2022, it is safe to look at your 401(k) and see. it's safe again to look at it. >> i was making the joke earlier today that i'm sure a lot of people were waking up looking at their stocks, because they had been looking through their fingers the last couple of months, not wanting to look at their portfolio. >> i feel like a lot of families are irritated with the price levels of the things they buy every day. inflation is cooling. that just means prices aren't rising as fast. but they are higher today than two or three years ago. that's why in the public opinion polls, you hear people say they don't think the economy is working for them. there's two things happening here. fed officials saying, things are looking good. the economy is reacting the way we want it. people at home are like, yeah, but what have you done for me lately? there's a disconnect there still. >> it will be interesting to see how the biden administration takes ahold of the news and turns this into messaging when it comes to running for reelection. great to have you on. >> nice to meet you.

that wraps it up for me. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," president biden boosted by the fed forecasting rate cuts in the year ahead and the chance of curbing inflation without riing rates. vladimir putin closing the year at his marathon press conference, showing no sign of abandoning his invasion of ukraine, counting on international funding for kyiv drying up. >> translator: coming back to the goals, they remain unchanged. today ukraine virtually produces or manufactures nothing. they have been importing things for free -- freeloading.

it will come to an end, sooner or later. national security advisor jake sullivan in israel today, meeting with prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his war cabinet as the white house presses them to open a second gate for desperately needed aid into gaza. ♪♪ republicans backing the investigation of the president and his family's business dealings. republicans targeting hunter biden, who said he would testify in public but ignored their subpoena for a closed-door appearance yesterday.

>> we have a simple question. i think the majority of americans have. what did the bidens do to receive the tens of millions of dollars from our enemies around the world. we expect you to comply with our information request and our subpoenas. >> none of that has been established. on "morning joe" had a keep jeffries tieing the inquiry directly to donald trump. >> the extreme maga republicans in the house were ordered by an organized crime boss, the twice-impeached former president of the united states, who has been, we have seen, a living, breathing, one person crime wave. he basically ordered the extreme maga republicans to launch this illegitimate impeachment inquiry as a political hit on president joe biden to try to undermine president biden's ability to be re-elected. >> this morning, racing to leave town, the house did pass the senate's compromise version of defense authorization bill,

which does include the abortion policy that alabama senator tommy tuberville had been protesting against all year. a record-setting 5.2% pay raise for military personnel. joining us now, ryan nobles, peter alexander, and former republican congressman from florida, david jolly. ryan, start us off. now that they launched this impeachment inquiry, the house republicans, without any hard evidence, what's next? is there movement on other priorities like the border, ukraine, israel? >> reporter: to answer your second question, there are talks that are continuing around this supplemental package which would include some new policies connected to the border. but there's really no realistic path to getting that piece of legislation over the finish line before the christmas holiday. in fact, members of the house are long gone. they told me they had to rush to get to planes.

the idea that the senate could come up with something even in the next 24 to 48 hours and then leave it for the house to get the house members to come back is a long shot. this is likely something that will be punted to the new year. to your point about impeachment, republicans have now set the stage where they are going to have to come up with the goods. there will be no more excuses as it relates to this investigation. they have certainly thrown a lot at the wall. they have yet to deliver that piece of hard evidence that directly links the current president, joe biden, to any of his son's business dealings and further connects that to any influence peddling by the president in his official capacity as vice president or now as president. the next stage of this is that they will continue the process of deposing witnesses, conducting interviews. then they will ultimately have to come up with a report that would lead to articles of impeachment. many of the republican members have said they are not prepared to vote for articles of

impeachment yet. we will have to see if that changes in the next couple of weeks. >> peter alexander, how did the president respond to the house vote? the backdrop to this is inflation is easing, according to the fed chair, jerome powell, all the economic indicators are really looking strong. strong in a good way, not in a dangerous way. the voters don't seem to be picking up on that. >> reporter: you make a couple good points in that question. let me get to the first, which is the president's reaction to that impeachment inquiry. the white house posting a statement from president biden late yesterday where he described this as a baseless political stunt. we will put it up there that you can read. he wrote, instead of doing anything to make americans' lives better, the republicans are focused on attacking me with lies instead of doing their job on the work that needs to be done. they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunned that even republicans in congress admit is not supported by facts.

