and that is it for us tonight. join us tomorrow as we look at america's growing distrust in civic institutions, and how it puts democracy in peril. "don lemon tonight" starts right now. >> as someone -- good evening, by the way. as someone who witnessed the unraveling of our democracy, had a front-row seat to it -- you -- is it better? worse? can we turn this around? in your estimation, you were the white house correspondent for

the entire trump rein. >> yeah. and i have got the marks on my back to -- to prove it, don. um, yeah, you know, i -- i think we are in worse shape than we were to some extent during the early days, i guess, during most of the trump administration. in part, because of what we have been talking about for the last hour. you know, we -- we are facing a crisis in this country. if we have a situation, come november, where you have elections all over our country thrown into chaos because everybody wants to act like donald trump, and not accept the fact that they lost an election, i think, yes, we could have a serious breakdown in our democracy. to some extent, things are better. i mean, today we had the president of the united states refer to a reporter as an sob. you know, don, you and i got called a lot worse back in the day. uh, we never got an apology. i don't remember that from the commander in chief. >> no. >> so, maybe things are a little bit better, to some extent. >> not at all. if you don't believe me, just check social media. you can go back and just look.

but listen, i mean, it was unfortunate. the president shouldn't have said it. there was an update on it. we will talk about it. but jim acosta, thank you very much. we look forward to democracy in peril. we will see ya tomorrow night. have a good evening. this is "don lemon tonight." thank you so much for joining us, and the president speaking of, joe biden facing four huge challenges right now. four huge challenges right now. here at home and thousands of miles away quite frankly. there is a showdown with vladimir putin at ukraine's border. as many as 8,500 u.s. base troops on high alert tonight preparing for a possible deployment to eastern europe. that serious. the pentagon says no final decision to employ the u.s. troops has been made but there are more and more russian troops on the border every single day. need to pay close attention to that. the white house telling american citizens inside ukraine to get out now as the state department orders families of embassy personnel to leave. and with that crisis in eastern

europe, there is another huge challenge on the president's plate tonight and quite frankly, that's someone closer to home more people are probably concerned about it affects everyone and that is the economy. the dow. did you see it today? on a wild ride. finishing up after a plunge of more than a thousand points. finished up after a plunge of more than a thousand points. the s&p on track for its worst january ever, shaken by everything from the crisis at ukraine to inflation. i know, it sounds like i -- i -- so tired of bringing you this bad news every single night. i wish there was a way i could sugarcoat it. i try to figure out every day to try to make you smile. i'll work on that. but there is -- sorry, i feel it, too. that is happening, as more and more americans are sick of covid. sick from covid, and sick of covid. we're beginning our third year of the pandemic. dr. fauci says we're not out of the woods, yet.

more bad news. >> the best-case scenario is that in a matter of several weeks to a month or so, we'll continue to come down and down, and then with all the things that we have -- all the tools, vaccine, booster, testing, masking -- we'll be able to keep it down there. that's the best-case scenario. >> yeah. so, look. it's not good. like i said, try to make you smile. i can't. some comedians are trying but it is actually not funny. we are all tired of covid. i mean, every single person is tired of covid. it's gone on way longer than any of us expected when this whole thing started. you -- but you have to listen to what journalists and author barry weiss says on hbo's bill maher show, here it is. >> i'm done with covid. i'm done. it's like i went so hard on covid, i -- >> i remember. >> i sprayed the pringles cans i bought at the grocery store,

stripped my clothes off because i thought covid would be on my clothes. like, i did it all. and then, we were told you get the vaccine. you get the vaccine, and you get back to normal. and we haven't gotten back to normal and it's ridiculous at this point. people are killing themselves. they are anxious. they are depressed. they are lonely. that is why we need to end it more than any inconvenience that it's been to the rest of us, i think -- [ cheers and applause ] it's a an -- it's like at this point, it's a pandemic of bureaucracy. it's a pandemic of bureaucracy. it's -- it's not real anymore. >> look. um, i know barry weiss not well. she's been on the show. i actually like her. barry, that was messed up. and bill maher because, look, we were all sick of cancer when my dad died of it. but that didn't change the fact

