♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ (school bell rings) okay, you're the new kid. first impressions are everything. luckily, you brought extra crayons in case anyone needs one. if that falls flat, we go with armpit farts. spend less, smile more, when you shop back-to-school at amazon. good afternoon, everyone. i'm ayman mohyeldin in new york. a short time ago we heard from new york lieutenant governor kathy hochul one day after governor andrew cuomo announced his resignation in 13 days before she become new york's first woman governor. she used the first public event from cuomo's announcement to separate herself from her soon-to-be predecessor. >> people will soon learn my style is to listen first and then take decisive action. i will fight like hell for you

every single day, like i've always done and always will. >> meantime, the biden administration looking for ways to encourage more americans to get vaccinated, including pushing more companies to require employees to get the shot, this as a surge in cases linked to the delta variant continues to overwhelm hospitals, particularly in southern states. we're going to talk with a nurse on the front lines in arkansas later on in the program. and this hour president biden meeting with state, local and tribal officials from across the country to talk about what the bipartisan infrastructure bill means for their communities hours after he made another pitch for his build back better agenda. all of this as congress begins the work of putting together a $3.5 trillion bill seeking to turn his plans into reality with senate majority leader chuck schumer making this promise. >> one, we are going to all come

together to get something done, and, two, it will have every part of the biden plan in big -- in a big, bold robust way. >> and we're going to take a look at what comes next with democratic congressman ro khanna and more than nine months after the election the homeland security department is warning police departments that false claims of fraud is still fueling calls for violence on social media, but we begin this hour right here in new york where just in the last couple of minutes we heard from lieutenant governor kathy hochul 14 days before she becomes new york's first woman governor. she declined to say in that press conference whether she would pardon governor cuomo but here's what she said about the

cuomo. >> i don't spend much time in the presence of many in the state capitol and that we're not close and i'm going to stand right here. at the end of my term whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment. >> joining me now from albany is msnbc anchor yasmin vasgersian. what are the steps the lieutenant governor is taking to prepare to take over in albany? >> she's got a lot to do, to say the least, in the 13 days ahead, ayman. most folks already have their administration ready to go. obviously she's been thrown into this situation and is very much ready. first she has to return a phone

call to the president. she missed a phone call because she was on a plane and does have to get back to him. she's spoke ebb to chuck schumer, to other legislators in the state. she spoke to carl hastings, the speaker of the assembly here as well. she's got to build her cabinet, right? she's got to choose a lieutenant governor all happening in the next 13 days and also has legislative priorities. she was asked a lot about how she's going to deal with mask mandates in this state with schools reopening in this state in early september. she talked about vaccines as well, some of which she declined to answer and said at this moment governor cuomo is still the governor of this state. once i am governor of this state, then i will announce what i will be doing legislatively. she needs to talk about rental assistance. that's a huge priority in the state as well. they haven't necessarily doled out rental assistance. economic recovery happening because of the economic downturn and then there's the raging

delta variant. a lot of parents concerned because of so many young children that are at risk right now. it seems as if over the next two weeks she is going to focus her time and a lot of the talks that she's going to be having on the legislative priorities and building her administration or cabinet so she's ready to go, and i will say this. she was asked about that 14-day waiting period, ayman and it's not what she necessarily asked for, and she was quite transparent about it. she said what the administration told me is what is needed to be done because that is a time that is needed to introduce me to other folks inside of the administration. she also went on to say though there's going to be a lot of turnover. anybody that was mentioned in the report one ethical behavior will not serve inside of her administration, so come 13 days from now show's going to be, it seems, cleaning house here in albany. >> yasmin, do we get a sense of what the governor plans to do to prepare for his departure?

what is he going to be doing in the next 13 days if anything at all? >> that's a little harder to tell because obviously we haven't heard from him since yesterday when he resigned and that was his priority in talking about the investigation yesterday during that press conference. i will say this. they has been living exclusively in the governor's mansion, so there is first the priority for the governor of finding somewhere to live. he's got nowhere to go. he's literally been living in the governor's mansion for the last couple of years so he's got to find somewhere to go in the last 13 days and he wants a smooth transition to take place. some folks have been questioning that up here in albany. i spoke to mary beth walsh, a emin of the judiciary committee here, and she actually told me she feels this is the governor's opportunity to hold on to power for as long as he can. that being said, the governor saying in the press conference yesterday for him the 14-day period means a smooth transition of power. nonetheless, we'll be watching the comings and goings of the governor over the next couple of weeks or so to see what's happening and as the lieutenant governor said a few minutes ago

