we will be back in washington on monday morning. in the meantime, you can find us on twitter @hallieonmsnbc. highlights from the show will be there. my friend craig melvin picks it up from new york. good friday morning to you. craig melvin here. this hour, new hurdles as democrats struggle to move forward on president biden's agenda. one of those obstacles comes to the tune of $6 trillion. progressive democrats are voting a brand-new sweeping infrastructure proposal. they're not even trying to get republicans on board. will the president accept it? in a few moments, i will talk about what it means for the president's economic agenda with chris van hollen. we are watching for a yen

-- for an update on the vaccine race. a disturbing video from the january 6th insurrection. it showed a man wielding a flagpole in the direction of police officers. the doj has a stunning detail about who he is. a former new york city police officer. we will get an update on the case in a few moments. we start with the new hurdles and passing the president's agenda. garrett haake has the latest from the hill. nbc's mike memoli is standing by for us at the white house. garrett, i will start with you. set the stage for us. where are we right now in this infrastructure negotiation process? we don't know a lot about the bipartisan proposal. some democrats seem to be pressing forward on going at it without republicans. what about that $6 trillion plan progressives are floating? >> reporter: the infrastructure effort is still proceeding on two parallel tracks. bipartisan negotiations about

hard infrastructure, what potentially enough senators from the two parties could agree to, to do in a bipartisan way. a separate track about everything else democrats want to see get done on the president as infrastructure and families related agenda that republicans won't support. we expect to get the details of what's in that bipartisan proposal probably on monday. that's eagerly awaited at the white house as well. the reconciliation package, that's the other stuff that democrats want that they think they can get done on 50 votes continues to grow as more elements getshunted off. the challenge for democrats is keeping both their moderates on board, joe manchin, sinema, others, as the price tag continues to grow. manchin and sinema have been saying right things, that they are looking at what's going on on both tracks and that they are not opposed to anything in that

larger bucket, but when you talk about $6 trillion, that's 6,000 billion dollars, you start making other moderate democrats nervous. so it's going to be very interesting to see if democratic leadership and with help from the white house can keep everybody on board on both of those parallel tracks long enough to get both things passed. >> 6,000 billion. it helps put things in perspective in terms of just how large of a chunk of cash that is. mike memoli, the president has been very clear that he wants a bipartisan deal. do we know if president biden has been briefed yet on this new agreement from the group of 20 senators? >> reporter: craig, the last that we heard from president biden on this directly was 48 hours ago when he was getting on air force 1 from geneva heading home from the foreign trip. he said he had been in touch with his white house chief of staff and some other officials who have remained here in washington working with senators to try to find a deal.

he hadn't really dived into the details just yet. what we know from white house officials who have been here throughout the process is that they have been in touch with democrats as part of the bipartisan group and based on the briefing they saids this -- that they received this week, they need more on the substance and how to pay for it. we heard a discussion about a gas tax as being one of the ways this bipartisan group would pay for their proposal. that's been a red line for the president. he sees that as raising taxes on the middle class. there's a reason we talk about legislating as sausage making. the $6 trillion proposal and this bipartisan group that might be far short of that number, he hopes there's a middle ground. he wants to negotiate the biggest deal possible with republican support and fight over the rest.

as you have bernie sanders in charge of the budget committee in charge of the reconciliation process, they are including things that aren't in the president's proposals, jobs plan, families plan. you have to look at these things as part of a fluid process that might be about pressuring the bipartisan group to try to come up with a solution as well. clearly, democrats have also been maintaining the reconciliation process, including the white house, as a live backup plan if the talks fall through. >> garrett, let's pivot to voting rights for a moment. senator manchin put forward his voting rights compromise. got a pretty big endorsement from stacey abrams. senator mcconnell still vowing to block it. where do things stand there? >> reporter: the manchin compromise is the idea what it would take to get manchin to support any voting rights legislation like what they are probably going to vote on on tuesday. as i said, his proposal, which includes things like making

