that is bigger than politics and i know we have to be careful using the word racist, it is racism that trump says that, but the paraphrase hitler. if he has not read his clear it is almost worse because it's a reflection of donald trump's personal ethos. why is he doing it? we do not know. we don't know -- but we know what's on their lips. racism is on donald trump's lips when he says that. how does that impact voters? it's the same border to look at colorado and charges of insurrection and say, you know, what in 18 oh what would democrats i've never done it before. stop with them in 2022 because i cannot handle this trumpism. this reminds him, the interaction reminds him, the racism reminds him, and the plays very well for joe biden next november. >> okay, just a quick chance to wish you all a very merry christmas and happy holiday. thank you so. much that is it everybody. i wish you all a very merry christmas to those of you celebrating. we will see you again next saturday at noon eastern. my friend richard lui continues our coverage right now. rage right now

>> good afternoon. i am richard lui in for yasmin. the christmas -- dozens of flights canceled due to weather in the mid let -- leaving airline scrambling to get travelers home for the holidays. a live report on the situation just a moment. and, a brand-new falling by donald trump's legal team on the issue of presidential immunity, essentially their client's commute completely immune from prosecution. this sets up a showdown of what the special counsel and the hearing set for early january. breaking news for you as well, the israeli military revealing the fate of five hostages whose bodies were found in the tunnels of gaza. we will get the details with that just into. us with record breaking numbers of migrant the board of this week, some negotiators working the phone lines through the congressional recess to find a deal on immigration. we'll also look back at the culture war bottles of 2023 when america appeared to be a war with itself. that is coming up, later this hour. we are going to start the show

with that swift new filing, from former president trump asking the d.c. court of appeal to sauces federal election case unit presidential immunity claim after the supreme court side that decision on friday. his lawyers arguing justice weekend that, quote, president trump has absolute immunity from prosecution for his official acts of president, indictment alleges only official acts so it must be dismissed. and quote. they also writes here, before any single prosecutor can ask a court to sit in judgment of the presidents conduct, congress must have a proved of it by impeaching and convicting the president. that did not happen here. so, president trump has absolute immunity. joining me now, former u.s. attorney and msnbc legal analyst joyce vance. joyce, a very good afternoon to you. this is not new to us, we've got this at the very last minute from trump's lawyers. what do you make of the argument here? >> right, these are the same

arguments that have already been rejected by judge chutkan when she looked at these arguments from both sides in front of the district court. they do not have any better on appeal here. this argument, the one that you referenced about being incapable of prosecution until you are impeached and convicted in the senate, simply does not fly. it is a tortured misreading of the law. that is something that judge chutkan had no trouble with. the larger argument that trump's lawyers are making is that everything he was doing was part of his presidential duties. when he was calling county canvassers in wayne county, michigan. of course, we know that's not how our elections work. the president has no authority, no role to play in the elections that are conducted in the 50 states, no role in county vote counting. so, to say that trump was immune for doing this would in essence be to give a president

so much power that every future power, frankly including the -- that joe biden would be able to act as a dictator. >> so, as we look at this, joyce, now it is up to the government, the doj to response, they have until next saturday to do so. what might that response be? >> right, i think we will hear doj make the argument, that this motion is critical to determining the outcome in this case. if trump is given immunity, the entire prosecution goes away. doj will argue i think along the lines that judge chutkan ruled that a former president does not have immunity, and they will also make the argument that there is a difference between president trump and the candidate trump. when acting as a candidate and not a president, the former president can be prosecuted, just like he could be for any host of crimes you could consider. if you rob a bank while you are the president, you can be prosecuted for that afterwards. >> then we look for when they

