a very good day to all of you and here's what's happening at 2:00 p.m. eastern. president biden and vice president harris are getting ready to travel beyond the beltway after their first legislative victory. and the goal is to explain and sell the american rescue plan to people across this country. >> they're going to criss cross dhis country and talk about the plan and how we're going to implement the plan. talk about the funding in the plan, the resources in the plan that's going to move forward, even further with getting people vaccinated. getting the mobile units out there, making sure shots are getting into the arms and vaxinators. fema will help transfer the record surge of unaccompanied children. and they're pointing fingers.

>> and the open policies inviting more immigration and this humanitarian crisis. >> this is not something that happened as a result of joe biden becoming president. we saw the increases dating back almost a year and this is during the trump administration. >> and andrew cuomo is clinging to power, even as calls for him to resign in his own partee in his own state are growing. >> this is an awful crisis in new york and else wear. we need sure and steady leadership. so, for the good of state, he should revine. >> it is prudent for him to step down. >> let's begin with the administration's relief tour that kicks off tomorrow. so, monica, give me the big picture goal across the country.

>> and one thing president biden said in the last few weeks or so. which is they don't want to repeat the mistakes of 2009 and when then president obama was able to get that across the finish line, they felt they turned their attention to other issues, instead of touting it, selling it to the american people. so, that's why you're going to see the president, vice president, as well as other cabinet officials reamy criss cross the country, going to different cities and states in diverse backgrounds politically to explain who will benefit and how. and it's going to happen in a couple of weeks in the "the help is here tour. they're going to pivot messaging to how you can expect to benefit with some of the $1400 stimulus

hitting bank accounts. they're also going to be able to get into the nitty-gritty and the child tax credit, for instance. and that they'll have to answer questions on what is next? they did suggest that immigration may be the next topic here, given everything that's happening on the southern boarder and now that we're seeing fema being called in oo help additionally, with the unaccompanied migrant children. listen to what white house spokesman told you about that. >> when you look at the past few years, just the cruel and

inhumane way the last administration moved forward with immigration. it didn't enhance security at all. now, we're in a position that we move forward with a humane immigration system that's also lawful. so, that is what we're working towards. >> he has had his top aid and other officials discussing this in the last couple of weeks. but he hasn't spoken and hasn't weighed in at all, particularly on the topic in their fairly quiet week in wilmington. >> thank you so much for that. we're going to get more new reaction to the boarder. another surge of unaccompanied migrant children is a concern.

and fema is be dg ployed there. democrats are focusing on improvements they say are already in place at the boarder. >> this is unacceptable but i want you to know the progrrksz even in the short period time. inwhen i toured a number of shelters i'd been talking to people without a steering while while they held them in four profits kwulers. . >> well, julia ainsley, just js correspondened and soto, the assistant dean in texas, also an nsnbc news is news contributor.

what is the situation like on the boarder right now? and how does it compare to previous years? >> we're not near what would be a recent record. in may, there were 144,000 undocumented immigrants. in february, just over 100,000. the we demicographic is the one you faked about. er the kids who came without their lawful parent or guardian. and we need to care for them. we have help and human service to do that. but they were so down sized under covid to make room is not have over crowding and spread the virus, that now they're so reduced in capacity that i'm told if could take them a year

just to get where they need to be. and natsz why we're seeing this weekend, fema entering the picture. you're there in texas. can you talk about things and have they really improved at the boarder? >> i want to start with where our governor is at. and our governor, greg abbott, has always been very muffin on the side of immigration restriction. so, here in texas and the powers that be, and the legislature and ingovernor match alarm bells are ringing. because the devil is insf the details. as paump compared to under the trump administration. let's start with the vaccinated

fema and not nes saerlt gart prooms. it's not a security issue. o, that naming is very critical. thp urger piece hats important, if the boyd in administration. to unify central american children with their parents who were in the united states. put that's an important step and the last one is that the biden administration also halted a cooperation program. that was excitingbug tween dhs-jhhs parents and they were afraid that harks hhhs >> exactly.

