at 10 p.m. eastern on msnbc. i'm jose diaz-balart, you can always reach me on instagram. follow the show online. thank you so much for the privilege of your time. craig melvin picks up with more news next. more news next. a good thursday morning to you. craig melvin here from msnbc world headquarters in new york city. there's a lot to cover this morning. fast-moving developments. right now joint base andrews, as you can see president biden boarding air force i. as we speak, he is headed here to new york city to talk gun violence. it comes just minutes after the president addressed a raid that he directed in syria, the leader of isis died during that raid. >> last night's operation took a

major terrorist leader off the battlefield and has sent a strong message to terrorists around the world, we will come after you and find you. >> and this is what is left of the building where that raid happened. a senior administration official says the operation -- the beginning of the operation, the target of the raid exploded a bomb. they say that bomb killed the target and also killed members of his own family, including women and children. in just a few minutes, i'll talk to white house communications director kate bedingfield about that raid and about the president's new push to revive that moon initiative. and biden officials briefing the president on the tension, russia just deployed more military forces to belarus than it has

since the cold war. we'll get to that in just a moment. we are going to start with the latest on the operation by u.s. forces in syria and the death of the global leader of isis, nbc's courtney kube is at the pentagon. we just heard from president biden a short time ago about the operation. we're learning u.s. forces were on the ground for nearly two hours. what do we know about what unfolded over that time? >> so, u.s. military helicopters landed outside of the area and then they moved on to the target, on to this building on foot. when they got there, they called out to the people inside the building telling them to come outside. we know according to defense and administration officials that some civilians came out of that building but at some point in the immediate aftermath of that, someone detonated himself on the third floor, that is believed to

be the successor, and they believe that could have included his children, perhaps the wife. we're working on more of those details now. we know in that detonation, there were civilian kills. the military was on the ground for about two hours. part of that is exploitation of the site. they'll try to go in and gather up anything they can that will teach that, that they can learn about this isis leader and about any isis operations. one of the helicopters when it landed, there was some maintenance issue. the military deemed is unsafe to fly and they detonated there on site. you may remember in the bin laden raid about a decade ago, that helicopter in that case had a hard landing inside bin laden's compound, the military had to detonate it there on site

to avoid any of the secret information on the aircraft getting in the hands. wrong people. we also know that at some point while the military were on the ground there, there was an exchange of gunfire, there were at least a couple of militants that were killed in that. no americans were killed according to the officials that we spoke to. president biden pointed to this raid as an example of how the u.s. military and the united states will continue to go after terror leaders like this. here's what he had to say. >> this operation is testament to america's reach and capability to take out terrorist threats no matter where they try to hide, anywhere in the world. i'm determined to protect the american people from terrorist threats and i'll take decisive action to protect this country. . >> we expect to get more details about the raid and on the extensive planning that went on apparently for months in this raid in the coming hours. we have pentagon press secretary briefing at 12:30 here today and

we expect statements out of other military leaders throughout the day, craig. >> stand by for just a moment. our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, he just filed this report on what happened in syria itself. >> reporter: u.s. special forces managed to track down the isis leader. i've been to the village before. we managed to speak to the building's owner where the isis leader was staying. it was a three-story building. the owner told us he believed he was renting it to a widow and that the widow and her son were staying on the third floor and that six of her relatives were staying on the second floor. that's what the owner told us. that's what he told us he believes. we also spoke to a neighbor, and he heard the operation unfold. he said at around 12:50 local time, that's the time that he quoted, he said he heard helicopters moving in, intense,

low-flying helicopters so loud that he thought it would take the roof of his building off. then a few minutes went by, didn't hear anything, apparently the helicopters were then landing, the forces were approaching on foot. he said he didn't know what was going on at the time. this part of syria is controlled by islamists. it is an active war zone. he thought maybe this was a russian invasion, maybe it was an invasion by the syrian regime. didn't know what to expect but he knew that a helicopter-mounted operation was under way. then a few minutes after the helicopters passed overhead, he started to hear a voice in arabic, a military translator, using a loudspeaker to call out to people inside this three-story building. he said the man had an iraqi accent and he was pleading with the people inside to surrender, telling them that there was no chance to escape, that they were completely surrounded, that they would be attacked, that their lives were at risk and saying,

