in washington where another crippling inflation report, the worst in four decades, is highlighting the economic pain consumers are feeling every day. it's also a political dagger for a white house trying to keep the focus on strong job growth. the president in virginia will be discussing health care and prescription drug costs at an event just this hour. many return to the white house to host a meeting with the vice president and democrats on the senate judiciary commit tee discuss supreme court vacancies. and vladimir putin launching massive military exercises in belarus and at sea. and the latest diplomatic effort crashing in a contentious argument between the british foreign secretary and lavrov in moscow. i'll talk to secretary blinken's top deputy, and the house oversight committee is launching a new investigation into former president trump's handling of white house records.

one day after "the new york times" reported that officials in the national archives discovered what they believe be to classified information within the 15 boxes of paper that mr. trump took with him to mar-a-lago. just moments ago, i spoke to one of the chief negotiators, wendy sherman, in an exclusive about the state of the talks and the reality facing world leaders. deputy secretary sherman, thank you so much for joining us today. russia has launched massive military exercises in belarus, along ukraine 's northern border, including nuclear missile systems, as well as naval exercises in the black sea. do you take them at their word these are just exercises, or are these moves prerecurser to an invasion? >> first of all, always good to be with you.

we are quite concerned about the build up and the further escalation by russia surrounding ukraine, as you say, starting the exercises in belarus right next door to ukraine. general, the head of the russian military, like general milley, his counterpart on the joint chiefs of staff, chairman has gone to join these exercises. this is certainly, in our view, an escalation, not a deescalation. and to get to a diplomatic solution, that always happens best in an arena of deescalation. vladimir putin has a very stark choice to make. he can bring about a further invasion of ukraine or subversion or coercion or hybrid action, which will include enormous consequences. against him, against his government, against russia for taking such action. or he can choose diplomacy and

dialogue sgh sure, not only the security of europe but his security as well since russia is part of europe. >> that warning about the dire circumstances, the sanctions has been made over and over again by you, president biden and secretary blinken and yet they're escalating in unprecedented ways. isn't the timing very suspicious? and alarming? >> of course the timing is suspicious and alarming and we're very concerned that president putin may make the wrong choice. you know, andrea, there's no question they have the largest conventional military in europe. but it they take this action, that is prestaged by all that you've described, if vladimir putin takes that action, the consequences will not just be for the ukrainian people, which will be terrible but for the world community at large.

because vladimir putin will say any autocrat can take action that undermines international principals that russia has signed up to, to sovereignty, and that countries get to choose their own political alliances and foreign policy. and added to that, not only will there be dire consequences to the economy of russia by what we will do, not just the united states but the extraordinary alliance that exists with all of europe and the united states and countries around the world, not only will that create consequences, but vladimir putin should understand body bags will come back to moscow as well. the citizens of russia will suffer because their economy will be completely devastated. so, this is a very stark choice for him. and in spite of all that is going on right now, as you described, we hope he makes the right choice. there is a lot of diplomacy going on. today in berlin, the normandy format is meeting. that's russia, france, along

with ukraine and germany to try make progress on the min sk agreements. and chancellor scholz and secretary blinken. even though he's non other side of the world, has been making calls to all of his colleagues, to the secretary general of nato and others. all of us here have been in touch with all of our allies and partners just yesterday. i talked to the -- i have to look at my list. the french, the germans, the italians, the british, nato, the european union, osee in a meeting to talk about how we must find our way to a diplomatic solution here for the sake of europe and for the sake of the russian people. >> but at the same time, the

foreign minister lavrov had an angry exchange with the british foreign secretary today. diplomacy isn't working. they haven't even responded to the u.s. letter from two weeks ago. so, isn't that window closing? >> i hope the window is not closing because of the consequences that will follow. i hope that president putin understands, with our deploying additional forces in the eastern flank, the security assistance that we provided to ukraine to insure it can defend itself as we have to other nations with the sanctions, visa restrictions that will go in place if he makes the wrong choice. but we will not stop our efforts to find a diplomatic solution because the consequences for russia, for europe, and for the entire world about how autocrats

