in fact, nbc is interviewing baffert right now. he'll be joining us in a matter of minutes with the very latest from this interview. baffert did say earlier today he was told the horse, medina spirit, tested positive for a steroid bethemethasone. baffert called it a complete injustice and promising to fight tooth and nail and we're going to bring you the interview as soon as we get it. he's interviewing bob baffert right now. also the largest fuel pipeline shut down after a massive cyberattack. it happens through a system that stretches about 5,000 miles or more between texas and new jersey. we have new reaction just this last hour from congressman steve cohen. >> america should be first in having a defense system for the cyberattacks. we saw the russians attack us

just six months or a year. we've seen the chinese attack us. we should be ahead of the game, and we have to be both in attacks on our governmental systems and on our infrastructure that delivers important and necessary energy. >> also new today, the battle over gop leadership intensifies. the vote expected in a matter of days, on wednesday, to determine whether liz cheney will stay in her leadership position as number three. those efforts prompting strong reaction today from one republican congressman who had this to say about his own party. >> right now it's based on the "titanic." we're in this -- in the middle of this slow sink. we've got a band on deck telling everybody it's all fine and donald trump is trying to find women's clothing and get on the first life boat. >> not as a cross dresser but just to get on the first life boat. that's what he was implying there. also new reaction to the april job numbers.

congressman jim clyburn slamming republicans' messaging and claiming those numbers make a stronger case for president biden's infrastructure plan. >> we may be talking about the big lie as it relates to the election, but very close to that is this notion that people don't want to work. i have not met any of those that don't want to work. i have met people who are staying off work because they cannot find child care for their children. you have the republican party, not wanting to make that a part of infrastructure, that is a critical part of infrastructure. >> in just a few days, the president will host bipartisan meetings with congressional leadership to help push forward his american jobs plan. let's go to kelly o'donnell doing duty at the white house for us. welcome on this sunday. so what does the president hope to accomplish this week and how likely is he to do it? >> well, the idea is to extend an invitation to republicans in a couple of different groups

where they will meet with the president to talk about infrastructure ideas and how to pay for them. and the president has said he is willing to negotiate. so this is a demonstrable attempt by the white house to say they're willing to listen to republican ideas and willing to talk about how to get something done. and trying to separate this from what we saw with the covid relief plan where there were some meetings about these issues related to what was eventually passed with democrats only. they say this is different. that was an emergency. there were deadlines to get funding in the hands of people who were desperate for additional help. this is about a longer term plan to rebuild roads and bridges, to also deal with what the white house likes to call the care economy involving child care, elder care and how do you pay for it? from the biden perspective, they are talking about higher taxes, something that's typically a nonstarter with republicans. so what can be accomplished this week? there are republicans led by

west virginia shelley moore capito on a key committee involved in dealing with infrastructure. and she believes that there say deal to be had on what they call hard infrastructure. roads, bridges, tunnels. is that enough to at least get something done? that's what we'll be looking for. will this simply be talking for talking sake or will it lead to anything that can be a true agreement? and the white house has said they'll give this until about memorial day for some initial steps and they want to see something pass by the end of summer. so there's time, but not a lot of time, alex, to try and move this in some substantive way. alex? >> one more quick question because we're following this major story about the ransomware attack on a critical u.s. pipeline. have you heard anything in terms of reaction from the white house? >> yes, the white house has told us in addition to the president being briefed on this, this is what they are calling an all hands on deck plan where the secretary of homeland security and commerce and energy, the

departments like fbi and cybersecurity are working with colonial pipeline, the company hit by this ransomware attack to try to determine who was behind it, what can be done and how can they safely restore service in the pipeline which, as you pointed out, supplies nearly half of the various fuels to the east coast. this is a very dire situation. the pipeline is shut down while they are investigating. the pipeline functions. but as a course of not wanting further cyberattack or break to the infrastructure, this is a five-alarm fire at a real show of how there are vulnerabilities to vital parts of our infrastructure and private companies and it's a test for the biden administration to see how they can try to restore this. >> it is. kelly o'donnell, thank you. also new today from the biden administration, we're turning the corner on the coronavirus pandemic. more than 58% of americans have gotten at least one dose of the

