as we start a new hour, the impeachment is over. now what? we break down what to expect when congress returns to hill and why the end of his trial might mark the beginning of donald trump's legal woes not to mention what happened this weekend. how it's going to shape the political attitudes of young voters for years to come. this is "american voices." >> former president donald trump may have escaped a senate conviction twice but no court of political opinion.

>> he has emboldened the most racist and horrifying people of this country to come forward and literally be domestic terrorists against our own senators. and the fact they're forgetting what happened on january 6th while they were clutching for their own lives and calling their families and now they want to pretend that didn't happen is really sickening. >> the trial is one final test of republicans loyalty to trump. a majority of republicans giving the president a pass for inciting the january 6th riot. in the end just 7 gop senators had the bravery to hold trump accountable, just 7. senator lindsey graham recently spoke to trump by phone, and it appears if anything the acquittal has empowered the former president to think of future elections. >> he's ready to mover on. i said mr. president, this maga

movement needs to continue. we need to unite the party. trump plus is the way back in 2022. >> and that brings us to the question of what a united republican party really looks like. what happens to the party that for decades has prided itself and defined itself as the care takers of traditional conservative values and champions of order, honor, patriotism? can the gop still use that brand in the wake of the deadly insurrection carried out by the pro-trump mob? will voters keep electing republicans who use strong words but fail to take strong action like senate minority leader mitch mcconnell who said this after voting to acquit donald trump. >> there's no question, none that president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day, no question

about it. the people who stormed this event believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president. >> in a statement president biden called out the pipockeracy saying while the final vote did not lead to a conviction, the substances of the charge is not in dispute. even those opposed to the conviction like senate minority leader mcconnell believe donald trump was guilty of disgraceful dereliction of duty and practically and morally responsible for provoking the violence unleashed on the capitol. so where do we go from here? with me to help answer that question former florida congresswoman debbie powell and christina greer, aassociate professor of political science at fordom universe and author of black ethnics, race, immigration and the pursuit of the american dream. congresswoman powell, i feel like i've asked that question maybe a million times in the past four years, where do we go from here? i wonder specifically tonight

your reaction to what senator graham said there about trump's influence on the 2022 election. it sounds like he is not behind us. >> good evening and happy valentine's day to you and your family. listen, just listening now to that clip i find it incredibly insulting. imagine the families of the capitol police officer, officer sicknick who lost his life on january 6th and the families of the other officers that one lost three fingers, another lost his eye. and the trauma so many republican and democratic staffers suffered that day. it's insulting. and what i can tell you is that republicans in the senate failed to meet the moment, to standby the constitution, to protect our democracy. i think that in the short-term we do see trump and his complicit politicians feeling

emboldened. but i think in the long-term they will pay the ultimate political price for standing on the wrong side of history here. we have to build back our credibility. i can tell you from speaking from people here in miami, venezuelans, cubans, also some of my family members are in england at the moment, and everyone is just shocked to see that the senate failed to convict trump after the house managers did such an incredible job of presenting clear evidence that this president incited the insurrection of january 6th. >> christina, here's what house impeachment manager stacey plaskett said earlier today on msnbc in defense of their decision to not call witnesses.

sorry, you know what i'm talking about, which is she references the fact she says, you know, these republicans did not have any spine, they were not going to vote to call him guilty regardless of what it was that we put before them. given that assessment then, dr. greer, how does it bode for the future of the republican party they're still this beholden to donald trump? >> well, sadly, we're just going to see a republican party that is just going to try and impeach president biden or kamala harris for any -- anything that they see fit just because it's going to be a tit for tat. i think the biden administration needs to look at the republican senators and their behavior and recognize these are not people who can be rationalized with in many ways. they're not people who think about the constitution or their constituents. and so while joe biden had

unified government these next two years, he needs to push forward legislation that will assist the american people. it's very clear that the republican party is still under ingrips of donald trump either because they love power, either because they're afraid of him, either because he's threatened them in some other capacity. it doesn't matter what grip donald trump has the on the republican party. they have shown consistently time and time again that they will not stand up and do what is right for the american people. and chuck schumer and joe biden need to recognize that. not waste time and push forward legislation that will assist americans. >> congresswoman powell, when you watched that vote take place what did it broadcast to you about what governing is going to look like for the biden administration? >> look, i think that the biden administration is extremely clear in their sense they need to act decisively to provide relief to millions and millions of americans, many of them who

have lost a loved one due to this pandemic and many of them have lost their entire livelihood. so he is in going to in absolute good faith try to work with the republicans in the senate, but i don't think that the republicans in the senate trying to obstruct any work for the american people are going to allow president biden to slow down economic relief. and i think that president biden -- i was just having this conversation -- he's been there for about 30 years. he knows who mitch mcconnell is. me knows who marco rubio is. again, he is going to try to work with them in good faith, absolutely. but you also have to ask yourself alicia, compromise requires both sides to give in and to reach a place where both parties feel comfortable. and i can tell you that the trump republican party that i saw in the senate with that vote is not willing to compromise. they are there for self-enrichment, for political power, and they will do anything

to remain in power including not protecting our democracy. >> dr. greer, if debbie is right where does that then leave democrats? >> well, i think the former congressman is absolutely correct. we saw this with republicans when barack obama was elected president and joe biden was there as his loyal vice president. we saw time and time again republican senators he served with for many years in the senate just being complete obstructionists. it didn't matter what barack obama gave them, how they compromised, they wanted to make him a one termer. and they didn't succeed, so we've been dealing with the repercussions of that ever since. where do we go from now? i think joe biden needs to be clear and decisive with his agenda because realistically americans prefer divided power.

they don't like gridlock. during the mid-term elections we have seen the pendulum swing where one house goes to the opposite party. he does have unified government until the elections of 2022. so whether it's the economy. whether it's making sure we get vaccines into the arms of various americans, whether it's, you know, working on our relationships internationally that have been frayed if not destroyed in the past four years of donald trump, joe biden needs to make sure -- luckily for americans donald trump was wholly disinterested in the legislative process. but joe biden needs to ensure he uses the knowledge and power he has in the senate to make sure legislation goes through so republicans can't undo things if they win back the senate in say 2022 or even the house in 2022. >> congresswoman powell,

professor greer, i have to say i'm not a big valentine's day person but i really appreciate the color motif that is happening right here. >> a lot of love in this house. >> i want to bring in frank figliuzzi, an msnbc national security analyst and contributor and the author of "the fbi way inside the bureau's code of excellence." and he has done a red tie for me too. here's what charlie sykes said last night what is motivating the republican party. take a listen. >> there's also a large number of republicans and this is something tim miller wrote in the bulwark. they are a fear caucus, and fear has become a real problem for the republican party. i don't mean cowardly fear and tweets. i mean fear of physical attack. >> frank, there's a deluge of legal questions coming out of this, of political questions. but as i was watching all this go down, my question for you is how has trump's acquittal

emboldened these extremist groups? >> well, there's no question tat the good news is outweighed by the bad news. i've been looking for any kind of risk mitigation signs in the past week, alicia, and i'm not really seeing them. by that i mean what has happened in any measure during the last week that would cause us to think from a security perspective that the threat has been lessened, that the risk is fading? and in fact the opposite has happened. we've had an acquittal in the senate, but we've also seen the republican leadership including as recently as today, senator lindsey graham, seeming to embrace president trump and his actions. graham is headed down to florida. he's going to play golf. he said the maga movement needs to continue. we need, quote, trump plus. even what mcconnell did is extremely dangerous. in his speech what he essentially messaged was trump did it, it was awful, but there's nothing we can do about it. that's even worse than saying i don't think he did it, right?

