about a crippling cyberattack on the u.s., and the fact that russians are behind it. what it means to you. gas prices are ticking up as officials scramble to deal with the attack that has knocked out one of the nation's largest gasoline pipe lines. it delivers about 45% of fuel for the entire east coast. imagine that, nearly half of the fuel for the east coast moving through one pipeline flowing through ten states from texas all the way up to new jersey. after days of public suspicion, the u.s. government is now pointing the finger directly at a russian criminal enterprise known as dark side. and the biden administration is making a full court press today to respond as experts warn this attack shows just how vulnerable our cyber infrastructure really is. >> right now there is not a supply shortage. we are preparing for multiple possible contingencies because that's our job, especially on the homeland security team, and

considering what additional steps may be useful to mitigate any potential disruptions to supply. >> the group is called dark side. they're cybercriminals reportedly separate from the russian government, but as national security experts are quick to point out, nothing of this scale happens in russia without a push, or at the very least, a blessing by vladimir putin. more on that in a moment. meanwhile, the company who says they own the pipeline said they took much of their efforts off line to contain the threat. they did not say if they paid a ransom. but segments of their pipeline is being brought back online slowly. the plan includes an incremental process which would ld includ a -- they've been tracking local police departments.

what's different about this attack is its sheer scope. it is the largest attack ever. goose could hit a 7-year high in the lead-up to memorial day. but experts are asking people not to go out and panic. >> if everybody goes out and fills their tanks up, if they fill buckets, if you will, of a much, much bigger problem that will last longer and lead to more spike heaps. we've also got with us nbc news white house correspondent kelly o'donnell and former fbi agent and author of "messing with the economy," and this is said to be the work of a private criminal enterprise of russian cyber hackers, but when asked about that very thing earlier, the

entire russian government enterprise approximate. >> we don't have cybercriminal exercises in the united states because we would not allow that to be in our country. we would police our own. cybercriminals are allowed to do their work. they can prey on the united states as long as they're not targeting on the russian government. that allows a couple things. lots of tech cam advisers, it's a ten r r this entire pieceware, it's an entire industry. so the only way to do that is to be placed in a location like russia which permits this to happen. russia, in terms of the government perspective, also has it it as a strategic asset, meaning the cybercriminal

industry is a cutout where they can recruit hackers or lean on them, of course, at times to do their bidding. it's a simp yo krakt -- right now we're looking at state sponsorship essentially of cyberattacks. >> how unusual is it for the federal government to publicly attribute an attack so soon after it happened like this? >> i haven't seen it this quickly before, jeff. when north korea attached sony pictures several years ago, if you recall, it took weeks for the fbi to make that attribution, even though everybody knew it was north korea. when the russians attacked the dnc and hacked and stole those e-mails, it was a long time before the fbi made that attribution. you can tell they have some good evidence here. it means the dark side has

essentially opened in a statement made out today. but if criminals were getting on airplanes and flying from russia to the united states and robbing banks and then fleeing back to russia, perhaps we would be looking at this a different way. the russian government is essentially i haven't seen -- heard about this, but they're considering some steps to perhaps regulate and propose some minimum security standards. that's been tried before, jeff, but this may be a wake-up call that those things should be considered. >> to kelly's point, that came up in her white house press

briefing. one of the takeaways is that these private companies should not have been vulnerable to this attack given the ransomware attack was a known threat. and national security officials was explaining where that government line begins. >> tell us more about what the biden administration is doing to address this issue. >> there are people in the cybersecurity issue. corporations, entities, state and local governments. it's not my area of conspiracy theory today what we were hearing from the top homeland security and cyber experts here at the white house is there are some limitations as to what they can do, wanting to be responsive to this country.