the president being very critical of those republicans right now, saying instead of focusing on issues like ukraine, israel, and border security, he said republicans in congress won't act to help. repeating that multiple times in his statement. the white house, having spoken to aides to the president earlier today, this are warning about the potential for this to have a real impact on the economy going forward. the economy, as you noted, is seeing some real strong signs right now. the potential for a government shutdown increasing as the days pass. early january, obviously, is going to be do or die time as it relates to the potential for a shutdown. we saw the stock market get to an all time high. it reminds you of something in 2019 that donald trump posted on twitter. he wrote, you mean the stock market is hit an all time record high today and they are actually talking about impeachment? in fact, that's the case this time around as it relates to

president biden. donald trump said the stock market would plummet under joe biden if he became president. it is at an all time high. house republicans are talking about impeachment right now. as it relates to the economy, there are those strong signs right now. new indicators that consumer sentiment is getting more optimistic. again, to be clear, the white house does face real challenges on this issue to try to better convince americans that joe biden deserves credit for the economy the way it is right now. still, americans in many parts of the country frustrated by rent being high and the price of food still being too high. obviously, as we heard from the fed, inflation going in the right direction. likely to be as many as three more cuts, according to powell, next year. >> david jolly, with all that good economic news, what do you make of the party's vote yesterday? no agreement on other priorities like ukraine, the border, or israel. they launched this impeachment inquiry. they have been investing for a year.

they have not come up with anything. no direct links. >> that's right. donald trump's department of justice had four years to investigate this and could not uncover anything. no charges were brought by the department of justice or u.s. attorneys. house republicans believe that they have evidence that the world has not seen. i do believe this has been scripted since january. republicans have plotted this out. i do think they will move towards impeachment next spring. for the specific reason that if you have voted to open up the impeachment inquiry, even if you are one of the 18 republicans or so from biden districts, to not impeach joe biden would be seen as an exoneration by republicans. that's probably the right outcome based on the facts, politically, republicans will ultimately move to impeach the president. the question then becomes, what is the white house response? we have seen them very fully so. i'm not sure a dismissive posture is the right approach at this point.

what republicans are doing really is so foolhardy. i think you have to take an aggressive posture and crush republicans' narrative from now until next november to embarrass them for what they're doing on behalf of the institution. >> ryan nobles, peter alexander, david jolly, thanks to all of you. the pressure campaign, national security advisor jake sullivan on a critical visit to israel today, delivering a message to prime minister netanyahu. that's next when "andrea mitchell reports" is back in just 60 seconds. you are watching msnbc. (carolers) ♪ iphone 15 pro, your husband deserves it! ♪ (mom) carolers? to tell me you want a new iphone? a better plan is verizon. (vo) it's your last chance to turn any iphone in any condition into a new iphone 15 pro with titanium and ipad and apple watch se - all on us. only on verizon. my daughter and i finally had that conversation.

oh, no, not about that. about what comes next in life. for her. i may not be in perfect health, but i want to stay in my home, where my family visits often and where my memories are. i can do it with help from a prep cook, wardrobe assistant and stylist, someone to help me live right at home. life's good. when you have a plan. ♪ ♪ national security advisor jake sullivan is in israel today. he is pressing prime minister netanyahu to open a border crossing from israel into gaza, hoping to dramatically increase what has only been a trickle of humanitarian aid from the rafah crossing in. netanyahu is rejecting all calls