vaccine. the white house covid task force promising to address vaccine hesitancy. >> we're entering a new phase where access is really important and building confidence is really important. that's what we're focused on. and it's all of the above. we want everyone to get vaccinated. we have enough supply for all adult americans to get vaccinated. we just want to make it easier and easier for people to get vaccinated and for those who do have questions about efficacy or about safety. the three vaccines, the three authorized vaccines are all very safe and very effective. >> joining me, msnbc medical contributor dr. nahid bhadelia. so more than half of americans, at least partially vaccinated. that seems promising. but the vaccine hesitancy that he's talk, about that's a major concern. you have some states turning down vaccine doses because there just isn't the demand there. you have the daily vaccination rate down about 40% or so from what it was last month. so, look, we have known there

would be hesitancy but now that we're seeing it, how concerned are you? >> yeah, alex, i want to point out that biden has goals to reach 70% for every staircts every community. we already have states up here in new england that are close to reaching that already. but -- so it's about the equity. i'm optimistic that we'll reach that for a couple of reasons. these vaccines, their safety and efficacy are speaking for themselves. the last week we've seen about 13% decrease in cases, and not only that, you know, americans are seeing that getting vaccinated is allowing them to return to normalcy. so the things that jeff zienst talked about are the confidence and removing the confidence in the vaccine and removing the structural potential barriers and what you've seen from surveys is what people are looking for, easy access and potentially paid time off to be able to get those vaccines. those are some of the things to continue to work on. and an easy way the white house

is worked on this is the get vaxxed text message. 438829. wherever you are with your zip code you can find out where there's a vaccine close to you within five miles. that's the kind of structure removal of potential barriers to getting vaccinated that's going to help. the other thing is building confidence because you're seeing a longer track record of safety. pfizer has already initiated its process of getting full fda approval which might come through soon and you're seeing that confidence, potential confidence extend even to those populations we've seen recent hesitancy. republicans, conservatively named respondents in surveys. 1 in 3 used to say they'd not get a vaccine. now it's down to 1 in 4. so i do think we're making small moves. it's going to be hard work ahead but i'm optimistic. >> what do you think about the incentivizing getting the vaccines done? some places are offering a free drink. some places are offering free

tickets to a ball game. do you think that's working? >> it is. and i have actually been reading with some joy stories like these incentives, getting people to take that last step to get vaccinated. i think whatever works. if these incentives, such as potentially a free doughnut or free beer or, you know, a percentage off of something for a ticket to one of the sports leagues. whatever it takes because that's what's going to get us closer to being protected as a community. >> so we can all enjoy, hopefully, a fourth of july weekend. thank you dr. bhadelia for your time. mounting pressure for the biden administration to take action to voter suppression. the gop-controlled house in texas passed a restrictive voting measure. state senate republicans will scrap the house-passed version of the bill meaning it may be even longer before we know what a final bill will look like.

activists were gathering saturday outside the texas capitol in austin to protest the new bill. joining me to discuss it, jane tim. welcome to you. so where do things stand right now with this bill working its way through the texas legislature? >> so we have two different bills that have passed. one in each chamber with different -- two bills that have passed under the same name. sorry. it's a legislative maneuver to a design to make it move a little more quickly. so now that these bills have passed, one each chamber, they're going to go into conference committee and hammer out the various differences between these two bills. both of them are restrictive. they go after different things. broadly, they make voting harder in a lot of ways. >> okay. but to your point that it's a little confusing, how does the bill passed in the house different from what the senate wants to pass? you say they are the same bill but there's different names here. maybe the same name, different bills.

it's darn confusing. >> it's kept us on our toes all week. essentially the senate bill, sb-7, is -- it goes after early voting a little more and targets some of the ways people voted in harris county, home to houston. it eliminates overnight voting, drive-through voting. there is the house bill, also called sb-7, but it's broadly a different bill. that one adds a lot of criminal penalties to the process. there could be a misdemeanor or state jell felony for various mistakes or errors within the process. both of these bills empower partisan poll watchers. we can expect to see those provisions last into whatever makes it to the governor's desk. but when these bills go back to the house and the senate, which they do for one last final vote, there's an up or down vote. with this conference committee which will happen behind closed doors is where the actual law making will happen before it gets to the governor's desk and it's expected to be signed. >> so i'm curious. this isn't the only state in the union right now that's going

