a very good day to all of you from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. welcome to "alex witt reports." breaking news on a story getting worse as this day goes on. new flight disruptions as americans are just trying to head home after new year's.

right now flight aware says more than 3,700 u.s. flights have been canceled today. that comes after more than 2,700 were canceled saturday. one of the reasons for the cancellations? severe weather. thunderstorms are expected today across the southeast. rain in the northwest as well as the northeast. and then the other reason for the cancellations, the spread of the omicron variant. drivers lining up today in cities across connecticut for some home testing kits. education secretary miguel cardona says help is on the way for schools. >> we are working with districts to set up systems that maybe were not set up when there was a spread but we're working to make sure they're being set up. we're working hard to make sure they have access to tests and resources to provide testing. >> also breaking, congresswoman marjorie taylor greene's twitter account permanently suspended for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. in a statement, greene called twitter an enemy to america, but

again, i have to remind you, she was on twitter. what does that say? also the house panel investigating january 6th is planning televised hearings in the coming months. members spoke about what they've uncovered. >> i can assure you, what we have seen causes us real harm. >> we are learning much more about what former president trump was doing while the violent assault was under way. the committee has firsthand testimony now that he was sitting in the dining room next to the oval office watching the attack on television. >> joining us now, nbc's steven romo on the travel troubles out there. meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking the weather and scott cohn on covid's impact on sports. welcome all. we'll start with you, steve, at laguardia in new york. and talk about how things have been there for the travelers this afternoon. what have you seen? >> i have seen so much frustration, alex. it's continuing to grow as the day has progressed. i saw the line where people go if they have lost their luggage.

and it's got about two dozen people waiting there right now trying to get through. so you can imagine their frustration with the cancellations and delays which are ongoing. the airlines are blaming several different factors. sort of a perfect storm. they are blaming the weather. there's been lots of winter weather that's been causing delays and cancellations. along with the staff shortages they've been experiencing for months now and, of course, the surge of covid cases due to omicron variant. all causing these delays. weather. that's one of the big issues, especially in areas like chicago that saw a domino effect across the country with these delays. and we're at the end of that big holiday rush. people trying to get back home. if you remember in 2020, airlines cut staff because of the pandemic, of course, but now they're feeling that shortage because people are traveling again. all of this leading to a surge of problems. today alone, flight aware reporting more than 8,500 delays and more than 2,200

cancellations so far. if you add this frustration to people's fears about getting covid, it is just making a tense situation for travelers. here's what some of them are telling us. >> i just got back from columbia. once i got over there and hearing about all the covid and stuff and making sure that i stay safe. so that kind of made the trip a little different. definitely need a do-over on that one. i saw that there were 2,400 cancellations across the country so far, and i was making -- having to check hourly to make sure that i wasn't one of them. >> so what are airlines doing to try to fix this situation? united is offering pilots triple their pay in some cases if they'll pick up extra flights to try to alleviate this problem. southwest, other airlines doorg

are doing the same, offering more money. but at laguardia, that's of little comfort to them as they're just trying to get to their destinations after some of them have had multiple flight cancellations. >> can i just tell you, i heard a story about a family that was on a plane and they had a weight problem so they had to ask people to get off the plane. they ended up getting $5,000 per family member, and i think the joke among the family is, like, well, we have our firsty is mfts semester of our son's college paid for with $20,000 from the airlines. thought i'd share that story because it stuck with me. >> that's a memorable one. >> yeah, it's a good one. we'll turn to the weather that's sweeping across the country with meteorologist michelle grossman. so it looked a little bit like the clouds were lifting somewhat in new york but how about the rest of the country? >> yeah, we have all types of weather out there. spring-like weather in the southeast where we're looking at

