and his loyal and never brags. i think she would make a great supreme court justice. leyla jackson gets tonight's last word. the 11th hour starts now. good evening, i'm chris jansing, day 390 through 92 of the biden administration. an unmistakable message to the kremlin as the world waits and russia watches for russia's next move. president biden issued a new warning to putin as after russia said it started a partial troop pullback from the ukrainian border. late today, the president said the united states is ready for anything, and painted a bleak picture of the consequences of russian military aggression. >> the united states is prepared, no matter what happens.

the russian difference minister reported today that some military are leaving their positions near ukraine. that would be good, but we have not yet verified that. we have not yet verify the russian military units are returning to their home bases. indeed, our analysts indicate that they remain very much in the threatening position. and the fact remains right now, russia has a more than 150,000 troops in circling ukraine and belarus and along ukraine's border. an invasion remains distinctly possible. if russia attacks to ukraine, it will be met with overwhelming international condemnation. the united states and our allies and partners around the world are ready to impose powerful sanctions on export controls, including actions that did not, we did not pursue when russia invaded crimea in eastern ukraine in 2014. >> the president did indicate that the diplomatic off ramp is still very much available for putin saying, quote, we should

give the diplomacy every chance to succeed. that sentiment evident today in moscow were german chancellor schultz met with vladimir putin, it comes a secretary of state anthony blinken spoke by phone with rush informant esther lavrov. blinken also spoke with the french, germany, and british foreign ministers about a response in the event of an attack on ukraine. the white house said french president macron and president biden also spoke by phone today. the number and intensity of these discussions are clear indicator of just how high the stakes and the tensions are right now. meanwhile, the washington post reports that according to u.s. intelligence, russian government hackers have likely infiltrated ukrainian military, energy, and other critical in come pewter networks. it reports that russia could potentially disrupt those systems if a military assault is launched. nbc news has confirmed the white house has held tabletop exercises to game out responses

to the invasion of ukraine. and tonight, along with his warning to the kremlin, the president told americans that u.s. led efforts to punish a russian invasion may be felt in home. >> i will not pretend this will be painless. there could be impact on our energy prices. it could impact energy consumers and producers. we are prepared to deploy all the tools and authority at our disposal to provide relief at the gas pump. >> all this comes as a bipartisan effort in the senate to sanction russia has dissolved into a strongly worded statement issued this afternoon, condemning an easy attempt to enter ukraine. we will talk about all of this just ahead with ben rhodes, former deputy national security adviser for president obama. we're also following important developments in the january six investigation tonight. the house committee investigating the capital takes aim at trump's big lie. these subpoenas are all largely focused on, quote, efforts to

send false slates of electors to washington and change the outcome of the election. the committee says they have doesn't subpoenaed had knowledge or participated in efforts to send false alternative electors to -- to states back carried by biden. let's bring our lead off panel tonight. ashley parker, yamiche, and jeff rosenberg. apologies to all of you. ashley parker, yamiche, and jeff rosenberg. apologies to all of you. i needed to get that out. ashley, tell me what you're hearing from the white house about the presidents marks on

russia today. >> the remarks today are striking for a number of reasons because you have the president, he came out, he spoke briefly directly to the russian people. and said, you are not our enemy. amid all the propaganda and disinformation, that was an important point he wanted to convey. to the russian people. and of course, to president putin. but he also saw him giving but we believe a pretty honest assessment of where things stand now which is that, again, whether what's the russians have said, that they are scaling back a bit. the united states, the intelligence community, the security officials, are cautiously optimistic or even still slightly pessimistic that this all just disappears and goes away. that's why have president biden still saying that they believe an invasion could potentially happen at any moment. he laid out --

the stakes, he talked about sanctions, and i think he was giving a clue to the world, not just the american people, and i want to bring you back to last thursday night. thursday, there was a sort of scrambled meeting in the situation room. there is new intelligence in that moment that innovation was increasingly imminent. jake sullivan last friday came out of the briefing room and conveyed that that was the tone that we heard from u.s. officials change. so biden is addressing where things stand right now after things ratcheted up just a couple of days ago. >> yamiche, written in the new york times tonight, quote, if vladimir putin ops to back away from invading ukraine, even temporarily, it's because joe biden, that guy who right wing critics suggest is so deep in dementia, he would know q from kansas or arp from nato, has matched every putin chess move with an effective counter of

