face. then a brawl ensues with players from both teams going at i. the big ten has released a statement. the conference is in contact with both member institutions and is currently assessing the incident and will take swift and appropriate disciplinary action when it completes its review. all right. quite some drama there on the basketball court. that wraps it up for me, everybody. i'll be back here next saturday and sunday 3:00 p.m. eastern. i'll turn it over to my friend and colleague, reverend al sharpton and politics nation. good evening. welcome to "politics nation." tonight's lead, on the edge. right now, the world is hoping for the best and fearing the worst as we await new

developments from ukraine. as president biden met with his national security council this sunday morning, after what nbc news is reporting to be u.s. intelligence confirmations. russian military officers have been ordered to invade ukraine. as fighting intensifies in the country's eastern regions, and ukraine's president criticizes western leaders for inaction, as diplomatic efforts stall and russia continues large-scale military exercises in the region, including nuclear missile drills. the latest on the crisis in ukraine. that's on tonight's "politics nation." here at home, we're about to see just how much influence black lawmakers have over the president. as he prepares to make, at least publicize, his nominee for the

supreme court as early as this week. campaign to put the first black woman on our highest bench has become a rallying cry. and for some lawmakers, a passion project with local implications. of course, this is a mid-term election year and a nomination fight is all but promised. as senate republicans have preemptively attacked the president's pledge as racist, undermining a pick he hasn't even made yet. and despite the historic name of this nomination, the incoming justice will still be part of a 2-1 liberal minority. while voting rights remain under historic attack by republicans from coast to coast. we have got a lot to get through and we start, of course, with ukraine. joining me now, congressman hank

johnson, democrat of georgia, a member of both the house judiciary committee and the congressional black caucus where he is the whip. congressman, thank you for joining us tonight. now, even as the white house continues to press for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in ukraine, the white house has signaled its certainty that russia intends to invade ukraine within days. nbc news reporting that according to u.s. intelligence, russia military officials have been already, have already been given the go-ahead to attack. president biden and vice president harris both met with national security council this morning. as russia extended military exercises in belarus, and belarus this weekend, that was supposed to have ended and hostilities in eastern ukraine

continue to escalate. what is the mood like on capitol hill as congress braces for what the president says is coming? >> thank you for having me today. always a pleasure to be on your show. the mood on capitol hill, among serious thinkering, is that an invasion, a russian invasion of ukraine is imminent, and the reason i say some who are serious, serious thinkers, is that we do have some republicans. it seems like most republicans that i've heard on the subject want to try to say that president biden has been weak with his response to the withdrawal from afghanistan and at the southern border, you know, all these folks coming

across the southern border. and they're trying to say the president is being weak on ukraine and putin smells weakness and that's why this is happening. but serious people understand that the russians have been planning to invade ukraine for the past number of years. i think since 2014. and they have been slowly building up to this point intelligence which has reported to congress. we've all had the briefings. they tell us that this war is imminent. it is a war of choice that putin is making. and it is going to have some very harsh consequences in the form of sanctions coming against putin and russia. >> now -- let me stop you right

there. >> -- continues all the way to the last minute. >> do you think that the sanctions will be effective? do you think that the united states can get sucked into some kind of military action? or do you think sanctions alone with european colleagues and allies will be enough? >> well, the president has made clear that under no circumstances will the united states be engaging russian forces in defense of ukraine. ukraine is not a member of nato. we have no responsibility or obligation to defend that nation. but we are helping that nation defend itself by shipping them weaponry. $600 million worth of armaments are in the process of flowing to

ukraine. much of it has already arrived and been placed into service. and we will continue to support the nation as it defends itself. but under no circumstances will the u.s. actually engage russian forces over ukraine. the problem is though that anything can happen, any kind of mistake can happen that could draw russian forces against u.s. forces, because, of course, we do have forces stationed in our nato aligned nations, which are in that area and should there be any spillover of this aggression, this russian aggression, well, that could cause the united states to have to engage with russian forces. so a very volatile time, a very dangerous time. and the biden administration is doing everything it can

