it will be first responders and donors who kept this place going. most importantly, just strings. no woodwinds. >> very good to know. thank you very much for that. appreciate it. that's the show for today. craig melvin picks up our coverage right now on msnbc. good thursday morning to you. i'm craig melvin. right now, voting rights protests are growing in texas. republicans are hearing a strong warning from one of their own. president biden is on the move. the word of the day seems to be, jobs. the president firmly in salesman mode. he is on his way to louisiana to pitch his more than a trillion dollar jobs and infrastructure plan. he is leaving just hours after we learned that the united states recorded the lowest

number of jobless claims since the start of the pandemic. republicans are waking up to this warning from one of their own. the gop is at a turning point. history is watching us. congresswoman liz cheney's cautionary tale as her colleagues try to push her out of republican leadership. first, we are following two big fights on voting rights. florida's governor put his signature on a bill that would make it harder for a lot of folks in florida to vote. we are watching right now to see whether the governor is going to take questions from reporters this hour after keeping most of them out when he actually signed that bill. in texas, any moment now, lawmakers could pass a new voting rights bill. protesters and even the business community are speaking out against that one. in a few moments, i will talk to

two business leaders who put their names on a letter condemning the legislation. we start at the statehouse in austin, where protests are starting to pick up over the latest voting legislation there. priscilla thompson joining us from austin. i want to quickly lay out what's inside bill hb6. this would among other things limit the distribution of vote by mail applications, it would require people who help others in voting to disclose the reason the voter needs help. it would add protections for partisan poll watchers. what do we know about when this vote is set to happen? what are folks saying about it? >> reporter: craig, lawmakers are walking on the house floor now to get those proceedings underway. advocates are not happy. it's why they put out a call to fill the gallery up above where

we are. we are in that place where lawmakers are walking in through the doors. as you can see, lots of demonstrators here. i'm here with one of the folks who helps organize this. talk to me about what your message is. >> our message is to oppose all these anti-democratic voter suppression legislation that our lawmakers have put forward this session. this legislation hurts people of color, young voters, hurts voters with disabilities. these lawmakers should not pass this legislation. >> reporter: i know you all have put out that call for folks to fill the gallery as all of this gets underway. what are you expecting to see today? >> we're expecting to see a fight. we know that our legislators on our side will put up a good fight against the bad bills. our folks will pack the gallery.

we will be watching the length lay to -- legislators. we will be watching them and we will be coming out if they do vote this bill through and holding them accountable for that decision. >> reporter: texas does have a republican legislature. most expressed being in favor for this bill. it's likely you could wake up tomorrow and this bill is headed out to committee. what happens then? what's next? >> we continue to organize. we are going to be there. we will meet them every step of the way that this legislation moves forward. we will let them know that texans are not with these bills. these folks behind me are a representation of the thousands, hundreds of thousands of texans who would lose their right to vote if these bills were passed. we will be meeting them every step of the way. >> reporter: let me ask you the last question. what's most concerning about this bill and what is the most concerning point in this bill for you? >> i think this bill severely

restricts voters, severely will limit who gets to be able to access the ballot box. that's the most concerning part. we shouldn't discourage people electric joining the process, we shouldn't remove people. we should be allowing people to vote accessibly in this process. >> reporter: have you gotten a response from republican lawmakers? >> we are about to see. i know lawmakers are starting to come in. they're going to see us and hopefully they will get the message. >> reporter: thank you very much. craig, there you have it. i'm told that there are democrats -- democrats are proposing more than 100 amendments they are going to put up for debate on the floor. they said they are prepared to go into the wee hours of the morning if that's what it takes. everyone is saying to get ready for a fight here today. craig? >> it's not just weird but a little rowdy. thank you. in texas, more than 180

local businesses and 50 corporations have come out strongly against this particular bill. in two separate letters, blasting the bills. joining me now are two of the business leaders who signed on to one of the letters. former dallas mayor and u.s. trade representative under president obama ron kirk. he is senior counsel. i'm joined by the ceo and co-founder of data dot world. ron, let me start with you. realistically, what do you hope to accomplish with this push? what did you hope to accomplish with the letters? republicans seem dead set on passing these laws. it's in a state that as you know largely republican. >> craig, thanks for having us on. what we would like to do to try to highlight the fact that, one,