men, women, children, come out, you will not be harmed if you come out. the witness said that this continued for about 30 minutes, at which stage there started to be an exchange of fire, small arms fire, ak-47 started coming from the house to u.s. forces, and u.s. forces firing back that was relatively brief. then another attempt at negotiation with the negotiator again pleading with the people inside, saying you will be attacked, you will be killed if you don't come out. if you come out now, you will not be harmed. at one stage the negotiator seemed to be addressing a woman in arabic. in arabic you can tell if you're addressing women because the language changes and the translator was speaking directly to the woman saying if you don't want to come outside, you should come outside, save yourself but if you don't want to come outside, at least let your

children go he said as far as he could tell, people did not take the offer to leave, though some civilians may have left and at the end of the operation, which lasted about two hours, he heard an explosion and apparently the isis leader killed himself along with other people in the building. >> richard engel there. >> raff, what more can you tell us about this isis leader and what does his death mean now for isis there? >> craig, this isis leader hardly a household name, nowhere near as well known as osama bin laden, his his big goal was to rebuild isis's strength and his death will be a major setback. he was 45 years old, he was an iraqi citizen and he fought with al qaeda in iraq following the u.s. invasion in 2003.

he fought against u.s. forces. now al qaeda and iraq morphed into isis. he was the driving force behind the genocide back in iraq in 2014. by the time he became in charge of the terrorist group, it really was a fragment of what it had been. in 2014, isis controlled the size of a country of great britain. it was age to directly order attacks in europe. by the time koreshi took over, his focus was trying to get them back to that strength. president biden mentioned that he was directly responsible for an isis attack on a prison in

northern syria just a couple of weeks ago. this was a very violent step by isis sleeper cells trying to free hundreds of their comrades who were caught behind bars. u.s. forces were actually involved in putting down that prison revolt. and if it's true that he was directly responsible for that, that shows you that he was still very involved in the command and control of isis, very involved in its daily operations, right up until literally days before his death. so this will be a setback, craig. we will expect isis to name a new leader sometime soon, though. >> raf sanchez in london, thank you. i want to turn to communications director kate bettingfield. we invited you to talk about the president's cancer initiative. i want to start with syria for just a few moments now.

this was similar to previous raids where the isis leader died. why did president biden decide now was the time for this? >> reporter: well, this was a decisive action by him to ensure that we took this terrible terrorist leader off the table. this is something he green lit knowing that our u.s. special forces would go in and execute. obviously it was incredibly dangerous mission. he's incredibly grateful to the bravery and skill of our u.s. military, to executed this at great risk to themselves. he took into account the best possible way to minimize any civilian casualty. instead of knowing that the target surrounded himself with family, he chose to authorize a special forces raid rather than an air strike. but this is an incredibly important moment. this is taking somebody off the

table, which now means americans are safer and the world is safer with him having been eliminated. >> to that point about casualties, do we know at this point how many civilian casualties there may have been, including children? do we know that? >> reporter: that's still being determined but i can tell you that the president took every precaution and gave every consideration to the best way to execute taking this incredibly dangerous person, who has been a threat to americans, who has been a threat to our allies around the world off the table while minimizing civilian casualty. >> a major blow to isis and syria, no doubt but we've seen them regroup again and again. how serious and urgent are fears within your white house right now about an eventual reconstitution of isis? >> reporter: well, the course the president takes any threat of terror seriously, but we are executing on a foreign policy that allows us to monitor, you

know, we are looking over the horizon capability and relentlessly focused ensuring that we are staying on top of any threats about our homeland. that's what this decision today was about. that's what the brave and incredible execution of our military of this action today -- or overnight, i should say, has done for the world. it's made it's all a little different. >> before we turn to the moon shot, a raid close to turkey. our allies were critical here. how much more american intervention should we expect in syria in the future, kate in. >> reporter: you're right that syrian democratic forces with an integral part of this process. president biden believes we are stronger when we work closely with our allies. we do that across the world. and he is never going to hesitate to take on any threat to our homeland. we could not do that without the help of our partners. you heard him talk about that in his remarks just a few minutes

