congress, compared to 46% who prefer republicans, that is a statistical tie due to the margin of error. what isn't a tie is that republicans hold a commanding advantage when it comes to enthusiasm for november's midterm elections. 61% of republicans are, quote, very interested, compared to 47% of democrats, which could make all the difference in who controls congress. and then there is this, which doesn't bode well for the country. not only does 72% of americans say the united states is heading in the wrong direction, 70% of americans agree with the statement that america had become so polarized that it can no longer solve the major issues facing the country and that those differences will only continue to grow. just 27% of americans say that despite the nation's strong partisan differences, the country always comes together to solve the greatest challenges. now, consider this, the last time nbc news posed this question in a poll 12 years ago in 2010, just 45% of americans said the nation's political differences will continue to grow, 50%, majority, said the nation comes together in tough times. that number has been cut in half. these are indeed tough times, with everything from the covid-19 pandemic, to inflation, to the major ongoing threat to american democracy. the poll shows americans view jobs and the economy as the top issue facing the country followed by the pandemic, then voting rights and election integrity, the cost of living and border security and immigration. despite a strong economy with low unemployment, 61% of respondents in the polls say their family's income is falling behind the cost of living. that's heartening to see voting rights and election integrity, the heart of american democracy as major issues, a whopping 76% of americans believe there is a threat to democracy. and majority rule in this country. for his part, president biden is trying to get the nation in the right direction, but the majority of his ambitious agenda has stalled in congress. halted by just about the entire gop plus two. the democrats, joe manchin, and kyrsten sinema. the arizona democratic party apparently taking a page out of the gop's playbook, officially voted to censure kyrsten sinema yesterday, adding it is unsure if the party will back her in 2024, because sinema voted against eliminating the filibuster as a mechanism to pass voting rights legislation. which might be satisfying to democrats in the short-term, but censuring members of one's party should be reserved for transgressions, not for policy differences. for more on this brand-new polling, i am joined by my esteemed colleague jonathan capehart, host of "the sunday show," which starts in about an hour. this polling is deeply alarming, deeply disturbing. i guess the silver lining in the very dark cloud is that most americans do believe that democracy is in peril. >> right. i was blown away by that 76% number who said that, you know, it was a threat to democracy and majority rule is something that concerns them. that says that -- that explains why voting rights and election integrity, i also was surprised that it was as high as it was. and also it shows -- it should show the folks here in the building behind me just how important it is to the american people that, yes, they worry about coronavirus, yes, they're worried about the economy, but they're also worried about the foundation of our democracy in terms of voting rights. there is another thing i actually found very interesting in those enthusiasm numbers. and i took a lot of notes this morning as i was looking up these numbers beforehand. what is interesting is that in terms of the republican -- popularity of the republican party versus the democratic party, the democratic party, the popularity is at 33%. for the republican party, it is 34%. but what's interesting is for the democrats, it has been trending down since april -- since october 2020. for republicans it has been kind of flat. and so that plays into also, ali, i think -- >> the enthusiasm. >> -- the enthusiasm, but the conversation about who could or could possibly not be in control of the house come november. >> jonathan, i want to ask you about something. we're both heartened by the idea that democracy, voter integrity is a big deal. however, the economy is still -- and almost always the economy takes the top spot. on one hand, inflation is absolutely very real and it is something this administration needs to deal with. on the other hand, there are a host of economic successes that for whatever reason are not registering with most people. >> right. i mean, stock market is high, wages are up, unemployment is down, there is all sorts of good economic news. but this probably, ali, gets to just how is that being communicated to the american people? right now it is being communicated to them is they go to the gas pump, they go to the grocery store, and prices are high. and whatever wage increase they have gotten or whatever wage increase they have gotten because they left a former previous job and got a new job with higher pay, that higher pay, that difference is being whittled away. but another reason why i think the american people are just -- they don't see the good news or hear the good news is that it has not been championed as much or as loudly as it should be by the administration. and it is my hope that in year two of the biden administration that they get out there more frequently, and more loudly, touting what is happening in the