of americans receiving at least one shot. but there are still more than 100,000 people testing positive for covid every day. that's the highest daily number since march. a small but troubling percentage of fully vaccinated adults are also among the newly infected, as well as unvaccinated younger children. florida has reemerged as the epicenter of the virus with more than 21,000 infections on saturday alone and more than 10,000 patients admitted to hospitals in the state on sunday. florida's governor, ron desantis, continues to defy the cdc's latest indoor mask guidance. new cases in new york, where cases are up nearly 150%, mayor bill de blasio saying today that people should mask up, even indoors -- rather, even if they're vaccinated, stopping short of enforcing a new mask mandate. and this hour a homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas will join me to discuss

the recent rise in border crisis, rand someware and other crisis. nbc's vaughn hillyard is in jacksonville, florida, and shaquille brewster in omaha, nebraska. florida breaking all records in the wrong direction, including hospitalizations, at a pandemic high. >> reporter: yeah, this is the fourth wave that should have never happened here. you're talking about a population here in florida in which more than 40% of the adults are still not fully vaccinated, and that is exactly the individuals that you are seeing inside of these hospitals. here in jacksonville, in orlando, the hospitalization records being shattered, essentially 50% more than the highest previous peak here, and you're seeing over the likes of 10,000 plus covid patients inside of these hospitals here in florida. but this is now percolating beyond florida. yes, more than 20,000 cases, essentially making up 20% of the new daily cases across the u.s.

at the same time you're seeing this take place in the likes of baton rouge, louisiana, where one particular hospital, baton rouge general medical center, i was talking with the nurse meredith cooper yesterday as they were building a fourth covid unit. after seeing a 565% increase over the month in hospitalizations, it was time to expand even more. take a listen. >> what we've definitely seen in this wave is a younger patient population, and, you know, younger and sicker quicker. they're just getting sick very quickly. it's like starting another marathon with the surge, after just finishing a marathon, or in our case this is our fourth surge, after finishing three marathons, we're starting our fourth. >> reporter: but coming back here to florida, what has become suddenly this epicenter here, two numbers i want everybody to remember, andrea. the average age of folks that are hospitalized with covid right now is 42 years old.

the other startling stat that is not a good omen for other states that are looking at a similar situation, it took 27 days here in florida to go from 2,000 hospitalizations to 10,000 hospitalizations. the previous peak record, it took 60 days, essentially cut in half the number of days it took to get from 2,000 to 10,000 hospitalizations here in florida, andrea. >> thanks to you. and shaq, in omaha, nebraska, there's a local doctor who says the worst part of the pandemic is still to come. >> reporter: right, andrea. you're seeing the same issues that vaughn was detailing that you're seeing in florida, although this is a different scale in nebraska. the largest covid unit here at this hospital is now full, so they expanded to a second. they're building out a third unit that is being reopened. this is what they had to do. they had to scale up back during the winter surge they were seeing. and you're hearing the frustration among doctors who saw the surge before, but this time say this one is

preventable. vaccines exist and the frustration and concern they have is that the worst is not yet here. listen to what the infectious disease physician at this hospital told me just this morning. >> we've seen our case numbers jump up considerably over the last few weeks. we're over 30 confirmed or suspect cases. we have more patients now on ventilators in the icu than we had the entire total of our covid patients a month ago. we are far from seeing the worst here in nebraska and across most of the country, and unfortunately for a significant portion of the u.s. where vaccination rates are low, this is probably going to be the worst phase of the pandemic. >> reporter: i also spoke to a physician who works in the icu and i asked him, with the vaccines that are there and with the frustration that he was experiencing, what are his patients saying about this? are they regretting not getting the vaccine? and he said, honestly, by the

time they get to me, they're on a ventilator. they have a tube down their throat. they're not saying much. and that's the concern, that there's going to be more patients like that suffering from something they see as largely preventable at this point, andrea. >> so tragic. thanks to both of you. joining us now, dr. celine gounder, who hosted the pod kaft american diagnosis and epidemic. good to see you both. dr. gounder, first of all, these new infections spiking by more than 100%, nearly half the country the delta variant is more contagious. we've been warned that even the vaccinated are not safe. how much worse could this get? >> andrea, i think it's important to state that the vaccines are highly safe and effective and the number of breakthrough infections we're seeing, even with the delta variant, are very low. down below 0.01%.