can act with impunity if vladimir putin chooses to further invade ukraine are really quite consequenceal for all of us. >> at this hour, my colleague is reporting exclusively from the pentagon that there are nine separate paths to an invasion, a pinser movement. isitant true that, in the near term at least, russia, militarily, has the upper hand against ukraine and nato? >> as i said russia has the largest conventional military in europe. there's no doubt if they choose an invasion in any format, they can in fact, inflict consequences for ukraine. no question about it. but it will not end on day one or day two. the ukrainians will fight back. there's likely to be an insurgency and the russian people are going to feel the brunt of the consequences that their leader had chosen for them. a path that will have enormous

consequences for russia, for the world economy as well. but most importantly, we'll say to vladimir putin that this action comes with a swift, overwhelming response from the international community throughout the world, focussed in europe, of course with our allies and partners but worldwide. >> at the same time, you have a crisis looming with iran. a critical stage in these talks. all the reports are that iran could, within a week or days of breakout time of having enough nuclear fuel to theoretically create a bomb, the centers who were briefed this week were shocked by this and many were indicating that you have to agree to almost anything that iran is now willing to offer, including going back to an agreement that the israelis and those in the senate say are not

acceptable. in the years since they've gained so much knowledge that the original agreement has to be strengthened, not accepted at face value. but are you now prepared to accept almost anything iran offers? >> of course not, andrea. president biden, secretary blinken have been very clear we reenter the gcpoa in its fullness if iran maintains compliance of it. should we be able to get back to the joint comprehensive plan of action, it not only constrains iran now, but constrains iran into the future. it also insures the international atomic agency is inspecting. >> could you ever get back to the year for breakout time that was the original deal? and why did two key emembers of

the negotiating team resign, we understand, in protest but concessions were already being made? >> let me say, andrea, that every negotiating team usually changes people along the way. this has been a very long negotiation with a lot of twists and turns. and it's not over yet. you are quite right it is at a crucial point. everyone knows it. we will see whether iran in fact will respond to all of the things that we, along with our european partners, russia and china, have put on the table. if they don't, then you're quite right. there will come a point where the upside of the gcpoa will be over taken by advances iran has made in its program and we will have to make other choices. so, we're very clear eyed. a special envoy mali is clear eyed. for it's why he gave a very sober and straight-forward

briefing along with other colleagues from the intelligence community about what is happening in this negotiation. there is no doubt we understand exactly what is going on, what is exactly required to insure iran comes back into compliance. stays in compliance and we have a breakout time that gives us enough time to know if they're doing something they should not and all of our options always remain on the table regardless of what gets chosen here. >> deputy secretary sherman, you have so much on your table, on your plate. thank you very much for taking the time today. we do appreciate it. >> thank you. good to be with you. obviously a critical time on the ukraine front, as well as other fronts. joining us now "weekend today" cohost, kristen welker and richard engel in ukraine and retired army lieutenant vindman. of course a former director of european affairs in the national security council.

richard, first you. confirm just how alarmed the u.s. is about the build up in belarus. you've been reporting on it. the build up at sea, war ships, exercises. russia claims they're exercises. the top general on the scene with the troops. other signs an invasion could be very near. what are you seeing where you are? >> well, they're feeling in this country more and more surrounded, which they are. when you talk to ukrainians, they're conflicted because the government is not having reports that we are having right now. that map you put up during your interview with wendy sherman where you show all the russian positions, that's not wall-to-wall tv in ukraine. they're not even in breaking news coverage. they're trying to say this is more of the same; that russia has done this kind of thing before. but this level of military build

up is unprecedented, especially that it's now to the north and the south with the russian military exercise in belarus entering into phase two today. they're expected to last through the 20th and with naval exercises expected to intensify in the next several days, which ukrainian officials have warned could cut this country's access off to the sea and the black sea. the country is more and more surrounded. but they are not talking about it so much. one thing i do think, listening to the interview, is going to be talked about. i'm pretty sure wendy sherman is going to be on russian television when she said if russia does this, body bag will be going back to russia. and there's a massive disinformation campaign going on. what she clearly says is if russia invades, russian soldiers will be casualties. but what russia has been doing