economy, while at the same time saying to the american people, look, we know, we hear you, and we're on it. >> jonathan, always good to have you help me analyze these things. i appreciate it. jonathan capehart, the host of the msnbc "the sunday show." stay tuned to see more of jonathan after "velshi," joined by congressman jim clyburn of south carolina. joining me now is katie benner, pulitzer prize winning reporter. the good news out of all of this is the stuff you cover, the preservation of democracy and the role that the january 6th events played in it, is top of mind for a lot of americans. this has been a remarkable week for the investigation into january 6th. i almost need to ask you on a sunday morning what stands out to you? >> one of the things that stands out is the committee is continuing to subpoena people closer to the president's inner circle, including his daughter ivanka trump and this puts her into an interesting position. she's trying to say she's one of the family members who wants to uphold the rule of law, what who was against the january 6th attack and wanted to support any sort of investigation, whether or not she testifies will be a big sort of answer to how much she wants to do all those things. if she does so, it would create a rift with her father, if she doesn't, it would take a key witness out of the january 6th investigation. she was there when the president was trying to pressure mike pence and also there when people including herself were telling him to please call off the riot. >> katie, i want to ask you about the letter that was sent to her. she wasn't subpoenaed, but they wrote an eight-page letter to her inviting her to attend and talk to them. the letter was full of details. almost like fill in the blanks, right? it was this thing where we know that this happened, you were on the other side of that conversation. so it is almost as if they're -- their latest invitations looked like that, they're giving the potential witness the narrative and saying, we kind of know what happened, why don't you help us fill in the blanks. >> yeah. absolutely. so with several witnesses to your point, the letters are starting to basically say we have documentation and we have other testimony. so if you come in, you will be able to not only help us understand, potentially you might be able to give us your side of events and explain why you were or were not culpable in a key moment or why you helped or hurt in a key moment. the committee is trying to signal to witnesses that even if they don't come in, a very robust story is going to be told about them, a very full and detailed public narrative is already going to be laid out and going to be laid out and into the report that the committee produces. >> i'm asking everybody who studies these things closely because i was very shocked, my jaw dropped when i saw that in that -- those 700 documents that the supreme court said that the national archives can give over to the committee was a draft executive action that may have involved something that seems to on the face of it would have been illegal getting the military involved with seizing ballot boxes. how big a deal do you think that was? >> these are going to be moments that historians inspect closely as it decides about what to do about criminal charges against people who were not in the capitol building per se, but whose action maze have contributed to those events. you have to wonder how that's going to cut for people like mark meadows or donald trump. sydney powell said the president could seize voting machines and in the 11th hour he chose not to do so. jeffrey clark wanted to interfere in the electoral college results in georgia and in other states. but at the last minute, the president chose not to do so. here this executive order was drafted and yet the president did not issue it. so you can see how that would help trump's defense if ever there should be some kind of indictment brought against him and also sort of -- it would inform the thinking of prosecutors as they gather evidence to see how strong a case they could have. >> alarming that 25% in our recent polling of people think that election integrity and voting rights is a major issue. but still a quarter of the population. for those people, is there anything going on now that prevents what happened in the election of 2022 and the days after it from happening again? >> i think if we look at integrity of election voting and look back, it is clear that they're trying to connect dots between january 6th and between election integrity and voting rights and the bills that are dying right now in the senate and the bills that joe manchin and kyrsten sinema don't want to pass. they're all but saying, listen, right now, if we do not protection election integrity and voting rights, we're going to hand the presidency to if not donald trump, we could handing it to somebody like him. it is really -- they're trying to paint that picture if you step back and look at the speeches. they're saying we need to be able to do something and create a bulwark against the state laws being passed now, which are being predicated on the false idea that donald trump actually won the election, there was mass voter fraud and by not passing those bills, that's what you're allowing. and that is the sort -- that's sort of the piece of the debate that has not been discussed very much and kind of been lost as we look at the coverage of these voting rights bills. >> katie, always