so i think it's really important that people understand that, understand the vaccines work. now, what's driving this surge is this delta variant, which is, as you said, at least twice as infectious as the original strains of the virus. people who get the delta variant have 1,000 times the level of virus in their nose and upper airway than people would have had with the initial forms of the virus. so this is tearing through parts of the country where people are not yet vaccinated. >> and, dr. hamburg, the uk is going to roll out booster shots of pfizer to people older than 50, 50 or older. they say they're vulnerable. israel is already vaccinating those over 60. how should older americans look at this? should they get a third shot? should people who have compromised immune systems? >> i think we have to watch the data carefully and see how things unfold. right now we know, though, that

this -- these are really very, very effective vaccines, and people are protected to a very significant degree. but we need to keep expanding the vaccination, because what will really help to slow the spread of the delta variant is to get more and more people vaccinated, and we really have to do that push now. and it's appropriate that people take precautions to reduce spread as we try to really get this delta variant under control. >> following up, do you think -- do you worry that the breakthrough cases are going to slow the vaccination rate, which thankfully has been inching up a little bit in the last week or so? >> i think the breakthrough cases are important to understand, and that's why recommendations have been made so that even vaccinated people take certain precautions to

reduce the possibility of transmission during that initial period of infection, even in those who are vaccinated. but the rates of infection in those that are vaccinated, as was mentioned already, are very, very low. what's driving this surge is really the unvaccinated, and that is crucial that we focus in on. we do need to continue to watch the levels of protection in those that are vaccinated and take that very seriously, learn from colleagues in other parts of the world that are further along in their experience with the delta variant, and thinking about boosters, preparing for boosters, studying when it will be needed and for whom is crucially important as well. >> let's talk about children for a moment, dr. gounder. there's a pediatrician in houston, heather hack. dr. hack is tweeting this morning about children getting infected and she writes, we are seeing infants, children and

teens with covid pouring back into the hospital more and more each day. these patients range in age from 2 weeks old to 17 years. she writes, i worry as kids go back to school with the delta circulating we'll see huge school outbreaks that we didn't see in prior waves. do you share some of her concerns? >> i am concerned. the delta variant is clearly different from earlier variants and we don't yet have full information on how it's going to behave in children. as i mentioned earlier, it is more infectious, you get to much higher levels of virus in the body and it may be more virulent, which means it may cause more severe disease, including in children. so we really do need to be careful, understanding kids under 12 still cannot get vaccinated. we really need to take some additional precautions like masking to protect those like children under 12 who are not yet protected. >> doctor, on vaccinations we see rates among the hardest hit states are really the lowest and this has been a continuing

problem. what more can we do to encourage these people? we see some messaging from some of the governors, dr. -- governor ivy we see in alabama. what more can we do among people they trust? >> clearly having trust in messengers is very important. sometimes that is political leaders or officials in your state or community. sometimes it's just people that you know, friends and family are making a difference, i think, in helping people that have been unvaccinated make the decision to get vaccinated, because if you are unvaccinated and you see people that you know getting vaccinated and not having complications, that's reassuring. it's also important that leaders in the community, whether they're the church and clergy or the barber shop, can make a difference, too. and of course people trust their

doctors and their pharmacists. so having the vaccines in that set of locations is really important, too. and, sadly, as people see more and more people getting sick and seriously sick, in the hospital and dying, it makes them think twice about getting vaccinated. i think getting the vaccine fully approved will help move the needle on this as well, and i know fda is making an all-hands-on-deck push to achieve that goal. >> thank you so much. thanks to both of you. and coming up, unprecedented threats, ransomware, cyberattacks, domestic extremism, a crisis at the border, the likes of which we have not seen in decades. how does one federal department deal with all of this? we'll talk to the secretary of homeland security mayorkas coming up next right here on "andrew mitchell reports." s most