since the beginning is taking statements from the media, from u.s. officials, from biden and making it appear that the u.s. is threatening -- that ukraine and the united states and others and nato eare threatening russia. so, it will be interesting to see how they play her quite strong comment. >> yes. you're absolutely -- richard. that is what struck me as well. this could be a pretext, the way it is being -- the way the russian public is being misinformed. this could be part of the pretext. distorting the statements and creating a pretext that the u.s. and ukraine and nato are about to attack russia and they're acting in defense under the u.n. charter. >> reporter: absolutely. officials have been quite consumed about a disinformation campaign waged by russia as part of what we're witnessing unfold. one of the key takeaways, from

the extensive interview you just did with wendy sherman, is the urgency you hear in her voice. we have consistently tried to assess how the administration views putin's actions. it was right there laid bear in that interview. they are taking all of the actions by president putin very seriously and at face value. i thought was also notable that she said i hope the window is not closing when it comes to a diplomatic off ramp. we know that type of a comment comes in the wake of president macron meeting with president putin. macron expressed measured optimism that perhaps putin would agree to some type of diplomatic agreement. publicly putin quickly dismissed that. president biden was briefed on their conversation. the white house won't read out the details of that call, except to say they did discuss the matter, of course. so, it's not exactly clear to what extent there is a hope for some type of diplomatic off ramp.

but you heard in the interview, andrea, the fact that she stressed that allies right now are going to be the key. the calls that she has made and will continue to make and the calls going on at all levels behind the scenes because that is where the pressure points are and that's where the administration is hoping there's a diplomatic resolution, even as they grow increasingly alarmed by the build up they're seeing on the sea and the ground. >> alexander vindman, as a military, what do you see, as they have nuclear exercises also prepared. they're doing everything to signal they're about to go in. >> so, i think we're just days away from russia being fully capable of conducting its military operation and achieving the military ends. the fact is the russians have built a large enough force to,

whether it's a full-scale invasion or limited scenario, they have the forces available to do that. the question sf they have the political will to do that. the trick for the u.s. is conduct diplomacy. not necessarily with russia where there's a compromise. but a diplomacy with allies to signal to russia that the costs are too high. what's unclear is putin believes the costs are too high-up he's hardened his country to withstand some of the costs. i don't think he fully comprehends what catastrophic sanctions he's looking at. the plan is to go real high and stay real high with sanctions. the plan is to continue to put the pressure on after the shots are fired, which is -- there's a little bit of a flaw with that thinking to react. but the plan is to respond with increased forced posture and security on nato's flank to

continue to provide sfurt russia. and that's the decision thank drives whether putin gives the go-ahead order. it's highly unlikely he's going to play the game out fwb we look at it as a poker game and show himself to be a bluffer and undue or undermine his ability to signal that russia will take military action in the future. i think it's likely there will be a major military invasion proceeded by hybrid warfare and cyber attacks. what we haven't seen is the skre crescendo of propaganda unfold within the russian context yet. that could unfold in a very short period of time. the information environment is ripe. i think we'll all breathe a collective sigh of relief if we can get to the end of the month

without a military incursion. the national security community will think we're on the other side of the danger. but until we get to that point, it is a very dangerous situation. >> alexander vindman, thank you all so much for your expertise. and the paper trail that donald trump removed classified documents from the white house. the doj might step in to find out. e thdoj might step in to find out. e how many different types of water they have in this aisle? kim, did you just change blades back there? -ah. -this is perfect. jackpot. variety pack. remember, it's a football game, not a play date. roger that. one more slice. it can be a lot. oh, good, the manager. uh, brian in produce -- very helpful. progressive can't save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto with us. -pulls to the left a little bit. -nope. before treating your chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more,

you're not the only one with questions about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start, with about 10 minutes of treatment once every 3 months. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you, and if a sample is available. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. plus, right now, you may pay zero dollars for botox®. ask your doctor about botox® today. ♪[music]♪ you may pay zero dollars for botox®. at aetna® we're shifting medicare coverage into high gear with benefits you may be eligible for when you turn 65.