after restricting voting. how does the texas bill measure up to others that have passed? is it more draconian or lighter? how do you see it? >> i think you have to remember that where you start is where you start. texas has some of the most restrictive election laws already in the country. what you're seeing is a lot of criminal penalties. that's what struck me about this. it criminalizes so many different parts of this bill. those are the things that have a chilling effect on voters. if you're signing a form while voting, that says this could be a felony, it makes you more alarmed to have this experience instead of of what in many states can be a process where you just walk in, you sign your ballot and you call it a day. but across the country, these are all cut from the same cloth. so while texas is maybe a little different than georgia's, they are all about fighting fraud. it doesn't happen in a big way in american elections. when you have fraud you have one or two cases from a widespread

problem, not -- jane timm, thank you very much. with all the infighting, can the gop take control of congress in the midterms? up next, congresswoman barbara lee will join me to talk about the challenges ahead of fending off a takeover. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. i've got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer. ♪ ♪ i feel free to bare my skin yeah, that's all me. ♪ ♪ nothing and me go hand in hand nothing on my skin, ♪

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a live look at capitol hill where a major shake-up in republican leadership is expected this week. congresswoman liz cheney set to be ousted from her number three position. this over her criticism of donald trump. let's go to ali vitali for the latest on this. another welcome to you. two very different messages from republicans today. what are you hearing? what's the interpretation of it all? >> it was yet another sunday where, depending on what channel you were watching, you were seeing two very different messages about what the republican party looks like going forward. all of these lawmakers grapple

with the same central question, whether the republican party in 2021 has room for lawmakers who dissent from former president president trump or whether they need to extricate those republicans because they aren't marching in lockstep with what the former president wants to hear. the most immediate application is going to likely come here on capitol hill on wednesday in relation to the fate of the number three house republican right now, liz cheney, who in a secret ballot is likely to lose her leadership position because she has not gone along perpetuating the big lie of the 2020 election. donald trump says he lost. liz cheney is one of those who will say, yes, he did. and so that's the question in front of republicans right now but if you were watching kevin mccarthy this morning, he had a very different message from maryland governor larry hogan who said this. listen to the comparison. >> as conference chair you have one of the most critical jobs as

the mess. >>er going forward. that's why we need a conference that's united and a conference chair delivering that message day in and day out. and uniting the nation to make sure that we are on the right footing going forward. >> it just bothers me that you have to swear fealty to the dear leader or you get kicked out of the party. that's a circular firing squad where we're just attacking members of our own party instead of focusing on solving problems. >> alex, clearly two very divergent messages there. and as i've been talking to republican sources here, they say that right now the vote around cheney is to make sure that the republican party is all on the same page in terms of messaging as they try to look ahead to the 2022 midterms where republicans hope they can retake the house. the reality is that while republicans might want to look ahead, donald trump has shown time and time again that he's consistently looking to the past. you probably get those same email statements i do from the former president.

a lot of them are still about lying about what happened in 2020. and, look, even when he was running for president during 2020, he was still looking back four years to 2016. as much as republicans might hope that putting this cheney question to rest on wednesday allows them to look ahead, donald trump has proven time and time again he wants to continue relitigating things that are past and extremely controversial. >> those emails are saying the same thing or and over and over. okay. ali vitali, thank you so much. joining me now, california congresswoman barbara lee. welcome on this mother's day. i'm so glad to have you spend part of it with me, my fellow californian. let's start with your assessment of what's happening on the other side of the aisle among house republicans. how do you interpret it all? >> first, happy mother's day to you alex. nice to be with you today. to try to unite the country around the big lie is very, first of all, tragic. it's sinister and it's

dangerous. so while they continue to do this, do the more damage to our country and our democracy, democrats are going to continue to fight for the people. we're going to continue to put together our american families plan, our infrastructure bill. we're going to continue to fight to make sure that we create good paying jobs, and we're going to continue to fight to make sure that we address people's lives and livelihoods in the way that americans deserve. and so in their fights, and unfortunately, they are trying to fight to perpetuate a lie which, for me and for i think for our young people, is very sad to see. >> look, when you are in these fights, it sure helps to have the votes. they're trying to pack the house. there are a growing number of house democrats in battleground districts. they're either retiring or seeking higher office. charlie crist, tim ryan.