his own. so what are you hearing from the white house? what is the strategy to keep putin from engaging with a move from which there is nothing to turn back? >> they are preparing for multiple scenarios. what we heard from the president today was really a grave warning, but also a public warning to putin himself. really, a direct message from the president. saying, this will be a war of choice if you end up invading ukraine. he was also very clear that this will be a self inflicted wound. this was a very telling message that i think underscores the white house approach here and that president biden himself is coming out and making sure that it's clear to russia that if in, fact, vladimir putin doesn't decide to invade ukraine, there will be dire consequences for his country. i think it's very important that the president made that warning to americans and said, look, i am the president's specially of ending wars, he campaigned on it, he withdrew

from afghanistan, and also defended himself against the criticism. but he's telling americans now, look, this might come, home it might get tough here at home, because we are a member of nato. it's part of his public facing messages. it's at the core of the white house strategy, and he's making it clear to russians, leaders in russia, just how dire the consequences would be there. and other thing that's happening is president biden is leaning on what he talked about when he was campaigning, and that is a number of highly experienced individuals within the administration being able to use the information that they have and the knowledge that they have about russia, about ukraine, to really try to gain this out in the entire team. >> let's talk a little bit about that tiger team, actually, because that reporting is important. part of this is the messaging, that's what we saw from the president today. but there is also knowing that if a happens, we're ready with b, if c happens, we are ready

with the. even acknowledging that you can never game out from everything. tell us what you know about the preps? >> that's exactly right. there are two tracks to think about this. the first is what's playing out in public, these information wars. and the second, which i reported on with my colleague today, is this tiger team that the white house has stood up internally in the meanwhile is to say, everyone is focused on preventing the worst case scenario. we are going to plan for the worst-case scenario. it's an inter agency effort that synthesized dozens of keepers and intelligence community assessments and basically looked at, especially in russian base, what happens on day one, what happens in day two, what happens on week one and week two. and they looked at a couple of different scenarios. something from a limited incursion, something that sun invasion where they propose to

depose the government and give a parts if not all of ukraine. and as you laid out, there will be consequences. they looked most at events they would believe would be high impact but also high probability. so likely to happen. and said, okay, if russia does a, and we do be, what is the second order of consequences? what does russia then do? how do we respond to that? and then they looked at what they called the, black swan events which are not actually related to these wargames between the u.s. and russia, but where it all of this is going on, for instance, there is a new virulent deadlier strain of coronavirus. what if there is an energy crisis that has nothing to do with russia and ukraine? how do we handle that? how do we handle the situation? and talking to nsc officials, their overall assessment is this is a playbook we hope never to use, but we are deeply glad to have it, even in the process of building, it helping

them prepare for other events relatives and scenarios that they might have participated in, where they wanted to table top exercises at the cabinet level. so that there when the issues pop up they can address. >> yamiche, you really brought up the complexities that this administration is facing. what happens -- with russia. but also, the white house is just juggling other key issues. inflation, the pandemic, of course, the supreme court vacancy. what is the mood like in the white house with all of these issues converging right now? >> the message that i hear from white house officials consistently is that this is what presidents have to deal with. part of the reason why joe biden ran, the message to me, is because he can juggle all these things at the same time. that being, said you have to understand, at least in theory, in talking to some of sources as well, there is this feeling that they are dealing with a number of issues that they thought might be better when

you talk about covid in the pandemic. of course, nobody could say that the pandemic was going to go on for this long and that there would be new variants, and some very. that's what they're dealing with. of course, inflation. there's another thing, it's a 40 year high. that's another thing that the white house has to deal with. there are economic issues. that of course is another issue. and then you have, of, course all the things that could be happening in russia and could be happening in ukraine. when i talk to white house officials, while they're trying to game out all of the that of course is another issue. and then you have, of, course all the things that could be happening in russia and could be happening in ukraine. when i talk to white house officials, while they're trying to game out all of the different things that can happen, the consistent messages also that vladimir putin is someone who will do what he thinks is in his best interest, and he is someone who cannot -- guess what he's going to do. he and of himself is someone who is hard to sort of pinned down when it comes to strategy and day today thinking and what he wants to do. all these things are in some ways adding to sort of a little bit of anxiety at the white house, but i was look at the sense that they feel like -- they want to continue to have