ago. that is how he conducts american business on the world stage and what we saw today and overnight was an example of decisive action that has made us all a little bit safer. >> i want to pivot now. president biden just announced he is reigniting the cancer moonshot he first launched as vice president and today is his son beau's birthday. beau died in 2015 from brain cancer. i recall a conversation i had with the president several years ago and he talked about the hole in his heart that was left when beau died. the moonshot this time around, how different is it going to be and why the urgency now? >> the urgency now is because families like his and like yours, i know, craig, can't wait. and the president knows how intensely personal and painful and difficult the experience of hearing that diagnosis and then having to work through and live wf that diagnosis can be.

so for him, you'll remember he said in 2015 when he decided not to run for president then was that his biggest regret is he wouldn't be the president who oversaw the end of cancer. for him this is about building on the progress he made for the moonshot launch in 2015 and it about lowering the death rate of cancer by 50% over the next 25 years and improving the patient experience. again, he lived through having to go from hospital to hospital, from doctor to doctor. and what he wants to do is really break down those silos, make sure there's information and improve the patient experience. >> how do we harness the power of federal government to lower the death rate? >> reporter: so some of it is about the innovation that the federal government can drive, you know, the president is a huge believer in something

called arpa-h, something he got passed with republican support, this is an issue that has support on both sides of the aisle and the government can be an incubator, an innovator, a place where we drive toward new treatments, new ideas, new solutions. we put the kind of money that we put into investing in, you know, in other innovative areas in technology, for example, we put that into cancer research and medical research. >> i read some of the material you guys sent around yesterday and you noted that there have been more than 9 million missed cancer screenings as a result of this pandemic. beyond that, there are major inequities to screening access, especially when you look at cancers like colon cancer. how is the white house looking to fix that part of the problem?

>> exactly. there is, as you noted, there's a huge focus on fixing inequity in cancer treatment. one of the concrete things that we can do is diversify clinical trials. right now clinical trials don't always reflect the diversity of the country. and so as we are -- as we're working through new treatments, new therapies through these clinical trials, one thing that the moonshot will do is commit to those clinical trials being more diverse, looking like the country so that we're getting to treatments and therapies that work on all different kinds of people. that's just one concrete way. >> you note something. i've talked to a number of medical experts. they have said that would be one of the major improvements, if we could figure out how to diversify some of these clinical trials. before i let you go, kate. five years ago, as you know, passage of the 21st century cures act, it was bipartisan, it invested about $1.8 billion over seven years for new funding for cancer research. how is this going to be funded

and do we expect it to be bipartisan? >> reporter: well, we would certainly hope that it would be. i think there's no such thing as a disease that only impacts democrats or only impacts republicans. historically it's been a bipartisan issue. the 21st century cares act which president biden championed when e esident passed with bipartisan votes. the president is going to put forward in his budget, which we hope will pass congress with bipartisan support, he'll put forward some of these pieces as well. it is an enormous, enormous personal priority for president biden. >> last question before i let you get back to work. your supreme court nominee, are we going to get that on monday or tuesday? >> reporter: the president has said he will make an announcement when he has an announcement to make and i will let him do that. >> well played, kate. thanks as always for your time.