i would have preferred mcconnell to go i don't think he really incited anything so i can't vote to convict. he said he did it and there's nothing i'm going to do about it. that emboldens the entire movement, and i'm concerned that moving forward we're going to see extremism amplified. and if congress isn't going to solve it, the other elements of society have to step in. and i've written a column recently saying that the big tech companies, social media platforms, law enforcement need to step it up because congress seems unwilling to do it. >> let me ask you about that, frank. as you said social media continues to play a role in amplifying these messages, disinformation. how then does the fbi and the intelligence community police that? >> well, the good news is we've seen an unprecedented partnership between the big tech social media platforms and law enforcement. that needed to happen, and it's moving forward very encouragingly.

but here's -- here's the down side of that. we see people being suspended, taken down, apps and networks not being provided for extremist platforms. we see tens of thousands of employees come to work every day at the big tech platforms with the sole purpose of security and safety. all really good. fbi tipping off the big tech platforms, vice versa. but it's not regulated, alicia. so this very congress that couldn't come to agreement on what the president did being wrong is now the place we have to go to regulate speech, social media, violent rhetoric. and i don't see them stepping up. i don't see them embracing a domestic terrorism statute let alone regulating big tech. we're in for a world of hurt. and if you leave it to law enforcement and social media private sector to figure this out, we may see problems with our civil liberties and free speech. >> frank figliuzzi, as always

thanks so much for joining us. still to come, why donald trump isn't out of the woods just yet. we'll look at the other legal problems he could be facing. plus, getting kids back to class. what the cdc is now saying why it has parents confused. two experts who can help us make sense of it all. but first to richard louie who is standing by with the other big stories we're following this hour. very good sunday to you. hundreds of thousands of people protested for the ninth day in a row in myanmar. many government workers also on strike in protest. half of americans are under a historic winter weather warning. storms causing a large multi-vehicle crash near oklahoma city, a result of that. and a 25-vehicle crash in texas also tonight. the storm started in the pacific northwest and now in the south and west. as much of a foot of snow could fall in oklahoma and the texas panhandle. record freezing temperatures

follow. oklahoma city is expected to break its 116-year temperature record, negative 10 degrees predicted for tuesday. some heartwarming news now for valentine's day. the duchess of sussex meghan markle and prince harry confirm a second child is on the way. they had a miscarriage last summer, but their son now archie will become a big brother. more "american voices" right after this break. g brother. more "american voices" right after this break

a big announcement from president biden this week. the u.s. on track to vaccinate every american adult with 600 million doses available by the end of july. vaccine distribution to states is already up 28% since biden's inauguration. the president touting his progress on thursday while taking a jab trump's low start. >> when i took office this country did not have a plan or enough vaccines or people to

vaccinate americans. any and all americans at any time at any point in 2021. within three weeks around the clock work with so many people, people standing behind me and in front of me. we've now purchased enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all americans, and now we're working to get those vaccines into the arms of millions of people. >> as part of this we're now talking about school re-openings with new cdc guidelines. and we have two medical experts here to help us make sense of it all. the medical director for good stock consulting llc and associate professor and msnbc contributor dr. ven gupta, an affiliate professor at the institute of health metrics and evaluation. good to see you both. dr. gupta, a lot of the cdc's advice for schools already common practice during the pandemic. which of the guidelines is going to be the biggest change for

these schools? >> good evening, alicia. i think what's notable about the guidelines is what's not present. let me first start by saying mitigation is really difficult to do well, so if we're going to require schools once they hopefully get assistance in the form of the american rescue plan funding to implement testing, which is a big -- which is a key cause at least for initial guidance. if we're expecting teachers to enter these schools safely, we want to make sure they have adequately ventilated rooms, and yet these guidelines don't really talk about that. 41% of schools according to the gao need updating of their ventilation systems, and these guidelines don't really talk about that. so there's a dissonance between what's needed to keep schools safe. and i think what these guidelines state and emphasize, there's a bit of concern there. and i worry, frankly, it's going to take longer for school districts across the country to really feel like they're meeting

cdc guidance and vaccinating teachers and minimizing disruption. so that's the dissonance there, alicia. >> doctor, in addition to what we just heard from dr. gupta, you also have a recent poll that find parents are worried about their kids returning to the classroom. that's not surprising to me. you're talking about communities hard hit by this virus, schools, districts first degree underfunded. for those parents who still have reservations what do they need to be looking for as they assess the possibility of sending their kids back into the classroom? >> for tun one, thank you for having me. but those parents are justified in having those types of fears. what we know even since the brown vs. board of education in 1954 schools are very much separate and very much unequal.

at this point literally the wealthiest 10% of the u.s. school districts spend nearly ten times more than the poorest 10%. and black and latino students are now more educationally segregated than we were two decades ago when i was first starting med school. so there is this gap and largely related to the funding of schools and how we rely on our community of wealth to find funding for these schools. and because of that we know it leads to several things being, one, overcrowded and underresourced. you can't talk about mitigation sources in a pandemic and slowing a spread of a virus throughout a school community if you don't mention the fact poverty and systemic racism plays in these institutions. so, yes, the cdc fails to do something very important across the board, which is to actually mention race in the first place when they're talking about these policies when we know that race

is an independent risk factor for whether or not a child, an adult, an elderly person lives or dies if they're infected with covid. >> dr. gupta, i want to take a slight pivot because we are looking for examples of things that are working. you are advising the seattle seahawks. i believe they're the only nfl team to not have a single case of covid. what lessons can you take from what you learned with the seahawks that can be applied elsewhere? >> well, you know, in some way building on what dr. hilton just mentioned, mitigation. we talk so much about it. dr. walensky is appropriately emphasizing in these guidelines. but it's really hard to do well and what the seahawks recognize as a professional sports team and there's only so much you can analogize what we did there in what a public school district in an urban setting can do. rapid testing is hard to

implement. it's easy to say we need more testing. it's hard to do. it's hard to get more ventilation, hard to keep your distance. which is why i keep emphasizing especially with the unknown here with the new variants, especially because we're telling all americans now consider double masking, what i hear from teachers and educators across the country is fear and anxiety. hey, doc, you're telling me to double mask and you're saying we need to keep community transmission rates low but indoor dining is open in 48 states. why aren't we prioritized? if the goal is and should be to get schools open as quickly as possible, if we prioritize teachers for vaccination, we'll put them at ease. there's too much vilination of the other side here, and we need to lower the temperature here and focus on getting teachers and children in schools as fast as possible. >> as always thank you for your

time. next, nut not out of the woods. the legal issues still facing former president trump over his quest to overturn the election. plus impeachment through the eyes of history. we'll be right back. eyes of his. we'll be right back.