good to see you. thank you for joining us this morning. katie benner, justice department reporter for "the new york times" and msnbc contributor. joining me is stacy plaskett, a member of multiple committees including ways and means and served as an impeachment manager for the second impeachment trial of donald trump. good to see you. look, you and i have talked a lot and you're a straight shooter about this kind of stuff. i remind people, it is january, the election is in november, 50,000 news cycles away. but these numbers this morning are alarming given the work that you and others have done to point out how much our democracy may be in peril right now. not enough americans are finding that resonates with them. >> well, i'm hopeful that americans are still going to wake up to what's really going on. i think that january 6th commission as more and more information rolls out and, remember, ali, that we still have the hearings that this committee is going to have, in public, and i'm hopeful during primetime, which will allow everyday americans to see the absolute attempted coup of our democracy by donald trump and his miniyo minions who worked w inside and outside of the white house. the level of detail, connecting the dots, that you said earlier, that is going to be done, the voluminous amount of information and witnesses who have come forward already. we know over 700 individuals have spoken to the committee. and many more are still to come. >> what is the risk to the can country if the polls we have bear out and democrats are removed from the majority in congress, and this attempt to get to the bottom of january 6th literally evaporates? >> our republic will be in grave danger. we have seen unfortunately that many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are simply concerned with keeping their seats. simply concerned with retaining power. and not willing to expand the electorate, to expand the number of individuals who are able to vote in our democracy, that they are more concerned with keeping a white minority. i'll speak it out loud, that thing we all know is going on internally within the gop. listen, you know, i heard tim scott speak during the voting rights. and i usually never, ever say anything against my -- the good senator from south carolina. but for him to say because he's in the senate, that therefore the voting rights act is not necessary, is the most ludicrous thing i could hear out of his mouth. who told him that black people voted for him in first place? who told him that the reason he's there is because others were not suppressed from being able to vote? >> but in fact, the tim scott problem is america's problem right now, right? because if i, in new york or philadelphia, do not have a problem voting, do not have a problem registering to vote, do not have a problem standing in a line that is not very long, do not face voter intimidation, i may not think democracy itself is at risk. and this teams to be a problem writ large. three-quarters of the country thinks the voting rights thing is an abstraction, it is not a real threat. >> well, i -- in that respect i recall in the 1960s during the immense civil rights movement that went on in this country, the thing that brought alive to everyday americans was seeing the grassroots organizations fighting for their rights and everyday americans, those in the north and the midwest, in the west, who are not feeling it every day in an open way to see on live television what other americans had to go through. the dogs, the fire hoses, they poured coffee on them as they sat at lunch counters. it will be those grassroots organizations and those in the legislature bringing to light the everyday examples of what this means in our country. i have to believe that the majority of americans will rise up, and the same way they did after the killing of george floyd, that everyday americans around this country will rise up and will say this cannot stand. >> representative, i want to ask you about, after liz cheney decided to join the committee and speak out against donald trump, she was censured by her party, removed by the wisconsin republican party. some people are looking at alarm at what the arizona democratic party has done to kyrsten sinema. they may not agree with her positions on stuff, but they have censured her for her decision not to vote against the filibuster. that is the first time in a while we have seen the democratic party do something that looks like the republican party did. what do you think of that? >> well, you know, i'm not going to speak about what the arizona democrats believe in the best interest in of arizona, and i do believe like senator sinema said, we all should be able to disagree -- to agreeably disagree. but i think there are fundamental tenets of the democratic party that one needs to uphold. and if an individual who wants to be part of the democratic party does not believe that every american who is eligible should have the right to vote and that that right to vote should be protected, and is more concerned about an archaic and ever evolving filibuster, and the trappings of the senate, more so than voting, then i believe that there are things that need to be done to stop that individual. i believe that a censure is a way of calling attention to a person being out of step with their party, and, you know, i think that kyrsten sinema needs to look as to what is more important to her, our american democracy, or the