so, a lot of details here but you put them all together and you see where we're on a good jam >> so, julie, can you give plea dulls bount flouding and is this if first time people to a's been involved in an immigration policy. >> right. i have imsteelt and last one. and fema was called in a similar capacity. so, right now we just learned new details about their involvement last noigtd. we're still getting more information on how they're going to be involved. fema has the capacity, when you think of responding to hurricanes. they can set up shelter, quickly process and take children.

from what i understand, they're in the process of doing that thirn near future. them reason they're doing that is because if childn are aren't placed, they're in the boarder processingitations. that's one of the worst place for themt to be brauz nooez are not buildings created with kriltdn are in mind. frors and pudlt mex kpon miles and then i'm going to steel splont sfiejs sfoek. all night and day, 24 hours. and when they're in the care of hhs or fema, they have a case worker who can help them navigate this system. the comp lkted immigration asylum system in the country.

with fema's involvement is they can get them out of control more quickly and hopefully in the care of a family member. >> and you're giving us a snap shot. but long term, do we know what happens to the children that come across the boarder? is it a better life in the end? >> long term t depends if they can find a parent or close relative that can take care of the child. do we get them to a home taker or do we return them to thier home country and are we returning them to a nonsafe situation. we know that there are still

children that have been separated because we have not found those parents. and the other peelgs that was very important for the long term is the biden administration is getting at the root causes why they're leaving. froerms because? ideal thing is to stop kits in the first place. and he thought of that on the broadcast too. thank you so, so much. join me right now, pennsylvania senator, bob casey jr., a democratic member of the finance and intelligence committees. let's start with the boarder, regard to your republican colleague, senator bill cassidy, who blames president biden's policies for whautsds rrb -- what's happening right now. >> when people can get in, they

start sending their unaccompanied child out of mexico in hope they'll be waved through at the boarder. this policy is leading to a surge that's unmistakable. >> no. the answer is no. bill cassidy's wrong and i think he knows that and say look, they left in a process at the boarder when it comes to children. probably the best and cruelty and confusion. no system when it comes to the boarder. these are god's children. not just throw aways. this is micking making sure we do the best with the protection.

with the biden administration working night and day to provide additional personnel, whether fema or otherwise. this is something where the members of kangress, in both parties, both houses should be looking to help by providing more -- by way of appropriations or finalists. let me turn to the president's relief plan. you know the president and vice president traveling to sell it to americans. you share the same home town of scranton. i know you indorszed him. how do you think he proceeds? zero in the house, zero in the senate. does it matter?

>> well, the first thing he's going to do this week is begin with first lady and vice president harris. to make the case for what's in this bill. when you have a bill that reaches so many areas of american life. reduces child poverty in town. it's one of the bloat numbers you had and 6000 dollars. froermsz and theyope own our schools too, get vaccinations moving faster and to help a lot of people. i think that's first thing he's going to do. but i have no doubt. he's going to keep coming back. republicans think let's work together. we'll see what they do. but when i talk to republican officials in pennsylvania, who

have to run county governments to local governments, they want this help. >> i'll bet. let's turn to the attack on the capitol and they voosthierng your daughter would fals? . sfwlr i also criticized because january 6th i never felt threatened and because i didn't. even though thousands that were march the capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted to vote, i knew they love this country, that truly respect law enforcement. would never do anything to break the law. now, had the tables been turn, this could be trouble. had tables been turn and those were 10s of thousands of black lives matter and antifa protesters, i might have been concerned.