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unprecedented threats to homeland security are under way from the southern border to cyberattacks overseen by foreign governments. u.s. border agents stopped more than 188,000 immigrants trying to cross the southern u.s. border during the month of june, marking a 21 year high. since the january 6th riots on the capitol, we have seen a rise in domestic terrorism and violent extremism throughout the country and there has been a 300% increase in ransomware attacks just over the past year. so how does one government agency handle all of these threats? joining me now is the secretary of the homeland security, alejandro mayorkas. thank you so much for being with us. you've got your hands full, so i wanted to -- let's start with the border. migrant numbers are exploding at the border. it's the worst we've seen in 21 years, and usually there is a

diminnishing amount in the summer. people in the triangle are not hearing the message don't come. >> we certainly have a challenge at the border. we have remarkable people to address that challenge, and a plan in place that we are executing. let me, if i can, share with you what makes the challenge so acute at this point in time. we are following an administration that, frankly, dismantled our capabilities to address it, and so we are building it from the ground up. we lost four years of investing in the countries from which these individuals are migrating. our safe and orderly systems were torn down, and so we're rebuilding them. and our plan is in place and we're executing it.

>> do you have to change the plan, though, if it's not working? >> oh, we are -- it is a dynamic situation and we change and we modify as the needs require. we're investing in the root causes to address the reason why people leave their homes to take the journey. >> that takes years and years. >> yes, it does. >> to change the situation on the ground. >> yes. >> and the people involved, the migrants themselves, as well as the people living in those regions, are really in crisis. >> that's why it's only one part of the plan. we are also building the safe and legal and orderly pathways to come to the united states under our laws so they don't have to take the perilous journey. the central american minors program and other paths and we are addressing the situation at the border. we are -- the single adults who

arrive at the border, the majority of them are being expelled under the cdc's title 42 authority. we've addressed the challenge of unaccompanied children, working with hhs, to get them out of the border patrol stations as quickly as possible and in the care of the department of health and human services. and with respect to the families, they are being placed in immigration proceedings when they make their claims for asylum under united states law, and we are addressing that. and if they don't make their claim, then we are removing them in expedited fashion as we announced on friday. >> let me ask you about the separated families, because from our count, fewer than 100 have been reunited out of 2,000 who had been separated by the previous administration. can you give us a hard number, and what more can you do to get those families reunited? >> so we are really focused on

this effort, the humanitarian need to be so focused is extraordinarily compelling. we have a task force and all of government effort under the leadership of president biden and the first lady, and we are meeting on a daily basis. we have started to reunify families and we have built processes in place to effect the reunification. one of the difficulties is there was no recordkeeping of the separated families and we're working on that as well, as well as overcoming the fear that those families have, of parents coming forward to a government that separated them from their children who are overcoming that fear with community-based organizations, with civil rights organizations, to reach the parents and unite them here in the united states, or in their countries of origin at their option. >> do they have the option of staying in the united states if you find some of the families, some of the parents who have been deported, can you bring them back and have them stay in the united states?

>> so we have committed to paroling them in the united states, which allows them to stay for a certain period of time, and we're looking for more durable solutions. >> and can you give us a number on how many have been brought back together? >> so it's more than 40 families have been brought together through our task force and now that we have the infrastructure in place, the authorities and the processes, we're going to see that number accelerate over the coming months. >> you referred to title 42, which is the covid rule imposed under trump. it was supposed to expire july 31st. we're now into august. it's been delayed. and you've said it's a cdc decision, a public health decision. there's obviously the delta variant. but is it also partly to stop adding more people on top of the surge of migrants? >> no, actually title 42 authority is a public health authority. it is based on the facts and the science of the public health imperative, what is needed to protect the american people. >> so you're extending it -- or

it's being extended beyond july 31st? >> that is a decision within the centers of disease control. it is not an immigration policy. it is not an authority that we in the department of homeland security have. >> thanks for clearing that up. i want to ask you about cuba, because you came and fled from cuba as a boy. how do you feel about human rights groups, refugee groups, criticizing you, cuban-americans criticizing you for your messaging to cuba and haiti, don't come here, don't try to get here illegally, don't get on those boats, given your own family background? >> so this is a very difficult topic for me, personally. my family lost everything they had in cuba and we came here to the united states and look where i am now. >> it's an amazing personal story. >> it's the power of america. the message that i communicated, the message that our administration is communicating