that he suffered from it and died. i was sick of covid when my dear friend robbie brown died of it. he did not not die of it because i was sick of it. that's so irresponsible. maybe you are trying to say -- i don't know what you are trying to say. i can't make excuses for you. i heard what i heard. everybody heard what they heard to her and bill. just because you are tired of it. tired of sitting at home. lot of people are tired of sitting at home and a lot of people are tired of going to work every day, and having to deal with sick people. because people won't get vaccinated. maybe you guys did. i think barry said she did. bill did. but just because you did doesn't mean that everybody else did it and that's why the thing continues to go on, because everybody else is not doing it because of irresponsible talk like that. and i know -- look, bill, you are a comedian.

and i get comedians a lot of leeway but this was not funny. not real anymore, barry? i am sick of it, i'm over it? you been -- maybe you have -- i don't know -- have you been to the covid wards? i have. tell that to the overwhelmed hospital and health-care workers all across the country. they're not done with covid. i'm sure they are over it. don't you think? because they have to deal with it every single day in a way that you don't have to deal with it. like, face to face, up close and personal. every day. tell that to the families of the 10,000 americans who died last week. most of those, totally preventable deaths because they were unvaccinated. these are facts. listen. i know it's not -- i know you're sick of it but these are facts.

all those people are not done with covid. now, look. kids who -- who lost so much time in school -- they have paid a very serious price. and now, we have learned that kids, many times -- not every single time but many times -- are better off in school because protocols are better. because they are actually getting food. sometimes it's the only place that kids can eat. okay. so, people who have lost their jobs, right? people are suffering from depression and anxiety. it's not over for them. they've lost so much. here's the problem is that too many people are making this about politics. even libertarians, right? i think bill's libertarian -- i'm not sure. it's great to have, like, you know, government out of your life but there are certain things that you have to do in order to be a good citizen, to -- to help take care of yourself and your fellow citizens and sometimes it goes on for a long time.

too many people have made this about politics, about bogus dld claims of freedom. when, what it's really about is a virus that has killed more than 860,000 americans. again, those are the facts. i can't go to a concert. i can't do -- 860,000 people. we have got an epidemic of extreme politics. what else can you call it when the son of robert f. kennedy, no less, nephew of jfk makes a reprehensible speech in front of the lincoln memorial? i know him, as well. i was shocked that he would do something like this. comparing lifesaving vaccine policies to the actions of a totalitarian state. even sinking so low, as suggesting that anne frank was in a better situation when she hid from the nazis in a cramped

attic in the netherlands until she was discovered and killed. >> it's been the ambition of every totalitarian state from the beginning of mankind to control every aspect of behavior, of conduct, of thought, and to obliterate dissent. none of them have been able to do it. they didn't have the technological capacity. even in hitler germany, you could -- you could cross the alps into switzerland. you could hide in an attic like anne frank did. >> come on. come on. what are we doing? this isn't about -- people have the right to feel the way they feel. you have a right to have an opinion. you have a right to have an opinion. but it's not just about, like, opinion is different than doing things that help each other. that's different.

than -- look -- do i want to, like, have to get a vaccine? like, do i -- no, i don't want to. but i do it because i'm a good citizen. right? do i really want to? no. i had this conversation with my sister. she is like i don't know if i want to put all this stuff and i talk to her about it, talk to her about it, and we have a discussion. you have an opinion about it but most people would do the right thing because it helps you, and it helps others. that's what society is about. right? but i mean, that -- the auschwitz museum -- like, that is not -- that's beyond opinion. that's crazy. this is cuckoo. the auschwitz museum which preserves the site of the concentration camp where more than a million people were murdered by the nazis replying and i quote here, the quote is that exploiting of the tragedy of the people who suffered, were

humiliated, tortured, and murdered by the totalitarian regime of nazi germany, including children like anne frank, in a debate about vaccines and limitations during global pandemic is a sad symptom of moral and intellectual decay. put that quote back up. perfect. auschwitz museum. read that, robert f. kennedy jr. read that. it is disgraceful. what would his father think? exploiting of the tragedy of people who suffered, were humiliated, tortured, and murdered by the totalitarian regime of nazi germany including children like anne frank in a debate about vaccines and limitations during a global pandemic is a sad symptom of moral and intellectual decay. perfect. thank you, auschwitz museum. you said it better than any of us.