these bills are totally unnecessary. texas already has some of the most restrictive voting registration procedures of any in the country. two, these bills are not good for business. we had an economic study done. you will hear brett talk about the fact businesses increasingly oppose legislation that affects the fundamental rights of their employees. while texas has been a great state for corporate relocations over the last 10 to 15 years, the continuation of the assault on individual liberties, whether it's the rights of the lgbt community or the rights particularly of our people of color, of our senior citizens to have unfettered access to the ballot box, that's going to make us a less desirable place to do business. i know what the odds are. i'm a former -- in addition to being a former mayor.

i'm a former secretary of state. i can count. when our business community has spoken up like they have today, as they did in 2019 on the trans bathroom bill, we have been able to change minds. hopefully, we can do so today. >> as we continue to look at these pictures inside the statehouse there in texas, this protest. brett, you described this wave of legislation as anti-voting legislation, as quote, fendment fundamentally attacking democracy. walk us through why you believe that and how you decided to get involved in the fight. >> thanks, craig and ron. i'm a proud texan. i was born and raised here in austin, texas. i have been a business leader now for 25 years. i've been a entrepreneur. these voting laws that are being proposed right now are fundamentally attacking

democracy because they're completely unnecessary. texs ranks 45 in terms of voter turnout, including this presidential election. we should be talking about increasing the right to vote and making sure that all of our citizens' voices are heard. i'm a proud independent voter. i'm very concerned that this is going to hurt the economics of texans. this is not the branding that we want. any state that brands themselves as being for suppressing the vote after we just weathered and we are weathering this awful pandemic and we came together to bend the curve and therefore increase the right to vote, we should not talk about restricting the vote right now or any time, for that matter. all eligible citizens should have the right to vote.

that will be what shapes policy and parties to basically answer to all of us as citizens, which is the reason we elect these people in the first place. we need to improve in texas being ranked number 45, not devolve at this time. that's horrible for business. one of the provisions in here restricts people's ability to do voting at 24-hour places. that's horrible for workers. people that are working multiple shifts. that's a horrible thing. that's not something that we should be at all encouraging as americans or as texans or as people here in austin. >> brett, what do you think the motivation is here for folks who are pushing this bill? what do you think is behind it? >> well, i mean, i think it's a partisan motivation, unfortunately.

it's not based on any type of rationality that i can see at all. it's based on this desire to reverse history and try to limit access. we have seen in the united states that any time you limit access -- show me a period in the united states history where we increased access to voting, whether it was the right for black citizens to vote, the right for women to vote, where that turned out to be a bad thing. in every situation, it increased the prosperity of our nation. it has made the voice of the people heard. our nation is the most valuable in the world. we have the largest gdp in the world. this type of voting suppression laws directly attacks the texas economy. that's not what any of us should put up with. it's fundamentally anti-democratic.

again, i say that as an independent voter. someone who has voted for as many republicans as i have democrats. this legislation really, really bothers me to my core, because of the way it attacks our citizenry, especially our citizenry that is working multiple shifts, our citizenry that are people of color. this is not on the right side of history, and this is something that if it passes, texas will regret. this is not the branding we want. >> ron, let's talk about next steps here. when georgia passed their new voting law, major league baseball pulled its all star game out of atlanta. beyond the letter writing, beyond the protesting, are you calling on businesses -- business leaders to take steps beyond those things? will there be financial consequences if these laws pass? >> craig, i think there could

be. we aren't at that point. i wanted to follow on that last discussion. let's be honest about this. we are seeing this not just in texas but throughout the south. because the republican party has been hijacked by the lie promoted by former president trump that somehow he lost that election because of malfeasance. we know that isn't true. all 50 states certified the election. this is a raw exercise in power by an increasingly -- by a republican party increasingly more concerned about keeping favor with donald trump than the rights of their citizens. i do think for states that do this, as brett pointed out, where people put conventions. we have seen our professional athletes, particularly the last election, the strength of the voices of the nba players, the