have to make their cases before the very d.c. court we're talking about. january 9th, what does this tell us about how that might come about? >> so this will be a pretty standard argument. the court has already told the parties that each side will get an hour to make their arguments. what we do not know, richard, and the most important question here is how long it'll take the court of appeals to issue its opinion after its argument. >> there has been some reporting that they have already started to work on that a very opinion. is that common practice? >> so, i do not think i would credit any sort of reporting in advance about how a panel on the court of appeals is acting. often, the judges do not even speak to each other about a case before oral arguments takes place. the first time they will talk about it is when they are sitting together in the conference meeting after oral argument has taken place. i think our hope here, the

expectation, is that this panel will be be prepared to move quickly. they have the briefing and they have the district court judge's opinions. they now have trump's opening brief, they will have the government's brief. this should be a hot bench. that means they will ask all of their questions in oral arguments and be ready to go and write their opinion. >> a hot bench. the filing also stating this, the filing that came in over the weekend here, if the court affirms the district court in any respect, president trump respectively requests that the courts to the insurance of its mandate pending further review, including possible unbanked proceedings and or supreme court to review. so, joyce, trump would have what, 90 days to file a final appeal to the supreme court, and also if you could break down with that legal response was. >> so, richard, i was the appellate chief in my office before i became the u.s. attorney. i do not think i ever anticipated i'd be trying to answer these appellate filing

deadlines on national tv. they are complex. this is part of the arcana being a federal appellate lawyer. here is the problem, proceedings in front of judge chutkan, anything we move towards this case is trial, that is all staying pending the appeal. so, donald trump wants to see that stay in place for as long as possible. his hope here is that the court will continue to stay everything while this appeal moves forward. as she's pointed, out he's got 45 days to ask the full court to really hear this three court panel. the first quarter first 90 days just -- before the supreme court in a real limitation on how long it takes them to make a decision. trump's game here is delay, delay, delay. he will play for every last day he can. >> so, in short, marshall is really difficult which is the target start of this case, right, choice? >> i think it does. the way i think about this is it is delay, delay, delay. every day the appeal takes is a

day of delay in the district court. it is not impossible that the march trial date could hold. but, i think it begins to slip and certainly a lot depends on how quickly each of these appellate courts willing to move. >> joyce vance, i know that you didn't plan on doing this in your future, but, i'm glad you are able to do the breakdown here, legal jargon and speak as well as all the rules and regulations related to it. joyce vance, thank you so much. rough weather conditions starting -- christmas eve throughout the midwest, dozens of flights canceled in chicago. alone after a thick fog caused a complete ground stop in the city, one of the nation's biggest travel hubs, it's as a blizzard has taken name at the central plains and colorado up to south dakota in parts of minnesota. truckers along the interstate i 80 in the roscoe are siding off of the slick rather sliding off of the slick roadways, and at this coming to a call from blinding snowfall. shaquille brewster is at midway airport in chicago today. he joins us now and, shaq, up

to this point, midwesterners we're seeing whenever i visit there, we've got off easy. but, not as we look at christmas. >> right, especially when you look at the weather outside, we are talking about unseasonably warm temperatures in chicago. many people thinking that would lead to better travel conditions. unfortunately, we saw fog this morning and here in chicago's midway airport the lead to a ground stop for multiple hours. so far, things are getting back on track. many of those long lines we saw were reported earlier this morning have since dissolved. things are moving much more quickly. we know about 40 flights here at midway airport were canceled. one in every three flights have left midway or are planning to, scheduled to leave midway. they will be delayed at this point. so, a little bit of trouble earlier today. but, fortunately, no snow here in chicago and things are starting to get back on track where there was that ground

stop. >> so, as all this is happening, we have seen how the cancellations and delays start to roll of, how are they handling those right now? >> yeah, this is a big thing that we are seeing this year is that we're not seeing what we saw last year with about 17,000 passengers seem canceled flights, 2 million passengers oval impacted by that southwest breakdown. but, we are still seeing these delays of cancellation. i want to listen to the story that one passenger told me in terms of what he has been dealing with and his family have been dealing with as they were not trying to make it home, but trying to make it to a holiday vacation. >> what a feeling you have right now? >> we absolutely lost a vacation mode. these -- travel companies to reschedule our stuff, but, things are not work. we are actually three families

