that would have directed the defense secretary to seize voting machines and calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the 2020 election. the executive order, whose author is unknown, is dated december 16th, 2020. that's more than two weeks after trump's attorney general william barr said the justice department had found no evidence of election fraud. politico also says the draft order would have given the defense secretary 60 days to write an assessment of the 2020 election. now, think of those dates. that suggests that it could have been a gambit to keep trump in office until at least mid-february of 2021. nbc news has not yet reviewed these documents. earlier on this network the trump official who ran the department that called the 2020 election the most secure in american history had this reaction to politico's report about the draft order. >> it is actually a clear violation of the act which means the department of defense cannot use federal troops for domestic law enforcement. by asking dod to seize these machines is a clear violation of the law. so it's pretty crazy. now, all that said, had it cleared the process and been signed out by the president, because we know the process didn't always work at the tail end of the last administration, i assume it would have been immediately, you know, several states including michigan, which was likely a target of the lawsuit would have immediately sought an injunction. maybe the president may have actually seen his day at the supreme court. it's such an incredible read. it truly reads to me almost like an op-ed in news max or the gateway pundit or something like that. >> on january 6th, one january 6th committee member says the report shows the effort to overturn the election went far beyond the violence at the capitol. >> it indicates that there was one more line of possible attack, which was something like a military coup that was being planned before january 6th. there were a lot of different efforts undertaken and we may indeed find there were others even beyond this attempted direct seizure of the ballot boxes. there was clearly an inside coup being orchestrated by the entourage around donald trump to overthrow joe biden's majority in the electoral college to falsely deny him his presidential victory and to seize the presidency for donald trump for another four years. >> politico also reports that the january 6th committee is looking at weather the trump white house and campaign were involved in efforts by state republicans to send congress alternative slates of 2020 presidential electors. prosecutors say a man made threats on craigslist. the threats came just days after trump tried to pressure georgia secretary of state brad raffensperger into overturning election results. and this all comes amid an attempt on capitol hill to avoid a repeat of what happened after the 2020 election. with the democrats package of voting reforms now dead, republican senator susan collins is now leading a bipartisan effort to overhaul the electoral count act governing how congress counts and certifies presidential election results. the reforms could include protections against threats for election workers. tonight the biden administration is dealing with escalating tension on ukraine's eastern border with russia. president biden will spend the weekend at camp david with his national security team. the u.s. has been trying to prevent a russian invasion of ukraine. russia has denied that it's planning to invade its neighbor, which is only unusual because the kremlin has positioned some 100,000 troops on russia's border with ukraine. the latest attempt at diplomacy came today when secretary of state antony blinken met with the russian foreign minister, sergey lavrov, in geneva. blinken repeated the white house's warning that any russian military action would have consequences. >> we've been clear. if any russian military forces move across ukraine's border, that's a renewed invasion. it will be met with swift, severe, and a united response from the united states and our partners and allies. i stressed again to minister lavrov that on the security concerns that russia raised in recent weeks, the united states and our european allies and partners are prepared to pursue possible means of addressing them in a spirit of reciprocity, which means, simply put, that russia must also address our concerns. on the domestic policy front a federal judge in texas has blocked biden's vaccine requirement for federal workers, which has been in place since november. the white house says 95% of federal workers were already in compliance, and the cdc says that covid booster shots are keeping people out of hospitals. the agency says the extra doses are 90% effective at preventing hospitalization with the omicron variant. with that, let's bring in our lead-off guests on this friday night. contour sube main yum, white house correspondent for "usa today," cynthia alksne, civil rights division of the justice department, and retired four-star united states army general barry mccaffrey a decorated combat veteran, of vietnam and a former battlefield commander in the persian gulf. he's a former cabinet member and a former member of the national security council. good evening to all of you on this important news night. cynthia, you are a veteran of the u.s. justice department. as you look at this unsigned executive action that politico is reporting on that is part of those 700 documents that donald trump wanted to keep the public and the january 6th committee from seeing, what goes across your mind? >> what goes across my mind is we need to know who wrote it, who agreed with it, we need to know who had the