to take, right, barb? if nobody tunes in, if nobody supports it, maybe that is the verdict. barb, thank you so much for being here. >> thanks, katy. and that will do it for me this hour and for this weekend. i'm katie phang, thanks for being here. alicia menendez will be back next weekend for more "american voices." for now, i hand it over to michael steele. hey, michael. >> hey, katie, how are you doing? >> you've got to top that handoff from last night. >> what's up, what's up, how's that? >> that works. good evening, everyone. i'm michael steele in for ayman mohyeldin. tonight, orders to invade. russian military officials have been given the green light to go into ukraine. congressman david cicilline will join us to react.

plus senate democrats have said a deadline to confirm biden's soon to be named supreme court nominee. first, mixed messages. the text from republicans and the right-wing media doing the insurrection begging for an end to the violence and the stark about-face they made in public. let's get started. the january 6 insurrection left quite the digital paper trail, but when you post and tweet and text and instagram live your criminal activity, well, that has consequences. it also has benefits, at least for the january 6th committee's investigation. >> this was not only the only violent insurrection to take place at the capital of the united states against congress and against the vice president,

but it was also perhaps the most documented episode of political violence and assault on democracy in our history. >> new reporting from "the washington post" is giving us the most comprehensive look yet at the days leading up to and following the deadly riot. piecing together the insurrection one text at a time. perhaps the most striking revelation is the drastic distinction between what was said in private and in public. just look at these messages from a member of the conservative freedom caucus to trump chief of staff mark meadows. quote, if potus allows this to occur, we're driving a stake in the heart of the federal republic, end quote. that text was sent on january 1st, just five days before the riot. this might be a good time to remind you, 139 out of 221 house republicans, almost two-thirds of the conference, voted to overturn the election after rioters stormed the capitol.

should we take a wild guess as which camp that unidentified conservative member ended up in? on january 7th, fox host sean hannity wrote to white house press secretary kayleigh mcenany with, quote, no more stolen election talk. of course we don't need to tell you that he didn't take his own advice. only doubling down and tripling down on trump's big lie and defending the insurrectionists. beyond the hypocrisy, one january 6 committee member tells "the post" that these messages are key to their investigation because they highlight the players behind the events leading up to the riot and what they had planned. "the post" report exposes mark meadows' communication with shady characters involved in the coup, like project veritas founder james o'keefe who texted meadows about voter fraud lies in georgia, in georgia churches.

and cleta mitchell, a conservative lawyer who helped lead the fight to overturn the election results in georgia. one thing is for certain, the texts we've seen so far are just the tip of the iceberg. as "the post" notes, the committee has only publicly revealed only a fraction of the thousands of text messages it has received so far. let's bring in tonight's panel. jill wine-banks is a former watergate prosecutor and co-host of "the sisters-in-law podcast" which is a pretty cool podcast, folks. maya wiley is a civil rights attorney, former assistant u.s. attorney and lucky for us, they're both msnbc legal analysts. welcome, ladies. >> thank you. >> so, maya, let's begin with you. talk to us about where the committee stands right now. what its game plan looks like. talk us through what that plan looks like in their releasing

the texts that we have seen so far publicly. >> yeah, i think what we're seeing, michael, is a continuation of what has been a very intentional strategy of queueing up for the public the story that has been unfolding in the over 500 witnesses and all the documents that they have pulled together to this point. we know that's a lot. we also know that they were also getting closer and closer directly to donald trump himself because they have subpoenaed folks like mark meadows and have actually had to move to compel that testimony. but, you know, i think what they're really gearing up for is the fact they need to have public hearings about what they're finding and what this is a way of continuingly showing the american public not only how in a transparent way that the investigation is unfolding but that it's unfolding based on