is, one, we stand with the cuban people. we deplore the repression that the regime is exercising against the cuban people. but we also deliver a message of humanity, which is do not take to the seas. in two weeks' time we rescued many, many families that tried to do that and we saw 20 deaths occur in just a couple weeks. it's an unsafe journey, and there's an orderly way to seek relief under united states law, and taking to the seas is not it. >> do you think there could be some way to let people in legally, to let more cubans in, if they -- judging from the protests, if they now want to leave? >> well, we accept claims for asylum with the ports of entry. that is the safe, orderly and humane way to proceed. >> let me ask you about daca,

the dreamers program, the federal court has put it in jeopardy. there's some indications that you could change that through executive order, try to fix this temporarily, or do you think that it has to be done legislatively? >> a durable solution for the youth that know no country other than america as their home is legislation, and we hope that congress acts and provides relief to these youth. >> can you do something by executive order? >> we can promulgate a regulation that we are working on, that we are committed to promulgating to fortify the daca program, but really the durable solution, the enduring solution for these young people who are essential workers, contribute so much to our country, is legislation. >> and would you break -- would the administration consider breaking it off and putting it in the reconciliation bill or some other must-pass bill,

rather than waiting for a fantasy, which is comprehensive immigration reform? >> the administration is committed to the deferred action for child arrivals program. it is committed to immigration reform and it is looking at the legislative tools that are available to it to get its mission accomplished. >> so in a moment we're going to be talking about extremism and domestic extremism, the new threats, new terror threats facing our country, cyber, all of the other things. tell me, how does one agency do all of this? it's been two decades since homeland was created. >> yes. >> after the aftermath of 9/11. should it now be broken up? >> i think we do it in one very straightforward way, through the tremendous dedication and talent of our workforce. that's how we do it. >> we want to stick on that and pick up on some of these other threats. we'll be back after a very brief

break. we're talking about the secretary of homeland security, alejandro mayorkas, about the joint effort by homeland security and the justice department to fight ransomware cases, plus the secretary's assessment on the rise in domestic terror threats, and the weakness he saw on january 6th. this is "andrew mitchell reports." you're watching msnbc. someone once told me, that i should get used to people staring. so i did. it's okay, you can stare. when you're a two-time gold medalist, it comes with the territory.

the department of homeland security, alejandro mayorkas. secretary mayorkas, as a result of the january 6th attack, are you doing enough to identify extremists domestically? >> we are very focused on this. this is one of our highest priorities, domestic violence extremism is the greatest terrorist related threat we have in the homeland. we have a center in the department and a task force dedicated to this effort. we've dedicated more than $77

million in grant funding to state, local, tribal, territorial authorities. we are doing so much to address this really grave threat. >> what are you doing to identify terrorists or extremists, extremist groups within the military, within the ranks of dhs as well, other government branches? >> well, secretary austin, the secretary of the department of defense, is conducting an internal review within his department, and we are doing the same within our department. we are very focused on ensuring that our personnel uphold our values and represent the best of our nation. it's our responsibility. >> one of the enduring questions after january 6th is why there hadn't been a warning. there was so much on social media that nbc reported, that other groups reported. why didn't your department issue a warning? why didn't the intelligence agency issue a public warning?

>> so i think this is one of the issues that is under review and why a study and why a review is so needed, to see where the government could have done more, to see what the social media traffic was that was detectable. how we can better give information to the american people and throughout the country. we've already taken steps to make sure we're far better than we ever were. >> what are those steps? >> so we are building an infrastructure to better equip ourselves to disseminate information. we have started to issue bulletins and information alerts to state, local, tribal, territorial partners. we're working in partnership with law enforcement, with the bureau of investigation, with other federal and state authorities to get that information out, and we are also using grant funds critically to equip and empower local

communities to understand what is happening within their neighborhoods and to respond alertly to it. and i think that's key, is the empowerment and equipping the local communities, not only with information, but also with resources to address what they learn. >> are you seeing any disarray in groups like qanon and the proud boys after january 6th, after the arrests and prosecutions have started? >> i think there's one thing very important that the american public should know. these are not really well organized groups that are hierarchal in nature as one might think of a terrorist organization in the foreign terrorist traditional sense. these are often loosely a affiliated individuals or sole actors really motivated by false narratives, ideologies of hate, and that's what makes it challenging for law enforcement. >> i want to talk about cyber