election day a federal holiday, but provisions about voting i.d., was quickly embraced by stacey abrams who is the democrats' leading voice on these issues. just as quickly knocked down by republicans. take a listen. >> i am endorsing the fact that we now have a list of priorities and that joe manchin is at the table and he is part of the conversation. it's an important step forward as we try to protect the freedom to vote and protect access to the vote that all 50 democratic senators are part of the conversation. >> i think every one of us looks for opportunities to work with senator manchin. we found those opportunities. i actually think when stacey abrams immediately endorsed senator manchin's proposal, it became the stacey abrams' substitute, not the joe manchin's substitute. >> reporter: mcconnell saying he thinks it contains the same

rotten core as did the original for the people act. the difference between this and infrastructure couldn't be broader. this is an issue in which republicans fundamentally believe there's not a role for the federal government to tell states how to run their elections or to change how the fec functions or how candidates raise and spend money in their elections. it's not as though there's a middle ground here on which they could agree for a federal government role. this is something where democrats and republicans are just starkly divided. the tactical victory for democrats is when this bill comes up next week for a vote and it gets defeated, as it almost certainly will, on a 50/50 split, they will at least be able to say, it's the republicans who don't want do this. a long way from any federal election overhaul becoming law. >> garrett haake on the hill. mike memoli at 1600 pennsylvania avenue for us on this friday. gentlemen, enjoy your weekend. i want to bring in senator van hollen, democrat from

maryland. he sits on the senate budget and foreign relations committees. senator, good to see you again. let's start with infrastructure. you had an interesting quote about senator schumer's two-track approach to passing legislation, pass something with bipartisan votes and then turn around and pass even more infrastructure legislation through that procedure known as reconciliation. you said, quote, these are not mutually exclusive tracks. we're going to need to use reconciliation to get other big pieces of the package. what big pieces specifically do you think can only pass through reconciliation? >> well, craig, it's good to be with you. if you look at president biden's american jobs plan, that's the plan for moderniing our infrastructure, if you look at the american families bill, we know the bipartisan bill, if it emerges, will not begin to meet those needs and that ambition,

which is important for the country. which is why no matter what, we're going to have to have a reconciliation process that gets all 50 democratic senators on board. that's not a backup plan. that would be in addition to the bipartisan plan, if the bipartisan plan goes forward. all the climate change provisions, try to electrify our power supplies throughout the country in terms of other affordable housing initiatives in the president's plan as well as the issues of early childhood education, funding for job training and free community college, those are all parts of president biden's plan. those will not be part of the skinny infrastructure bill. reconciliation will be required to move forward on those big pieces. >> this reporting on the $6

trillion infrastructure bill that some progressive democrats are pushing, are you willing to go that big? >> i support the framework laid out in the senate budget committee plan. this is going to be a discussion we have with our caucus. nothing, of course, is final here. it will all be subject to discussion and debate. i think if you look at the needs of the country, whether it's modernizing our infrastructure as well as those other important investments i talked about, whether it's early childhood education, childcare, the whole range of issues that the president has laid out, i do think that we need to meet the moment. >> how do you pay for it? >> well, it's important to point out that president biden has proposed ways to pay for it. i'm glad you focused on that.

we would, number one, raise the corporate tax rate. under trump it was dropped way down to 20%, 21%. close a lot of these international tax breaks. u.s. and multinational corporations park their profits in tax havens. that's another source. number two, making sure that a lot of the wealthy people in the country today actually pay the taxes that are due and owing. we know from the irs that if we put more money into enforcement, we can collect about $700 billion over the next ten years from people who are not paying what they already owe. then, of course, craig, we saw just the other day how unfair our tax system is. some of the wealthiest people in the country paying zero income taxes. this will be paid for with respect to ongoing programs.