for a cease-fire and vowing to press ahead with the offensive in gaza. the u.s. supports that but wants the offensive to be more targeted and to try to protect civilians. president biden in the face of an overwhelming u.n. call for a cease-fire said the heavy civilian death toll and indiscriminate bombing, his words, in gaza is cutting into international support for israel. speaking to britain sky news yesterday, israel's abassador to the uk denied they are targeting civilians. >> do you remember a case where they created a humanitarian corridor to the enemy? >> the point i'm trying to make is the impression, even in the united states, and in the white house, is that in your per -- >> absolutely not. >> that's what indiscriminate

means. >> you have been covering this crisis, the humanitarian crisis in gaza. your reporting has been extraordinary. it keeps getting worse, the situation there. heavy rains have led to flooding. tent cities overcrowded. talk to us about what you are seeing there now. >> reporter: we have been in touch with our crew inside of gaza. these tent cities are essentially housing under flimsy tarps thousands of multiple people who have gone from the north of the gaza strip to the middle of the gaza strip, then to the south. it has been raining. they are living in mud. we are hearing from pediatric doctors as well and hospitals in the south where the israeli military told people to flee to for safety. what should be a benign intestinal infection or chest infection in children is leading to really some critical

conditions. people are not able to access the most basic health care. they are crowded in tarps. sleeping in unfinished concrete structures. on enclave within an enclave. people are starting to -- you can sense their mental state is starting to deteriorate. you hear them say, i would rather go back to my home, even if it's destroyed, because i would rather die there than under some flimsy tent near the egyptian border. the u.n. relief and works agency, implanted in the gaza strip for decades, is saying it lost over 130 of its staff members. 70% of them have been displaced. there's a hospital in the north where the head of the pediatric department is saying, that's it. it collapsed. no more operations, no more beds, no more food, no more water. it's a dire situation. you mentioned jake sullivan there. he really -- the u.s.

administration is putting more and more pressure on israel to open another crossing. as you mentioned, it's only rafah from egypt. kerem shalom is open for inspections. but they want that to open for crossings. would you have a bigger volume of aid going in. >> i saw we played pictures that looked like jake sullivan bet with the opposition party general. supposedly, he is part of the war cabinet that was brought in after the disastrous first couple of days on october 7th. is he playing a major role now? >> reporter: is he planning what? i didn't hear -- >> i was wondering whether he will have any influence on the military strategy. >> reporter: that's difficult to

say. if the u.s. is not having as much influence as it was, then presumably within the war cabinet, it might be difficult. what i'm hearing from opposition groups, who are saying that what benjamin netanyahu is doing is fighting for his political survival. they are criticizing him for using the war or for at the least maybe potentially not leading the war in the way it should, not having the post-war plan he should, because his political survival is at stake. i think that's what you are starting to hear more and more from his political opposition inside of this country. >> it sounds like he is campaigning against the palestinians by campaigning against the palestinian -- the two-state solution, which is what the u.s. is pushing. >> reporter: yeah. >> that could be a good platform for him giving his polls are so negative right now. thank you so much.

later this hour, i will be joined by the cousin of a man kidnapped. we will talk about the search for answers after unsubstantiated claims by hamas his loved ones died weeks ago. european authorities have arrested several suspected hamas members over alleged plans for a major attack on jewish sites in europe. this is just unfolding. meagan fitzgerald joins us now. what do we know so far? >> reporter: officials in denmark say three people were arrested there. one in the netherlands. officials say they are suspected of planning a terror attack. the danish prime minister calling this as serious as it gets. within the last hour, the german state prosecutor saying four suspected members of hamas have been arrested. one in the netherlands, three in berlin. the german prosecutor saying,

one of the members was searching for this underground stash in europe. they believe those weapons were due to be taken to berlin. they believe the motive was to use those weapons for a potential terrorist attack against jewish institutions in europe. israel's prime minister's office just coming out with a statement thanking what they are calling intensive and comprehensive intelligence throughout this investigation. >> meagan fitzgerald, thank you. i know you will stay on that with updates. thank you. marathon news conference. how vladimir putin is selling a third year of his ukraine invasion to the russian people. this is "andrea mitchell reports." you are watching msnbc. the subway series is getting an upgrade. the new #33. the teriyaki blitz.

