europeans going to step up if it's something necessary to do? is our attention not better placed on asia? >> the answer is it can't be either/or. in the history of the united states, in the european theater, there are limits to what the europeans are willing and able. the whole idea was to lock the united states ongoing into the maintenance of a balance of power and security in europe not just as a favor for the europeans but for us. that was the lesson of 20th century. what happens in europe doesn't stay there. the europeans, though, are not self-sufficient. they're too divided. what we're seeing now are european divisions are even greater. putting economics first puts them in the way of seriously thinking of their security particularly in germany. >> west germany was one of our closest allies through the cold war. germans have been great allies for the most part. what do we say to them? they are not shoulder to shoulder. they are deeply disappointed where the germans are right now and, of course, this is after biden sort of gave them a tip of the hat on the pipeline when he knew it was going to hurt him. look what the germans are doing. >> we can't pressure them or give ultimatums. it's in our interest to work with them. what we try to do is work out an arrangement if the russians go at this level of aggression. if they go at lesser levels, what the president called a smaller incursion, here are other things we will do. it's imperfect this is a relationship we're not on the same page. we're not going to get on the same page. germans made a strategic error. they phased out their nuclear program. it was bad in terms of climate change and they decreased their dependence on russian natural gas. it's the biggest stain on chancellor merkel's legacy from climate and what we're now seeing are the fruits of that is that germany is essentially not, it isn't shoulder to shoulder. we're not on the same page on how to deal with russia and what this crisis just highlights that. and there's limits to our persuasion. what's the or else? we still have to work with them as best we can, find other partners in europe, other ways of penalizing the russians. it's imperfect. >> not a ton has come out of that discussion between lavrov and blinken to push this further. let's turn to former president donald trump facing pressure on two fronts on his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election n. georgia a top prosecutor is requesting a special grand jury to aid her investigation into possible election interference by trump and his allies and on capitol hill the january 6 committee is inviting his daughter ivanka trump to give voluntary testimony about her communication with her father during the attack on the capitol. nbc news senior washington correspondent hallie jackson has details. >> reporter: the january 6 committee spotlighting not the former president but a different trump this morning, his daughter, ivanka, asking she share specifics about her communications with her father and white house staff as the insurrection was happening. >> we have directed testimony she went in twice, maybe more, to her father. i believe she was alone with him to ask him to calm off the violence. >> reporter: lawmakers want to know more about conversations between trump and mike pence to stop the electoral votes, whether he ordered the national guard to respond to the riots, and his activities after the attack on the capitol. so far ivanka trump, who held a role as a senior adviser, has not been subpoenaed. and in a statement a spokesperson saying she just learned of the letter from the committee adding she did not speak at the january 6 rally and said the violence must stop immediately. it comes as the former president himself faces legalpressure on a different front. a grand jury to bolster the investigation into possible election interference by the former president and his a.m. allies. she's investigating any coordinating attempts to unlawfully alter the outcome of the 2020 election but says some witnesses have been uncooperative. on the receiving end of the infamous phone call when he pushed to overturn the legitimate election results. >> i just want to find 11,780 votes because we won. >> reporter: president biden won georgia but trump says his call was perfect, repeating, again, his election fraud lies. >> perfect. let's bring in right now "new york times" reporter and msnbc national security analyst michael schmidt. give us the latest. >> here we are a year out and his range of things you were laying out, the two investigations in new york state looking at the trump family businesses and forced to defend himself on alm of these. the most attention from the media the committee has put out seemingly every week for the past several months these subpoenas closest to the president. in this case ivanka trump. they have gone for rudy giuliani, the other lawyers advising trump, those people who were counseling him in that period of time. the stated goal is to develop the most authoritative account of what happens in the leadup to and during the election. ivanka trump could help the committee in understanding