many the government doesn't step in here because it is a private company, and much of the infrastructure in the united states is held in these private companies. so the vulnerabilities are a great concern. at the same time they also spoke blt need to address this internationally for that example you gave of getting on an airplane, going and robbing banks somewhere, how to get international partners to not harbor these cybercriminals. the president was asked about the russia implications here, is the dark side asking as a criminal enterprise or is it somehow with the blessing and knowledge of the direction of the kremlin. the president said so far the intelligence is not telling him the russian government is behind it but he holds open that possibility as the investigation unfolds, and he pointed out -- he said in his most definitive terms we've heard yet, jeff, i will be hearing from vladimir putin, and this would be the kind of issue they would discuss. up until this point, we have heard that he extended the

invitation, that discussions were happening at the staff level between the russians and the u.s. to try to create the circumstances for a meeting. the president leaned into it much more fully today, and certainly having more knowledge about russia's culpability, if any, in this particular attack would be important for the president preparing for this in june. >> we've seen the biden administration speak about russian election interference. there are overt actions and there are covert actions. what is the possibility for the u.s. to strike russia covertly? >> the big question is would there be a retaliatory cyberattack for a criminal group, targeting them individually if they had that kind of knowledge, or to try to

coerce or push a company. i think it's more vulnerable, and we have a larger what we call surface area in cyber. any attack we undertake, it actually with their adversaries is easier to attack us, and our infrastructure, for example, like our oil pipeline, or the entire infrastructure in the united states. so part of the reason i think there is hesitancy inside the government to do a very aggressive action like that is more vulnerable on the space and the cost could be far more consequential for us than it is oftentimes for our adversaries. >> clint watt, ken dilanian, thank you for sticking around. kelly o'donnell is going to stick around for us. the president pushed back on the suggestion that americans don't need to work because they're getting enhanced

unemployment. he again made the case for his massive infrastructure bill as a way to create new jobs. >> i never said and no serious analyst ever suggested that climbing out of the deep, deep hole our economy was in would be simple, easy, immediate or perfectly steady. the american rescue plan is just that, a rescue plan. it's to get us out of the crisis and back on track. but it's not nearly enough. that's why we need the american jobs plan. >> kelly o'donnell still with us and joining us is boston globe contributor melanie atkins. a couple big meetings on the docket this week. give us a sense. what is the white house doing this week to really help get this infrastructure bill across the line? >> reporter: the dance card is certainly full, jeff. what we expect is the president

will have his first meeting with what we call the big four, speaker pelosi, majority leader schumer and on the republican side, minority leader mcconnell and congressman mccarthy. he will also meet with joe manchin. later this week, six more senators, a group joined by shelley capito, dealing with more. republicans consistently pushing that the overall number for what they call hard infrastructure r, and democrats saying more can be skbun the that the dwings include buy-ins on that but also

the care economy. the way ids, all those sort of realities of how to pay for that and how it affects the job marketplace and the economy. it's a week of talking, meeting, and the real question, will there be any breakthrough moimts? the white house goal is still to try to get some movement in one of the chambers by the end of may, by memorial weekend knowing that it could take all summer to put something like this through if it has the kind of wheels underneath it and the political will to deliver on this. the president's big bright line, they say, is inaction is not something that he will get behind. jeff? >> yeah. and, kimberly, picking up on that point, the house speaker has said she wants to move on this bill. she wants to have at least a house pass it by the august recess. she wants to move quickly.

as kelly articulated, there is sort of that memorial day deadline. other than that, thoempl -- them sort of navigating this map here. >> president biden does want a package to have some bipartisan support. he's engaging and looking for areas where there can be compromise on the one side. on the other side, you do have folks like senator sanders who and efforts to find some bipartisan consensus in the earlier years. that consensus is you can go bipartisan, but if you can't recognize that quickly, you can

still go big looking ahead. there is a lot at stake, and the reason you have those early deadlines was because of a need to get the economy going and recover from this pandemic. but also the 2022 midterms are right around the corner and democrats are very aware with history really showing that this will go against the democrats, the map showing it will go against them, too, really want to get some wins and some success on the board that show. i didn't intend for you to do it alone even if republicans don't come on at the same time. there are a lot of moving pieces on board right now. >> still ahead, what this work could reveal about the gop. they support.