>> it's a very busy morning for president biden. the president headed here to new york city to huddle with the governor and mayor to cut down on violent crime. we're going to dig into the president's plan in just a few moments. plus, at this very moment, senators are getting a closed door briefing on the crisis in ukraine. is this a live look, by the way, control room? this is a live look, i've been told. this is a live look there at the senate building. we're going to get the latest on that plan as thousands of u.s. troops get ready to deploy to eastern europe. >> also, in case you haven't heard, snow, freezing rain, bitter cold, more than 100 million people are under a weather alearn from new mexico all the way to maine and the fear about whether the texas power grid can handle what's coming, next. an handle what's coming, next

♪upbeat music♪ transitions™ light under control. ♪upbeat music♪ transitions™ signature gen 8™ available now, in 4 vibrant style colors. transitions™

as a business owner, your bottom line available now, in 4 vibrant style colors. is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business:

comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable nationwide network. with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities.™

in the air. he is on his way to new york city, and this trip is all about his plan to cut back on gun violence in cities across this country. and two big parts of his plan, increasing funding for law enforcement and aggressive enforcement of gun safety laws. this is some video of the president a short time ago boarding air force i. new york city saw a nearly 38% increase in all crime in january compared to the same period last year. homicides, as you can see there, homicides were down but rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, shootings all up compared to the same time period last year. mike memoli is in new york, here in the big apple and so is mara gay, member of the the "new york times" editorial board and msnbc political analyst, an analyst, we haven't seen you in a while

so it's good that you're back with us, mara. mr. memoli, i'll start with you there. welcome back to new york. the white house sharing some details about this gun violence reduction strategy as it's being called. it's going to be a big part of messaging heading into the mid-term elections. mike, what do we know about what the president plans to say today? >> reporter: well, craig, there are really three pillars to the president's crime strategy that he's eager to talk about here in new york today. first is what you mentioned, not just increase in funding for police but really doing everything that they can to bolster resources across the board. the second is trying to tackle some of the root causes of crime. that's community intervention programs, rehab programs for formerly incarcerated individuals and he'll being joined by merrick garland.

you can probably hear some of the circus around me, craig. this is going to be a really big issue in the mid-term elections and what the president is eager to do is model behavior for many in his party. we know the defund the police movement was a galvanizing force for many progressives. this was a president who has kept his distance from it and he's going to be joined by mayor eric adams, a former nypd captain telling gutierrez that defund the police is the wrong slogan, that public safety is not a bumper sticker. this is a president who is going to be more through his optics today than through the substance of what they're announcing demonstrations to democrats how to run on this issue. >> if you are inside, i need to know why you're inside.

if you're not, i need you to put on the vest and do the job you were hired for. >> does defunding the police work? >> no, it's not and it's the wrong bumper sticker. >> all right, mike memoli for us there. thank you so much, mike. and welcome back to new york city. that was part of our welcoming committee there. >> margay, you had a strong piece about crime just last month. here's the headline "the right way to stop rising crime in new york." it reads in part, quote, the challenge will be how to make the city safer without reverting to the overpolicing, especially in black and latino communities seen under previous mayors. do you have think president biden's plan can meet that challenge? >> we certainly hope so. the reality is that law enforcement is a key part, of course, of keeping our

communities safe and we see that there's no question about that. but crime is actually very complicated and the causes of it are complicated. and so when you really talk to people who think deeply about these issues, you know, it's obvious that it's not only police that are the solution. you have to think about employment programs, you have to think about how to create jobs, community violence interrupters, health care. i think it's clear that across the country some of the increases in crime we've seen have coincided with the pandemic. so it's not enough to simply blame liberal or conservative policies or policing, you know, it's not enough to give them the full credit or blame. it really got to be an all hands on deck strategy and it's much more complicated than simply increasing funding to law enforcement. i think the concern here in new york is that what we don't want is we don't want to see a repeat

of the 1994 crime bill, which president biden sponsored back in '94. this is very different what he's proposing today, so that's very good, but we don't find it acceptable to criminalize essentially black and latino children in an effort to keep streets safe. we don't think it's necessary and we don't believe ift going to keep anybody safer. so the real challenge is how to go after, you know, violent crime without essentially ensnaring young black and latino especially men and boys in the service of that goal. and really that's precision policing. so we should not just be asking for more resources for law enforcement. we should also be ensuring that they go exactly where they are meant to instead of simply kind of feeding a beast that may not be keeping us safe but may actually be criminalizing

people. it's a fine line to walk. and so i think the idea is it can be done. >> politically, as you know, this is going to be a potentially galvanizing issue as we head into these mid-term elections in november. a lot of democrats are going to have to answer some questions about rising crime in their cities. how can democrats in districts and cities across the country effectively seize on this new strategy and even mayor eric adams' plan? >> well, i think what we're going to see from mayor adams today is a quite savvy approach, which this is a mayor who ran on public safety. he was a police officer, a police captain so he has the perspective of law enforcement he also has the perspective of being a black man in america where obviously black communities are overpoliced and many times unfairly policed.