what would his father think? what happened to the kinds of politics that calls us to a higher purpose, instead of pitting us against each other with lies? now, only if people like robert f. kennedy jr. disgracing the memory of his father with anti-vaccine lies and, quite frankly, conspiracy theories. and then, there is this fresh outrage -- this is from none other than newt gingrich, who i remind you was speaker of the house back in the '90s. now, he says that -- and when -- when and if republicans take the house, members of the january 6th committee who are investigating the attack on the capitol by blood-thirsty, trump-supporting rioters should go to jail. >> i think, when you have a republican congress, this is all gonna come crashing down and the wolves are gonna find out they're now sheep, and they are the ones who are, in fact, going to i think face a real risk of jail for the kind of laws they're breaking.

>> that -- that's our former speaker of the house. so, just -- you know, it's bad now but it didn't just start, right? there was a slow progression from newt gingrich on and on and on, especially with this party. former speaker of the house. a man who worked in the capitol for years and he thinks lawmakers should face jail? what about the rioters who hunted for them in the halls of congress? what about those guys? the committee vice chair, liz cheney, a republican, tweeting this. this is what it looks like when the rule of law unravels. and she's right. is this what the so-called party of lincoln -- hasn't been that for a long time quite frankly -- but is this what it's become? the party of revenge? the party of using power to destroy your perceived political enemies? is this the new face of the gop?

>> you know what? newt's right. we are going to take power and when we do, it's not going to be the days of paul ryan and trey gowdy where the republicans go limp wristed, where they lose their backbone, and fail to send a single subpoena. no, it is going to be the days of jim jordan and matt gaetz, and marjorie taylor greene and you know what? we are going to get answers. >> grift. that's all it is. are you going -- are you bamboozled by the grift? grift. whatever you can to hold onto power and to make money. grift. and then, there was this moment at the white house today. reporters shouting questions to the president. president joe biden after his remarks on efforts to bring prices down. i want you to listen to what happens. this is when fox's peter ducey asks about inflation and the midterms.

>> will you take questions on inflation then? >> thank you. thank you, all. >> asset. more inflation. what a stupid son of a bitch. >> so, look. i -- social media, right, some people say it's funny. it's not a good look. it really isn't. nobody's perfect, right? i -- i saw that and i said he's gonna call him and apologize. right? that's what i said. so, here is the thing. asking questions is a reporter's job. peter ducey asks a lot of questions that maybe you don't like. not always maybe in good faith. but that comes with the territory. a source telling cnn the president called ducey to apologize for his remarks. i knew he was gonna do it. the moment i heard it.

ducey telling fox news tonight, quote, within about an hour of the exchange, he called my cell phone and said, hey, it's nothing personal, pal. going on to say he declared -- excuse me -- he cleared the air, and i appreciated it. we had a nice call. so, that is -- that is very joe biden. but again, not making excuses. shouldn't have done that. okay. so, there is a lot to talk about. let's bring in now our pentagon correspondent oren liebermann with the latest on ukraine, and thousands of u.s. troops on heightened alert for possible deployment to eastern europe. oren, good to see you. thank you for joining us this evening. this crisis along ukraine's border, intensifying. and the u.s. is taking actions that are making this look more serious, by the hour. are there any signs of deescalation at this point? >> not at all. pentagon has made it clear that russia continues to send forces around ukraine. not only on ukraine's or near ukraine's eastern border in russia but also along the northern border in belarus.

you just saw the map there. and that's why not only u.s. but nato allies are responding, as well. the u.s. as you just pointed out, putting as many as 8,500 troops on heightened alert, prepare to deploy orders. essentially, get ready to go, you may get the call and be sent over there pretty quickly here. the pentagon has emphasized they are not deploying yet and there is no order to deploy, yet. some other nato countries, however, sending fighter jets to eastern europe, as well as ships to eastern europe. so, the buildup there continues. the pentagon, however, and the u.s. government making it clear it is still a diplomacy first that is still what the u.s. and what nato would like to see here. the problem is, don, if you look at the map, if you look at where -- where forces are placed and if you look at the rhetoric, i don't know that anybody here believes that deescalation is coming imminently here even if diplomacy is -- is still on the table. there are some discussions between nato allies and russia later-this week. u.s. and nato allies in constant communication. but it is not a situation here where the u.s. thinks that it's time to pull forces back.

