padilla. that message to go after the most vulnerable, to level of playing field in terms of inequality. that's what's going to get us through this, through this pandemic or any other big disaster in the future. and the only way that you can see that is doing what we have done, coming and taking a look at it right here at street level. chris hayes joins me to talk about it. also, the science makes it clear, we're not doing enough to save the planet. my interview with climate activist and global icon greta thunberg. ♪♪ good evening. i'm medi hassan. welcome to the show.

joe biden is now poised to sign the first major piece of legislation of his presidency. not just any legislation, but what is in my view the most progressive legislation of my lifetime. the $1.9 trillion american rescue plan, the second biggest stimulus bill in american history. >> it wasn't always pretty, but it was so desperately needed, urgently needed. this plan is going to make it possible to cut child poverty in half. we're going to succeed. we're going to succeed moving forward. look, the american people strongly support what we're doing. that's the key here. >> as someone who spent the entire primary campaign criticizing joe biden, this weekend the president did what i thought he couldn't, or just wouldn't, by getting results on what undeniably is the most pro worker, anti-poverty accomplishment by the american president since lyndon johnson.

don't take my word for it. listen to the senate budget committee chair. a certain bernie sanders who called it, quote, the most significant piece of legislation to benefit working families in the modern history of this country. and he's right. i mean, how else to describe a bill that halves child poverty, halves it? a typical family of four gets $5600 in new payments or $7600 in new payments if you throw in the much higher child tax credit that's also in this bill. how else to describe a bill that according to one study would give an average family of four with one parent unemployed an extra $22,000. a bill that provides $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion to primary is secondary schools, $14 billion for vaccination distribution and money for reopening businesses around the country. to borrow a line from joe biden,

this is a b.f.d. look, this bill is far from perfect. there is a lot wrong with it in my view, things that democrats messed up on. the $15 minimum wage backed by majority of americans should have been in this bill. the 8 democrats who voted against this necessary and popular measure should be held to account. arizona senator kyrsten sinema posturing thumbs down vote was particularly shameful. forget her thumb. she might as well have stuck her middle finger up at the people of her state especially more than 800,000 arizonians who work for less than $15,000 an hour. not just the minimum wage. should the $1,400 checks have been $2,000 checks as he explicitly promised during the georgia runoffs? is it political malpractice to phase them out add income of $80,000 instead of $100,000, which means biden sending fewer checks than trump did? yes, madness.

should the uninsurance input of the $400 pass instead of $300? yes. he represents a state where one in three struggle to pay the bills, one in six go hungry. the republican governor was demanding congress go big or go home. so i get it. there's lots not to be happy with, but one thing i've learned the hard way over my four decades on this planet, especially in a crisis, is don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. and this bill overall is a very good bill. remember, biden pit forward a $1.9 trillion bill, more than twice the size of the obama stimulus in 2009, and he got $1.9 trillion passed. in the end, both sinema and mansion voted for it. every democrat did. do you know who didn't?

every single republican in the house and the senate. every single one. new liberal hearers, mitt romney and liz cheney included despite having the support of 68% of americans in the country. bipartisan ship is over rated, fetishized. polls suggest americans wanted this bill passed even if it didn't have gop support. a reminder most americans are savvy than members of our political class. as time magazine charlotte tweeted, people care about how the sausage tastes, not how the sausage is made. this was a victory for biden, unquestionably. but the way things stand now, because of the filibuster, it looks like it might be a one off victory. the american rescue plan was passed by a budget reconciliation, a simple majority vote on taxing and spending bills. so how does the president get the rest of his ambitious agenda passed when it has to meet a 60%

threshold in the senate? it's the politically most asked question in our time. change is coming. tina smith announced her support for the filibuster. we need to move the country forward. senator smith joins me on the show now. thank you so much for coming to talk to me, senator smith. what was it specifically that made you decide, it is now time to end the filibuster? because you supported it before for all the reasons that the joe manchins and kyrsten sinemas still protecting, getting bipartisan votes, et cetera, et cetera. >> well, thank you, mehdi. it's so great to be on the show with you. you're right, i started out when i first came to the senate three years ago with a little of the idea we saw in mr. smith goes to washington, the senator talking on the floor of the senate for -- to advance justice. and then i lived in the senate for three years and i saw how mitch mcconnell has turned the senate into a legislative graveyard, the place where great ideas go to die.

