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and good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington continuing right now on msnbc, reports, a powerful reminder of our nation's painful history as americans across the nation celebrate juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in america. we'll take a look at the history of this holiday and how

president biden is making a new push to engage black voters this year. a critical part of his base with a campaign co-chair south carolina congressman james clyburn. plus, a primary nail biter in virginia today, can the chair of the house freedom caucus hold onto his seat or will his trump-backed republican opponent emerge victorious? right now the results are too close to call. and we're on a severe watch across the eastern part and midwest of the country, the first tropical storm headed for texas as more than 7 million people from michigan to maine are sweltering under extreme temperatures. we've got the latest on the forecast. we begin with the biden campaign's push to engage with black voters on this juneteenth. the president just three years ago declared this day a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the u.s. at the time he said it would go down as one of the greatest honors of his presidency. now, as he is running for re-election, he is hoping to

combat concerns about -- concerns in his campaign about waning enthusiasm among black voters with the campaign ramping up voter outreach at a juneteenth parade in milwaukee today. and a new campaign ad for juneteenth targeting bounce tv affiliates in atlanta and detroit on black radio and during coverage of the special baseball game honoring the negro league and willie mays in birmingham, alabama, tonight. >> this juneteenth, we salute those who built this country, those who sacrificed, those who suffered and refused to be defined by pain or silenced by oppression. we celebrate freedom, freedom to live, breathe, play, choose, marry, vote. we are the culture, we blaze trails, we define our future. we are the heart and soul of america, and we must ask ourselves, in this moment, how

will we continue our legacy. >> and joining us now is democratic congressman and cochair of the biden/harris campaign, jim clyburn of south carolina. congressman, it's great to see you, and happy juneteenth, especially on this important holiday. >> thank you very, very much. you know, today i was reading the schedule in birmingham for the celebration that's taking place there, and willie mays was scheduled to be at that event, and of course yesterday he transitioned, and i wish for his family and all his great fans, happy juneteenth. >> well, and the -- his passing last night was just -- especially with tomorrow night's game honoring the negro leagues in birmingham where he started out with the negro leagues as a 19-year-old right out of high school.

>> absolutely. game to be played on that field that he once played on. congratulate major league baseball for doing that. thank you. >> and wondering about your thoughts on this day. i mean, juneteenth is a celebration, but it's also a commemoration and acknowledgment that there were so many enslaved americans who weren't even told, and even after they were told in galveston, texas, because of the slow communications back then, you know, a month later, there were people according to "the washington post" today who did not know for years, people in texas because plantation owners did not want to start paying their workers. >> that's absolutely correct. i've said for a long, long time now that juneteenth is a perfect example of what the failure to communicate is all about. abraham lincoln signed those two

emancipation proclamations in 1862 and the one effect, all the other former slave states outside washington, d.c., effective january 1st, 1863. it was first publicly read here in south carolina, not far from where i'm currently sitting. it's where 4,000 former enslaved gathered to listen to the reading of the emancipation proclamation. it was two and a half years later june 19th, 1865, that those approximately 250,000 people in galveston, texas, got the word that they were free.

and so that to me is a perfect example of what happens. that is one of the messages i try to get on juneteenth. orangeburg, south carolina, where a big crowd gathered, south carolina state, technical college, and the local communities all celebrating some renewal efforts to be put forth in that community and that was for me to say to them how important it is for us to open the lines of communication. maintain communications. listen to each other. respect each other and remember what lessons said to us even while the country was still -- that this country is great because its people are good, and the people of this country cease to be good, this country will cease to be great, and that is

the message i'm trying to project today. let us not lose our goodness toward each other because if we do that, this country's greatness will go down the drain. >> and as my colleague and friend and fellow host al sharpton, the president of the national action network reflecting on juneteenth told the hill, quote, he said it's not lost on any of us in the fight for social justice that this juneteenth comes at a time when every right that we've won since the civil war is under attack. what do you think -- >> he's correct. >> but what do you think of the job that the president is doing in trying to restore these rights? because the voting rights have come under attack again from the supreme court in redistricting, and affirmative action last year from the supreme court, and other civil rights that have been enjoyed for decades but,