the message be that they are confident, that they are able to juggle all these things. of course, republicans and others are sort of attacking president biden as you sort of talked about and hinted at. but -- in some ways, this is the white house that is overwhelmed. but in the sense that i'm talking to sources is that there is a number of people working on nerve issues and this is the american life, and the world life, that president biden has to deal with. >> and that is not all that's happening in washington, talk, i want to ask you about this latest round of subpoenas from the january 6th committee over these alternate electors. what is the committee appear to be zero inning on right now? >> in my view, chris, there are zeroing in on one of the most desperate and dangerous aspects of the insurrection. january 6th was awful, and writers who attacked the metropolitan police department capitol police did horrifying things. we saw that. but those rights, those acts, those assaults were never going to change the electoral count.

it was not going to change it. this scheme of introducing alternate electors into the mix was deeply, deeply dangerous. it didn't work, of course. joe biden was elected president, that was ratified on january 6th, ultimately. but if alternate electors were sent on separate slides to the national archives and into congress, those who are actually accounted, think about, they were not, it could have undone an american election. so, when the january six committee ultimately issues its report later this year, this is the chapter i am going to turn to first. this is the thing that was so dangerous, we remember the images, they are burned in our brains. but this thing, if it worked, alternate electors could've undone a democracy. >> so, we also, we reported on

this extensively last night, chuck, donald trump's accounting for him breaking with him, breaking with trump org, does it, or how does it, this decision complicate trump's many legal challenges? including the fact that they said the last decade of the accounting isn't the reliable anymore? >> it's so interesting, chris. even in itself, the accounting firm said that they no longer stand before hind their financial statements is interesting, it's not evidence. it's not evidence of a crime. the evidence of a crime would be the stuff on the documents, now with the accounting firm says about its view of the documents. it's interesting, in maybe primitive, but the evidence is what those numbers actually are and how they were derived. that said, it's not typical for an accounting firm to retreat from a positions that took. trump relied on those financial

statements, those documents to obtain loans, to obtain credit, lots of banks, lots of lenders relied on them to. this happens in criminal tax cases. i used to prosecute those when i was a federal prosecutor. you always want to talk to the accountants. chris, did they compile the information that went to the bank store went to the irs, or did they audit the information? when you compile it, you rely on the taxpayer, on the organization, on the individual, on trump. when you audit it, you go behind the numbers and you look at it yourself. this was a compilation. and with the accounting firm is saying very clearly by withdrawing their support for those documents is, hey, it wasn't us. if there is a problem, we didn't audit it, we relied on the trump organization and on trump. if you have a problem with these documents, look at them. >> ashley, you cover trump's campaign, all four years of his white house. look, it's no surprise that he

pushed back on the accounting firms decision, but is there anything in his past that could suggest to us that he would be feeling the pressure, the legal walsh closing in at all? >> speaking from his past, generally, when covering him, there would be a couple of red lines that would obviously make him particularly angry, especially dangerous for him, especially with he was president because when he was angry, he would sometimes do and say things that -- to put it politely, would set himself up. one of those lines was stealing, a another red line was [inaudible] and obviously, the trump organization which is the the family business. [inaudible] in general, if it touched his family, his business, in his business named after himself and his family to answer your original question, he be feeling the pressure?

he would absolutely be feeling frustrated. >> finally, chuck, we only have about a minute left, but we found out today that sarah palin's libel claim against the new york times was rejected. you have been following this case. tell me what you think? >> cases rise and fall on the facts here. and one of the facts that palin had to establish the wind, chris, was that congress acted with actual malice. actual malice is the key. and she just flat out could not prove that. that'll stems from an old 50 year old supreme court case called sullivan. and so, no surprise that we learned, in this case, in the new york times was sloppy, at the editorializing was rushed. it wasn't a pretty picture. but the key, and the reason palin lost, was that she could not established in a civil case that the new york times acted with actual malice. >> chuck rosenberg, ashley parker, yamiche, yamiche, i know you are ready to jump in

with my throat didn't recover. i appreciate that. thanks to all of you for hanging in there with me. i appreciated. coming, up we will talk to former deputy national security adviser ben rhodes about what we did and did not hear from the president in his remarks on russia. and why that is so significant. later today, new reporting on how the january six committee is planning on holding hearings for public that frankly has already heard a lot about the former president. eugene robinson and mark mckinnon we'll break down what is the story of january six. the 11th hour just getting underway on a tuesday night. underway on a tuesday night. ♪♪ am i working on friday? see for yourself. who are you? she's from clover.