and i just realized that the danger, the damage done to our democracy by allowing a minority of senators to shape the agenda, the progressive agenda we desk pratdly need in this country is too great. in the united states senate we have 50 republicans and 50 democrats. those 50 republicans represent less than 45% of america. us democrats also 50, represent almost 56%. we cannot allow a minority to decide the direction of our country. it's just undemocratic. >> minority rule was not part of the vision of the founders no matter what people like to say and rewrite history. >> exactly. >> this week democratic colleague joe manchin, joe manchin yelled at a reporter he would never change his mind on the filibuster. this morning he seemed to offer a ray of hope to the anti-filibuster side, to your side. have a listen. >> if you want to make it a little bit more painful, make

him stand there and talk, i'm willing to look at anyway we can, but i'm not willing to take away the involvement of the minority. >> it seems like stubborn joe might be up for reforming the filibuster, maybe getting rid of the hard 60-vote limit and making republicans earn their filibusters. mr. smith goes to washington style as you mention, the old-fashioned talking filibuster which would be a vast improvement on the current set up. >> exactly. i don't think, again, most americans have any idea that this idea of a filibuster is actually somebody making an objection and then going home to dinner. there actually isn't a talking filibuster any more. so i think we should abolish the filibuster, but at the least we should reform it so that there is a price to pay for holding up progressive legislation like climate change and addressing climate change and voting rights and health care reform. there has to be a price to pay. and right now there isn't any price. so i have been working closely

with senators like jeff markley who has been a real champion for how we can make the senate work better and getting rid of the silent filibuster would be a step in the right direction. >> they say if it ain't broke don't fix it. but the senate is broken and it needs fixing. most americans would agree with that. >> yes. >> passing this bill is personally important to three out of every four americans, huge number. when you heard from your constituents in minnesota, did they care whether this bill's passage was bipartisan or did they care they got the help they need? and how does that factor into joe biden and joe manchin's decision to go forward, bipartisan? >> you know, bipartisan ship should be a means to the end. it is not the end. my constituents in minnesota are, i need that check, i need help, i am behind in my rent. i am going to wait in a half hour line to get food for my family. they're saying, when am i going

to get help? they're not saying, was this legislation passed by by partisan support. as you're saying, this is by partisan legislation. it didn't get help from the 50 republicans. that's on them. that does not mean it is failing to appeal to americans across the board. >> exactly. and the fact it didn't get a single republican vote in the house or senate despite 60, 70% support speaks volumes about the modern gop. let's talk about the democrats. eight of your colleagues voted against a $15 minimum wage on friday. that's pretty shameful. maybe 1/5 of the senate democratic caucus couldn't get behind something as basic and necessary something essential to your election platform as you ran on as $15 an hour. >> raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is one of the most important things we can do to lift families out of poverty. what families are we talking about? we're talking about families mostly women-led families that

are working in low-wage jobs, often two jobs at a time just to be able to keep a roof over their heads. there is no doubt we need to get to a $15 an hour minimum wage. i'm going to keep on fighting for that. i'm not the only one. and i want to just say how powerful the advocacy groups -- >> but why did almost one in five, it was a shocking scene with sinema's thumbs down? it was shocking to watch. >> you know, i can't explain why. all i can say is what we need to do to move forward. we are in a moment where there is such need for action in the senate, and action at the federal level. and this is one of the core places where we need to take action. and one thing that i think is interesting about this tragedy and this catastrophe of covid, we are seeing americans turning to the government, to the federal government for help when they need it. and i believe that we are -- as a progressive, i'm an optimist

and i'm hopeful and believe we are in a moment where we are going to see real progress. >> that is a very good point and i agree with you on that. senator tina smith from minnesota, thank you for your time tonight. appreciate it. >> thank you, medhi. >> still ahead, climate change is not a threat, it's a crisis. it's amore than a threat and it's time we start talking about it that way. my conversation with the person who started a global climate movement, greta thunberg. we have to call it like it is. the u.s. failed miserably at combatting this pandemic. why? chris hayes joins me after this. ♪ hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid ♪ ♪ and all that glitters is gold ♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's. (woman) what should we do with it first? with any (man)rafted burger. road trip. (woman) yes. (woman) off-road trip. (man) how hot is the diablo chili? (waitress) well, you've got to sign a waiver.

