♪♪ it's great to be with you i'm geoff bennett. as we come on the air this hour the president is about to hold a white house summit with community leaders on the rise of gun violence in american cities since the start of the pandemic. we'll have my interview with one

of those leaders who will meet with the president, baltimore mayor brandon scott, that's coming up in just a moment. at the meeting at the white house, president biden will give his first formal address on crime, he'll appear alongside the attorney general and outline five steps aimed at curbing gun violence from funding to new officers and new equipment. to community solutions like new job opportunities and summer programs. and also offering help for people just getting out of prison. politically, though, the president is walking a tight rope here. crime rates are rising since the start of the pandemic and there is growing certain about violence in some of america's cities. but the spike in crime follows a year-long reckoning with the role of law enforcement. and there is less appetite especially among the president's space for the kind of posturing when we saw when crime fights back in the 1990s. kicking off the our, mike

memoli, and retired police chief, msnbc analyst carmen best. mike, the president has been talking with the mayor in the last few days to get an uptick in crime. today, the president is going to put forward some solutions. give us a sense of what we expect to hear from him. >> reporter: well, geoff, you just covered in the last administration of a president who espoused himself about law and order. this is president biden as a member of the judiciary committee, spending time on these issues trying to frame the debate for this administration, by the way, in ways that he feels are effective agency crime strategies as well. that includes what we'll hear the president talking about today which includes taking executive action to make sure federally licensed firearms dealers are following the letter of the law. trying to stem the flow of illegal guns in the country.

this is ahead of the selection of the atf director. and using which of that relief money, the $1.9 trillion rescue plan to hire more police officers but also community violence intervention programs as well. it's been interesting that this white house and white house press secretary jen psaki got asked a few times today in her briefing was it against republican proposals to reprogram, as they put it, use some of that recovery act money for infrastructure. but in her view, this is exactly what the rescue plan was designed to do. because they are tying this rise in crime, the spike, especially in the summer months to the pandemic and some of the dislocating economic effects of that as well. so, part of this is going to include a conversation behind closed doors with some community leaders kand remarks with the attorney general in the state dining room later today, geoff. >> although they could it do it in the rose garden because it's

a nice day out here in d.c. >> reporter: it is, it is. >> mike, this is an issue, as you well know, the president has to find a way to address this issue, this uptick in violent crime, without exacerbating existing tensions on policing. or really undermining the criminal justice reform efforts that are ongoing which are a top democratic priority. >> reporter: that's exactly right. this is a tight rope, by the way that biden walked as a candidate both in the democratic primaries as well as in the general election when there was so much focus on the demonstrations we saw on the streets and some of the more violent episodes in american cities. so the president, the white house, has been asked about whether or not they are concerned this could disrupt very extremely sensitive discussions happening with that small group of lawmakers. including republican tim scott. they are confident that the kind of measures that the president is putting forward are sort of common sense measures that won't impact these discussions

regarding specifically specifically around law enforcement. but what did we see with president obama in his administration, as there were very sensitive discussions happening about immigration reform. he took executive action that according to republicans at the time spoiled the atmosphere and made it impossible to move forward. it's something that's very difficult and very much they need to keep in mind here, geoff. >> and chief best, looking at the numbers, in the first quarter of this year, compared to 2020, there's been a 24% increase in homicides. and a 22% increase in gun assaults, the rate of gun assaults compared to 2019 homicides are up by 49%. this is post pandemic, obviously. there's no one answer to what causes an uptick in crime. but what do you make of this trend? >> you're exactly right. there is no one size fits all answer for what -- what we're seeing in an uptick in violence. and i think most researchers

would say correlation is not causation. but we can see a correlation to all of the all of the issues around defunding the police and taking a lesser role, for police officers, working with the government. i think it's really time for us to have a strategy. i applaud the biden administration for looking for a strategy that's comprehensive. is it looks not only at how can these agencies do their job better. but also looking at how we can better support the environment and the economies that are out there. the communities that need support, upstream intervention and prevention. jobs for young people. and having community policing. those things only help support the community. we all have to recognize that we are in this together. and cutting out any one part is not going to make us any more safer. and the data shows that.