diplomatically to keep russia, or to convince russia or persuade russia that going to war will have drastic consequences. and while he's doing that, we have republicans at home instead of uniting with the president, being divisive and feeding into narratives that are not necessary and not helpful at this point. >> congressman, let me bring up this issue. you have a close vantage point to this upcoming supreme court nomination fight. a member of the house judiciary and number four in the congressional black caucus leadership. now, president biden's selection is expected to come as early as this week. some black lawmakers having their opinions about who the first black woman justice should be. congressman jim clyburn has been heavily promoting u.s. district judge michelle childs, another

south carolinian. he says it isn't an ultramatum. i've read where some women members have cautioned against turning this into a contest that ultimately pits black women against each other because of democratic infighting, which makes sense, considering the scrutiny both the president and the presumptive candidates have already endured from senate republicans. and we can expect that it will intensify once the pick is made and it begins in this election year. can you tell us what the internal conversation sounds like right now? can you count on your members to circle around once she is named? >> yeah. without a doubt, that's what will happen, reverend al. we've got three, at least four,

well, actually, six black females' names have been mentioned as candidates, and at least three of them are in the top three, which have been announced. those top three, even among the six who have been mentioned, we could not go wrong. so any of those women who the president decides to select and nominate for this very important position on the nation's highest court will make us all proud. all of them are experienced and capable. we can't go wrong. we have the assurance of president biden that he will select a black woman. >> and all of them are qualified. but let me go here. speaking of the court. this week's decision in which a federal court in arkansas

dismissed a challenge by civil rights groups to its republican drawn state house maps, ruling that only the justice department has the power to enforce challenges to legislative maps under section two of the voting rights act. the ruling is cast by some as having wider implications if it should make it through an appeals, and then turn up, and then end up in the supreme court. it will maintain its conservative majority moving forward. that, of course, is just one decision. in the midst of this voting rights assault, how is the cbc preparing for that fight? we have affirmative action getting ready to come in front of this court. what is cbc preparing to do while members run for re-election in the middle of this, when we see such important cases heading to the supreme court that has direct

implications on your constituents? >> well, reverend, the courts have already been stacked. particularly the united states supreme court with right wing idealogs, and they are poised to turn back the clock on voting rights. and then we have the lower court judges, and fortunately we've had great success, the biden administration, getting its judicial nominees confirmed in the senate. so we are leveling that playing field. trump appointed about 239. judges, these judges, like the ones in arkansas, some are renegade judges without any qualification or experience.

basically unqualified for the bench but they are making decisions that will ultimately go to the united states supreme court. whether or not they will be affirmed or not remains to be seen. but voting rights is under attack on both the district court and the supreme court levels. what we have to do is to make sure the cbc understands, who we elect to the senate is very important. the senate gets to confirm the justices and the judges in the federal courts. those are very important positions. and we want, we have to let the people know that these appointments are important to our future. >> which is why protecting -- which is why protecting -- protecting the vote is so important in turnout is so important, and the legislative branch is going to have to do a lot of work to come up with new legislation. and we're going to be certainly on top of that. i'm out of time.

thank you so much. let me bring in my political panel. i'll be joined by the democratic strategist and principal and ceo of indigo consulting, and rick tyler, republican strategist and analyst. rick, let's start with the conflict between ukraine and russia. president biden convened a meeting of the national security council today. days after he said he was convinced putin has decided to invade. how do you think he's handling this crisis so far? >> well, it's not good news, reverend. thank you for having me on. i disagree, he is projecting weakness. i think tony blinken, secretary of state was on this morning, did nothing except project weakness. let me give you an example. he was asked directly whether biden should implement sanctions