[loud laughter] (woman) is this even a road? (man) yeah. (woman) so what should we do second? (vo male) the subaru forester. the most adventurous forester ever. (vo female) get 0% for 63 months on select new 2021 models. now through march 31st.

darrell's family uses gain flings now so their laundry smells more amazing than ever. isn't that the dog's towel? hey, me towel su towel. more gain scent plus oxi boost and febreze in every gain fling. ah, a package! you know what this human ordered? a backache. consider pain, delivered. pain says you can't. advil says you can. want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile, you can. how about saving hundreds on the new samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g? you can do that too. all on the most reliable network? sure thing! and with fast, nationwide 5g included - at no extra cost? we've got you covered. so join the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction... ...and learn how much you can save at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings.

see yourself. welcome back to the mirror. and know you're not alone. because this... come on jesse, one more! ...is a

reflection of an unstoppable community. in the mirror. on this day, march 7th a year ago, there were 19 deaths from covid-19 in the united states. a year ago today. and yet today more than half a million americans have died from

covid. we can grow numb to these numbers when every day it seems we hit another morbid milestone. let's put the lives of those 527,000 americans in perspective. as vox reported in january, when it comes to fighting covid, the u.s. has one of the death rates in the developed world. at that point if the u.s. had the same death rate in germany, more than 200,000 americans who died of covid-19 would likely still be here today if the u.s. had the same death rate as our neighbors to the north, canada, nearly 225,000 americans would likely not have lost their lives to covid. and if the u.s. had the same death rate as japan, around 363,000 americans would likely still be alive. it did not have to be this way. joining me now is my good friend chris hayes, host of "all in." this thursday at 8:00 p.m. he'll be hosting a special on the coronavirus pandemic, "all in america" the we're we meet begin live from lincoln memorial.

thanks for being here tonight. living in this country the past six years, one of the things i've noticed we don't seem to realize other countries don't have the gun deaths we do, don't have the lack of health care we do. the death toll is not like this in other countries either, that it didn't have to be this huawei. way. it wasn't a natural disaster. >> the short answer is yes. when you look at what happened in the election, particularly when you look at places like brazil where bolsonaro has seen a disastrous covid response and polling at 65% approval rating, at some basic level donald trump's defeat owed a lot to covid. it showed up at the polling as a number one issue. it was one thing joe biden put front and center in his campaign. it was -- he had 75% approval on now. there is some level at which this election, i thought it would be a bigger spread, like, you know, it's a hoover level of

failure without a hoover-level election, and yet it is the case that like that is i think at the core of what lost the election. that said, you're right that we don't have a lot of comparative sense. i don't think people realize just to the north in canada as you mentioned, they haven't had like an amazing response. they're not like japan or south korea or australia. but 250,000 americans would be alive if we just had a canadian response. that i don't think has really sunk in. >> indeed, yeah. let's look at where we are today, chris. the covid tracking progress shows three metrics trending downward. cases, hospitalizations and deaths. how should americans feel looking at these numbers, especially compared to the horrific heights we reached in the recent past? are you allowing yourself to finally feel optimistic? i'm still not quite there yet myself. >> yeah, i think we have all been burned, right? one thing i would say is those cases are going down, but there are still daily case rates above what we had in the summer outbreak, for instance, right. so we're still seeing a lot of

cases every day. i am fairly optimistic for a few reasons. one is just that leadership matters, and i think that the biden administration really has done a very good job of vaccination. you have federally -- 500 federally managed sites. javits here in new york city going 24 hours. you have the stadiums doing it. on saturday we did 2.9 million reported doses in a day, an all-time record. the highest most ambitious goal i've seen anyone come up with was 3 million shots a day. that's a huge amount. 900,000 a day when joe biden was sworn in. we did 2.9 million. we're extending up 2.2 million f. we can get to three. if you do the math, there's 333 million americans. you're getting herd immunity pretty quickly. it's a race right now. i do worry about people letting up. i do worry about people overly relaxing. >> on that note, on that note of letting up, let me jump in right