he's still the governor until she is sworn in, ayman. >> she will be taking a lot of phone calls and forced to take positions that she will deflect until she does become governor. >> bernadette, it seems after months of defending himself in the midst of these claims there was a breaking point that ultimately led to yesterday's resignation. based on your report, do we know what that breaking point was for the governor? >> well, first of all, i've been covering the governor for the past three years and that was a shock. this is not a person that backed down without a fight especially because his attorney ryota glavin came out with a guns a-blazing defense of her client, governor cuomo and went nearly line by line, saying what their interpretation of the letitia james report and why it was unfair to the governor and then the governor came out and coined of honed in on those points and several reporters that i was texting who were also watching were say, well, you know, he's

not going to resign. he's not going to resign because he also said something he's a fighter. i'm a fight but then it turned into, you know, i'm going to resign. i don't want this impeachment process to take up more time, money, effort with new yorkers and i'm going to step aside. one key thing that happened actually over the weekend on sunday was the resignation of melissa derosa, his top aide, the woman who has spent -- if you watched every single briefing last year, if you were in the room like myself, she was in the room next to him and he was the person he would turn to to describe certain things going on with the pandemic, but also years and years of background and history between the two so once she detargeted and said she was going to resign. that was a major sign. i still didn't think it was going to be as soon as yesterday that the governor would step down, but melissa derosa's departure was absolutely a major sign of the governor being at the end. >> yeah. and to your point, his attorney

ryota glavin was on this program the day before sounding defiant on behalf of her client and to a lawyer's perspective, cindy, i want to get your reaction to the governor's defense here, and a little bit and we saw it, you know, in that news conference where he kind of said, you know, he's from a different generation. he used and tried to infer that there was a cultural misunderstanding in the way that she was just social at times and that may have been misinterpreted by some of the women, and he did apologize for it, but does that sound like a credible legal defense from your perspective if he does face any criminal prosecution? >> well, first of all, i don't think it was an apology, and i don't think it's a generational thing. i mean, my father knows you don't grab somebody, take your hand and put it up somebody's dress. my father knows you don't ask a subordinate to play strip poker with you. my father knows better than, that and he's in his 80s. that's ridiculous.

i thought it was arrogant and i didn't think it was very smart either because look what he's facing. he's got -- he's got the criminal probe we can talk about in a second and he has civil cases, too, and the victims in the civil cases will have to make a decision now. do they want to go forward or not? and they have to decide, you know what. has he really been punished enough, and when what he does is send his lawyer out for 45 minutes and calls them liars and goes after the other lawyers and then the attorney general and then goes after the press, it doesn't inspire anybody to say oh, well i guess he's really sorry. he's obviously not sorry. he's caught and he's sorry he's caught and he's sorry that he has to resign but he's not really sorry that he reached inside her dress, and i don't think that as a victim they are going to say he can walk and the

civil case, my gosh, it was a hostile work environment. the hostile work environment case won't be as hard to prove as people think. no, i don't think it was a smart legal strategy the manner in which he departed. when it comes to the criminal cases, it may very well be that the criminal cases will go away. i mean, one of the things that happens in a -- in a did -- in an office that's prosecuting cases in a county is there's only a certain amount of resources, right, and if you spend them all on a misdemeanor case against the former governor, you can't put resources in to the misdemeanor cases where you have righteous victims who don't have other al attorney tifshs and i'm not saying that these victims don't have righteous cases. i'm just saying you have to allocate resources, and if you're going to go after cuomo it's a huge allocation. it's like trying five murder cases in terms of allocation of resources. >> right. >> and i don't think that's smart. >> so my guess is the criminal cases go away but he's not

inspired the victims in the civil cases to drop them. i think he made a big tactical mistake there. >> thanks to the three of you for starting us off this hour with the breaking news. for more on this i want to bring in new york state assemblywoman catalina cruz. thank you so much for your time. impeachment for any government body is a long and often expensive process. the governor, he's going to resign in 13 days. do you believe it is still necessary now that governor cuomo has resigned that he still be impeached during that window? >> i do think the important question sheer what do the people of new york need? we'll be meeting as a committee on monday to discuss what steps to take next. there's still an investigation in process by our judiciary committee. there's a report that needs to come out, and what do we do with it? do we move forward with an impeachment and then all it does him from ever running again and we're spending money and time

