it was my first board ever. that sparked this entire career for me. i can't help but think if i could be that for that next generation, and maybe part of me retiring was like, i was looking around, i don't want to beat these guys anymore, i want to sponsor them. not to sign them, but be a part of their career in a different way and help from that side of things. that's something i'm really looking forward to as well. >> america applause you, we applaud you. >> thank you. >> congratulations. you really are a superstar. >> thank you so much. >> thanks so much shaun white. >> awesome. >> and congratulations. speaking of superstars, chuck todd is up next with "mtp daily" right now. -- they've seen no proof backing up putin's claim that he's begun withdrawing troops. they say russia has actually

moved critical military units closer to ukraine not further away. chair of the senate foreign relations committee, senator bob menendez joins me ahead. the cdc confirms it's looking to loosen mask regulations and other guidance as cases continue to climb nationwide. the agency could make this move in a matter of days. later in today's met meet the midterms" we'll meet the messages or message that republican candidates are hoping will fire up primary voters as a flurry of new kpain ads hit the air waives, saying a lot and not much. welcome to "meet the press daily," i'm chuck todd. with tensions in ukraine still high and the u.s. warning that russia may still invade its neighbor at any time, the cautious optimism of yesterday has given way to skepticism that a diplomatic resolution is

within reach. russia has begun to pull 150,000 troops from along the border. the u.s. and nato says they see no evidence of a drawdown. secretary of state tony blinker says he's continued to see a buildup. >> well, there's what russia says and what russia does. we haven't seen any pullback of its forces. they remain massed in a very threatening away along ukraine's borders. it would be good if they followed through on what they've said. so far we haven't seen it. we continue to see not only these forces mass, but we continue to see critical units move toward the border, not away from the border. >> president biden is set to speak with german chancellor olaf scholz who met with putin yesterday in moscow. the nato secretary-general says he's yet to see evidence of a withdrawal and russia remains a threat to europe. >> so far we do not see any sign of deescalation on the ground,

no withdrawals of troops or equipment. this may, of course, change. however, what we see today is that russia maintains a massive invasion force ready to attack. >> in a sign that an attack could still be looking, hackers some of ukrainian's websites off-line yesterday including sites belonging to ukraine's defense ministry and its largest bank. officially it's not clear who was behind the cyberattack. joining me is mike memoli from the white house, richard engel in ukraine. mike, let me start with you. i want to talk specifically about what the president said yesterday. it seemed to be the first time he was getting ready to ask the american people, hey, in order to stand up to russia, everybody in the world including the american people might have to sacrifice something. for us that sacrifice could be higher gas prices. >> reporter: that's right, chuck. we've been reporting for several weeks about the sort of pressure

on the president both from inside and outside the white house. the deliberations about when he was going to give the kind of speech to the american people that he gave yesterday. there were several more arguments for and against it. one of the biggest arguments for doing it was domestic politics. the president needed to get out and say if the u.s. was going to follow through on the sanctions it was threatening to impose, but also the nature of a disruption would lead into financial and energy markets, he needed to explain to people. he could have talked more generally about what i just said, international markets being disrupted. he made it very kitchen table, talking about gas prices. he said the white house is prepared to do everything it can to manage those disruptions. it's also interesting what the president did yesterday, underappreciated but increasingly appreciated, perhaps, dynamic of this crisis so far. we've been talking about russian disinformation, misinformation

for years now. the emerging biden strategy of fighting fire with fire. as the white house would probably put it, maximum transparency, really trying to tie putin's hands, depriving him of the element of surprise, but also taking a moment like today when the russian president is trying to climb they're withdrawing from the border and calling them out quickly, immediately and trying to offer, when applicable, intelligence to back that up. this has been a significant dynamic that the administration feels has gotten us to this point, even as they try to focus on diplomacy, has really led to putin not being able to follow through on what they believe he's wanted to do already. >> mike, the president has a call today with the german chancellor. it seems as if there's almost a daily call with a nato ally every day right now. obviously this is about keeping the alliance together. but it does seem as if he wants to know exactly what putin said. >> that's 10% right, chuck. as soon as the german trance