classified information to put those executive orders in. we need to know where it was hidden. we need to know who wanted to hide it from the committee and who showed it to trump and what the discussions were. it's just incomprehensible that anybody would try to do this in the united states of america. not only is it just un-american and bordering on treasonous in my opinion, but it's a violation. there's an interesting history to that. the posse come titus came about after general grant was president and used federal troops to protect the rights of black americans after the war. in order for the next guy to win the nomination to become president, hayes, he agreed to pull the troops and reconstruction was over. that's where posse come tatis came from. in any event, using defense department to conceal and take the election information and the voting booth information is a violation of posse come tatis. it would never be allowed at the defense department, much less approved by the justice department. >> general mccaffrey, i want to talk to you about ukraine in just a moment and the tensions on the russian border there. but let's carry this on for a while. the whole idea of crossing the rubicon was the idea that a roman general couldn't enter rome ahead of the column of troops. every member of the military in this country knows that. how could this have possibly, as cynthia said, have gotten to this level that an executive order was drafted? >> we had a lawless regime in the white house, quite clearly. at the end of the day, what we were seeing in real time in public was a coup against the united states government. we had an acting attorney general, acting department of homeland security secretary, trump sent a retired lieutenant colonel white house functionnary over to be the acting secretary of defense along with four other incredibly uncertain lads who took over the policy director of the department of defense. you know, it's only two people who can give orders to u.s. arm forces, not the chairman general milley, but the secretary of defense and the president's commander in chief. that was what trump was up to. he was on the verge of trying to take over our government, and i think he get such pushback from some high-integrity, lawful people, not just in congress and the federal court system, but also throughout the department of defense, the fbi, and other agencies. but we were in great danger. >> many of us did not have any idea. we knew something bad was afoot, but we didn't know it was that. courtney, it was the supreme court that released those documents, who ordered the release of the documents in a decision in which they said donald trump doesn't have the ability to prevent them. but really it was the white house that paved the way for those documents to be released. >> yeah. you know, trump had a legal battle over the release of these documents, and that was aimed at the national archives and records. but as you said, he did this after the biden administration denied his request for executive privilege to protect these records from the january 6th committee. and the main issue the white house counsel faced was the scope of presidential authority and executive privilege after a president leaves office, and that's an issue that just hadn't been definitively tested in courts, which, you know, allowed trump to mount a legal case here. but of course had implications for the biden white house for once he leaves office as well. but they laid out a legal argument for why they believed that executive privilege didn't apply, and that is because they felt it came amid unique and extraordinary circumstances that extended beyond the typical deliberations concerning the proper discharge of a president's constitutional responsibilities, and that it came, you know, pertaining to to congress' examination of an assault on the constitution. you know, trump's legal team said this was all purely political. the justice department did point to negotiations with the house to withdraw or defer request for some of the national security records that it had requested as evidence that biden was committed to protecting the office of the presidency. and, look, the national archives also pointed out that a lot of these records that trump was trying to block from becoming public are destined to become public after he leaves office and some of these records are routinely released by other white houses like visitor logs and schedules, diaries, phone logs and, you know, records of the like. but as you mentioned, you know, it was the supreme court's decision that was key here because had they decided to block the release of the documents, it would have redefined the contours of executive privilege for the first time in over 50 years. >> cynthia, we saw a lot of stuff coming out of the january 6th committee this week, including subpoenas, letters, invitations, very detailed letters, even the invitation to ivanka trump was full of detail. but this is something else. this is a whole other department of material. do we believe that the january 6th committee knew what was coming in their way and now that this is, how does that affect the delicate balance about the january 6th committee being an investigative body and possible criminal referrals that have to be given to the justice department and dispatched in that way? >> well, here's the thing, they don't have to have criminal referrals to the justice department. the justice department doesn't need a referral from the congress to open up an investigation. when i was a jury instructions we would open them like a tiny article in "the washington post" and we could open an investigation into a civil rights