there because you just took me to my next point. this whole letting up thing. we're seeing republican-led states like texas and mississippi drop their mask mandates and other restrictions. anti-maskers in i'd eye telling their children to burn masks. republican-led florida is about to play host to spring break super spreaders. you described trump as objectively pro covid. spot on. it's not just trunk. it's a big chunk of the gop, a chunk of the american electorate are pro covid. >> i think the texas policy is outrageous and is going to hurt people and get people sick and ultimately get people killed. the thing i would say about all this, the mask mandate thing is nuts. masks -- look, i don't like wearing a mask, it fogs my glasses. i spend a whole day wearing a mask on the outside. it is what it is. this very sort of low-cost thing, you know, really does

interrupt the transmission of respiratory infections, right. opening stuff up has a whole cost benefit analysis. it's very difficult. there are businesses that are really struggling. i understand that pressure. the mask thing is just insanity. like what -- there's no reason to do it other than to signal this sort of crazy kind of culture war axe to grind. i think the other thing that's crazy about texas and other places is, look, you don't need to go 0 to 100. the idea night clubs are going to be open during spring break is insane. that is indefensible. >> i mean, there's light at the end of the tunnel. we're so close and yet parts of america are like, no, no, one more super spreader. spring break for the road. it's deeply depress. one last quick question, chris. what are we going to see on your special on thursday? >> you know, i think what we're trying to do in that special is tell two twin stories. one, the fact we have this experience that touched everyone in america in a way that we haven't experienced as a nation probably since world war ii,

right. at the same time, it did not hit everyone the same way. i mean, there were people who were just in brutal, brutal dire straits. there were people who were out of work, there were people who were sick, lost family members. some people had the busiest year of their lives in terms of work, right. there are so many different stories depending on where you are in american life. we're trying to tell a kaleidoscope series on it. >> we can't wait to watch, chris. we'll have to leave it there. everyone needs to watch chris hayes, host of "all in." the year we meet again. thursday 8:00 p.m. eastern only on msnbc. chris will be live from lincoln memorial examining the past year and offering a hopeful look ahead. chris hayes, thank you so much. coming up, the u.s. was behind the curve fighting the pandemic and 2 cost us dearly. now the country finds itself on the same spot on climate. next, the stark warning greta thunberg has for the biden administration.

>> they have said themselves this is an existential threat, and they better treat it accordingly, which they are not. >> but first, richard lui is here with the headlines. hello, richard. >> hello, mehdi, good evening to you. senate majority leader andrey a stuart cousins has called for new york governor governor cuomo to resign. this is the scandal over his administration's handling of covid nursing home death data. the speaker did not explicitly call for cuomo's resignation, but shared concerns about the governor's ability to continue to lead. cuomo denied the allegations and said there is no way i resign. twitter c.e.o. jack dorsey selling his first tweet from 2006. it said, quote, just setting up my twitter. well, he did. the tweet now being sold as a nonfungible token or nft, which is a kind of digital collector's

item. so far the highest bid appears to be $2.5 million from the c.e.o. of bridge oracle. facebook suspended political ads in the united states. it is an effort to slow the spread of misinformation. google also lifted its ban on election ads in late february. more of the mehdi hasan show right after this break. this brek with certain inflammatory conditions. because there are options. like an “unjection™”. xeljanz. the first and only pill of its kind that treats moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when other medicines have not helped enough. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened.

taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. needles. fine for some things. but for you, there's a pill that may provide symptom relief. ask your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than seven years ago. xeljanz. an “unjection™”. want to brain better? mo unlike ordinary memory. supplements— neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. up at 2:00am again? tonight, try pure zzzs all night. unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep.

verizon believes everyone deserves the best. that's why we start with 5g from america's most reliable network. verizon 5g is next level. then give families plans to mix and match. so you only pay for what you need, with 5g included at no extra cost. you get so much more than just a great network. and offer the best in entertainment on select unlimited plans like disney+, hulu and espn+. with a galaxy s21+ 5g when you buy one. there's no reason to settle for less than the best. only from verizon.

covid has made clear that having health insurance is more important than ever. at covered california, every plan is comprehensive, covering everything from preventive care to mental health. and it's the only place that offers financial help for health insurance. enrollment is open due to covid-19. if you or someone you know isn't covered, now is the time to sign up. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll now at coveredca.com.