lore left moscow, i was told white house advisers were in immediate touch with german counterparts. germany is seen as maybe the weak link in the deterrence posture on the part of our western allies. as you say, the president has spoken to the british prime minister and the french president, but this is an important opportunity to hear from the german chancellor on what was discussed yesterday. >> let me move over to richard engel in you ukraine. president zelensky wanted to call today a day of unity. obviously it's nightfall now. what did you see? how unified is this country? what are they saying that they're seeing on the border today? >> reporter: first on what they're seeing, they're echoing the same intelligence reports, which is no coincidence, from nato, from the united states, that they see no evidence of a

russian troop withdrawal. what we saw were celebrations in cities across the country. they did come out for unity dayment they didn't come out in huge numbers, but the fact that in this climate people in multiple cities organized quickly, got the flags, got the speakers, got out onto the streets to show support for not just the government but for ukraine as a national identity for this country's democracy shows they're trying to project to the world that they're strong, united and not going to give in. how are they feeling? i think they're more united today. opinion polls suggest this, than they were a few weeks ago. they are more united against russia, more united for the government, more united for the idea of an independent ukraine than they were before. so russia was trying to put pressure on ukraine, create internal divisions, create this government to collapse, so far

it has had the opposite effect. >> i'm curious, richard. that does seem to be the gamble that putin was making. number one, he'd divide the west and number two, a significant divide in ukraine. is this the larger miscalculation that he's made? >> well, it's not over yet. there's a key piece to all of this that is looking in the background. this is the minsk agreement. it doesn't get as much attention because it's fairly complicated. ukrainians i think are worried about this. they worry this could be the ace up putin's sleep. the minsk agreement was the agreement to end the russian separatists backed by russian forces in 2015. it's not been implemented. and the deal calls for the russian separatists to be effectively incorporated into

the ukrainian government and the give them representation and to give them a degree of autonomy. now, the details were never worked out. what ukrainians are worried is russia will use the leverage it has, by putting its forces on -- to impose the minsk agreement. the minsk agreement is so divisive in this country, they worry two months down the road, four months down the road, six months down the road that this minsk agreement as it's implemented in one way or another, could prove to be so divisive, that it collapses the government. yes they're feeling united now because the troops are on the border, but let's see what happens if they have to swallow a trojan horse -- swol low a bitter pill, not to mix metaphors. >> richard, i any you have news gathering to do.

let's go to matt bogner in moscow. moscow's reaction to president biden's speech and the fact that today was supposed to be invasion day and it has come and gone. >> reporter: chuck, let's start with the speech. we heard a lot of interesting, colorful things from the kremlin, the spokesman. the least interesting thing about it he welcomed biden's calls for diplomacy. again, there was always that catch. we want to talk. we're happy to talk. you're also going to accept our key demands if we are going to talk. more interesting was the way they kind of addressed that appeal from biden to the russian people, biden saying we're not your enemy in all of that. peskov said that was a welcome thing to hear. he was sure russians were happy to hear that -- as he put it, russians would be more happy if it didn't come with a threat of what would happen if we do or do

not do something. he went on a spiel of how russia is tired of hearing threats. what they would love to hear from biden the most, a similar appeal to the ukrainian people not to shoot at each other. >> matt, does the kremlin think the status quo right now, this uneven status quo benefits them or not? >> it's hard to say. i suppose you could infer that it's not actually negative. they're kind of the ones that are holding us here, right? the united states have been very clear about where it wants it to go. it's laid its position out, and russia continues to also just maintain its position. so i don't think that they're actively losing anything at the moment. i definitely have the sense that they can keep us here for a while. >> that's my medium term fear at this point. mike memoli, matt bodder in,

richard engel thank you. joining me now is the british ambassador to the united states, ambassador karen pierce. good to see you and to be here in person. i appreciate you making that effort. let me start with the western intelligence thought today could be the day or essentially this morning could have been the day that russia invaded. it didn't happen. do you believe that the west essentially flooding the zone with this intelligence, if you will, has upended some of putin's plans? >> i don't think we know the answer to that question. i think i wouldn't get too hung up on dates. putin now has enough forces and capability on the border of ukraine to be able to launch a no-notice invasion. so in that sense it could come at any point from now. you quoted what the prime minister said about there may be a diplomatic opening. if there is a diplomatic