facts, and that what we're seeing is the facts that start to paint the picture that you may be hearing a lot of things from donald trump and you may be hearing a lot of things from republicans, but let's just tell you that we're hearing and seeing some things that go directly counter to what you are. and that really is one of the roles of the committee is obviously directly to say what do we need to change about what we do and how we do it in order to protect our democracy, but it's also to identify for the american public what actually happened, so the public can make its own decisions about what happened and what decisions the public wants to make about who leads them. >> jill, maya makes a very interesting point, particularly when you consider that one of the earliest texts that were released were from a cell phone linked to former texas governor and energy secretary rick perry before the election was officially called. he texted meadows with his open

aggressive strategy to overturn the election. what's the significance there? we're talking before the election. does that go to planning? does that go to actions of forethought as they like to say in the law? what's your interpretation of that? >> it goes to both. and i agree with everything that maya said in terms of this being a way to get the story to the public by releasing all of these text messages. the public is being informed as the evidence is unfolding. let me just tell you as a criminal prosecutor, this is a prosecutor's dream to have this kind of evidence. it's much more dramatic than just having cold testimony. this is what was happening as things were developing. and it's going to show the people what planning happened and certainly having a discussion about overturning the election before the election is part of knowing that you're going to lose and planning for how you're going to overturn the people's will in voting.

so this is really important politically, it's important legally, it will be used in a courtroom and it will be dramatic testimony. and we only have the tip of the iceberg right now. so i'm looking forward to getting the rest of these, which do, as you noted, michael, it shows total hypocrisy. they said one thing in their emails, knowing what was going on and how bad it was and what a threat to democracy it was, and then they went on television and said there's nothing here, folks. it's nothing. they're just tourists visiting the capitol. >> maya, i want to play for you a little bit more of what january 6th committee member congressman jamie raskin told ali velshi this morning. take a listen. >> i've seen the fifth amendment privilege asserted more in the last month than i can believe. i've probably heard the fifth amendment mentioned more than the first amendment in my lifetime now with all of the

people asserting the fifth. but we're interested in protecting the rest of the constitution. we're going to protect their fifth amendment rights too if they're legitimately exercised. >> here's the rub, maya. can the committee get all the information they need when it seems like everybody is out there either defying or delaying those subpoenas or showing up and pleading the fifth? >> well, i think the short answer is they're getting it and we're seeing it. the reason is exactly what you laid out in the beginning, michael. there's a paper trail. it's really tough for prosecutors, to jill's point about why this is looking better and better for the committee is because prosecutors often don't have documents. in an absence of documents, it's much more difficult to build a case. but here the fact that they have, a, so many witnesses cooperating. we should not forget that. and sometimes it's the folks who were in the room who weren't the top dogs, they're the ones that

know more, have more, and they have been cooperating. i think it's not surprising that the folks closest to donald trump are also the ones most concerned about not talking. but i want to go back to one of the other things about that text message you read to jill. you know, one of the things it shows in addition to the fact that there was planning is it suggests indirectly what donald trump's state of mind is. so even if you don't have donald trump's testimony, what you do have is the inference that all these people were screaming stop, get out there, stop it, tell him no. as we heard from the committee already and powerfully, donald trump sat there enjoying what he was watching on television. as we've just heard from a federal judge, the civil lawsuit that folks like congressman bennie thompson and congressman eric swalwell and capitol police officers have brought for damages against donald trump are going to go forward and he will have to sit for deposition in

those cases. >> ladies, you know how to open up the conversation. jill wine-banks, thank you very much. maya, i would like you to stick around a little bit. there's a little bit more i want to grill you on. next, president biden held an emergency meeting with the national security council to discuss the russian invasion threat to ukraine. congressman david cicilline will join us. plus should january 6th insurrectionists receive lighter sentences if they cooperate with investigators? queen elizabeth has tested positive for covid-19. buckingham palace announcing that sunday. the monarch is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties over the coming week. uk media reported the queen is fully vaccinated. olympic history was made saturday. 37-year-old elana meyers taylor took the bronze medal in the

two-woman bobsled event. she now becomes the most decorated woman to ever compete in olympic bobsled history. she also is the most decorated black athlete in winter olympics history. congrats. and now a story about a dog named zoe that went missing in 2010. she was presumed to be deceased. well, officers say she's been found. they were able to reunite zoe with her owner, who had kept the same phone number for over a decade. welcome home, zoe. more ayman right after this break. ayman right after this break.