if you've ever thought, i'm just one person, there's no way that i can make a difference, i'd like you to look at this photo. a 15-year-old girl sitting alone outside parliament in stockholm to protest climate change refusing to go to school after a summer of record heat and wildfires in sweden. her sign says, school strike for climate. two weeks later more people have joined her and she had drawn the attention of reporters telling one, quote, i'm doing this because nobody else is doing anything. i want the politicians to prioritize the climate question. focus on the climate and treat it like a crisis.

two months after that thousands of students across australia skipped school to protest inadequate action by the australian government. they said they were inspired by a 15-year-old girl in sweden who has undertaken similar protests. and then vancouver. vienna. zurich. brussels, berlin, sydney, london, all throughout 2019, on and on it went. within a year greta thunberg went from sitting by herself to leading a global movement of millions. she traveled to new york city by sail boat to address a united nations climate conference where she pulled no punches in holding those in a position of power to account. >> i shouldn't be up here. i should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. yet you all come to us young people for hope. how dare you. >> it's been a year and a half since greta gloriously lamb basted world leaders for their

inaction. and the world itself has changed, beating back a global pandemic has pushed the climate issue to the back burner and thunberg herself has changed, too. she is now 18 years old, a child no longer. earlier today i got the chance to ask her about the way forward and how she personally copes with it all. greta thunberg, thank you so much for joining me on this show today. you told people to vote for joe biden last year in a tweet, something you don't normally do, you said. get involved in party politics. but you made an exception. in your view, how has joe biden done on climate issues in his first 50 days in office? what grade would you give him? >> well, you shouldn't take that from me. i'm just a teenager, so i'm not -- i don't have the mandate to sort of give grades like that. my opinions on this doesn't matter. you should rather look at the science and whether his policies are in line with stable 02,

1.35, 2 degrees celsius. you can see clearly it's not nearly enough in line with the science. and that's not me saying, that's just black and white, looking at the facts. >> yeah. what would you like to see him do to fight climate change that he isn't doing, that he said he won't do because his administration is saying, we've set up a climate office, we set up a climate czar, we resigned paris, we're conserving more land, we're undoing what donald trump did, what would you like to see him do that he's not doing? >> i mean, i understand it's difficult. and to be honest, i would not want to be in a politician's position right now. i can't imagine how hard it must be. but, i mean, i would just like him to basically just treat the climate crisis like a crisis. they have said themselves that this is an existential threat and they better treat it accordingly, which they are not. i mean, they are just treating climate, the climate crisis

like -- as it was a political topic among other topics and, yeah, treat it as a crisis. that's the number one step we need to do and to spread -- >> is there a specific policy goal, if he rang you up and said, greta, what can i do? i can wave a presidential magic wand that i'm not, what would you say to him? >> well, nothing because that's not democratic. i mean, an elected leader cannot do anything without support from voters and i would not want anyone to do anything that would not have support. democracy is the most precious thing we have and we must not risk that. what we need now is to raise awareness and create public opinion to treat the crisis like a crisis because if people are not a aware of the crisis that we face, of course, they won't put pressure on the elected leaders. so i would just tell him to tell

the situation as it is because, i mean, you could say, i meet with a lot of world leaders and they say, i can't do anything because i don't have the support from voters. well, how can you expect support and pressure from voters if you are not treating the crisis like a crisis? since the climate crisis doesn't exist, how can we expect people to want climate action? >> that is a fair point. joe biden's predecessor donald trump wasn't a fan of yours, and you like millions of others, weren't a fan of his. after you won times person of the year in 2019, a jealous trump attacked you and said you need to work on your anger management problem. shameless conservatives around the world demonized smeared, insulted mocked you in spite your age. that's the kind of thing most adults wouldn't withstand. you're just a teenager. how have you handled is that?

that? >> i find it hilarious. you need to be able to laugh at these things because it is hilarious to see people like that, such powerful people go after you really shows you are having an impact and that -- i mean, they wouldn't do it if you didn't -- if you weren't a threat to them. so that you should take as a compliment. >> talking of impact, you are certainly someone who has massive impact globally. you inspired millions of children to shut down schools and protest against climate change. in india recently, you had people in india supporters of the right wing modi government there burning effigies of you and suggesting you were behind some kind of global anti-india conspiracy after you simply tweeted in support of the massive farmers protest there. i know you have to be careful what you say because the indian government has been targeting activists and friends of yours there. but what was it like seeing that