>> our friend cammish is with us. you were in a briefing and broke free from the camera, i appreciate you. the white house has a conversation with mayors and community leaders about the rise in violent crime. but it's important for the white house to win the message. certainly, there are republicans who tried to paint president biden as soft on crime. trying to say democrats and president biden want to defund the police, what's your take on all of this? >> that's all true. i should tell you i'm happy to be able to enjoy you from this amazing luxury space from the white house. in talking to white house officials, they're really doubling down this idea that president biden is very concerned about violence and gun violence. they say that really goes back all the way to the 1990s. of course, there was a 1994 crime bill. they say, even after that, there

was a real feeling that the president wanted to focus on keeping communities safe. they don't really -- either on the record or background, white house officials don't really want to show or talk about the political catalyst here. it's a huge one. all you have to do is look at the new york city mayoral race and understand that the democrat is winning in that big blue city, new york city, and it tells you that republicans are really trying to take the idea of the surge we're seeing in crime and use it against democrats saying they're soft on crime. saying they want to defund the police. we heard the white house press secretary just a few minutes ago reiterate that the president is not in favor of defunding the police. and that in fact he is looking at having federal funds be used to hire even more police including the prepandemic levels. there are a lot of activists, especially a year and a couple months after the death of george floyd who are very worried that the reaction to the surge in crime is going to end up in mass

in incarceration, it's going to end up in overpolicing in communities. and president biden with this idea that he's soft on crime, that he can do real damage and even roll back some of the initiatives that came after this racial reckoning that we all lived through this last year. >> the government can only do so much when it comes to addressing crime. in local cities. so, i want to ask you this, you worked your way up all the way up from being a police officer to ultimately becoming a chief of the seattle police department before you retired, what are the best practices here? i mean, what's do local communities and what do police departments need to do in order to provide for public safety in a way that's also, you know, effective, but also responsible? >> -- want to take on to make sure of the safety. also engaging with the community at the same time. i think we can all recognize there are things that need to be

addressed in policing. with issues about race and racism. trying to make sure that we have fair and just policing. that we do need to have police officers. that we do need to have people working with the community. there are lots of things we can do with legislation. closing the gun shop loophole. making sure we don't allow high capacity magazines. ensuring that we have both the education and the job opportunities for young people, so they're less likely to engage in criminal acts. and that we're bringing communities and police together to work on these pervasive issues that we're all facing in society. i think we're coming out what is ostensibly one of the most polarizing periods, with the past administration. and we have an opportunity here to bring people together, to refocus on community safety. >> carmen best, and yeim thank

you. we have brandon scott. i appreciate your time this afternoon. in just the last week and a half, baltimore has seen a surge in violent crime. at least 18 people have been killed in baltimore since june 12th. what accounts for that? >> there's many different things. we have folks that are dying over petty conflicts. we have folks who are dying over the use of illegal drugs and drug activity and drug money. we have folks dying over incidents with a domestic partner. it's critical to understand it's not just one thing that's driving this violence but we know this disease of gun violence has been plaguing cities like baltimore and other cities and we have to address it. >> yeah, it's not just one thing. it's just not one city and not just baltimore. what are you hearing from your fellow mayors about the rise in

crime? >> same thing, one thing we all know is the flow of illegal guns into our city. in baltimore, 60% of weapons we encountered came from other states. that's why i partnered with gun safety and my police department that can have a police department to work with atf to hunt down the practices that are fuelling violence. ghost guns, guns that we're recovering over 800% increase in baltimore this year. all of these things on top of a pandemic, and the stress, the economic stress, on top of the long, decades long distance between communities of color and others are all fuelling this violence across the country. >> and president biden, as you know, he says he wants to crack down on illegal gun sales and use some of the covid relief money to allow mayors like yourself to invest in community policing. how is that for a start? what else do you want to hear and see from the administration? >> well, just to have a

president say that we have to envest in community-based programs. we have a great program in baltimore called safe streets that has helped neighborhoods that doesn't go months without violence to go years from it. we have folks that are doing a big 911 diversion program. we have to deal with it on both ends. this can no longer be simply about law enforcement. we have to crack down on gun trafficking of illegal guns while simultaneously empowering communities to build up their efforts to reduce violence. i think the president is taking a big step and we look forward to seeing folks support him as we expand that work in baltimore and throughout the country. >> let me ask you this, how will you navigate, ensuring that baltimore is safe for the people that live there. investing in the police force but also making sure that baltimore never again sees what happened in 2015 with the killing of freddie gray, a