we can have a debate about how much you have to pay for one time infrastructure investments. but in terms of the other pieces, the president laid out a very clear plan to pay for it. >> let's turn to voting rights here, for a moment. i'm sure you are away, joe manchin put out his checklist for a voting rights package. stacey abrams endorsed it. senator mitch mcconnell says no republican will ever vote for it. what can possibly bridge that divide? >> craig, this is the case where reporting indicated, mitch mcconnell will do everything possible to prevent his republican senators from supporting this. they do not want national standards to protect access to the voting booth. they want to allow these republican-controlled state legislatures to be able to put

up barriers to voting, because they realize that if you have an even playing field and use the access to the voting booth for all eligible voters, that republicans cannot win on the basis of their agenda. so they have to win by subtraction, by denying people access. the other point is, mitch mcconnell has always been the foe of what we call the disclose act. the disclose act would allow -- would prevent secret money, secret money that tens of millions of hundreds of millions of dollars of secret money flowing into our elections. mitch mcconnell likes the secret money. he likes these big corporations that can spend money to support republican candidates without the public knoing about it. he doesn't want the public to know who is spending all this money to try to win elections and shape policy in washington. this is why he will fight this

to the end. show he showed up in person to testify against this bill. we need to move forward. we need to move forward to protect our democracy and to end the corrupting influence of all this secret money in politics. >> senator chris van hollen of maryland, have a great weekend. thank you. >> you too. new this morning, the justice department releasing disturbing new video from january 6. it's bodycam footage they say shows a former new york city police officer allegedly wielding a flagpole at the capitol. details on that case and the first sentencing next. plus, quote, covid on steroids. that's what a former member of the white house covid response team is calling the emerging delta covid variant. it is more contagious and it's gaining a foothold in more

communities. coming up, what it means for our race to vaccinate more americans. er of my eye. just a blur when they jumped the median. there was nothing i could do. (daughter) daddy! (dad vo) she's safe because of our first outback. and our new one's even safer. (vo) the subaru outback, an iihs top safety pick+. the highest level of safety you can earn. [lazer beam and sizzling sounds] ♪♪ new dove men deodorant is different. it has 48 hour protection. and a plant-based moisturizer... that cares for your skin. odor protection that works new dove men plant-based care.

you're clearly someone who takes care of yourself. so why wait to screen for colon cancer? because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. i'm cologuard. i'm noninvasive and detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers even in early stages. tell me more. it's for people 45 plus at average risk for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your prescriber or an online prescriber if cologuard is right for you. i'll do it. good plan. not everybody wants the same thing. i'll do it. that's why i go with liberty mutual — they customize my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. 'cause i do things a bit differently. wet teddy bears! wet teddy bears here! only pay for what you need.

♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ in business, it's never just another day. it's the big sale, or the big presentation. the day where everything goes right. or the one where nothing does. with comcast business you get the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses and advanced cybersecurity to protect every device on it— all backed by a dedicated team, 24/7. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next.

comcast business powering possibilities. history says: fine jewelry for occasions. we say: forget occasions. (snap) fine jewelry for every day, minus the traditional markups. ♪♪ two major developments today in the january 6th insurrection. new bodycam video from that day has been ordered to be released in the case of a retired new york city police officer. that former officer is accused of attacking officers with a flagpole. we are expecting new information

in what's likely to be the first sentencing in the attack. nbc's scott mcfarlane has been following this case from the very beginning. he joins me now with the latest developments. scott, let's start with the new video. what more can you tell us about that? >> reporter: good morning. this is an officer accused of striking and assaulting another officer on january 6th. we went to court to get the video. we heard that it was powerful and instructive to the judge. you can see why. we went through court filings overnight and learned more about thomas webster of new york. he is fighting his pre-trial detention. he wants to be released from jail until trial. as part of his argument, he says it was the officer partly responsible for this assault, saying the officer was mocking the people in the crowd, that the officer was making, quote, provocative hand gestures off camera and that the chemical spray used, he says, by police,