later, life koutouvides -- continues. and one of the most successful trainers in the sport who is now blaming cancel col co truthfully, it's frustrating to see how fast dust reappears. but dusting with a cloth is a pain. and dealing with a bulky vacuum.. . is such a hassle. uchhh!!! so now we use our swiffer sweeper and dusters. the fluffy fibers? they pick up dust easily.

grabbing it in all those hard-to-reach places. gotcha!!! and for our floors, sweeper's textured cloths lock all kinds of dirt, dust and pet hair. unlike my vacuum, it sneaks under and around places. look at that!! dust free and hassle free. stop cleaning and start swiffering. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™

. this week could tell us a

lot about the future of the republican party. house republicans could vote as soon as wednesday to remove liz cheney from her leadership post over her continued criticism of donald trump. it's almost a foregone conclusion at this point. minority leader kevin mccarthy already endorsed elise stefaniak as her replacement. >> we need a conference chair that's delivering that message day in and day out and uniting the nation to make sure we are on the right footing going forward. >> do you support elise stefaniak for that job? >> yes, i do. >> as nbc's forrest reed points out, solely ouster is the only answer to liz cheney's refusal to concede the election and cheney saying he lost. the biden administration on issues like infrastructure. reed writes this, quote, can

biden really negotiate with a party who still concedes he lost? we may get that answer as kevin mccarthy is expected to visit the white house. with me, leigh ann caldwell and eugene daniels. >> wednesday is expected to be the day because house republicans will meet on wednesday in their regular conference meeting, so this isn't something that's called specifically to address this. they're going to meet, anyway, as planned. but what's expected to happen, a member of congress is expected to call up a vote on no confidence of liz cheney. the conference will vote on that in a secret ballot behind closed doors and a simple majority is

expected to be needed in order for cheney to lose her position. if she does lose that vote, which is expected, the next question is who will replace her? as we know, the top leadership have already endorsed elise stefianik of new york, so when that vote happens, that is a little bit more unclear. i'm told it's not likely to be wednesday because there needs to be some sort of candidate forum where she presents her case following a vote after that that could be any time later this week, it could slip into next week, but this process is going to start on wednesday, jeff. >> and, leigh ann, the congresswoman says she's not going to step down but she's going to run for re-election. what are the next steps here, based on your reporting? >> she's determined to remain a member of congress. she's determined to beat her primary opponents who are stacked up against her back in wyoming, according to the sources i'm talking to, and she wants to be a very vocal voice

on the future of the republican party, something she laid out in an op-ed last week in the "washington post" where she says the party has to choose truth. has to choose consultation over the failure, representative adam kinzinger, he just did an event earlier today where he said it is necessary that the party chooses the path of representative cheney. so their voices might be in the minority at this point, but they're not going to go away, jeff. >> and, eugene, this is not occurring in a vacuum. this is all happening as the white house is trying to bork with with. the former senator chris dodd says the president is sincere in his desire to work with the gdp. it's not common to work with him

specifically on infrastructure. how sdt president do that when the gdp is about to fire his third in command for saying he's a legitimate president. >> the center for joe biden said he would promise to try to work in a bipartisan manner. >> ns -- the covid relief bill really wasn't a place where we could meet, we had kind of a dodd line. and they basically want to put this on republicans. they don'tment many. maybe the until -- but something

not just happening in the house or the way it was put today, family excitement by jen psaki in the press briefing earlier today, but mitch mcconnell also said he is 100% focused on stopping the biden administration. it's not just kind of the fight that they're having over whether or not the election was stolen. we know it's not. and how much president trump, former president trump, should be involved in the republican party, but also in the senate whether or not there are going to be serious negotiations that they're having when the minority leader. they were saying, are they open to splitting this up. one is inaction and one is taxing people that make less

than $400,000 a year. so there is lots of wiggle room in the way the biden administration want to come at this, and that's because they want to do it in a bipartisan manner. >> the status quo right now under president trump's inability to squeeze in trump, but really that's for anybody who wants to run in 2024 unless that person's name is 100%, right? look at the fight of liz cheney right now. she voted 93% of the time when she was in office as a moderate, and the reason that everybody is backing her now is because she's willing to get on board with this big lie that president trump has been kpormg, or the