you know, women, black and white women, women of all colors certainly set back half a century in many states with states' rights now being the answer. >> yes, you know, this campaign this year is all about freedom, freedom to vote, the freedom to make reproductive choices about one's own body, the freedom to pursue education, to pursue what is great about this country. so i've been saying to people -- i think i said earlier this morning on this network, that this campaign this year is about freedoms versus favors. we've got a president who is doing what is necessary to unleash this country's greatness in a way that people will be free to pursue their dreams and

aspirations. we've got the other side who seek and find favor with people. i'm going to be your retribution if you do not favor me. we have the results coming in from elections now where it is all about vengeance. it's all about you doing a favor for me, i'll do a favor for you. that's not joe biden. joe biden is about what this country fundamentally has attempted to pursue and this is a pursuit. it's not a perfect nation, and we'll never be perfect. we should always be in pursuit of that perfection, and so when i hear people say that this -- we as a black people, as a family were better off during jim crow than we are today and blaming it on the department of health, education, and welfare, which no longer exists, but did

exist at the time and president lyndon johnson. how could you say that the president that signed the civil rights of 1964, the voting rights act of 1965, the president gave us medicare, medicaid, the higher education act. elementary and secondary education act, that those are the things that broke up the family. so you're much better being together enslaved than to pursue your happiness or even your country's greatness, its independence and freedoms. that to me defines what this campaign this year is all about. when people don't know what joe biden has done, i ask them to come with me and see what he has done. >> and i didn't mean to interrupt you, i apologize for the satellite delay, but donald trump says that he is the best

president for black americans since abraham lincoln, and in a new poll from from the usa today suffolk has president biden down with black voters in the battleground states in michigan, pennsylvania, significant drops from where he stood in, you know, 2020. you told "politico" you don't understand these polls. we don't have to believe the polls. they've been wrong before, but there does seem to be a lack of enthusiasm, and some anecdotal evidence that donald trump, who was in detroit just a few days ago in a black church, although mostly white people in the congregation that day, seems to be making a concerted effort to try to appeal to black voters. >> sure, he's making a concerted effort, and that's fine. when i ask voters to compare the records. you know how i was born and raised in -- my father used to

preach often, preached from the seventh chapter of the book of matthew where we are informed that we should know them by their deeds, not their words. so i don't care what is said to you. look at what they are doing. when you have a person running for president who became angry that senator john mccain because he cast the deciding vote to allow us to increase health insurance for people in this country, about 20 million more people with health insurance than had it before. his anger was he wanted to get rid of the affordable care act. i ask anybody in this country, black or white, do you think you're better off without the affordable care act? and that's what this man says he's delivered for african

americans. i ask them to show me one single substantive thing that he has done that would make black americans proud to be a part of this effort, not what he has said because if he can tell you that he is the greatest president for african americans since abraham lincoln, that is a bigger lie than he's told about the january 6th -- on january 6th about the election of 2020. so just listen to these people with all these platitudes and listen to his minions out here mouthing off this stuff. we have to be very careful because this is all about miscommunication, misinformation, and that is what caused me great pause because i know the power of the media, and the power of the media repeating these things rather than reporting them when it's actually happening, that is what's causing the problem.

people feel depressed, and if you depress enough people, you can suppress their votes. that's why i'm running around the country, i'm going to georgia this weekend to spend two days down there reminding people of what this man did for a full year since he was in office and ask him when he comes to you if this is what you would do for me next year, why didn't you do it for me the four years that you had it at your control to do so. >> congressman james clyburn, thank you so much, and thanks for joining us on this important holiday of juneteenth. we appreciate it. >> thank you very much for having me. >> you bet. and as we mentioned, today is juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery that president biden signed into law making it a federal holiday in 2021. it's a date that's been sacred to african american communities since 1865.