70s and 80s. windchills 40 below zero in the northern plains. some snow. some severe weather and just have some plain rain. let's look at what's happening now in terms of radar. a storm system that's moving through the east. you can see the yellows, the oranges in the southeast. that's the heavy rain and potential flooding and potential severe storms. on the back side of this, where you see that blue stretching from tennessee valley all the way to interior northeast, we're looking at some snow. and sandwiched in the middle, freezing rain and also some sleet. so in terms of this severe weather today, this is probably our immediate threat we'll be watching throughout the afternoon and evening hours. you see that yellow, that's the greatest chance for seeing a slight risk for severe storms. the experts in severe weather. so damaging winds over 65 miles per hour. large hail. we could even see possible tornado or few possible tornadoes. so that's really what we're going to be watching. as we go throughout the afternoon, this area of low pressure will continue to move off to the east with this cold

front. areas of low pressure arrive along this. reinforcing this heavy rain in the southeast. to the northeast, we'll see that snow move off, but by tomorrow, we're going to see an area of low pressure deepen and it's going to throw back some snow swo into the mid-atlantic. from d.c. to raleigh, into virginia, we're looking at the potential for accumulating snow. and this would happen in the overnight hours into your monday morning commute. imagine going back to work after your two weeks of enjoyment and you're dealing with a messy commute tomorrow morning. and then an area of high pressure moves in after that and that reinforces the cold air in place. where there is not cold air, that's in the southeast. temperatures in the 70s and 80s. 77 today in mobile. that's 15 degrees above normal this time of year. and that warmth stretches up to new york city. 59, near 60 degrees as a high this afternoon. we will see temperatures plummeting 30 degrees by later on tonight and we'll be in the 30s in new york city. and then it's off to the west where we're looking at 5 degrees

as a high in minneapolis. that's 19 degrees below what is normal for this time of year. you add in the wind. it's going to feel colder than that. then that cold air is on the move. we'll see temperatures in the 30s tomorrow in washington, d.c., and that's where we're going to see this snow set up. that stage will be set with the cold air, the area of low pressure. so we'll be seeing some snow, some accumulating snow, first snow of the season really in parts of the mid-atlantic. >> okay. we'll look for that. thank you, michelle grossman. meanwhile, in california, 49ers fans are out this sunday for the big nfl game, even as the nfl is grappling with its own covid outbreak. let's go to scott cohn joining us from santa clara with more on that. yes, i was corrected the last time when i said san francisco. anyway, scott, how is the nfl dealing with this omicron surge because weren't there like 500 nfl players over the last month put on a covid reserve list? >> yeah, it's a big concern, alex. and it's really uneven.

so, yes, the san francisco 49ers play in santa clara, and they have had to deal with this. it's a far cry from what it was a year ago when the santa clara county restrictions did not allow them to play games here at levi's stadium. had to move some games to phoenix. some fans were not allowed in. now there's basically no restrictions here, but it doesn't mean that the team did not get the message and has not been very, very careful. they had just one player on the covid-19 reserve list here in -- here for the 49ers. the punter. he's off now thanks to the nfl relaxing its isolation requirements along with the cdc guidelines. this team has been very careful, according to those who follow it closely. and for fans, that does not go unnoticed. >> i think they're doing very well. they've got a very low percentage, like you mentioned, of players affected by covid.

and going into the playoffs, that's a good thing. >> for the rest of the league, though, a different story as you mentioned. roughly a quarter of the players are out now, including 100 who went on the covid list earlier this week. that's the highest in the history of the pandemic in these protocols. among those not playing this week, kirk cousins february the minnesota -- for the minnesota vikings. he not vaccinated and he's tested positive. on the flip side with those relaxed isolation requirements, carson wentz of the indianapolis colts will be able to play today in that key matchup. so we'll see what happens here for the 49ers. jimmy garoppolo, the starting quarterback is listed as doubtful not because of covid but because of a sprained thumb. >> ooh, ouch. thank you, scott cohn. we're going to bring in dr. natalie azar, msnbc medical contributor and nyu

rheumatologist. we have tomorrow when we'll see many americans returning to work. also school after the holiday break. so with this surge right now across the country and omicron cases, how much will a return to normal routines perpetuate the surge? does it have to naturally run its course and last question, so you can answer them altogether, any advice than what anyone should already be familiar with when it comes to covid? >> well, you know, certainly, alex, i think that there is a possibility that we're going to see a significant amount of population immunity having had so many omicron infections in the last two weeks, let's say, and also preliminary data that having had omicron could protect you against infection with delta, which, if true, would be really quite amazing because thus far, the data does appear to show that omicron causes less severe illness. regarding returning to normal, you know, certainly i can think of multiple examples in my own orbit where my kids are going to

