ukrainian border and a very real threat of invasion on the horizon. u.s. officials don t know exactly why putin asked for the call but a senior administration official said the president saw no reason to snub putin, believing there is no substitute for direct leader-to-leader dialogue and engagement i think it follows a pattern that putin has used in the past of ratcheting up pressure when he is trying to get his way. now he is trying to go directly to president biden to try to get him to, i m sure, agree to this security deal, which i do not think president biden can agree to. meeting with putin i was very straight forward. there were no minced words. it was polite but i made it very clear. if, in fact, he invades ukraine, there will be severe consequences. reporter: the president was set to reiterate that message today threatening stepped up military support for u.s. allies at russia s door step and economic sanctions more severe than those imposed after russia s 2014
and that s what the republicans have decided that they can no longer abide. it really is just an amazing thing for the republican party to have decided this today with this unanimous vote at the republican national committee, but honestly really could see it coming if you are looking in the right direction. i mean once the president of that party, the leader of that party declared that the free press of the united states was at his words the enemy of the people, once the republican party decided that american free press is bad that journalism something they can do without but that they re against as a party. well, this is where that ends are not gonna allow some formal role for the protests in the electoral process. they re not gonna do debates with journalist asking questions, not when they ve decided that as a party that they re against journalism. they re against the press, the press is the enemy. i mean we ve seen all of these other sort of norms around this, traditions a
wars. a very frustrated beto or work taking us off the air tonight. and on that no i wish you a good night. from all of our colleagues across the networks that nbc news. thanks for staying up late with us, and i will see you at the end of tomorrow. tomorrow. it s a landmark decision today by the national republican party, this is something chris was just covering. i think it s a landmark decision that the republican party has said that they will no longer participate in presidential debates. it will go down as a law marked decision and i think in political history, but i think it was probably inevitable. i mean the modern presidential debate structure that the republicans are now opting out of that they re deciding to kill off with this decision today, is a process that puts journalists formally into the electoral process. journalist served as moderators of the presidential debates. and that s what the republicans have decided that they can no longer abide. it really is just
also we will come after you and find. you u.s. special forces kill isis top leader in a nighttime raid in syria. it raises the question just how strong is isis today? how much of a threat does it pose? fawaz gerges will join me. finally, from cars to milk to housing and more, we are paying more than we were a year ago for so many items. inflation is to blame for certain, but just how bad is it? i will do a deep dive that might surprise you. but first, here is my take. it s a tale of two olympics. remember the 2008 beijing games? china was dazzling the world with its economic prowess and technological sophistication, determined to impress the world with its soft power. praise filled the headlines in countries like australia, the united kingdom and the u.s. the sydney morning herald said that the opening ceremony was a perfect ten. london s evening standard described the event as the beginning of china s new era of greatness, witnessed and implicitly approved by much
also we will come after you and find you. u.s. special forces kill isis top leader in a nighttime raid in syria. it raises the question just how strong is isis today? how much of a threat does it pose? fawaz gerges will join me. finally, from cars to milk to housing and more, we are paying more than we were a year ago for so many items. inflation is to blame for certain, but just how bad is it? i will do a deep dive that might surprise you. but first, here is my take. it s a tale of two olympics. remember the 2008 beijing games? china was dazzling the world with its economic prowess and technological sophistication, determined to impress the world with its soft power. praise filled the headlines in countries like australia, the united kingdom and the u.s. the sydney morning herald said that the opening ceremony was a perfect ten. london s evening standard described the event as the beginning of china s new era of greatness, witnessed and implicitly approved by