you're going to see a lot more litigation coming regarding trump. it's almost going to be like the fast and furious series where it's going to be like donald trump litigation number six, donald trump litigation number seven or eight. it's just going to keep going on. >> trump's former attorney michael cohen there with a thought or two on the troubles ahead for his former boss. the wall street journal reports new york prosecutors are investigating loans trump took out on four new york city properties. the district attorney of fulton county, georgia, has opened a criminal investigation into trump's attempts to overturn georgia's election results sparked by that recorded phone call in which trump pressures

georgia's secretary of state to, quote, find the votes. don't forget these words from minority leader mitch mcconnell on the senate floor. >> there's no question, none that president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. president trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office. as an ordinary citizen unless the statute of limitations has run, still liable for everything he did while he was in office. didn't get away with anything yet. yet. >> with me now an msnbc contributor and attorney. also joining me the author of the watergate girl, my fight for

truth and justice against a criminal president. jill, this looking into the loans of four new york trump properties. that's part of a larger investigation into alleged insurance and bank fraud by the trump organization. can you give me a sense what's at stake here for trump? >> for trump there are so many possible criminal and civil liabilities. there's taxes. there's -- you know, you started the show with michael cohen. he pled guilty in a case in which donald trump -- hence my pin -- is individual number 1. there are taxes both state and federal. the westchester county property at stake because of a conservation easement that he gave that led to a tax reduction. there's now the manhattan properties. there are so many. he is going to have financial

consequences for all of his wrongdoing as well as the d.a. -- i'm sorry, the attorney general in washington, d.c. might bring charges involved in the insurrection and the damages that were done. the injured from that may bring cases against him. he already had a personal injury lawyer representing him in the impeachment. maybe he can just take on those cases, too. so there's a lot of damage that can be done to donald trump through these things. >> katie, the progressive change campaign committee urging biden's pick for a.g. to prosecute trump. how likely do you think that is, that is going to happen? and do you think trump getting off in the second impeachment changes that calculus at all? >> i think that we've seen that president biden has indicated that he is loathe to want to pursue criminal prosecution of now former president donald trump. that being said, any pick by biden for a.g. could necessarily

influence down the line other attorney generals, for example, in d.c. like jil just mentioned. we know latishia james in new york and local prosecutors like the fulton county da's office, they're all investigating donald trump. so in terms of the actual doj pursuing donald trump, i'm not going to put a lot of money in terms of banking on efforts to be made right now. but you know what, alicia, you don't have to wait for that to happen. it's not only d.c., it's georgia, civil defamation lawsuits, cy vance as a manhattan prosecutor, so many things going on. and the underlying denominator is donald trump. >> prosecutors in fulton county, georgia, i believe that was on the list you read out for us are looking into trump's effort to overturn the state election results. they're also looking into senator graham and his call to

georgia's secretary of state. when do you think we could expect to see charges brought in regards to that case? >> the case against donald trump, of course, is a recorded conversation, which makes the evidence readily available. but even then you have to talk to witness, and it's better to do that carefully in advance than it is to bring charges and then start investigating. although it is not uncommon in the watergate case we subpoenaed 64 tapes after the indictment and one of those was the smoking gun tape. so it could be even after indictment. you can't tell, and it's hard to tell exactly how long it will take. but there's much to be done and much that will be dup. i think in some ways donald trump might have been better off being convicted on impeachment where he wouldn't go to jail and he wouldn't have civil fines, and other prosecutors might have thought, well, he has actually paid a penalty, he has suffered.

and so it's not going to be something i spend as much time looking at. whereas now there's a general feeling that he got away with murder. bet midler who's one of my very favorites tweeted he got away with murder, let that sink in. and he did. and then you have mcconnell who really did the reverse in watergate we gave a road map to the house for an impeachment. mcconnell just pointed to the prosecutors and said here's the road map, he did it, go after him. so he gave a road map to prosecution, and i think that may be something that donald trump ultimately regrets that he wasn't convicted. >> katie, you have senator graham talking about impeaching kamala harris if the republicans take back the house in 2022 for her supporting the bail out of black lives matter protesters, they're not going to make you listen to the sound but news

reports she tweeted out a link to the fund-raiser by the minnesota freedom fund june 1st urging people to chip in to help people post bails. the answer of the legality of the question. what does it tell you that is the type of nonveiled threat that is being issued? >> so it's very typical we're going to hear this from somebody like lindsey graham. he's a man of convenience in terms of who's going to be targeting when and how. we know he sometimes jumps on the anti-trump wagon when it fit what he needed for his own purpose. but i think fundamentally and jill would know this obviously well, there's never really been a lot of precedent when it comes to impeachment. i think what we've seen through two impeachment trials of donald trump there has been a little of we made it up as we've gone along. i think lindsey graham thinking he's going to be able to take someone like kamala harris and her priority actions and language and kind of shove that down to fit into some type of impeachment case, i think that's far-fetched and i think it's

just political rhetoric at this point in time. and i do think if there was ever a case when somebody was exercising their first amendment right to free speech, that was certainly when kamala harris was speaking out loud. we know the d.c. attorney general is looking at donald trump for his involvement for incitement for the january 6th capitol riot. we know that's something very real in terms of criminal prosecution, and i think lindsey graham really needs to find something else to do with his time other than to talk about impeaching kamala harris. >> there's another thing. >> she was not at the time -- >> thank you both so much. >> you know what? we're going to have so much time to talk about this in the next few weeks, jill. thank you both for joining us. ahead the generation gap in american politics, and later how the vice president is shining a light on the numerous crises facing america's working women. we'll be right back. america's n we'll be right back.

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it was three years ago today that a gunman opened fire at

marjory stoneman douglas high school in parkland, florida. 17 lives were lost. countless others forever changed. dozens of birth days, holiday think, other milestones stolen. in a statement today, president biden called on congress to pass common sense gun reform legislation including background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines. he called for eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on american streets. those who survived the horrors of mass shootings have gone toe to toe with members of congress to push for change. so how will what we watch yesterday shape that generation's understanding of the possibility in the limitations of our government? that after a quick break. limitations of our government? that after a quick break so start becoming the best gamers in the ga-- (avatars) oohh! (sam) 5g ultra wideband, now in parts of many cities. this is 5g built right.