going to miami. so, the hotel has been canceled our rooms. so, we are actually a lot of expect and started. >> 3000 dollar trip. >> it was supposed to be. but, now i think we will be looking at -- >> this delay is costing you $2,000. >> absolutely, yes. >> so, you see, even though some passengers are even able to get, out due to the financial impact for many of those folks. which you are hearing from experts is the vice to come early, make sure you show up early you got two hours for the domestic flights. also remember those tsa regulations, that if you are going to check a bag, make sure you do not have any liquid. that includes any liquid that maybe in some of those gifts that you are either giving or receiving. make sure that you are following those tsa rules before you go through. >> yeah, many of us have been. they're shaquille brewster there for us in chicago. thank you so much, my friend.

coming up next, breaking news out of israel, where the idf has just released new information about the bodies of five hostages found in tunnels in gaza. we are live in tel aviv with the report in just 60 seconds. i got this $1,000 camera for only $41 on dealdash. dealdash.com, online auctions since 2009. this playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. this ipad pro sold for less than $34. and this nintendo switch, sold for less than $20. i got this kitchenaid stand mixer for only $56. i got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. and shipping is always free. go to

dealdash.com right now and see how much you can save. >> okay, now to some breaking news out of israel. this afternoon, the idf revealing that they have recovered the bodies of five israeli hostages. in hamas tunnels underneath gaza. the bodies are now being brought back to israel. joining us now with the very latest on this breaking news. jay gray live for us in tel aviv. e.j., what we know about this? >> richard, finding this out in the last 30 minutes or so that the idf did look at the five bodies of israeli soldiers. they were inside the tunnels. those bodies have been recovered and they say returned to israel. it is an operation to dismantle hamas's northern underground headquarters, and so that's where they have been working

and have been over the past 24 to 48 hours, trying to get through and into some of those tunnels and clear them out, and that's where they made this tragic discovery. efforts to do continue according to the idf to eliminate the tunnel network and not only khan younis but the southern part of gaza as well. so, this is an ongoing mission, and some in the idf has said they are targeting over the last and they said 24 to 48 hours, richard. >> jay, let's go north. you have been reporting about missile launches, to the north. they are on the border of lebanon. not new, but we have heard of yet more launches. how is this different? >> you are right. there have been back and forth since this war began. it comes on idea defense forces carrying out what they call wide gale strikes against hezbollah targets in lebanon. there you significant force. following what they say was a barrage of rockets fired on

communities in israel. we know that there were strikes in israel, but we have also been told that there were no injuries and no -- as a result of those strikes. but, again, things ramping up to the north as well. there has always been concern, richard, and we've talked about it, that there may be a second front at some point. this point has not happened, but, that does not alleviate the concern. >> and pcs jay gray for the very lives in israel. thank, you jay. >> over at the vatican, pope francis already -- he is resigning over a mass that began at 7:30 pm local time in rome. then at noon tomorrow, pope francis will deliver his anticipated christmas message and in part the -- blasting a special catholic blessing reserved only for eastern christmas. coming up, president biden caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to immigration. conservatives asking border restrictions for foreign aid, democrats worried taking a

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congress to strike a deal on border policy changes in the first days of 2024. the number of migrants crossing the u.s. southern border continues to rise with more than 242,000 encounters by customs and border protection last month. december numbers are supposed to be even worse. nbc news correspondent julie tsirkin joins us live. julie, first off, talk us through where congress is at on striking a border deal. not easy, a big topic that is perennial here. >> one in which congress has not been able to solve for nearly four decades, but that being said, i'm told, richard, that even over this holiday break you do have that group of senate negotiators, bipartisan group for democrat and independent and -- part of those discussions, try