he's going to understand how to walk that line. his challenge is making sure that he runs the government in a way that also does so. i think it clear that everybody wants to be safe. safety is not a republican or a democratic issue. every community wants to be safe. communities want to be able to trust the police and they want to be safe from crime. so i think that's really, you know, that's going to be the goal. people want to be able to trust the police and they don't want to have to fear from criminals or from the police. and that is really the goal and i think it's -- that biden and eric adams are in a really good position to do that today if they get the tone right. >> and those things are not mutually exclusive. >> always enjoy your insight and analysis. i thank you, my friend. right now the senators are getting the closed door briefing on the ukraine crisis.

what's coming from it next. ukr. what's coming from it next i have friends. [ chuckles ] well, he may have friends, but he rides alone. that's jeremy, right there! we're literally riding together. he gets touchy when you talk about his lack of friends. can you help me out here? no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. well, we're new friends. to be fair. eh, still. well, well, well. look at you. you mastered the master bath. you created your own style. and you - yes, you! turned a sourdough starter into a sourdough finisher. so when you learn your chronic dry eye is actually caused by reduced tear production due to inflammation you take it on, by talking to your eyecare professional about restasis®... which may help you make more of your own tears with continued use twice a day, every day. restasis® helps increase your eye's natural ability to produce tears, which may be reduced by inflammation due to chronic dry eye.

restasis® did not increase tear production in patients using anti-inflammatory eye drops or tear duct plugs. to help avoid eye injury and contamination, do not touch bottle tip to your eye or other surfaces. wait 15 minutes after use before inserting contact lenses. the most common side effect is a temporary burning sensation. ask your eye care professional about restasis®. now to trick out these lights. visit restasis.com to learn more. ♪♪ 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.

when a truck hit my car, boost® high protein also has key nutrients the insurance company wasn't fair. i didn't know what my case was worth. so i called the barnes firm. i was hit by a car and needed help. i called the barnes firm, that was the best call i could've made. i'm rich barnes. it's hard for people to know

how much their accident case is worth. let our injury attorneys help you get the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm injury attorneys ♪ ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ right now keeping a very close eye on this hallway in

capitol hill, it's just outside a room where senators are getting a classified briefing on the escalating situation in ukraine. it also coincides with a brand new warning from nato this morning. thousands of russian troops are rapidly moving into belarus, that's just north of ukraine as you can see on the map here in nato is calling it the largest russian deployment there in 30 years. garrett haake is keeping an eye on that briefing for us. garrett, i know that the briefing is still ongoing, but what, if anything, do we know so far about what's happened? >> reporter: craig, i can tell you i've covered a lot of briefings and lawmakers come away unsatisfied. unless you're on the committee, you're not going to have access to raw things like troop movements on the ukrainian and russian and belarussian side.

i will say unlike some previous briefings on this and other foreign topics, you've got the top level folks here from the secretary of state, the head of the department of defense. the people who are going to have the answers to their questions are here today. what you typically see from lawmakers is frustration that administrations, this one, previous administrations, they all do it, send lower level staffers who cannot provide the answers that lawmakers want. but in this case the senate leaves town tonight and there's a real push to see if they can finish this sanctions package before they do so, making every word said in this meeting very important, craig. >> garrett haake, we will be checking in with you periodically throughout the day to see if some of those lawmakers do come out, perhaps provide some unsight into what was learned. garrett, thanks as always, my friend. meanwhile more than 180