also the redrawn districts that could give republicans an edge. what do you think are the biggest challenges for democrats in 2022 in that regard? >> sure, first, we have to pass our legislation, hr-1, sr-1 in the senate, our "for the people" act that will help secure our democracy, get dark money -- at least shine a light on dark money in our political system and pass hr-4, our voting rights act. voter suppression efforts, as you've been reporting, are moving ahead. we have to have federal protections for that. and so we're going to continue to work for the people. our message is very effective. and republicans are receiving the benefits of what democrats have been working for in terms of questioning this and making sure their economic security is intact. so i believe what we're going to continue to do will be very effective in the elections

because i think the public will understand we're delivering for them and the republicans are not. >> you mentioned the voter suppression. we're talking about it because there are 47 states that are proposing new restrictive voting measures. texas, we were talking about. that could soon be the latest to enact this voting bill. and you have former texas congressman beto o'rourke making a plea to the president as well as congress to step in. take a listen to what he said. >> we really need the biden administration to step up and support those of us in georgia and texas and arizona and kansas, across the country fighting these voter suppression bills and offer us some protection and ensure that every eligible voter can cast their ballot. we need federal action and the for the people act to pass the senate. >> what can the biden administration do when the gop is doing little but opposing anything the biden administration is trying to do? >> sure. and i think the biden administration wants us and is

working to help us pass hr-1 which beto just referred to, as well as the john lewis voting rights act, hr-4. we have to have federal protections, alex, because when you look at what these states are trying to do and basically take away the right to vote. our constitutional right to vote from african-americans, people of color, seniors is the, the disabled, people in rural communities. this is a fundamental attack on our democracy, and it's got to stop. that's what our federal government is there for, to protect the constitutional rights of everybody in our country, not just republicans who want to deny us the right to vote. >> let's take a look at the april jobs report together. democrats and republicans certainly sparring over it. president biden says it is proof that his spending plans are vital. republicans saying it's a sign people don't want to go back to work. you have republican-led states, montana and south carolina, that are ending federal pandemic unemployment benefits as a result of this. take a listen to what house

majority whip james clyburn had to say on this earlier. >> we may be talking about the big lie as it relates to the election, but very close to that is this notion that people don't want to work. i have not met any of those people who don't want to work. i have met a lot of people who are staying off of work because they cannot find child care for their children. and you have got the republican party not wanting to make that a part of infrastructure. that is a critical part of infrastructure. >> what's your reaction to this? >> yeah, mr. clyburn is absolutely correct. it's ludicrous that the republicans would try to deny people the right to survive, quite frankly. in the last three months, we've created, i believe, 500,000 jobs per month. the trump administration, it was probably about 60,000, 70,000 per month. people, especially those who have children, access to child care has just -- is just not there because of the pandemic.

our schools have not completely reopened. we have had to crush this virus. we have had to make the country safe so that we can open back up and this is a long-term road that we're on. but i believe that what the biden administration is doing is really helping save lives and livelihoods and we've got to understand that people want to work. they need child care. women need child care. people need caregivers for their elderly family members, and we need to make sure that they are taken care of. so there's so much involved in making sure people have the resources to get back to work because people want to work. >> indeed. i'd love to give you a moment on this mother's day. i know that you are always honoring your mother mildred, someone whom you admired so, so much. but i saw this photo and thought, what a stunning photo. of course, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. but tell me a little bit about your mom and why she still

inspires you to this day. >> oh, boy. thanks so much, alex. my mother was unbelievable. hidden figure, phenomenal woman. one of the first 12 students to integrate the university of texas in el paso. she was the first black woman civilian at ft. bliss, texas. a caregiver for my grandfather while she raised three girls. she taught us that as a black girl, as a black woman, we cannot understate -- we cannot take no for an answer and that can't is not in the dictionary. so we're equal to everyone, men and -- everyone in the country. and so she wouldn't tolerate her girls taking a back seat to anyone. she provided for us. in so many ways we took ballet, piano lessons. we went to catholic schools because schools were segregated when we started school. my mother sacrificed so much for her three girls.

and i miss her so much. my sisters mildred and beverly miss her. she passed away in 2015. she also was an advocate per she lived in assisted living facility in oakland. ground lake gardens. and whenever a caregiver had difficulties with their families or with the center, with the management, my mother would call me and tell me, barbara, you have to help this person. what can i tell them you can do and i'll make sure you do it. she was an advocate for so many people around her community in oakland and in el paso where he were born and raised. she was a brilliant woman who loved her community and loved her family. and told us that can't was not in the dictionary and that we better step up and step out and make her proud. >> well, i was going to say that. i know your mom is proud of you, and i love watching her face. the animation and love which you talk about your mom.