procedures of the senate. >> representative stacy plaskett, thank you for taking time to join us this morning. coming up, russia is rejecting claims from british intelligence that it is seeking to replace ukraine's government with a pro moscow administration. that as 100,000 plus russian troops lie in wait along the border with ukraine. coming up, we'll talk to an expert on the region, alexander vindman, who says we could be on the cusp of a war as big as world war ii. and florida does it again. the state is work on a shocking new bill to stop people from feeling guilt or anguish over conferen conversations about race in public schools or work. colorado secretary of state janet griswold taking democratic matters into her own hands by taking aim at a county clerk. taking e ing aim at a county cl. we can help actively repair enamel in its weakened state. it's innovative. my go to toothpaste is going to be pronamel repair. want your clothes to smell freshly washed all day without heavy perfumes? 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(vo) t-mobile for business wants to make this the best year for your business yet. when you switch and bring your own device, we'll pay off your phone up to $800. you can keep your phone. and keep your number. visit your local t-mobile store today. this week, the cdc confirmed that booster shots are 90% effective in preventing hospitalizations from the omicron variant. despite the fact that thousands of protesters are expected today in washington to rally against covid-19 mandates, which only seek to keep people safe. the movement is being led by what is being called a who's who of anti-vaxx activists. nbc's josh letterman has more. >> reporter: this morning, thousands expected at the washington monument to protest covid vaccine mandates as a political movement that took root online shifts to the real world. the defeat the mandate's rally organized on facebook, and extremist websites that spread covid misinformation. organizers insisting they're not against vaccines per se, just forcing people to take them. >> we should look at this as a ramp up to 2024 in some ways. these people are absolutely coming together around an issue they believe in more than a lot of cases more than any other political issue in their lifetime. >> reporter: today's big draw, dr. robert malone, a virologist who approved on joe rogan's hugely popular podcast. >> there are two hills i'm willing to die on. one is stopping the jabs in the children. and one is, you know, resisting the erosion of free speech. >> reporter: that interview went viral, taken down by youtube as social media sites fight covid misinformation. today's protest just two days after pros biden's vaccine push suffered another blow. a federal judge blocking his mandate for federal workers. even though the white house says the vast majority have already complied. >> we are confident in our legal authority here. >> reporter: and still confident that vaccines are the solution, not the problem. the cdc releasing new data showing booster shots seriously reduce the chances of hospitalization. >> i urge all who are eligible to get their booster shot to get it as soon as possible. >> reporter: this as the nation mourns another 3,860 americans lost on friday alone, it is the most in one day since december 2020. new infections plummeting in the northeast potentially signaling that omicron in those states has peaked. >> nbc's josh letterman reporting. negotiations have stalled, russia has announced sweeping naval drills and the united kingdom is accusing the kremlin of plotting to install a puppet government in ukraine. this simmer is nearing a boiling point. this simmer is nearing a boiling this simmer is nearing a boiling point.o have donated over two hundred and twenty five million dollars to charity. but none will make a difference like subaru. 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(judith) yep, we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. as the standoff between russia and ukraine gets more intense, russia is now being accused of scheming to overthrow ukraine's government. britain is accusing the kremlin of plotting to install a pro russian leader in ukraine. uk officials gave little information about the intelligence, but they say they have information that the russian government was considering installing a russia-leaning former member of ukraine's parliament. the russian foreign ministry denied the allegations, all of this happening as russia amasses forces near ukraine's border. the first american shipment of lethal aid arrived in ukraine saturday, the u.s. embassy says the shipment included close to 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for the front line defenders of ukraine. u.s. is considering tougher sanctions, financial sanctions on russia. on wednesday, president biden said in a news conference that america would consider, quote, restricting the country's ability to convert rubles for dollars and other foreign currencies if putin orders troops into ukraine. it is clear we're past the point of guessing and the united states needs to prepare for the worst possible situation, a russian invasion of ukraine. former nfc staffer, retired lieutenant colonel alexander vindman predicting it will be the largest military offense there since world war ii. lieutenant colonel vindman joins me now. colonel, good to see you. thank you for being with us. let me start with the whole british intelligence