what was going on that day. why did it take so long for the national guard to respond? why did it take so long for trump to respond? was the insurrection so successful, delayed the certification and set off the chaos it had done? that is a very important sort of black hole around what happened that day. but to really get inside the room is what the committee is trying to do, what is happening in the oval office in that small annex off the oval office as the attack is going on january 6th. >> the time line that's going to come out of all of this will be devastating, willie. i'm hearing from the groucho marks desk, word of the day, michael schmidt said it. he wins. diaspra. >> that is a winning word. >> they rejected executive privilege in this case for donald trump. what are the implications of that? what specifically now will the committee have access to that it wouldn't had the supreme court ruled a different way? >> so there's a list of documents that has come out in the litigation here that sort of lays out all the different types of things that the committee could learn. and these are documents that include handwritten notes, drafts of declarations that the white house may have been putting together, drafts of speeches and statements, internal logs of who was meeting with who, who was doing what, to give the internal picture inside of the white house of what was going on. email messages, other messages -- phone records, that sort of thing. those could be very important documents to showing the anatomy of the white house's operation that day. the one thing that i've often sort of cautioned in talking to folks about those documents is that assumes this white house was operating in sort of a normal way, in a way that they were taking a lot of notes and they were sort of keeping track of things. this was not a typical white house in that sense this is certainly not a typical day. so i sometimes wonder how helpful those documents will be because this was not a white house that operated in a normal fashion. the president did not have a schedule on most days in the way a normal white house would. the president would saunter down to the oval office between 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning and sort of begin talking and begin his day. so what has happened in this legal standoff is trump was trying to stop these documents from going to the committee. there was a hope his appoint yep appointees would come to his defense. they did not do that. the president has lost. the documents will now go to the committee and the question will be two things. what does the committee do with the documents? do they hold on to them and use them as investigative leads and then maybe publish parts of them as they put out a report, or does the committee release sections of the documents in the coming days? so that's what we're waiting on. >> all right, michael schmidt, thank you so much for your reporting. appreciate it as always. enjoy the rice-a-roni. said this was not the normal white house. understatement on "morning joe." we were talking about football games this weekend, and you also -- you're going heavy on the bills. >> yes, josh allen the other night played, i thought, one of the greatest games. more touchdown passes -- >> hold on one second. and now the overstep. go ahead. >> his quarterback rating was less than one point below perfect, 157, 158 or something. more touchdown passes than incompletions. the decision making, it was as good as you see. it was like watching federer or tiger woods, any of these guys totally in the zone playing at a level of excellence. it was a treat to watch. you rarely see athletes perform that consistently for an entire game. it was a real treat. >> i don't know if i've seen a guy flick a ball 60 yards more effortlessly than josh allen. at 6'5", 240, or whatever it is, to be elusive in the open field and run for a first down. >> it was not an overstatement. one of the greatest. >> he's somewhere out in the diaspora. >> there you go. >> so, richard haass, you're also our golf correspondent -- >> yes, sir. >> you told us we had to make -- it was a condition. how are we looking? when does the golf season start up. >> it's already started. we've had a couple -- >> i saw tiger and his son. >> it was nice. >> i saw john daly and his son. that was cool. >> they won. >> they won? >> they won. it shows how important conditioning is in golf. >> john can still bomb it out there. >> one of the many things he can do. his training regime is something you model. >> a couple months away from the masters? in april? >> in the spring. >> who are we looking at? >> i don't know. hideki, justin. i don't know. you reach a point in golf there's 20 people -- >> he's just making up names. >> throwing out first names. >> an entire script before he comes on. he's doing golf, in wembley in 1987, by god, they were drunk, they were stoned but what a party it was. that's what you're supposed to do. >> it's not going to be tiger. it's not going to be rory. golf has reached a point every tournament you have 20 guys who could win a tournament. it's an interesting example of