and ransomware because there's been a 300% increase in ransomware attacks in the last year. you have called ransomware one of the biggest cyber threats that we face. what can we do about it? >> so in february before the colonial pipeline attack that really galvanized the public's attention to ransomware, we started a 60-day sprint to make sure that our resources and capabilities were focused on ransomware, not just within the department of homeland security, but across the federal enterprise. this is one area, andrea, where we cannot do it alone. this has to be a public/private partnership. in cybersecurity we say we are only as strong as our weakest link, so we're working with our critical infrastructure partners, the small, medium, large businesses, with the american consumer, to do the simple blocking and tackling that makes us safer. change one's passwords, back up one's systems, these sorts of things that actually make a

difference. don't click on a site that you don't recognize, because you may allow an intruder in, a hacker into your system. and we're so connected, we're so connected that we have to keep that intruder out. >> it's always striking to me, why does the government seem to learn about these things from private security firms? solar winds and the like. why hasn't the government figured out how to spot this? >> well, remember, if a private company is attacked, then it is the private company's systems that are attacked and the model that we have built is so that private company can inform us and then we can disseminate the information throughout the country so that a copycat attack does not succeed. it really depends on partnership and the sharing of information. >> should there be a mandated requirement on infrastructure companies, on the power grid

companies, to not only do better in terms of their own security, but to be reporting to you? >> so we are already taking steps in that regard. we are requiring contractors with the federal government to have certain cybersecurity measures. following colonial pipeline, the transportation security administration, tsa, within the department of homeland security, has issued certain requirements to pipeline operators to raise the cyber hygiene bar. we're on it. >> let me ask you about vaccinations and covid, because you've got more than 240,000 employees. the president has issued requirements, should we go further, should there be mandates, and what pushback are you getting from unions, from tsa or border patrol or any of the other units that you supervise? >> so we started in january operation vaccinate our workforce, vow, and we started with 2% of our workforce

vaccinated and we have made leaps and bounds in success. we're taking a look and of course following the president's leadership and the task force's leadership, we cannot overstate, not only to our own workforce, but to the american public, the absolute imperative of getting vaccinated. >> are you getting pushback from inside? >> we have some in some corners, but we're working through it. we're educating and informing people. misinformation is one of the challenges that we are overcoming and we're very focused on it, not only for the benefit of our own workforce, but for the benefit of their families, loved ones and community members. >> you've spoken out about disinformation and the threat that creates. what can you do that the fbi isn't already doing and social media? >> we're working together with them. we're working with the tech companies that are the platform for much of the disinformation that reaches the american public, how they can better use

their terms of use to really strengthen the legitimate use of their very powerful platforms and prevent harm from occurring. >> any worry from civil liberties groups about big brother watching you? >> oh, there's absolutely concern. as a matter of fact, just a week ago, i met with civil rights groups, privacy advocates. we respect the first amendment right, but the connectivity between speech and violence, the connectivity between active harm and speech is something we're very focused on and it's a difficult challenge. but we're working on it and meeting that challenge. again, because of the great personnel of the department of homeland security and across the federal enterprise. >> secretary alejandro mayorkas, thank you so much. you've got your hands full. thanks for finding time for us today. >> thank you for the pleasure of

being here. one step closer, the senate is back in session. they were in session all weekend, in fact, taking up the long-awaited infrastructure plan. 2,700 pages. what's in it? on the streets, 7 million americans facing possible eviction after washington let the federal freeze run out. the deepening divide between the white house and congressional democrats on this. you're watching "andrew mitchell reports." this is msnbc. , these are pants, dog. no way. my pants are pants, dog. pizza on a bagel—we can all agree with that. uhm whatever those are, they're not pants. [ ding ] ♪ ♪ here we go. ♪ ♪ ♪ so i'd like to know where you got the notion ♪ ♪ to rock the boat don't rock the boat, baby ♪ ♪ rock the boat don't tip the boat over ♪ ♪ rock the boat ♪ ♪ don't rock the boat, baby ♪