and resources, or do we end this now and allow our state to heal? i think it's a decision that we have to make as a group. >> susan del percey who served as an adviser to governor cuomo, she warned that this might not be the end of his life in politics. let me play to you what she recently said. >> he has $18 million in his campaign war chest. he's not goingaway any time soon. however, that doesn't mean that he'll be successful in his attempts to get back into public life. >> she made those comments last hours and they were kind of important to note that should the governor, you know, be impeached, he would be barred from running for office again. should that be left up to the voters to decide, or should it be left to the new york assembly? >> i think that's a conversation, again, what i personally believe is not what matters here. what matters here is what we're going do as a body of the legislature to represent the

needs and the wants of our community. now i represent a district that was the highest hit by covid with deaths but the low offest vaccination rate, and while all of this has been going on i've had to fight his administration every step of the way to get what we need, and so i would rather get back to work. i would rather make sure that we are allowing the criminal investigation, the rest of the attorney general's investigation to move forward, but i do recognize that there is a big portion of our community that feels like we should move forward. again, we'll discuss it on monday as a committee. >> looking forward then in terms of what your constituents want. they have obviously had to live through this ordeal. they will have to deal with the instability of the next 13 days. what do they want to see from the incoming sghf what do you want her to tackle first for your constituents both either pandemic-wise or economic recovery-wise? >> recently the lieutenant governor, about a month and a half ago, she actually came to

my district to help us get vaccinations out to the community. i would love to see more partnerships like that. i would love a governor who is coming to communities like mine where the majority of people run documented or immigrants that can't vote and still cares about them to make sure they are surviflgt right now i'm at a farm and that's why you see the animals behind me hand i want a governor who will come out and partner with me in the narmgs to combat food insecurity. i have a district with absolutely no food pantries. i had to turn my office into a food pantry during the pandemic and that's the kind of governor and leadership that new yorkers have been needing for quite some time. >> shoal definitely have her hands full. thanks so much for your time. greatly appreciate it. >> thank you have fog me. coming up, yesterday the president celebrated it, and today he's trying to sell it, the rocky road ahead for the bipartisan infrastructure package. congressman ro khanna of the progressive caucus joins us to tell us what needs to get

progressives on board. you're watching "ayman mohyeldin reports." you're watching "aymann reports. plus it's not even like he'd be into me or whatever. ♪♪ ♪ this could be ♪ hi. you just moved in, right? i would love to tell you about all the great savings you can get for bundling your renter's and car insurance with progressive. -oh, i was just -- -oh, tammy. i found your retainer in the dryer. (vo) at t-mobile for business, unconventional thinking -oh, i was just -- -oh, tammy. means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. whether it's ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs. being first on the scene, when every second counts. or teaching biology without a lab. we are the leader in 5g. #1 in customer satisfaction. and a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. without trade-offs. unconventional thinking. it's better for business. let me tell you something,

i wouldn't be here if i thought reverse mortgages took advantage of any american senior, or worse, that it was some way to take your home. learn how homeowners are strategically using a reverse mortgage loan to cover expenses, pay for healthcare, preserve your portfolio and so much more. a reverse mortgage loan isn't some kind of trick to take your home. it's a loan, like any other. big difference is how you pay it back. find out how reverse mortgages really work with aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage guide. with a reverse mortgage, you can pay whatever you can, when it works for you, or, you can wait, and pay it off in one lump sum when you leave your home. discover the option that's best for you. call today and find out more. i'm proud to be a part of aag, i trust em, i think you can too. - [narrator] this is dr. harold katz.

he used to worry about how to fix the world's oral health problems. - i think i've got it. - [narrator] then he invented therabreath formulas. - you want fresh breath? i'll give you a fresh breath. - [narrator] for fresh breath, healthy gums, dry mouth, and healthy smiles. - whoa, that's fresh. - [narrator] now, the world's mouths have never been healthier. (sighs contentedly) - works for 24 hours, i guarantee it. therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. - [narrator] available at walmart, target and other fine stores. and there you have it- - [narrawoah. available at walmart, wireless on the most reliable network nationwide. wow. -big deal! ...we get unlimited for just 30 bucks. sweet, i get that too and mine has 5g included. that's cool, but ours save us serious clam-aroonies. relax people, my wireless is crushing it. that's because you all have xfinity mobile with your internet. it's wireless so good, it keeps one upping itself. guys, are you tired