thing. writ large we know russia wants a ukraine that is friendly to russia. that could mean a russia facing ukrainian government, it could mean invading ukraine. what do you make of this intelligence that russia may be trying to or was trying to replace the ukrainian government with a friendlier government? >> this was always going to be a part of that -- part of the puzzle. there is no doubt that they're thinking about the day after they launched an offensive in case they're able to effectively kill the leadership of the ukrainian government that they want to have another friendly government step in. there is also some indication there was a plot earlier on to conduct this earlier on before shooting starts and conduct a coup. this was always part of the plan to see what kind of friendly government they could put in place. the folks they're looking at are highly credible individuals, to segments of the ukrainian population, former minister of interior affairs, prime ministers in the past, these are folks that have some credibility that could step in with russian backing and reorient ukraine on a more favorable footing to russia. >> and it is actually the reorientation of ukraine that was the big problem for putin in the first place, right? ukraine for a long time was russia facing and when it indicated like so many of the former warsaw pact countries have done over the years that it would rather be western facing and a nato member, that's the thing that triggers putin. >> that's absolutely right. i think there was always attention of where ukraine would end up, which geopolitical orientation. for the 1990s and 2000s, a policy of strategic ambiguity, something called multivectored foreign policy where they were trying to be friends with russia and europe. after the orange revolution in 2004, that shifted ukraine to a more western-leaning footing and this was reversed again in the early 2010s with president yanukovych, who was more russian-friendly. when he was removed from -- when he fled the country, after the revolution, that's when the russians chose to strike, when ukraine was most vulnerable, when russia had all the forces in place to conduct this operation in 2014, that's when they struck to make sure ukraine stayed in this orbit. this is a continuation of that fight right now. >> before i ask you about what happens if war begins, i want to ask you about what joe biden said the other day about restricting dollars as a form of deterrence. let's play that for a second. >> we find ourselves in the position where i believe you'll see that there will be severe economic consequences. for example, anything that involved dollar denominations, if they make -- if they invade, they're going to pay. they're not going to -- their banks will not be able to deal in dollars. >> is that a real threat? and does russia worry about it? >> it is a real threat from the u.s. i think they have some doubts on whether we'll be able to follow through on it. there is some seams between us and our european allies that would have to also be on board for it to be truly effective. these sanctions. i think there is also from the russian calculation an understanding they could deal with some shocks. it will be impactful. no question. they have built a large $630 billion war chest, they have developed relationships with china, where they have conducted transactions with the chinese yuan and europe has built some facilities around swift also. when we sanctioned iran, under the trump administration, europeans wanted to continue to have a diplomatic path for keeping iran denuclearized and developed this facility also. so there are ways around it. i think the russians believe they could deal with this. >> the swift system, anybody who does a bank transfer internationally, knows it is the society for worldwide interbank financial transfers and they took iran off the system which prevented them from selling any goods around the world. let's talk about if a war does break out. you wrote this in foreign affairs on january 21st, the moment a war starts, the geopolitical landscape will become significantly more challenging for u.s. national security. the biden administration must maintain a delicate balance avoiding a one on one military confrontation with russia while punishing russia for creating this harsh new reality. right now, no task is more important. do you believe the u.s. administration hears you on this and is moving in that direction? >> i think they do hear me on this, but they haven't decided if they'll move in this direction. i think the u.s. government has been very effective at making sure that this stays a limited conflict, a possibility of this turning into a world war is very, very low in the short-term because the u.s. said that it is not prepared to go down the road and do the kinds of steps that could make this a bilateral confrontation. the risks of confrontation are higher in the long-term. i think the u.s. is trying to buy deterrence on the cheap, meaning they're not going to do anything until a russian base -- they're not going to do anything provocative, after the first shots are fired, the game changes. we don't know exactly how this is going to unfold. we know eastern european allies are already prepared to support ukraine and that's already a step forward toward a broader expanding confrontation in europe. so we needed to be doing a lot more now to prevent this than we are, we're just not -- and that's what concerns me. >> retired lieutenant colonel alexander vindman, he's the author of a remarkably important book, important because of the background in ukraine called "here, right matters: an american story." a new bill in florida is looking to outlaw schools and private businesses. it sounds unnecessary, mainly because it is. businesses it sounds unnecessary, mainly it sounds unnecessary, mainly because it is. ♪ there's heather on the hedges ♪ ♪ and kenny on the koi ♪ ♪ and your truck's been demolished by the peterson boy ♪ ♪ yes -- ♪ wait, what was that? 