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♪ see me on the screen ♪ ♪ they bite my style ♪ ♪ they wanna be like me ♪ ♪ give me some of that fire ♪ ♪♪ ♪ give me some of that fire ♪ ♪♪ ♪ give me some of that fire ♪ ♪ fire, fire, fire ♪ turning to capitol hill, where the senate gavelled in at the top of the hour after a weekend session to complete the bipartisan infrastructure bill. now it's a race to try to finish this and get started on the $3 trillion economic package that comes next, all in the next seven days. who is betting on that? joining us, nbc's leigh ann caldwell and columnist for real clear politics and phil rucker, senior correspondent for the

"washington post" and co-author of the new book about donald trump "i alone can fix it", on "the new york times" best seller list, number one. congratulations. and leigh ann, how does chuck schumer plan to do both of these bills at the same time with everything else at stake, and all of the disagreements we know that have even emerged from the house side as to the bipartisan bill? >> reporter: it's going to be complicated, andrea. this bipartisan infrastructure bill is big, it's $550 billion. it repairs roads and bridges, it creates a new electric vehicle infrastructure, it provides money for amtrak, it aims to replace every led water pipe in the country. many progressives say this bill does not go far enough, that it doesn't do enough for climate and, of course, that it does not do enough for the human infrastructure components of our

economy, like childcare, paid family leave, elder care, et cetera, and that is why leader schumer has promised to immediately move to this human infrastructure, $3.5 trillion bill, immediately after the bipartisan bill is dispensed with. now, the timeline is tricky and it's unknown. they're going to spend all week on amendments to the bipartisan bill, and then they'll move to the framework of this human infrastructure bill. then it gets really complicated when it goes over to the house, assuming both of those things pass in the senate. >> and picking up on that, what is the plan by the administration to keep republicans and the progressive democrats on the same page, because we heard aoc over the weekend criticizing the bipartisan bill, the numbers in it, and the composition of some of it. >> yeah, that's right, andrea. >> i should also point out the insistence that this all be done in lockstep.

>> yeah, andrea, it's going to be tricky, because as you noted at the top, there are only a few days left here before the recess, but the administration is trying to hold progressive democrats together. they want to see more spending and a focus on the human infrastructure component that leigh ann was just talking about. but that's a separate measure moving concurrently and the challenge for the administration is going to be keeping the bipartisan group together on the first package while building momentum and support for the second package, which will face stiffer republican opposition, of course. >> and let's talk about the eviction moratorium. we don't know what's going to happen with this eviction moratorium, but it's expired. the senate did nothing on it. the house is gone. what do you expect? >> well, this is a second pressure point for the biden white house with progressives as they're calling the bipartisan

infrastructure plan too small and inadequate and it must be paired with this $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. they're also pressing the white house to take executive action on the eviction moratorium after the supreme court has ruled that it needs to be done legislatively. so the white house is really in a bind and seeking to try to provide relief through defined rental relief that has already passed, but has not been spent, that is being doled out by the states and is not getting to the right places and relieving enough people. they do not at this hour make themselves clear on what they plan to do, but you can tell that there kind of a protest by progressive members planning to stay on the capitol steps until this is done, being there since friday, saying members have abandoned this priority, people are going to be homeless and they're on vacation, that puts a lot of pressure on the house

democratic leadership as well as the white house, to try to come up with an answer quickly. >> and just to that point, we just saw an image of corey bush, the congresswoman who has in the past been homeless herself. leigh ann, i think you caught up with her today. we saw jesse jackson visiting with her over the weekend. >> reporter: yeah, i did catch up with her today, and she insists she's going to remain there until something is done. listen to what she told me. >> we want biden to pen, you know, an eviction moratorium, and getting that executive order done, but we're not just leaving it on the white house. we're asking for congress, we're asking house leadership to recon seen us, bring us back. bring us back, because this is our job. we can't go on recess, we can't go on vacation when millions of people's lives are at risk. >> reporter: so she is going to replain on the house steps.