of frequent nighttime bathroom trips? well, force factor prostate contains key ingredients to help reduce urges to urinate, fully empty your bladder, and promote a normal prostate size. don't settle. rush to walmart for force factor prostate, from the #1 fastest-growing men's health brand in america. we are keeping an eye on the white house where president biden is now talking with state, local and tribal officials across the nation about what the bipartisan infrastructure bill will mean for their communities. this comes as the senate is now in recess after passing the bipartisan bill and a blueprint for the $3.5 trillion reconciliation focusing on

health care, even fighting health care. the house will return on september 23rd to vote son the budge resolution but won't take up the infrastructure bill until the reconciliation bill is ready. the be president biden addressed concerns about the cost. >> this won't be anything like my predecessor whose unpaid for tax cuts added nearly $1 trillion in four years to the national debt. the investments i'm proposing will be fully paid for over the long term by having the largest corporations, including the 55 corporations that paid zero federal tax last year and the super wealthy begin to pay their fair share. >> joining us now to talk about this punch bowl news founder anna palmer and associated press white house reporter jonathan le mire. the coast of the rec sill bill is a particular concern to

moderate democrats like west virginia senator joe manchin who is flexing on this a little bit and he said it's irresponsible to spend trillions of dollars more when the economy is overheating and new jersey congressman josh gottheimer had this to say on msnbc this morning. watch. >> i'm concerned about the size and scope of reconciliation package and i think we have to be cautious about that and -- and there's a way to do this in the right way, in a targeted way. i'm concerned to make sure that taxes don't go up and that we handle this appropriately, and i think there's a way to do that but it will take us working together to make that happen. >> there's no wiggle room, no room for error in the senate literally and a very slim majority in the house. walk us through what it will take to try and bring these moderates and progressive democrats together to support this bill. >> i mean, that's the big conundrum for both speaker nancy pelosi and senate majority leader chuck schumer here. they have very limited numbers.

chuck schumer has to run the table and get every single democrat to support this because you're not going to find any support on the republican side so that really is looking to the joe manchins and kyrsten sinemas of the world to say what do you need to be a part of this for it to go forward and in the house you have nancy pelosi starting to deal with the moderates like josh gottheimer as he has concern about this package because a lot of people believe house democrats will lose their majority in the 2022 election. those moderates are very concerned about taking a vote on a package of this size. we've already seen -- we reported this morning that outside republican groups are starting to dump millions of dollars in a lot of these districts saying, you know, this is -- all democrats are doing is spending money, inflation and you'll continue to hear that drum beat i think for the next couple of weeks to really try to scare some moderates for voting for this. >> getting all the congressional democrats on board with the reconciliation board will be a

hard lift as anna there was outlink. what will president biden in this situation and the white house do to try to help get it across the finish line? >> well, i think you're going to see this on two tracks, public and private. behind the scenes the president and his top aides will be working the phones, much like they did during the bipartisan infrastructure negotiations, talking to congress members, talking to leadership, trying to alleviate concerns, trying to make the pitch as to why this would be good for the american people with you also for the democrat re-election chances and certainly you'll hear that publicly as well. my colleagues and i at the a.p. reported in the last week or so there's going to be a $100 million spending blitz from outside groups promoting this agenda while congress is on recess, putting on ads to keep the pressure on democrats to make sure they don't waiver and change their votes. the president is expected to spend most of next week in delaware as part of his summer

vacation, if you will, but soon thereafter will return to washington and hit the road as well, heading across the country to rally support. he previewed some of that argument today, talking about how it could really touch nearly every part of americans' life and improve things, the largest expansion of the social safety net americans have seen in a long time that he says will be paid for as he said in that clip. they can do the math too. there's a real chance democrats could lose control of at least one body of congress next year and they know they don't have a lot of time to waste. it's going to be an all-out blitz in the coming weeks while carefully navigating the thin margins in both houses and trying to keep both progressives and moderates happy. >> anna. let's look -- let's look at when the senate does come back. chuck schumer saying he wants to take up voting rights right away when they come back from the recess. we know earlier in the year republicans blocked those efforts to bring bills to the

floor. why do democrats want to do this when it is likely that this is going to fail just like to did earlier in the year. >> for a lot of democrats the issue is this is a existential crisis and the fact that republicans won't go for this package. i don't think anybody on the republican side or the senate position has changed here. i think that democrats want republicans on record about this. i also think there's a large agitation among the progress i was and outside groups about trying to get rid of the filibuster. make no mistake about it. this is not going to be the issue, at least so far that is going to push democrats to change the filibuster issues in the senate, but i think you're going to continue to see him take this issue up in order to prove once again how important democrats think it is and also to try to make sure that these republicans are on the record voting against it. >> anna palm, jonathan lemire, thanks to the both of you.