million americans are dealing with snow, freezes rain, lots more. one of the biggest fears right now, the possibility of the repeat of last year's catastrophic power grid failure in texas. right now more than 60,000 texans do not have power. morgan chesky, what are you saying there outside the obvious snowfall. >> last year when that stormed wreaked so much havoc across texas. there are currently 60,000 texans currently in the dark. we believe those to be local outages, for example, a tree branch falling on a power line as opposed to the grid problems

that we saw when we at one point saw millions of texans without any way to stay warm inside their homes and that is bringing a collective but cautious sigh of relief right now. we know we're going to be remaining below freezing for at least the next 24 hours or so. that's what's anticipated and that's still a far cry from last year's storm where we went nearly a week below freezing and that's what caused that unprecedented demand. the peak power demand isn't anticipated until early friday morning so a lot of eyes are looking to that. but state officials have tried to reapril sure everyone going into this storm they had extra power reserves that they did not have this time last year. governor greg abbott saying at least 99% of power generators

have been inspected and are working. what we're seeing is for many of the hours overnight, it wasn't necessarily the snow coming down but it was ice pellets, frozen rain, sleet. particularly in north texas, it's starting to build up into a frozen glaze that can be incredibly dangerous to drive on. fortunately we didn't see a lot of people out and about right now and we hope it stays that way as this winter storm makes its way through. >> stay warm, stay safe, buddy. thank you. a, quote, toxic work environment." washington's nfl team, you can call them the commanders now, the washington commanders, they face major allegations of misconduct, including bullying and sexual harassment. this morning a group of former employees are talking about that with members of congress. what they are saying next. f cons what ty heare saying next.

hi, my name is cherrie. i'm 76 and i live on the oregon coast. my husband, sam, we've been married 53 years. we love to walk on the beach. i have two daughters and then two granddaughters. i noticed that memories were not there like they were when i was much younger. since taking prevagen, my memory has gotten better and it's like the puzzle pieces have all been [click] put together. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. i'm still drawn to what's next. even with higher stroke risk due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin that's a trail i want to take. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk better than warfarin. and has less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis has both. don't stop taking eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding.

don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor about eliquis. it's still the eat fresh refresh™ so subway's upping their avocado game. we're talking just two great ingredients. perfectly ripe, hand-scooped hass avocados and a touch of sea salt. it's like a double double for your tastebuds. subway keeps refreshing and refreshing and refreshing... real cowboys get customized car insurance with liberty mutual, so we only pay for what we need. -hey tex, -wooo. can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

(vo) for me, one of the best things about life is that only pay for what you need. we keep moving forward. we discover exciting new technologies. redefine who we are and how we want to lead our lives. basically, choose what we want our future to look like. so what's yours going to be? thinkorswim® by td ameritrade is more than a trading platform. it's an entire trading experience. with innovation that lets you customize interfaces, charts

and orders to your style of trading. personalized education to expand your perspective. and a dedicated trade desk of expert-level support. that will push you to be even better. and just might change how you trade—forever. because once you experience thinkorswim® by td ameritrade ♪♪♪ there's no going back. right now the house

oversight committee is holding a roundtable on reports of toxic workplace culture at the newly named washington commanders. six former team employees are detailing their experiences with the team. i asked commander's president jason wright about that when i talked to him wednesday as he announced the team's new name on the "today" show. this was wildly widely regarded as a toxic workplace. what have you done to fix that? >> the rebrand has coincided with very rapid and very real and irreversible change in the organization. >> ali vitale is with us on capitol hill. the league has not released what they found. what are we hearing from these former employees so far? >> reporter: that's the central piece of this, craig, from the employees we're seeing testify in front of the oversight

committee and from democratic members on the oversight committee themselves saying they need to see more transparency around this. they sent a letter at the end of last year, the oversight committee, to the nfl specifically asking among other things to see the results of a report done by beth wilkerson who led the investigation prior to the nfl taking over the investigation. this is part of why they're having this hearing is to keep the pressure on, trying to make sure they do get the kinds of responses from the nfl and the washington commanders that they want around this story. and, frankly, that request for transparency is also something we are hearing from the people testifying themselves. listen to a small piece of what we've heard from these six employees. >> even with threats of intimidation, i and many other former employees came forward to speak with investigators because we believed the nfl would finally take action against