nbc's zinhle essamuah takes a closer look at its history and talks to the woman who became known as the grandmother of juneteenth for her push to get it recognized. >> reporter: these walls in fort worth, texas, may look like a black history museum, but it's actually the home of opal lee. >> and ms. pal lee, you are 97 years old, right? >> yeah. >> many consider you the grandmother of juneteenth. >> mm-hmm, mm-hmm. >> how does that title sit with you? >> hey, i don't mind titles. >> reporter: for years, lee advocated for juneteenth to become a federal holiday, inspired by her own family's celebrations. >> we'd go to the fairground for the juneteenth celebration. there'd be music and food. >> reporter: but one year when lee was 12, the annual celebration turned to terror. >> my parents had just bought a house, and my mom had it fixed

up so nice, but people started gathering. >> what kind of people? >> all kinds. >> reporter: it was a white mob. >> the paper said it was 500 of them, and my dad came home with a gun and the police were there and told my dad if you bust a cap, we'll let this mob have you. they did despicable things. >> reporter: the terror did not quelch her resolve. she made headlines at 89 years old, pledging to work from fort worth to washington, d.c. the journey 2.5 miles each day to symbolize the two and a half years black texans waited for the message of emancipation to reach them. >> there's a little old lady in tennis shoes was walking from fort worth to d.c. 1,400 miles, somebody would take notice. >> reporter: and they did. in 2021, the white house calling

lee president joe biden making juneteenth a federal holiday. >> how did you feel? >> i don't know how to express it. i was awed. i was thankful. >> reporter: in may, lee was awarded the presidential medal of freedom. >> i'm struck by how much history lives on your walls but also in your stories. what do you ultimately want your legacy to be? >> that there was an old lady who tried to get it over to everybody that we are one people. >> and our thanks to zinhle essamuah for bringing us that tribute. and coming up, congressional cliff hanger, the chair of the house freedom caucus in a too close to call race in virginia that's pitting him against the power of donald trump's endorsement and also the endorsement, the opposition of

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him down. good is opposed in that nail biter by congressman john mcguire who according to unofficial counts is ahead by only a few hundred votes. the republican primary race in virginia is currently too close to call within the margin where candidates can demand an automatic recount. on the democratic side in virginia it was a victory for eugene vindman, the trump whistle-blower who along with his twin brother alexander vindman raised alarms about the then president's conduct, donald trump's conduct towards ukraine. vindman won 49% in a crowded field and will run against republican derrick anderson, a former army green beret for congresswoman abigail spanberger's seat. joining us now nbc's ali vitali and msnbc political analyst, brendan buck, former aide to republican speakers john boehner and paul ryan. ali, in that republican primary, that is so fascinating.

you've got an incumbent, bob good opposed by both the former president, the republican, you know, head of the party, likely nominee, and the former speaker, between good and mcguire now, the odds are there's going to be a recount, right? >> reporter: it feels like it's heading that way, andrea, and i can't stress enough when i was on the ground in this district on friday and in all my conversations with sources leading up to that and since, the conventional wisdom seemed to be that bob good was in a precarious position. now we're seeing that even with mcguire's trump endorsement, even with the millions of dollars from kevin mccarthy aligned groups that were playing in the district, the latest tally that we have and i'm sure that i am the cool kid along with everyone else who's just been refreshing our results website on nbcnews.com, but the latest tally has this vote separated by 313 votes. bob good for his part has put out a tweet urging that those votes continue to be counted.