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and ukraine, we will respond forcefully. a fresh attacks the united states, or our allies through asymmetric means like disruptive attacks against our companies are critical infrastructure, we are prepared to respond. we are removing a step with our allies and -- cyberspace -- today the president making clear the u.s. is prepared to defend its allies against potential aggression yet vladimir putin's motives have remained elusive. the new york times summed it up this way. putin's calculus against u.s. officials is likely sifting as he weighs the shifting cost of an invasion and assesses where you can get from negotiations, putin who began his career as a kgb officer is the particular challenge because he avoids electronic devices oftentimes vance note takers and tells us

a little. there is a limit to how much the agency can learn about his intentions and thinking. with us tonight, ben rhodes deputy adviser for president obama, his latest book is after the fall, being american in -- perfect person to talk to right now because you were in those meetings with the obama administration and take us behind those scenes what is like with vladimir putin and nailing down his motives and influencing his moves. >> well, i think the important thing about being in a room with -- lengthy phone calls and vladimir putin and ukraine crisis after 2014. first of all, he will lie. so when you see him changing his tone i think it is important as president biden said today, that you have to verify that by monitoring his action i think that the other thing you often do in meetings and is that he will steer his conversation to a list of grievances. something like why are you my

amassing troops around the ukrainian border? he will give you the litany of the history of what is an effort to humility way. russia the dismissal of russian concern. a lot of whataboutism of lottery prudent. wants the argument in negotiation to be on his terms, not your terms. and i think that what president biden is trying to do in that speech today, when he was trying to do throughout this crisis, is center this crisis on what putin is doing around ukraine. and on the demands that putin is making. and i think that is the only thing that you can do with vladimir putin. you have to drive the negotiation in the conversation and the reality on the ground, that you are trying to deal with. and not get drawn into his version of reality, which is one of which the u.s. has to make a significant amount of concessions, or he is potentially going to invade a sovereign country. >> to that point, you are also former speech writer for president obama. you fully understand the

importance of carefully crafting such potentially high stakes remarks. i wonder what you make of what the president said today, as well as maybe what he chose not to say. >> i was very struck chris, by the tone to the. because he didn't have a choice. could've reacted to putin's recent feigns towards diplomacy. president biden did. saying of course that is our preference. laying out the terms on with the u.s. is prepared to discuss, major things around europeans -- true deployment, missile deployment. did not sound like a president who believed this insecurity of vladimir putin's diplomatic words. seems like a president who was trying to prepare the united states, russian people and the world, for the consequences of a russian invasion. he spoke at length about the potential costs and consequences to the american people. why this should matter to them. both because of the principles of ukraine and also because of the fact that if we impose

sanctions on russia, that could impact our economy. my second assistant gauge in cyberattacks on u.s. businesses and infrastructure. most extremely as you played in your, clip russia could choose to target americans who are in ukraine, or further try and destabilize american allies. so this is a president who is trying to lay out for people not just his position, or his approach to diplomacy with just one in which he is willing to -- make certain compromises that go beyond his comfort level. this is a president trying to prepare the american public for what could be a very difficult foreign policy challenge, the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time in terms of a war in europe. one that could rebound on the american people. >> so, compare and contrast for us now and 2014. i was -- talking about the preparations that we have right about, that joe biden has made, or that we

talked about in our last segment. and, what's -- how you think, how well prepared is this administration right now? >> well, there is an enormous set of differences from 2014. the similarities is ukraine, russia, ukraine aggression. but what happened in 2014 was after a pro russian president was essentially chased out of office by popular protests. vladimir putin very quickly moved a pretty small number of forces into crimea, which is a region of ukraine where they already had a russian military base. they did not me any resistance. he annexed it. that led him to get a big popularity at home, and the obama administration to work with europeans to try and fortify the rest of ukrainian democracy against russian aggression and impose tank shuns in a response. what is different this time, there has been a ramp up, a deployment of 150,000 troops and circling ukraine, threatening an invasion, a