stirred up this peaceful crowd. prosecutors have to respond to the request by thomas webster by release by june 24th. that's thursday. we will see if his argument goes anywhere, craig. >> scott, what can you tell us about the sentencing? >> reporter: we were supposed to have our first sentencing in the january 6th case today. it was postponed due to the federal holiday and the closure of courts. it's a lower level case. her name is anna morgan. she's from florida and says her hairstylist told her to come up here on january 6th. not accused of assaulting anyone. not accused of any damage of property. we are told, they will recommend three years probation. no jail time. she's requesting 40 days community service and a $500 fine. we will find out next week what her sentence is when she officially pleads guilty. a plea hearing scheduled for next week. this may not be a canary in a coal mine. it's a lower level. it might not be instructive of what's to come.

>> got it. you are following another big case as i understand it involving a rioter out of texas? >> reporter: the dallas area. guy rethen. he has been charged with transporting weapons in furtherance of civil disruption. it puts a firearm at the nexus of january 6th. third department connected to having a firearm here, it was an ar-15. a bad day to claim this was an unarmed insurrection, just the allegation itself. >> scott mcfarlane, keep us posted. i know you will. thank you. we continue to follow that news out of arizona. one person dead, 12 others are hurt after what appears to be a series of drive-by shootings northwest of phoenix.

have police identified a motive yet? >> reporter: craig, one dead among four shot, among 12 injured, among eight separate incidents spread out across three cities in this degraphic location. the numbers are unbelievable. police were very dedicated and focussed on a singular digit, which is one, one person in custody. according to police, went into custody without incident after they tracked him down at a routine traffic spot. there wasn't a shootout. i said that without answering your question because we don't know the motive. it sounds like based upon what police have said in statements in news conferences that they have no idea what the motive is. they are trying to connect the dots on the geographic significance of a shooting so widespread. they are still in the beginning stages of that. among the 12 injured, it sounds

like police are saying that most of them suffered non-life-threatening injuries. that's good news. as far as the why, we know that the fbi is now on the ground assisting with the investigation. we simply don't know much more. we are expected to learn more today. police may have a press conference. we may shed light on what happened here in arizona. for now, it seems to be we're in the dark. craig? >> another mass shooting in this country. steve patterson, phoenix, arizona, on friday. thank you. a few hours from now, president biden will address his administration's push to vaccinate more americans. vice president harris is in atlanta doing the same thing. let's not forget the july 4th deadline for the goal of getting 70% of american adults vaccinated, that's right around the corner. this new more contagious delta variant now. in missouri, where 37% of folks are vaccinated, that variant now

showing up in their sewer systems. we are on the ground there with that next. introducing the new citi custom cash℠ card, a different kind of card that rewards rashida where her spending is trending. just ask overly confident diy rashida rashida: wait, was this the right wall?

or last minute gift shopping rashida rashida: i'm putting a bow on it! wow. even sneaking away for a vacay rashida. rashida: shhh! i've earned this? from home improvement, drugstores, select travel and more earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. ♪ ♪ the light. it comes from within. it drives you. and it guides you. to shine your brightest. as you charge ahead. illuminating the way forward. a light maker. recognizing that the impact you make, comes from the energy you create. introducing the all-electric lyriq. lighting the way. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ when technology is easier to use...

♪ barriers don't stand a chance. ♪ that's why we'll stop at nothing to deliver our technology as-a-service. ♪

this afternoon, president biden will give the nation's

update on our vaccine progress. we are just over two weeks away from the 4th of july. the president's target date to have at least one vaccine dose into the arms of 70% of adults. right now, we are averaging just over a million shots a day. just 65% of adults have gotten their first shot. new concerns about what one former white house covid advisor is calling coronavirus on steroids. it's that delta variant that's now spreading rapidly throughout the country. the cdc says the delta variant makes up 10% of all u.s. cases. experts warn it could become this country's most dominant strain. ellison barber joins me from missouri. she's at a wastewater facility where it was detected last month. ellison, what are you hearing from people there about these growing concerns over this new variant? >> reporter: they are worried.