immediately which i think should be an option. it is definitely on the table. he said by removing them, it would remove the deterrence from invading, essentially signaling that that is all the leadership the united states will provide is sanctions. if in fact putin will invade immediately, then biden should put sanctions on russia and begin to cripple their economy. he should do the same with belarus. nobody is talking about belarus who is allowing russian troops to gather on the ukraine border, a sovereign border, and they ought to be paying a price right now for allowing russian troops to threaten a sovereign nation and he is not doing any of those things. >> now, let me switch gears to the dozens of house democrats retiring this year. according to the hill, at least 30 democratic members are not running again. that's a 30-year high. in contrast, just 13 incumbent

house republicans are not seeking re-election. what is behind this surge in retirements on the democratic side as opposed to the republican side? almost double. and how does this shape the landscape ahead of the mid-terms? >> so let's look at it this way. in 2018, there were 34 republican who's retired, who decided not to run again. because of that, 41 democrats were able to win and flip some seats. in return, what this does to democrats, it gives them the ability to campaign from a different lens. it allows to us show the country that, look, we have been able to give the country a move forward, a little faster without covid-19 abilities that we have been able to implement, as well as the infrastructure project that's we have coming forth. so republicans have been able to look at i from the lens, look, americans are frustrated with the economic slow process that we have going on. and they are frustrated with inflation. so that's what they have been able to campaign on.

but democrats have been able to focus on, we have infrastructure projects that we'll make sure the economy gets the project back to where it needs to be and we can have a faster, economic turn around. >> what are your thoughts about, on the new bill in tennessee that would designate citizens with an enhanced handgun carry permit as a member of law enforcement. what are the intentions behind these bills? tennessee is over 70% white. do you think this would be up for discussion if it was proposed in another red state like mississippi where the white population is just under 60% and the black population is nearly 40%? i went to rick on that. >> thanks. when i took my concealed weapons carry for d.c., i was the only white person in the class. all the other members of the

class were african american. in tennessee, i think this is a misunderstanding. there are a lot of enhanced ccw, concealed weapons carry, what it does, in tennessee, it allows concealed carry weapons, whole license holders, to be able to go into places where the law doesn't allow them to go now. they shouldn't have handled it in this place and they shouldn't be using the term law enforcement. eight hours of instruction, frankly, i don't think is enough to carry a weapon anyway. it is certainly not enough to be law enforcement. so they're using the term law enforcement. those people will not have the ability to arrest anybody but it is creating a lot of confusion. >> but if in their mind they're law enforcement, if they have in their mind, this could exacerbate problems we already have with law enforcement and particularly members of the black community. >> well, i agree that they shouldn't be called law enforcement. they're not law enforcement. and by the way, when you take the ccw class.

particularly one in d.c. which is quite good. you spent eight hours in legal training alone to know what your rights, what you can and can't do. it is very important to take responsibility as a gun owner if you are going to take responsibility of carrying a weapon, to know what the law says. and so i hope those members in tennessee would also do that. this bill only has one sponsor. it is not going anywhere. >> let me come back to you on this. let's go to the latest on the january 6th investigation. select committee member jamie raskin had this to say on msnbc earlier today. let's take a listen. >> we're going to be able to get to hearings that tell the story in a completely digestible and comprehensible way, the american people about what took place, and we'll be able to document the weaknesses in our political system that allowed to it happen so we'll know how to fortify our democratic institutions going forward. >> how confident are you that

the committee's reporting will help improve our election process? how important are the upcoming public hearings ahead of the mid-terms? >> you know, i agree with raskin. what this does, and he's absolutely correct. it will open up and show the flaws we have in our political system. and what this will do, it will bring to the table some much needed questions that we have been wondering as the american people. what was your premise with january 6th? who else were involved? who came to the white house? who came on january 6th? so what this will allow us to do is get the necessary questions that we need answered so we can move forward as a country to make sure that our election process is taken care of, and there will not be any more open calls going forward. >> bre maxwel and rick tyler, thank you. many teachers are feeling silenced, even during black

history month. we'll tell you how to rise up and pre serve the past. first my colleague with today's other top news story. some stories we're watching this hour. breaking today, nbc news confirming recent u.s. intelligence showing russian officials were given an order to go ahead and invade ukraine and this was part of president biden's assertion on friday that vladimir putin had already decided to invade ukraine. president biden held a rare national security meeting today, a sunday, on ukraine. in the united kingdom, queen elizabeth tested positive for covid-19. the spokesperson for the royals says the queen is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms as of now. and the 2022 winter olympics came to a close. the flame was extinguished in beijing. the international olympic committee president, beijing's mayor, handed over the olympic flag to italy which will host the 2026 winter games. more "politics nation" right after this break. n" right n" right after this break

