choice. the select committee is investigating an attack on our democracy and it s essential that witnesses cooperate. we have new reaction to that vote, including on some interesting comments from mitch mcconnell that are raising some eyebrows. also derek chauvin the man convicted of killing george floyd changes his plea in one courtroom while in a different minnesota courtroom we could see another officer testify in her own defense in the death of daunte wright. today is a big deadline to make sure your gifts get under the tree in time. good afternoon on this newsy wednesday. i m garrett haake. we are waiting for the president to begin his survey of the damage in kentucky where deadly tornadoes ripped through entire towns. joining me to break it down from dawson springs, kentucky, we have white house correspondent mike memole and bill karins joins us, as well. mike, i ll start with you. where is the president headed right now and big picture, what is he trying to accom
was their lives. i mean, it s awesome in its scope. reporter: yeah, katy, our teams here have been doing incredible work to try to really share and present what we re seeing on the ground. having myself just arrived today, it really is breathtaking what these storms have done to these communities. and that s exactly what the president is himself doing today, seeing that firsthand. it s something that he has prioritized. it s obviously very tricky for a president, you know that the package that travels with him, he didn t want to be a disruption to the recovery efforts that are under way here, but the benefit of now a few days since the storms hit means that the needs of these communities are much more clear, at least initially those needs. that s what the president is here trying to get more information on. he s with the mayors, the governor, the county executives, to hear from them directly. he even invited himself to a future city council meeting in mayfield. he s on his
But as we come on the air, president biden is on the ground in kentucky, touring the sweeping damage from that rare and explosive december tornado outbreak. right now the president is visiting a neighborhood in mayfield, kentucky, by far one of the most devastated areas. a short time ago he took anary an aerial tour to get an idea of the extent of the damage. later the president will tour princeton and dawson springs where he will deliver remarks about the administration s response efforts. joining us from dawson springs are nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli and nbc news correspondent ellison barber. the president is touring the damage, meeting with homeowners and business owners as they sit on the pile of rubble that once