benefits that may include a $0 monthly plan premium. telehealth emergency coverage while you travel an over-the-counter allowance plus dental, vision, and hearing because the right medicare plan should help you feel...yeah, like that. aetna medicare advantage plans call today to learn more. ♪ life can be a lot to handle. ♪ this magic moment ♪ but heinz knows there's plenty of magic in all that chaos. ♪ so different and so new ♪ ♪ was like any other... ♪ yep, it's go time on the most reliable network. you get unlimited for just $30 bucks. ♪ so different and so new ♪

nice! but mine has 5g included. yep, even these guys get it. and the icing on the cake? saving up to $400 bucks? exactly! xfinity mobile. it's wireless that does it all and saves a lot. get the new samsung galaxy s22 series on xfinity mobile. and right now, save big with up to $750 off a new samsung device. switch today.

the national archives believes it's found what could be classified information in documents president trump took with him when he left the white house. officials have reached out to the justice department to see if any federal laws were violated, like the presidential records act. joining me is "washington post" bureau chief, ashley parker. anchor and moderator of "anchor week" on pbs and barbara mcquaid joining us as well. of course law professor and nbc contributor. unclear if the archives inspector general has even referred this or whether they were classified materials there.

but how complicated is this legally? of course the president of the united states can declassify whatever he wants to. >> whether it comes to the president, there's a lot of deference given to him about how to handle things. but the gist of the law is these documents belong to the people, to the government. so, we're supposed to keep records of all the activities of a presidential administration and they go to the national archives for that purpose. sometimes many presidents have kept documents inappropriately they think are going to the library, end up in their home. if it's merely accidental or an oversight, there's no crime that would be prosecuted. the key they would look for is look, i knew i took this document and it was willful. i knew what i was doing was against the law. tarking something that is classified would merit further investigation because the question is why?

why did he retain these things? was it slopiness and now they're giving it back. but in light of all the things we know about the president, his affinity for russia and his efforts to so-called stop the steal, i think there's good reason to wonder if he took any classified information and if so, what purpose? i think all a robust investigation is warranted. >> let's talk with you and ashley, the political fallout. remember the roots of the hillary clinton investigation and the private server and whether she wiped the server and whether they were classified documents on the laptop 11 days before the election and opening an investigation and closing it right before the election and all the lock-her-up shouts. and we had a former national security advisor prosecuted for taking documents from the white house. >> well, all of that is true, andrea and when you look at this

critics of former president trump will say here is his aids using private email servers, trying to skirt presidential records acts and doing things that are eyebrow raising at best but possibly could be illegal if they're deemed to be that way. it hasn't been the case yet and not possibly in the future. especially when you talk to democrats is people are fuming. there is soy much made of hillary clinton's emails. so much made about her decision to use a private email server. now it's been very clear now that a number of white house aids, including chief of staff meadows, was using private email to talk to reporters, other people. and in that regard, it really, in some ways, gets at the idea of what could this investigation be missing? what documents could be missing? what information? what communications could be in all of this? it's something i think they're

going to have to contend with. the other problem is, when i talk to sources is there's a double standard and there's not that many people who feel as though the trump administration or aids are going to have some sort of consequences in the way hillary clinton had it. >> hardly. ashley, mike pompeo was part of the benghazi committee as well. bill clinton's former national security advisor convicted on taking records. >> and you ask about the political fallout. for it's interesting because this is something where you kind of have out rage and political arguments from both sides. the left, of course, basically says i've seen it on social media and other places all day long but what about her emails, right? and making the point that they believe hillary's emails were covered unfairly, at nauseum when it turns out trump was doing something as bad if not far worse. and then you have republicans and former president trump

himself in a statement he put out today saying hey, hillary clinton did the exact same thing. so, this is one of the blanket issues where everyone is furious at the other side. >> ashley parker, do you think the justice department -- well, i guess this is a legal question though. so far the justice department hasn't responded to several of the january 6th investigation requests to pick up issues and begin grand jury investigations, to our knowledge. they don't seem eager to jump into these things. >> it would throw them in the middle of a political maelstrom, which they try avoid. and talking to experts about how the laws work about the presidential records act and what needs to be turned over to the national archives and just how sort of against the law, ripping up, tearing up, cutting up documents is, is you need

prove intent. that what former president trump, he knew that what he was doing was destroying classified information or information that should have been preserved. and the bar for that is quite high. i will say, in talking to aids, before they knew there was a referral, there was a sense they thought it was -- he ripped indiscriminately. he would read a newspaper article that made him angry and tear it up. the act was cathartic. so, not nefarious. that said classified material is different. when speaker pelosi ripped up his state of the union speech, he was asked about it when he was president a little bit later and he did seem to have knowledge of the laws because he claimed what pelosi did was illegal and we've reported he was advised he could not do this.