opening, we and the americans and the rest of nato are ready to take it. it does need president putin to give proof that he wants to offer a diplomatic opening. >> i want to essentially get your take on the last question i had for our reporter in moscow. putin likes to string things along. >> uh-huh. >> he is in some ways lives by that mantra, you have the watches, he has the time. he's just going to keep at it. what's the pace of the western alliance if he sits there, sits there, doesn't add more, doesn't take away more? at what point does the west say enough is enough? >> well, i don't want to answer a hypothetical question. >> we're living in it though. >> a fair point. i accept the premise of what you're saying. putin has 60% of his army and 50% of his air force sitting

around the borders of ukraine. it's not something i think he could keep up indefinitely, but the west is going to show its support for ukraine. we're helping ukraine with defensive equipment. we're helping ukraine with money. we, the brits, have given close to $150 million to help ukraine with reform and humanitarian needs that may come about. we will keep watching, and nato will keep defending its own southern flank. >> there has been a debate about whether punishing -- should there be a penalty now for what putin is doing, or do you wait until he does something worse? where did the brits stand on this? >> we're comfortable with the position that secretary blinken mentioned, sanctions being held out if they're a deterrent. if the invasion or incursion goes away, the eu, the u.s. are ready with a sanctions package. >> what happens if he does this

in between? it seems like where he's headed, he's not going to walk away with nothing. what does punishment look like? >> we'd have to discuss that within nato. there are a variety of things that could be done. a lot will depend on whether, even if he keeps the military forces on the edge, whether or not there are cyberattacks, how much disinformation is going on, what sort of diplomatic talks are going on. so it's a bit difficult to be precise, but it's something nato would want to discuss. >> one of the things that supposedly is something that does concern the kremlin on sanctions is if the uk makes life miserable for russian oligarchs that own property in the uk, what can the uk government do to russian oligarchs if you impose these sanctions? what is it that is possible? >> well, just to be clear, if people don't break the law, then they don't get punished. but in the circumstances where these are people doing illegal activities, we are bringing

forward legislation on economic crime. it will enable things like asset seizing. it will enable travel bans. we have some of that legislation already. we're getting parliament in place where we can have more that will give us greater scope, greater powers. >> are you concerned that all of the sanctions that have been leveled over the last decade have not had the desired effect in changing behavior, but they've actually allowed many of these extraordinarily wealthy folks to essentially hide their money and it's made sanctions harpeder to do, especially russia dealing with china. how hard is it to come up with a sanctions package that you feel like will have a bite? >> we're trying very hard to be able to do that in legislation. i think it will have an effect. the people who fund putin, and putin gets a lot of money from these oligarchs. he doesn't necessarily get all of his branches funded by the

state. that will make life uncomfortable for them. they will hopefully convey that discomfort to president putin and ask him to ease off. i wouldn't go as far as saying sanctions have never had an effect on the russians. the last big venture they did was the invasion of crimea in 2014. it may be that it slows him down. we do know sanctions give the russians pause in their decision making. they may not be the final determinant of why the russians do something or not. >> could -- would europe in general be more united to get tougher on russia if they weren't in need of the russian energy? >> the energy question is one that will have to be looked at for precisely that reason. >> you think russia holds too much leverage? >> i think she'd like to try to use that leverage. fortunately for the u.k., we are not dependent on russian gas, so

we're in a fortunate position, but there's a big strategic question there that i'm sure will be part of the aftermath of all of this. >> karen pierce, appreciate you coming in. good to get your perspective with us. >> thanks for having me. >> be sure to tune in to msnbc at 3:00 p.m. my colleague hallie jackson will interview state department spokesperson ned price on the growing ukraine crisis. up next, as the omicron surge subsides, the cdc is reviewing a wide range of covid recommendations including mask wearing. we'll have the latest after the break. you're watching "meet the press daily." g "meet the press daily. hearing is important to living life to the fullest. that's why inside every miracle-ear store, you'll find a better life. it all starts with the most innovative technology. like the new miracle-earmini, available exclusively at miracle-ear.