to hammer out those remaining sticking points, but still the difference is do remain. specifically when it comes to the issue of parole here, richard, we did hear from senator lindsey graham who spoke about this morning, he is not in the negotiating group but i am told that his staff were part of those meetings as well with secretary mayorkas right before lawmakers left the holiday break. here is what he said. >> we have to get it done. the solemn fixes are going pretty well. the hang-up's parole. this administration does not want to let go the tool they're abusing. under our parole law, you can admit people into the country who are outside the country or within the country on an individual basis. they have been taking the pearl statue and grinning mass parole, blanket parole, and we need to starve. they do not want to get that tool of. they are trying to hang on to the vices to allow the flow to continue, republicans are trying to restrict the flow,

and regain control of our border. >> now that pearl authority has not only been used by the administration to admits migrants seeking humanitarian relief, it has also been used for refugees from areas like ukraine and afghanistan, populations that are dealing with immense struggle and war. the asylum provision that graham is talking about have to do with the restricting and tightening the asylum process, that includes raising the standard for those interviews called the credible fear standard that immigrants seeking asylum have to go through when they face border customs and patrol. still though, key issues on sticking points remain. we will see if they will get it done before congress comes back in the new year. >> speaking of ukraine, the debate over aid to ukraine which you have been watching there on the hill for designer mark warren posting on this very topic saying, quote, you know who is going to have the best christmas imaginable, that is going to be vladimir putin, our failure to renew a two cone is a tremendous gift to him. any possibility here, julie, that there is going to be some

sort of separation between the topics of israel and ukraine when it comes to aid, and if that actually helps to get aid to those two countries? >> israel is very different in this equation from ukraine. there is consensus on both sides of the aisle that additional aid and humanitarian assistance needs to be sent to israel and gaza as well. the humanitarian assistance of specifically. ukraine is a completely different issue, in part because republicans larger by the minute do not want to support sending additional aid there. a lot of republicans have contingent the eight ukraine on passing meaningful immigration reforms. that has been led by speaker mike johnson in the house. i should note, richard, one of the first congressional validation he is leading exactly to the border. in the beginning of the new year and there was for all of those reasons that it is unlikely that ukraine impasses without immigration attached to it. the problem, though, the clock is ticking. the administration democrats have warned that without that additional t aid, lethal aid,

humanitarian assistance to ukraine, they will not make it through the winter. i have talked to senator lindsey graham before he left for break, he is one of the top republican talks in favor of sending aid to ukraine, and he told me he is much more concerned about the issue at the border. so, i am certain the white house is paying attention to those comments. they need republican support to pass it to ukraine, and certainly they have to go in the direction of republicans when it comes to those immigration reforms, which does not please progressives and hispanic lawmakers which i've been speaking out about this all break, richard. >> so, come january, along with the budget, it is going to be a very busy, busy month for you. julie tsirkin, thank you so much, nbc news correspondent. coming up next, live at the white house with details on president biden's conversation with israel's prime minister, specifically saying, biden did not ask him for a cease-fire. plus, the shocking new report that found israel readily using one of its biggest and most

destructive 2000 pound bombs in areas where gaza civilians thought they would be safe. i got this $1,000 camera for only $41 on dealdash. dealdash.com, online auctions since 2009. this playstation 5 sold for only 50 cents. this ipad pro sold for less than $34. and this nintendo switch, sold for less than $20. i got this kitchenaid stand mixer for only $56. i got this bbq smoker for 26 bucks. and shipping is always free. go to dealdash.com right now and see how much you can save.