school for half day rather than a full day so they're not going to be eating lunch in a communal setting because that's when masks are off. so, for example, congregate settings will be doing things like that. we all know where we work at nbc, we're still doing remote broadcasting. so a lot of industries that were planning to more return to work are going to hold off on those plans for now. in terms of what you can do, anyone out there who is listening, if you haven't been vaccinated, please do vaccinate. we also have preliminary data that vaccination of booster protects you even more, which makes sense, right? it's a gift that keeps on giving against hospitalization, even more so than having had just the two-shot series. >> but my ears perked up. it was somewhat creative when you talked about your school. they'll go to school in the morning and head home at lunchtime for a lack of exposure. that makes good sense there. >> it does make sense. very logical. >> covid testing supplies running low because of the

overwhelming demand for the tests. results are taking longer to come through. so if someone has symptoms, but then you have test results still days away from potentially coming in and verifying either way, what do they do? >> let's remember again the two types of tests people can do and the realistic time frame that you'll get your results. with a rapid test, you get your test results within 15 to 20 minutes. the more sensitive test, the pcr, can take up to multiple days, especially with the backlog that we're experiencing right now. so the advice is really quite simple. if you're doing -- if you're asymptomatic and you've been exposed, we recommend the rapid test serially. that means do one. a few days after exposure. and then you do another one within sort of 24 to 36 hours so that's two tests in three days. and if you are symptomatic but test negative on a rapid, it's always recommended to follow that up with a pcr and if you're symptomatic, you should be

really quarantining yourself until you're for sure -- until you've received a negative result on the pcr before you go back out into the public and obviously wearing a mask indoors. >> so you and i talk a lot about the stats and keeping those accurate. here's the question because we've seen a rise in all of the at-home rapid tests. those private results don't necessarily adhere to official reporting so how are we going to maintain accurate data now? do you go by hospitalizations? do you go by death rates? how are we going to keep those numbers straight? >> that's a very, very good question and something that public health experts are certainly grappling with. i think we can all assume that the daily case rates are probably a significant underrepresentation of the true number of positive cases. and they are going to look at a number of different metrics. a lot of times, even with flu, a lot of flu data doesn't come from confirmed, positive nasal swabs but from people presenting to the hospital with

influenza-like illness. so it's not unprecedented that the public health experts are going to have to make estimates in terms of the incidents of these new cases but they are actually doing that. it's not really a hard and fast number. >> okay, dr. natalie azar, always good to see you. thanks so much. >> no ordinary phone call. what hangs in the balance after president biden says hello, later on today. later on today so when my windshield broke... >> woman: what?! >> vo: ...i searched for someone who really knew my car. i found the experts at safelite autoglass. with their exclusive technology, they fixed my windshield... then recalibrated the camera attached to my glass so my safety systems still work. who knew that was a thing?! >> woman: safelite has service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ the world is full of make or break moments. especially if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis

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breaking this hour, just a short time from now, less than two hours, the president will speak with the president of ukraine as tensions with russi are escalating and continue to do so. let's go to mike memoli in wilmington, delaware. any word on what these two leaders will be discussing during today's call? >> the biden administration has given ukraine officials their word that even as president biden has now spoken twice in the last month with president putin, we've also seen other conversations with other

administration officials with their russian counterparts during this time. they will always be mindful of ukraine's concerns in this process. they call it the principle of nothing about you without you. no decisions about ukraine's future without making sure their concerns are heard. this call today is really meant to be an opportunity for president biden to tell president zelensky what he and president putin talked about two days ago and to hear from president zelensky what his concerns are. as we've been talking about the call between biden and zelensky all day, once president biden speaks with zelensky he'll have another call this afternoon with the leaders from the bucharest nine. these are nine nato countries in eastern europe who also have a lot at stake here if russia were to invade ukraine. nato is really an important player throughout this process as we heard this morning from house intelligence committee chairman adam schiff when he was discussing the situation in ukraine. let's take a listen to his comments. >> i also think that a powerful