evenness of extraordinary talent. >> is that okay? >> what do you think? >> look for bob and roger and tim and some other guys who might win. >> my buddies. >> the interesting thing about tiger and his son, for all the talk of the end of the tiger era, that tournament, which was just a pro-am basically, him playing with his son, was higher rated than every tournament beep sides the majors, besides the masters. tiger woods is still the center of golf. >> he's the guy. >> and what happens without him, once he does leave the game. >> well, i think bob, tim, and roger -- >> you forgot phil. >> don't forget rickie. >> really, we've grown up with tiger. it really is something. that was beautiful seeing him and his son going, after the car crash, after worrying he wasn't going to be able to walk again. this is a guy that, you know, didn't have a normal childhood. golf club put in his hands when he was very young. had a pretty rough run early on. really nice seeing him with his son. that was a beautiful moment. >> it's almost impossible to deliver on the hype tiger woods did, lebron james has, living up to these impossible standards set for them. professionally they have lived up to all of it. >> and now, richard haass, "morning joe" golf course -- >> has some work to do. watch out for charlie woods in the future. that kid can play the game. richard, please clean up your act for your next appearance as our golf analyst. still ahead, peloton made a ton of money at the start of the pandemic. now the company is pushing back against new reports it is shutting down production for a time. we'll explain. plus, a look at the six decade career of singer and actor meat loaf who died at the age of 74. you're watching "morning joe." 4 you're watching "morning joe." this is the new world of work. each day looks different than the last. but whatever work becomes, the servicenow platform will make it just, flow. whether it's finding new ways to help you serve your customers, orchestrating a safe return to the office... wait. an office? what's an office? ...or solving a workplace challenge that's yet to come. wherever the new world of work takes your business, the world works with servicenow. [ chantell ] when my teeth started to deteriorate, i stopped hanging out socially. it was a easy decision -- clearchoice. [ awada ] the health of our teeth plays a significant role in our overall health. chantell was suffering, and we had to put an end to that. the absolute best way to do that was through dental implants. [ chantell ] clearchoice dental implants changed everything. my digestive health is much better now. i feel more energetic. the person that i've always been has shown up to the party again. medusa lived with a hideous curse. uhh, i mean the whole turning people to stone thing was a bit of a buzz kill, right? so she ordered sunglasses with prime, one day delivery. ♪♪ clever girl. people realized she's actually hilarious once you get to know her. eugh. as if. ♪♪ well, he was asking for it. prime changes everything. biden: this is the challenge of our collective lifetime. and every day we delay, the cost of inaction increases. we have the ability to invest in ourselves and build an equitable, clean energy future, and in the process, create millions of good-paying jobs and opportunities around the world. there's no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves. so let this be the moment that we answer history's call. millions of americans are waking up to bitter cold temperatures this morning. in upstate new york it feels like negative 30 degrees. so what is in store for the coming weekend? >> reporter: it's an arctic blast from north to south, slamming millions of people with the cold, bitter cold. cold enough to partially freeze the water fall on this billboard. >> i have my boots, my scarf, hat, everything. >> reporter: digging out of snow once again and another day of slippery commutes. areas through eastern virginia brace for dangerous ice. and the carolinas officials warning of sweeping power outages ahead of a rare ice storm. >> it will be so cold friday and saturday night. we are concerned about maybe some families who can't stay warm and we need people to check on their friends and neighbors. >> reporter: even strangers to winter weather won't go unscathed. >> we'll try to find any ice and take care of it, mark it as soon as we can. but you might be the motorist who discovers it first. >> reporter: as millions gear up to brave the chill, reminders that winter weather can quickly turn life threatening. across north texas 11 house fires as temperatures plunged. >> i can't believe someone would try to cross the ice. >> reporter: and in new york, a high-risk rescue. firefighters saving two kids who fell through ice in queens. >> you don't know the thickness of the ice, do not go on the ice. >> coming up next, remembering a rock 'n' roll icon, meat loaf, died at the age of 74. we'll talk about his epic career next. his epic career his epic career next i always wanted to know more about my grandfather. he...was a hardworking man who came to new york from puerto rico when he was 17. with