>> we miss her so much so thank you. >> i'm grateful i still have my mom so, anyway, i'm glad to talk with you about her, too. thank you, barbara lee. >> happy mother's day. >> thank you. a kentucky derby win in jeopardy after a failed drug test. that horse's trainer now speaking to nbc after he was suspended from churchill downs. we're bringing you his reaction next. don't go anywhere. go anywhere. with e-commerce that runs at the speed of now. next day and two-day shipping nationwide, and returns right from the doorstep. it's a whole new world out there. let's not keep it waiting.

sfl we're following this breaking news. the horse that won this year's kentucky derby has failed a post-race drug test. it's hall of fame trainer bob baffert who has been suspended as a result. here's baffert's initial reaction today at churchill downs. >> i got the biggest gut punch in racing for something that i didn't do. and this is really -- it's disturbing. it's an injustice to the horse. and i don't feel embarrassed.

i feel like i was wronged. >> all right. that was earlier. let's get more from nbc's guad venegas who just spoke with baffert. what else is he saying? >> bob was informed last night of the news that the horse had failed a drug test. of course, he maintains that he didn't do anything wrong. the veterinarian didn't do anything wrong and he's just waiting for this second test to happen. let's hear what he said to us just moments ago. >> they are testing. they just started doing this a couple of years. the thresholds have come way down. so that's when, you know, contamination gets involved. and so it's out of our control. and it's really -- it's really disturbing because the horse was not treated with that medication. and it's a legal medication, but i did not give that medication. so that's where we're trying to figure out how did it get in his

system? we have no idea. vets didn't give it. no one that worked for me didn't give it. so that's the most disturbing part of it. >> so a few months ago, in september, a different horse also trained by him tested positive for the same substance. now the next step will be to test a split sample. this is something that can take months. so what's going to happen in the near future, according to baffert, is medina spirit will continue in its race to try to win the triple crown. they do plan to race in the next race, which is the preakness stakes. for now, he is maintaining that they have not done anything wrong. >> okay. but guad, this betamethasone. so it's legal, right, to a degree? what's kind of on the fringe of a banned substance? would there be places where you would use this drug? >> so what baffert told me is this is a drug, it's a steroid,

that's used as an anti-inflammatory on horses and there's a 14-day window they can use this on the horses. they're allowed to use it up to 14 days before a race, but he did mention that it is quite difficult sometimes for this substance to leave the horse. he also claims that the horse might have been contaminated. of course, this is something that trainers will often say when they have this type of result. he mentioned there's a lot of things that happened before the race begins. the horse is carried around. it can eat something. there's a lot of things that could have happened. we have to wait for the next split sample result to come in. and even if those tests are confirmed, which churchill downs has already stated that if the test is confirmed positive, then the horse will lose the title, and he has been -- baffert has been suspended for now from entering any horses at this racetrack. even if this is confirmed, he says they will appeal and take this to the courts. >> you said this could take a

few months to figure out? to clarify this new test that comes up? so does that mean that medina spirit remains the kentucky derby winner until that is definitively figured out? >> so for now, baffert said that they do plan to continue with the race until these results come in. my understanding is that it could take about a month for these results to come in. so this is something that does take time and, yeah, they do. they plan to move forward. of course, the kentucky commission will have to speak more on this. they have started an investigation. for now we know that churchill downs has suspended him from entering any more horses in that particular racetrack. we know the next race is the preakness stakes which is a different racetrack. we've not received any information as to them not allowing the horse or him to come to that track. >> i know there are people who won money off medina spirit. there's no way anyone would have to pay back their money, right? but how about bob baffert? what would happen if this is