police have not done anything to counter that sore r or to do so r. we know that he's going to be kind of nchd pmded skpchlt whether or not those people went is remember to show how much ground we have to cover still. >> she won a seat that a dem krask won the entire three sessions boichlt, -- michael a. bolton is expected to highlight so-called deficiencies in intelligence in the lead-up to that riot and his testimony comes as nbc news learns that the highway of department security has tested a new strategy about gathering

intelligence of security threats from social media. the senior dhs official tells nbc news that the goal is to build a warning system featured not on individual posts but emerging narratives that could indicate potential threats and targets. still ahead, states face a new challenge in the race to vaccinate. what do you do when supply exceeds demand? and later, a mother reunited with her husband and children after years apart. look at that. why her story is raising new questions about military husbands and wives vulnerable to deportation. vulnerable to deportation. we use 11. eleven. why do an expense report from your phone when you can do it from a machine that jams? i just emailed my wife's social security number to the entire company instead of hr, so... please come back. how hard is your business software working for you? with paycom, employees enter and manage their own hr data in one easy-to-use software. visit paycom.com for a free demo. hon? first off, we love each other...

saturdays happen. pain happens. aleve it. aleve is proven stronger and longer on pain than tylenol. when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong. >> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple was on a camping trip... ...when their windshield got a chip. they drove to safelite for a same-day repair. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? >> tech: that's service you can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ [♪♪] when you have diabetes, managing your blood sugar is crucial. try boost glucose control. the patented blend is clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels. boost glucose control products contain high quality protein and key nutrients to support immune health. try boost.

brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ (vo) conventional thinking doesn't disrupt the status quo. which is why t-mobile for business uses unconventional thinking to help your business realize new possibilities. only one 5g partner offers unmatched network, support, and value-without any trade offs. 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... uh-oh, sorry... oh... what? i'm an emu! no, buddy! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪

emergency planning for kids. we can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency.

i think you'll see that as we go along and more people will get vaccinated. the cdc will be, almost in realtime, george, updating their guidelines. yes, we need to be more liberal as we get more people vaccinated. >> that's dr. anthony fauci giving possibility to the post-pandemic world that so many of us yearn for, potentially a life one day without masks. dr. fauci suggested that as more people are vaccinated, we can ease mask restrictions indoors. at this point 40% of americans are now fully vaccinated, but

there is a hitch. vaccinations are declining. the daily average has fallen below 2 million doses a day we saw back in march, and several states are turning away vaccine doses because they're supply is exceeding demand. joining me now is the co-director for the center of vaccine development at texas children's hospital, dr. peter hotez. dr. hotez, it's good to see you. i want to start with dr. fauci's comments. he was answering a question put to him, but are you worried about people dropping their guard too soon when it comes to masks? >> i think it is the right thing to do, jeff, because this has been the problem all along. the american people have not really had a road map to follow. they keep hearing these one-off guidelines from the cdc that are not contextualized and a road map of where we're actually heading with the country. this is why you see a number of physicians and others are

criticizing the cdc because they don't understand why the cdc is being so conservative. the message needs to be that as we fully vaccinate the american people, by the summer, and that's because it becomes more easy to vaccinating individuals. as virus transmission goes down, then we open up and look like something we did pre-pandemic with the exception that international travel will still be treacherous and there is a lot of transmission. the flaw in the cdc communication has been not sort of showing the step-by-step road map of how we're opening the country. >> one of the obstacles in the push for widespread vaccinations has been disinformation. this afternoon facebook told the bbc it's going to remove posts in groups that discourage covid-19 vaccines. here's steve hatch.