ancestry, being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together... ...it's amazing. it's honestly amazing. need your prescription refilled? capsule pharmacy can fill and hand deliver your medications being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together... - the same day - for free. go to capsule.com to get started. we handle your insurance, coordinate with your doctor, and text you when your medication is ready. all you have to do is schedule delivery. we bring your medication directly from our pharmacy, straight to your doorstep. get your prescriptions filled and delivered today - for free. go to capsule.com and get started in 15 seconds. ♪ ♪making your way in the world today♪ ♪takes everything you've got♪ ♪ ♪taking a break from all your worries ♪ ♪sure would help a lot ♪ ♪wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go ♪ ♪where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪and they're always glad you came ♪ this is a gamechanger, who dares to be fearless even when her bladder leaks. our softest, smoothest fabric keeping her comfortable, protected, and undeniably sleek. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. ♪ baby got back by sir mix-a-lot ♪ unlimited cashback match... depend. only from discover. welcome back. from "bat out of hell" to fight club, singer and actor meat loaf remembered for a career that spanned six decades. nbc has more. ♪ i would do anything for love but i won't do that ♪ >> reporter: this morning love for the legendary rocker meat loaf who died thursday at the age of 74. the singer behind the iconic album "bat out of hell," one of the best-selling albums of all time, and decades of movie roles. his death was announced on his official facebook page. our hearts are broken, the statement read in part. the musician's wife deborah, daughters pearl and amanda, and close friends were by his side in his final 24 hours. a cause of death was not given. born marvin lee aday in dallas he had a career spanning six decades, selling more than 100 million albums worldwide. his 1977 debut album "bat out of hell" including "paradise by the dashboard light." ♪ i can see paradise by the dashboard light ♪ >> reporter: sparking a devoted fan base. he appeared in the stage and screen version of the cult classic "the rocky horror picture show." ♪♪ >> reporter: in the 1990s he had a career resurgence with his hit "anything for love." and in movies including "wayne's world," "spice world" and "fight club." >> my name is bob. >> reporter: even stopping by "today" thrilling fans with performances and witnessing a dramatic reading from hoda and kathie lee. always a sense of humor in rock 'n' roll, the beloved rocker will be missed. >> glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife. here is yours. >> i'm speechless. >> reporter: his family asking for patience and privacy writing "we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man from his heart to your souls, don't ever stop rocking." >> nbc's chanel jones reporting. coming up, a difficult few months for peloton. now the company is pushing back on reports it is shutting down some of its production lines amid dwindling demands. ap amid dwindling demands with age comes more... get more with neutrogena® retinol pro plus. a powerful .05% retinol that's also gentle on skin. for wrinkles results in one week. neutrogena®. for people with skin. with my hectic life you'd think retirement would be the last thing on my mind. hey mom, can i go play video games? sure, after homework. thankfully, voya provides comprehensive solutions and shows me how to get the most out of my workplace benefits. what's the wifi password again? here...you...go. cool. thanks. no problem. voya helps me feel like i've got it all under control. because i do. oh she is good. voya. well planned. well invested. well protected. peloton may be making changes as demand wanes for bikes and treadmills. recent challenges facing the company. nbc's blayne alexander has more. you all look good. >> reporter: this morning workout giant peloton is facing an uphill climb, one of a few brands americans turned to in the early days of the pandemic that is now facing head winds. according to internal documents obtained by cnbc the company has faced a reduction around the world thanks to increased competition and shoppers wanting to pay less. the company is pushing back on reports that it intends to temporarily halt production of the popular workout equipment. in a memo to employees ceo and co-founder says those reports are based on leaks of confidential information which he criticized as incomplete, out of context and not reflective of peloton's strategy. adding the rumors that we are halting all production of bikes and treads are false but acknowledged peloton is resetting production levels for sustainable growth and will review our cost structure to ensure we set ourselves up for continued success. >> anyone who wanted a peloton bike has now had the opportunity to buy a peloton bike. >> reporter: it comes as another service that offered relief to those stuck at home, netflix, is seeing its stock drop overnight after