wnba, even in hockey, has given them more authority to say, we aren't going to reward those states that refuse to protect our basic rights and freedoms. it remains to be seen. i don't think this is going to be a good thing for our state's economy. frankly, it should be embarrassing. black people have only had the right to vote really since 1965 -- i mean 1966 in the passage of the voting rights act. yet, republicans want to take us back to those same tactics that were used to keep my parents from voting. i want to do everything i can to fight. >> even after the passage of the voting rights act, a lot of folks that look like me and you had a hard time voting in a large swath of the country. ron, brett, big thanks to both of you on this thursday morning. texas not the only state where election laws are front and

center. a short time ago, florida's governor signed that state's latest voting bill into law. you will notice this video that we are using is from fox news. that's because it was the only media outlet that was allowed in the room when it was signed. all other media outlets were shut out. nbc's sam brock joins me now with more on this new law in florida. sam, take us through what this legislation would mean for voters there in the sunshine state. >> reporter: craig, good morning. good to be with you. it means more hurdles for people who want to cast a ballot. as a general note of reference, nobody in the state of florida, not even the architects of the bill, are saying there's widespread voter fraud in florida. they are talking about the fact that they want more transparency and more confidence in the system, a system that in florida has been more or less the gold standard for early in-person voting and more mail-in voting

for years, ever since the 2000 election, that ended up in the supreme court, they built piece by piece a well-oiled machine that's being deconstructed. the question becomes, why? what does this bill do? let's talk about the bill. drop boxes are in the eye of the storm. there are limits for when you can access them now. that's going to be during early voting hours and only if they are physically manned by a human being over the box. if that doesn't happen, there could be $25,000 civil penalties assessed. voters have to request absentee ballots for every single election. there's i.d. requirements. more power given to partisan observers. a ban on groups providing items with the intent to influence voters which could be water and food. we spoke about what might be driving the passage of this. >> a lot of the legislation to me looks like a large strawman.

you are constructing an opponent that doesn't practically exist but are now orchestrating legislation that's going to dramatically alter the democratic process that we see throughout the united states. >> reporter: there are numerous lawsuits filed in court from groups like the naacp, league of women voters. they are focusing on the 1st and 14th amendment. when you think who might not have an i.d., who might not be able to pay for a stamp, you are talking about groups that are poor, tend to be communities of color. that's at the very heart of the lawsuits. craig? >> sam brock for us there in miami. thanks, as always. right now, president biden is on his way to louisiana. the president is pushing his jobs plan. we will get a preview of his visit and we also have a fresh look at this country's

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right now, congresswoman liz cheney is on the brink of losing her house leadership seat. she's fighting for the soul of the republican party. she just wrote this new "washington post" op-ed. she slams some of her colleagues. the headline is, the gop is at a turning point, history is watching us. she goes on to write that republicans need to stand for genuinely conservative principles and steer away from the dangerous and anti-democratic trump cult of personality. leigh ann caldwell is following this from capitol hill. liz cheney is the third highest ranking republican in the house. the highest ranking republican woman in the house.

what message is she trying to send, not just to the party but to everyone else with this new op-ed? >> reporter: the only woman in house republican leadership. in her position as the number three republican, her job is messaging for the republican conference. she was very clear in her opinion piece what the message should be for the republican party. that is on the side of truth instead of the side of misperceptions fed by the former president. she says the republican party is at an inflection point and they must choose. she's also saying that with this vote, which is expected next week to perhaps remove her from her position, she is saying republicans have a choice. which side are you going to stand on? it seems clear, craig, that they are choosing the side of the former president, the heir apparent is representative elise stefanik of new york, who has

fully embraced the former president and was just on steve bannon's podcast last hour where she said her message is going to be standing with the former president, craig. >> leigh ann caldwell, quickly, who has her back? who is standing up for liz cheney? >> reporter: there's a few republicans who have. representative adam kinzinger, senator mitt romney. there's not a lot of people who are vocal. mitch mcconnell, he said in kentucky yesterday that he wants the party to focus on the former president -- or on the current president and his plan and not the former president. that's what is so interesting. as the days were progressing, trump was becoming less and less relevant. now with the choice they are making by booting cheney and installing elise stefanik, they