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all february, we've been using rise up to celebrate momentous figures in black history. today we recognize the man who made it all possible. it was in 1915 when dr. carter g. woodson observed that african american achievements were being, quote, overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them. so dr. woodson founded the association for the study of african american life and history. dr. woodson is famously known as the father of black history, because in 1926, he launched negro history week during february to coincide with the birthdays of abraham lincoln and

frederic douglas. his concept was later expanded into black history month. in the decades since, it has grown and evolved and made a real difference. 2015 marked a century since dr. woodson founded his organization. and according to a study by the national museum of african american history and culture, u.s. history classrooms devote about one or two lessons, or 8 to 9% of total class time to black history. woodson with the help of the asalh has made a profound impact on efforts to institutionalize african american heritage in the schools. but there's still a long way to go and we are seeing what the right's manufactured outrage over so-called critical race theory, any effort to present a more inclusive view of history

will be met with resistance from some whites' intent on turning back the clock of progress. but in many ways, the attempts to gin up controversy are a sign that dr. woodson's ideas are working. they can try to sense a lesson plan to ban books. there are lots of us now mobilized to rise up and fight back. and black history is now not only celebrated in school, but in the media, and our work places, and communities. and not just during february, either. we are still a long way from where we need to be. but black achievement is more visible than ever and we have dr. carter g. woodson to thank for it. we'll be right back. r it we'll be right back.

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end professor tenure for all new hires at texas public universities and colleges in an effort to combat teachings about critical race theory. of course, this is part of a bigger story that's happening all over the country, and it isn't just exclusive to higher education. in the month of february, teacher usually craft lesson plans around black history month. but this year, "the new york times" is reporting that educators have found difficulties covering the history of race in america as 37 states introduced measures to limit how race and discrimination can be taught in public schools. and 14 have imposed laws or rules to enforce these restrictions. joining me now to discuss this is dr. william, professor and founding director of the racial justice initiative at the

university of st. thomas. dr. williams, from your point of view, why in the year 2022 are teachers censoring themselves and watching what they say when it comes to teaching students about america's history with racism. what do you think is driving this? >> well, i think it is that incredible year of reckoning that we experienced in 2020. post the murder of george floyd. when you think about the eulogy that you gave for george floyd in minneapolis, where you talked about george floyd's story of black folks in america. people don't understand when we talk about our temporary challenges with regard to race, be with housing and issues such as red lining, education's connections sufficient as brown versus education. that our educational system developed in the aftermath of the civil war to service the needs of the freedmen. whether it is public accommodation down to the freedom rice in the sit-ins in

the 1950s and 1960s. . so of american history is dependen on an understanding of african-american history. our democracy is dependent on the understanding of the struggle for black equality. >> now, across the country, republican-led legislatures have passed bills to ban or limit schools from teaching racism and the systemic origins in history. critics have said teaching of the history of racism in america implies that the united states is a racist country, or that one race is superior over another. what is your reaction to those claims, and can you explain why teaching racial history is important in understanding america? >> well, it's absolutely critical. in fact, you just talked about carter g. woodson and the reason he founded negro history week

which ultimately became black history week and now black history month. this is the idea that at the core, if we're going to talk about american democracy, its foundations, jefferson and others proposed lofty ideal that's we haven't lived up to as a society and culture. when we don't talk about them in substantive ways, we don't put young people to understand their role in a participating democracy. part of that is being informed. that can't be limited by restricting what is in the curriculum. we have to talk about the hard history, the ugly warts. in terms of african americans in particular, this is essential in 2020. when we talk about so many issues impacting us as a nation, from the social determinants of health to challenges with regard to voting. . so of that flows through african american experience. and not teaching that history puts us at a disadvantage. if we don't talk about the history of reconstruction there's no way to understand the