deterrent is the understanding that if they do invade, it is going to bring nato closer to russia, not push it farther away. that we will move more nato assets closer to russia that will have the opposite impact of what putin is trying to achieve. so the combination of very strong sanctions and i certainly have no problems going after putin personally, but i think more the sector sized sanctions will be the most important. >> alex, what makes this situation so complex is that nato is in some ways both one of the deterrents in this situation but also from the russian perspective, one of the cause of this standoff. vladimir putin does not want nato increasing its presence in eastern europe. former kgb officer, he sees eastern europe as russia's sphere of influence. putin has demanded not to see ukraine join nato. something not imminent but also

certainly something the u.s. is not willing to put on the table. >> but something he demands and yet he's not in control of it. mike memoli, thank you so much. as we're saying, the president will be speaking over the phone with ukrainian president zelensky at 4:00 p.m. eastern. i'm joined by michael mcfall, the former ambassador to russia. let's get into this here. i wish you happy new year. how important is biden's continued dialogue with ukraine, amid this whole russian military build up along its eastern border? what do you expect to come out of this call? >> well, i think it's very important. it's important precisely because the ukrainians don't want to be left out of the negotiations about their sovereignty. and if you look at the meetings planned for the second week of january, the first meeting is a bilateral meeting between the united states and russia. the second meeting, without the ukrainians there. the second meeting is a meeting between nato and russia without the ukrainians there. and the only meeting where the ukrainians do have a seat at the

table is at the osc meeting, the third in a sequence. so they're nervous about being left out of this discussion and it's important that biden talks to president zelensky before these other talks get under way. >> for the second time in a month, president biden and president putin spoke. this second one on thursday. is this telediplomacy working or signalling to you this is a moment of crisis, as one administration official has already described it. >> i think it's too early to tell. i'm extremely nervous about what putin has said. i'm extremely nervous about the conditions, the concessions is a better word, that he outlined in his draft treaties. he published two treaties. one with nato and one with the united states. they unilaterally wrote them and then basically said to washington and brussels, now you just have to sign the treaty we wrote. there's lots of things that there's no way president biden

could or should agree to including some type of freeze on nato expansion. that said, it's better to talk than to go to war. and that there are these three rounds of talks coming up in mid-january. it gives us a chance to figure out, does putin really want to talk about europe security or is this all just an ultimatum and a preamble for the military intervention that, obviously, he has planned for on the ukrainian border? >> so here is the interpretation of some of this communication. this comes from an aide to president biden -- rather president putin who told nbc that biden's threats of large-scale, unprecedented sanctions could lead to a complete rupture of relations between the two countries and that new sanctions would be a mistake. president putin requested his call with president biden. so how do you read this statement? is it a threat? a promise? does it tell you anything about how their discussions next week in geneva will go? >> well, it's good to see my old

colleague yuri. i used to deal with him a lot when i was ambassador in moscow. my main interlock ter at the kremlin. he is now involved in these -- at least these public talks. you know, i think it's a pretty empty threat when he says there's going to be a rapid major disruption in u.s./russian relations. how worse can it get? i don't think that is a major -- i don't think anybody in washington should be worried, oh, if we sanction the russians, things are going to get worse. i do think it underscores how serious the moment is. it tells me that they are listening to things that president biden has been telling them about the circumstances and the consequences of military action. that to me is a good sign, not a bad sign. >> listen, we were listening to congressman adam schiff. this is what he said on cbs this

morning. if russia invades ukraine, they would move more assets, the exact opposite of what he wants. and section-sized sanctions could work. they might be implemented at least. do you think these kinds of warnings could change putin's calculus? >> again, i don't know. and biden doesn't no know and the head of the cia doesn't know and yuri doesn't even know because that's the way putin likes it. it's really important to know that he likes this uncertainty. he likes to keep his options open. i don't know the answer to that, but i think it is right for president biden to make as credible of threat as he can. i would like him to say it publicly, by the way. i think that would make it more credible because if he said it publicly, then it would be difficult for him to withdraw it should putin use military force. there's another wild card here, too, though, to underscore. we keep thinking invasion or not. well, actually, putin has a lot of options between a full-scale

military invasion and doing nothing. cyberattacks, military operations, bombing some ukrainian sites. and i think that's important to remember, too, because if he does something in between, that may make it harder for president biden and nato to respond in a commensurate way. so be on the lookout for that as something that we haven't discussed a lot, but i think is really one of the options that putin is thinking seriously about. >> such sage advice from you. thank you for joining us. i appreciate it. >> happy new year. >> and to you. it's 11 months away, but the clock is ticking. the impact it could have in washington, next. [ahh] ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm so defensive, i got bongos thumping in my chest ♪ ♪ and something tells me they don't beat for me ♪ ♪ i love romance, but i got eggshells around me ♪ ♪ don't step on 'em, don't step on 'em ♪ ♪ don't step on 'em, don't step on me ♪ ♪ ♪