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nbc news has learned that according to u.s. intelligence, russian military officials have been given the order to go ahead with an invasion into ukraine. here's what we know. president biden held an emergency meeting with the national security council today. intelligence officials reaffirmed that russia could

launch an attack against ukraine at any time. close to 200,000 russian troops are amassed at the border with ukraine. as many as 50% of those troops are said to be in an attack position. at least two ukrainian soldiers have been killed, as incursions on both sides ramp up. but the rhetoric out of the kremlin is still deny, deny, deny. here's the russian ambassador to the u.s. just this morning. >> there is no invasion and there is no such plans. >> sorry, what? the official party line and the literal troops on the ground are telling a very, very different story. secretary of state antony blinken is pencilled in to meet with his russian counterpart this week, but that all depends on russia keeping the peace. >> while the dye may be cast, until it actually settles, until the tanks are rolling and the planes are in the air, we're going to try everything we

possibly can to get president putin to reverse the decision we believe he's made and to dissuade him. part of that is the prospect of massive sanctions. >> now, folks, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves here, but this invasion seems to be a matter of not if, but when. so what are we waiting for? world leaders say they're armed to the hilt with a barrage of sanctions, and ukrainian president zelensky is urging countries to act now, before war breaks out. joining me now is democratic congressman david cicilline, a member of the house foreign affairs committee. he recently visited ukraine with other members of congress. welcome, congressman. >> good to be with you. >> just to you off the top, you've been -- just been in ukraine as part of your congressional codel, the trip to ukraine. tell us about that experience and what insight did you come

away with that gives you some more interesting insights in the current situation? >> well, thanks for having me on. our trip to ukraine was led by the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, it was a bipartisan delegation. we were there really to reaffirm our strong support for the ukrainian people and their right to decide their own futures. i was there in 2014 right after the uprising when there was still fire burning and they had driven out the puppet president that was leading ukraine and it's a very different country today. this is a really functioning democracy. they have made tremendous progress on electoral reforms, on corruption, on building an economy. i think the single greatest threat ukraine poses is that they're a functioning and thriving democracy on russia's border and the russians look over and say why can't we have those freedoms. so i think vladimir putin has a real problem about what life

could be like in a democracy. ukrainian people are prepared to fight for their country. they're obviously outgunned by the russian military, but the european allies, the united states are helping them with lethal support, ammunition, armaments, training, a sharing of intelligence. we're going to do everything we can to provide assistance to them to fight and defend their country. look, as one woman said, we've tasted freedom, we're not going back. these are people that are prepared to be in this fight and to defend their country against the aggression of vladimir putin. and hopefully he understands the entire international community will impose devastating, crippling sanctions that will ruin his economy, bother the oligarchs that surround him and the hope is to prevent him from actually engaging this military excursion because he understands what the impact will be of those sanctions. >> congressman, given what you've just said and the amassing of troops along the

ukrainian/russian border, is there any hope of a diplomatic solution here or resolution? >> well, i think the biden administration is exactly right. they're going to continue to work every possible avenue and make it clear that diplomatic offramps are always available, that vladimir putin until he actually has tanks rolling in or troops going in, there's still an opportunity to avoid what will be a catastrophic war and will result in tens of thousands of people potentially dying. this is a war of choice, not a war of necessity. but it's important that the united states and the international community make it clear no country can redraw the borders of another country by force. we fought two world wars. nato was designed in response to fears of russian aggression. it's a defensive organization. and so it's important that this conduct not be permitted. i think the president has worked very closely with our allies, with our nato allies, our european allies to be sure everyone is on the same page,