found to be upheld. >> our understanding is if this is confirmed and the horse is stripped of -- if medina spirit is stripped it will also be stripped of the winning prize. we're waiting to confirm what would happen with people that actually bet money on the horse. this is a story that's been developing and we're waiting to hear from legal experts as to what would happen with people that bet on that result. but the money for the winning prize and the title would be stripped, if this would be confirmed. >> you can see folks who maybe picked mandaloon and came in second and all of a sudden, that's declared the winner and they are going to want to money. guad, thanks. please come back when this is all figured out. lower than expected april jobs report has many wondering if there's a labor shortage in the u.s. my next guest says that is not

the case. those numbers indicate a great reassessment of work in america. joining me to discuss further, heather long, economics correspondent for "the washington post." welcome to you on this holiday sunday. i'm curious what you mean by that, a reassessment of work in america. >> yeah, so i talk to unemployed people almost every day. and, yes, you can find some who say i'm not going back to work because the unemployment i am making more on unemployment than i would being a dish washer in a restaurant, but i hear three things far more often than that from unemployed people. number one is that they're reassessing the health conditions. is it safe to go back yet? is it -- are the working conditions up to par? the second thing we see a lot, you can see in that april jobs data, particularly for women, the child care issue. yes, schools are reopening but a lot of times they're doing three days a week or two days a week. it's not full-time reopen yet until september in many parts of

the country. and women can't juggle all of this. the third thing that is really this great reassessment going on that i hear over and over again, particularly from people who used to work in restaurants or retail, these types of jobs, is they are saying, look, i feel i was treated really badly last year and in some cases laid off right away. other cases i was working on the front line, coming in every day, having to tell people to wear a mask and get yelled at for just trying to do what was right, and they are not rushing to go back to that $12, $13 an hour job. they are trying to get a better job. in many cases, i was speaking to a man friday who is finally going back to get his associates degree at the community college. that's what i mean. i think after this horrible year we've all been through, people are taking a step back and they are saying, is this really the career path i want to be on? >> so people are thinking about things. in fact, i spoke with the white

house economic adviser yesterday and asked her about this idea of rethinking work in america. here's what she said. >> every time we come out of a recession, you see people saying, oh, we're going to do a big realignment. you saw that coming out of the great recession as well. this is a challenging year for families, businesses, people changed the way they've worked. more telecommuting and everything. we need to give this recovery a little bit of time. we need people to figure out how they're going to adapt to the new normal as people get the vaccine. >> so to that point, is time what we need to get those numbers up or do you expect the workforce to dramatically even change coming out of the pandemic? >> yeah, that's a great question, alex. certainly, we expect and the white house very much hopes that there will be bigger numbers this summer. and that as more people get vaccinated, as the situation gets more comfortable for people, we do expect to see a few months of really big hiring, maybe even a million jobs added

some point this summer, fall. but i do think the jobs that people go back to could be different. and that's what heather boushey meant by this realignment. we've seen jobs go away or be automated and now robots do them. whether like a hotel check-in. most of us or an airline check-in. most of us go to a computer kiosk as opposed to talking to a person. toll booth collectors went away during this pandemic. so the jobs people are going to go back to may be different. and may be different because the company wants something different and it may be different because the workers want something different. a lot of workers are saying, i want to work a hybrid. some days in an office or workplace and some days at home. and so everyone is sort of readjusting to what they want work to look like. >> okay. heather long from "the washington post," thank you. i appreciate it. dozens of people, many of them children, are dead after a bombing outside of a school in

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choose better, be better. subway®. eat fresh. new video of what appears to be debris from the chinese rocket entering the atmosphere last night. china says it landed in the indian ocean west of the maldive islands. no immediate reports of damage. nasa head bill nelson slamming china saying it is clear china is failing to meet responsible standards for space debris. russia is marking its world war ii victory day with a military parade in red square amid the ongoing tensions with ukraine. right now thousands of russian troops are still at the ukrainian border despite promises to withdraw most of its forces by may 1st which is certainly coming on. joining me, former ambassador to russia and international affairs analyst michael mcfall. always good to see you. let's get into this. can you break down what is happening between russia and ukraine? why are the tensions so high

right now? >> well, i think there's two things going on. let me acknowledge and recognize and celebrate all the veterans in ukraine and russia on this day, the 9th of may. it's a very important day in their history. we should celebrate the veterans of both countries, irrespective of the politics. first and foremost, mr. zelinsky has made some moves against russian interests and against russian surrogates. putin wants to put pressure on him to say, watch what you do. secondly, i think he's testing the biden administration. the biden administration has started with some very strong language, rhetoric, about how they're going to support democracy around the world, including in ukraine and putin put down a marker to say i'm an actor in this region, too, to see how the new administration would react. >> okay. so let's say there was a