he says in part this race remains too close to call. candidly, that's our official assessment too. good goes on to say, we're in a period where the law provides a process for evaluating the accuracy of the vote totals and to ensure everyone can have full confidence in the certified results. provisional ballots and mail-in ballots are also stilling to counted. he finally says they're asking for full transparency from the officials involved and that they're asking for patience as good says he thinks he can still prevail. his pponent declared victory last night saying he was the republican nominee in this race, and just given the fact that it's such a ruby red district, to win this primary does mean to win this congressional seat. so whoever comes out here is going to be the congressman from virginia's fifth come january. >> and brendan, what is the significance? what does it signify if a former president and the former speaker can successfully remove the head

of the freedom caucus from contention here? one of the most conservative -- >> notably they can barely do that, and i think that actually speaks to the power of incumbency, and actually, how hard it is to lose a primary these days. this guy would not be in danger if donald trump wasn't spending -- directing at least millions of dollars, if kevin mccarthy wasn't directing millions of dollars, and he's almost still hanging on. i only say that because the fear of a primary is so pervasive among house republicans, it explains a lot of why they act the way they do, why everything has to be so far to the right. they're always so paranoid. he may be the only one who loses this entire election cycle. but yes, donald trump, again, his influence cannot be overstated. he is the only reason this man is going to lose. now, they're making an example of him. there are other people who didn't endorse donald trump. there was a convergence of bob good making lots of enemies and all these people identifying him

as an easy target perhaps, and again, it's not even proving that easy of a target. >> and just another example is the flip side that you mentioned, brendan, is larry hogan running as a republican for senate in maryland, and against donald trump and trump saying nice things about him despite the fact -- what the fact of his daughter-in-law laura trump, the cochair of the rnc was saying about him. that shows you that donald trump wants to win the senate, and larry hogan has a 50/50 shot, they say, of winning the senate in maryland, even though it's not a red state. >> it's the difficult place that a lot of those i guess purple state republicans find themselves. you can't win with donald trump often because he is so problematic for a lot of swing voters, but you can't win

without him. you need trump voters. he is the party in so many ways. you can't really alienate his supporters. bob good is clearly finding that out, and larry hogan is going to have to very delicately navigate, demonstrate his independence to his suburban maryland voters who potentially get by with him without looking like an anti-trump crusader. it's a difficult thing to do these days. you can't really have it both ways. it will be very hard for him to do. yes, larry hogan could be the key to a senate majority for republicans and therefore potentially a key to donald trump having a legislative agenda. >> brendan buck, ali vitali, what a beat you've got there up on capitol hill, right? >> so true. >> thanks to both of you. and still ahead, we are tracking alberto, now a tropical storm, the first tropical storm of the season forming in the gulf of mexico all while a heat wave is baking a big portion of the country, including where we're sitting right here, although we are indoors. we've got the latest, though.

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that extreme heat wave is continuing to blanket the u.s. putting 74 million people at risk from the midwest to maine. scorching temperatures are soaring as high as 25 degrees above average in some areas with several cities on track to set records today. meanwhile, out west the sweltering heat and strong winds are fueling more than 25 wildfires, and right now texas is bracing for the arrival of

alberto, the first tropical storm of the season. alberto formed over mexico just hours ago with high winds and heavy surf already lashing southern texas. joining us now is nbc's guad venegas in corpus christi, texas, bracing for the storm, and it's already coming down there, and nbc's maya eaglin on coney island in new york city with all of the heat. guad, corpus christi expecting as much as 10 to 15 inches of rain. how are the preparations? you guys ready? >> reporter: andrea, you can see some of that rain coming down right now. this is that hard rain that they've been talking about. it started at about noon today, and it's coming in with the winds, so the city of corpus christi has prepared as best as they can. you're looking at the seawall that protects downtown corpus christi here. i'm right at the bottom of that seawall. this area where i'm standing, you can see the water.

you can see the wind. this is the most protected area because there's a barrier, and there's a barrier island, and again, this is that wall. there are other parts of corpus christi where some of the roadways have been shut down because they are flooded. the city also has high water rescue vehicles ready to be used if they need to, especially to get to those areas where they expect it to flood. we have a flash flood warning in effect. in fact, the rain is coming so hard it's difficult to keep my eyes open right now, and the state of texas also has a lot of resources available. the governor informed that they have about 20 state agencies that are ready to work with local governments for any support, they have vehicles and they also have personnel including the national guard. now, they would jump into action if there were any rescues necessary. we're of course only seeing the beginning of this heavy rain. we expect it to last throughout the day, and you can see the area behind me. back where those boats are at, there's a roadway that connects