unhinged response to your activism and your voice in the second biggest country on the planet? >> well, i mean, for me it wasn't -- i mean, i wasn't risking anything because i'm fortunate enough to live in a part of the world where i can use my voice and where i have complete freedom of speech and i have the right of peaceful protest. it just made me just realize how fortunate i am and how privileged i am to be able to use that right, those rights. and it really puts things in another perspective because we take these things for granted and in so many parts of the world, people risk their freedom or even their lives just for using these rights, these basic fundamental human rights. and that's what it all comes down to, just democracy. so i mean, for me it really didn't matter, but for those who

actually are risking things, yeah. >> and there are a lot of people in india risking a lot as activists. greta, it would be hard enough for any teenager to deal with this pressure and this stress. but you've talked about your own asperger's and being on the spectrum. how is it a super power? >> well, people seem to think that autism or asperger's or any of these things like adhd, add are something that you suffer from. like a disease. and i mean, it doesn't have to stop you from doing things. it doesn't have to just be a negative thing. during the wrong circumstances, yes, it can be a hindrance. but under the right circumstances, if you get the support you need, if you have supportive people around you, and you believe in yourself, it

can be a super power. in many different ways. for example, if you have autism, it is very common you have very strong focus when you are interested in something, that you can keep doing it for hours upon hours without getting bored and that is something that you can use as a super power. the world will not look like it does today without people with autism who have this kind of super focus, who can focus on these things and who are really passionate about these things. >> well, you've put your super focus and passion to one of the greatest causes we know, and we appreciate it. one last quick question before we run out of time on that note. a lot of parents watching this, myself included, wonder how we get our kids to do even 1% of what you have achieved. how do you think we get our kids to be activists, to see the threats the world faces without also making them feel overwhelmed, jaded, robbing them of their childhood innocence? >> well, first of all, i haven't really achieved anything. i along with millions of others

are -- we are trying to do everything we can. it feels like i just think we need to tell the truth and, of course, i mean people seem to think if we tell children or young people the truth they will give up, that it's too depressing, that we won't be able to handle it. in my experience, it's the exact opposite. when we try to ignore and not speak about these things, that's what's hard because that means we are not doing anything about it. it is actually the people in power, those who are talking about net zero emissions 2050 and these kinds of things, those are the ones who are giving up. we who are still fighting and asking for more, we are the optimists because we know we believe change is possible. we think it is possible to change. and to be able to be an activist, you need to be very optimistic. so i just think we need to simply tell it as it is. and to get active yourselves.

because if you say this is the crisis and then you don't do anything, they will just put children into feeling bad because that doesn't make sense to us. it just didn't make sense to me. if there was a crisis, why weren't people acting as if it was a crisis? >> be honest is your message, take action. well said. we appreciate your honesty. we appreciate your optimism and your modesty. greta thunberg, keep doing what you do. thank you so much for your time tonight. >> thank you, too. >> up next, what exactly were republicans doing while democrats fought for covid relief? i have a lot to say about it. we're getting the timer ready for my 60-second rant. don't go anywhere. did you know liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? just get a quote at libertymutual.com. really? i'll check that out. oh yeah. i think i might get a quote.

not again! aah, come on rice. do your thing. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ it all starts with an invitation... ...to experience lexus. the invitation to lexus sales event. get 0% apr financing on the 2021 rx 350. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. [♪♪] get 0% apr financing on the 2021 rx 350. think you need to buy expensive skincare products to see dramatic results? try olay skin care. just one jar of micro-sculpting cream has the hydrating power of 5 jars of a prestige cream, which helps plump skin cells and visibly smooth wrinkles. while new olay retinol24... provides visibly smoother, brighter skin. for dramatic skincare results, try olay. and now receive 25% off your purchase at olay.com

brand power. helping you buy better. i'm a performer. always have been. and always will be. never letting anything get in my way. not the doubts, distractions, or voice in my head.

and certainly not arthritis. voltaren provides powerful arthritis pain relief to help me keep moving. and it can help you too. feel the joy of movement with voltaren. you can't plan for your period's... what the gush moments. but the right pad can. only always ultra thins have rapiddry technology and, they absorb 40% faster. the gush happens fast. that's why always absorbs faster. did you know that some aluminum-free deodorants only mask odor? secret aluminum free helps eliminate odor instead of just masking it. and is made with 3x more odor fighters. with secret, keep it fresh every day. secret.