that's the question all these people will have to grapple with moving forward. >> that's such an apt reminder of pelosi ripping up his state of the union speech. iconic picture as it was. thank you all so much and we'll be right back. president biden is in virginia. there's a podium. we understand his remarks are on the podium. he may be speaking about inflation and prescription drug prices at this hour. ion and pre prices at this hour. 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. ♪ limu emu ♪ and doug. we gotta tell people that liberty mutual customizes car insurance so you only pay for what you need, and we gotta do it fast. [limu emu squawks] woo! thirty-four miles per hour! new personal record, limu! [limu emu squawks] he'll be back. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪

new york state's indoor mask mandate ends today as other states are dropping theirs as well. and tweeting it's time to give people their lives back. and now more house democrats are reportedly hoping that dropping the mask mandate applies, not just to their states but to the house floor.

there's been bipartisan push to reopen the capitol to public tourists. speaker pelosi saying she hopes tours can resume pretty sign. joining us is a critical care pulmonologist and secretary otthe university of washington. you're seeing the unmasking of america and democrats on the hill who have been fighting republicans refusing to wear masks, fining them up to $100,000 being docked from their paychecks now saying masks? what masks? what does the science say? >> good afternoon, great to see you. i will state it's pretty clear now that higher quality masks not only protects the individual next to you but yourself. if you're higher risk, over 60 or have an underlying condition, still the concept of one-way masking makes sense. in terms of timing of removing the mandates, where they exist. let's be clear.

restrictions don't exist anywhere in the united states. but where the mandates exist in a few states, end of march, early april, that to me makes sense. but announcing policies right now for end of month, i think that's premature. >> let me ask you another big question because this is children, toddlers. the cdc preparing a sequenced roll out of 10 million doses for pfizer vaccine for kids under five if it received emergency use authorization. the agency telling health officials to expect deliveries by president's day. how crucial is this next step for our youngest children? >> well, andrea, as we talk about unmasking in schools, this is -- a lot of parents. not every parent but a lot are going to be reassured by access. the vaccine for underfive is a 10th of the dose as adults. very safe and the question have these protecting against severe illness? and we have to remember so much

the focus in media has been on antibody levels. these vaccines still promote the development of t cells that help keep kids and adults out of the hospital. if the debate is two verses three, they're go having to to start with two anyway. that's why a lot of the pediatric community is in favor of starting the process now because the vaccines will likely protect against severe illness. >> that's what we needed to hear, to learn from you. thank you very much for your best advice. and the chaos in kabul. new details about the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan. how a lack of planning put troops and civilians at risk. f t troops and civilians at risk (vo) you can be well-groomed. or even well-spoken. (man) ooooooo.

(vo) but there's just something about being well-adventured. (vo) adventure has a new look. discover more in the all-new subaru forester wilderness. love. it's what makes subaru, subaru. (music) who said you have to starvew suyourself 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.

the u.s. military mission to evacuate military and allies from afghanistan was hampered by

an array of advocates including members of congress and veteran ares of the war. and this according to the rear admiral, who called the outreach a distraction that created competition for already stressed resources. the testimony is detailed in the 2,000-page declassified report, the army report first obtain fwhied "washington post" following a freedom of information act lawsuit. joining us is president and ceo of the international rescue committee and senior adviser to the afghanistan veterans of america. and combat veteran. we talked many times during the fateful weeks. 11 days, in fact, where veteran's groups, women's groups. i was involved trying to help them. people were laying out money for charter flights, that either could never land and people couldn't get to the gate. so, now he's telling investigators the priority is to evacuate american citizens, then