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if we look at the median age of our country and the median age of the people making decisions for our country, we need -- we need some renewal. we need to do some things over. we need some fresh blood, and that's on both sides. >> that voter from georgia leading us to a big question tonight. what does america's youngest generation of voters take from this week's trial and what could it mean for them when it's time to vote in 2022? the author of the ones we've been waiting for, how a new generation of americans will transform america.

all right, terence, i've been looking at all the polling on this, and there does seem to be a generational dividing line where you saw so much enthusiasm among gen-zers and millennials when it came to the question of impeaching former president trump and also convicting him at that trial. you've been doing focus groups for the past few weekess. what is it you've been hearing from these young voters? >> absolutely. thanks for having me. we've been conducting polls and focus groups with gen-j millennial voters who have become the youngest voting bloc in america. and the truth is young voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the actions january 6th. 79% of voters believe it was unjustified, and 78% believe at the insurrectionists will result to violence again. but what's most important is that for young voters the events

of january 6th, the insurrection we saw at the u.s. capitol is inseparable from whiteness, that race plays such a huge part in how they perceive the events of january 6th but also how much racial anxiety plays a huge parts in how young voters participated in the election in 2020. we saw the racial anxiety of young people really emerging in the summer of 2020 where the protests around george floyd's death began to evolve from a protest of black people versus the police to a protest of young people versus racism. 89% of protesters were under the age of 50. and so when young voters look at the events of january 6th, they overwhelmingly believe that a part of the motivation of the

insurrectionists was not just to disrupt the certification of the election but to advance white supremacy, and that's a dangerous wager the republican party made here. not just in the impeachment trial but throughout trump's presidency that president trump repositioned racism as a partisan issue. we saw vice president pence in the debate reject that systemic racism even exists, so as the republican parties wraps their heads around and embraces one-third of the country that are either racist or okay of the racism of the former president, they are also sending a message to young people they are on the wrong side of racism, that has emerged as one of the most important issues of young voters. >> charlotte, when i watched what was happening this weekend and in addition to all of the context that terrance just gave, there are two different

questions, one was what is this going to mean for young people already overly progressive, not as youth but generational, and then what is it going to mean when it comes to their faith in government and their faith in government's ability to get things done? >> well, first of all, i totally agree with what terrance said about the racial element of this and i think a really important thing to remember is that these two younger generations, millennials and gen z are diverse, and so it's impossible to separate the racial element from the generational element. and i do think you are getting at a really important question here, which is not only has this event, you know, permanently tarnished the republican party in the minds of a lot of young voters, and the last five years has tarnished the republican party in a lot of minds of young voters, but it also struck a blow at this idea that america is a country where right wins,

and i mean right in terms of where justice can prevail. i think obviously that idea has been under siege for a very long time, and certainly -- certainly if you are -- communities of color have known for a very long time america is not a place where justice necessarily always prevails, but i do think there has been an idea of american exceptionalism that i think is perhaps more popular with older people who saw this country at a time when maybe there appeared to be a little bit more justice. i think the events of the last week have really reinforced to

young people that our system is not working when it comes to holding powerful people accountable. and i think that they are very likely going to insist on building new structures that are better at holding powerful people accountable. >> charlotte, terence, thank you both for spending some time with us tonight. next, the vice president provides a gut punch about the realities facing women in the work force, which she calls a national crisis in need of a national solution. we'll be back after this. of a national solution. we'll be back after this

for months now we've been telling the story of the pandemic's impact on working women. we've told you about the marshal plan for moms calling on president biden to create a task force to address the crisis. "the new york times" hot line solely dedicated to what they call the primal scream, moms let your rage out after the beep. we told you about the december jobs report where women accounted for 100% of the 140,000 jobs lost. most of that loss, black women and latinas. and tonight a new push for action from america's vice president. kamala harris published this op-ed in "the washington post" calling the exodus of women from the work force a national emergency. the vp makes her case using examples that are really a gut punch even for those of us who

have been covering the story from the get go. for example, highlighting the roughly 2.5 million women who have lost their jobs or dropped out of the work force during the pandemic. that's enough to fill 40 football stadiums. take a minute and imagine that. 40 football stadiums filled with women no longer working. vice president harris boils down the crisis as being created by a perfect storm of job loss, small business closings and lack of child care and highlights the women hurting the most. quote, women in lower wage jobs, those living below the federal poverty level have been hit hardest. these workers many of them women of color have been undervalued and underpaid for too long. and now too many of them are out of work. then there are women who own and work at small businesses, the fabric of our communities. we've all felt the loss when businesses and our neighborhoods have closed this past year. in february where 2020 around 5 million women were business owners. by april 1 in 4 had closed their doors. the bottom line is that this

pandemic has made an issue that was already bad unbearable. and it is a national crisis in need of a national solution as harris writes, and addressing this problem is worth it for everyone. as the vice president writes, the economy cannot fully recover unless women can fully participate. quote, studies have shown our gross domestic product could be 5% higher if women participated in the work force at a same rate as men. and every day women are out of work unlocking that potential becomes harder. in the short-term the vp is offering the american rescue plan, direct payments to many americans, unemployment insurance, housing assistance, money for school reopenings is an answer to this immediate crisis. but the question remains how do you make up what's already been lost not just for women as individuals but as a society where we are so often the glue holding everything together even when we are ourselves are just coming completely undone? if we can make it past this emergency will there be the will to stave off the next crisis, to

reckon with pay equity, universal pay, family leave, the cost of care, access to capital? what does building back better mean for america's women? that's a question we promise we'll come back to again and again even when we find ourselves on the other side of this crisis. that is all the time i have for today. i am alicia menendez. i will see you back here next weekend, 6:00 p.m. eastern for more american voices. but for now i hand it over to my friend and colleague joshua johnson. >> glad you will be coming back to that question repeatedly. it's one i don't think gets asked nearly enough, and i appreciate you bringing it up tonight so thanks for that. i look forward to hearing more about that in the future. hey, everyone, it's good to be with you tonight. the impeachment process is officially over. now we turn our focus back to fighting the coronavirus pandemic. and even though the trial captured our attention, congress actually did work on two things at once. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, i'm joshua johnson.