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as the israel-hamas war escalates in gaza, the u.s. is responding to attacks from an iranian-backed militant group, that threatens theglobal supply chain. saturday, the u.s. navy shut down drones fired by houthi rebels, the pentagon intervening after the yemen-based militant group

fired missiles into our international shipping lands in the southern red sea. who do you herbals have targeted more than 100 commercial ships, and it's busy trade route since october. because of that threat, several major companies have paused shipping through the region. meanwhile, president biden is stressing the need to protect civilians in gaza. the president addressed the issue in a phone call with israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, this weekend. saturday this call was the first time the two world leaders spoke on the phone in more than two weeks. joining us now from washington nbc's erin gilchrist. erin, fill it in for us. what more can you tell us about this call, the tone as well? >> richard, this was the 16 phone call between the two leaders since october 7th in the attack by hamas. we should know that the president in addresses heel he e white house yesterday he said he had a long conversation with the prime minister and it was a private conversation. i did ask him directly if in

the conversation he asked for a cease-fire and, other parts of the nature we have seen in the past few weeks and the president and he did not asked the prime minister for a cease-fire. we do know from a readout phone call from the white house of the two leaders talked about the militant campaign underway in gaza right now. they talked about the objectives there, and they talked about the fees in which is something we have been hearing about over the past few weeks from different numbers of the administration that the u.s. is asking and talking to israel about moving from a high intensity operation to one that is more strategic, more pinpointed on certain targets as opposed to one that is hitting such large areas like we have seen in the past couple of weeks. the two leaders also talked about the need for protecting the civilian population in gaza, and creating and making sure there are pathways for citizens to be able to get away from the fighting, and move to areas of safety. it's worth noting, richard, that the israelis in reading out the phone call from there in said the prime minister made

clear that israel would continue the war until all of its calls had been achieved. that is something we have heard over and over again. the administration still supporting what the israelis are doing in terms of trying to rig gaza of hamas, but sanger definitely needs to be a more targeted methodology used in the near future, richard. >> aaron gilchrist, the remaining hostages still being held by hamas, and just to the idf said they found the bodies of five hostages inside one of the hamas tunnels. what is the status of trying to get the rest of the hostages home as the stage, you are talking about, they move forward, certainly those hostages are part of reaching a truce or a cessation of hostilities? >> the administration has said that the issue of hostages is one that they bring up on a regular basis as the president and people below him speak to their counterparts in israel. they are trying to work out a way to move forward with another series of negotiations to get to a cease-fire that

would allow for the release of more hostages. we know just last week that the director of the cia was in europe meeting with the director of the israeli intelligence agency and with the prime minister of qatar, which has been the intermediary between israel and hamas trying to make some of these negotiations happen. in that meeting, these are the people who were really instrumental the first time around and getting that cease-fire and making a way for hostages to be released. we have not been given any indication by the administration that there is great hope, that there is a cease-fire coming soon. but, it's something the administration says it is working on on a regular basis, something they want to see happen and the israelis have signaled that is something they too would like to see happen, although hamas has been more resistant this last time around in terms of getting the gucci shuns going. we see that happening,. richard >> all right, nbc aaron gilchrist's, at the white house for us. thank you. joining us now is admiral james

-- a former supreme allied commander of nato, and enter -- analyst. admiral, what do you make of aaron gilchrist's reporting, also that the president did not ask for a cease-fire? >> well, first and foremost, these readouts do not always convey tone, they don't always go word for word. you never know what happens offstage. i think the pressure is ramping up very privately. but, even publicly you see more and more of. this it is the right thing. we need to be saying to our allies, our partners, our friend israel, look, if you continue at this pace and this level of collateral damage to civilians, you are going to lose the information or you're losing the global narrative. that will bounce back and highly negative ways for you. so, not only is it the right

thing to do to avoid civilian casualties, i would argue i think many military analyst would that pragmatically is trying for israel to move the dial back more precise refined its objectives, they got a tough road ahead. >> admiral, you heard that breaking news just coming into us in the last hour that five military hostages held by hamas, their bodies were found. how prevalent might this particular development be as we move forward, the finding of such hostages and their bodies? >> i think unfortunately the israeli public, the global public needs to be prepared for that. i've been involved in many hostage rescue attempts over the years, some are successful, but arguably it's the hardest military mission you can take because your opponent in this case are ruthless terroristam, a gun to the head of the hostages. they hear shots fired even in a