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[ sighs heavily ] when owning a small business gets real, progressive helps protect what you've built with affordable coverage. florida politics never cease to amaze. typically these days it is in the worst possible way. a new bill backed by the governor ron desantis seeks to prohibit public schools and private businesses from using any materials, be it lesson plans or training, that could make anyone feel guilt or anguish. senate bill 148 claims that it aims to prevent all kinds of discrimination stating -- an individual should not be made to feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race. but we all know that's not true. it is not fooling anybody. it was only once floridians felt -- they decided to pass a law about it. but the proposal has already cleared its first hurdle and becoming a law after it was approved by the state senate's education committee, along party lines, of course, democrats asked for real life examples of teachers or businesses employing racial guilt or indoctrination. none were given to justify this insidious legislation. the bill may remind you of governor ron desantis's stop woke act, stop wrongs against our kids and employees, proposed just last month. it makes it official. desantis' act targeted critical race theory, which is a college and graduate level law thing, not taught in k through 12 schools. it is a good thing to get people out to vote, though. at the core, it subverts the very notion of what discrimination actually is. tina poleski, a democrat from boca said it best, you're convoluting what discrimination is. you can't say people feel guilty about other people's discrimination and now they can sue under discrimination. many are arguing this legislation will lead to numerous lawsuits at best, and overt censorship at worst and a gap of the collective understanding of our racist past which should make some uncomfortable. if this passes, it will be a major step backwards for an enlightened society. no child should pay for the sins of his or her parents or for their ancestors. racism and discrimination is happening every single day at school and at work and in society at large and that is in fact something for us all to feel uncomfortable about. fact so fact so fe uelncomfortable aboutthing. 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(excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. colorado secretary of state jena griswold, peters refused to comply with a list of election security items that griswold gave her ahead of the midterms. the terms say peters needed a chaperone whenever she gets near a mesa county voting equipment. peters must retract statements where she indicated a quote willingness to compromise her county's equipment. you might be asking how did a local chief elections official get barred from going anywhere near election equipment without supervision? last year, tina peters was accused of leading a security breach of her county's election system. she has allegedly allowed an unauthorized person to participate in routine updates of the county voting system software. shortly after that, system passwords coincidentally showed up on right wing websites and photos and videos of the unauthorized software update were posted online. on top of that, secretary griswold's staff discovered that video surveillance of the election equipment had been mysteriously turned off. griswold ordered the county to replace all election equipment. peters makes it very clear her mission is to prove the conspiracy that the 2020 election was rigged, and she claims the government is trying to intimidate her. she is currently under a criminal investigation by local, state and federal authorities, plus a grand jury in her own county moved to investigate allegations of official misconduct against her. regarding griswold's latest lawsuit, peters says i will not back down, not now, not ever. this is a true story about one of the ways in which democracy in america is actually and literally in peril. it is not some wild fictional tale about villains stealing an election, it is happening in real time, right now, in this country, and people like secretary of state jena griswold are proving over and over again that they may be the last line of defense for american democracy. which is no small feat given the forces that are lined up against it. after the break, i'll speak to colorado secretary of state jena griswold. k to colorado secreryta of state jena griswold >> vo: my car is my after-work decompression zone. ♪ music ♪ >> vo: so when my windshield broke... i found the experts at safelite autoglass. they have exclusive technology and service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ we're back. i'm sorry to report democracy was not saved in the span of that commercial break. there are good americans out there on the front lines working tirelessly to protect our