military operation, that is far more significant and substantial than anything that was faced in 2014. now it i think the biden team has done very well with that time is, number one, warned people about what they were seeing. the classified intelligence. help -- tell people what putin is up to so he cannot fabricate a -- russia engaging in military operation because of some defensive rationale that they have cooked up. putin has been removed from putin-ism as a pop possible tool. secondly they have been able to prepare how they would respond. what sanctions they can get the europeans to sign up for. the kinds of sanctions president biden discussed today. export controls, denying technology, -- sanctions on banks that could hit hard on the wealth that putin depends upon, make life harder for the russian people. so they have used this time for the military buildup and to do prudent things to warn the world about what putin is up to and preparing instead of

consequences to shape putin's incentives and disincentives to act. however, they don't get the final vote. vladimir putin is the only man who knows whether or not there is going to be an invasion of ukraine. and so, inevitably, you are going to be reactive. >> it's always good to see, you thank, you we appreciate your time tonight. >> thanks, chris. >> coming up, the challenges ahead for the select committee and telling the story of january 6th. our political experts are here to discuss what is at stake in the upcoming public hearings. when the 11th hour continues. ublic hearings ublic hearings when the 11th hour remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month.

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collects evidence and conducts interviews, plenty of thought is going into the public hearings as nbc news reports, the challenge may be keeping the interests of a trump weary public. quote, members of the committee envision hearings that they hope will prove to riveting to ignore. they are banking on wall-to-wall coverage on cable news, headlines on news sites, and a constant churn on social media. what is not at all certain, is that a mass audience cares to watch. back with us, eugene robinson pulitzer prize-winning journalist for the washington post and mark mckinnon, political adviser to george w. bush. hey guys. mark, people could argue that they are tired of hearing about january six were a lot of republicans don't think there is anything there, the public already sat through a couple of

impeachments so what does the committee need to do, i guess, first to watch these hearings and through that show the importance of why they think all this work matter? >> well, a, it has to be tightly scripted. b, there has to be new information that the public has not heard or seen before. i think probably the most significant evidence regarding lately is the notion that false electors were set up. that is a significant piece i think that the public needs to know about. the question is, will it breakthrough into the broader universe of republicans ecosystem, and my concern is that democrats that i know, always conveniently think that something from the past, the republican passed will save them from their democratic future. they rely on -- forging ahead with policies for voters for the future, and just rely on the sense of the past. that is what i worry about.

and additionally, chris, i will just say that if a year of audits that have come up with nothing, if anything that -- if the attorney general of the united states and chief elections officer said that there was a free and fair election, and multiple laws, millions of dollars spent, if that hasn't changed, republican minds, 75% of the republican elector still think the elections were fraud. i don't think long extended hearings will convince more of them and could make it worse. >> so, eugene, what is at stake here for the democrats, and what are the chances that they get it wrong? i mean it depends on what your definition of the word wrong is, but that it just turns out to be a nothing burger. >> well, i think, chris, you have to remember there are two reasons for doing this. yes, the political certainly -- we will talk about that in the moment, but there is also a history to think about. we need to know what happened,

on january six, why have, and how it happened, who organized, who planned, who paid for it, we need to know all that stuff. history needs to know all that stuff. so, there is work that the committee has to do, whether or not anybody pays attention. however, i -- look, if you have the goods, you will get the audience. and i think this committee has really done quite a good job of getting witnesses, thousands of documents, tidbits that have come out so far have included new information. and -- so, i'm not so down cast about what impact the hearings might have because, let's see what the committee has. they are very serious about what they are doing, and if they have new information on it will grab peoples attention.