let's now bring in democratic california congressman ro khanna who served as the deputy whip of the progressive caucus. you heard my colleagues talking about what it's going to take. we are lucky enough to hear from somebody from the progressive caucus. what do you make of the blueprint of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill put forward by senate democrats and are there things you would like to see in the plan that are currently not included? >> the $3.5 trillion is a compromise with progressives and it's an extraordinarily strong bill. it's going to mean child care for every working american in this country. it's going to mean expanded medicare benefits. now you'll have dental and hearing and your eyeglasses actually covered. it's going to mean pre-vocational education and community college and it's something we can afford. when you look at the spending, first of all, two points that we have to make. it's over ten years. that means it's only less than a 5% increase in actual spending. we're going to be spending 50 trillion anyway over the next

ten years, and the second point that is critical is that we can pay for this, as the president has said, with getting out of iraq, we're getting out of afghanistan, and with tax increases on the corporations and ultra rich. >> a small group, congressman, of moderate democrats and significant given your party's slim majority in the house sent a letter to speaker pelosi asking her to immediately call a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed the senate. i know the speaker has said, and i know that you also agree with her on this, that the house should move both bills together. why do both -- why do both together as opposed to pushing the bipartisan bill through, holding the victory celebration and then having something to take to the voters right now? why not do one before the other? >> because this is the joe biden president, not the rob portman or mitt romney president. last i saw joe biden was elected

president and he's entitled to have his agenda go through and that's infrastructure plus reconciliation. the bipartisan deal is something that romney came up with and agreed with, but we need to get the whole president's agenda. this is not the bernie sanders agenda, the elizabeth warren agenda. this is what joe biden wants. the progressives are on board with the president's plan. the question is will moderates be on board and they will? we had a caucus call this morning. everyone is on board with the speaker's strategy. i didn't hear a single dissenting voice so i don't know who is reporting the dissent, but the democratic caucus is actually unified behind the speaker and she's going to prevail. i wouldn't bet against the speaker. she has delivered time and again and will deliver this time. >> are you prepared or is your caucus prepared to hold up the bipartisan bill if the reconciliation bill does not move with the items that you want? >> i think it's a moot question. they are both going to move together and we're prepared to vote for both of them and we will vote for both of them. the speaker has been very clear. we will move both of them

together because they are interlinked. they are part of the agenda. you can't do infrastructure without tackling climate. you can't have an infrastructure plan and not have electric vehicle expansion and not have expansion in renewable energy and the smart grid so we view them as interlinked as part of the president's agenda to invest in the american people and we'll pass both of them. we'll deliver on the president's agenda. the progressives won't stand in the way. we've compromised with the $3.5 trillion and i don't think there's a senator in the senate who will actually when push comes to shove stand in the way of the president's agenda. >> all right. congressman ro khanna, always a pleasure. thanks for your time. >> thank you. the states with the lowest vaccination rates are being decimated by covid. we're live in both mississippi and arkansas where all of this is taking a huge toll on frontline workers. we'll talk to one front line care nurse about the huge pressure staffers are feeling. you're watching "ayman mohyeldin

reports." you're watching "ayman mohyeldin reports. liant. crest 3d white brilliance. 100% stain removal, 24 hour stain resistance to lock in your whitest smile. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. ♪ ♪ 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. ♪

[♪♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost today.

right now 36 states and washington, d.c. are experiencing a spike in new covid-19 cases, and here's what we know at this hour. just last hour california became the first state in the country to announce it will require all school staff to show proof that they have been fully vaccinated or face weekly testing. the cdc announced this afternoon that it is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against covid-19. if infect the, expectant women

run a higher risk for severe illness and risk complications during pregnancy. officials in philadelphia announced this morning that the businesses across the city will need to require masks or proof of advantages flakes for employees and their customers, and florida has broken its record for the number of patients hospitalized due to covid-19. according to the database run by the department of health and human services, more than 15,000 people are currently hospitalized there for covid-19. joining me now from ocean springs, miss smis nbc news correspondent allison barber. you visited three hospitals where health care workers have seen another wave of covid-19 patients pushing them to near full capacity. what are you hearing from the frontline workers there? >> reporter: yeah. i mean, we were on an icu covid floor in this hospital yesterday, and 10 of the 12 patients were intubated while we were on the floor. two patients had their lungs collapse and they had to get