downtown corpus christi with a marina. that roadway is under water. it's been shut down earlier, we saw how fast that water could rise just within five to ten minutes. we saw it rise about two inches, so authorities want people to keep in mind that even though there's areas like this one where the seawall is holding up. we still have more feet for the water to rise to dangerous levels, that could happen more quickly. it could happen so fast that people don't realize the type of danger they're in. they're asking people to stay at home. for people that are on the road, if they see a flooded area, they always ask people to turn around and not drown. of course that's the same here. this is the situation as the storm is making its way through texas, andrea. >> well, guad, thank you so much, but get in out of the water. i know you've got more reporting to do as well. maya, talk about the conditions

there. there you are in coney island, which should be a good beach day, but it's got to be hot. >> reporter: yeah, andrea, it's pretty, pretty hot out here. you can see a lot of people out here on the boardwalk and the beach enjoying the juneteenth holiday. a lot of people have off from school and off from work, but of course we know with these extreme temperatures, there's some extreme risks for heat-related illnesses, so definitely want to be reapplying your sunscreen if you're going outdoors. we see people with spray bottles kind of cooling off and misting themselves. here is some advice for some beachgoers we spoke with earlier today. >> we decided to beat the heat this morning and take a little early dip in the ocean after a long run. >> really just trying to stay low and slow if we're moving, i feel like i've been taking a lot of city bikes just to get a breeze instead of walking a little bit slower. >> it's nice. it's fun to be able to enjoy the heat as long as you're taking your time and hydrating. >> governor kathy hochul

actually activated the emergency operations center to really provide more additional resources and tools for residents dealing with this extreme heat. there are 50 national guard members in syracuse and albany, and also cooling centers around the state for people who don't have access to air-conditioning to go to at public libraries and community centers. the biggest piece of advice was to take care of each other. make sure you're checking in on your friends and family, elderly definitely infants and pets to make sure that they are staying safe in this extreme heat. andrea. >> and you take care of yourself as well, maya eaglin, thank you so much. and coming up, calling on the dalai lama, how a visit by a u.s. bipartisan delegation from congress is sparking new anger in china. nothing dims my light like a migraine. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you.

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today a high ranking bipartisan congressional delegation led by speaker emerita nancy pelosi and michael mccaul paid a visit to the dalai lama in a move certain to anger china. the lawmakers traveled to the small town in india where the buddhist spiritual leader has lived in exile. ever since the communist regime has viewed him as a separatist threat for his commitment to limited autonomy in the region. they have passed a bill supporting that, bipartisan

bill. president biden has said he will sign it. joining us now is retired admiral james stavridis, former supreme allied commander of nato and msnbc chief international analyst. first, about the dalai lama, as you know, this is always a hot button issue with beijing. and it was certainly a lot of fallout after speaker emerita pelosi, then speaker pelosi a couple of years ago went to taiwan, also mccaul followed up with a bipartisan visit to taiwan, with beijing reacting. how serious is this, and do you think that this visit with the dalai lama will set off -- will provoke china? was it a good thing to do or ill considered? >> i think it was a good thing to do, and i want to draw a line under a word you said, which we don't use often enough, bipartisan. and to see a former speaker and a current chair of one of the

most important committees from two opposite parties make a commitment to the culture, the history, the real idea of tibet is incredibly important. to me it's very similar to what we have done with taiwan, and yes, andrea, it will set off alarm bells in beijing, but let's face it, it's not just tibet. it's taiwan. it is human rights violations in china. it's trade and tariff disagreements. it's territorial claims in the south china sea. we have a pretty rich basket of disagreements with the chinese communist party, and this is going to be add to the tension. >> and speaking of tension, exactly what you have been warning against in the increasingly alarmingly aggressive action of china towards the philippines is this