prepared to impose crushing, really devastating economic sanctions on vladimir putin and his cronies if they in fact go forward with this action. >> so you mentioned sanctions. president zelensky has accused global leaders of appeasing russia and he's calling for sanctions to be issued before russia goes to war. is that something the u.s. should be looking at as well? >> i don't think so. sanctions are designed to deter action. the threat of sanctions is to prevent someone from taking action. i think most people have concluded if you impose the sanctions already, vladimir putin will say, well, i've already received the punishment, why not go ahead with the military action. and secondly, he might even say, look, that imposition of sanctions i consider an act of war. you started this, now i'm going to defend my country and move into ukraine. so i don't think we want to give him that opportunity. we want to make it very clear if he does it, they will be imposed. but the whole idea is to prevent

him from doing it and deter the action. i think imposing sanctions might provoke him to go forward. >> i want to get your take on something that i personally consider to be somewhat disturbing. it's being reported that fox news and tucker carlson are working to secure an interview with vladimir putin. "the daily beast" reports the kremlin representatives actually think this would be a good thing for putin. you've got to be frustrated as a member of congress and -- who has the intelligence and understanding of what's going on with russia. you and your colleagues, the president, have to be frustrated when you're seeing this type of effort being made by fox news and tucker. how do you -- how do we begin to respond to that? what does it say that you have people like tucker carlson and fox news drumming up support for putin? >> look, it's not frustrating,

it's sickening. it's unamerican. this is the same man who said, why aren't we supporting russia in this conflict? russia and ukraine are both foreign countries. the absurdity of not recognizing that one of them is a democracy where people have elected to turn to the west and don't want to be part of russia and the other is a thuggish dictator. the idea that he thinks they're the same is preposterous. this is the same person who went to hungary to interview victor orban and i guess for his encore he'll have duterte from the philippines. it's shocking, it's embarrassing, he ought to be ashamed of himself. vladimir putin is trying to destabilize europe, to undermine the nato alliance, the security architecture that has kept the world at peace and who stands in contrast to democratic values of freedom and, you know, sovereignty of individual nations. so he ought not be given an audience on any american

television. but this is a continuation of the propaganda machine of fox so it's not surprising, but really, really disappointing. >> congressman david cicilline, thank you so much for taking a moment to be with us this evening. appreciate it very, very much. it's a date. senate democrats have set an ambitious deadline to confirm president biden's supreme court nominee. more on that, next. t nominee. nominee. more on that, next [limu emu squawks] woo! new personal record, limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ only pay for what you need. i earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through chase with chase freedom unlimited. i earn 5% on our cabin. hello cashback! hello, kevin hart! earn big time with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours.

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confirmed before the easter recess, on april 9th. in the time between then and now, which is about seven weeks, it seems like biden will be wooing both democrats and republicans. you heard me, republicans too, to support his nominee. politico reports that biden is actively looking for republican support for a supreme court nominee but doing it cautiously, wary of setting expectations that end in failure. for more on this, maya wiley is back with us and we are joined by mark joseph stern who covers the courts as a staff writer for slate. welcome back, maya. welcome, mark. so, mark, what can you tell us about the behind-the-scenes deliberations at this point as biden is considering this nominee, and when can we expect to hear her name? >> so we know that biden really wants to get at least a few republican senators onboard, and that is one reason why i think

the jackson is an appealing candidate. when she was confirmed, she got three republican votes. it would be rather odd for those three republicans to turn around now and say that they made a mistake, that she doesn't deserve a promotion. and so what appears to be happening at the white house is let's try to back channel to these senators who are on the fence or potentially more moderate, like lisa murkowski and susan collins, those who have some institutional stake in bipartisan confirmations, and then we'll release the name and continue behind the scenes. all of this is relatively quiet, there's a lot we don't know. but it's very obvious that biden does not want this to be a party line vote. he really wants to boast that he got a bipartisan consensus nominee onto the supreme court in stark contrast to amy coney barrett who was the first justice to be confirmed on a