the university of missouri is working with the state's health department to test wastewater from facilities just like this one all across the state. what they are able to do when they pull this wastewater sewage is not only identify whether or not covid-19 is in the sewage but they can identify which variants are prevalent. what they tell us they are seeing is not only is the delta variant here in this state, but they say it is spreading incredibly fast, especially in rural areas where there are lower rates of vaccination. listen to more of what we heard. >> with missouri, it's amazing. we are not talking about one continuous city. this is small, individual communities. >> in november, when we weren't dealing with the variant income our community, we had maybe one or two members of a household testing positive.

now we have seen whole households testing positive. >> this seems to be spreading faster? >> yes. >> reporter: the county health administrator who you heard from there here in lynn county, she says what they are seeing in terms of household is that in the past with other variants of covid-19, if one person were to get sick in the household, they could isolate, they could do the recommended mitigation techniques and then maybe the rest of the household or at least half of them wouldn't contract covid-19. with the delta variant, which is -- seems to be the most prevalent in this county right now, they are seeing that those mitigation efforts, isolation, things that worked in the past with the other variants, aren't working this time. those households where it's not working and where people are contracting covid-19 and getting it quickly are unvaccinated homes. she and other health officials tell us they are hoping that awareness of the delta variant being here in counties like this one will make people who are unvaccinated think twice and perhaps go ahead and finally get

vaccinated. this county, only 31% of residents are fully vaccinated. craig? >> ellison barber in missouri at a wastewater treatment plant. thank you. we are getting a look at vice president kamala harris arriving just moments ago in atlanta, georgia. there's the vice president there. she was greeted by the mayor of atlanta. also greeted by senators warnock kamala harris on the ground in atlanta, landing moments ago. i want to turn to dr. blackstock, the founder and ceo of advancing health equity.

she's an msnbc medical contributor. always good to have you. let's start with what we heard from ellison there on the delta variant. cdc director, dr. walensky, talking about that on abc this morning. here is part of what she had to say. >> it is more transmissible than the alpha variant or uk variant we have here. we saw that quickly become the dominant strain in a period of one or two months. i anticipate that's what's going to happen here. >> dr. blackstock, how worried are you? >> i'm concerned, craig. this is the worst and scariest variant yet. it's more transmissible than the alpha variant. there's evidence that it causes more severe disease. we also know that in people who are unvaccinated and partially vaccinated, they can still be

infected and get seriously ill. we saw what happened with the spike in india, with the spike in the uk. we are seeing in the u.s., a lot of young, unvaccinated people and being in the icu. this push over the next few weeks is important overall, because of the pandemic. but there's even more urgency because of the delta variant. >> when you say it's more transmissible, does that -- i'm using this number because it's a round number. let's say it takes ten seconds in a normal setting for covid to be spread. with this new variant, does that mean it spreads with five seconds of exposure? not to oversimplify it. >> it's more that it's more likely to spread. one person can infect four people, for example. if someone is standing close to someone and they have a less transmissible variant, they may not be infected. this variant, as ellison said

earlier, seeing whole households infected with this variant as opposed to two or three people. >> the cdc data shows right now about 10%, roughly 18 million americans, have gotten their first dose. for whatever reason, they didn't get their second shot. clear up confusion. if you missed the first dose, you are supposed to go back on a monday or tuesday, can you go back two or three weeks later, a month later and that second dose is still effective? >> yes, absolutely. even if people go back for their second dose outside of that three and four-week window for the mrna vaccine, that second dose is highly effective. even two or three months later. we really do want, especially because of the delta variant, for people to get both doses of their vaccine. i think that what we are seeing is that there are some problems with messaging around the