with double cheese and teriyaki-marinated meat. it's like a perfect steak spiral in the double cheese coverage. if you say so, peyton. who knew the subway series could get even better?

we come from people we can be proud of.

seeing all the places i come from, i know. if it's a serrano, it's something to be proud of. give the gift of family heritage with ancestry. (announcer) enough with the calorie counting, if it's a serrano, it's something to be proud of. carb cutting, diet fatigue, and stress. just taking one golo release capsule with three balanced meals a day has been clinically proven to repair metabolism, optimize insulin levels, and balance the hormones that make weight loss easy. release works with your body, not against it, so you can put dieting behind you and go live your life. head to golo.com now to join the over 2 million people who have found the right way to lose weight and get healthier with golo.

why are we the only birds heading this way? ♪ ♪

what is that? duck à l'orange. what's duck à l'orange? it's you, with l'orange on top. in a four-hour marathon end of year news conference, vladimir putin seemed emboldened by washington's fighting over aid to ukraine and as certain as ever about russian victory. >> translator: peace will come when we reach our goals. they have been importing things for free. freeloading, but it will come to an end sooner or later. all the things the westerners were supplied, but all that was annihilated.

>> joining me now is our nbc news chief international correspondent and veteran putin watcher, keir simmons in moscow. keir, putin -- he skipped his annual address last year. making this his first since the full-scale invasion of ukraine. he seemed more confident than ever. >> reporter: i think that's right. that was a good sound bite to play from the news conference that was four hours long. it was the one moment, as far as we can tell, when he did reference the potential reduction in support from washington, from europe for the ukrainians, that he was aware of that. if anyone in washington is under the illusion that president putin is getting ready to walk into talks and compromise, they were disabused of that

impression today by president putin himself, who again and again in different ways said things like, victory will be ours. he said that russia has, according to him, more than 600,000 troops along the front line in ukraine and talked about more coming online, if you like, in the months ahead. no matter what people's assessment of the conflict itself, the reality is that the president of russia here in moscow is still saying that he is determined to try to achieve the aims he has talked about. for example, demilitarization of ukraine as he calls it. there was a suggestion he is prepared to talk about "the wall street journal," evan gershkovich, and the american paul whelan, both being held in jail here in russia.

both deny the allegations against them. he said he was prepared to do some kind of a deal. take a listen. >> translator: it's not that we decline to send them home. no. we want to come to terms, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable. i hope we will find a mutually acceptable solution. the american side should also listen to us and make a decision that would be satisfactory for the russian side also. >> reporter: once again, really important point here. it goes -- it counts right across the piece. president putin said he is prepared to talk. the question is what demands he is making for those two americans held here and also on other fronts, if you like. there will be those concluding that if the russians aren't prepared to compromise, then the

talks don't really go anywhere. of course, president zelenskyy, who is now in europe, has been clear that he is not interested in compromise. he wants to see russia going back to the 2014 internationally recognized borders. >> evan gershkovich late today decided to extend until the end of january again. so he has not been able to have a hearing on his appeal to get out. the trial hasn't started. there had been reports here that there was a deal from the u.s. side that the u.s. said was a very positive proposal but that it was rejected by moscow. putin is pushing back on that. >> reporter: yeah. that's right. brave question from "the new york times" reporter who stood up in that news conference and asked about evan gershkovich and paul whelan. i suppose you could read from it