case. they don't need that, but what it does highlight is the tentacles of this conspiracy and how difficult it is to wrap your arms around it. there's the fake electors conspiracy. there's the steal ballot boxes perhaps conspiracy. there's the georgia election officials for votes conspiracy. all these happening in different states in addition to whatever it turns out bannon was doing, and i don't think it's completely clear yet what that was. and then you add the pressure from the riots to try to scare pence into going along with it. so there's all these conspiracies, and they can come under one big umbrella in the justice department and they do not need a referral in order to get there. >> general mccaffrey, it is 6:15 a.m. on the eastern border of ukraine, and russia right now, the sun is not up yet, and the world is on alert for a possible invasion. lieutenant colonel alexander vindman sent this earlier on our air and i want your take on it. >> i think we're basically just on the cusp of war. i think it's all but certain in my mind that there's going to be a large european war on the order of magnitude of world war ii with air power, sea power, massive ground forces offensives. and my concern now is making sure that the united states is postured for that outcome. i think there's little to be done to avoid it. the ball is in putin's court. >> general, what do you make of that? >> well, you know, we tell intelligence officers don't tell me about enemy intention, talk about their capabilities. so clearly putin has put together a package capable of seizing ukraine from the north and the east on probably a 90-day campaign. if he was willing to go all out, fight street to treat in kiev, i don't think he is. i do think he's trying to divide nato, run the u.s. out of europe. he has never been deterred in syria, invasion of georgia, invasion and seizure of the crimea, invasion of the done bass. he's been bold and he's gotten russia in a considerable. a trouble because of that. it's not a strategically significant force. but it is a massive threat to the countries that adjoin russia, particularly the eastern european countries, the baltic states, poland, who are concerned. nato is in disarray, the u.s. announced we're not going to fight. we have blundered, i think, in our public communications about what we might do by specifying economic sanctions rather than telling the russians privately. but at the end of the day, putin is probably going to take some military action. the danger of uncontrolled escalation is there. there's no question about it. the ukrainians are going to fight. the europeans are going to be alarmed. putin will end up unifying nato and putting himself in a considerable strategic peril. >> courtney, the secretary of state was in geneva today in what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to negotiate with the russian foreign minister. it did not result in anything concrete. the united states has warned russia don't do it. is that going to work? and does the white house think there's a diplomatic solution to this? >> well, you know, the diplomatic track is very much the preferred path here, which is why we're seeing the meetings continue next week between blinken and his russian counterpart. even as we see russia continue to build up more troops near the border with ukraine, why we're seeing biden huddle with his national security team this weekend at camp david. and today they even left open the possibility of another summit between biden and putin. jen psaki was asked about this today. she left it on the table and vice president harris was asked about it tonight at an event and she said it was a decision that the president would be making. so, again, it's all about keeping the diplomatic channels open at the highest levels while this question of an invasion and whether it's imminent plays out. >> thank you to the three of you for helping us kick off this evening. coming up, what could go down as the worst week ever for the twice-impeached former president since losing the election? two of our sharpest political experts are here to weigh the damage to him and his party. history will ultimately weigh in on the current president's first year in office. we'll ask one of our favorite hitchhikers for a early draft. michael beschloss joins me for a look at how it started and how it's going for the biden white house. "the 11th hour" just getting under way on a friday night. " jg der way on a friday night. helpe r enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. to be a thriver with metastatic breast cancer means asking for what we want. and need. and we need more time. so, we want kisqali. women are living longer than ever before with kisqali when taken with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer. kisqali is a pill that's significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant alone. kisqali can cause lung problems, or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. avoid grapefruit during treatment. ask your doctor about living longer with kisqali. . all things told, the former president has had quite a week. there's the court filing from the new york attorney general detailing possible fraud committed by trump and his two eldest children. the january 6th committee obtained all 700 pages of documents that trump tried very hard to block. ivanka trump was sent a committee request for her testimony, and the atlanta-area d.a. wants a grand jury to investigate trump's efforts to overturn his loss in georgia. "the washington post" reports taken together the events seem to spell bad news for trump but some who have observed him for decade are urging caution. after