quite the opposite at the moment. >> a situation very volatile and we will be paying attention. oren liebermann, thank you very much. appreciate that. as many as 8,500 u.s. troops on heightened alert for a possible deployment to eastern europe. how is vladimir putin going to react to that? that's the question. >> this is really just about telling these units be ready because if you get called, we are going to need you to be able to deploy in a shorter period of time than what you probably are right now. no ink! ugh! i need you to print, i need you. you think you're empty? i'm empty. do you suffer from cartridge conniptions? be conniption-free, thanks to the cartridge-free epson ecotank printer. a ridiculous amount of ink! you're mocking me. not again! the epson ecotank. just fill & chill. new vicks vapostick. strong soothing vapors... help comfort your loved ones. for chest, neck, and back.

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so tonight, the pentagon putting 8,500 u.s. troops on heightened alert preparing to possibly deploy them to eastern europe as russia builds up its troops along its border with ukraine. pentagon saying the troops could bolster nato forces in the region or be used in other capacities, as well. lot to discuss with former defense secretary william cohen. we are always happy to have him. good evening, sir. so, secretary, you know, president biden is turning up the pressure on vladimir putin with these 8,500 u.s. troops now on heightened alert. what does that mean in terms of how serious this is? >> well, i think it sends a serious signal or that we are serious about sending a signal. 8,500 troops is not going to serve as a deterrent to vladimir putin. he will see that as one of the cards that we may play if he, in fact, goes into ukraine. but i don't think it's going to be a deterrent. i think he's already calculated all of this out. there is a reason why the

russians are known for being good at chess. putin has taken the first move, and he believes he's put us in a position where we have to respond. we have to respond in a way that gives him, quote, an off ramp or allows him to save face. or he gets something out of it, in terms of a pledge, either, open or covert that we somehow would never allow a free, independent nation to come into -- to nato. so, he's already calculated what we are likely to do. i think what we have to do is then say, well, what are his calculations? because he's already figured out what we are going to do in terms of potentially putting more forces in the nato countries. something he would not want to see but i think he's calculated that. he's already calculated that we are going to impose pretty heavy financial consequences, economic consequences. i think he's already calculated that, as well. we are going to impose sanctions on his banking community. well, he is going to turn to china. see if they can develop another

kind of banking system that cuts us out if it's all possible. so, i think they have already calculated all of these moves and right now, he is sitting -- he is making us respond to him. so those 8,500 will be a symbol of something to come in the future. there might be many more in all of the nato countries beefing up our capabilities throughout the nato countries. something he wouldn't want to see. but i don't think he is stunned by the reaction he is seeing from us now. >> let me just follow up on something you said about the severe consequences because president biden implied last week that there might be less severe consequences for a minor incursion. but biden has since made -- made it clear that russia will pay -- and this is a quote -- pay a heavy price for an invasion. so, what is that heavy -- what could that heavy price be? is that, you know, some sort of, um, some combat? is that sanctions? what is that? >> well, first of all, we don't want to put ourselves in a

position, nor do the russians, to go to war with russia. no one would win. the world would lose should that be the case. the minute you start talking about face to face with the russians, that can go up the escalatory ladder very quickly. so we take a move and put combat troops in. he then puts his combat troops facing and firing at us. and then all the sudden, it becomes a subconventional to conventional to possibly nuclear. so, we have to be careful as how we are calibrating our response and what he is doing. we have to give diplomacy a chance. i am really pessimistic about it because i think he already has made his move to say i want to be able to control what ukraine does in the future. >> all right. so you are pessimistic about that. about diplomacy. so then, what happens? what are the options? is there an alternative for -- for us? or for meaning the u.s.? >> i think the -- the options are very -- they're very limited for us. i think in this particular case,