distance approaching, typically the hostages will be taken out. i am also hearing reports, richard, that the hostages are literally being used to screen the leader of hamas increasing their line of fire situation. so, sadly -- re dtime. her >> recent reporting also the pictures, the satellite pictures of what is happening. they're in the strip and related to the new york times find the idf is dropping 2000 pound bombs. they are amongst the largest and most destructive weapons available for the united states. shipping 5000 of these two idf, the anti-84 ammunition which are familiar with. this escalation to the size of a bomb, what do you make of this? >> i think it is a mistake, for all the reasons we have

discussed a few moments ago. not only will it turn this in information internet. if not only will it cause even higher levels of civilian casualties, but, i think it will present longer term adversaries as follows. every time a guidance of lean is killed, the male in that family is the biggest recruiting poster you can put out there for hamas. so, you are creating, if you will, accidental terrorists by the thousands as you do this. so, i do not think it makes military sense to conclude, richard. one of the campaigns i lead was a relatively brief six month war in libya. the united states launched 24,000 sorties. we put 7000 bombs on the ground there with virtually zero civilian casualties. they are different landscapes, obviously, not vermin.

but, there simply needs to be more attention to using absolutely only precision guided weapons and 2000 pound bobs have no place in this campaign at this point. >> admiral james stavridis, thank you for your expertise. i appreciate. >> you bet. >> coming up, the u.s. economy in 2023 can be summed up in three bullet points, perhaps. strikes, vibes, girl power. after the break, we will take a look back at the biggest economic stories of the year, including how taylor swift, beyoncé, and barbie proved to be the ultimate trifecta of success.

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>> 2023 was a turbulent year for business, certainly. there were multiple worker strikes on wall street and consumer theories over inflation have persisted. but, there are also some signs of progress being made as we move closer to the new year. nbc's brian chung breaks it all down as we take a look back at the economy of 2023. >> it was a year a picket lines, bank blowups, and barbie. the economy steered clear of a recession, but the biggest theme of all, worker power. [inaudible] across the country, over half 1 million teachers, pharmacist, went on strike, the biggest ones targeting hollywood and the motor city. tv and movie production halted when the rioters first walkout in may, with actors and

performers joining two months later. in the fall, members of the united auto workers for stoppages that the -- further empowered by president biden's unprecedented visit to the picket line. >> an attack on a worker anywhere, is an attack on workers everywhere. >> after months of shut down, the question, is who came out better on the other side? the hollywood standstill cox's explainers in -- for gm and stellantis, lost over three and a half billion dollars in profits together. pay drop for significant with actors wages rising more than 7%, riders up 12 and a half percent, and auto workers whopping 25%. >> inflation is easing. >> we are still talking about inflation. >> annual inflation is slowly coming down. >> still, high inflation shows signs of improving, dropping from over 6% to about 3% by years end. some things got cheaper compared to a year ago. gas down 44 cents a gallon. prices cracked on x two, over

above cheaper provides in. the cost of living continues to keep inflation readings high, although it media rants down 2%, hope that affordability will improve next year. a light at the end of the tunnel for main street, but in 2023, it was high drama on wall street. when silicon valley bank collapse in march, becoming the biggest collapse since 2008 financial crisis, overshadowed just weeks later when first republic failed as well, exposing bad beds made by poor managers. in the crypto world, sam bankman-fried -- ftx was found guilty on charges of fraud and money laundering, now facing up to 110 years in prison. but, it was not all bad blood this year, it was the ladies who may have kept the economy upbeat. >> welcome to the eras tour! >> taylor swift's eras tour became the first ever to gross a billion dollars, which fending interest ops estimated to have objected up to five billion dollars in local economies. queen bee goes over half 1