conflict that heated up between the two nations. what would be the international implications of that? >> well, tragically, they're not great responses that either the united states or nato or europe or anyone has. when push comes to shove and there's been military intervention in that part of the world, whether it's georgia in 2008 or ukraine in 2014, when russia annexed crimea, first time we've had annexation since world war ii, by the way, there was not a military option on the table. for the obama administration or anyone else. and putin knows that. but there would be economic sanctions. i think, obviously, substantial economic sanctions, and i think what the biden administration is trying to do, including by having secretary blinken go to ukraine two days ago was to signal our support for ukrainian independence and to warn russia that there would be economic

consequences of any further military intervention in ukraine. i want to underscore, there is a war going on in eastern ukraine right now. we're talking about an escalation of that conflict. >> let's talk about the may 1st deadline. russia has pulled some of those troops, but certainly not all. and the claim is that their presence is at the border, a military exercise. do you buy that? >> no, they are there to create a coercive atmosphere for ukraine. they are there to intimidate ukraine. they are there to signal to the united states that in putin's view, he considers ukraine part of his sphere of influence. putin doesn't even think that ukraine should be an independent country. remember that. that is his world view. and, you know, tragically, he's gotten our attention. he has compelled us to think about how to respond to it and we've done it coercively, but we've also done it by holding out our hand, right?

and at the same time that the united states, the biden administration said there will be repercussions for further escalation, they also announce, let's have a summit with vladimir putin. so from putin's point of view, he thinks his coercive diplomacy is working. >> let's take a listen to andrea mitchell who had a short conversation. we're going to play part of it with antony blinken. let's hear part of that. >> i'm really here in ukraine with a message for the ukrainian people and for our ukrainian partners. and a big part of that message is our commitment to ukraine's independence, its territorialso. we stand with them, including against any aggression from russia. >> give me your thoughts on the way the president has been handling this situation with russia and how it compares to previous administrations. >> well, president biden,

compared to president trump, has a much more sophisticated strategy vis-a-vis russia. he said they're going to push back, and they have with new sanctions, as we saw. he's going to engage when it's in america's national interest, as he did in extending the new s.t.a.r.t. treaty with vladimir putin for five more years. and i think it was very important that secretary blinken, in one of his first trips abroad, went to ukraine and said what he just said to andrea but also said that to ukrainian people. that was very important and symbolic. it's night and day compared to president trump. the trump administration had many of the similar policies. i think that's a paradox people don't understand. most of his actual foreign policy team agrees with secretary blinken and president biden, but president trump himself had a very different strategy. thankfully, we have a new one. >> well, i'm awfully glad, ambassador mcfaul for having you here to understand things we

previously did not. getting things done while reaching across the aisle. the wife of the late congressman elijah cummings will be speaking with us in just a little bit. we'll be back after a break. oh, nice. burritos?! get a freshly made footlong from subway® instead. with crisp veggies on freshly baked bread. just order in the app! ditch the burgers! choose better, be better. subway®. eat fresh. alright, guys, no insurance talk on beach day. -i'm down. -yes, please. [ chuckles ] don't get me wrong, i love my rv, but insuring it is such a hassle. same with my boat. the insurance bills are through the roof. -[ sighs ] -be cool. i wish i could group my insurance stuff. -[ coughs ] bundle. -the house, the car, the rv. like a cluster. an insurance cluster. -woosah. -[ chuckles ] -i doubt that exists. -it's a bundle! it's a bundle, and it saves you money! hi. i'm flo from progressive, and i couldn't help but overhear... super fun beach day, everybody.