he's there. he's got 120-30,000 troops there. it's in -- under his, you know, aegis as such. they are neighbors. he can invade. so i think then the question becomes what is the price he is going to pay on the ground? would the ukrainians fight? would be there a blood-letting on the part of the russian forces? would they be sending them home in coffins, et cetera? so, that is one element where the ukrainians fighters would fight and then there would be possibly insurgency against the russian personnel. and then, he's got to contend with will we in fact put more and more troops into the nato countries near him? and then, what is his response going to be? is he going to, as he's been suggesting, put some troops in cuba? or venezuela? and then, at what point do we counter that? so, this is something we have to be very careful about and i actually -- i praise the president for taking measured responses. i know that he's being pushed to do much more but there is one thing i wish he would do. i wish two things. go to the u.n. security council,

ask for an immediate meeting. the russians will veto anything we try to put on the table. that'll expose them for really who they are. secondly, he's got to bring the leadership of congress down to the white house. this is one of those cases where we don't want to have republicans or democrats fighting who lost ukraine. there is an opportunity to save ukraine, to save nato because what putin wants to do is divide us from nato. he's already tried and been somewhat successful dividing americans from americans. so, his policy is divide and conquer. he is doing it here at home. he's been into our political system. we fear he's been into our critical infrastructure system. so we have to go on the offense with that, as well. we keep reacting that he's got all of this power. well, we have some pretty capable cyberpowers of our own. so, what we have to do is persuade him we're serious, we are not getting out of nato. we are not pulling back from europe. the nato alliance is solid on this. and i have got congressional support from the american

people. that's the -- the job he has to do right now. >> secretary cohen, appreciate it, sir. thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. newt gingrich who isn't in office but sure is advising republicans who are says that members of the committee investigating january 6th should be jailed. stay with us. >> vo: so when my windshield broke... i found the experts at safelite autoglass. they have exclusive technology and service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ new vicks convenience pack. dayquil severe for you... and daily vicks super c for me. vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks. it■s hard eating healthy. unless you happen to be a dog.

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in a stunning statement, the former republican house speaker newt gingrich thinks that members of the january 6th committee should be threatened with jail time. >> i think when you have a republican congress, this is all gonna come crashing down and the wolves are going to find out that they're now sheep, and

they're the ones who are in fact going to, i think, face a real risk of jail for the kind of laws they're breaking. >> let's discuss now with former adviser to george w. bush -- president george w. bush. and professor of history at nyu, she is the author of "strong men mussolini to the present." i am so glad to have both of you on. so, peter, let's start with you. it's really shocking to hear that from a former speaker of the house. he is talking about lawmakers on duly-appointed congressional investigation. give me your reaction to this kind of threat. >> thanks for having me on, don. i'd say it's shocking, it's not shocking. you are right in the sense that a former speaker of the house would say that. it's not shocking because it's newt gingrich. um, and, you know, newt gingrich has been a malicious and malignant force in american politics almost since he got on the stage back in the 19 -- 1970s.

and in some ways, he developed the playbook that -- that donald trump perfected but look. american politics right now is -- is in a ditch. and it's in that ditch because it was dug in part by people like gingrich and he is pushing us into it and it's making everything worse. the other thing he said -- well, said a couple things. one is that the january 6th commission -- the people on it were breaking the law. he, of course, wasn't able to identify any law that they're breaking. it's in fact the opposite. they are the lawmakers who are trying to hold to account people who were behind an insurrection. this is a little bit like the -- the arsonist blaming the -- the fire brigade. and then, he referred to them as a lynch mob. so, this is just, you know, this is unfortunately the norm for a guy like gingrich. and in the current politics and current republican politics, this is the coin of the realm. >> and we should -- perhaps, we

shouldn't be surprised. you're right. this is -- um -- i think i said -- i don't exactly paraphrasing myself here. but it started long before the trump administration. newt gingrich helped to build the republican party the way that it is. so, ruth, let's talk about this. congresswoman liz cheney, who is a republican, tweeting that this is what it looks like when the rule of law unravels. are statements like gingrich's a sign of is it fair to say creeping authoritarianism? >> totally. that -- that's straight-up repressive talk. authoritarianism is actually about making government safe harbor for criminals. and getting away with it is the mantra of authoritarians. if you look at somebody like trump, who has been getting away with things his whole life, escaping prosecution. now, he and the gop are involved in this criminal enterprise january 6th and it failed. and so, they are getting desperate. the investigation is proceeding