party line vote in about 150 years. >> so, maya, in light of the possible kumbaya that mark is talking about, republicans and democrats coming together over a supreme court nominee, who knew, right? do you expect an ugly confirmation battle or since the makeup will not be affected by this much, do you think the president -- the republicans will allow the nominee to be confirmed without their support? >> you know, it will be interesting to see, michael. i'm not going to pretend i can read these tea leaves. sadly, we have seen attacks on the president because he's promised to nominate a black woman as if by definition that meant that the black women he was looking at were not qualified. given the list that we've seen, that is pat eptly false. it's a powerhouse list of highly qualified lawyers. but at the same time to your point there's not a whole lot of reason for republicans to be on

the wrong side of history, one, because the president has made and suggested a list of very qualified people. secondly, to your point, because it doesn't change the balance of the court. it does in an election year benefit republicans as well to show that they're not just not only the party of no, but the party of no black people. that's not really a great look when you're running for office and i would hope that it's one that the republican party in stating that it is the party of lincoln remembers that history and tradition. >> yeah, okay. so we'll work on that party of lincoln thing. mark, regarding the president's hunt for that republican support, politico is reporting that officials are wary that gop votes will ever really materialize, and there's also some frustration over the lobbying campaign for one potential nominee. that is a reference to south carolina's senator lindsey graham and congressman jim clyburn who are pushing biden to

nominate circuit court judge michelle childs. what can you tell us about that lobbying campaign and do you expect any republicans to support a biden nominee if it's not judge childs? >> so both clyburn and graham are obviously pushing very hard for this judge but they have different reasons for doing so. for clyburn, this is a kind of quintessential pick. the two go back a long time. clyburn has a lot of power and believes she's the right person for the job. for graham is seems to be that childs is the most moderate, the most centrist of the folks on the short list right now. she has a history of ruling against criminal defendants, of reeling against civil liberlibe, of ruling for management against labor. i think lindsey graham looks at that record and says, okay, this is someone i can work with and maybe someone who will go -- to

the conservative time from time to time. he's setting this up quite nicely for himself. if biden nominating jackson or krueger or someone else, lindsey has the option of saying i already proved that i was willing to be bipartisan. i said i'd vote for michelle childs, but unfortunately the white house did not heed my call. so i think there's some savvy politicking going on here, but i don't think it's working on joe biden. it appears that the white house has gotten clyburn to back off a bit and admit that this is not an ultimatum, that he would be happy with other candidates. and i don't think that biden is going to pick childs simply because lindsey graham has made a promise that he would vote for her. we all know what lindsey gram's promises are good for, an it just isn't very much. so, maya, mark also alludes

to the very thin democratic majority that exists in the senate right now. that fact was made clear when 49-year-old democratic senator ben ray lujan suffered a stroke. last week he released a video to say he's doing well. we're very happy to hear that, and expects to make a full recovery. he added this, watch. >> i'll be back on the floor of the united states senate in just a few short weeks to vote on important legislation and to consider a supreme court nominee. >> so we've got about 30 seconds left. what do you make of that moment for the democrats? how thin is this edge for them, and can they survive it? >> it's very thin, and they can survive it and that's why you heard the senator say he will be there. it also goes to mark's point about judge brown because she got senator manchin and sinema's vote when she was up for the

d.c. circuit. those things will matter. >> maya wiley and mark joseph stern, thank you both very much. appreciate it. so coming up, let's make a deal. why federal prosecutors might want to think twice before offering lighter sentences to january 6th defendants. outrage in texas as the republican lieutenant governor's political campaign tries to delay thousands of requests for mail-in ballots. more "a yman" next. "a ymanne" t and it's easy to get a quote at libertymutual.com so you only pay for what you need. isn't that right limyman" nex? only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty♪ kim is now demonstrating her congestion. only pay for what you need. save it slimeball. i've upgraded to mucinex. mucinex lasts 12 hours, so i'm good. now move! next kim, no! mucinex lasts 3x longer for 12 hours. i earn 3% cash back at drugstores with chase freedom unlimited.