25-year-old black man whose spinal cord was severed. and he ultimately died. and that happened in police custody. he was in a police transport van. >> yeah, i think when you look at baltimore, and you look at the untimely, unfortunate and unacceptable death of freddie gray. you can now look at our department being under the strictest consent decree in the country. many of the things that people are calling for nationally, use of force, all of those things are things that baltimore did years ago. through that effort of reform, while simultaneously doing what we haven't done in our city, and that's to actually invest in neighborhoods that have been left behind by red lining, something that was started really in baltimore via legislation. and that's for peoples and communities that have been left behind for far too long, while building up opportunities. you do that while simultaneously holding people accountable for bringing guns into our city. for killing people in our city, that's how you tackle this issue.

it's not just one thing that's going to solve it, but a totality of understanding how we're going to cure our city of violence. >> baltimore mayor brandon scott. appreciate your time, sir. it's a very busy day for you. thank you. >> thank you. and we'll have more breaking news this hour. the first sentening in connection with the capitol riot. the case, an indiana grandmother. also ahead, britney spears will make a rare appearance in a highly anticipated court hearing in just hours. the latest on her fight to regain control of her life and her fortune. and later, taking on big tech, the most significant effort to crack down in silicon valley is unfolding right now on capitol hill. and it could affect everything from your amazon to your facebook to your youtube. on your brand-new flat screen tv was an actual squirrel... leave it. purchase protection for what you didn't see coming.

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right now, we're just about two hours away from one of the most highly anticipated court

appearances in years. britney spears will break her silence about the order that has controlled her money, her career, and virtually her ever move for 13 years. it's called a conservatorship. while this is by far the most famous case, it happens more than you might think. once you're controlled by one, it can range from pretty difficult to nearly impossible to get yourself out of it. in a moment, we'll dig into more about that. but first, nbc's erin mclaughlin has more on the case that has spawned a movement with millions on every twist and turn. what can you tell us? >> reporter: hey, geoff, britney spears is expected to appear at this courthouse later today. she'll be appearing via remote. for the first time addressing the conseconservatorship in her words and it could be full of drama. >> i have no idea. i'm having fun right now, i'm in transition in my life.

>> reporter: britney spears expected to push for that transition in court. speaking out for the first time against her father and control of her life. for 13 years, jamie spears has been at the helm of a court-ordered conservatorship for his daughter and $60 million fortune. britney wants an out. claiming the relationship is toxic. the lawyer telling the court the pop star refuses to perform as long as they are dad serves as her conservator. in a court document leaked to "the new york times" but not reviewed by nbc news saying the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her. it restricted everything from whom she dated to the color of her kitchen cabinets. last year, britney told a judge she was afraid of her father. legal experts say at today's hearing britney is expected to openly air her grievances. and could face cross-examination from her dad's lawyer. >> how difficult will it be for her to persuade the court?

>> i don't think it's going to be very difficult at all. there has been a clear breakdown for over two years in this relationship. >> reporter: the court ordered the conservatorship back in 2008, after the star was placed in two on voluntary psychiatric holds following a breakdown. legally, the singer can't make any decisions about her career or oversight without the conservatorship. and a movement reignited to free her. from instagram photos. reps for britney spears declined comment. and over the years, jamie spears has carried out as hen conservators. it's clearly apparent to the court. some experts believe by trying to push her father out, britney

is laying the ground for all-out control of her life. >> britney who could still work a few years ago was making millions and millions of dollars in las vegas. it's extremely usual for a conservatorship of this length to involve someone like britney spears. >> reporter: legal experts say they do not expect a judge to make a decision today. there are court dates on the calendar, the next big one being in july. geoff. >> erin mclaughlin, thanks to you. joining me is zoe brennan cohen. this story matters because britney spears is a cultural icon but also about the control. there are lots of people who find themselves subjected to a conservatorship. can you explain exactly how it works? >> sure, thank you for having me. the conservatorship or a

guardianship in other states, it takes rights from one person and gives those rights to another person who is a conservator or guardian. it's a nearly complete deprivation of the person's rights to make decisions to the mundane, to very difficult decisions, medical decisions, how the person spends their money. who they see. who they don't see. you know, how they live their lives. so, it's a really extreme and invasive intervention. and as you said, it's actually quite widespread. often, conservatorships and guardianships are impositioned as a matter of course with people with disabilities in a way that's very problematic. >> about that, in the specific case of britney spears, we don't know why she needs a conservatorship. over the last 14 years she's released four albums, she had