she's been there since friday night. speaker pelosi just put out a new letter to her colleagues once again calling on the white house to do something and saying that treasury secretary janet yellen about brief democrats tomorrow on why tens of billions of dollars for rent relief has not been allocated or has not been spent. so we could get an update on that process after that meeting tomorrow, andrea. >> thanks to you, leigh ann, and phil rucker. congratulations again on "i alone can fix it". and also checking in on the tokyo olympics. simone biles is back after taking time off to focus on her mental health, understandably. the superstar gymnast announced today she will compete tomorrow in the final gymnastics event. her teammate jade carey brought home gold today and mykayla

skinner came back and suni lee on the uneven bars. on the field, a huge disappointment for team usa. the u.s. women's soccer team will compete for bronze after losing to canada in the semis. team usa leads the medal count with one week of competition left, but lags china in winning golds. coming up, follow the money. new details on the dark money roots funding the push to restrict voting rights. you're watching "andrew mitchell reports" on msnbc. i'm so lucky to get him back. your heart isn't just yours. protect it with bayer aspirin. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. this is the greatest idea you'll ever hear. okay, it's an app that compares hundreds of travel sites for hotels and cars and vacation rentals like kayak does for flights.

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more than 100 democratic state legislatures are on their way to dc this week. pushing for their voting legislation. the group will include democrats from arizona, georgia, and michigan where republicans are pushing or have enacted sweeping voting restrictions. this morning in "the new yorker" we have an inside look at the big money behind the big lie. fuelling the efforts across the country to promote changes for the way that ballots are cast and counted. joining me now, jane mayer. we're so glad to have you with us on this major piece. a lot of players that have been powerful forces behind this effort for quite some time, who is she and why is she so important? also this family foundation in

wisconsin. they are all over the country but there are links. >> it's true, i went to arizona to look at the kooky audit. and you find streams of money coming from national groups and national players. and one of them you mentioned is cledon mitchell who is a long-time election lawyer. she has been on the board of the nra, she has been on the board of many other groups. and this is one group, a family foundation based in in milwaukee that put something like $18 million into the groups in the last ten years. all of which are pushing the idea that american elections are full of fraud.

and that idea is fraudulent. so they're pushing the idea that elections are insecure and it is a good excuse that is being used all around the country to crack down on voting rights. there is a ton of money going to the groups on the right helping to promote trump's big lie. >> what connects all of the groups? >> first of all, money, and the foundations that put so much money into all of them, but there is still players, really. they have a handful of lawyers that go back and forth between the different groups and really what they have is, i think, if you look at it closely an interest in trying to suppress the vote and make sure the conservative voters win the elections and the democratic votes that tend to be young

voters, voters of color, that they find it harder to vote. they will make it harder to get them to get out and turn out and challenge them and suggest that they are involved in fraud, when they're not. >> we're seeing how hard it is to get any substantial support for voting law legislation to get passed right now. are you seeing they're also fuelling individual congressional campaigns? >> they are, but really i'm glad you brought that up. one of the things that unites these groups is their opposition to the legislation that would make the democracy safer. that might make it easier for people to vote federally. and we know legislation was hr 1 and it is sb 1, and it is being held up in congress and it is being very seriously opposed by all of this money on the right.

so it is, it is a real war and they talk about it that way. we have trying to figure out who is involved, where is the money coming from, and it is substantial. >> this is a real piece of jane mayer journalism which is very special indeed. thank you for getting us started on it and we will follow up. this breaking news now, moments ago, the white house covid data that we were eluding to earlier that the u.s. just hit the 70% mark of getting at least one of the vaccines. follow us on twitter. garrett haake is in for chuck todd next on msnbc. k todd next on msnbc nothing rhymes with liberty mutual. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

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at philadelphia, we know what makes the perfect schmear of cream cheese. you need only the freshest milk and cream. that one! and the world's best, and possibly only, schmelier. philadelphia. schmear perfection. welcome to monday, it's "meet the press daily." today the united states is passing another grim coronavirus milestone. more than 35 million cases since the pandemic began as infections now surge in all 50 states. the epicenter is where daily cases and hospitalizations are at all-time highs. you heard that right. all of this comes as the white house just now said we hit