chest tubes. the workers on the front line here, many of them are past their breaking point, but somehow they are mustering just enough strength every day to keep going, and then they wake up. they do it again and they try to do it again. they get back in, and for some of them it has become too much. we met one nurse in the icu who said she was leaving and going to another department because she could not watch another person die. they want people in this area to get vaccinated, but many residents here, they are not doing it. doctors we've spoken, to they blame politics and misinformation on the internet for much of the hesitancy, and some of it is not just hesitancy, it's outright hostility. up doctor we talked, to he said he had a non-covid patient who he told they should get vaccinated. they are at high risk if they do get sick and that patient told him that they would rather die than take the vaccine. listen to more of what we've heard. >> every time you see these

young patients rolling in, there's a level of frustration that we feel. there's a certain level of frustration that the nurses feel, you know. some of the nurses have stopped doing icu work because of the frustration of dealing with people whom they know could have prevented this from happening. >> just having those patients look at you before they are being intubated and begging you to not let them die and -- and just the hook in their eyes knowing that they could have done something to help prevent them from getting as bad as they have gotten. that just -- just heartbreaking. >> reporter: ayman. >> ellison barber there for us in mississippi. thank you. turning to another state seeing another spike in covid-19 cases, arkansas.

one of 11 states reporting a spike in covid deaths over the past two weeks alone, and on monday the state set a new record for the number of hospitalizations. joining me now is debby hewitt, a nurse and director of critical care services at mercy hospital fortt smith in northwestern arkansas. thank you so much for your time. i want to first ask you about what you are seeing in the icu these days. how is it different from what you have seen during previous spikes? >> i think prior to may our patients would progress a little bit slower than they are right now. right now people are coming in and within a week are passing away. today alone we're throwing care on four patients. many have only been in the icu for three days an these hugely different than what we saw back in the fall and winter where people would linger for 30, 60, 90 days. our population is much younger this time than what we've seen

prior. we've had 20-year-olds in here. the majority of our patients right now with covid are 55 and younger. >> wow. >> so it's just been so much more difficult doing it again knowing that this was all preventable. that's what's hard and it's hard for the nurses not to get angry. >> yeah. >> because we're just so exhausted. you know, i had pastoral care come up today just to support the nurses in our unit because it's so draining and so emotionally heavy on our hearts to do this every day. these nurses are working 60, 72 hours a week, and like in other states they are coming back and doing it again, but at some point they are going to have to stop because they just can't go on anymore. >> yeah, i can hear it in your voice anguish and the frustration. you're saying that this could have been prevented. >> sure. getting vaccinated. >> i was going to ask you.

are you seeing among those patients, are they overwhelmingly unvaccinated? >> in our icu since may we've probably had about a 92% none vaccinated rate in the unit. >> wow. >> so, yes. most are not vaccinate and the majority of them in that moment, when we're talking about intubating, they are asking is it too late? their families usually who are not vaccinated are usually becoming vaccinated during that patient's stay here but it was too late for their loved one and to have to say good-bye on a camera is devastating or to choose which family member gets to come and look through the window. it's hard and it's a position we shouldn't have to be in, but nonetheless here we are. >> yeah. i was just going to ask you about the families and what it's like for them to -- to go through this, so, i mean, if there's any silver lining i hope it's to encourage people to go out there and to get vaccinated. are you seeing an uptick in vaccinations in your area?

>> i think we are. we've seen a lot more at the vaccine clinic here at mercy so that is a good sign. i think we're still under 40% in the community and where our hospital is located we serve a huge rural community base and so i think their numbers are probably lower than ours, so we still have a long way to go, but every shot given is a life saved. >> debby hewitt, thank you so much for your work. thank you to all of your staff as well and what they are going through. stay strong. >> thank you. and a quick note. on friday we'll be answering your questions about heading back to school during the pandemic. share them on twitter using the hashtag msnbc answers or email them to us@talk@msnbc.com. those questions live at friday at 11:00 a.m. eastern here on msnbc. american journalist austin

tice turns 40 and once again he's turning another birthday as a hostage in syria. up next, we'll talk about the renewed called for his release with another journalist who is imprisoned by iran for almost two years. you're watching "ayman mohyeldin reports." watching "ayman mohyen reports. ♪♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs.