that four-year residency in vegas, and on top of that she's raise two kids. that says to me she's able to take care of herself. why is it so hard to get out from one of these things? >> yeah, you're right, the standard for being in a conservatorship is supposed to be very high. it's not something imposed just because someone else in your life thinks that you should do something, you know, get a better hair style or something. if you can't take care of your basic needs it's supposed to be a protective mechanism and time limited only for the duration that you meet that standard. what we see unfortunately that conser conservatorships and guardianships do become de facto permanent in a lot of cases that's because they're reviewed as a benign intervention and that's a big deal. i think courts can be very reluctant to remove a situation -- to remove a

conservatorship, sort of no matter what's happening. if things are going great with a person, that's often used as evidence of why that person should stay under the conservatorship because it's working. if a person is not doing well, that's also used as evidence of why the person can't get out of the conservatorship, because they're not doing well. >> yeah, zoe brennan-krohn, thank you. and the greatest threat to eliminating covid. >> with a new prevalent here in the valley, our hospitalizations have been just as high. >> how the delta variant is already leading to a resurgence of covid-19.

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♪♪ a grandmother from indiana is set to become the first person sentenced for her role in the january 6th insurrection at the u.s. capitol. which she once referred to as the quote, best day ever. that's a description she later backed away from.

joining us now is nbc news justice correspondent pete williams. pete, tell us about the case. i understand it's the start of an effort by prosecutors to clear the decks of certain cases so that they can now focus on others? >> right. we're approaching 500 arrests since the capitol riots in january. and they're really into sort of two categories. one is this category that she's in, this is a woman, anna morgan-lloyd from indiana. she came to washington with a friend of hers who is her hairdresser. she said they attended the rally and went into the capitol. she went in ten minutes or so. she didn't break anything, or assault anyone. there was no violent action, the government says. both the lawyers and government says there should be probation, three hours of probation, 40 hours of community service, $500 of restitution. but no jail time.

that's on one end of the case. and on the opposite end, one of the members of the oath keepers charged with more violent conduct. this is an allegation that the oath keepers remember stood in what the government calls military-style stack formation and entered the courthouse -- i'm sorry, entered the capitol building after breaching the police lines. this is graydon young of florida. and he is entering a guilty plea. he's pleading guilty of two of the six felony counts against him. he's not accused himself of violent conduct but the government says he was part of this oath keepers conspiracy. that they was in the capitol illegally and obstructing the ability to count the votes. this is a considerable breakthrough for the government. this is the second of the oath keepers to plead guilty. you may remember a couple months ago, john sheaffer, one of the oath keepers, a funding member of indiana agreed to cooperate.

and graydon young has agreed to cooperate. that's a plus for prosecutors. so these two cases, geoff, both on the extremes of the spectrum of conduct on that day. >> nbc's pete williams with the very latest. peter, thanks to you. we're also following that breaking news from the supreme court in a major free speech case. the nation's highest court sided with a former high school cheer leader who was punished by her school for a post on snapchat off school grounds. they ruled that they are profanity laden rant about not making the cheer extended that to all forms outside the classroom. co-founder and founder of scotus blog. this decision was unanimous. why did eight justices agree and one not agree. >> justice thomas, the

dissenter, believes schools should have a lot more authority over students off campus. eight more took a contrary view. they said you have to have a really good reason related to education. it's going to be a situation where you're seriously concerned about bullying or threats to teachers or misuse of school equipment. besides that, students have first amendment rights. >> so what are the implications here. >> because kids are on their devices all day, all night, at school, away from school. so, what are the takeaways here? >> well, this is going to be the away from school case. and it is a massively important ruling. you're absolutely right. students, tens of millionsch them are on devices on social media all the time. schools are concerned about commentary about school programs and education and teachers and the like. it's always been a hard balance to draw. today, the justices mostly said

that the schools have to keep their hands off. if you have a real situation where a student is making a threat to a student or to a teacher, that might be a different matter. but in general, students' commentary on school programs on the school itself and on their classes is going to be protected free speech. >> tom goldstein, appreciate you as always. there's more breaking news, nbc news has confirmed that vice president kamala harris is planning to visit the southern border this week. harris is expected to travel to el paso on friday, according to a source familiar. politico was first to report on the trip. it comes as harris is facing increasing pressure to travel there and see the conditions for herself as the diplomatic liaison to the northern triangle country. now to a nbc news exclusive, second gentleman doug emhoff spoke to peter alexander. take a look.