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majority of americans condemn it. 72% believe the people involved were threatening democracy. but only 58% of americans believe trump bears responsibility as republicans still largely back the former president's version of events. also new reaction from members of the january 6th select committee about what they expect as they enter a more public phase of their investigation. >> what we've been learning for the american people, there were several lines of effort to overturn the election. there was, of course, the lies being promulgated by the former president. but also efforts with local election officials and state legislators, efforts at the justice department and, of course, the violent attack on january 6th. and we hope to be able to tell the story to the country. >> plus chairman bennie thompson telling chuck todd they have seen evidence of congress members, quote, assisting, unquote, rioters on that day. >> we have a lot of information

about communication with individuals who came, assisted means different things. some took pictures with people who came to stop the steal rally. some, you know, allowed them to come and associate in their offices and other things during that whole rally week. so there's some participation. >> also new today, congresswoman marjorie taylor greene permanently suspended from twitter for repeatedly spreading covid misinformation. the georgia republican just releasing a statement bashing that social media site she was on writing twitter is an enemy to america and can't handle the truth. joining me now, larry sabatow, director for the center of politics at the university of virginia. i'm going to ask you first about what you heard from those 1/6 committee members.

the fact that these hearings are going to be televised soon, what type of historic spectacle, for good or bad, either, will that provide? >> first, happy new year, alex. i hope it's a good, healthy one for you and your family. look, this is a very important week. it's not just the release of the january 6th committee's report, which presumably will happen in the summer or fall. this is a critical week because, unfortunately, many, many americans, including some democrats, and democratic-leaning independents have forgotten what a signal event this was. what happened january 6th and the preceding events, the insurrection plus the coup, the attempted coup d'etat which was planned by trump and his cronies. that's the first attempted coup d'etat, arguably, since the end of the civil war when lincoln was assassinated and the conspirators there targeted other people.

this is as critical as it gets. and americans understand this could be the prelude, not only to other violence, but to a takeover of the republic in 2024. very easily. this is not in the past. this is potentially in the future. so i think what they said this morning on "meet the press" and other shows and a salute to nbc for covering this in every one of their critical shows, across their platform this week so they can reach as many people as possible. and the other networks are doing some of that as well. we've got to get the message across how important this is and that it has to be a current concern. not put into the past. it's about the future. >> it's stunning when you say that some people are really forgetting what happened that day. it's seared into our memories, into our hearts. the sadness of it all. and beyond. we heard the chair of the committee, as you know, reference some kind of

communication between members of congress to some of the rioters. it was unclear exactly what form that might have taken. but how are you interpreting that, larry, and how big a deal is it if it's true in any way, shape or form? >> well, we're all interested to find out how many republican congressmen were, in fact, co-conspirators and assisted the insurrectionists in advance of january 6th. not just on january 6th. my own congressman had his district manager there in the crowd right outside the capitol, and i suspect there were other congressmen that did something similar or maybe helped them learn the layout of the capitol in advance and other things. so absolutely, these things are critical. it's not as though they're going to be defeated in their districts. because republicans have already moved away from this. and i think it's hopeless to try to convince a sizable number of them. but i'll tell you what it might do, alex, that's very important. democrats always have a problem

motivating their voters in off-year elections. we just saw that in virginia and new jersey. we'll see it next fall unless they can find ways to energize their voters. well, you know, anger is a good energizer. and learning everything about what trump did to seize power for a term he hadn't earned ought to make a lot of democrats angry enough to turn out and vote. >> yeah. well, to that point, that may indeed be it but didn't quite work with terry mcauliffe as he was running for governor. just a general malaise against trump. got to keep it specific. on that note, talking about november, larry, reading the tea leaves or the crystal ball, what is the likelihood that the gop takes the house or senate? could any gop actions between now and november undermine their efforts? >> well, all the oddsmakers agree that republicans are likely to take the house and have at least a 50/50 chance of taking the senate and key