all, trump survived two house impeachments, avoiding conviction by the senate, as well as the investigation led by robert mueller into russian involvement in the 2016 election and several congressional probes off his administration. back to us tonight, victoria defrancesco soto from the university of arkansas and matthew dowd, former george w. bush strategist. good evening to both of you. victoria, your evaluation of how things are going in trump world as it relates very specifically to his efforts to challenge democracy in this country. >> look, it was a terrible week for donald trump if and his family, hard stop. that being said, ali, i'm firmly in the camp of urging caution in saying, okay, this is the end of it for trump and his seeking of power in 2024 and beyond. many have said he has nine lives. that manifest is. a, but dig deeper and what when you're trying to prove fraud, that's difficult. trump is his family and organization are laura up to the hilt. and then the other piece of this is what we've seen over the last five years, that trump is a survivor. we saw him survive two impeachments, the mueller investigation. add onto that that he does well in the court of public opinion, that public opinion of his party, the base of the gop that has shifted to the trump brand. so put all those pieces together and, yes, in this moment things look very bad for him, but i'm not going to count him out. at this point i am still waiting to see what happens in terms of his longevity within the republican party and his prospects in politics looking at 2024 and beyond. >> i apologize for asking you to do a little math, but let's take a look at a new nbc poll that gives us some interesting data. it indicates that 56% of registered voters consider themselves supporters of the republican party. 36% of registered voters say they are supporters of donald trump. now, this is an interesting change from past surveys. three years ago republicans often said they were trump supporters first. i don't know whether this is that embarrassment you get when a pollster called you, or something happened where republicans are separating themselves from trump. >> i look at the numbers slightly differently than most people. i think what happened is the republicans decided that the republican party has become what they wanted it to become, which is what trump wanted it to become. so what i think it reflects is the party, which is wholesale behind the big lie, that party has become that. and so i think what the voters in the party have decided is that, yeah, our party has finally become what we wanted it to be, which is what donald trump represented, and, therefore, we support the republican party. that's what i think is happened. it has become the trump party without the trump name and they no longer need the trump name to brand themselves. >> victoria, that of us a real gloomy spin on something i thought might have been indicated something else. what do you make of it? that's a hell of an argument that trump has transformed the party and now one doesn't have to separate or make that distinction between being a trump supporter or a republican. >> i agree with my friend, matthew. i think that what we've seen is a shift of the republican party. this didn't happen overnight. i want to take us back to 2010, to that midterm election, to the rise of the tea party and what we saw there was really the seeds of this extremism within the republican party. and i might even take it a little farther back and go back to 1994, newt gingrich. this is an effort that was building and building and building, and trump was able to just consolidate that movement, put his branding on it. we've seen a shift at least for the short to medium term of the brand of the republican party. so i'm all with matthew on this one. >> matthew, let's talk about donald trump being at a rally last weekend in arizona that looked very much like a campaign-style rally. the only distinction is he had more conspiracy theorists around him. the pillow guy was there, but so was every offbeat republican in arizona. is he running again for president? >> i think he's going to act like he's going to run again. i mean, donald trump -- people say that he wants to be president, but what i think donald trump really wants to be is the center of attention at all possible times are and i think he's figured out being the center of attention, the avenue to that is to keep talking like he's running. so that's one thing. i don't know if he's going to run. i mean, do a psychological test on donald trump, we'd be here for days and days and days and days about what we're going to do about that. it allows him to keep raising money for all these funds that he has that he uses for legal funds. he uses all that. and once he says i'm no longer running, it makes it harder for him to do . that whether or not he runs, he's going to act like he's going to run all the way up until the very last minute when he'll make a decision. i think in the end he won't run because i don't think he wants to risk another loss in the manner of this. but i keep he's going to keep acting and acting like he's going to run because it serves his purpose of fame and it serves his purpose of fortune and raising money for all those committees. >> i'm much smarter after a few minutes with both of you, so if you don't mind sticking around, i can wrap it up. what to watch for after a week that saw voting rights legislation sputter and die on capitol hill. spn utter and die n spn utter and die n capitol hill ♪ 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 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state-level republican voter suppression