>> i am concerned having had to play that particular sound bite. when faced would the comments, they refused to condemn senator johnson. do you expect any republican colleagues to call him out? >> probably not. and that's unfortunate. i don't know where he was at january 6th, but i'm pretty sure he was in the room with the rest of us. i guess he didn't need that protection. no question that lives were at risk that day. they came to the capitol in direct advice of kon don to stop the process. and to stop the process, they were willing to kill the republican vice president. so, that's the reality.

he talks all he wants about after the fact rationalization. but that's a fact, i think. and he should recognize that. >> i want to thank you for that reality check. much appreciated. he is fighting for his political life. so, who's coming to his side. as andrew cuomo struggles to save his job. o struggles to save his job n engineer, part of the team that built 5g right, the only one from america's most reliable network. we designed our 5g to make the things you do every day better. with 5g nationwide, millions of people can now work, listen, and stream in verizon 5g quality. and in parts of many cities where people can use massive capacity, we have ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world. this is the 5g that's built for you. this is 5g built right. only from verizon. so you're a small business, or a big one. you were thriving, but then... oh. ah. okay. plan, pivot.

how do you bounce back? you don't, you bounce forward, with serious and reliable internet. powered by the largest gig speed network in america. but is it secure? sure it's secure. and even if the power goes down, your connection doesn't. so how do i do this? you don't do this. we do this, together. bounce forward, with comcast business.

breakic news to share in the investigation of andrew cuomo. "washington post" siting multiple sources that new york's vaccine czar called county officials, trying to gauge their loyalty to cuomo. according the post, he says he did so as a 30-year fwrend of cuomo and did not discuss vaccines. and siting two democratic county executives.

and the "the new york times" is reporting on the bridges burned by the governor, and as calls for his resignation mount. >> and the governor is guaranteed due process under the law. there's a difference between coverage and confidence. sfwlrm cath apark is live with more on this. there's a lot to unpack here. let's talk about the new reporting. >> reporter: there certainly is. so, i will start with the article that just posted and the reporting suggests it's turned into a political operative for governor cuomo. he apparently made phone calls to county executives and kind of checked the temperature, their pulse on their loyalty. with the governor amid the

ongoing skandsales and quickly change the conversation to the vaccine distribution in the state. it got to be questionable, the timing of it all. so, right now that is where things stand and it's on the heels of another report from the "the new york times." several insiders were interviewed as well as elected officials and lawmakers. the running them to is cuomo had a domnearing leadership stylel and he didn't have a lot of allies on the way up. and that's why he finds himself in this position right now, isolated. keep in mind last year, he had daily covid briefings and he was this calming voice amid all the cay ans new york and across the

country. but it's shifted. he's embroiled in two ongoing scandals with the nursing home death, as well as the pile up of a sexual harassment algagszs. there aren't a lot of democrats supporting him and that includes senator chuck schumer. take a listen. >> this is an awful crisis in new york and elsewhere and we need sure and steady leadership. i salute the brave women that came forward with serious allegations of misconduct, abuse. and there are multiple serious, credible allegations of abuse so that governor cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and so many new yorkers. so, for the good of the state, he should resign. i'm not going to speculate on the future. he should resign.

>> so, you heard there, senator chuck schumer doubling down, asking governor cuomo to step down. friday, you might remember kirsten gillibrand asking the governor to resign. and we heard from her moments ago at at press conferences and supports the ongoing attorney general's investigation to koont. several others were sited, essentially saying the governor had this domnearing praezance. his leadership style was forceful. in fact, one person was sited as saying the problem with cuomo is no one has ever liked him. he's not a nice person and doesn't have any real friends. this is one of the many sentiments echoed in that article. >> it's quite an article. i read it. let's get a bit more from

senator schumer, who says the crucial nach orof the relief bill meant democrats were force tod get it done without republicans. >> we would like to work with our republican colleagues to bring about change. no question about it. that's our preference and we will try. but if they vote no on everything, in terms of the change america needs, then our coggess will have to get together and figure out how to get done. everything will bow on the table and failure is not an option. >> so, this -- is it going to serve as a framework the way things were done? is this how democrats are going to go forward? >> well, i mean, i think senator schumer makes clear that's not how he wants to move forward. but when they can, they will.