governorship. but we've learned this. those who are older have been through enough election cycles to know that what we think at the new year is sometimes revised tremendously in the ten months that precede the actual election. so a lot of things can happen. the economy could get better. inflation could be tamped down. the pandemic could improve. democrats might actually even spend time selling what they've already done, which almost nobody really knows about -- infrastructure and the covid package -- as well as passing at least pieces of the build back better programs that they've proposed and the voting rights bills. you know, that's important, too, to let people know what you've actually done. so there are lots of things that democrats can do. the question is, will they? >> here's a question. it's regarding president biden's national approval rating. i'm looking at the numbers. it's dropped about 14 points since he was elected with the

final gallup poll of the year showing his approval continuing to linger in the lower 40s. what can biden do to close that gap for the midterms and how important is the popularity of the president in the midterms? >> well, he goes to mass faithfully every sunday. and i think he's got to do a lot of praying while he's in there that inflation is tamped down, that the economy does improve so that people can see it and actually in many respects, it is already good. and that the pandemic fades after this variant finally hits its peak and let's hope that happens. he needs some good luck but he also needs to do the things i just suggested to get the message out about what democrats have already done. look, opinion polls and ratings of presidents, job approvals, these things change like the sun and the moon every day. okay? you've got different phases, different things happen. presidents can go up ten points, go down ten points depending on

the circumstances and the events. so, you know, i pay less attention to that, especially ten months prior to the election. now they can get really concerned if he's still at 43% in september. >> thank you for offering a steady rudder always as we talk about politics. thanks, larry. happy to see you again very soon. it's a national problem that cost nearly $2 trillion, but for democrats, solving it could be priceless. those of you with student debt, you'll want to stick around. y c] ♪ i'm a ganiac, ganiac, check my drawers ♪ [sfx: sniffs] ♪ and my clothes smell so much fresher than before ♪ try gain flings and you'll be a gainiac too! the only detergent with oxiboost and febreze.

new fears over whether president biden will follow through on his campaign promise to forgive at least some student loan debt for all borrowers. biden delayed repayment of federal student loans to may 1st, further extending a temporary reprieve. new surveys show 89% of fully employed borrowers say they are not financially secure enough to resume payments right away and 10% say when it resumes, their student loan will take up more than half of their income. wow. joining me now, the editor and publisher of the nation magazine. katrina wrote this op-ed, how canceling student loan death would be strategically smart for biden. it's good to see you again. thanks for joining me. so why did you feel you needed to outline the benefits of this to the president? >> well, we're at a point where

1 out of 6 americans have serious student loan debt. that's the second largest debt after mortgages in this country. it's about $1.7 trillion. this is a crisis. this is, as i said, it's a real crisis, but it's also a small "d" democratic crisis, and i think for president biden, as you were talking before with larry sabatow, you are facing a midterm election. so pragmatically, this is an issue that has great momentum, great support and would revive his base, his younger base. it's not just the younger base, but it's about fairness. and also social mobility, which has been an american virtue and trait. so i think it plays on different levels, and finally, this doesn't need to go through a gridlocked congress, alex. he doesn't need have dinner with joe manchin many times. the american higher education act of 1965, you can use

executive authority. so i think it plays on many levels. and it's something the president should consider seriously as he comes back and deals with a lot of issues, which are gridlocked. >> 100%. statistically, dollars and centswise, the government's numbers are showing almost 43.5 million americans owe $1.6 trillion in student loans. the bulk of borrowers and more than 29 million of them, are between the ages of 25 and 49. they are the ones that owe about $1.12 trillion. and to your point, these are younger voters. you have congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez who says it's delusional for dems to believe they can get elected without action on student loan debt. do you think this could be a deal breaker for the 29 million younger voters? >> i think it's a really important issue. really important.