welcome to "the week." the trial was just about all we could talk about this week and topped the agenda on the sunday morning shows today. lawmakers had plenty more to say about the second acquittal of the former president. >> i think we successfully prosecuted him and convicted him in the court of public opinion and in the court of history. he's obviously a major political problem for the republican party and as long as he is out there attempting to wage war on american constitutions and democracy, it's a problem for all of us. >> at the end of the day it wasn't more witnesses we needed it was more senators with speen spines. and that's what we saw, they lacked the fortitude and were more concerned about their seat in power, and afraid of donald trump's base to be more concerned for our democracy, our constitution, the american

government and the even body of the senate. >> we were never going to reach 67 votes in the senate without mitch mcconnell voting guilty, so he went up on the floor afterwards, he basically gave the speech that jamie raskin would have given to the senate and tried to justify his vote for acquittal. >> i think senator mcconnell's speech got a load off his chest obviously, and unfortunately you put a load on the back of the republicans, that speech you will see in 2022 campaigns, so i like him, senator mcconnell, he worked well with president trump and i think his speech is an outlier regarding how republicans feel about all this. >> what does all of this mean? we are nearly a month into the biden administration, and his predecessor just got acquitted for the second time. as noted, the battle of the soul of the republican party seems to be over. donald trump has won, at least for now. there's a growing push from some former members of the gop to

retake the party, and others are considering a new anti-trump conservative party. evan mcmullen is a former independent presidential candidate and outspoken trump critic. last night he told us on this program he plans to support primary challenges against house republicans that remained loyal to donald trump, including against two gop congressmen in arizona, andy biggs and paul gosar. >> i think we are committed to taking a new route to either fight for the direction of the gop or compete with it directly. >> whatever comes of that effort, democrats control the white house and both houses of congress and the white house had little to say about the impeachment trial while it was going on and the administration kept busy this week advancing president biden's agenda. now that the trial is over the focus turns to covid. it's kind of wild to think we have been living and working and raising children and surviving during this pandemic for nearly a year now, and just about everybody wants to know when we

will get back to normal or whatever will count as the new normal. by our count the united states has 28 million confirmed cases of covid-19 and approaching half a million deaths. but there's good news surrounding the latest pandemic trends. cases and hospitalization rates are both at the lowest they have been in the u.s. since november, and daily vaccination rates continue to go up, and right now america is averaging almost 1.5 million shots per day. this week the biden administration finalized deals with pfizer and moderna for 200 million doses and this would be enough to vaccinate just about every american once they conk conquer the logistical challenges of deploying and administering the shots. let's start off tonight with nbc white house correspondent, ali vitali and msnbc white house

correspondent geoff bennett. geoff, let me start with you. what is president biden's plan to refocus the country on the pandemic now that the trial is over? >> that's the key word, refocus. white house officials tell me the president really is going to refocus the country's attention to the challenges we face and his plans for addressing all of them this coming week and he's going to do it in a way he has not done it in the past, and he will make his first domestic trip, and he has not done that given the travel restrictions connected to the pandemic, but on tuesday he heads to milwaukee for a televised town hall. later this week he then heads to michigan to tour a pfizer facility that manufactures vaccines, and so this coming week we can expect to hear a lot more about the president's nearly $2 trillion covid relief plan that, of course, includes money for schools to reopen. remember, the biden administration wants to get as many schools open for in-person instruction as possible by the end of the first 100 days.

there are the direct payments to americans that $1,400 where if you add it to the $600 that qualifying americans receive, that's $2,000 total, and then there's also the extension of the unemployment benefits, and you've heard people say if this impeachment trial goes on for too long it will imperil the biden agenda, and what they meant in the short term was that come march 14th coffers will run dry and the federal unemployment benefits will no longer be extended so as house and senate democrats try and pass the relief bill through reconciliation the convoluted complex process where they do it with just democratic votes alone, that march 14th deadline has been hanging over all of it and that's the thing really focusing on the minds of lawmakers and folks at the white house. >> speaking of focusing peoples' minds, ali, what about the concerns among some democrats about what the agenda would be following impeachment? i know there had been worry about derailing things, including within the democratic caucus once we refocused after

the trial on getting bills passed? >> just because we are done with impeachment doesn't mean democrats will just band together and march in lockstep, and we already saw there was fissures within the democratic side of this. republicans aired their grievances with the white house and publicly in the early part of the covid negotiations, but once we went through that vote-a-rama period in the senate before they went into impeachment world, it was clear there was a very vast difference of opinion on key items, for example, raising the minimum wage to $15. people like joe manchin said they would not support that. of course on the other side of that coin you have bernie sanders who will be aggressive, he promised, in pushing that through, and biden eluded to this himself because of the way the reconciliation process works. i would say when we saw the budget score come out on this,

it does show there would be a bottom line to the federal deficit, and that's the kind of thing that bernie sanders needed to prove that he could push this through through a reconciliation process, and if it doesn't go through the reconciliation as part of the covid relief bill and it's going to be something that rears its head again, and there was also another reason that democrats were so concerned about what impeachment might mean for the biden agenda. all of this is really fertile ground work for the midterms. i know 2022 seems far away, but the impeachment in the early part of the biden administration, it sets the tone. republicans are going to be fighting among themselves because trump will try to be out on the campaign trail and they are arguing over what their party should look like, and you were talking about somebody that

is going to be primarying those that supported trump, and there will be some trying to punish those that didn't support trump. democrats are going to have to leverage the work they have done in the early days of the biden administration and any frustration out there for voters that may have wanted to see trump held accountable for what he did on january 6th, and all of this is percolating as we head into the background of the mid-term season, which, i know it feels far away, but it's not. >> do we -- i am sure you just gave people some real angina by even talking about another election -- no, no, we just finished one, please, no, let's us breathe. with regards to policy rather

than politics, jeff, one of the people we heard from today, the new head of the centers of disease control and prevention, and she was on "meet the press" with chuck todd this morning, and here's what she said in terms of the administration's messaging on covid going forward. >> it's encouraging to see these trends coming down but they are coming down from extraordinarily high place, and as i said earlier if we want to get our children back to school, and i believe we all do, it depends on how much community spread is out there. we need to all take responsible to decrease the community spread including mask wearing so we can get our kids and society back. >> geoff, one of the things i noticed that chuck said to the doctor is it's nice just to have the head of the cdc out here so we can talk to this person, which has been hard to do for the last year or so. talk about how the administration is going to be talking to the american people about covid. >> we should say with the school reopening guidelines, i am told by cdc staffers that they were drafted entirely by cdc career

staffers, which sounds like a basic thing but it's not from what we know about the last four years in the trump administration, and i am told by folks that worked there, they had to deal with pressure from the trump administration, so now president biden made a stated goal, in the first 100 days he wants as many schools open for instruction, as many as possible and he's setting a metric where the american people can judge him, and now there are a number of schools waiting for the direct guidance of cdc, and the cdc under the trump administration put out sort of basic guidance, but now what you have a sort of clear directive from the cdc that says if the community spread in your area is x, then your school should open by, you know, under these sort of instructions and restrictions. that's the sort of thing that i think a lot of school districts had been clamoring for, just to get some basic guidance free from political interference about how they should best