>> so, you're a trained lawyer, you know how to make a case. how do you convince the holdouts to get a shot? >> you know, been all around the country, down south and here in chicago today. it's really what you saw in the barbershop, just trying to talk about facts. they're effective. they're free. they're available, and they work. and it's also -- if you don't want to hear it from me, talk to the barber, talk to the pastor, talk to the adviser who has the information and they can debunk the information that's out there. the other thing finding the variant, the delta variant, so much more dangerous. so much more communicable. and you see the numbers where the spikes in cases in deaths, that's where the vaccinations are the lowest. that's kind of the lawyer in me. and that's my case. >> you can match more of that interview tonight on "nbc nightly news" and the full interview on tomorrow on "today" and across all of nbc's many

platforms that you see on the screen. still ahead, a rare bipartisan effort by congress to rein in big tech, how it can affect everything from your iphone to your amazon account. but first, a year into the pandemic, a record number of workers, well, they're calling it quits. >> being inside all day can also take a toll on you. but it kind of opened my eyes to the fact that i was being severely exploited. and i was definitely underappreciated. >> the creative ways some companies are trying to win them back. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ just two pills for all day pain relief. aleve it, and see what's possible. [sfx: kids laughing] [sfx: bikes passing] [sfx: fire truck siren] onstar, we see them.

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a modern approach to wealth management. right now, it's at 20%, savannah, of our isolet. you'd expect in doubling time in several weeks to a month or so it's going to be quite dominant. that's the sobering news. >> dr. anthony fauci warned about the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of covid-19 in an interview earlier on "today." the strain is it spreading fast. colorado is now second in the country for cases of the delta variant. hospitals in one colorado county where vaccination rates are lower than the statewide average are seeing covid case numbers rise. now at over 90% with icus filling up fast. joining me from colorado is nbc

reporter dasha burns and dr. anne rimoin. dasha, where you are, in mesa county, most are concentrated. what's the situation there? >> reporter: yes, geoff, hospitals here are back in the thick of the battle against covid-19, as the delta variant has ripped through this community. hospitals are at nearly capacity. and i'll tell you, it feels a little bit like a flash back to fall of 2020. standing here at another hospital that is yet again almost full. nurses putting covid patients on ventilators. but there is a big difference between now and fall of 2020 and that is the vaccine, but mesa county is lagging significantly behind the rest of the state when it comes to vaccination rates and experts point to that as the biggest factor and the biggest concern. geoff, this is a rural, more conservative county where folks really pride themselves on lack

of government interference. on personal choice. but in this case, that is translating to the low vaccination rates that are leading to the rise in hospitalizations here. and putting health care workers in a really tough spot. i want you to hear from the president of community hospital and one of the lead nurses here about what that looks like for them. listen. >> everybody's done. i think that's part of the challenge, too. so many people are just done with this. they want to get back to life. if they could just get vaccinated. we could be there a lot sooner. >> most of the patients we're seeing healthwise these days are unvaccinated. out of the last 100 admissions we've had, only two were vaccinated for covid. it's tough. i think if the general public could see what we're experiencing not only at our hospital but at other hospitals here in the valley, it might change the way they think. >> reporter: and the nurse you just heard from there, dustin duncan, he told me he's been doing this for 29 years. but during this last year, he's

really questioned whether he can keep up, whether he can stay in this career path because of what he's seen. and it's so tough for them now to see so much of the rest of the country get back to normal, their colleagues in other hospitals breathing a sigh of relief, while they're still in the trenches here, geoff. >> yeah, it's unimaginable, dasha, after everything that the country has been through in the last year and a half. dr. rimoin, what happens when the delta variant becomes the dominant street in the next few weeks experts say? >> well, we can expect to see the spread much more quickly. listen, the thing about this particular variant, it's apparently up to 60% more contagious than the alpha variant. the uk variant that was already 50% more infectious than the original strain circling at the beginning of the pandemic. anybody who comes in contact with somebody who has covid is that much more likely to get it. that's why we're seeing it