permanent residents and afghans who helped during the war. to quote from it documents. but then you had everyone from the white house down with a new flavor of the day for prioritization. what is your reaction to that from the military? >> i wish they had listened to us when we asked to begin evacuating back in february. there's another universe in which they did and that evacuation went smoothly. it was not chaotic, like we saw. there's another world in which the women who were left behind in afghanistan are not bearing the brunt of a famine. i can't imagine what it must be like to be ea woman in afghanistan, not being able to work or leave without a male escort. they're the sole bread winners and under the previous government, they could support their families. now they can't even work for the

bag of wheat flour that the taliban are willing to pay to help out with the regime. the world food program 's head has described afghanistan as hell on earth and that is unfortunately something that we helped create by abandoning these people, by not having a plan for what came next after we left afghanistan. advocates who have been warning the evacuation needed to begin in february had also been warning that the coming famine was going to occur; that afghan women would bear the brunt of it and there's not a good time to get people out. we've only had a handful of flights leave afghanistan since the end of august. there haven't been any in the last couple weeks. there was supposed to be a deal between the taliban and qatar but seems to have fallen apart. we're not sure. the reality is this was a calamity that never had to happen and veterans and

advocates are bearing the brunt of moral energy that failed. i know it pales in comparison to what the afghan allies are suffering in afghanistan. there's still some chance to salvage goodwill and accomplish something good and that's maybe if congress can naasz afghan adjustment act. it will help give status to the people we got out and help advocates trying to get people out and direct resources to get them to safety. i'm sure your other guests will tell you. there is a host of problems right now pertaining to the afghans we were able to evacuate. simply put, we weren't prepared to deal with them when they got here. when i read the report, all the signifies and underlines is this was completely preventible if we

had been listened to and because we weren't, we got the chaos we all had to suffer through and we now suffer through the moral injury that comes with failing these people. >> and there's about two dozen american citizens stranded there. you have there all these women who can't be manifested on the few flights that haven't been happening because they don't qualify. they're not in the special visa category and a lot of the translators, who were supposed to be there, don't have the paperwork because it was burned as the embassy was evacuated because they followed protocol. your testimony yesterday in front of the senate foreign relations committee about the humanitarian crisis confirming all these reports. young girls being sold to marriage. people selling organs to feed themselves. explain to our viewers what you told the senate, how dire the situation is because we have not

figured out a way to get aid through to the nonprofits, the legitimate groups that don't work through the taliban and are trying to deal with a humanitarian disaster? >> thank you very much. first of all, i really applaud his advocacy. touched on very important points. let me pick up the one that you have mentioned. afghanistan today, the 40 million people who live there face a catastrophe [ inaudible ] berlin and london in respect of the functioning of a afghan economy. 22 million people, more than half the population, are dependant on the world food program to feed themselves and 9 million are at one step before famine according to the international clasification system, including one million children. and there are the well-proven stories, including from our own staff of clients and family who

have sold off young girls for marriage. the reason for this is really quite straight forward. public sector salaries for nurses, doctors and engineers have been stopped. and the private sector can't function because the banking system doesn't have the capital to underpin its liquidity and the sanctions regime meant to apply to taliban individuals has become a chill for private sector activity in the country and that's how you have an economic meltdown. of course there's got to be and that's why people are in such dire need. >> well, thank you both for your advocacy. really appreciate your being here today and the president is about to speak with inflation hitting new highs. he's about to speak in virginia about proposals to lower health care costs, a plan that would have been part of his so-called build back better plan but that is now dead on the hill.

from high drug prices to every day items, everyone's paying more. and showing inflation climbed 7.5% on an annual base. that's the highest surge year over year the country has seen in the last 40 years. joining us is dean of the clinton school of public service and david jolly, a former florida republican congressman who's no longer associated with the republican party. david, let's talk about theflation numbers and what a political problem this is with the white house releasing a statement that inflation will come down by the opened of the year. that's not the temporary month-by-month forecast. that's after the midterms. >> inflation is probably the leading political issue right now. the midterm elections were held today, it would be decided on the economy, jobs, inflation and covid. issues around masks and other regulations.