people will watch. >> we have been talking a lot, mark, about how former president has been dividing the gop. this issue about the president in particular. this was maryland governor larry hogan over the weekend. >> i'm concerned about the direction of the party in the country. i will make a decision about 2024 after i finish this job. >> so your considering it? >> i will certainly take a look at it after january 2023. >> i guess the big question mark is, is there really a lane for a moderate republican for a blue state to take on trump, or someone like him? >> you mean, for the truth, i sure hope so. i think i've been preaching for a long time that the problem with donald trump is that he does have a stranglehold on the base of the republican party. he controls the primaries, and will help likely win the nomination. but he can't win a general election. he couldn't win in 2020, and not only the presidency but the house and the senate. given what we know going forward, it is hard to know how

he winds going forward. so my advice to republicans is get donald trump off the windshield, get him in the rearview mirror, look at the virginia governor's race by example. keeping trump at arms length, seeing what can happen in a democratic state where republican won. so i think if republicans are smart and get trump in the rearview mirror, they have a lot more upshot. and i think larry hogan is a great for that and i hope he runs, and we will just see how it gets. >> mark, eugene, we hope we will stay with you through the break. just ahead, the dilemma that democrats now face in the search for an economic message to campaign on. now face in th search for an economic message to campaign on

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democrats would likely face an uphill battle in the midterms no matter what. but now, a new polling, that a washington post op-ed describes is brutal. voters say they trust republicans more to handle key economic factors from inflation, economic growth, to rebuilding the economy. and columnist greg sergeant

writes, democrats put themselves in a political straitjacket. writing quote, they regularly tell themselves they must be extraordinarily tentative about taking credit for their accomplishments, because this risks angering voters who are still struggling. still with us, eugene robinson, mark mckinnon. eugene, that brutal poll showed that voters were more supportive of democrats after being reminded of key economic indicators that frankly, the president just spoke about today. let me play that. >> my first year in office, more jobs were created than ever any time in american history. 6. 6 million jobs. and folks look, we had the strongest economic growth in nearly 40 years. 5. 7% increase in the gdp. unemployment rate dropped more than any time, any year in american history. child poverty dropped. but 40%, more than any year in american history. >> so eugene, is that what

democrats need to do? or is it as long as it's inflation is where it is, that message is unlikely to breakthrough. >> well yes and maybe. look, yes. it's a lot of great economic numbers out there. and of course, democrats ought to be shouting them from the rooftops. and reminding people of this really incredible, very healthy economic growth and salary growth, particularly at the low end. with wages coming up. and there is one economic number that is not good at all. and as long as there are headlines, the worst month of inflation in 40 years. that is horrible for democrats. and they need to get out in front of the inflation issue to the extent that the camp.

if inflation is political poison, they need to be seen doing everything they can to try and get those inflation numbers down. it may be time to think about something like a gas tax holiday. but it is -- nobodies under the illusion that the president can step his fingers and bring the prices down, but people do know that a president either can be seen working to get inflation down, or not. and the former is much better than the latter politically. >> i've got a fundraising email today about hillary clinton, same playbook. just a different year. having said that, is that a smart republicans best line of attack for november? i mean we don't know where inflation is going, but is it going to be that? can the democrats counted that

with the things we heard from joe biden today? >> well, the most important thing in telling a story is that you have a story to tell and clearly biden does have a story to tell. once you get past covid and passed inflation. the problem is that we still have covid and we still have inflation. covid is getting better, we will see what happens with inflation. listen, the opposite of inflation is slow growth or no growth at all. and that was the medicine that we chose and i think that if offered that alternative, that is where most people would choose, even though it is tough right now, and the reality is that people are going to make their decision, not where they are right now, but where they think that things are headed and so if covid gets under control inflation gets under control and some of this economic numbers of biden pop through and people start thinking about 2024, i think the midterms are probably a lost cause and beyond that, i think there's opportunity for democrats if they could just quit litigating the past and start legislating the future with policies and ideas about the economy and climate and all of these other issues that republicans are jumping on that are typically democratic issues. >> finally eugene, a lot of us

were very sad to hear this afternoon, that same political writer and longtime and msnbc guest p. j. o'rourke had passed away, i wanted to get your take on his legacy. , such a smart guy. incredible range great writer and he had, it wasn't really out of left field i would say but certainly a different yet rigorous view of events and of people he was really i think an important figure and it is sad to lose him too soon. and it was a sense of humor that got us through some of the more complex issues of our times. , next to eugene robinson and mark mckinnon. coming up, the multi million dollar message that grieving

parents sent today to the makers of guns like this. when the 11th hour continues. the 11th hour continues

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♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ victims reached a 73 million dollar settlement with gun manufacturer riminton today, this landmark victory came after a -- market did its rightful. in a statement, president biden said, quote, while the settlement does not erase the pain of that tragic day, it does begin the necessary work of holding a manufactures accountable for manufacturing weapons of war. irresponsibly marketing these firearms. nbc news correspondent kate snow has more from connecticut tonight. >> today is a day of accountability for the families of five children and four adults lost at sandy hook elementary. a victory borne out of grief.