and subpoenas are being issued so they send out gingrich as the attack dog and, you know, what does he do? he talks about silencing and jailing people because the only way that authoritarians who are criminals feel safe is to put people in jail, to lock them up, right? >> yeah. we remember, ruth, mitch, lock her up. right? where does the appetite -- that appetite come from? >> so, when you have a democracy and a democratic political culture with a small d, you have these ethos of mutual tolerance that you agree to disagree. and what trump did that was one of the many taboos he broke and it's true gingrich, you know, prepared this is that he considered his political opponent -- hillary clinton -- as a political enemy. and so, started talking about locking her up just because she was run for office against him. and that's how we started and over it's like five -- five years ago, and look where we are now. >> peter, you heard congressman

matt gaetz. i played the sound byte earlier. he's backing up what gingrich said, promising to pursue democrats with subpoenas, and he, along with the likes of jim jordan, marjorie taylor greene, will be in power if the gop wins back the house. is this gonna be a governing base mainly on, um, revenge and grift and conspiracy theories and lies? >> i'm afraid it is. i mean, that is really the impulse. that's what's driving an awful lot of republicans. it's the dominant mindset. the dominant ethos, if you will, in -- in the republican party today. it's just a party of, you know, seething resentments and grievances and lawlessness. um, and i say that as somebody who has been a lifelong republican up until the trump era began. um, but -- but it is what it is and i think that the people are responsible, particularly i must say people who are authentic conservatives need to speak out against this. i think what we are seeing in my estimation is not conservatism.

it -- it is a sort of authoritarianism and an angry populism but, look, if the republicans gain power in their current frame of mind, um, this is going to make things worse. and just one other thing that i want to say. i know i have a lot of friends who are republicans who hope when trump would lose, the republican party would snap back and become a normal and sane party again. i think what they never fully understood or even barely understood is that indulging in the lies and conspiracy nearies and the brutal politics of donald trump for four and five years deformed the base of the party and -- and the entire party, itself. and so, it's not really a cult of personality anymore because a cult of personality, the cult leader leaves or dies, the cult dies. i'm afraid what's happened is many people -- not all but many people in the republican party have internalized the trump approach to politics, and it can now survive independent of him. >> yeah. thank you, both. and thanks to the pup, whosever

that is. i have three of them. i understand. thank you both. i appreciate it. stocks are down. after a huge rally, right? job numbers are good, inflation concerns are high. how are we supposed to make sense of the economy? i am going to ask a former-treasury secretary, larry sommers, next. you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. does sinus congestion and pressure make breathing feel impossible especially at night? try vicks sinex. unlike most sinus treatments, it provides instant relief that lasts up to 12 hours. its powerful decongestant targets congestion at the source, with a dual action formula that relieves nasal congestion and soothes sinus pressure by reducing swelling in the sinuses. for instant relief that lasts up to 12 hours, try vicks sinex. from vicks - trusted relief for over 125 years. [sfx: voice relief]

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focused on renaming schools schools that weren't even open . please recall all three school board members now. for the sake of our kids, we can't wait one more day, never mind a whole year for a fresh start. it was a wild day on wall street. it really was. stocks ending the day higher in a stunning reversal just before trading closed. at the lowest point today, the dow was down more than a thousand points before ending the day 99 points higher. now, stocks opened red with investors worried about the federal reserve's plans to raise interest rates. tensions in ukraine and of course inflation. so, what is today's roller coaster mean for the economy? can -- what does all this mean, right? joining me now to discuss, larry sommers. he was treasury secretary for

president bill clinton and director of the national economic council under president obama. we are thrilled to have you on, mr. sommers. thank you so much. so, there is a lot of fear out there over inflation, over interest rates, over ukraine. in your view, what do people need to be preparing for now? >> look, we are in a very complex time. we've clearly got inflation of a kind we haven't seen in 40 years. the federal reserve is rightly determined to keep inflation under control, to achieve its target of inflation in the 2% range. history suggests that that's not an easy thing to do, in that once inflation has been allowed as it has been to get to reasonably high levels, it is hard to bring it back without meaningful economic instability. we all want to see the fed succeed and we have got very