elections and i'm joined by one of those fighters now, colorado secretary of state jena griswold. good to see you. thank you for being with us. you're always so kind, you're in a different time zone, it is unusually early for you. but you put meat on the bones of this issue, right? we have discussed this, this voting rights thing is an abstraction to a lot of americans. we released a poll under an hour ago at nbc news which demonstrates 76% of americans answered yes to the question, is there a threat to american democracy and majority rule. that's the good news. 76% of americans think there is. your story of this one official in colorado illustrates how specifically people are doing things to overturn the election or change results, fiddle with results or not honor what democracy actually is. >> well, good morning, ali, thank you for having me on. time zone change or not, always happy to join you. that's exactly right. colorado experienced one of the nation's first insider threats where someone elected to uphold the will of the people in democracy, decided to compromise voting equipment from within, to promote conspiracy theories about 2020. all the attacks on democracy, whether the 30 voter suppression bills, the 300 being considered right now, insider attacks, vitriol against election officials, president trump tried to lead a coup against this country. he tried unsuccessfully, thank god, to overturn an election of the people. and new information came out just this week showing how rudy giuliani put together a slate of fake electors showing how the presidential administration considered seizing voting equipment in the states. so this attack, this attempted coup, and in 2020, it has not stopped. and it is playing out in things like insider threats like we have seen in mesa county and i'm continuing to have to grapple with. >> let's talk about this executive order that was -- executive action, the draft that was found in the documents that went over from the national archives to the january 6th committee in which someone has suggested that the president -- the then president could have ordered the military to seize voting machines. how does that play out for you? you're the secretary of state. secretaries of states in different states have different responsibilities as it relates to the elections or take on different responsibilities as they interpret them, but that's crazy that, first of all, it is probably not legal, most people tell me, but would have been crazy. an attack on democracy in the form of an executive order signed by the president of the united states who just lost an election. >> yes. a president cannot and should not seize voting equipment. and unfortunately we were prepared for all of these situations. many secretaries of state were working around the clock in 2020. we were facing unprecedented pandemic conditions, disinformation coming from the white house, lies, and an indication that the white house was considering all types of tactics. so here in colorado, we were ready for many circumstances. and including the potential for federal forces to try to stop or interrupt the voting process. but it is just so unnatural and undemocratic for a presidential administration even to consider this. and now, you know, what really worries me is the big lie, the lies about 2020, they're getting bigger and bigger. the attacks on elections, the attacks on american confidence and elections, they're getting worse. so we're seeing the setting of the stage so that the next time extreme elected officials or extreme candidates don't like the results, it is going to be easier for them to successfully pull off a january 6th. that's why it is so urgent that we do everything we can to fortify democracy, the right to vote and the future of the nation right now. >> urgent that we do everything we can to fortify the vote and protect democracy now. thank you for that message. thank you for the work you're doing. jena griswold, the colorado secretary of state. that does it for me. thank you for watching. catch me here next weekend from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. eastern. a quick joke for you. knock knock, who's there, you might ask. none other than jonathan capehart on "the sunday show," which starts right now. nathan capehart on "the sunday show," which starts right now new polling numbers show us just what americans think of the president, the direction of the country and the critical midterm elections. house majority whip james clyburn joins me live to talk about that it could mean for democrats and their agenda. plus, the relentless critiques of vice president harris, prompting president biden to make his intentions clear. >> do you commit that she will be your running mate in 2024 provided that you run again? >> yes, and yes. >> we'll take a closer look at the vice president's first year. and are we on the verge of war? u.s. military aid arrives in ukraine as we learn new details on what russia may be plotting. i'm jonathan capehart. this is "the sunday show." i'm jonathan capehart. this is "the sunday show." this sunday, the biden/harris administration is hitting the reset button as it begins year two in the white house. new polling released this morning from nbc news paints a bleak picture for biden at the one-year mark, with 72% of americans saying that the country is heading in the wrong direction, and those polled using words like downhill, divisive and negative to describe the state of