happen so quickly. we're seeing a difference -- we're talking 20% of cases now in the united states accounting for this delta variant. but in the west, it's up to 46%. and that's just based on the sequencing that's happening. we're not sequencing enough cases to really have a great view of what's happening. so it could be even more. and all we have to do is look to europe to see what's happening. we're not that different. and we've seen this same trend before. so it's something that we have to get in front of, not chase behind. >> parts of europe are having lockdowns again. so, let's talk about vaccines and variants. lester holt spoke with the cdc director dr. rochelle walensky. let's take a listen to how that unfolded. >> the date that we have so far demonstrates that the mrna vaccine if you received both of those vaccines they should work very well dense the delta

variant. the data now from the uk if you only received one dose it may not be as protectant. we're looking at the j&j vaccine, given it was given with astrazeneca vaccine, we're seeing that it also works well for severe. >> dr. rimoin, put in plain english, if you got the moderna and pfizer, you should be good to go, but the jury's still out on j&j and seems like she is saying people should be protected if they got that vaccine. >> absolutely. all of these vaccines do a good job against protecting against severe hospitalization and death. those two doses are important to keep you out of severe illness or hospitalization. these vaccines are great vaccines. they're safe. and they really are what are going to protect us against the new variants. not just this variant, but the next variant that will very, very clearly come down the path.

>> dr. anne rimoin, and dasha burns with the great on-the-ground reporting as wulz. my thanks to both of you. meantime, a record number of americans are calling it quits. now many employers are scrambling to fill the restaurant and businesses opening at full capacity. joining me from miami, nbc news correspondent sam brock. sam, exactly how many people are leaving their jobs and why are they leave now, based on your reporting? >> reporter: look, nearly 4 million people in the month of april left their jobs, geoff, that has been a record. it's not what we saw in the early days of the pandemic where millions were losing their jobs, and folks were getting furloughed. these are people who have decided i can do better than retail to hospitality, they have so many options at their disposal. help wanted is becoming an urgent plea almost everywhere. a growing number of workers are

seeking better hours, higher paid and safer environments with hourly wages barely breaking double digits. >> 10 or $11 is a joke. >> reporter: kevin is a restaurant server in a new job for six months. he makes just enough to get by but not enough to afford a car. he said the pandemic changed his perspective. >> being inside all day can also take a toll on you but it kind of opened my eyes to the fact that i was being severely exploited. and i was definitely underappreciated. >> reporter: the latest data shows 4 million americans abandon their jobs in america. that's the latest since the government started tracking the stat 20 years ago. the industry suffering the highest losses, leisure and hospitality, 700,000 workers, food and restaurant, 680,000. and retail with 650,000. it's driving folks to quit. at the top of the list a competitive hiring market and

fatigue. >> our employees are telling us they're burnt out. they can't keep working six, seven days a week. we sat down with them, we said, what can you do more? >> reporter: part of the solution at serios here in miami, robots. the owner carlos is offering full benefits including 401(k)s, though hiring is still a challenge. >> we increased rates and pay. we have 4 o 1 ks. we have health care plans but yet people were just not applying to the point where volume started to pick up. but we still had the same labor force. >> reporter: big retailers like amazon, costco trying to lure workers with $15 wages to start. and bumble closing its office the entire week to give its staff a break. while the crowd forming platform

kick starter. >> you can either have it or wellness. the concept of how you set those things in motion with each other, in a way i should have more value. >> do you feel like workers at kick-starter are burned out right now? >> i think everybody around the world, doesn't matter where you're working or how you're working or in an office. >> reporter: and what's so interesting about this wave of worker flight is that the labor force participation rate has basically not budged. geoff, we saw it drop to 60% in april of 2020. at the bottom of the pandemic but it's climbed back a point and a half since then. it's been consistent. what that tells us, the workers we're talking about, they're not standing on the sideline, they're just finding other paying jobs, geoff. >> yeah, it's interesting, the labor market is giving an upper hand to the worker. sam brock, thanks for that

reporting. turning back to washington now, senator joe manchin may have changed his might on the voting rights bill. but that doesn't mean the pressure is off the senator who is facing more protests right now. nbc news political reporter ali vitali is here in the march. ali, who are the activists and what are they telling you? >> reporter: geoff, you talk about the campaign regarding governor manchin right now, this is a demonstration in the home state of virginia, they are now here in other states like pennsylvania. i want to draw your attention to it. i want to zoom in to see, several of the leaders on this march are on their final warning to clear from the street where they're currently stopping traffic. among them is reverend william barber, as well as reverend jackson. and they're on the street, so we