that a little bit of light was shown on things, that president putin and the russian government is prepared to negotiate. that might be hopeful a little bit for the administration and for the families. but ultimately, the issue is that we don't know what is being talked about and what the russians are demanding. without knowing that, it's difficult to know where those talks actually will go. >> evan has been there since march. paul whelan has been in jail five years now. it's just appalling. thank you very much, keir simmons. joining us now is retired lieutenant general twitty. it's good to talk to you today about where we stand. zelenskyy obviously left without getting the money that he needs. there's a little in the pipeline, but according to the u.s., maybe another month. so where do we stand with winter

months ahead, already underway? ukraine not having the offensive weapons and defensive weapons that it says it needs. >> i will tell you that ukraine is going to be in an extremely difficult situation in terms of trying to execute this war come next spring. what the -- at this point in time while winter set in up until february, march, is for the ukrainians to rearm, fix all the broken equipment that they broke during their count er counteroffensive, and also to consolidate, reorganize and get themselves ready for the next counteroffensive next year. they will not be able to do that given that they don't have the funding for spare parts, for additional equipment to come in

to assist them such as additional drones, such as f-16s, such as spare parts, as i mentioned. so they face a russian force now of 600,000 soldiers that are highly equipped that they're going to have to go against. in my view, if they do not get the funding, they will not succeed in this fight. >> general, with that in mind, do you think that there's going to be more pressure for zelenskyy to do something like go to negotiations, which would clearly mean not getting back the territory -- all of the territory that they have lost? >> i would hope not. here is why. if ukraine goes to the bargaining table or if ukraine loses this war, you might as well say u.s. lost the war, nato has lost this war.

because remember, we backed ukraine from the beginning in this war. nato backed ukraine from the beginning in this war. if we abandon the ukrainians, then we have lost just as much as the ukrainians have lost. i would much rather us push forward, push hard. let's get the funding in there. then let's focus on not just this funding but this war is going to take some time. i think it's going to take years. they will need sustainable funding and predictable funding for the long-term. >> general, thanks to you. taking a pass. rudy giuliani deciding against taking the witness stand today. he could face an eight-figure decision for defaming two election workers. e decision for defaming two election workers but...he wasn't.

gain flings with oxi boost and febreze. ♪ if there's pain when you try to poo ♪ ♪ and going sometimes feels like you ♪ ♪ pushed through a pineapple or two ♪ ♪ colace is the brand you need ♪ ♪ to soften stools, we're all agreed ♪ ♪ #2 should be easy to do ♪ trust colace to soften stools with no stimulants for comfortable relief. a few years ago, i came to saona, they told me there's no electricity on the island. we always thought that whatever we did here would be an emblem of what small communities can achieve. trying to give a better life to people that don't have the means to do it. si mi papá estuviera vivo, sé que él tuviera orgulloso también de vivir de esta viviendo una vida como la que estamos viviendo ahora. es electricidad aquí es salud. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people

reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. living with type 2 diabetes? ask about the power of 3 with ozempic®.

about two years ago, i realized that jade was overweight. i wish i would have introduced the fresh food a lot sooner. after farmer's dog, she's a much healthier weight. she's a lot more active. and she's able to join us on our adventures. get started at betterforthem.com

in a reversal today, rudy giuliani decided not to testify in his trial. it will go to the jury after instructions from the judge. it was brought by two election workers. you will recall them from the january 6 hearings, who won their case, that giuliani and other trump lawyers wrongly accused them of election fraud. the jury has to decide how much

they should receive this damaging. ruby freeman delivered emotional testimony about the threats she received. joining us now is ryan reilly and joyce vance. ryan, what did we hear in the closing arguments so far? why did giuliani not testify? >> reporter: the attorney for these two plaintiffs said that what they want the jury to do is send a message to rudy giuliani and others like him that they can't spread baseless conspiracy theories about civil servants who are only doing their job and did nothing wrong. the impact of that could have broader implications for other individuals. they are alluding to donald trump in this instance. the attorney for rudy giuliani was saying that what his client did was bad, but it wasn't as bad as the damages that the