welcome back. it's time now for what i'm calling the 60-second rant. start the clock. what have republicans been doing while they passed the bill? ron johnson insisted the bill be read out loud. he wandered out of the chamber not paying attention. it was all an attention seeking stunt for him. senator tommy tubber bill wanted transgender girls to participate in sports. that was his focus yesterday. then kevin mccarthy who released

a video of himself reading green eggs and ham because joe biden is banning dr. seuss's books. he's not. one of them is not green eggs and ham. this is an party led by gaslighters and conmen. feeding conspiracies with brazen lies. millions of americans are losing their jobs, losing their homes. what are republicans focused on this weekend? transgender sports? dr. seuss? they don't give a dam about you, and they're not even hiding it. coming up, on this historic selma anniversary, why are we still having to fight to secure voting rights for black americans? hritis. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue.

that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred... ...as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. tell your doctor about any infections...and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. take on ra. talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help. with relapsing forms of ms, there's a lot to deal with. not just unpredictable relapses. all these other things too. who needs that kind of drama? kesimpta is a once-monthly at-home injection that may help you put this rms drama in its place. kesimpta was proven superior

at reducing the rate of relapses, active lesions and slowing disability progression versus aubagio. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can cause serious side effects, including infections. while no cases of pml were recorded in rms clinical trials, it could happen. tell your doctor if you had or plan to have vaccines, or if you are or plan to become pregnant. kesimpta may cause a decrease in some types of antibodies. the most common side effects are upper respiratory tract infection, headache and injection reactions. dealing with this rms drama? it's time to ask your doctor about kesimpta. dramatic results. less rms drama.

did you know that every single flush flings odors onto your soft surfaces? then they get release back into the air, so you smell them later. ew right? that's why febreze created small spaces. press firmly and watch it get to work. unlike the leading cone, small spaces continuously eliminates odors in the air and on surfaces. so they don't come back for 45 days. just imagine what it can do with other odors. losing a tooth didn't stop you but your partial can act like a bacteria magnet,

putting natural teeth at risk. new polident propartial helps purify your partial and strengthens and protects natural teeth. so, are you gonna lose another tooth? not on my watch! for the first time in 56 years, the anniversary of bloody sunday will be commemorated without john lewis. the late civil rights lead and georgia congressman who attended the anniversary each year died last july. but while we remember his walk across the edmund pettus bridge in selma, alabama, 56 years ago today, we also have to recognize the need for such bold protests

today, too. state-sponsored racism didn't end in the '60s. it's just quietly transformed into something else today. in georgia, for example, john lewis's home state, republican lawmakers are pushing for a new bill that restricts voting rights includes a provision to make it a criminal act for anyone to pass out food or water to voters while waiting in line at the polls. so in 56 years, we have gone from beating up protesters on bridges to denying voters food and water? how do we stop this ongoing war on voting rights, especially black voting rights? latasha brown is the cofounder of black voters matter, and she joins me now live from selma, alabama. thanks so much for coming on the show. this is the first anniversary of bloody sunday without john lewis here to lead the march across the edmund pettus bridge. his last public appearance was in d.c. during the black lives protests over the summer. what was it like for you today to mark bloody sunday without

john lewis? >> it was certainly very reflective. there was a sadness there because he's here year after year. i also thought about the legacy and last year we lost three big giants that would come every year, representative john lewis, reverend c.t.vivien and joseph lowry. when we got to the top of the bridge because i knew that representative lewis was ill, all of a sudden there was a crowd, you know, that just started moving and we look over at the bridge and here comes representative lewis, it was like the parting of waters. he stood up on that stool and he actually gave this message, and in the midst of him battling for his life at a late stage of his illness, he was literally telling us that there was work that had to be done. i'm very reflective of that moment and honored that i got to live on this earth while he

walked this earth. >> well said. you are from georgia where the lines were epic last year during the primaries especially. the georgia bill that will outlaw volunteers from giving voters food and water, to voters in long lines who tend to be black voters, out rage, is it not? it's pure voter suppression. >> it's pure voter suppression. it is egregious. here we are 56 years past the voting rights act, 56 years ago and we're still fighting the same battle. what we're looking at tomorrow in the georgia legislature, one-third of the bills that they're going to have up tomorrow to vote on are dealing with restricting voting rights. everything from actually making it a criminal offense for organizations to give out food and snacks and water to people as comfort care that many folks who stood in line two, three, four, five, in some places as long as 11 hours, in addition to cutting out sunday voting. we know it's targeted at black voters because sunday voting is