predicting slower growth forecasting an added 2.5 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2022 down from the almost 4 million added during the same time last year. the company noted covid pressures and fierce streaming competition, but touted its big hits this year with more high-profile releases to come. peloton, a fan favorite, even precovid climbed to instant fame and millions of subscribers during the pandemic. >> let's go. >> reporter: peloton is facing increased competition as more people race back to the gym. the company has already weathered its share of bumps in the road. last year the company recalled the tread plus after dozens of reports of injuries to children and one death. this 2019 commercial was criticized as sexist. >> a peloton? >> reporter: and recently the bike became the instant antagonist of "the sex and the city" reboot when mr. big suffered a heart attack moments after finishing a ride. peloton later responded with an ad which it pulled after accusations of sexual assault surfaced against the actor which he has denied. now the company is shifting gears again amid questions about the road ahead. >> nbc's blayne alexander reporting. coming up, a look behind the scenes at broadway's comeback from the pandemic. that's next on "morning joe." p. that's next on "morning joe. find your rhythm. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. how bout sushi? i just had sushi for lunch yesterday. indian? ehh, maybe... how bout seafood? you know i don't like seafood. [collision beeping warning] [silence] how bout tacos? tacos. automatic emergency braking — one of six advanced safety features standard on every 2022 chevy equinox. find new technology. find new roads. chevrolet. ♪ limu emu and doug.♪ and it's easy to customize your insurance at libertymutual.com so you only pay for what you need. isn't that right limu? limu? limu? 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♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ this is the new world of work. each day looks different than the last. but whatever work becomes, the servicenow platform will make it just, flow. whether it's finding new ways to help you serve your customers, orchestrating a safe return to the office... wait. an office? what's an office? ...or solving a workplace challenge that's yet to come. wherever the new world of work takes your business, the world works with servicenow. rockefeller center on a friday morning. tonight adele was scheduled to play her first of 24 concerts highly anticipated kind of a come back at the coliseum at caesar's palace in las vegas, but just 24 hours before opening night adele announced on twitter she will postpone that residency, largely because of covid. >> i'm really sorry. we're going to reschedule all of the dates, we are on it right now. and i'm going to finish my show and i'm going to get it to where it's supposed to be. i'm so -- i'm so sorry, it's been impossible. we've been up against so much and it just isn't ready. i'm really sorry. i'm sorry. >> so no shows for now. she says they will be rescheduled, though, if you had tickets to see adele in vegas. vegas not the only city dealing with the entertainment effects of the omicron variant. in new york nine broadway shows have closed or announced a hiatus as a result of the latest surge of covid-19. this comes just months after live theater first returned to manhattan after being shuttered during the height of the pandemic. a new documentary takes a behind the scenes look at just what it took to reopen broadway. >> it was the most incredible thing to come into the first day of rehearsal and feel that energy that we've all been aching and hungry for, to feel for so long. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> and there's nothing you can really do to really just -- to prepare you for that intensity that is the theater. what we put our bodies through eight times a week. take for granted how fierce we were before the pandemic and what it takes to get back to that fierceness. i'm like, it's taken a lot longer than i expected. broadway is hard, y'all. broadway is hard. >> the new pbs film titled "reopening the broadway revival" is part of the network's long running great performances series. the host of that documentary frank dalella also the host of "on stage" on spectrum news new york 1. it's great to see. >> you good to see all of you this morning. >> we want to dig into the documentary but first let's talk about the state of broadway. it feels like every time i'm on my phone i see another show closing, you're saying there are good shows, by the way, that have had to close, a bunch more in the pipeline. the state of broadway actually is pretty good. >> for every show that we see posting closing notice and, remember, january and february are hard months for broadway, you know, it's after the holidays, the weather is always tricky in new york city and, yes, we've seen some shows close, but i smoke to a veteran producer yesterday, ken davenport and he said he is hearing there are shows in the pipeline ready to open on broadway. that is a very good sign. >> it's been tricky just