plaintiffs are seeking here. trying to limit the exposure and ultimately, it's up to the jurors to decide how much damages are impacting here. they are asking for $24 million for each of the plaintiffs in the case. a big total that could have devastating consequences for rudy giuliani if he is able to scrounge up that money because he is having financial difficulties at the moment. >> joyce, on the immunity claim by donald trump, judge chutkan paused the federal election interference case, which is supposed to start march 4th, after the supreme court agreed to take the immunity claim promptly. help us understand this and also separately if you can the supreme court agreeing to hear a separate case, january 6 case, about the rioters, and the new york times is writing, at issue is whether they can charge them. this could have an impact on the

jack smith case. >> right. the last couple of days have been action packed from a legal point of view. the big question, as you identify, is, how does this impact the scheduled march 4 trial date that judge chutkan said? that date is still on the table, whether or not she can meet it is up for grabs. the stay that she has issued on further proceedings in the trial court obligatory. that's something she had to do while this immunity issue was on appeal. the real question is, how fast will the appellate courts move to decide that issue. that's a bet the firm issue. if donald trump wins on immunity, then the proceedings against him have to be dismissed. that's why everything is on hold while that works its way through the courts. while his argument isn't a frivolous one, it's very unlikely that the court will find that a president by vir

virtue of four years of service is immune for any charges. the question is how quick they will decide, less a question how they will rule. now we have this new complication. there is a challenge not in the trump case, but in connection with some of the january 6th rioters, to whether one of the charges jack smith has brought against trump can be used in this particular kind of setting. that appeal, which the supreme court has agreed to hear, wouldn't necessarily delay the march 4 trial. it could impact whether one of those charges, if there's a conviction, would be affirmed on appeal. that's less of a concern for timing. all of that to say -- i suspect it's very confusing to non-lawyers. but the fate of that march 4 trial date is in the hands of the d.c. court of appeals and the united states supreme court. >> they can move hastily or take their sweet time. the fate of a lot of things hangs in the balance of getting

this trial underway before the election. before he even wins the nomination, if he were to. joyce vance, thank you so much. of course, ryan reilly. the texas two-step. republican senators avoiding comment on the abortion debate raging in texas. that high-profile case, they are running away from it at all costs. my conversation with a democrat trying to oust ted cruz from his senate seat. that's coming up next. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc.

when you have chronic kidney disease... ...there are places you'd like to be.

like here. and here. not so much here. farxiga reduces the risk of kidney failure which can lead to dialysis. ♪far-xi-ga♪ farxiga can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, urinary tract or genital yeast infections, and low blood sugar. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, an allergic reaction, or ketoacidosis. when you have chronic kidney disease, it's time to ask your doctor for farxiga. because there are places you want to be. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. ♪far-xi-ga♪ (carolers) ♪ iphone 15 pro, your husband deserves it! ♪ (mom) carolers? to tell me you want a new iphone?

a better plan is verizon. (vo) it's your last chance to turn any iphone in any condition into a new iphone 15 pro with titanium and ipad and apple watch se - all on us. only on verizon. what is cirkul? cirkul is the fuel you need to take flight. cirkul is the energy that gets you to the next level. cirkul is what you hope for when life tosses lemons your way. cirkul. it's your water, your way.

[sneeze] dude you coming? ♪ alka-seltzer plus powermax gels cold & flu relief with more concentrated power because the only thing dripping should be your style. plop plop fizz fizz winter warriors with alka-seltzer plus.

texas' two u.s. senators have taken a vow of silence about their state's controversial near total abortion ban. a ban that forced kate cox to seek help outside of the state. cornyn and cruz are avoiding the subject. >> i'm not a state official. i'm not going to comment on what state officials are doing. >> here with me now is collin allred who is running against ted cruz. >> thanks for having me. >> it's good for you to be here.