laws on the 2022 elections. as "the wall street journal" reports, republicans say their measures will improve election security and that democrats are attempting a federal takeover of elections. but remember, even the former president's own election officials deemed the 2020 election, quote, the most secure in american history, end quote. still with us, victoria defrancesco soto. a poll indicates if you add the two numbers, 77% plus 17%, you get to 94% of americans saying voting was easy for them. this to me is possibly one of the greatest challenges in dealing with this decline of democracy that we're facing because most americans don't actually believe that democracy is threatened because they don't think that their voting rights are threatened. >> right. and when you see a poll number like this, ali, you're, like, oh, 94%, there's no problem. people have easy access to the ballot. but the deal is we need to take a step back and ask who is the sample that is being asked this question? look, i love pew. i think they do fantastic work. they do representative samples of adults, but in terms of this question battery, they're only asking people who voted in the election. so that means that this question is not capturing those folks who were not able to vote, who didn't have proper access to voting, who were not registered. so we're missing a whole bunch of folks who we need to consider when we're thinking through voting access. and so, yes, technically 94% of americans found that when they voted it was easy, but what about the larger population of americans, of eligible voters, because we haven't even touched the topic of how difficult it is to register to vote. so i want to implore the viewers to read that fine print. look at what the sample is before you start drawing conclusions on these numbers. look who the sample is and who they're talking to. >> matt, nbc news reports a bipartisan group of senators led by susan collins is planning to find a path forward on issues from clarifying the electoral count act of 1887 to protecting election officials from threats and intimidation. you tweeted earlier today about the count act like, merely fixing the electoral college act without fixing underlying voting rights problems is like saying we're going to make sure the winning pot in a poker game is accurately counted without fixing the cheating in the actual game. tell me a little bit about that. >> sure. what i was saying is -- this is my problem. obviously we should fix the electoral college act to make sure we're not going to be in this situation, obviously, about that. but if that's all we do, it's like winning a pot in poker. we made sure the chips were counted that were in the pot and but didn't deal with the people cheating around the table. that's what we have to deal with. and my fear is if we go ahead and now this, it's going to give people who don't want to make the hard stand on voting rights, who don't want to deal with all the issues a pass because it's going to be like, oh, hey, i dealt with the electoral college act, don't ask me anymore questions about voting rights when we didn't deal with the fundamental issue of this. that's my issue with that. i want to go back to something victoria said, which i completely agree with. that poll in my view actually makes the arguments the democrats are making because it's based on the voting in 2020 this which allowed vote by mail, ballot boxes to drop in, all these new things that were established, all of which in the aftermath which people said made it easier and it was easy to vote, the republicans in these states are taking away. so that poll actually makes the point that, yeah, it was easier, but it makes the point we did all these new things to make it easier and people thought it was easier, so if the republicans are using that as an argument, they're making the democrats' argument for them, which is we made it easier in 2020, that's why people felt that way so why are you taking it away from them. >> because we apparently have a lot of voter fraud in this country, even though nobody can find any. thank you for joining us tonight. victoria and matthew, we appreciate your time. a leading presidential historian on what we should and should not make of year one of joe biden's presidency when "the 11th hour" continues. joe biden's presidency when "the joe biden's presidency when "the 11th hour" continues including nasal congestion, so you can breathe better. claritin-d. breathe better. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ with chase security features, guidance and convenience, banking feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. for people living with h-i-v, keep being you. and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low 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declaring our independence from a deadly virus. [ applause ] >> despite the cynics, democrats and republicans, we can work together. we can deliver real results. >> be concerned about omicron, but don't be alarmed. >> the former president of the united states of america created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. >> the threat to our democracy is so grave that we must find a way to pass these voting rights bills. >> it's been a year of challenges, but it's also been a year of enormous progress. >> with us tonight is the celebrated author and presidential historian michael beschloss, his latest work "presidents of war." good to see you. thank you for being with us this evening. let's first talk about this year, this big year for joe biden, the first year of a presidency, something you hitchhikers and we the public take very, very