have thrust the former president back into the center of republican politics. the former president knows this. he is empowered by this. he once again thinks he is king of the republican party. they are going to have to continue to deal with that moving forward, craig. >> leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill. there was a scene in south carolina this morning. authorities say that around 7:00 this morning, a for the jackson trainee hijacked a school bus full of elementary school students. the trainee allegedly ran from his post and entered the bus behind the children at a bus stop holding a rifle. the sheriff says all 18 students and the bus driver are safe. that suspect is in custody. in a few hours, president

biden will talk about his jobs plan at an event in louisiana. what we expect the president to say. we're hearing from a new warning from small businessowners. help wanted. why they say they cannot find people to fill their open jobs. first, my colleague andrea mitchell just sat down for an exclusive interview with secretary of state tony blinken during his trip to ukraine. here is what the secretary of state had to say about the news that the russians have 80,000 troops amassed at the ukraine border. >> vladimir putin had said he would withdraw. he has not. u.s. officials say there are 80,000 troops still on the border. he left his tanks and artillery. a continuing threat to ukraine. what is your message to vladimir putin? >> i'm really here in ukraine with a message for the ukrainian people and our ukrainian partners. a big part of that message is

our commitment to ukraine's independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty. we stand with them, including against any aggression from russia. and also, strong message that we stand with them as they work to make progress on reforming their democracy, making it stronger, on actually having a government that delivers for the ukrainian people. that's the message i'm bringing. president biden wanted me to come here as soon as i could to send that strong message. he had a very good conversation with president zelensky on the phone a few weeks ago. now we're here showing up in person and delivering the same message. >> you can catch more of that exclusive conversation today on "andrea mitchell reports request request"12:00 eastern right here on msnbc. request"12:00 eastern right here on msnbc

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this morning, we got an encouraging new sign on the jobs front. the labor department announcing 498,000 jobless claims were filed last week. still a lot. but it is the lowest since march of last year when businesses across this country were shut down because of the pandemic. jobs are top of mind for the white house. president biden is heading to louisiana to pitch his infrastructure and jobs plan.

shannon pettypiece joins me with more on that. also with us is nbc news senior business correspondent stephanie ruhle. shannon, i will start with you. we have new reporting in the last hour on what to expect from president biden this afternoon, including an appearance with the republican mayor in louisiana. what more can you tell us about that? >> reporter: white house officials are saying we can expect to see the president make a stop at a bridge and a water treatment facility and use these as examples of the type of projects his infrastructure bill would pay for. as much as the president will talk about what this spending package, this $2 trillion would go toward, look for the president to also talk about how to pay for that and to really lay out and make the argument about paying for this by increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations. i think that is interesting. it gets more into an ideological argument. it's not just about nuts and bolts and what you are in should

be paid for or what shouldn't, but this argument about whether the wealthy should help the middle class and helping the country more in general. it clearly indicates it's something the white house sees as publically popular, because it's an argument the white house has been doubling down on. this goes back to trying to build that public support out there in places like louisiana, in hopes that translates into pressure on republicans as well as democrats in congress, because right now, there doesn't appear to be a bipartisan path forward on this. it's unclear if there's a path forward with just democrats at this point. >> shannon pettypiece at white house. stephanie, a moment on the jobs report. good news comparatively speaking. we are still facing challenges. one of the challenges seems to be employers still finding it hard to fill open positions. why is that happening? >> that's what's amazing. we got the weekly unemployment claims. you said it. less than 500,000.

in some ways, we are getting -- represent the v-shaped recovery, that snapback last year? we went going to get it until we got vaccinated. now we are. we are rushing back, whether it's people who were able to work from home, we know for us, household savings are up, property prices are up and people who are struggling, they have gotten stimulus this year. a family of four has gotten $8,000. that's going back into the economy. bars, restaurants, hotels, travel destinations, they are looking to hire employees and a lot of workers out there are saying, not so fast. i'm not ready to go back. look at what one restaurant owner in atlantic city told me. >> the reason, i think, frankly, is because there's a lot of stimulus money out there. incentives for people to stay home. make the same amount of money being home as they can be here working. or close enough that it's not worth it. >> when you look at the expanded unemployment, it basically comes out to $16 an hour, which is

below our federal minimum wage. if you want workers to come back, pay them more. for the time being, people are getting those expanded benefits through september. we could end up seeing this labor shortage throughout the summer. i went to a job fair in atlantic city. nine casinos. 1,800 open jobs. 20 people showed up. it's amazing. we have gone from a job shortage three months ago and now we are moving at least temporarily a labor shortage. >> wow. stephanie ruhle, 1,800 openings, 20 people showed up. thank you. shannon, thanks to you as well. promising news about the covid vaccines and teenagers. we have details on new data from moderna. they have been some of the most heartwarming moments since this pandemic started. videos and pictures of grandparents hugging grandkids