what you see is democrats, as a party, doing two things at the same time. they're on the right side of history, trying to get to the bottom of january 6th. but they must meet voters where they are right now and where they are right now and we continue to see in poll is they're concern about inflation and what it means for their basic pocket book needs. that's why you see president biden address drug care costs. >> and victoria, as we're watching a young man speaking as one of several speakers who will precede the president at the podium. what do voters need to hear as prices are rising in almost every sector? >> first off an acknowledgment that we finally got from the biden administration and i'm reminded of president clinton when he said i feel your pain during that fame ds bait.

because the american public needs to know that the president, the person who is supposed to have their back gets and is going to do something about it. because i think early on when there was the sense of this is temporary, there was a lot of frustration. now that there's that acknowledge, that's the first step, right? the recognition. now it's what is the plan of attack? and i think all that needs to beper out in the next cup fl months. i think it's a good idea the white house said we're going to be able to turn this round by the end of the year. at the very least, that sets people's expectations to know this is not going to be turned around on a dime but we are going to do it. stick with us. we get you. >> david, let's talk about the key issue of inflation. we're all going to pay more for our super bowl party supplies this weekend.

how difficult is for democrats this midterm year? >> it's bad. they select candidates based on contrast and for reasons of right or wrong, out of the trump administration, inflation had not had the bite it has now. so, for voters, the economy looks different than before. part of that is higher wages and stronger labor market. they're realizing i am making more money but they're feeling the bite when they go to the cash register and often we're not rational when it comes to personal economics. we don't necessarily feel the added strength in the economy we've seen in the time since biden took office. there are greater issues at play -- >> david, i'm going to interrupt you, only because it's the president speaking at the podium. our thanks to you and victoria. speaking, by the way in coal pepper, virginia. it's abigail spamberger's district and she's an endangered

and important member of the democratic party caucus. >> i want you to know that lowering the cost of prescription drugs is one of the reasons i'm here with abigail, your congresswoman that's what i want to talk about with you today. lowering the cost of health care overall as well. lowering the cost of prescription drugs is important and giving families like yours just a little bit more breathing room makes a gigantic difference. before i get into that, i want to say it's good to be here at this school. by the way, abigail, if i want to know anything about community colleges in virginia i go to my wife. she teaches full-time and has for the last nine years. she's in the classroom now at the community college in northern virginia or the virginia community college. she says, you know, the single best-kept secret in america is community colleges. and it really is.

they are so flexible. they can do so much, so much. if i had more time, which i don't, for all of you, i'd go into what we're going to try to do to increase flexibility and funding of community colleges for people. but it's great to be here with abigail, with congresswoman spanberger. in every chapter of her career she's been about one thing -- service. service. i also want to thank mark warner and tim kaine, the senators here, good friends, and worked closely on so many things as a senator and now as president and when i was vice president. but they needed to be in washington today because there's votes in the senate. i also want to thank secretary of health and human services javier becerra for two things, one, for answering my call when i asked him to come and be the secretary. i was worried he wouldn't. and how much he's helped us make so much progress in getting people vaccinated, getting health insurance, and making it

more affordable health care. look, health care is part of your congresswoman's background. back in 2017, she saw her representatives in congress vote to repeal the affordable care act. that was more than 100 republicans efforts. there were 100 republican emplts since we passed it in our last administration to repeal the affordable care act. but she knew that was the exact opposite of what central virginia badly needed. you needed then and need now more access to quality health care that is more affordable. so when i became president of the united states, that's what we did. we passed the american rescue plan, which made quality coverage through the affordable care act more affordable than ever before. with families saving on average who have signed up, a family on average $2,400 a year in annual

premiums. compared to last year, the average monthly premium for virginians has gone down more than 25%. over 5 million people have gained coverage through the aca since i became president. and as i mentioned, javier, over 300,000 virginians have signed up for health insurance during the open enrollment period here in virginia. and we want to go further. lowering prescription drugs prices, get a cap on the amount of people paying on medicare, paid for prescription drugs, and to bring more clarity and fewer surprises when you get your bills if you've been hospitalized. so let me say a few words about each of these things now. with regard to prescription drugs, in america, we pay the highest prescription drug prices of any developed nation in the world. the highest of any. it's about two two three times higher than what other countries pay.