seriously. but, boy, tumultuous, unusual, one might argue unprecedented given all the efforts to overturn the election that he then had to take over after he joined office. what do you make of this first year? >> well, ali, i agree with everything you said. wonderful to see you tonight. by the way, this program has been so exciting and important, i'm going to try not to screw it up, not hard, because there's so much happening today and you and the others have analyzed this so well. biden being evaluated after one year, which modern presidents tend to be, and i just tell you as a historian the way a president looks after one year has almost nothing to do with whether he gets re-elected or whether historians like him later on, franklin roosevelt, a lot of people were saying he's going to be a one-term president, he isn't up to the job, he has to fix the depression. a lot of people unemployed. abraham lincoln in 1862 was seen as a president who was not filling his role at the beginning of the civil war. the union army was stalled, and people were saying we should have elected someone who was a little bit more confident. whether biden is seen as a great president in the end will depend on a couple things, and so will the midterms and if he runs for re-election. number one, the economy. ten months from now, could be very different, also the pandemic. >> you know, he held a long press conference the other day. took reporters questions for almost two hours. >> very long. >> biden is a big thinker. he came in with big ideas and he was asked whether he needs to downsize his expectations given what's happened. listen to his exchange and we'll talk about it on the other side. >> you're only guaranteed control of washington for one more year before the midterms. do you need to be more skpreesk scale down these priorities in order to get something passed? >> no. i don't think so. we just have to make the case of what we're for and what the other team's not for. >> michael, can you evaluate that response? it was an interest question. what do you make of the president's response? no scaling things back, do a better job of convincing americans about what he represents. >> he's absolutely right. that's what strong presidents do. they try to make sure that their reach exceeds their grasp. they don't just say, gee, i got a narrow margin in the house and senate, might lose it this fall, so i better be timid and not do anything. biden knows we've got some large problems, people are naturally frustrated by the fact that the pandemic has not ended and the economy has not just soared unimpeded as many people might have expected a year ago. the most important metric i think will be used to evaluate joe biden, at least in these first couple of years is, do we have a democracy next year? do we have a democracy in 2025? if we don't and if joe biden fails, nothing else he can possibly do will matter. >> do we have a democracy next year? do we have a democracy in 2025? maybe two of the most important questions facing americans right now. but as you saw in that last discussion i had in the last block, there are lots and lots and lots of americans who would agree that they cherish democracy but don't really, really believe it's all that threatened. >> well, they just have to take a look at what's happening in state legislatures and how voter suppression is being enshrined and how difficult this is going to be for many of these elections to result in a victor being declared who actually won the election rather than some partisan claiming someone won who actually did not. and the other thing today is we've been looking at what i call the push of january 6th, 2021, where an effort by trumpitis almost conquered congress and democracy that day. >> you make a very interesting point when we were discussing a year ago whether that was really an insurrection or a coup or an attempt, and a lot of people said you can't call it that because it didn't succeed. you tweeted something today about the beer hall push, about the fact that it also didn't succeed and then suddenly hitler was in power. >> you and i love history, and this is a dark moment. 1923, adolf hitler with 2,000 nazis tried to stage what we would consider an uprising that looked awful lie like what happened at the capitol. it failed. hitler was arrested and jailed for treason. and so what hitler took from that is he said, gee, i think maybe, you know, an extralegal way of getting into power is not going to work, and so what he did for the next ten years was he looked for weaknesses in the german democracy, ways you could game the system to get into power, which he did in 1933. he was appointed chancellor. a month later, the like stat was burned down and he said its eternal enemies, jewish people, we have to get rid of them. and after that moment the nazis never again had a re-election. >> michael, please stay with us. michael bangladesh sloos noted historian. we're going to discuss dpems and the setbacks and things that might come out of 2022 when "the 11th hour" continues. s that might come out of 2022 when "the might come out of 2022 when "the 11th hour" continues excuse me? 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>> i do. you know, if you're an historian, you agree with this. you have to be an optimist if you're studying american history. american democracy was gravely threatened in the 1860 civil war and 1932. a lot of people dispossessed by the depression. 