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july 23rd in tokyo. in the united states, we could be through the worst of the pandemic by july. that's based on new projections from the cdc. there could be a sharp decline in both cases and deaths. the cdc says that's only if we continue to vaccinate at high rates, wear masks and physically distance. i want to bring in a doctor who is the founder and ceo of advancing health equity. she's an msnbc medical contributor. always good to have you. let's start with the cdc projections. right now, our seven-day average of new cases, roughly 48,000. we have seen that slow decline over the past few weeks. there's a look at the graph there on the screen. we have also been seeing a slow decline in daily vaccination rates. that graph also on the screen right now.

we know the cdc is historically conservative when it comes to its projections. what do you make of these most recent projections that come july we will be in a better place? >> first of all, thank you for having me on. i think we are in a good place, but also a tough place. the trends are looking great. we also know that there is a significant proportion of the population that we need to encourage to get vaccinated. there are different reasons why people don't want to be vaccinated. we need to make sure we don't have a one size fits all approach. the walk-in clinics, mobile vaccination sites, outreach in rural areas are going to be key. also, americans need to follow mitigation measures that work so well. masking and physical distancing is key to reach that 70% and that decline in cases.

>> i want to ask you a simple question i have gotten a number of times about vaccinations and masking. if i've been double vaccinated, why do i still have to wear a mask? >> right. it's a great question. the fact is that these vaccines work very, very well. they are effective in real world data we have. the concern is that right now, we still have a high caseload. we still have a very large number of cases. we have unvaccinated people around. the concern is that if you are in large, crowded areas that there's going to be a lot of virus floating around. that may increase the chances you could be infected, even if vaccinated. that's why we can people to be careful. once we get the caseload down, even further, and more people vaccinated, you will see that most likely even if you are fully vaccinated, you won't have to wear masks at all.

>> meanwhile, we have states and a lot of individual companies providing incentives for people to get the vaccine. in new jersey, they have announced a shot and a beer campaign. the state -- the state is going to buy residents a pint if they show proof they have been vaccinated. is this the right approach to combat this so-called vaccine hesitancy, trying and basically lure folks the same way i lure my young children to do things? you bribe them with goodies? >> absolutely. i think that this is the way we need to go. the toughest part of the phase to get people vaccinated, we need to give them a variety of incentives, even if it's beer, doughnuts, free entry to a baseball game. we need to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated. then also, to offer these little treats as a reward. i think we have to do whatever we have to do, meet people where they are to get as many of us

vaccinated as possible. >> we will leave it there. thanks, as always. good to have you. >> thank you. it has been an emotional moment, an emotional moment for so many americans, that first hug with a loved one after more than a year of only seeing each other through a screen. in just a few hours, at new jersey's met life stadium, 24 families will get to experience that moment. ellison barber joins me from the stadium. i understand you got a chance to talk to some of these folks set to reunite. what did they tell you? >> reporter: yeah, we did. some two dozen families soon to be reunited in a place that's usually all about football. instead of players returning out of the tunnels that surround the field here, it's going to be grandparents in one tunnel, kids, grandkids, their family in another. the idea is that they will each

come out and they will reunite at the tables that are set out here across the field. this idea initially came to be because the ceo of clear had an idea she thought they could do this. families, connections started being made. they started to plan all of this. united airlines got involved. they flew up most seniors who will be here from south florida. some didn't have as far to travel. the family who we met, they live in massachusetts. their daughter lives in brooklyn with her husband james and their two children. the youngest child was born in the middle of the pandemic nine months ago. they have never held their new grandbaby. today, in an hour, that's going to change. listen to what they told us when we talked to them last night. >> it has been such a crazy year. it has been sad. it has been depressing. it's been exciting. we brought in a new baby.