how do you see this abortion issue playing in texas, but in your race against ted cruz? >> first of all, it's heartbreaking. my heart goes out to kate, to her family. everything she's had to go through. she had to go to the emergency room four times. her physician said she needs a medically necessary abortion. she's appealed to her state to allow her to do that close to home. they said no. this is the result of decades of extremists pushing us to this position to where we have a near total ban on abortion in the state of texas. this is what it looks like. as a mother of two, having a complicated pregnancy and having to leave our state. it's unacceptable. we have to do something about it. we can by codifying roe v. wade. >> do you think this is going to become a driving issue, especially for women voters? >> i think people are outraged. my wife and i are. we have had two boys in dallas in the last five years.

our boys are 4 and 2. i think people are outraged. they can imagine themselves in this position. we held our breath every time we had a doctor's appointment. the doctor comes in to tell you the results of tests. i can't imagine if at one of the meetings the doctor said there was a problem with the baby, but there's nothing we can do, because politicians decided they know better than i do, what's best for your medical treatment. that is, i think, outraging everyone. i have gotten so many people reaching out to me, my wife has as well. for every texan, this is very personal. >> arizona, new mexico, wyoming have similar cases pending. also the supreme court has taken the abortion pill case. now that medication abortions are used, according to the most recent data, by half -- at least half of the people seeking these

procedures. this is all trending in a more restrictive direction. >> it is. it's trending with lawyers. i went to law school. i was a lawyer. making decisions that medical professionals should be making. the fda should be making. these folks are not qualified to make these decisions. ken paxton, ted cruz are not qualified to make these decisions for a woman. they are not qualified to make medical determinations. they shouldn't be. for 50 years, we had a standard that i think americans came to expect and understand. we had a lot of disagreement around it. we are now in a position where we have -- in states like texas, women have fewer rights. we can do something about it. in the next election, we can elect me and beat ted cruz. make sure we codify roe v. wade. i'm asking folks, if it's something you know we have to do something about, go to collinallred.com and get involved. >> let me ask you, switching

gears, the border. you are a border state. you come from a border state. the border is tieing up ukraine and israel money, according to the house republicans. do you see any resolution? is it worth the sacrifice from your posture on asylum, on title 42 or other -- are you worried the white house is going to go hard line just to cut a deal for the foreign aid? >> i'm a member of the foreign affairs committee. i think it's important we support three democracies in israel and taiwan and, of course, ukraine, to make sure they can defend they can defend themselves, particularly ukraine is depending on it, this is a decision that will go down in history, if the united states congress fails to support them, putin will win and he's already doing victory laps in russia because of this. it's also true that the border is in crisis, we do need changes

made there. i think we are trying to offer common sense changes we can make. we need a partner who actually accepts something. i worry that we have too many members, my colleagues and also in the senate who don't actually want to do anything to solve our issues at the border, and just want the political issue. if you try and do anything to fix it, you can't use it in the next selection. >> are you worried the white house might cut a deal and go for the harder line? >> i think we do need to make some deal here. >> do you support that? >> it obviously depends on the details, but you know, i think we do need to make some changes and the asylum policy is not something that we can handle in all of the kind of ills of the central and southern america just through asylum. that's not going to work, and, you know, as you said, i'm from a border state. i've been to our border check points. they've got a real job on their hands dealing not only with this surge of migrants but also fentanyl, they need more resources. we should do something there. >> it sounds like you're a gettable vote on that issue. >> i think it's important that

we do make a change there, but also to me these two issues should never have been tied together, and i think it's a shame that they have been. >> congressman, thank you very much, i wish you and your family a very happy holiday. >> same to yours. >> thank you. and family frustration, i'll speak with the cousin of a father kidnapped by hamas along with his young family. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports." this is msnbc. this is msnbc x the laundry and get a tide clean. it's got to be tide. watch how easy it is to put on new hands free skechers slip-ins. i just step in and go. sitting? doesn't matter. i don't even have to touch them. ooo, gangsta. in a hurry? there's not a faster, easier way to put on shoes. they know a 10 when they see it.