snyder and the washington football team. and you know what? turns out the nfl does not care. >> craig, just as you highlighted, this comes less than 24 hours after the washington commanders tried to turn the page on that rebrand. now these latest allegations of a toxic work culture back in front of the oversight committee and back in the headlines. i will say it's not testimony you would typically see, it's more of a roundtable session where people are asking questions of former employees. we're hearing democrats speak to a toxic workplace issue at hand here and the republicans trying to make this about other things, saying this is not the best use of the committee's time. a real partisan divide here as we see this still going on now. >> ali, we should note, dan snyder, the owner of the washington commanders has said

in a previous statement, quote, i have learned a lot in the past few months about how my club operated and the kind of workplace that we had. it is now clear that the culture was not what it should be but i did not realize the extent of the problems or my role in allowing that culture to develop and continue. i know that as the owner i am ultimately responsible for the workplace. i have said that and i say it again. that's coming from team owner dan snyder. up next, my conversation with a south carolina pastor who is working to transform a movie theater that was once a haven of hate, once a headquarters for the ku klux klan into something else entirely. the ku klux klan into something else entirely. hey derrick, quit playin'. derrick! new projects means new project managers. you need to hire.

i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately get your shortlist of quality candidates, whose resumes on indeed match your job criteria. visit indeed.com/hire and get started today. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's once-monthly injectable cabenuva. cabenuva is the only once-a-month, complete hiv treatment for adults who are undetectable. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider once a month. hiv pills aren't on my mind. i love being able to pick up and go. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking certain medicines, which may interact with cabenuva. serious side effects include allergic reactions post-injection reactions, liver problems,...and depression. if you have a rash and other allergic reaction symptoms, stop cabenuva and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have liver problems or mental health concerns, and if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. some of the most common side effects include injection site reactions, fever, and tiredness.

if you switch to cabenuva, attend all treatment appointments. with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. ask your doctor about once-monthly cabenuva. who's on it with jardiance? with once-a-month cabenuva, i'm good to go. we're 25 million prescriptions strong. we're managing type 2 diabetes... ...and heart risk. we're working up a sweat before coffee. and saying, “no thanks...” ...to a boston cream. jardiance is a once-daily pill that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so, it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and jardiance lowers a1c. jardiance can cause serious side effects including... ...dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away... ...if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ...ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction, ...and don't take it if you're on dialysis. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea

or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? we're on it. we're on it. with jardiance. ask your doctor about jardiance. (vo) verizon is going ultra! and so is manny! event planning with our best business unlimited plan ever! with 5g ultra wideband now in many more cities and up to 10 times the speed at no extra cost, the downloads are flying fast! verizon is going ultra, so your business can too. (music) who said you have to starve yourself to lose weight?

who said you can't do dinner? who said only this is good? and this is bad? i'm doing it my way. meet plenity. an fda -cleared clinically proven weight management aid for adults with a bmi of 25-40 when combined with diet and exercise. plenity is not a drug - it's made from naturally derived building blocks and helps you feel fuller and eat less. it is a prescription only treatment and is not for pregnant women or people allergic to its ingredients. talk to your doctor or visit myplenity.com to learn more. right now a pastor in my home state of south carolina is rewriting the dark narrative of racism. before i show you a story, a warning that many of you about to see the report, are disturbing. just outside the town square in lauren, south carolina wab brand new marquee sits above the echo theater. but inside, it's gutted. -seats and sage have been ripped out.