reopen their schools and do it in a way that is safe for students and teachers to return. >> ali, what's our best sense of the time line going forward in terms of what happens in congress? we should note the senate is off this week, the house has some committee hearings. there are some hearings on some rather consequential matters. there's some hearings this week on gamestop trading. the ceo of robin hood is supposed to testify before one house committee. what should we be keeping an eye out for this week? >> that's one of the things i am actually looking for, because so much was made of gamestop and the way the redditers were able to manipulate the market. and i think it caught everybody's attention because people were so confused as to what was going on, and that's one of the things tackled this week, and we saw the contours of the relief parts

of the bill coming out last week, and the house has been having two workweeks, last week and this coming week and so we could see more things coming out there, and i think the key thing is the tax credit rolled out initially as well as setting the matrix as who is able to get the $1,400 relief payments and there was a lot of debate at where the threshold would be set, and last week they were set at $75,000 and $150,000, and that's done as part of the covid relief bill, and march 14th is the cutoff here. i know nancy pelosi and steny hoyer were going to try and get something out there and it felt optimistic at the time, and everybody wants to get back on track with this and get it done because everybody has to go home to the constituents and answer where those checks are. >> we appreciate you starting us off this hour. thanks very much. donald trump may be

acquitted in the senate but faces criminal and civil cases across the country. a former federal prosecutor will walk us through them. also, what about a larger congressional investigation into what exactly happened on january 6th nbc's ken dilanian will break that down for us. and later dr. kavita patel will answer your questions about covid, the different strains popping up and the vaccines. and we will tell you about a campaign to recall california governor gavin newsom. organizers say they have enough signatures to trigger an election. what will this mean for our most populous state and for the nation? that's all head aas the week continues on msnbc. head aas thk continues on msnbc

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the impeachment trial ended one legal drama for donald trump but more are starting up. he may have been acquitted in the senate but prosecutors across the country continue to build their cases against the former president. officials in georgia had already launched a criminal investigation into mr. trump's attempt to influence the election there, and this week they expanded that probe to include a close associate, senator lindsay graham. yesterday "the wall street journal" reported new york has widened its criminal probe and that examination is on his loans

on four of his properties, including trump tower. and we go to mr. butler. professor butler, good evening. >> hey, joshua. happy valentine's day. >> thank you very much and same to you. let's start with the cases in new york and georgia. where do those two investigations stand so far? >> so trump probably has more to worry about from state prosecutors than from federal prosecutors. georgia prosecutors have a legitimate beef against trump. he tried to nullify georgia's legitimate votes from counting in the presidential election and so they are looking at crimes like solicitation of election fraud, false statements and even racketeering. trump told the georgia secretary of state find 11,780 votes, and

he said, and there's nothing wrong with saying you recalculated. that's pretty incriminating and it's on tape. and in new york, both the manhattan d.a. and the state's attorney general are following trump's money, and that usually does not work out well for him. >> what do you make of the way that, in particular, was discussed during the impeachment trial? does that have any bearing on the other prosecutions, at least to hear the way his defense attorneys were talking about defining find, and i thought, you know, you may be glad you're not in the courtroom because i don't think you have the evidence to back up the word find. that may not go the way the defense attorneys wanted, but does one bear on the other at all? >> here's the thing, the issue in any criminal case is trump's intent. i thought the house managers did

an excellent job of proving his criminal intent in the impeachment trial that he knew or there was a high chance that those remarks that he had been making for weeks were going to incite the crowd but that did not persuade the senate. joshua, here's the thing, jurors in atlanta or new york city will not be as sympathetic to the president or former president as the republican senators. >> what is your sense of what the department of justice might do in terms of investigating the former president? obviously there's the huge concern about the appearance of political involvement with the doj, which is exactly one of the things president biden said he would positively not subject merrick garland to or christopher wray. >> and obstruction of justice in the mueller investigation, or shaking down the ukrainians for political favors. remember the first impeachment. it's up to the new attorney general, that is likely to be merrick garland. first the criminal standard for conviction is much higher than for impeachment and prosecutors

are not going to bring a case against a former president also ulous it's a slam dunk. and the second reason is one you identified. president biden is properly staying out of this. he's leaving to merrick garland because he doesn't want to do the lock him up thing against biden that trump did against hillary clinton. but the vibe he's sending is that the biden administration wants the country to move on past trump. and that's why i think trump has more to worry about from these state investigations than from the federal investigations. >> your point about the slam dunk is well-taken. i am not convinced that the justice department deems it within its guidance to bring

prosecution against the former president let alone a seated president. i feel that opens a whole other can of worms, but we will set that aside. there are two questions from viewers i'd like to get to both who happened to be named mary. she asks is there any chance capitol rioters will join together in a class action against trump for entrapment. entrapment is when a person commits a crime when they were coerced into it by a government official. isn't trump therefore legally liable for the expenses committed by the rioters incited by the chief officer? >> i think there will certainly be civil litigation against trump for his role in inciting insurrection. entrapment is typically not a reason a tort or reason to bring a lawsuit. as the cases against the rioters line their way through the

system i expect we'll see a number of civil lahs not so much from the insurrectionists but from the victims including the families of police officers and other people who were inadvertently swept up in this madness. >> last quick question, mari asks can the rioters sue trump for damages related to their legal cases and any injuries occurring on january 6th? professor? >> no or it technical answer is yes, they can sue but they would lose. again, trump's complicity, his aiding and abetting is properly the subject of a criminal investigation and the impeachment where he obviously wasn't held accountable. so civil litigation is about recovering damages, but no jury is going to be sympathetic to these white supremacists insurrectionists who attacked the capitol of the united states trying to undermine our democracy. >> yeah. suing for your damages while you were attacking congress is not -- that's not going to be a

good look in court. georgetown professor paul butler, i appreciate your time. after the senate acquitted donald trump focus shifted back to the january 6th insurrection. some are calling for a special 9/11-style commission to investigate it. that is next. 9/11-style commission to investigate it that is next