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we want to give people a break from things like mask wearing and have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen. if and when we update our guidance, we'll communicate that clearly. >> welcome back, get ready for endemic guidance, i guess. that was cdc director walensky.

the agency is expecting to loosen crept mask guidance. they appear to be following the lead of many blue state governors who have already dropped mask mandates for schools and public places. some republican governors and large employers are doing the same. some are try to ban mask mandates. the virginia governor today will officially sign a ban to loosen mask rules. this comes as covid cases are dropping nationwide. today's case average is five times lower than the omicron peak. this is basically below the delta peak levels for what it's worpgt. so let's not go crazy here. the white house has to look ahead to future variance. yesterday the department of health and human services says the agency needs an additional

$30 billion in pandemic funding because the government doesn't have enough money to stop to if another daj rouse variant emerges. i know we're compartmentalizing this away, over 2,000 people a day continue to die from co-vird. lawmakers struggle to reach an agreement on russian sanctions. senator of the foreign relations committee senator bob menendez joins me next. you're watching "meet the press daily." g "meet the press daily. these children need.rgeris join us. together, we can give children the hope and healing they never thought possible. it's a mission powered by love, made possible by you. give today.

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welcome back. after weeks of back and forth, the senate negotiations on russian sanctions has never been less clear. senator bob menendez blasted republicans for releasing their own version of a sanctioning bill yesterday calling it, quote, partisan posturing. in a rare show of bipartisanship a joint statement came from leaders schumer, mcconnell and a slew of ranking members claiming sol darely with ukraine. russia must be made to pay a severe price. we're prepared to fully support the immediate imposition of sanctions on russia as well as controls on exports to russia. we'll impose our allies to join us. joining me now to tell us where we are on this is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, democratic senator from new jersey, senator men

mendez. are we june need? the statement makes it seems like whatever sanctions bill comes, it will come after putin does something, not before. >> chuck, first of all, i'm thrilled that the majority and minority leaders along with the chairs and ranking members of the national security committee of the senate came together and put out a strong statement yesterday. as we speak, senator shah mean and portman put together something that i believe we'll all sign on to echoing a commitment. what should be clear here is that, if putin invades, that the senate stands committed to, number one, ukraine's territorial integrity, that the

senate stands committed to supporting ukraine with lethal and non-lethal assistance and the senate stands committed to sweeping sanctions against russia. now, the specifics of what that is has been a challenge. we started off with my mother of all sanctions legislation. we joined with republicans when they expressed an interest. i said absolutely. we included many of the ideas that they seem to have dropped in their bill. as a matter of fact, two days before they dropped their bill i sent a series of proposals that even moved further in their direction in pursuit of a bipartisan agreement. but at the end of the day, we didn't get an answer to that. all we did see is a bill drop. my door remains open to and committed to a bipartisan effort. we'll see if we can get there, but i'm glad these expressions of mutual commitment to ukraine is incredibly important. >> is political annexation an invasion? does that meet the terms?

>> well, depends how that's manifested, right? the reality is that you have the russian parliament saying two of the regions of eastern ukraine are to be protected by russia, giving them security guarantees. you have the ukrainian parliament pursuing a resolution saying no, these parts of donbas are a part of ukraine's sovereignty. i heard your earlier report with richard engel at the agreement that had been entered into previously. that recognizes ukraine's territorial integrity by russia. so at the end of the day, it depends what that actually is manifested as. >> what happens, senator, if what putin really wants to do is keep the current status quo? when do we draw the line of saying, you know, this hostage

standoff has to stop? >> that's a great question. we're going to know that pretty soon. these maneuvers that are taking place that are supposedly being engaged as annual maneuvers and military exercises along with belarus are supposed to end this sunday. well, if they end this sunday, then there should be massive withdraws away if that's russia's real intent, number one. number two, when you see cyberattacks which i certainly believe was russian sponsored against the central banks of ukraine and the ministry of defense, that's not someone who wants an offshoot to diplomacy. we continue to dramatically point for diplomacy both directly and with our allies but we prepare for the possibility of an invasion of ukraine. at some point, if there's going to be a continual harassment of ukraine in a way in which ukraine cannot flourish and is

constantly under threat, i think that will call for a series of considerations of what type of actions, including some potential sanctions as a result of them. >> i want to shift to afghanistan and the refugee crisis right now. last week the president froze afghan assets. he has a plan that he'd like to divide the money between 9/11 families and perhaps humanitarian aid to afghanistan. where do you stand on that? >> well, certainly support the 9/ 11 families, i've been one of the biggest sponsors i in making sure compensation -- al throw the loss of lives can never be compensated, but to the extent there's some element of justice as a result of that compensation, i support that. on the humanitarian side, it will depend upon how and where that money is flowing. is it going to non-governmental organizations, international ones? is it going to the world food