let me give you one example. an anti-cancer drug costs $14,000 a month in the united states. the same exact drug made by the same exact pharmaceutical company is sold in france for $6,000 a month. $6,000 for the same exact drug, same exact manufacturer, same exact amount. not $14,000 but $6,000. that's for a month's supply. today 1 in 4 american who is need prescription drugs struggle to afford them. 1 in 4. 30% have skipped doses of essential drugs they're supposed to take. others have simply not filled prescriptions that the doctor had given them, tried to use over-the-counter drugs or pills cut in half because they can't afford the cost of their prescription. this is the united states of

america, for god's sake. that's just wrong. it's simply wrong, especially since it doesn't cost a drug company nearly, nearly, nearly as much to make the drug or the research that went into them. let me regress for just a moment here. i started in the obama/biden administration an effort to deal with a cancer moon shot to change the way in which we deal with cancer. i raised it to my administration. and it was interesting. we had these hearings all over the united states, and one of the major events we did we used at howard university where there were 35 other events going on simultaneously with this. i subsequently met with the heads of i think it was 13 drug companies. and i asked them, i said if you found a cure for particular

cancer, how much do you think you should be able to charge? and the response universally was, what the market will bear. i said i hope i don't get elected president because that's just not -- what you get should be treated more like a utility. you should be b able to make a significant progress -- like add up how much they do in germany, how much did it cost you all the research and development, all the effort, add it all up, and then on top of that add a significant premium for it, a profit of 20% to 30% above that, maybe in some cases more. but the idea, the idea you can charge whatever you want is just not going to happen in the united states of america. if you think this doesn't affect you, it does, by the way. everyone has less money in their

pockets today because of high drug costs and health insurance, and it's more expensive for everyone. the reason it is is this is what your insurance companies pay. you're paying a heck of a lot more even if you're not using the drugs. over the past decade, health care costs have gone up 50%. prescription drugs are a big chunk of that. and there's a lot of things that almost every american can agree on. but i think it's safe to say that all of us, whatever our background, our age, where we live, whether we're on prescription drugs, we all acknowledge they're outrageously expensive and in many cases bear no relationship to cost. it doesn't need to be that way. josh and shannon, it costs drug companies less than $10 to make a vile of insulin. that's what it costs.

there's no reason you should be paying over $300 for meld sin you need every day to stay healthy and in many cases stay alive. as your mom said, you've got to pay $5,600 for prescriptions before your insurance even kicks in. you have to do the deductible. shannon, you should have peace of mind of knowing that joshua grows up and leaves your care, your health care plan, he'll be able to choose a job without ever having to make a choice between which one has a particular health care coverage. you know, we're now in a position where we can cap co-pays for insulin at $35 a month. that's still a staggering profit, 3 1/2 times what it costs to produce the drug. you can do that with a stroke of a pen. in my build back better legislation with abigail's leadership passed the house of

representatives, we can do that. now we just have to get it through the united states senate. and we're close. we can do even more to lower out-of-pocket prescription costs. under my proposal, we will hold drug companies accountable for the absurd price increases. here's how. drug companies increase prices faster than rate of the inflation and most of the prices will see a steep tax. this will end the days where drug companies can increase their drug price with no oversight, no accountability, and no responsibility. we're saying to drug companies you're finally going to become accountable when you raise prices on the american people. accountability. you're still going to make a significant profit. we can take additional steps to lower drug costs for people with medicare, something abigail has championed. right now, the only thing medicare is not allowed to

negotiate the price of are prescription drugs. for everything else covered by medicare, a doctor's visit that negotiates and will pay no more than this much for a doctor's visit, so the doctors don't want to take any medicare patients, they don't have to, but if they have a medicare patient, which are millions of them, they cannot charge more than a certain amount. we limit the amount of money they can pay for crutches. but -- but medicare can negotiate everything except drug prices. the only outfit that can't do that. my plan is going to allow medicare to negotiate the prices they're prepared to pay for each individual drug. if the company says i'm not going to sell it for that price, fine, but they're going to lose millions of customers, millions of customers. what we're proposing is that we negotiate fair prices, one that reflects the cost of research and development and the need