importance of the second vaccine. i know people have expressed fear about side effects with the second vaccine, because they are more likely to experience vaccine side affects the second time. i think that we have to really communicate over the next few weeks that that second dose is key to being fully immunized. >> the biden administration announcing on thursday that it plans to invest about $3.2 billion to build up this country's supply of drugs to treat covid and to treat future viral threats. the department of health and human services saying the money will go towards clinical trials, manufacturing of promising treatments for covid. what did you make of that announcement yesterday? >> i think it's important. we still don't have a cure for covid. vaccines are a preventative measure. we don't have a cure yet. we know there are a significant number of american that even

when they are vaccinated don't develop an immune response. for those people, we are going to need to make sure that we have therapeutics available, even a pill that we can give early -- within days of being infected that can be effective against developing severe symptoms. i think this investment is timely. i think it's needed, because we know that coronavirus will probably be with us in the population for some time. >> dr. blackstock, we will leave it there. have a great weekend. thank you for your time. >> you too. america has a new national holiday. juneteenth. the weight of this moment not lost on the president and vice president. >> we must teach our children our history. >> all americans can feel the

power of this day and learn from our history. and celebrate progress and grapple with the distance we have come but the distance we have to travel. >> how galveston, texas, the place in 1865 where enslaved african-americans found out they were free. how galveston is honoring its past and pushing for a brighter future. from prom dresses to workouts and new adventures you hope the more you give

the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. ♪ when i was young ♪ no-no-no-no-no please please no. ♪ i never needed anyone. ♪ front desk. yes, hello... i'm so... please hold. ♪ those days are done. ♪ i got you. ♪ all by yourself. ♪ go with us and find millions of flexible options. all in our app. expedia. it matters who you travel with. nobody builds 5g like verizon builds 5g because we're the engineers expedia. who built the most reliable network in america.

thousands of smarter towers, with the 5g coverage you need. broader spectrum for faster 5g speeds. next-generation servers with superior network reliability. because the more you do with 5g, the more your network matters. it's us...pushing us. it's verizon...vs verizon. and who wins? you. [lazer beam and sizzling sounds] ♪♪ - [narrator] at southern new hampshire university, we're committed to making college more accessible by making it more affordable, that's why we're keeping our tuition the same through the year 2021. - i knew snhu was the place for me when i saw how affordable it was. i ran to my husband with my computer and i said, "look, we can do this." - [narrator] take advantage of some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation.

find your degree at snhu.edu. ♪ sometimes you wanna go ♪ ♪ where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪♪ ♪ and they're always glad you came ♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to see you. welcome to allstate, where we're driving down the cost of insurance. ♪ ♪ drivers who switched saved over $700. allstate. here, better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands. call a local agent or 1-800-allstate for a quote today. (laverne cox) surround yourself with people that know your worth. call a local agent ♪stand up, when you're standing in the♪ ♪presence of a legend♪

♪stand up♪ ♪when you're standing in the presence♪ ♪of a legend♪ ♪stand up♪ ♪when you're standing in the presence♪ ♪of a woman that's done done it way before your♪ ♪legs were walkin' let your actions do the talkin'♪ ♪you better stand, stand, stand, stand up♪ juneteenth is now this country's newest federal holiday. the first in more than 40 years now. juneteenth, known as freedom day, it celebrates the day texas slaves found out they were, in fact, free from union soldiers in 1865. two years after the emancipation proclamation was signed. it has taken more than 150 years for the day to be recognized by the federal government. on thursday, president biden signing the juneteenth national

independence day act into law during a ceremony at the white house. here is part of his remarks. >> great nations don't ignore their most painful moments. they don't ignore those moments in the past. they embrace them. great nations don't walk away. we come to terms with the mistakes we made. and in remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger. >> morgan radford traveled to galveston, texas, where folks are working hard to preserve the legacy. morgan, how are people there teaching galveston's history to new generations? >> reporter: it's interesting, craig. this is really a celebration of freedom. it's a way to honor this historic day in our past. so they're doing it in an