program? if that's the way it's been directed and not with the taliban getting their hands on it, of course we want to help afghans in this moment of crisis. but we can't allow the taliban at the end of the day to get access to that money and be able to promote their own causes inside of afghanistan. >> all right, senator. i hear that. but try to square this circle. we believe the taliban were a minor enough threat that we would allow them essentially to take over afghanistan, we walk away, but they're a major enough threat that we're going to essentially put the country into poverty and not help the country out from where it's headed. it is a bit of a conundrum. the taliban is a threat, but not enough of a threat that we're willing to keep our military there in perpetuity, which i know, we get that. but answer the second part of

the question. >> the part of the question about helping the afghan people? >> yeah, helping the afghan people. at the end of the day, the taliban are in charge whether we like it or not. >> they're in charge, and there are nefarious entities across the globe that are in charge. it doesn't mean we allow our money to flow through them in order to help people. if the taliban cares about its people, then ultimately it will allow international organizations like the world food organization, doctors without borders, international rescue committee and others to be engaged in helping the afghan people. so we stand ready to help the afghan people, but not at the control of the taliban. you know, i'm just concerned that the taliban has not shown the full commitment to women and girls in the society. i'm not seeing the full commitment to making sure that al qaeda doesn't raise its ugly head again inside afghanistan. so they may not be a threat to

the united states, but what they do in afghanistan or what they do not do is of a continuing concern to us. >> all right, senator menendez, the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, appreciate you coming on and sharing your perspective with us, sir. thank you. the ottawa police chief resigned and president trudeau declares a national emergency over those trucker protests. you're watching "meet the press daily." g "meet the press daily. it's time to say goodbye to appliance heartbreaks, and hello to new quality finds you'll love on wayfair. you can always get the brands you trust, the support you need, and dependability you can count on. plus, get financing up to 60 months on qualifying purchases. fast and free delivery, and score ge appliances up to 25% off

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welcome back. ottawa's chief of police is stepping down as an anti vaccine protest continues in canada's capital city and across the country. the chief resigned yesterday amid criticisms he failed to move decisively against the hundreds of truckers still trying to occupy parts of ottawa's downtown. residents report being harassed and intimidated. at the height of the protest, 4,000 truckers were blocking certain parts of the city.

the emergency powers act was enacted monday. it gives greater use of the royal mounted police force. multiple trucker protests had been blocking the u.s./canadian border, allowing key commercial routes to reopen. police arrested protesters as they disbanded. the largest blockage on the ambassador bridge. protests between montana and alberta and manitoba, north dakota, were also broken up. coming up, we're going to meet the midterms as new tv and digital ads on what voters want to hear this election year. you're watching "meet the press daily." daily. want a new nickname. can you guys start calling me snake?

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welcome back. let's turn to some midterms politics, specifically the escalating ad wars in republican primary contests across the country. television ads tell us exactly what candidates think their voters want to hear. they spend good money on consultants and focus groups to find out what they think will move prospective voters. we looked at some of the ad in some of the most competitive ads and it appears this is what those voters want to hear. >> i'm jim lamon, and this is the line in the stand.

we stop the politicians here or we lose america forever. >> texas is turning blue because abbott is actively funding the spread of marxist ideology in our schools and state agencies. as your republican governor, i will completely eradicate the toxic liberal agenda that divides us. >> j.d. vaccine hesitancy and jane timmkin would be washington wimps. >> i'm a trucker, and i don't do nam by pamby. i do alabama tough. >> here is plain english, joe biden is a failure. he's embarrassing our country and i'm going to stop here because the career politicians won't. >> let's go brandon! let's go brandon! >> that was from david mccormick, the former hedge fund guy running in pennsylvania. joining me msnbc political analyst rick tyler, reporter

nicholas woo and democratic strategist sochi hinojosa. rick, this is your side of the aisle. all these republican primary ads are very low on substance pre trump era and sort of, nothing else than -- it doesn't say what they're going to do, it just says what they're against? >> there's a lot of tough talk. that's a reflection of the precedent that probably donald trump set when he ran, a lot of tough talk. look, i think biden is very vulnerable -- obviously he is very vulnerable. his poll numbers are not very good. i think the issue is an economic issue in large part. it surrounds competence, the accusation of trump when he was leaving office said he wasn't competent, that we were going to get this somewhat boring administration. it hasn't been. inflation is at a record high.