capable people at the fed. but this is a period of significant uncertainty. it's also a period of significant geopolitical uncertainty with our vexed relationship with china and with the current set of threats, um, in ukraine. and it's, also, given the degree of division in our country, um, given the toxic legacy of the previous administration and its overhang in the republican party, it is a very complicated moment politically. not made easier by the fact that, in many respects, there is polarization in the president's party, um, as well. so with all that uncertainty, i don't think it would be surprising if we have market

volatility for some time to come. i don't think bringing inflation fully under control is going to be easy, given where we are. but i applaud the federal reserve's movements in that direction. >> okay. so, let's -- a couple things i want to talk about because you -- um -- hold that about the -- the federal reserve. okay? um, hold that thought because, listen. people don't really know -- and i'm not sure, you know, how to read the economy right now. and i am wondering if because of covid, do we even have the right metrics to sort of figure out what's going on with the economy? because, you know, you look at the job numbers and they're good or they are bad. people generally don't know. you know, i was -- there was an article in "the new york times" about, you know, everybody's quitting their job. how do you -- what is the proper way of quitting? so, what -- what is the answer? are things generally better than they appear? are they worse than they pear? do we have the right metrics

after covid? is this a new economy that we need to sort of recalibrate and figure out what is going on with? what's happening here, larry? >> there is a lot of -- lot of things that are hard to figure out but here is what's clear. we've got an unprecedentedly red-hot labor market. >> uh-huh. >> that is showing itself in the fact that we've got more vacancies per unemployed person than ever before. that workers know that if they quit, they have more opportunities than ever before. and that, wage inflation is accelerating. and that's all a good thing. but we have to make sure that this high is a sustainable high, and not a prelude to some kind of crash landing. and that's why inflation is such a concern, and that's why the federal reserve has a very delicate balancing act to tap the brakes, um, appropriately.

but let's be clear. something very positive has happened, and it's created opportunities for millions of people. people are not quitting because they hate their jobs. people are quitting because there are extraordinary opportunities open because there are all those unfilled jobs. and that's a positive thing but what we've got to be focused on is keeping the good times going. >> yeah. you answered my -- the question i had before. you said the -- the fed is doing a good -- they need to tap the brakes on inflation. you answered the question i had next. thank you, larry sommers, secretary sommers, hope to have you back. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> so i want you to watch this. the officer seen here getting senator mitt romney out of harm's way as rioters mobbed the capitol that day, right? is -- take this -- he is speaking out for the first time. you want to hear from him.

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had last seen help. and they looked to be coming my way but i wasn't sure, and by the time i got upstairs they were there. i honestly didn't know they were that far in the building, so -- and then they lock eyes on me right away and then just like that i was in it. and any situation like that, that's the first -- you want to de-escalate but at the same time you want to survive first you know what i mean? >> sure. >> so by risking his own life that day, officer goodman saved the lives of so many others who were hunkered down just yards away. if it wasn't for his quick thinking and bravery, who knows what might have happened that day? next, a member of the former president's cabinet speaking to the committee investigating january 6th. what did bill barr tell them? ♪ ♪ >> vo: so when my windshield broke... i found the experts at safelite autoglass. they have exclusive technology

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u.s. troops on heightened alert. up to 8,500 troops facing possible deployment to eastern europe with more and more russian troops on the ukraine border every day. also tonight a trump cabinet member talking to the january 6th committee plus disturbing remarks. robert f. kennedy junior denouncing covid vaccine mandates with offensive comparisons to nazi germany. >> even in hitler's germany you could cross the alps into switzerland. you can hide in an attic like anne frank did. >> there is a lot wrong with that. we'll talk about it. and calls to change the nfl's overtime rules after a coin toss leads kansas city's victory over buffalo. what a great game, right? we'll discuss that with the legendary sportscaster bob costas. really great football weekend. we'l