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stall congress. according to a new article in "the washington post," the democrats are struggling to set aside their differences in order to hold on to the senate. joining me now is maya rockeymoore cummings. she ran for the congressional seat vacated by her late husband elijah cummings. welcome. thank you for joining me on this holiday, mother's day sunday. we have the democrats controlling the executive and legislative branches. how would you assess how they're doing so far? >> so i'm sure it's on the top of biden's mind as well as congressional democrats' minds that obama and clinton lost significant numbers of seats in the congress. i think clinton lost something like 54 seats and obama lost 60. and so, you know, democrats are in a precarious position because history actually shows that typically the party in power in the white house loses the congress in the first term. however, i think that it's

important for democrats to realize that they have an historic opportunity here. they have a great message. build back better is a great message. biden is, i think, doing a good job of putting forward a strategy and a plan for the nation. and certainly they've done well. and when it comes to terms of managing the coronavirus. so they have a lot to run on. strong message, as well as some proof points. however, there are some divisions within the party with regards to candidates and terms of primary races. that's going to be incumbent on the dccc to navigate that and pick the strongest candidates appropriate for the districts. and so, you know, i think that the retirements that the democrats are experiencing, they've got six so far, are also problematic. but i think that all of us can be overcome if they focus on messaging, governing and if they try to, of course, minimize the number of retirements they have. >> you have the retirements. also the redistricting as a result of gerrymandering in the

wake of the 2020 census. how much is that going to pose a problem when you have texas picking up two seats and new york and california each losing a seat. >> the fact of the matter, it will be problematic. as we know, republicans control more than half of the state legislatures in the country. and they will be taking the census data and turning many of those swing districts that democrats had control of into deep red districts. simply by the power of the pen. and so that will be problematic. you know, certainly the retirements we're seeing are from some people facing those kinds of pressures in terms of redistricting. that being said, it's incumbent upon the democrats to make sure they do not have unforced errors, that they stay on message, strengthen their base and that they focus on certainly doing what they can to hold onto as many seats as possible. >> here's one thought. should democrats rush, push through as much legislation as

they can, even if they have to sacrifice bipartisanship? i mean, yes, that's one of biden's campaign promises, but if you look at the headwinds he faces, right, what should they prioritize? >> so i want everybody in your listening audience to know that what biden has proposed so far has been bipartisan. it's been bipartisan because republicans across the country, they might not be in congress, but they might be in statehouses in governorships, in mayoralships, county seats, are supporting this plan. especially around infrastructure. and so what republicans who are in the states need to do is to pressure their congressional republicans to get off their fantasy island, and start focusing on governing for the people. this is not just about politics. this is about making sure that government works for the people. and so that's going to be on the republicans who are in the states to galvanize and put pressure on washington politicians, particularly in the gop, to get it right.

so as far as i'm concerned, biden actually has bipartisanship. it just doesn't happen to be in washington. but the republican party is going to have to get their act together. >> let me ask you about what happened when donald trump made some disparaging comments about the city of baltimore. the passing of biden's infrastructure bill, how much would that mean to your city of baltimore? >> it would mean the world. i am currently sitting in west baltimore right now where we have crumbling roads and pipes and, you know, we have children who cannot drink potable water in their schools. the water faucets are turned off and have been for years because of lead pipes. what biden's $2.3 trillion investment is seeking to do is to build back better. to make america stronger. and the infrastructure repaired. and certainly updated. in baltimore, we also have something called route 40 which is a road to nowhere. they basically sought to build a highway in the middle of a black

community. my late husband often talked about when they bulldozed that community, they tore the heart out of the african-american community. it goes nowhere. biden's proposal can take that road and reimagine it and create a beautiful scenario, i think, for the city that can be an economic boom and something that can bring the community back together. and broadband. when the coronavirus hit, we found out the kids didn't have access to internet. many families didn't, and so the prodband investment will be important for the people of baltimore as well. that's all for "alex witt reports." thanks for watching and happy mother's day to all you extraordinary moms out there. especially my mom who continues to be a brilliant beacon in my life. i love you, mom. up next -- yasmin vossoughian with pennsylvania representative chrissy houlihan, one of then house democrats targeted by republicans hoping to take over the house. how she plans to fight them off.

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♪♪ good afternoon. i'm yasmin vossoughian. we are following some breaking news. a failed drug test for kentucky derby winner medina spirit, rocking the sports world. the latest fallout from a cyberattack on a key pipeline that provides nearly half of the gas and oil needed in the northeast. a crucial week with big developments on the biden agenda expected from the white house and on capitol hill. and then a showdown just days away on republican liz cheney and whether she'll be stripped of her leadership for refusing to lie about donald trump. plus, live from new york, i've always wanted to say that. it's elon musk. >> we'll make a lot of eye contact with the cast tonight.