the average american will spend about $350 this year than last year in the same items. >> nothing of what you said was reflected in any of the ads. >> i'm trying to send a message. >> that's my point. that isn't in the ad. why? >> it's a good question. it depends on how you ask the question. as you said, political consultants and pollsters go out and ask questions. you might ask the question of mom and dad buying steaks at the grocery store -- >> is that something you expect to see in the fall, that this is maybe -- >> the question is in the primaries, of course, the right is trying to outflank the right. >> sochi, it does seem the dccc is nervous that this culture war, constant messaging from the right -- essentially, whether the candidate is mainstream or extreme, they're all saying some

version of the same thing. do democrats need to fight on this better? >> i think democrats need to keep their eye on the prize. they know what works, the economy. they would require rick. these republicans would be smart to hire rick if they wanted some ads that say that. the dccc knows they can't get bogged down. if they do, they lose potential voters who don't know how well the economy is doing, they don't know what democrats have already delivered for them. the reason republicans are running these ads in the first place is to please donald trump. that's what we're seeing in all of these primaries right now. my advice to democrats would be don't get distracted by the nonsense that we're talking about here today in terms of these republican ads. focus and put money behind what joe biden and other democrats have already accomplished. >> nicholas, i've had some folks close to the president say they don't know if anybody is going to listen to that yet, they're at few months away, at best,

from any of that positive messaging breaking through. >> that's very much a concern. as my colleagues reported on last night, there was pulling about these culture war attacks, that democrats were down four points on the new york ballot. if they were not properly responded to, the gap got even further. look at the fierce reaction from democrats recently when congressman cory bush talked ability wanting to defund the police. you have a whole slate of democrats coming out saying defunding the police -- even speaker nancy pelosi on the sunday shows saying defunding the police was mott the policy of the democratic party. we're going to see this back and forth heading into the midterms, what republicans will say democrats are and what democrats will push back and try to define themselves as. >> rick, going back to the primary messaging campaigns, if everybody is screaming maga maga, maga, matt dolan in ohio

is the one guy trying not to embrace trump. he's in a lane all by himself. >> maga heavy is going to work in some rube difficult red republican districts so you're going to see that. in the end, we have to -- which is why the split in the republican party, for instance, trying to censure liz cheney or adam kinzinger doesn't make any sense. you have to add more 'em pooh. you have to have enough people to get to the majority. i think that's what kevin mccarthy wants to be focused on, getting to be speaker. every district is not going to be a right district. you have to speak to voters in districts that are split or have a lot of swing voters. the good news is swing voters are very susceptible -- i don't know if that's the right word. they would look favorably toward economic message because they're feeling it. >> let's turn to california and let's turn to what happened last

night in san francisco. three school board members got recalled, and essentially it's because they were the only three eligible to be recalled or more might have been recalled. the mayor, london breed was in favor of the recalls. she said the voters of this city delivered a clear message that the school board must focus on the essentials of delivering a well-run school system above all else. san francisco is a city that believes in real ideas. competency, when did i hear that word earlier? this is -- i think rick brought up a good point. competency was an asset in 2020. is it an asset for the republicans in 2022? >> well, i think parents are frustrated and democrats understand that. that's why you see mask mandates and other covid restrictions sort of lifting. at the same time, you have to have a policy in place to keep schools open and keep kids protected right now. i think that's why you're seeing democrats sort of shift their

thinking about how to talk about the pandemic, especially since we've been in this almost two years, no end in sight in terms of when our smallest children are going to get vaccinated and people are growing increasingly frustrated. so if they can go out and say, listen, we have fixed this, we have kept your kids safe, now let's get back to normal, which i think a lot of the governors are trying to do, then i think we can make some progress there. >> nicholas, the question is whether this is part of this larger sort of where urban residents are pushing back on progressivism. you can take what happened in seattle where they elected a republican city attorney. you had london breed in that enough is enough. i call it her samuel l. jackson speech. enough is enough with the shoplifting. and then this. is this -- should this be a warning sign to the progressive wing of the democratic party? >> it's definitely something a lot of democrats are taking as a warning sign. going back to this idea of confidence we were talking about, there is this idea that