and when they can is an important equation. it worked. because of the reconciliation process that allowed the senate to do this with just democratic votes. it's not going to work for everything and most likely not for a big infrastructure bill. that will require the bipartisan effort president biden wants and senator schumer says he wants as well. >> it was not difficult for democrats to sign on to that. but is there any political risk with this vatagy? >> for sure. tlrp could bow political cons yenss when the midtwurm efloekzs have come, particularly if they're not as positive as the

dmoems want -- if they're everything the white house has said, that could be a big win for democrats coming around to midterm elections, which historically favor the party not in power. in terms of republicans, this is one pieces of your question. when and if republicans take over control of one or both houses of a congress, sure. they will go back and say, look, democrats worked to push through legislation without votes of republicans. we're going to do the same thing. >> but pointing out that zero republicans in the house voted for this widely popular bim. is that going to come back to hurt republicans in the 2022 midterms? is the kind of thing that you think all will have legs and democrats can remind their citizens and constituents? >> i think that's largely seen

in the fact that you have president biden and vice president harris going out to sell the package. they believe they lost that opportunity in the obama years and don't want that to happen again. so, you're going to see them, not only talk about the success in the coming weeks. but look at the massive bill. >> short but sweet, my friend. see you for a little longer next time. how much with will the covid relief package help revive los angeles? we're off to the city notoriously called lost wages. notoriously called lost wages.

let us take you to a place you've been craving. where the aroma of authenticity turns into the scent of home. and the warmth of friends and family is in every bite. here, there's a story behind every meal.

with cacique, you'll be inspired to add your own flair. so you can tell a story of your own. cacique.your auténtico awaits. one year ago today the first covid death was recorded in new york city and this is what the numbers look like today.

more than 1.7 million cases, almost 50,000 deaths. my colleague is joining me from outside bellevue hospital. how are folks at bellevue marking that day? >> reporter: today is a day of remembrance in the city, alex. and you mentioned one year ago today, they confirmed their first covid death. only three days prior, they declared a global pandemic and i don't think any of us knew what we were in for in new york or around the globe. this is the oldest hospital in the city and they're yugsed to dealing with crisis. they treated patients in the 1980s pandemic. and treated to the one and only case in the ebola outbreak. here they were retrofitting rooms and whenever one would leave another would come in . the director of nursing says it was a harrowing time.

now, fast forward, cases and hospitalizations of death are good news. but in your state alone, we've seen 1.7 million cases and nearly 50,000 deaths. today is the day of remembrance in the city and i asked what they want people to know about the year they've had. >> we have loved ones, friends. we want to protect us, you. just remember what it's like the stories you hear. what it's like for us to go through this every day. >> they had a moment of silence yesterday because they lost eight employees. four were nurses. the director of nursing contracted covid himself. he had a moderate case and is doing well. but here in the city, you know as well as i do, restaurant capacity is limited. but there is the hope on the horizon.

the hope in the form of a vaccine. the director of nursing, who's got both his doses, he's among the 20% of new yorkers that have been vaccinated. >> i'm glad he is. the vice president will be in las vegas tomorrow to explain and sell a popular bill. and finds it received 70% among americans. democrats are in favor of 94% and republicans just shy of 50%. and ahead of the vice president's visit. what are folks telling you about the impact this $1400 and the bill and benefits will have on their lives. >> and its economic fallout. we spoke with workers and small business owners in the city, asking is them what impact the stimulus package will have on their lives. take a listen to what some

workers said to us yesterday. it's going to be hard. you don't know if you can make it. i've been through it before, i can do it again. but it's hard. i'm not sure. i don't know if i can be strong anymore. >> we just want to go back and really embrace our guests. embrace our clien tell and bring back all the energy because this city was built on service. >> reporter: those checks are going to be a help but folks are saying what they need is their jobs.