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again, if an invasion hasn't happened. we are always ready for diplomacy. we are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should russia instead choose war. we'll have more on this new development next hour. moving on, when is mercy appropriate? it's a question that's been top of mind for many in washington this week, as doj prosecutors clashed with a federal judge over whether capitol riot defendants should be awarded shorter sentences after expressing remorse, taking responsibility for their actions. and most importantly, agreeing to aid the january 6th committee investigation. judge howell was rather explicit in her reasoning, arguing that kind of cooperation is helpful to this country and is helpful in making amends for what occurred on january 6th. a defense attorney for one of the rioters sentenced on friday went further saying the government's role here is to

make sure this kind of thing doesn't ever happen to this country again. it's important to rehabilitate people. it's also important to rehabilitate this country. now, folks, i'll admit i sympathize with this position. i wholeheartedly believe in second chances. it would be wonderful if we could move forward as people working together, taking responsibility for their actions. unfortunately, that's not the world we live in. last year after expressing remorse, agreeing to cooperate with federal prosecutors, a capitol rioter signed a plea deal that could ultimately permit her to receive significantly lighter sentences. but as soon as the ink was dry on that plea deal, she changed her tune. gina bragged to fellow trump supporters that she only pled guilty to stay out of jail, and that she won't be, quote, unquote, squealing on anybody. and what kind of message does

this send to these rioters who have been told for the last year that what they did was wrong, when republican national committee's official position on january 6th is that it was legitimate political discourse. so one side says you did awful things and the other side says you did nothing wrong. republican establishment seems to be openly mocking the entire process and undercutting any rational argument for considering leniency. all of this to say mercy and forgiveness are virtues. but we must stay clear-eyed in recognizing what we're really up against. against. when you shop with wayfair, you spend less and get way more. so you can bring your vision to life, and save in more ways than one.

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day-in, day-out that's why dove men body wash has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. the streets of ottawa are largely clear today, after canadian police arrested almost 50 anti-vaccine protesters yesterday. the protest dragged on for weeks

before prime minister justin trudeau invoked emergency powers giving authorities the ability to clear the streets and even seize bank accounts belonging to the protesters. protest organizers say at least three of their leaders have been arrested in recent days. so with the situation up north seemingly under control, all eyes are now focused on a second potential convoy that's purported going to leave california for d.c. later this week. congressional committees were briefed on the possibility of a trucker protest here in the u.s. according to politico. roads are already being closed down around capitol hill in advance of president biden's state of the union address on march 1st. so what can officials here in america learn from the canadian trucker protest? joining us now from ottawa izzy an austin, the canada correspondent for "the new york times." welcome, ian. >> hi. >> so you're joining us live from ottawa tonight. so what's the situation like on

the ground right now? >> well, it's a dramatic turn-around from the last three weeks. the streets are empty downtown. downtown has been encircled by a large sort of 12-foot-high fence. and the truckers are basically gone. i found a small enclave of them about 60 miles east of ottawa, towards montreal. we don't know what they're doing, but it is a very, very small group. so the city has gone from being paralyzed by truckers to being effectively paralyzed by police now. >> so we saw the mass arrests began after some of the key leaders of the protests were themselves arrested over the past couple of days. so what can you say about the state of the so-called freedom convoy movement? do you think you're going to see a regrouping after they have largely been cleared out from downtown ottawa? >> many people i've spoken to don't think this is actually a

movement. this was a sort of disparate group that started out with a specific complaint about vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers. a people who have been involved in far right political movements in canada, like a yellow vest yellow vest movement fund-raised for them. but it never coalessed around a single leader. a lot of the protesters when you asked them what they wanted, they would mostly tell you freedom. they couldn't explain much more than that. it was a very incoherent and fragmented movement. it was also quite small. in a country of 36 million, at the most they were perhaps 450 trucks. so it was, you know, very, very much a fringe thing. then their activities, there was harassment of citizens who lived in downtown ottawa. there was a copy cat protest at a border crossing in alberta