challenge voting rights today. >> teachers have been described as being extra cautious with what they say out of fear of unintended consequences such as protests, or even losing their jobs. how can teachers in public school represent the history accurately without it costing them their career? >> this is tough. the reality is that teachers are dealing with the chilling effect come from this very organized effort on the part of the republicans and conservatives to root out the phantom menace. there are a couple things teachers can do and the responsibility. we have to support teachers. we need to communicate that we want a curriculum that challenges them to think critically about the history of the united states. we need to also understand that educators are in a very difficult spot because they can

lose their jobs and their livelihood in this back lash against critical race theory. for teachers themselves, there is the idea in not abandoning these ideas, there are a couple things you can do. the ability to teach by proxy. there is no way you can talk about reconstruction or those mentioned in the "new york times" and "washington post" articles without talking about their connection to contemporary challenges around racism and racial discrimination. that's one way to tackle this. they need strong teacher unions and support from civil rights organizations to really support that work in the classroom. >> this week, voters in san francisco voted overwhelmingly to recall three school board members. some have claimed they were ousted because of their focus on racial justice issues, although it is difficult to say for sure what motivated voters. we saw that education was a powerful political issue in the virginia governor's race.

how do we disentangle the conversation about race from other issues parents have with schools such as their handling of the covid-19 pandemic, for example? >> a great question. it is very difficult. the two have become synonymous to painting critical race theory as this boogie man that everybody needs to be concerned about. so in san francisco, what was happening with regard to the curriculum during the pandemic, yet really in some sense, entangled with this conversation about critical race theory in ways that are detrimental to the larger conversation about the importance of making sure that the curriculum addresses issues of racial inequality in ways that are meaningful. so we have a real difficult work ahead of us and being able to particularly as we're looking at the upcoming election, begin to diffuse some of this. it has been a very effective organizing tool for the

republicans who are conservatives, and again, it is a manufactured outrage. there is no reason whatsoever for this to be pre occupying any gubernatorial race. >> dr. williams, thank you so much for being with us tonight. next, decades after michael jackson first debuted his iconic moon walk, the famous move has taken center stage once again. our next guest explains. our next guest explains. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance?

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welcome back. with live broadway theater back here in new york, i've been able to celebrate the return of a personal pleasure, as the rare does appreciate a great show and the talents that do make it possible. i had the honor of seeing a new production. one that dramatizes the life of an old friend of mine that many of you knew as the king of pop, michael jackson. for me, fortunate to have known and worked with him, befriended him over nearly 30 years. he was simply michael. and mj the musical opened. it hits all the right notes, reminding me nearly 13 years

after his death, the man behind the moves. the director and choreographer, mj the musical. forgive me for flexing a little bit. i got to watch michael. i knew him as michael. and he made the transition from being the singular crossover success with thriller to becoming a global household name and institution. this show starts some years after that, as he is preparing for the dangerous tour in 1992. he is indescribably famous, but troubles are on the horizon. troubles i had problems with but we'll deal with it another time. what does that, telling that story from that particular time in his career bring to this show, mj the musical? >> well, first of all, thank you for having me on. i'm really honored to be on your show and i'm so thrilled you

enjoyed the show so much. but to answer your question, i mean, the brilliant writer of this book, you know, we worked hard to kind of, to find a pivotal moment in michael's life and career to have this show to sort of explode out and around, and of course, this moment in 1992, michael was coming off the success, still very much at the top of his game creatively. but also experiencing some insecurities about the shifting trends in music. and in preparing for this tour, he was pushing himself to innovate further. and i think in his mind, stay on top. in the end, of course, he created one of the greatest shows in the dangerous tour that the world had ever seen. but i think for us, by placing this story at a pivotal moment in michael's life, rather than,