both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. for more information about side effects talk to your doctor. ♪♪ be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance. ♪ ♪ ♪ be in your moment. aloha! isn't this a cozy little room? sorry your vacation request took so long to get approved, so you missed out on the suite special. but lucky for you, they had this. when employees are forced to wait for vacation

request approvals,it can really cramp their style. i'm gonna leave you to it. um, just— with paycom, employees enter and manage their own hr data in a single, easy-to-use software. visit paycom.com and schedule a demo today. ♪ give me, give me ♪ ♪ everywhere i go ♪ ♪ they bite my style ♪ ♪ when i put on a show ♪ ♪ they bite my style ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ this is andy, my schwab financial consultant. here's andy listening to my goals and making plans. this is us talking tax-smart investing, managing risk, and all the ways schwab can help me invest. this is andy reminding me how i can keep my investing costs low and that there's no fee to work with him. here's me learning about schwab's satisfaction guarantee. accountability, i like it. so, yeah. andy and i made a good plan. find your own andy at schwab. a modern approach to wealth management. when it comes to laundry, everyone thinks their way is the right way. find your own andy at schwab. i just stuff everything in. it has to be cold water, it's better for the planet. the secret is, with tide pods it all works. of course, it does. no matter how you wash, it's got to be tide.

just a short while ago in texas the state sergeant-at-arms went door to door in the state capitol looking for democrats and leaving a copy of civil arrest warrants with staffers there. as you can see here nbc news obtained a copy of one of those exchanges provided by state representative shaun teori's office, this after a delegation of state democrats fled austin for washington, d.c. last month in protest of a set of republican-backed voting restrictions leaving the republican-led legislature to dispatch law enforcement as part of a effort to brung them back to the state. we'll keep you posted on any any updates to this story as it happens. turning now overseas. it has been almost ten years

since freelance american journalist austin tiye was abducted by an armed group in syria. today marks his 40th birthday and he's spending it captivity once again. his plight covers three administrations and his colleagues said will president biden be the one to bring him home. we think it's within bashar assad's power to free us a it un. joining me now a vocal advocate for jason tice, writer for the "washington post." i know that austin has been in prison for more than nine years. we've followed this saga quite closely, you and i. you were held captive in iran for a year and a half. what can you tell our viewers about what he may be experimenting and the urgency of this situation? >> well, ayman, first and foremost, thank you for shininging a light on austin's plight right now. we do this every year at this time as it coincides with his

birthday and his abduction. i wish we talked about him on a daily basis until he comes home. i can tell you that, you know, when austin was abducted i've been working at "the washington post" for just four months. when it happened my editors, our editors were obviously extremely concerned and not a day has passed that we haven't stayed concerned and on top of this issue. you know, i worked for the post for another two years while austin was in prison. i was in prison myself for a year and a half. i've been free for five and a half years, and all that time austin has remained detained and it's a horrific experience. one day in captivity is a nightmare and draw that out over a period of almost a decade and it's almost impossible. >> jason, do you know if -- is the u.s. government doing enough to secure his release, and what would you say to the administration if you had a chance to talk to them about how to secure his release?

>> ayman, one i my most staunch advocates was my big brother, and when he was asked that same question when i was in prison, he would say that he appreciated everything that the administration was doing but it's not enough because i wasn't home yet. i say the same for us aity. i know people who have tried to secure on his release in the last three administrations and in the current administration. i don't doubt their sincerity, their effort, their will, but until he comes home it's not enough. >> i know that, and we try to profile as many as we can. tice is one of many journalists being held in the region, something close to both you and myself. how is freedom of the press faring internationally at this moment? >> we are one of the low points in recent decades in press freedom. the pandemic has actually made press freedom worse. a lot of authoritarian governments have used it to clamp down on expression. they didn't want the presses within their societies to tell

the full story of -- of damage and illness in their countries, and they used it as an opportunity to clamp down even further so when a global health crisis becomes a national security issue in which journalists can be attacked, know that things aren't in a good way. i'm hopeful that -- that -- that with the current administration and the commitment towards not only freedom of expression but hyman rights more generally, that that lead to some positive changes, but the trend over the last decade has certainly been in the wrong direction. >> all right. jason, always a pleasure. thank you so much. >> thank you. up next, the end of an era. soccer superstar lionel messi leaves his barcelona team after more than 20 years making this stunning move to paris saint-germain. how covid played in his departure. you're watching "ayman mohyeldin reports." mohyeldin reports.

my principal is going down. sofi is a place where you can start to tackle those money goals today. ♪♪ an amusement park is like whooping cough, it's not just for kids. whooping cough is highly contagious for people of any age. and it can cause violent uncontrollable coughing fits. ask your doctor or pharmacist about whooping cough vaccination because it's not just for kids.

don't settle. start your day with secret. whooping cough vaccination secret stops odor-causing sweat 3x more. and the provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything! no sweat. secret. ♪ all strength. no sweat. ♪ now, we all know progressive offers 24/7 protection, but we also bundle outdoor vehicles with home and auto to help people save more!