incident in the south china sea where a philippine sailor was severely injured. there was a collision between ships from china and the philippines. both sides blaming each other. the u.s. is bound, of course, by treaty to help defend the philippines, so where does this go from here? >> just for everybody's general awareness, the south china sea is huge. it's half the size of the continental united states. 40% of the world's trade passes through it. it's full of oil and gas at the bottom of the south china sea. china claims all of it, an area half the size of the united states is territorial waters. the nations around the south china sea to include the philippines are pushing back and they should do so. in this particular incident, a collision of two military warships ought to get everybody's attention in terms of how this is ratcheting up,

and final point here, andrea, as you mentioned, we are bound by treaty to defend the philippines. it's a mutual defense treaty just like we have with 32 nations in nato, as we have with japan, south korea, australia. it's a very significant commitment, so when one of our treaty allies is banging heads pretty significantly and i think on the right side of the issue with china, we ought to pay close attention. >> and speaking of the far east, you've got vladimir putin in north korea. we've got less than a minute, but how concerning are you about the military support for vladimir putin from kim jong-un? >> i'm very concerned, and i add it to the kind of second tier support. it's a little ser repetitious, but that's coming from china and iran is also assisting russia,

so here you can russia, north korea, iran, china kind of in the shadows. its authoritarian coalition, it's spearheaded by putin and his invasion of ukraine. we ought to call it out. st inappropriate for north korea to do this, and shame on russia for turning to a sanctioned regime like north korea. >> admiral james stavridis, as always, thank you so much. >> you bet. and he was the baseball legend who left fans breathless with a play forever known as "the catch." coming up, we remember willie mays, one of the greatest to ever play the game. start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. it's derm's day off, but neutrogena ultra sheer sunscreen is still on the clock. vital sun protection goes six layers deep

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before we go, we want to end the show with a celebration of wasn't of the greatest baseball players, if not the greatest who ever lived. hall of famer willie mays who passed away at the age of 93. the say hey kid was part of the first generation of black players. he was responsible for some of the sport's most iconic moments, including this spectacular defensive play in the 1954 world series, forever immortalized as "the catch." a world champion, two time mvp, rookie of the year, he retired with one of the most impress i records.

it was his exuberance and passion for the game and life that made him an american hero. president biden saying mays not only entertained, he inspired millions of people of all races to break through the color line of sports and the conscience of a nation. he passed away last night, and today the nation marks juneteenth a day of profound weight and power, reminding ourselves of the capacity to emerge from one of the most painful moments with a better version of ourselves. nbc's steve patterson has a look back at the legendary life of willie mays. >> seven years later, the catch still takes your breath away. it happened during game one of the 1954 world series, when willie mays, the say hey kid made the impossible possible. >> i'm talking to myself as i'm running and i'm saying to myself, you've got to get this ball back to the infield. >> overnight, fans paying

tribute at legendary rick wood field in alabama. >> we will always cherish the memory and life of the great willie mays. >> reporter: the home of the negro league's black barrens, where he started and a game tomorrow night, the mlb holding a tribute to the negro leagues honoring black players. >> his heart is from here, his energy is from here. >> reporter: legendary bill greasing speaking with craig ahead of the game. >> we never stopped looking after each other. willie and i were like brothers. >> tributes pouring in. >> willie mays has passed away. >> best player i have ever seen. >> reporter: barry bonds, his god son writing, i have no words to describe what you mean to me. raised in the segregated south, baseball changed mays' life.

>> i was very fortunate to play sports. all the anger in me went out. >> reporter: mays was one of the first black players to play in the majors, winning rookie of the year in 1951 with the then new york giants. he was soon drafted to serve his country in the korean war. when mays returned, the catch helped lead the giants to a world series title. >> the say hey kid, the amazing and blazing willie mays. >> reporter: four years later, the giants relocated to san francisco where mays and his family faced racial prejudice but mays stayed focused on the game. >> what i and other ballplayers admired was the fact he carried himself off the field. >> reporter: in 2015, the hall of famer received a presidential medal of freedom. >> it's because of giants like willie that someone like me could even think about running for president. >> reporter: a champion on the field, an icon off of it. >> what i did, i loved every moment of. >> and we loved willie mays.

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