may end up seeing some folks get arrested now over civil disowe beadence. all of this is meant to elevate partisan victory. they are part of the group that launched the moral monday march over several states several years okay and they are doing what reverend barber is doing what they keep the pressure on senator manchin to pass progressive priorities even doing what he said he's not going to do which is getting rid of the filibuster. i re-mined her that manchin said he's not going to get rid of the filibuster and she said to me that's why we're here. this is a group that's continuing to have sustained pressure campaigns from a grass roots perspective on that and senators like senator sinema are also on their radar. i'll see several more players like these or in the country and

they will tell us what to expect this summer. jeff? >> yeah, protests, the pressure campaign and old school civil disobedience. ali vitaly, thanks so much for that reporting. the new bipartisan effort on capitol hill to take on big tech and why politico compares it to ripping your jeans on the dance floor. stay with us. g your jeans on th floor. stay with us what do we want for dinner? burger... i want a sugar cookie... wait... i want a bucket of chicken... i want... ♪♪ it's the easiest because it's the cheesiest. kraft. for the win win. cookies and breyers. that's like getting two desserts! wait... do we have to thank our moms twice? i don't know... (laughs) breyers. 100% grade a milk and cream, and loaded with delicious cookie pieces. better starts with breyers. ♪♪ things you start when you're 45. coaching. new workouts. and screening for colon cancer. yep. the american cancer society recommends screening

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from a resume data base claim your seventy-five-dollar credit when you post your first job at indeed.com/promo it's the biggest and possibly most significant action so far targeting big tech. the house judiciary committee is several hours into a markup session on a set of swoepg antitrust bills, the biggest of their kind in jen raegss if passed. it's a rare bipartisan effort as democrats and republicans agree that big tech has gotten too big, even if they don't necessarily agree on how far is too far to rein them in. now the bills could force apple to change how it runs the app store meaning you could get your apps straight from third parties, and it could also break up amazon's marketplace or stop facebook from buying its rivals like what they did with instagram and whatsapp. possibly even make google sell youtube. to say tech's biggest players

aren't happy would be an understatement, and they are scrambling to ilcan the proposals in an unprecedented full-court blitz. joining us now from california is nbc news tech correspondent jake ward. jake, what could this mean for how tech does business, and how could these bills change how everyday people use the internet? >> well, jeff, i mean, it's a really extraordinary thing as someone who has followed tech for a couple of decades now to see lawmakers finally catching up with the industry. i mean, for years this industry essentially invented its own business models, invented its own technology to go with it and as a result was out of reach of regulation, but now you have the five bills, you know, ranging from that first one you see up there top left, american innovation and choice online preventing companies from unfairly disadvantaging rivals. that means that when you go to google and type in an address, it would mean that it wouldn't be okay for google to put a google maps box at the top of those search results, right.

something like the access act would literally mean that you could carry your data from facebook when you say i've grown tired of that over to something like tiktok or over to something like snapchat. you know, these kinds of things are really the center of the tech industry. when you think about the strategies by which they have bought their rivals, by which they have created incredibly cheap things for us to buy on places like amazon and the way they have escaped almost all regulatory oversight in doing that. this is a real transformative set of proposals. >> and jake, lock, you know how this town works. i'm sure these companies have sent heavy hitters to lobby against these bills on the hill. they have got millions, billions, maybe each trillions of dollars at their disposal, the big tech companies so what's this pushback going to look like? >> well, i think we'll see a lot of it, right. remember, the tech industry is one of the big spenders, the biggest spender when it comes to political donations and that's

why it's so notable that you have bipartisan support for this effort. you've got, you know, people from both sides of the aisle saying, yes, we actually want to do that. you have republicans talking about antitrust laws which has always been an impossible thing. at the same time the big tech companies are pushing back. you have apple sending in a letter to the house judiciary committee this morning saying, you know, this would be a terrible for privacy. you've got google and amazon. all of them are going to fight back as hard as they can here, jeff. >> jake ward, thanks for that as always. the thanks to you for spending the time with us. my friend ayman picks up coverage next. n picks up coverage next. card to furnish a new exam room and everyone was happy.

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how our switch squad makes it easy to switch and save hundreds. good afternoon, everyone. i'm amman mohyeldin. we're keeping an eye on president biden who is going to lay out a plan on gun violence when he speaks later this hour. we'll bring you those remarks live when they gyp this. comes as nbc news has learned that vice president kamala