he's talking about it. take eye look. >> we certainly feel we've got a big responsibility to ensure people are seeing the accurate information. but it's also really important opportunity for us to ensure that every single thing is labeled that relates to vaccines and that be take our guidance from the science. >> what's your reaction to this? >> this is absolutely necessary. i wrote a paper "necessary in nature" for a magazine two weeks ago that said we need to be proactive to not only vaccinate the country but vaccinate the world. for example, the center for counterdigital hate that leads vaccine groups on social media of 58 million followers. we have to keep chipping away at that because they're dominating the internet with fake information and disinformation and it's also coming from the russian government as well which has launched this whole program of weaponized health communication to discredit the

covid-19 vaccine. so we do need an international and coordinated response. it's a welcome development in how these things continue. >> let me ask you this. we've got 34% of american adults who are fully vaccinated. more than half the country of american adults have received one dose of the vaccine. that's not good, it's not good enough. what happened if we plateaued there? paint a picture for us. >> well, the picture is those numbers you provide are an average. the fact is we are emerging in two nations, as unfortunate as it is. you're getting the states in the northeast, california and new mexico, mostly blue and bluish states are getting to 60% who have two doses, so we'll look at the deep red states at the bottom where the numbers are about half that. maybe a little better than half

but not much. that's what i worry about is this divide in the country in terms of one part of the country being able to halt transmission and the other the epidemic is still going to rage. >> our work is not done. dr. peter hotez, thank you for your time as always. this wednesday president biden will sit down with msnbc's lawrence o'donnell town hall on this push to get america vaccinated. that will be right here on msnbc and streaming on telemundo.com. we're seeing more migrant families separated at the border under the trump administration. the next reunion you're going to see is joyful but a little different. she was reunited with her husband and two daughters just in time for mother's day

weekend. alejandra was part of the trump administration and was apart from her family for years. >> this is what healing looks like. this is what this president is doing, healing the country. god bless you. thank you. >> alejandra's story put the spotlight on thousands of military spouses in growing deportation for a pathway of citizenship for the husbands and wives who serve. joining me is nude correspondent matt vinegas. matt, tell me how this meeting came together. >> as you mentioned, she was deported under the trump policy three years ago after being in the country almost 20 years. first off, we have to understand that home is florida for her. although she was married to a

member of the armed services, i.c.e. still ordered her to go to mexico. she did hire an attorney who is looking to help families like hers. through their work they were able to get what's called a humanitarian parole from the biden administration which allowed her back in the country, but this is, of course, only a temporary solution. >> matt venegas, thank you for that report. coming up, a family torn apart by social media. >> the things she sends me, i feel that i can't trust her if she's my mother. >> we have a report on content fueling online and politicization in this country. bob baffert's horse failed a drug test. but this isn't the first time

bob baffert has been in trouble. . impressive! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature. good boy! [laughs] ♪ hold my pouch. ♪ trust us, us kids are ready to take things into our own hands. don't think so? hold my pouch. retirement income is complicated. as your broker, i've solved it. don't think so? that's great, carl. but we need something better. that's easily adjustable has no penalties or advisory fee. and we can monitor to see that we're on track. like schwab intelligent income. schwab! introducing schwab intelligent income. a simple, modern way to pay yourself from your portfolio. oh, that's cool... i mean, we don't have that. schwab. a modern approach to wealth management. we started with computers. we didn't stop at computers. we didn't stop at storage or cloud.

we kept going. working with our customers to enable the kind of technology that can guide an astronaut back to safety. and help make a hospital come to you, instead of you going to it. so when it comes to your business, you know we'll stop at nothing. ♪ ♪ mornings were made for better things to your business, than rheumatoid arthritis. when considering another treatment ask about xeljanz, a pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. xeljanz can help relieve joint pain and swelling, stiffness, and helps stop further joint damage, even without methotrexate. 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. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than eight years ago. xeljanz. wealth is breaking ground on your biggest project yet. worth is giving the people who build it a solid foundation. wealth is shutting down the office for mike's retirement party. worth is giving the employee who spent half his life with you, the party of a lifetime. wealth is watching your business grow. worth is watching your employees grow with it. principal. for all it's worth.