juan, the second voice you heard, was laid off from his job. the owner of the bistro told me he was able to bring back a lot of workers, staff, and servers. almost every single one of them using it for ppp for the house last year. he said he has to make a decision. a lot of the financial small business owners and they're hoping the money from the stimulus package will help in the process. >> stay in touch with the first woman whom you spoke. i want her to make it. she's struggling and that was heart wrenching to hear. how determined are you to vote? would you want for hours to wait in the rain with a baby perhaps? how new voting restrictions could make line thatz polls much longer. could make line thatz polls much longer

the journey is why they ride. when the road is all you need, there is no destination. uh, i-i'm actually just going to get an iced coffee. well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually -- no, i-i usually have a destination. yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. nope, just the coffee shop. announcer: no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... please don't follow me in. tide pods ultra oxi one ups the cleaning power of liquid. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... can it one up spaghetti night? it sure can. really? can it one up breakfast in bed? yeah, for sure. thanks, boys. what about that? uhh, yep! it can? yeah, even that! i would very much like to see that. me too. tide pods ultra oxi. one up the toughest stains with 50% more cleaning power than liquid detergent. any further questions? uh uh! nope! one up the power of liquid with tide pods ultra oxi.

it's being called a national craze. and if you don't pay attention, it could cost you the right to vote. we're talking about republicans introducing 253 bills across 43 states, aimed at restricting your right to cast a ballot. the des moines register, editorial board, calling on congress to intervene. and in a few days in georgia, this happened. republicans passed the most restrictive voting laws since jim crow and coming under fire, the role in black churches in getting out the vote. stacey abrams says it's a a strong reaction to 2020. >> we know voter fraud didn't happen but voter participation did increase. we should want as many people possible, who are eligible to have a voice in our nation. >> and bishop reginaled jackson

and st. philip monumental church in savannah. welcome, gentleman, to both of you on this sunday. thank you for making time. how key is voting after church? that famous souls to the polls effort to getting out the vote in your state? >> extremely key. one of the most effective measures we have of getting out the black vote too, gather for church. you hear a sermon encouraging people to vote and after church, you go to vote. it is a major part of our get out the vote effort for blacks. >> and pastor clark, sunday voting, it's not just about logistics and transportation. it's also in part about making parishioners feel more comfortable because you're in a group it's a community-wide effort. how important is this to the members of your church? >> i believe it's one of the

greatest examples of peer pressure we can have. because many go because they see others going. those that might not participate want to be part of the particular incrowd. and as a result, they'll go and cast their votes. very effective. >> sometimes peer pressure can be negative. i certainly interpreted it that way. voting is hard enough. but when i look back to the presidential primary, there's a particular image that stands out in my mind. you're looking at a fulton county mom in the rain with an infant to vote in the primary election. take a listen. >> it's important for me. it's important for my son, my family. we're members of the rosewood massacre in 1930, so, this is --

this means a lot. >> it means a lot. it was important to her. that was blain alexander, by the way, with the interview. you see that mom, you know it's hard to vote now and knowing it could get harder, what goes through your mind? >> it's really mind shattering in that, of course, there are many like that mother, who will stand in line all night, if necessary, to vote. however, with all the changes that are on the horizon, it will deter those that are not as dedicated as she is and that's where we find the problem. we must make sure that we do all we can to inform and to educate individuals to become just as persistent as that mother is. >> bishop jackson, there's a move to ban line warming. and it's where volunteers provide water, snacks, and shares to voters in line for a long time.

that mom we heard from earlier, she had people bring her snacks, even burritos and these are acts of kindness. no evidence of political influence anywhere. where is the logic in banning them? >> there is no logic. the fact of the matter is this is an inhumane effort to dissuade people from waiting in line to vote. and the june primary, we had people waiting between five and eight hours to vote. you mean to tell me they can't get water or snack while they're waiting? if you're trying to persuade them on how to vote? i'm convinced when they get in line, they've already made up their mind who they're going to vote for. this is nothing but inhumane treatment. >> you think when people are voting at a time when it's hot, terrible weather or cold extremes. are they going to have to have medical personnel on stand by as

well? there's an expense right there? what if people faint in line? >> can you imagine that mother having to stand without a chair, without an umbrella, for all that time waiting to vote and be told nobody can bring you a bottle of water. it's inhumane and because they know it's in urban areas of the state -- so, it's inhumane and also racist. >> and i remind people again, that was a primary election, which usually doesn't get that kind of turnout. but look at her and the effort she made. one more question and that being the operation that you started last year, operation voter turnout. tell me what it's about and how successful it was. >> it was about generating as large a turnout as we could.