million dollars on her tour, which her own estimate at four to half billion dollars possibly boost in this economy. of course, the iconic doll, barbie. raked in 1.4 billion dollars, the highest grossing film of the year. >> hi barbie! >> how can! >> a parts of 2023 in the world a business. >> all right, brian, thank you for. that now bring in caleb silver, editor in chief of invest of fiba. caleb, so many things we could cover here. first of all, there was a worry about recession. we are on that edge throughout the last year, trying to make it pass what was a free money period that we have never seen before in our lifetime. are we passed that concern as we look at prices actually dropping for the first time in three and a half years as brian shawn was showing us as well? are we passed it? >> we were waiting all year for the recession to come, but, it never did. a lot of that due to the

consumer spending. you can thank tete, baby, and barr before that because they brought out a lot of consumer spending. 2024, that might be the recession year because all those rate hikes by the reserves in the first half of 2023, they have a like effect and we probably going to feel them or the next 6 to 12 months. so, we may not be passed in, we are in for an economic slowdown, that the consumer has been also resilient for the past 12 to 16 months. >> all right,o, you are saying 2024 is really the year to watch. if we were to have a recession, we don't like to hear the r-word, is that probable? the fed has signaled the interest rate cuts are likely coming up in the next 12 months. does that to relieve some of that pressure that we might see a recession in 2024? >> borrowing is going to get a little easier, money is going to get cheaper, because as you said, the reserve has taken that at least three great drops in the coming year. that is good news, especially for the stock market, and the

stock market has already responded. keep this in mind, when the federal reserve is cutting interest rates, it's usually because the economy needs a jump start. we are coming off of red hot growth in the third quarter growth is going to slow from 5.2% where was last quarter, probably to about 1% sometime in the middle of 2024. things are going to slow down. the fact that inflation has stopped growing is a very good thing. but, we still have very high cost for food and very high cost for shelter. mortgage rates are going to crack to. they have already started as soon as the friends ten year treasury starts to fall, mortgage rates have already responded dropping from 8% to about six and a half percent. that should be a reawakening of the housing market, which would produce more spending. that's it, we cannot ignore the fact of the economy will slow. the question is, how much and how much are consumers going to be able to absorb that in terms of their spending? >> at the current rate that we are seeing prices decrease, rent is our major inputs and or mortgage into our budgets. we just put up that screen

there of the mortgage rates also dropping in the last week. something we have not seen what three plus years as well. for families, for individuals, couples, their pocketbook seems like things are going to get better for them. is that incorrect? >> things are going to get, better but we cannot ignore the fact of the economy is going to sell and that is going to produce a lot of jobs but job cuts, so far no? 2.7% the federal reserve ones full -- and 4%, but the faculty that the economy is going to slow, corporate profits are going to tighten a little bit, that means that we can see some potential labs. if we get layoffs, that could lead to a drop in consumer spending. so, far we haven't seen that the labor market has been a surprise. it's been very strong, the question is, can it continue to 2024? if it does, we still have relative wage increases, we might get through 2024 without a recession. that is the hope and the fact of the housing market will open up, that should be more spending as. well >> of course, we're

watching weather but to get past on the hill. i hate to make this political but it's all part of this burrito when we talk economic brutal you're always watching for. speaking, which cnbc, finding that 62% of respondents disapprove of president biden's handling of the economy, that same poll, also found that just 24% of people think the economy will improve in 2024. that number is actually up from 19% in october. is this all a mix of politics, also a mix of, again i go back to the low cost money that we have lived through for 3 to 4 years, we are still trying to sober up if you will? >> you mentioned, we were in that zero interest rate policy, not just for the past four years, but really for the past 20, absent a few years there. that is gone, we are going to be living in an era of higher interest rates. they're not going to be sky-high, whether one to be higher than the previous generations are used to. that is a big deal, but, i think folks will probably be all right. nobody feels great about the economy because prices although

they stopped growing, they are still relatively high. the cost of getting by is particularly hard for lower income, mid income americans. 4% range increase is great if you're making $2,000. if you're making $75, 000, that is getting absorbed by the high cost of everything. so, people in general aren't feeling great about the economy, the economic signals though are pretty good, the question is do they have power through the rest of 2024, we're going to be watching that super closely, thanks to get a little vulnerable and tighter around the u.s. economy going over the next 12 months. >> caleb silver, thank you so much, i appreciate your perspective on all of this. coming up next, is united states at war with itself? it may feel like it after a divisive year like 2023. after the break, we'll take a look back at some of the biggest culture war flash points from the past year from banning books to drag shows, to the u.s. history itself. to aid digestion. try align probiotic.