to stay open. there was that viral clip of hue hue jackman saying these are the people being thrust into lead roles. speaking to the documentary, what's it taken to bring it back and to keep it on its feet? >> on march 12 of 2020 broadway shut down overnight, it was the first industry to close, the last industry to come back. 100,000 people out of work overnight. so this documentary shows what it took to get, you know, these folks back into the rehearsal room, back into the theater. very emotional moments that we captured in this documentary and i'm very happy with -- with the product and what you will see tonight on pbs. >> for every lin-manuel miranda there are thousands of people who make their livelihoods from broadway, taking tickets, concessions, hanging lights, the scope of this industry is massive. >> yeah, i mean, just think about what broadway done. in the documentary we talk about broadway brings in more money than all the new york city sports teams combined. >> wow. >> and then what that fuels. it fuels restaurants, shops, hotels, parking garages. without broadway and the heartbeat of new york city new york city is in trouble. i'm happy to report right now broadway is open, broadway is not closing, in fact, that hashtag is happening, broadway is open, so go and see a broadway show. >> we think about athletes in terms of the olympics and possibly missing being able to to go to this event that they've trained for their entire lives. that's really what happened, though, to so many of these artists on broadway because they've reached the pinnacle of their career and then it just all shut down. so it must have been so emotional and i guess that's what you capture in this film. >> absolutely. one of our principal characters is adrian warren who won the tony award for creating the role of tina turner in the tina turner musical. early on in the documentary we see her, you know, on this ride about to get to the tonys, about to hit award season and then everything shut down. she breaks down in the documentary. i mean, right before the pandemic she was injuring herself during the show, but still pushing forward and finally in the film, you know, she wins the tony. she has these, you know, huge chapters for her ride with tina and, yes, they're athletes. all these folks are athletes. >> it's such an intimate medium, everybody is there, you are on top of -- it's understandable why they are the first -- were the first to go out and sort of the last to come back, but omicron is almost over. do you get a sense of excitement, optimism that, hey, we just may be getting through this? >> i am happy to report, joe, last week every single show playing on broadway played without cancellations and the same thing happened this past week. so that is a very good sign for broadway. >> and the numbers are going down pretty dramatically in new york, right? >> yes. i went back to company which is one of my favorite shows right now playing on broadway on saturday, took my mom to the matinee and it was a packed house. so, again, a very good sign. >> really quickly, we have a lot of people that go to the theater that watch this show. what's your recommendation? >> "company." and give off broadway some love "little shop of horrors" is a great show. >> frank, thanks for being with us. willie, this weekend jack is really excited, you know our routine. i told you every time. >> yeah. >> what's happening on sunday today. >> you push to the later service, you go to 10:00 now instead of 8:00. >> we do, because jack has to -- papa, papa. >> comes down in his britches, he's holding a balloon. >> yes. it doesn't really work when he's 6'3". >> so jack will be happy to hear that this weekend my guess is two-time award winner mahershala ali. he is likely to be nominated for "swan song" on apple tv plus. phenomenal piece of acting where he acts across from himself, a man who is terminally ill acting across from his medical clone. also just a fan fantastic story, his life showing up in the bay area, a d-1 basketball player. so smart, so fun to talk to. mahershala ali sunday on today's. thank you for being with us and as always, especially today, thank you for your patience. chris jansing picks up the coverage right now. ♪♪ hello there, i'm chris jansing in for stephanie ruhle, it is friday, january 21st and we start with the breaking news, u.s. secretary of state antony blinken meeting with his russian counterpart sergey lavrov for about 90 minutes in geneva just a short time ago. the meeting comes as russia continues a military buildup on the border with ukraine and the stakes couldn't be higher. the u.s. says the threat of conflict between the two countries is very real, very dangerous and potentially imminent. this morning secretary blinken stresses the united states' commitment to diplomacy but also prepared for a, quote, united, swift and severe response if russia commits aggression against ukraine. >> the discussion today with mr. lavrov was frank and substantive. i conveyed the position of the united states and our european allies and partners that we stand firmly with ukraine in support of its sovereignty and