part of a tradition that ten times black voters are ten times more likely to vote on sunday in the state of georgia than other constituents because we have a culture around souls to the polls. there is a number of things from voter i.d., from having to have an i.d. for an absentee ballot. you can go on the list. this is clearly voter suppression, so as we're talking about the work that was done in '65, we also got to make sure that we know that we've got work to do now, that our voting rights, this is not a democrat or republican issue, this is a democracy issue. >> it is indeed, and today president joe biden signed an executive order to expand voting access by putting federal agency in charge of making voter registration and election information easily available to all americans. it's a good first step, but it's not enough, an executive order to go up against more than 250 gop bills trying to limit voting access in 43 states. >> you know, let me say this, i'm going to commend president

biden for what he did today. the executive order is an absolute good step, and i think it shows good faith around him wanting to restore voting rights. however, it's not enough. when we're looking at -- often times we act as if black voters are being given some kind of extra privilege, when, in fact, really the road to the white house this past in 2020, it was propelled by black voters. when we look at how he actually got the senate in order to be able to govern, it was black voters. so black voters and our rights cannot just be secured around executive order because what we know and we've experienced in the trump administration is that with the stroke of a pen, those things can be rolled back. and so what we're going to have to do as a senate is going to have to take a hard look on passing and eliminating the filibuster. there's no way for us to really think about in this kind of partisan environment where there are going to be ten senators on the republican side, when the republicans have said that they plan to restrict voting rights, that's the only way that they

think they can win, we're going to have to literally put pressure on the democratic senate to actually end the filibuster. >> do you think the democratic senators who are sticking with the filibuster, joe manchin, kirsten cinema, dianne feinstein and others. do you think they understand because of the filibuster you can't get rights through, like the for the people act which would help black people vote? >> you know, i think it's always been a fight in this country to actually see and support the permanence of black voters in this country, even the voting rights act of 1965, every 25 years it has to get reauthorized. how in the world that literally we're thinking about voting rights we're still having this conversation as if it's some extra special treat that's been given to black voters. we're citizens of this country. we've actually helped build this country. what we need is to put pressure on those democratic senators. we delivered the white house, we delivered the environment for them to govern with and we've got to put pressure on them.

that's not their power. it's our power. >> well, i'm sure if anyone's going to put pressure on them, it's going to be you, latasha brown from black voters matter. thank you so much for your time tonight. we're only minutes away from the top of the hour. you'll want to stay tuned for the week with joshua johnson, and also we'll tell the incredible story of how a group of female fighters in the middle east helped hand isis their first battlefield defeat while challenging preconceptions about what it means to be a woman in their society. we'll be right back. the calming scent of lavender by downy infusions calm. laundry isn't done until it's done with downy. ♪♪ the thing about freedom is... freedom has no limits. there's no such thing as too many adventures... or too many unforgettable moments. there will never be too many stories to write...

or too many memories to make. but when it comes to a vehicle that will be there for it all. there's only one. jeep.

♪♪ there's only one. dad, i'm scared. ♪♪ it's only human to care for those we love. and also help light their way. ♪♪ it's why last year chevron invested billions of dollars to bring affordable, reliable, ever cleaner energy to america. ♪♪ look at this human trying to get in shape. you know what he will get? muscle pain. give up, the couch is calling. i say, it's me, the couch, i'm calling. pain says you can't. advil says you can.

thanks for watching. we'll be right back here next sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern, and you can catch me monday through thursday at 7:00 p.m. eastern on nbc's streaming channel peacock. now it's time for me to turn it over to my colleague, joshua johnson. hello, joshua. >> thank you very much. have a good night. hello to you, it is good to be with you tonight. the popular covid relief bill has passed the senate, but it passed by the slimmest of margins with no republican votes. does president biden have to kill the filibuster to advance his legislative agenda, or is there another way? more on that in a moment. also tonight we'll preview the murder trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin for the death of george floyd. jury selection begins tomorrow. plus, people are getting covid vaccines faster than ever. nearly 3 million shots yesterday. can they keep up with the rapidly spreading variants? dr.