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there is still a lautd we don't know about the january 6th attack on the capitol. some are calling for a 9/11-style commission to investigate it. this bipartisan commission would examine the factors that led to the riot. republican senator bill cassidy is among those who support the idea. >> i think there should be a complete investigation about what happened on 1/6 both why there was not more law enforcement and national guard already mobilized, whu was known, who knew it and when they knew it, all that because that builds the basis so this never happens again in the future. >> senator cassidy was one of

the seven gop senators who voted to convict the former president. how might this probe work and how committed will congress be as a whole to investigating the riot? let's discuss it with nbc national security and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian. ken, tell us what's being proposed in this commission and what the broad outlines of it might be. >> hey, joshua. you're absolutely right. voices as diverse as house speaker nancy pelosi and republican senator lindsey graham are calling for this kind of a commission to investigate what happened. and what they're asking for is something similar to the 9/11 commission, which was a creation of congress. you get prominent people from both sides of the political aisle, and they get a staff and money to investigate, and they would potentially have subpoena power. of course, joshua, congress is capable of doing these large and complex investigations. in fact the senate intelligence committee report on the trump russia matter was more informative and detailed than

the mueller report. but this capitol riot spans so many different jurisdictions. there are intelligence questions, law enforcement questions, questions about the fbi, dhs, department of defense that commission advocates of this say really would make more sense and would allow congress to do its legislative business while the commission is working in the background because there are so many huge unanswered questions principly around what did the fbi know, why wasn't there more security, and after the fact what calls were made for the national guard to come in, why was there a delay, and of course the biggest question, joshua, what did the president know and when did he know it as the violence was unfolding. >> what's your sense of the possibility of this actually moving forward how and how it might move forward. it was one of the things that came up in the trial. we need a bigger investigation that should have been done before we got to this point.

what does the path for that look like special considering the capitol is still extra secure right now? the barricades haven't come down from around capitol hill yet. >> yeah, that's right. and that's one of it reasons i think there's such an impetus for this. in some ways january 6th was the domestic terrorism version of 9/11 thankfully without the high death count. it was a shock to the system. no one imagined something like that happening. and we're now seeing in the court record there was a vanguard of 10% of the people who had been charged are members of these right wing militias who clearly made plans and planned this in advance and another large group of people who were acting more spontaneously. and there's a lot to learn from all of that. and really an impetus on both sides of the political i'll how we work meckicly as they would have to pass legislation and fund it, and it would take many months if not more than a year to get these answers because you're absolutely right. both sides agree they didn't

really build a historical record in this trial. they laid out essentially a narrative based on video and media reports. they didn't interview witnesses, didn't subpoena people. there's still so many huge questions both sides would like to get answered. and it may make difference agencies and constituencies look bad, expose some flaws. but people think we really need answers here because bottom line they never want anything like this to happen again. >> we've got a few viewer questions in terms of just the time line of how that day went down. one viewer asks did they ever verify whether the secret service communicated to the white house that they were evacuating pence, and if so when? it was implied the secret service wasn't doing its usual job or following protocol. i doubt that. ken, i doubt that too very highly because, "a," that's a total dereliction of everybody's duty through that whole security chain. and "b," mike pence has to be

within striking distance of the nuclear football in case something happens to the president. so they must have told both ends, right? there's no way they could not have. >> the state of the reporting on this, joshua, is when mike pence was under threat of violence by the secret service in the capitol that the secret service would have told the white house about that. but nobody's actually confirmed that call was made. the secret service hasn't kmened. but it's unimaginable that would have happened. even if you leave that aside you have the phone call between president trump andtuberville where he confirmed pence was in danger, so at that point president trump was on notice that his vice president was in mortal danger and yet he continued to egg on the rioters and not call them to stand down until some time after that. >> i'm going to skip the second question and go to our third one. another viewer asks is it a

feasible consideration if trump had been convicted that this could have generated more immediate retaliation from his violent followers? ken, i think that's one of the concerns that kind has hung over this whole process is whether or not those on the farthest right fringes might use whatever happened to the trial as an excuse for more violence to pop off. >> that's absolutely a concern what i'm hearing from my law enforcement and national security forces. that's why there's been as you noted such a continued security presence around the capitol. there were threats to the inauguration. there are continued threats, and in some ways some of those hard right extremists were emboldened by what happened january 6th, and they may be further emboldened by the acquittal. had he been convicted there dd have been violence. but one thing different now is a massive, massive fbi investigation into many of these far right extremists. so in that sense some of them are on their heels, joshua.

>> thank you, ken. that's nbc national security and justice correspondent ken dilanian with the latest for us. how can america reopen schools safely as we fight covid-19? the latest guidance from the cdc when we come back. e from the cdc when we come back.

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and constipation. it doesn't matter what each day brings. so long as you can say... ... i am here. aim... ...to be there more. talk to your doctor about aimovig. the cdc has new guidelines for reopening schools safely during the pandemic. those guidelines are apparently making some parents and teachers nervous. this evening the cdc's new director, dr. rochelle walensky addressed those concerns in a tweet. quote, we are not mandating that schools reopen. these recommendations simply provide schools a long needed road mab for how to do so safely among different levels of disease in the community, unquote. nbc's blayne alexander has more. >> reporter: it's the long awaited guidance from the cdc, getting kids safely back in classrooms. but after reading it shanna is even more concerned.

>> nigh initial reaction is it's taking like five steps backwards and this is going to be a real impediment to getting the kids back into the classroom,s. >> reporter: jessica allen had wanted to hear more about ventilation. >> i'm really frustrated because i'd been holding onto this hope there would be clear guidance coming out. >> it's wonderful to get this guidance, but if the guidance is not implemented, it doesn't mean anything at all. >> reporter: as for teachers -- >> it would have been great to have this ten months ago. >> it is a relief. >> reporter: guidance includes implementing a color coding system to determine which schools should be open based on how covid is spreading in the community. in the classroom districts should make masks, hand washing and social distancing a focus. all common practice during the pandemic, but it's the first time the agency has said they should be prioritized in schools. notably missing, vaccines. while encouraged the cdc says they are not mandatory. but in the nation's second

largest school district, that is not enough. the los angeles teachers union calls the omission troubling writing, the guidelines do not do enough tool address the specific challenges of large urban school districts. >> does this guidance go far enough? >> well, look, this guidance is a floor not a ceiling, but it's a huge change from what we've had before. we have been seeking credible scientific guidance for ten months now. >> reporter: in marianne county, tennessee, members will consider to tailor their policy requiring masks at all times not just when changing classes. >> we've known going into it our plan was going to be a very fluid plan. >> reporter: bottom line -- >> i think these guidelines are a game changer to a certain extent because i think for the first time they've gotten more than vague recommendations, vague suggestions what to do.

they've gotten specific said. >> that was nbc's blayne alexander reporting. up next we'll answer more of your questions on covid including the vaccines. dr. kavita patel joins us for our latest installment of dear doctor. just ahead. stay close. of dear doctor just ahead stay close

covid cases rose after our holiday travel helped the virus

spread. now infections are declining again. over the past 14 days nearly all states have seen a slight decrease in cases. this morning cdc director rochelle walensky reiterated this trade depends on us doing our part. >> it's encouraging to see these trends coming down, but they're coming down from extraordinarily high place. and as i said earlier if we want to get our children back to school -- and i believe we all do -- it all depends on how much community spread is out there. we need to all take responsibility to decrease that community spread including mask wearing so that we can get our kids and our society back. >> despite the decreasing in cases, the u.s. could pass a half million coronavirus deaths within the next few days. let's get to some more of your covid-19 questions with dr. kavita patel, msnbc medical contributor and former obama health policy director. dr. patel, good evening. >> good evening, joshua.