prior to the election, the former liar and chief, i refer to as our international embarrassment said only way we can lose is if it's rigged. and he went on an assault of absentee voting, even though he goes by absentee ballot. we try to get 70% of the people and i believe it's because of the turnout that these laws have been submitted. not for the fact we lost, none of the laws would have been submitted. when they work for them, there was nothing wrong with them. when it works for us, all the sudden there's something wrong and we have to change them. >> a communal amen to all you have said. thank you so much for joining me. i appreciate it. and news from the oklahoma

basketball team while the team kneeled during the national anthem. ♪ >> but days later the norman high school girls basketball team defeating their opponents 38-37 and ending the season undefeated, 19-0. the senior on the team and the coach says there's something to learn from the experience. >> it's very impactful to me that racism is still a thing and still going on. i'm blessed and thankful i get to fight for these people and make an impact on other people. so, even though it's a negative experience, i think it has a lot of positives to it. >> absolutely. forgive him and i know it can be hard at times but if we're going

to be an example, that's where it starts. and i hope he can bow a little built better in the future and i hope we can be better as people. >> the announcer apologized and partially blamed low blood sugar for his comment. the royal bombshells one week later. where all the shrapnel landed and who got hit most. pnel lande and who got hit most unstopables in-wash scent booster downy unstopables 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! ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ hey limu! [ squawks ] how great is it that we get to tell everybody how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance

so you only pay for what you need? i mean it... oh, sorry... [ laughter ] woops! [ laughter ] good evening! meow! nope. oh... what? i'm an emu! ah ha ha. no, buddy! buddy, it's a filter! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ 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. (man) i'm a verizon engineer, part of the team that built 5g right, the only one from america's most reliable network. we designed our 5g to make the things you do every day better. with 5g nationwide, millions of people can now work, listen, and stream in verizon 5g quality. and in parts of many cities where people can use massive capacity, we have ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world.

this is the 5g that's built for you. this is 5g built right. only from verizon. tonight i'll be eating a calzone from doughballs in aurora. (doorbell) rock on. tonight i'll be eating lobster thermidor au gratin. really? sh-yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. make it two calzones! (deborah vo) i was hesitant to get the hearing aids because of my short hair, but nobody even sees them. sh-yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. (vo) discover the exclusive, new miracle-earmini- a nearly invisible hearing aid from the brand leader in hearing aids with over 70 years of experience. (deborah) when i finally had miracle-ear and i could hear for the first time, i started crying. i could hear everything. new miracle-earmini. so small and comfortable that no one will see them, but you'll notice the difference. call today to start your 30-day risk-free trial at your local miracle-ear.

♪ for every idea out there, that gets the love it should ♪ ♪ there are 5 more that don't succeed ♪ ♪ and so are lost for good ♪ ♪ and some of them are pretty flawed ♪ ♪ and some of them are slightly odd ♪ ♪ but many are small businesses that simply lack the tool ♪ ♪ to find excited people who will stop and say 'that's cool'♪ ♪ and these two, they like this idea ♪ ♪ and those three like that one.♪ ♪ and that's 'cause personalized ads ♪ ♪ find good ideas for everyone ♪

prince harry and meghan markle are sparking new conversations about race on a global scale. this comes after their bombshell interview with oprah winfrey where markel said she dealt with racism from the press and the royal institution while living in the uk. joining me now is the host of entertainment weekly "the show." lola, big welcome to you. i understand that you watched the royal interview with oprah from nigeria. we talked about this being a global issue. >> it was a global issue.