[ laughs ] ♪♪ [ humming ] [ door creaks ] oh. [ soft music playing ] what are you all doing in my daydream? it's better than that presentation. a lot better. you know, whether it's a fraction or a decimal, it's still fun, you know? age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein.

we are following bombshell news in the world of soccer. lionel messi, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, has signed with a new team, leaving barcelona, whom he has been with since he was 13 years old. he signed a new deal with psg where he will begin a new chapter in his storied career. the move came as his former team has struggled with mismanagement and as "the new york times" described it, quote, the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the onset of calamity and so barcelona was not in a position who could keep a player who wanted to stay. this is a story that tran sends sports but what more do we know about what made messi to make this move? >> ayman, this move was really a surprise to everybody. i'm not just talking about sport

er supporters of barcelona, but messi himself. if you believe what he said in a press conference who bid farewell to the only club, you mentioned, he played in since he was 13 years old, 21 years ago. during that press conference a couple of days ago he broke down in tears and said i really wanted to stay here in barcelona. this is the only club i know. i love my life, love having my family living here. he to go. whose fault was it, barcelona's club? no, not even them. they said they wanted him to stay. the problem there was financial and legal. financial because barcelona, as you mentioned, was in deep trouble. not only because there was a lot of mismanagement, but because barcelona, as you did mention there, is one of those clubs that paid the price because of the pandemic. why? because, of course, it's been a year and a half when stadiums have been closed, no games were played and if they were played,

when they were played toward the end of the -- towards the beginning of this year, the stadiums were empty. so there was no income. with no income and a lot of money going out because this place, like lionel messi, were paid hundred of millions of dollars, you do the math. barcelona ended up being a billion dollar in-depth and at the end of the day they had to let him go. in the last few days as a surprise to everybody, lionel messi, arguably one of the best players, soccer players in the world, some say the best soccer player in the world, suddenly became available and the one that could afford him. >> very quickly, do we know how the reaction is affecting other sports clubs in europe? >> well, i guess that when lionel messi became available all of a sudden, a lot of

european clubs really wanted him. but to afford lionel messi, you need to have a lot of money and a drive to conquer all the biggest trophies in football. so in the end, as i mentioned, they ended up paying $41 million a year for a two-year contract with third year as an option for a player that not many people can afford. so, let's see whether he will keep winning in paris, as he did for the last 21 years in barcelona. >> quite a welcome there in paris the past couple of days. claudio lavanga, thank you, my friend. lavanga, thank you, my friend t out of convenience, or necessity. we can explore uncharted waters, and not only make new discoveries, but get there faster, with better outcomes. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions,

vmware helps companies navigate change-- meeting them where they are, and getting them where they want to be. faster. vmware. welcome change. before we talk about tax-smart investing, what's new? -audrey's expecting... -twins! ♪♪ we'd be closer to the twins. change in plans. at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan. healthy habits come in all sizes. like little walks. and, getting screened for colon cancer. that's big because when caught in early stages, it's more treatable. hey, cologuard! hi. i'm noninvasive and i detect altered dna in your stool to find 92% of colon cancers, even in early stages. early stages! yep, it's for people 45 plus at average risk

for colon cancer, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. count me in! me too! (vo) at t-mobile for business, unconventional thinking count me in! means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. whether it's ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs. being first on the scene, when every second counts. or teaching biology without a lab. we are the leader in 5g. #1 in customer satisfaction. and a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. without trade-offs. unconventional thinking. it's better for business.

it's taken a lot to get to this moment. ♪ grew up at midnight - the maccabees ♪ dreams are on the line. you got this. refresh... it all, comes down, to this. ♪♪ ♪ 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. >> hi to everyone. it's 4:00 in new york. the republican party will go to any and all lengths to sustain its assault on our democracy. let's start in texas, where the state house's sergeant at arms is serving civil arrest warrants to the offices of democrats who fled the capital to stop the gop from passing voter suppression bills into law there. "new york times" writes it this way. quote, the move by the texas house sitting in austin came hours after the all-republican texas supreme court, acting