democrats were straying from the fundamentals are actually making sure that children could have in-person schooling as opposed to bogging down in these culture war issues that do seem to have hurt democrats in the election in virginia last fall and potentially in the midterms now. so i'm going to be looking carefully at how congressional democrats are trying to message this heading into the midterms. are they trying to project some sort of competence and what exactly are they doing to try to show that. >> rick, republicans obviously feel like there's an opening here. you have glenn youngkin signing a bill banning a mask mandate in virginia. ron desantis wants to withhold money from school systems in florida that did this. is there an overreach here that -- >> well, the overreach has already occurred. parents are frustrated and democrats don't get it and that's why there was a recall. i think you're right. i think the whole school board would have been recalled, because this particular school board, and this is a very interesting story. this is san francisco, right? >> this is -- as i joke, even

san francisco phrasing. >> this is not mississippi, this is san francisco, where 70% of the voters rejected what was apparently an agenda by the school board and these members. they went around attempting to rename schools, two of which -- one was abraham lincoln school, one was george washington school. >> in dianne feinstein's district, by the way. >> it turns out even democrats would rather the children be able to read the name on the school than worry about what the actual name is. the school board is $120 million in debt. it's not a competent school board and the parents pushed back. i think there's a huge opening, we saw it in virginia. an issue that democrats have owned for many decades, education. it's a huge shift. it's not just education, it's also crime. remember, the biden administration got the memo. they went to new york and when thousands of cops showed up, that was a sea change. democrats don't want to be

carjacked either. >> even in california joe biden's numbers are under water by a point, kamala harris is under 40. it feels like what was a temporary drop is looking like it's sustaining for a while. how does it get turned around? >> the pandemic. i mean i think that what you want -- what president biden wanted to say at the state of the union is that everyone in this country is eligible for vaccination and that is tough now with the fda coming out and saying that our smallest kids will not be. >> he was going to get that and now he will not have that. >> he will not have that. with that said, the economy is booming and they need to continue to message on that. but he knows in order to get his numbers up, that we need to ensure that people returning back to normal. and so i think that you'll see the administration take steps on masks and they want to ensure that these smallest kids are vaccinated because he wants to be able to say that and he wants people to have a summer and a fourth of july this year where people can have barbecues and gather. it's already a lot different. a year ago -- look at where we

were a year ago. a year ago we weren't able to gather for christmas and thanksgiving. now people are vaccinated, the economy is back on track. how do we communicate that to the american people and make them realize exactly that difference. >> go ahead real quick. >> it's the next -- i think she's right. whoever owns the new normal that's coming is going to do well. >> nicholas, this gas tax holiday, it seems like it's being driven by the senate democrats that are on the ballot. it doesn't seem like it's good public policy, but it's never good public policy, it's just good in the moment. is this going to happen? >> the jury is out. the gas tax is something that's very much a feel-good kind of policy. >> you know why gas prices are up? because of russia and ukraine. >> exactly. and so it's something that democrats love to bandy about and might win some cutting into elections but this isn't going to solve the broaders issues about inflation or potential conflict in ukraine driving up prices.

>> and this is why if you're looking for any political fallout, this is why it's hard to see positives for the president with this russia/ukraine situation. at best, it could be a neutral political setting because everybody here is so domestically focused. in-person panel, two weeks in a go. thank you all for being with us this hour. happy hump day. be sure to tune to for the latest chuck toddcast with chuck klosterman. we'll be back tomorrow. msnbc's coverage continues with katy tur after this break. h katy tur after this break. are y♪ ♪are you ready♪ looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? once-weekly ozempic® can help. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ ozempic® is proven to lower a1c.

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good to be with you, i'm katy tur. this afternoon there is breaking news of a close encounter between the u.s. navy and russia. nbc news pentagon correspondent courtney kube reports that u.s. navy p-8 surveillance aircraft like this one you see had close encounters with multiple russian jets flying over the mediterranean sea last weekend. the u.s. planes were in international waters at the time of the intercepts akoefrding to the pentagon. we have made our concerns known to russian officials through diplomatic channels. while no one was hurt, interactions such as these could result in miscalculations and mistakes that lead to more dangerous outcomes. as you know, t