interesting way through art in galveston, texas. it's the place where those federal soldiers came in to let the last slaves know that they were, in fact, free. one man decided that he is going to share this message and this legacy with the world. take a listen. this year, reginald adams wanted to do something special for juneteenth. >> it's critical that these moments in time are spoken out loud. >> reporter: he created a mural to honor the day the last american slaves were freed, more than 150 years ago right here in galveston, texas. why now? why is the message of this mural to important? >> why not now? for decades people didn't know about the history of their own city. >> reporter: he created an interactive digital code that visitors can scan to learn more. >> we looked at this project as an outdoor classroom. >> reporter: and got student involved in the project. >> somebody who doesn't know what juneteenth is sees this, that he are like, wow, what is

this? >> reporter: many here say now is the time to honor a history too often overlooked. >> enslaved people -- >> reporter: this man is a historian with galveston's juneteenth project. where are we? >> we are at pier 21 where enslaved african-americans arrived. >> reporter: mostly black union soldiers rode into texas to tell slaveholders they had to respect the emancipation proclamation signed two years earlier. >> in the union soldiers are not arrived, i don't think they would have enforced it until this day. >> reporter: why residents here say this history still matters. what do you hope that people take away when they walk by and see this work of art? >> i want people to be inspired and hopefully learn something they didn't know before they saw the work of art. >> reporter: a work of art honoring the past. craig, what's interesting is the

way that they made this a community classroom. for example, they had students get involved in this project. they held a contest to allow them to paint the mural. the woman who we interviewed there, she won a college scholarship through her participation in painting the mural. she's headed to college this fall. >> that's a great story. especially the digital component to the mural. here is the thing, i don't think a lot of folks fully appreciated galveston, texas' role, if you will, in our country's history, until the last few years. >> reporter: yeah. it's interesting. it's something that texas has honored and celebrated for many years. i know i'm from north carolina, you are from the other care lie. we learned about it as southerners. one thing i was fascinated to learn this time around is that there were black union soldiers

who came. as those slaves were being freed, they saw this example of what they could be. it's a powerful message that they are trying to recreate with this project, craig. >> morgan radford, solid reporting. one correction, you said the other carolina. it's the original carolina. have a great weekend. >> thanks. this weekend is a special one for dads. for me, this father's day is extra special. my new book on fatherhood called "pops" is out this week. i had a candid conversation about the book with my good friends and my colleagues, al roker and carson daly, including what it was like growing up with a dad who struggled with addiction. we will bring you part that was conversation next. conversation next.

uno, dos, tres, cuatro! [sfx]: typing [music starts] [sfx]: happy screaming [music ends]

[♪♪] looking for superior protection against uv damage and early skin aging? try neutrogena ultra sheer. it provides exceptional cellular protection from burning uvb rays and aging uva rays. save 25% at neutrogena.com

♪welcome back to that same old place♪ ♪that you laughed about♪ ♪well, the names have all changed♪ ♪since you hung around♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to see you. welcome back, america. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

hey google, turn up the heat. ♪ ♪ ♪ you may have noticed i was off the show for a few days this week. that's because i have been getting the word out about my new book called "pops." it is about my relationship with my now sober dad to struggled mightily with alcohol addiction. but it's also about resilience and forgiveness. the ways we've healed over the

years. and all of the father figures in my life and thousand embrace developing relationships with my own children. as we look ahead to father's day sunday, i sat down with carson daly and had a candid conversation. >> the first line of the book -- >> he was born in west virginia prison. >> now that i am a dad sharing the story of my own father, it fells like something i needed to do. it is a story of resilience, overcoming, a story of when there is someone you love, you don't write then off. >> it's a pretty honest, raw, look at a situation that a lot of people might not be willing to share.