with just days to go before the second leg of the triple crown, it's a question whether the horse who won the kentucky derby will be on the track. medina spirit could be disqualified after failing post-race drug tests. it's not just medina spirit a racing future that is in jeopardy, the horse's hall of fame trainer bob baffert is

indefinitely suspended from racing. he called the failed test, quote, the biggest gut punch in racing for something i didn't do. it's not the first time baffert has faced questions about his horses. joining me now is sports illustrated senior writer pat forbes. he has covered every horse race since 1988. when will we learn the results of the second test? >> it could be a while for the results of the second test. bob has gone toward baltimore leaving churchill downs. his intent is to run the horse in the preakness. we'll see how the american jockey club reacts to that. baffert himself does not plan to attend because he doesn't want to be a distraction to the race, but he does hope medina spirit

can win this part of the triple crown. >> he said, this very much seems like the same sad song, different verse, when it comes to drug testing and sports. the denials are always vigorous. they are often fans and nobody hits 73 home runs in a season without assistance. nobody wins five straight tours defrance. and in a sport like horse racing maybe it's simply too much. it's not just the drug world. is this something the trainers admit? >> that's the problem with americans, frankly. dealing with this particular substance, it's a corticosteroid.

it's not supposed to be given within two weeks of a competition. if it shows up, it's a possible suspension. what it is, it's an overage what's an allowable amount, but most people think it is used for horses that are sore to keep running through soreness, the same reason anti-inflammatories are used for pain. if he gave him the medication, that's a problem, and it's a problem in a sport that has been beset with drug issues for many, many years. >> kathy, what's the latest? when do we expect to know more about the results of this drug test and this horse is set to compete in the preakness this weekend? >> reporter: jeff, that's right. we're kind of in this holding pattern right now. we've been trying to reach out to the kentucky horse racing

commission to get any sort of update as to when we might get the results of the second test, but we spoke to a lot of industry experts and they say it's anyone's guess at this point. it could be in the next couple of days, it could be weeks because this process typically doesn't happen overnight. but obviously because of the controversy surrounding medina spirit, they will likely expedite the test results. but, you know, the horse racing commission is looking into this, but also the trainer, bob baffert, also says he will be looking closely at the dna of the horse, if there's any sort of contamination ma might have happened. he is actually quite shocked that this drug, this steroid was found in his horse, something that he says he didn't do and that there isn't any sort of wrongdoing and he is vowing full transparency on this, jeff. >> and, pat, what's your read on the impact of the sport?

from where i sit, it's depressing. i grew up going to the garden state racetrack with my grandfather watching the horse races on the weekends and stuff, but the doping not only cheats the betting public, but it's also responsible for an uptick in fatal horse injuries. what's your read on this? >> it's a general problem. it's been in horse racing fire long time. they're trying to get them to lessen the amount of medications that a horse can be given to increase the penalties for overages like this. it brings to mind animal cruelty situations, quite frankly. the last thing anyone wants to see is these magnificent animals being pushed to run if they're not sound and healthy. if you get a kentucky derby winner on a drug, it's a big deal, especially if it's a horse

that's won seven of them. you can watch the preakness stakes this weekend on nbc. a majority of americans believe that social media is doing more to divide our nation than unite us, and one of our correspondents put it to a test. we'll tell you what he found, coming up next. we'll tell you w coming up next [sfx: kids laughing] [sfx: bikes passing] [sfx: fire truck siren] onstar, we see them. okay. mother and child in vehicle. mother is unable to exit the vehicle. injuries are unknown. thank you, onstar. ♪ my son, is he okay? your son's fine. thank you. there was something in the road... it's okay. you're safe now.

it's okay. hey lily, i need a new wireless plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this... your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee... . with at&t business... you can pick the best plan for each employee and only pay for the features they need.

most of us are on social media every day, but apparently it is a love/hate relationship. a new poll finds a majority of people believes social media platforms are contributing to polarization of the country. 64% believe it does more to divide than connect us. probably not a surprise. can we do anything to change that? joining me from california, nbc correspondent jake ward. look, it is the question of our era. what role does social media play in how far apart americans are when it comes to politics? >> well, jeff, we spoke to people across the country who are estranged from one another, siblings, children and parents, lifelong friends after one of them went deep into social media. why are we experiencing these different realities?