>> i understand you have a valentine's day poem for us. >> yes. i thought it was fitting today. roses are red, violets are blue, i'm really sick of covid, how about you? and that sums up how i think a lot of us feel these days. >> yes, yes. i agree and i feel loved at the same time. i'd love for you to help us answer these questions particularly new questions about the vaccines. one viewer wants to know what the is status of the astrazeneca vaccine? other countries are using it, when will it be approved in the u.s.? and if given a chance to get in a trial in the u.s. will that be better than waiting four months for one of the others? two part question what's the status of the astrazeneca vaccine and what about taking part in a vaccine trial? >> that's a great question. first part, we're in the middle of phase three in the united states for the astrazeneca vaccine, so that phase to be completed and the data has to be analyzed. so we're talking, joshua,

months. it's not going to be weeks. it's going to be months. and in terms of the second part of the question, i'm a big fan of research and science, and i think participating in a trial should be your decision. but it's not an either/or. i think it's absolutely something you can participate in a trial now and talk to the trial researchers that if your term comes to get the vaccine what do they recommend? they are ready for these questions, and they're also trying to make sure that nobody is denied the opportunity to receive one of the authorized vaccines. we only have two right now, joshua, but that number will increase over time. >> another viewer asked about the current covid tests, whether they can detect the variant of covid we've been hearing about. >> yeah. yes. the short answer is yes, and it's because really what the tests are looking for is copies of the rna, the genetic material of the coronavirus. and you can actually look at the copies and look for those mutations we have talked about b

117, and recently researchers have found each of these rna look like a fingerprint and can be a clue to telling what the variant might be. so, yes, we do have ways to check for it. >> i've been trying to understand what the percentage means when referring to the vaccine. 95% effective means 5% of the people vaccinated can get it but not severely? what does the percent have to do with the severity this vaccine protects you from getting severe symptoms they say, doctor? >> joshua, this is the most common question and a great one lori asked. the percentage of efficacy really refers to the risk reduction of getting symptomatic or severe covid-19 compared, joshua, to a population that is not vaccinated. so the absolute numbers are

literally like 7 amongst 10,000 people who are vaccinated will get severe covid not 5% or 5 of 100. so it's much better news than the percentages might lead you to believe. the most important percentage really is the fact that the johnson & johnson vaccine as you mentioned, that they get an 85% reduction of severe disease, and that's really what we're looking for. remember these trials were setup to look for an ability to stop severe disease and death, and then everything else symptomatic, mild, moderate illness has also been decreased because of the vaccine. but it's a relative risk reduction. >> dona wants to know once you get the covid vaccine how long will you be protected? also when your protection wears off, will you be able to get another vaccine, or will you have to wait until everyone is already vaccinated? >> yeah, great question.

donna, the ceo of moderna intimated their immunity could last for years. but the truth is across all the vaccines we don't know. we expect it to be at least months. but we're looking at people like me who got vaccinated in december pretty early and people are trying to measure how long our immunity lasts. so the question about will you need to get a second vaccine or a booster or anything like that, i do think that we are looking at potentially an annual or seasonal vaccine, and that's something we've gotten used to with the flu. we're still trying to figure out -- and all the manufacturers are currently working on boosters or tweaking their vaccine to deal with the variants we're seeing. >> i'm going to ask you if we could flip our last two questions in order. because sarah has a question i'd like to get to. sarah asks please explain why kn 95 masks are better or not than surgical mask said. i thought kn 95 is superior

because it's a tight seal. can we talk about what we know about masks right now particularly after hearing research that double masking is more than 90% effective at blocking covid-19. what do we need to know about masks right now? >> yeah, the cdc did a simulation model and here's what we know. those surgical masks that you can with the blue and the little loops around it, that if you put that on and then put a three layer fabric mask over it, so essentially a double mask which adds up to six layers, that that can get you even higher potentially than 95%, which is amazing. and if you can't do that because sometimes it's not comfortable, your face or if you wear glasses you might not be able to do that. you can still wear that surgical mask and tie little loops on the side. the cdc website has a great little graphic to show you how to do that, and that can also be

much better than just the surgical mask by itself. the kn95 means it's not approved like the n-95s are by the fda. however you have to make sure you're not getting one of the brands actually flagged by the fda being counterfeit or fake. we think covid can be prevented by filtration and distance and everything we've talked about. so a kn95 might be hard for some people to wear, joshua. so double masking might be the best way to go. >> we appreciate your help as always with these questions. thanks very much. >> thank you. >> and if you still have questions about the vaccine, our parent company comcast nbc universal has a new website for you. we're very excited about this. it's called plan your vaccine. it's got what you need to know about getting vaccinated including information for different states, information if

you have high risk health conditions or if you are in an essential worker. you'll find it online at plan your vaccine.com. from one of the warmest months on record to one of the coldest weeks in a century. we'll check the weather and the climate next. 'll check the weat climate next

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the federal forecasters at noah are here to help. like this one i noah that i love you. a little wordy but a nice sentiment. those satellites will have quite a bit to watch in the next few days. the worst snow and ice storm in decades is moving into the southern plains this week. various winter advisories stretch from the rockies to the midwest and northeast even into southern texas. and those storms could be followed by the coldest temperatures in a century. this is what folks in midland, texas, woke up today. officials are warning residents to prepare for power outages with up to 12 inches of snow in some places. the forecast across texas looked bad enough that today president biden approved an emergency declaration for the state. he authorized the department of homeland security and fema to help texas coordinate its

disaster relief efforts. meanwhile in portland, oregon, yesterday's snowfall was perfect for skiing. some locals took to the city's streets for an impromptu race, but an ice storm forecasted for today may cut that short. it is expecting freezing temperatures this week just in time for mardi gras. just 1 more reason to stay home on top of the bars all being closed for mardi gras because of covid. but there's a much bigger concern here. fires. 12 people have already died in fires this year, and officials link them in part to dangerous home heating practices. we're talking about winter warnings now, but regard highs are happening more often. for much of the 20th century a new temperature record was set roughly every 13 1/2 years. but since 1981 we've set records every three years.

so far this year is continuing that trend. noah says that last month was the seventh warmest january on record for the planet. it was also the 433rd month in a row, 433, that had that had temperatures above the 20th century av rajs. this sunday, acquitted. >> donald john trump former president of the united states is not guilty as charged in the article of impeachment. >> a divided senate votes 57-43 to convict former president trump. ten votes fewer than needed. >> the failure to convict donald trump will live as a vote in infamy. >> mitch mcconnell votes to acquit. but -- >> former president trump's actions preceding the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty. >> the most bipartisan impeachment vote in u.s. history. >> he incited that mob. he lit the match. co