where people were charged with conspireing to murder a policeman. that alienated a lot of canadians, even canadians frustrated about the pandemic. >> how did this get so heated? canada has a reputation for its niceness and civility, unlike it's hot headed cousins to the south. how did things go so wild so fast? >> well, this started out in alberta, which is the most american of canadian provinces, has always had a sort of very strong vis sif rouse right-wing approach to politics. so it started out there. they were able to have this huge impact mostly because of what now people see as a huge, huge mistake by police. many truckers told me they were

surprised as they drove into canada that policemen were helpfully directing them to parliament hill. several of them told me, i thought i was going to go, but i stayed. it was a monumental policing error. >> interesting. interesting. that then speaks to maybe some long-term implications of protests like this. will it lead to an emboldening of the right as you referenced in what is generally a center left country? >> you know, i think it's too early to say that. the consensus is not. i mean, the thing that -- the reason these protesters were able to have such a huge impact. they crippled the city. thousands of people have been out of work for three weeks was the using trucks as a tool. i mean, some of the organizers of this came here a year ago and with this crazy plan to have the queens representative take over

the government with the appointed senate. nobody paid attention to them. this time they came and they shut down the city. they have paralyzed the capitol of canada thanks to trucks. i think people will have to assess in the future, consider in the future people using motor vehicles as a protest tool. >> interesting. interesting. ian austin, thank you so much from canada. really appreciate you. so ohio, what a mess in the buckeye state. how republicans are failing again and again when it comes to congressional redirecting. that's next. congressional redirecting. that's next. t him back. your heart isn't just yours. protect it with bayer aspirin. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [music: "i swear"] jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day...

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it's almost 9:00 p.m. here on the east coast. do you know where your district is? well, if you are in ohio, i can go ahead and answer that question for you. no, you don't. on thursday, the ohio redirecting commission failed to pass new state house and senate maps, and their inability to do so could land the state's governor in some serious legal trouble. so let me explain. in 2015, ohio voters passed a state constitutional amendment that created a bipartisan redirecting commission. last year with the release of the 2020 census, the state finally had its first opportunity to try the new system out, and things didn't exactly go smoothly. back in september, the

commission adopted a map which gave republicans 67% and 69% of state house and state seats respectively. even though polling information showed only 55% of voters statewide leaned republican. so surprise, surprise, the map was struck down by the state supreme court. the commission's second attempt at a map met the same fate. and that's how we ended up here. except this time, the commission didn't even try to pass a map. they just let the deadline come and go because third time really isn't that charm, is it? that means right now ohioans do not have any district lines for the state's 90 house and 33 senate seats. and here's the thing. the commission is quickly running out of time. the secretary of state warned ohio is dangerously close to breaking federal law. the state's primary election is scheduled for may, i believe, and the deadline to mail ballots

to the military members is coming up in a matter of weeks. now republican judge is raising the stakes. on friday ohio supreme court chief judge maureen o'connor demanded that republican governor mike dewine and other remembers of the redirecting commission show why they shouldn't be held in contempt for their failure to produce a new map. being held in contempt of court is a designation judges use to enforce their orders. but this isn't some empty threat. penalties can include fines or even possible jail time. the commission members and governor dewine have until noon this wednesday to respond. with deadlines looms and the threat of possible jail time, will ohio voters finally get the bipartisan solution they voted for? well, time will tell. there is so -- there is so much to get into in the second hour

of "ayman." ahead, how did the gop go from the big tent party to circuit tent party to the party with no tent at all? my saturday night panel is here to break it all done. plus, olympic level back flips of hypocrisy. texas republicans want to ban mail-in voting unless it is their party casting the ballots. and president biden holds a rare sunday meeting with his national security council as a threat of a russian invasion with ukraine remains high. i'm michael steele in for ayman mohyeldin. let's get started. the republican party used to pride itself on being a big tent party. we wanted as many as people as possible to come together under the guiding principals of small government, free trade and personal responsibility. at least