only a dirt floor remains. in fact, the only remnant of the theater's sorted past is a painting of a giant swastika fading on the wall. after seeing it, it might surprise you to learn the owners are reverend david kennedy and his church. as i understand it, you used to come here when you were a little boy and see movies? >> yes. >> used to come up through that way? that was the segregated entrance for the blacks. it started as a segregated theater. from there, the theater's history is as compelling as any movie. it became a ku klux klan headquarters and an international meeting space for hate groups. also home to a store called the red neck shop, which sold all kinds of white supremacist memorabilia. when the redneck shop opened in 1996, reverend kennedy started

protesting. this space where we're sitting right now, what did it used to be? >> you came in. they had all kinds of racist material. wooden dolls with ropes around their necks. >> but a change of heart changed everything. michael burden, who owned the theater, decided to leave the klan and was u.s.a. ruicized. -reverend pound him and his pamally living in a truck and guided by faith and forgiveness, he decided he had to help. >> i had to. when the mandate of need is there, you can't be reluctant and taking care of human beings. >> reporter: an unlikely friendship was born and burden decided to sell the building to reverend kennedy. their story inspiring a book and movie. and after winning a year's long court battle, the reverend is

ready to reinvent the theater. what do you want this space to be? >> i'm sorry. i'm trying to fight something back. some of my eemotion. >> reporter: that's okay. >> walk in to the place where we focus on all racists. i want it to be a place where diversity is not only talked about but it is lived as celebrated. >> i didn't know that he was alive. >> reporter: he realized his vision. the reverend enlisted reagan freeman. the 25-year-old grew up nearby and had plans to go to law school until he learned the history of lynching in lawrence county. that lynching includes the reverend's great uncle, lynched in 1913 from railway trestle. what is the echo project? >> it's about reckoning with

dark past, confronting correctly and rye oog make some good. >> out of it. it's about finding justice. about finding peace. >> reporter: the past lives all over the town of lawrence. the place he was lirned is over grown but not forgotten. but around the corner from the dirt floor of the echo theater, reverend kennedy hopes to build a space for healing, understanding and forgiveness. >> in this world, we have to be forgiving. some things do not come of night. some things have to come by prayer. >> reporter: the leading architect has volunteered his services to the echo project. we'll keep you posted. but that's going to coo it for me in this hour. i'm heading to beijing but "andrea mitchell reports". m heat "andrea mitchell reports".

every business is on a journey. and along the ride, you'll find many challenges. ♪ your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers. with hepatitis c i felt i couldn't be at my best for my family. in only 8 weeks with mavyret i was cured. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all types of hep c. before starting mavyret your doctor will test if you've had hepatitis b which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b, a liver or kidney transplant, other liver problems, hiv-1,or other medical conditions, and all medicines you take. don't take mavyret with atazanavir or rifampin, or if you've had certain liver problems. if you've had or have serious liver problems other than hep c,

there's a rare chance they may worsen. signs of serious liver problems may include yellowing of the skin, abdominal pain or swelling, confusion, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. tell your doctor if you develop symptoms of liver disease. common side effects include headache and tiredness. with hep c behind me, i feel free fearless because i am cured. talk to your doctor about mavyret. learn how abbvie could help you save. [inspirational soul music] [inspirational soul music] [inspirational soul music] with voltaren arthritis pain gel. my husband's got his moves back. an alternative to pills, voltaren is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gel for powerful arthritis pain relief. voltaren, the joy of movement.

moving is a handful. no kidding! fortunately, xfinity makes moving easy. easy? -easy? switch your xfinity services to your new address online in about a minute. that was easy. i know, right? and even save with special offers just for movers. really? yep! so while you handle that, you can keep your internet and all those shows you love, and save money while you're at it with special offers just for movers at xfinity.com/moving. hey lily, i need a new wireless plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. oh, we can help with that. okay, imagine this.

your mover, rob, he's on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. we cut to downtown, your sales rep lisa has to send some files, like asap! so basically i can pick the right plan for each employee. yeah i should've just led with that. with at&t business. you can pick the best plan for each employee and get the best deals on every smart phone. ♪ good day. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington following breaking news on multiple fronts, starting with the u.s. raid in syria near the border with turkey that the white house says resulted in the death of the leader of isis. with no losses to u.s. special forces. pentagon officials saying the isis leader set off a suicide bomb killing himself and several others. the u.s. aid group at the scene in syria claim the dead