>> it was cheaper than therapy during the pandemic. when i started doing the series on the show for dads, i started to meet a lot of guys like us who were extraordinary in terms of the way they parent, but otherwise ordinary folks. i think that led me to start to really look at the relationship i have with my dad. we have come a long way, but growing up it was hard. >> growing up in columbia, south carolina, my mom was a constant present for my brother and me, showering us with love and attention. we never doubted my father lawrence loved us, too, but he worked the overnight shift at the postal service and he drank. >> was he around much? >> he was there physically. he worked third shift which didn't help obviously. so he was sleeping during the day, working at night. the older we got, the worse the

drinking got. by the time i left for college we were almost estranged. >> he was a black man in the south at a tough time, a different time. >> this is something i found out during the course of the book. my dad didn't know who his father was until he was almost a teenager. i think it's unreal unrealistic someone they haven't seen. >> after struggling with alcohol, my family staged an intervention. i will never forget my first visit there. >> i am crying and he is crying. in all the years he has never written me a letter, but he has

written me a letter. we sat and had breakfast. i will remember that day. in that moment i knew, everything changed between us. after years of strife we formed a real connection. >> what is your relationship now? >> the best it has ever been. he will call random, just calling to check on you. >> has he read the book? >> the first book. -- the first. the role made me the parent. >> i have seen you as a dad. how did you make the jump? >> fortunately, along the way i have always had men in my life i could look at, personally and

professionally. i consider both of you mentor. you for different reasons than carson. longevity, although, hell, i guess the same could be said for you, carson. >> four kids. >> it sounds like you had a solid relationship with your dad. >> yes. >> i have one now. i wish i had had it 20 years ago, but what can you do? if there is anything i have learned, it is that sometimes you can make up for lost time. seeing my own dad dote over his grandkids, there is nothing better. >> we went to the soccer game and he was on the sideline like he was coaching. my son hadn't scored all season, first 30 seconds, dribble, dribble, dribble score. having him experience that, in terms of our relationship now, i'm so thankful for it.

>> i see these pictures of your dad with your kids. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ >> it makes me smile. i think about it now. what a great gift. >> it's the greatest gift, al. >> i so enjoyed my time with my buddies al and carson. the book is called "pops." and you can pick up a copy anywhere books are sold. that is going to do it for me. happy father's day to all of the dads out there. "andrea mitchell reports" starts next. a mitchell reports" starts next ♪ yum ♪ ♪ yum yum (clap, clap) yum yum (clap) yum yum ♪ i'm here and suddenly... ♪ yum ♪ ...my migraine takes me somewhere else. where there's pain, and nausea.

but excedrin pulls me back in a way others don't. and it relieves my symptoms fast for real migraine relief. age-related macular degeneration may lead to severe vision loss. so the national eye institute did 20 years of clinical studies on a formula only found in preservision. if it were my vision, i'd ask my doctor about preservision. it's the most studied eye vitamin brand. if it were my vision, i'd look into preservision. only preservision areds2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the nei to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. i have amd. it is my vision so my plan includes preservision. introducing the new citi custom cash℠ card, a different kind of card that rewards dan where his spending is trending. just ask stepping outside his comfort zone dan... dan: okay, i don't know where the hole for this is. or fourth time streaming that period drama dan... dan: you just made me miss her best line, dan: so now i'm going to have to start it again. even insisted he didn't need directions dan. dan: okay, i'm not lost. i'm exploring. dan: that said, do you know where i am?

from select gas, streaming, travel and more earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. ♪ ♪ when technology is easier to use... ♪ barriers don't stand a chance. ♪ that's why we'll stop at nothing to deliver our technology as-a-service. ♪

introducing aleve x. to it's fast, powerfulgy long-lasting relief with a revolutionary, rollerball design. because with the right pain reliever... life opens up. aleve it, and see what's possible. you can do better! let's go get a freshly made footlong from subway®. thanks, tony! thank you!

♪♪ choose better, be better. and now save when you order in the app. subway®. eat fresh. good day. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington where president biden is monitoring a wave of new developments on his top priorities. the white house is reviewing a new bipartisan pitch on infrastructure as relief negotiations takes another step forward and voting rights seems to be the most divisive issue on capitol hill. the president will be speaking about the pandemic this afternoon as a dangerous new delta variant spreads across the country and the pace of vaccinations slows to a crawl