to have all of this happen without my family, to finally get to share this with them, i'm just -- every time i think about it, it's like -- just that release. >> it's going to be a lot of tears and a really happy day. >> the fact that we haven't been around for a year and haven't seen them for a year, it's bittersweet but it's going to be a great reunion. after a year of separation, a year of so much despair,

heartache, loneliness, had family and 23 others, will finally, finally get to have those hugs again. craig? >> yeah. met life stadium, home of the jets and giants. i can say with a fair amount of confidence, that place has never seen so much happiness as it will this afternoon. ellison barber, thank you. the spotlight is on some of the biggest heroes of the pandemic, nurses. on this national nurses day, some are sharing the challenges that they are facing with burnout. what they are saying about the toll this year has taken. ever? then make it! that means cooking day and night until... [ ding ] success! that means... best burger ever. intuit quickbooks helps small businesses be more successful with payments, payroll, and banking. (vo) nobody dreams in conventional thinking. it didn't get us to the moon. it doesn't ring the bell on wall street. or disrupt the status quo. t-mobile for business uses unconventional thinking

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choose better, be better. and now save when you order in the app. subway®. eat fresh. today is national nurses day, but this year saying thank you does not quite seem like enough. for more than a year nurses in this country and all over the year have been on the front lines of this fight with covid-19. for so many the loss of life and stress of around the clock care for patients has been nearly unbearable. some are making tough choices about the job they have loved for so long. >> from long island city, she spent time with nurses in colorado. tell us about the stress these

nurses have been dealing with for the last year and change. >> nurses have been dealing with unbelievable conditions and seen so much trauma and heartbreak. now many of them tell us they plan to leave their jobs and feel compelled to speak out about the conditions they faced. >> for more than a decade she loved bedside nursing. >> it was a true calling. i wanted to be at the bedside of the sick and dying. >> but last year when the colorado pandemic hit, nurses were tested. >> you see someone scared and suffering and are not able to be present with them because you are so overworked. you either numb out or you are crying. >> in february, weary of a lack of ppe and grueling schedules, joanna left bedside nursing.

she is not alone. according to a kaiser family foundation poll, 3 in 10 workers have weighed leaving the profession. there was a 400% increase of nurses looking for jobs. >> and signs of ptsd. they started nurses anonymous, a national nurses support group. >> it looks like acute anxiety when you walk into the hospital and experiencing paralyzing fear. >> on tuesday evenings they lead nurses through a group zoom call. >> we talk about problems we are experiencing at work, feelings of anxiety we may be having and how to cope with these feelings. >> nobody wants to stop taking care of people.

they just don't want to feel horrible while they do it. >> it is warned that nurse burnout can lead to life or death mistakes including chart errors, even administering medication to the wrong patient. now joanna back in colorado hopes they address nurse burnout before it's too late. >> an exhausted nurse is not a safe nurse unless there are some changes, tangible changes, we are going to see this get worse. >> nurses are hoping that hospital administrators and legislators will hear them. they are asking for smaller nurse to patient ratios, caps on the hours they are required to work and more rest and recovery time between those tough shifts. craig? >> antone yeah hilton, thanks

for a look at that. >> we thank the front line heroes. one patient gave a special thanks to those nurses who took care of him. this patient spent 52 days hospitalized. >> i want to thank the nurses. they were there for me and my family. i want to thank them so much. they will always be in my heart. i want to thank dad and my family and all of the people praying for me because this is something i will never forget and it will always be with me. >> we want to thank all of the nurses listening right now. that will do it for me. coming up next, andrea's sclus

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will you turn to cold washing with tide? tide cleans better in cold than the bargain brand in hot. so, mr. t can wash his hanes tees in cold. that's true mr. t. i pity the fool who don't turn to cold. ahh. [woman] what is that? [man] uh, mine. why? it's just that it's... lavender, yes it is. old spice, it's for men. but i like the smell of it. [music playing] good day. this is "andrea mitchell reports" live in ukraine where news is breaking both here and back at home. in a moment my is exclusive interview with secretary of state anthony blinken. but the deep division of the republican party on full display with