>> true justice would be our 15 year old, healthy, and standing next to us right now. but benny will never be 15. he will be six forever. >> a 73 million dollar settlement with ramming ten, the maker of the gun used to kill 26 people. >> we hope that our lawsuit sends a message to the gun industry. >> three court, after court, for seven years, the families argued that -- marketed an ar-15 style rifle to civilians. it was a path around federal laws that prevent gun manufacturers from liability. some legal experts they could now be a roadmap for future cases. in discovery, ramming tencent thousands of internal documents including campaign's towards young men. equating can ownership with your man card. >> they were aggressively marketing to young men who are pro eventually more violence

prone. >> they lost their son daniel. >> people need to know how irresponsible the gun industry is about marketing these weapons. >> that was our goal. for it to be known. >> do you think you have achieved that? >> yes. i do. >> running ten did not respond to our request for comment and the families refuse to settle until they win the right to release the documents publicly. >> was that key for you? >> yes, absolutely, that was critical, this is never been about money. for insurance companies will pay the 73 million. nicole hawk, who lost her son dylan, hopes this will put them on notice to. >> i worked in insurance for a number of years doing marketing for them. this will absolutely make them change their practices. >> change that these families hopes will save lives. kate snow, nbc news, trouble, connecticut. >> coming up, powerful words from a u.s. olympic gold medalist, on the controversy surrounding camilla valiant.

the last thing before we go, tonight former olympic athletes a lot of them, fiercely critical after 15 year old russian skater kamila valieva was allowed to continue competing in the beijing games, despite testing positive last month for a banned substance. the new york times is now reporting that to other substances, sometimes used to help the heart, we're also finding her system. the chief executive of the united states anti doping

agency told the times, quote, it is a trifecta of substances. two of which are allowed, and one that is not allowed. he added, the benefits of such a combination seem to be aimed at increasing insurance, reducing fatigue, and promoting greater efficiency and using oxygen. valieva did skate this morning in the short program and is well in the league in spite of an early stumble. if she is in the top three after thursday's free skate, olympic officials say there will be no medal ceremony until a full investigation is complete. i spoke with olympic gold medalist scott hamilton shortly after valieva took to the ice this morning. >> -- a positive drug test, you don't compete. and the fact that this is going on, and everyone else has to sacrifice their olympic moments, for an athlete that came in testing positive, just seems ludicrous to me. i think it is massively unfair to the rest of the events, who come in clean, who does it

honest. i look back at my own olympic experience, the whole right side of my head was just, i was sick as a dog. i said can i take anything to try up my head, they said absolutely not. so, i just can't hear out of my right here, i don't have any balance, but i will do my best. but it is those kinds of excuses, stay clean. everybody in our olympic gold medal chat that we have going during the olympics with every athlete in the united states who has never won a medal, and they say we have to do something, we have to say something. yes we do. and, we all skated clean, we all skated to the best of our abilities, and we rested on our training, not anything that might be performance and handing. the fact that the russians have cheated in the past, blatantly cheated in the past. and here we are again. i don't know why there is any hesitation at all just to say, irreparable harm. maybe the irreparable harm misty the olympic movement, and

not just one athlete. i have just nothing like this. >> i frustrating scott hamilton. 1984's skating gold medalist to take us off the air tonight. that is our broadcast for this tuesday night. with our thanks for being with us, on behalf of all of my colleagues at the networks of nbc news, goodnight. networks o nbc >> tonight on all in -- >> we're gonna take our power back, we're gonna see the electors. >> hold on, hold on. i think we have some breaking news. here >> breaking news, new subpoenas for the phony elective fraud. >> december 14th, the true electors for the presidency met yesterday. yes, the republican electors. >> tonight, with the january six committee wants to know from the state captains of the fake elector scheme. then, she's the county clerk accused of breaching the security election machines who is now campaigning to run her states election. plus, senator chris murphy on