i was committed to seeing this. >> what was the reaction there? >> this is all anybody has been talking about around the world. i knew i had to tune in and watch this in realtime. i called my sister in new york at 2:00 a.m. and watched the entire interview with my mouth open, slack jawed, wide eyed for the better part of two hours. of course we're feeling the reverberations as well. >> give me a sense of what the best way is for the royals to address this. how much beyond the small statements from the queen and prince william do you think needs to be addressed. >> well, i think what they're going to do to do first and foremost is to have an honest conversation within the palace about just how poorly they treated meghan markle. in their minds there may be some confusion about what exactly happened or her perception about what happened but it's clear her and harry are very much on the

same page feeling that they were poorly treated by the royal family, so i think they need to have some come to jesus moments with themselves about what exactly happened and there may need to be some conversations about sort of the idea of what a modern monarchy will look like. they missed a prime opportunity to embrace meghan markle. they could have looked like a new, progressive, modern, 21st century royal family. instead they seem to be playing from an antiquated playbook and it's not going to work in the 21st century. and given everything that's going on from the global racial reckoning, now is not the time for any monarchy would be accused of racism, especially one with such deep rooted colonial past. >> lola, let me ask you, i just want to clarify. meghan markle seemed to clarify that she distinguished between the royal family and the monarchy/institution. >> right. >> it seemed like she wasn't as damning of the royal family per

se but of the institution. she went on to chronicle so many different things. is it important that that distinction be made? and could that help salvage the royal family, which embodies the monarchy? changes that need to happen that you talk about, they should have happened after the tragedy that was princess diana a quarter century ago, right? >> that's true. that's very true. >> so is it the institution itself that needs to have a really hard look at itself and fix it? >> alex, it's funny that you should say that because it felt a bit like they were playing with semantics. when you speak about the institution, what is the institution exactly? at the end of the day the head of the institution is the queen. they call this the firm. she is the ceo of the firm. and so the buck does stop with her. when you're talking about these conversations about the institution versus the royal family, they're inextricably linked. >> let me ask you about the potential consequences really on a global scale with regard to

the number of countries under the commonwealth with large black populations. do you think there will be secessions from the commonwealth? >> i'm not sure there will be secessions but i'm sure the 54 countries in the commonwealth are having very serious conversations about what their relationship with this monarchy is going to look like and it's not just the black and brown countries. the prime minister of australia is also having a conversation about what this relationship will look like. i think it's a bit of a myth to assume only the black and brown countries are having these conversations. all of the countries have looked at this interview and i'm assuming thought to themselves, hmm, we've got to re-evaluate what exactly this relationship will look like in the 21st century. let's face it here, alex. the real winners were harry and meghan. they walked away with a netflix deal that's worth $100 million. they have deals with spotify, with apple, they have their own podcast, they have a baby girl coming in the summer, they're good. then they have their charitable

foundation on top of all of that, so they're good. the royal family is the one that's now having to run out and say that we're not racist, we don't quite understand what they're talking about. there are varying interpretations about what happened. they are the ones who are having to essentially do this tap dance around exactly what happened there. harry and meghan are just living their best life in santa barbara, hanging off with oprah and tyler perry. >> having been in santa barbara a number of times because i'm an l.a. native, it's a beautiful place. i'm glad they're happy there especially with that baby on the way. lola, come back and talk with me as this all develops. thank you so much. for all of you, that wraps up this edition of "weekends with alex witt." yasmin vossoughian up next.

needles. essential for pine trees, but maybe not for people 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™”. (vo) nobody dreams in conventional thinking. it didn't get us to the moon. more than seven years ago. it doesn't ring the bell on wall street. or disrupt the status quo. t-mobile for business uses unconventional thinking to help you realize new possibilities. like our new work from anywhere solutions, so your teams can collaborate almost anywhere. plus customer experience that finds solutions in the moment. ...and first-class benefits, like 5g with every plan. network, support and value without any tradeoffs.

that's t-mobile for business. [music: "i swear"] jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day... and forgot where she was. you can always spot a first time gain flings user. ♪

welcome, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian. we've got a lot to cover in the two hours ahead and a team of correspondents to help us do it. new information on the white house plans for a covid relief bill blitz in the week ahead, as millions of americans are getting their money. increased republican efforts to take focus away from covid and put it on the border. also, the latest efforts by gop legislatures across this country to keep people from voting. and new information on a london murder t