1942, americans arguing whether we should oppose hitler and the japanese. you look at our dna, we tend to get through moments like this. but only if people get on the playing field. all i can say to everyone who's within the sound of our voices tonight, you know, don't be in a situation where we lost our democracy in 2022. and the reason was that people who should have cared about it were doing other things. the forces against autocracy have yet to express themselves. a majority of americans in 2022, they're not for autocracy. they're not for radical programs. if this happens, it's going to happen against the will of the people. and the other thing is that, you know, you've been talking all week about, and rightfully so, about the vulnerability of donald trump. donald trump right now is relatively riding high, but he's got a lot of trouble, as you have been discussing all week, in the states, in the courts, from all sorts of places that could metastasize. if trump is a less-appealing figure to his followers and to republican leaders, let's say ten months from now, this could be a whole new ball game, because if trump is intimidating people like graham and kevin mccarthy and other republican leaders, then perhaps when he is gone they will be a little bit less intimidated and return to the side of people who care about democracy and want to preserve it. but the one thing i have to say, ali, is democracy really in danger tonight. >> well, i think your message about people getting into the game or as roosevelt said, being in the arena, applies to all of us now, citizens. this isn't something to be looking at politicians for. i appreciate the optimism, but i appreciate the honest words. michael beschloss. coming up, the lie from the white house that set the tone for years to come. a look back at an event that took place five years ago today from this lectern when "the 11th hour" continues. hour" continues. 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪nothing is everything♪ talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. at intra-cellular therapies, we're inspired by our circle. a circle that includes our researchers, driven by our award-winning science, who uncover new medicines to treat mental illness. it includes the compassionate healthcare professionals, the dedicated social workers, and the supportive peer counselors we work with to help improve - and even change - people's lives. moving from mental illness to mental wellness starts in our circle. this is intra-cellular therapies. spicer spicer ean spicer spicer spice well, would you look at that?er 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. your eyes. beautiful on the outside, but if you have diabetes, there can be some not-so-pretty stuff going on inside. it's true, with diabetic retinopathy, excess sugar can damage blood vessels, causing vision loss or even blindness. so remember this: now is the time to get your eyes checked. eye care is important to your long-term diabetes management. see a path forward with actions and treatments that may help your eyes— and protect against vision loss. visit noweyesee.com and take control of your sight. napoleon was born and raised to conquer. but he was just kind of over it, you know. watching prime video he realized he should follow his dreams. so he ordered a microphone with prime next day delivery. now the only thing he cared about conquering was his audience. prime changes everything. this american carnage stops right here and stops right now. [ cheers and applause ] >> the last thing before we go tonight, remembering a performance that set the tone for years to come. five years ago yesterday, donald trump was sworn in as the 45th president in front of a crowd on the national mall, the differences were obvious with the crowd was compared to barack obama's 2009 inauguration, and all that led to this memorable performance five years ago tonight. the new president ordered his new press secretary, sean spicer, to hold an sbroufrpt news conference and insist this was the largest crowd to witness an inauguration, period. >> photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally flames in a way in one particular tweet to minimize the enormous support that gathered on the national mall. this was the first time in our nation's history that floor coverings have been used to protect the grass on the mall. that had the effect of highlighting any areas where people were not standing while in years past the grass eliminated in visual. inaccurate numbers involving crowd size were also tweeted. no one had numbers because the national park service, which controls the national mall, does not put any out. we know that 420,000 people used the d.c. metro public transit yesterday, which compares to 317,000 that used it for president obama's last inaugural. this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe. >> a moment forever etched into our memories with a little help from "saturday night live" and the wonderful melissa mccarthy. the fiery debate of sean spicer exactly five years ago on what feels like a lifetime ago. with our thanks, for being with us, be sure to join me tomorrow morning for "velshi" at 8:00 a.m. eastern. on behalf of all my colleagues here at nbc news, good night. a0 a.m. eastern on behalf of all my colleagues here at nbc news, good night rachel has the night off, but she will be back on monday. would a week this week has been. feels like several weeks worth of news have been crammed into just last few days, and it doesn't all fit. we start with a brand-new development that is just broken today. starting in june, a last year, there was a publishing -- of hair raising reports about threats in harassments of election workers across the country. they focused in particular on the state of georgia. in large part because that's where donald trump's election lies were particularly focused. -- threats and harassment against george