experts say it has to do with our brains and the industry that grabs onto them. she didn't want to share her name, shares a house with her mother. where is she now? >> i think she's downstairs with my son. >> reporter: social media is tearing them apart. >> things she sends me, i feel i can't trust her, if she's my mother. >> reporter: she says a year ago, her mother started consuming right wing content on social media. >> this election was a military grade sting operation. >> reporter: and is sharing videos about qanon and anti-semitic theories. her mother declined to speak with us. >> it is not that i think she's my enemy, it is that i am afraid she's being used as a weapon against me. >> reporter: researchers say it happens every day. we performed an unscientific test. i took my facebook account that had no followers or friends. >> i am going to follow the top three right leaning pages, plus

some dog content. see what happens. my colleague created a new account, did the same, went left seven days. >> a lot of people just commending president biden's job so far. >> what the hell did joe biden say part 14 on facebook and youtube. >> reporter: clicking on whatever it suggests, melanie's feed stayed with the issues. >> the high cost of prescription drugs. >> reporter: by day three, a lot from one thing. >> a lot from occupy democrats, the dominating force. >> reporter: mine went more and more extreme, recommending new influencers. >> now throwing my dan bongino. >> reporter: conspiracy theories. >> big foot believers. >> reporter: nonstop anger. >> left are becoming racists. >> the other day they sent me a wikipedia for conservatives.

and pretty [bleep] bad. >> reporter: by the end of the week, steady diet of fear. >> the world looks very dangerous. violent robbery caught on camera. woman fires shots at home intruders. >> reporter: facebook had no comment. youtube says recent changes mean watch time of borderline content from recommendations dropped by over 70% of the u.s. researchers say the algorithms are geared to grab us. we click on extreme content, so the system gives us more extreme content. >> over time, that can give you the impression that some things that are more obscure or extreme are very much in the normal sphere of conversation. >> reporter: the most successful influencers are the most extreme. >> on twitter. 73% of posts about politics are created by about 6% of twitter users, and the 6% of users have extreme views. >> reporter: she now belongs to

an online group for adults that lost loved ones to politics on social media. >> it makes it ten times worse knowing this is happening like everywhere in this country right now. >> reporter: jeff, you asked at the beginning of this, what can we do. there are two things experts say to keep in mind. first of all, extreme stuff we see on social media is not representative of everybody. it is a slice of the population amplified. the second thing is it is almost entirely unregulated and not understood. they do not share data. so the effect on americans we can all feel it, but getting into regulating it and understanding it really has to come next, jeff. >> and that experiment you did was as fascinating as it was frightening. jacob ward. thanks for that. that does it for me. ayman mohyeldin picks up coverage coming up next. up coverage coming up next.

voiceover: riders. wanderers on the road of life. 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.

when i was diagnosed with dupuytren's contracture, i waited to get treated. thought surgery was my only option. but then i found out about nonsurgical treatments. it was a total game changer. learn more about the condition at factsonhand.com wanna help kids get their homework done? well, an internet connection's a good start. but kids also need computers. and sometimes the hardest thing about homework

is finding a place to do it. so why not hook community centers up with wifi? for kids like us, and all the amazing things we're gonna learn. over the next 10 years, comcast is committing $1 billion to reach 50 million low-income americans with the tools and resources they need to be ready for anything. i hope you're ready. 'cause we are. ♪♪ lisa here, has had many jobs. she's worked in retail during the holidays. as a barista during rush hour.

and a nanny to a couple of rambunctious kids. now, all that experience has led her to a job that feels like home. with home instead, you too can become a caregiver to older adults, with a career that makes a difference. ♪♪ apply today. ♪♪ good afternoon. i am ayman mohyeldin in new york. the senate is just now gaveling into session at the start of a decisive week in washington for both parties. in the coming days, president biden will host four leaders from the house and senate, including republican kevin mccarthy, and it will be the first time. then a group of six gop senators in what appears to be the final effort to cut a bipartisan deal on infrastructure. all of this as some republicans see weakness in friday's jobs

po