and it's not just about students. and it's not just aoc. i mean, elizabeth warren, chuck schumer and iana pressley passed a resolution calling on the administration to move forward with this debt relief, debt repayment. and i think it's about the kind of country we want to be. and this is good for the economy because it won't just be a one-time economic stimulus. it will allow younger people and their families to buy homes, to seek more education, to help their kids get -- find jobs they couldn't afford otherwise. there is a view this is about recklessness or irresponsibility if you have debt. not the case when you look at the numbers. this is just part of the american system because education is so expensive. and people leave and have to pay back over a decade. i know people with debt. i know people who are still

paying off law school debt. so i think there has to be real thinking and you think, alex, about the time we're in. you know, this is a time of pandemic. this is a time when we need to rethink what security means. and what better than investing in education, investing in mobility and investing in fairness. you know, the fact that we got defense budgets to the wazoo, you know, but it's just a kind of misallocation. so i do think biden has a possibility here and it's critical that it can move without the gridlocked congress. you don't need to do the filibuster for this. he has executive authority. >> one last question. i'm going to pick up on the word fairness here. it shows this is yet another area where african americans are disproportionately impacted. four years after graduation, almost half of all black students owe an average of 12.5% more than they borrowed, carrying an average of $52,000 in debt. let's compare that to the 83% of white students who repay 12% of

their loans in that same time frame. how does the wealth gap and interest rates, how does that factor? >> well, it factors in a big way as i write in my column. the wealth gap, wealth disparities, race gap, race disparities have to be factored in. if we're going to be a more fair country. and i think this movement would -- this motion on the part of the president and the administration would also show commitment to addressing the race gap, the wealth disparity. and not to be -- i'm as much about the moral urgency as the pragmatism but don't think that's not a factor because you have to rally people, people of color, younger people, young women, to get moving toward the midterm. and i think to revive a base that is dispirited is going to be critical and this is a truly important issue for the security and the fairness and the real nature of a better america.

>> katrina, please come see me again. i've missed seeing you. i know you've been busy. but this was a great chat. thank you so much. >> thank you very much. amid ruins from the colorado wildfire, a sobering discovery. inner voice (sneaker shop owner): i'm surprising my team with a preview of the latest sneaker drop. because i can answer any question about any shoe. but i'm stumped when it comes to payroll. intuit quickbooks helps you easily run payroll in less than 5 minutes... ...so you can stay... one step ahead. new vicks convenience pack. ...so you can stay... dayquil severe for you... and daily vicks super c for me. vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible... with rybelsus®. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes.

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let's head now to colorado where hundreds of families are starting the new year without a home after the marshal fire incinerated nearly 1,000 houses and additional 100 are damaged and that area pummelled by ten inches of snow. steve patterson is there for just the reaction from the community, got to be heart wrenching. what's it like? >> reporter: oh, absolutely devastating. imagine ten years or more of memories all gone in just mangled into a pile of twisted

rum now covered in snow. and then multiply that grief by literally everyone you knows that lives in the same community. we have been reporting three people missing. the governor gave a press conference to update the number to two. one person is located, found not recovered. located amidst this so that's good news to hear. meanwhile again, back to the families, some walking back to discover absolutely nothing. i spoke to a family. they live in a home somewhere behind me. the father and his young kids making the trip to find where their home was but it is a plot of lapd with a twisted mass of rubble and can't find the items because it is covered in snow. i spoke to him after he discovered that. listen to this. >> everything is gone. everything is gone. you can see the house is gone.

just some -- some pile of bricks. that's what you can see. and then the foundation. yeah. some -- you know? that's all i can see. >> reporter: another view of the neighborhood. this is lewisville. a community that's been so thoroughly affected and destroyed by this fire. now under investigation by authorities. >> absolutely. i'm glad a person is located of the three missing. good news on that front. thank you so much. that's going to do it for me. i'll see you next saturday at noon eastern. my friend yasmin vossoughian continues our coverage. when you need it most.

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touchdown irish! [cheering] that was awesome. and, the hits won't quit, with peacock premium included at no additional cost. all that entertainment built in. xfinity. a way better way to watch. good afternoon, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian. we have a lot going on right now. thousands of flights canceled this weekend as people try and get home. schools set to get back in session tomorrow facing a daunting choice in the face of surging covid cases. go remote or stick with in-person classes. a decision impacting millions of families. controversial congresswoman greene booted