as americans, there's one thing we can all agree on. the promise of our constitution and the hope that liberty and justice is for all people. but here's the truth. attacks on our constitutional rights, yours and mine are greater than they've ever been. the right for all to vote. reproductive rights. the rights of immigrant families. the right to equal justice for black, brown and lgbtq+ folks. the time to act to protect our rights is now. that's why i'm hoping you'll join me today in supporting the american civil liberties union. it's easy to make a difference. just call or go online now and become an aclu guardian of liberty. all it takes is just $19 a month. only $0.63 a day. your monthly support will make you part of the movement to protect the rights of all people, including the fundamental right to vote. states are passing laws that would suppress

the right to vote. we are going backwards. but the aclu can't do this important work without the support of people like you. you can help ensure liberty and justice for all and make sure that every vote is counted. so please call the aclu now or go to my aclu.org and join us. when you use your credit card, you'll receive this special we the people t-shirt and much more. to show you're a part of the movement to protect the rights guaranteed to all of us by the us constitution. we protect everyone's rights, the freedom of religion, the freedom of expression, racial justice, lgbtq rights, the rights of the disabled. we are here for everyone. it is more important than ever to take a stand. so please join us today. because we the people means all the people, including you. so call now or go online to my aclu.org to become a guardian of liberty.

whenever you're hungry, there's a deal on the subway app. buy one footlong, get one 50% off in the subway app today. now that's a deal worth celebrating. man, what are you doing?! get it before it's gone on the subway app. ♪♪ first time i connected with kim, she told me that get it before it's gone on the subway app. her husband had passed. and that he took care of all of the internet connected devices in the home. i told her, “i'm here to take care of you.” connecting with kim... made me reconnect with my mom.

it's very important to keep loved ones close. we know that creating memories with loved ones brings so much joy to your life. a family trip to the team usa training facility. i don't know how to thank you. i'm here to thank you. 135 hostages are believed being held inside gaza, and that includes the bibas family. the father, yarden, his wife, kfir the youngest hostage being held in gaza has spent nearly a fifth of his young life in captivity after being kidnapped on october 7th. the world watched the family's kidnapping when they were abducted from the kibbutz in

southern israel. we saw their father kidnapped by hamas in these photos with blood on his head. his cousin joins us now. thank you very much for being with us. during the cease fire, there were reports from hamas that shiri and her two children have been killed by an israeli air strike. have you received any updates at all from israel, from the government, from anyone about the condition of your family? >>. >> so the condition remains unclear. we haven't received anything that makes it more -- we believe in our hearts they're still there waiting for us to rescue them. >> do you have any sense at all of where they're being held?

>> we don't know where or the conditions. we know that yarden their father, he's a big man, and now he's doesn't get -- we know about the darkness, the other hostages that returned, we know that they've been held in the darkness, told to keep quiet. sometimes being held alone, and we can't imagine what's right now, what they are going through. >> do you have -- what is your view, your family's view about the bombing of the tunnels?

i know there are different views, different families, and it's just such a terrible dilemma. how do you feel about the offensive and the way it's being conducted in terms of whether or not it could be endangering these hostages because hamas is so cruelly using them as human shields and keeping them in the tunnels, of course. >> i know that -- i'm not a politician, and also the family, the bibas family, they are civilians. and youngsters and they shouldn't be held in this condition. it's beyond cruel, and i know that hamas took them and expect

for them to bring them back to us before any more harm is done to them. >> well, we just -- our thoughts are with you. it is -- i mean, we're jus looking at these pictures of this beautiful baby and his loving mother. it's just terrible, this horrific hostage taking. our thoughts are with you, thank you so much for being with us today. and that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." remember, follow the show on social media @mitchellreports. "chris jansing reports" starts right now. ♪♪ good day. i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. it was his big chance to back up the big lie, so why did rudy giuliani refuse to testify under