say, the end of his life. our intention as story tellers is to give the audience the space to have a wider perspective on this genius creative artist. and it gets into his creative process. >> now, because michael was such a cultural institution, i would imagine it is easy to fall into parody in depicting him. i would be curious to know what casting a show like this is like. because you need someone who can sing, act, and of course, dance. like one of the bomb's greatest performers, he has to be michael. with and without the glove and the hat. how did you know you would find mj, christopher? >> that's a very good question. it was a pretty tough search, i have to say. but again, we really wanted to find an actor, a young actor, who could portray mj but not

imitate him. i mean, there are impersonators all over the world version good ones. but this is theater. so we wanted to find a young talented actor whose own personality could come through but he could obviously have the brilliant skills, the dancing skill, singing skills, acting skills, and we have to say, i have to say we lucked out in finding miles frost. relatively inexperienced. he recorded some but has no real theater experience. and this man, from the moment we cast him in june to the moment the show opened, worked so hard to be true and honor the spirit of michael, because of course he grew up admiring and loving michael, but also, trusting us to help sort of guide his performance so it felt very much like a unique theatrical performance where you get a glimpse of mr. myles frost.

>> that's what impressed me. i came with some trepidation. some friends asked me to come. when i saw that the people you had casting there, and really, really caught that spirit. because i was about four or five years older than michael. so we kind of grew around each other. i was a young activist when i first met him. james brown, the godfather of soul, who you mentioned was michael's idol, introduced us when we were young i loved his father and his mother and janet, a phenomenon, and you were able to capture a lot of that whole spirit of michael. that determination. that perfectionist part. and i think people took lightly where michael was and shaped and molded and did a lot of what he came out on stage. he was not removed.

nobody did it for michael. michael helped create what we saw in that stage and would really shift the world. >> for sure. and i think one of the beautiful things that lynn has done with this book is really show show t intense perfectionism. focus and devotion to his art. sometimes that perfectionism and to use her words, almost malignant. and of course there in lies part of the tragedy of michael's story. at the heart of our show what we really want to do was represent some of the complexity around his upbringing and relationships. with the sort of the father figures in his life. but at the heart of it, we wanted to dive in and explore his genius art and the legacy that has been left behind. and i think for us as a creative

team, the true joy is the diversity of our public and nightly basis. and how it's cross generational. and people are just experiencing a real sense of pure joy through this man's eyes. >> a lot of that is what made michael michael. that hard discipline his father put him to help bring that music out of him. his brothers hold him accountable. all that made michael michael. christopher, thank you. the musical now on broad cay. up next. my final thoughts, stay with us. . my final thoughts, stay with us.

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in the coming days, probably as early as this week, president biden will announce his nominee for the supreme kourlt court. he made a commitment if he were to be elected president and had an opening in the court he would appoint a black woman. and the three of four names that we hear are the ones that are being mostly looked at and likely to be one of those four to be the new supreme court justice. are all qualified. no questions about it. but, you can expect whoever he chooses will be under attack by

the right wing and the republicans. they already said it's an affirmative action appointment. it's a racist appointment. let's not forget president reagan promised he would put a woman on the court if he were elected and he did. now all of a sudden it's a different rule when it's for black women. brace yourself for the onslaught. also brace yourself to push back. and let's have the court represent and inclusive america. black women have never been on the highest court in the land. and black women is held up the land as much or more as anyone in the land. we'll be right back. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪

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that does it for me. thanks for watching. i'll see you back here next weekend. at 5:00 p.m. eastern. katy fang picks up the coverage now. >> thanks. hello, everyone. in for alicia menendez. tonight on "american voices," we are following breaking news on the ukraine crisis. and the fight to prevent a war in europe. moments ago, we learned president biden is staying in d.c. tonight. instead of traveling to delaware. earlier biden held a rare meeting with his national security counsel. where they discussed the latest developments of russia's military build up on ukraine

border.