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witnessed test to the ongoing experiment of the united states democracy. that we are unlike anything we have seen before. msnbc's -- look back at a year where america seemed to be at war with itself. >> in 2023, america seem to be at war with itself. with that aligns drawn over legal gains, long protected by president, now facing a fresh round of conservative attacks. court challenges and state level restrictions. >> leave our kids alone! >> 36 states have introduced 137 bills to restrict teaching on race, gender, and history, according to an american report. >> on the front lines, public school classrooms, libraries -- >> organizations like the american library association are tracking more book bans than ever. many of them are aimed at books with the lgbtq+ themes. >> school bookshelves. >> amanda gorman says she was gutted to learn that a florida school had restricted some of

its younger students from reading the poem she famously recited at president biden's inauguration. >> from a fight over whose history is taught and how. >> rolling against governor ron desantis stopped -- and his rejection of advanced placement african american studies class. >> we want education not -- >> there is no way to teach history without having the emotional aspect of it. >> to a history making decision by the nation's highest court effectively banning raced-based college admissions. >> a divided court scrapping decades of presidents. >> igniting frenzied people over whether america's -- quality for all, has been fully extended to its most large and wide citizens. >> justice jackson riding, would let them eat cake obliviousness, today the majority pulls the record, and announces color blindness for all by legal fiat. >> just off campus, a clash between pro israel students and

a propeller senior group. >> as war raged in the middle east, college campuses in america, battlegrounds as well. the boundaries between free speech and hate speech, but trent lands. >> so, the answer is, yes, calling for the genocide of jewish people violates harvard's code of conduct, correct. >> it depends on the context. >> it does not depend on the context. the answer is yes and this is why you should resign. >> university professors were tested, before congress and the nation. >> university of pennsylvania president elizabeth mcgill resigned over the weekend. >> the embattled president of harvard is staying at least for now. >> outrage tonight in nashville, in the reaction from republican-led efforts to expel three democratic lawmakers from the state legislature. >> the fury spread to the floors of america state houses, where civil rights like free speech would be -- with the ouster of rising political stars, a cue the --

while fighting for gun reform. >> do you think this is dangerous? >> this is a dangerous precedent for the nations that other states will follow. >> the conservative klan down would not just tighten its grip on those who represent the progressive body politics, but those whose bodies and how they are presented have themselves become political. >> tennessee will become the first state to implement a law restricting drag performances in public, or, anywhere a child might see them. at least 14 other states have similar bills in progress. >> mounting restrictions on women's access to reproductive health care. >> forcing me to continue the pregnancy, the pain and suffering. i think it is cruel. >> as long as i am governor of the great senate of texas, texas will always protect the unborn. >> this war over americas political ideals, people power is flexed in the streets, and at the polls. where in the courts, ground is lost and ground is gained. >> the lgbtq community winds a court battle, the u.s. district

judge in tennessee deeming the states adult entertainment act, a law that will criminalize some dry performances, and unconstitutional restriction. >> as the high court today reaffirm the key part of the voting rights act, aimed at preventing race discrimination. >> people standing up stand back marching voting. >> abortion access is the law of the land in ohio. >> fighting for freedom for power. for respect >> former tennessee lawmakers justin jones back to the state house just days after his expulsion. >> this is what justin democracy looks like. >> we've got a lot more coming up for you, you're watching msnbc, second hour starts right now. >> good afternoon