allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! flonase all good. nurse mariyam sabo knows a moment this pure... ...demands a lotion this pure. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin. as we come on the air, two big breaking news stories in washington and around the world. and a whole bunch of live events we're juggling. after president biden has just officially introduced his history-making pick for the supreme court. judge ketanji brown jackson. >> if i am fortunate enough to be confirmed as the next associate justice of the supreme court of the united states, i

can only hope that my life and career, my love of this country and the constitution and my commitment to upholding the rule of law and the sacred principles upon which this great nation was founded will inspire future generations. >> we are looking at what is next. the new reaction coming into our newsroom, including new reporting on the timeline now for the confirmation process. we've also got the latest as you look at, at what's happening overseas. the fighting, humanitarian crisis in ukraine getting worse. people crowding into trains, trying to get out of the country. in russia, more protesters hitting the streets, risking arrests to make clear they do not want this war. here's a look at what we are expecting. in just the next 60 minutes, on our show today. in the next hour, a new u.n. security council meeting where we might see tensions between ukrainian and russian ambassadors play out live on camera. and any minute we expect to see

white house press secretary jen psaki holding her briefing. and then pentagon press secretary john kirby. i'll be joined by one of the top lawmakers later in the show. and oh, by the way, the possibility of new cdc guidance with the briefing on that starting on that front as we speak. we're watching all of it. we've got teams on every angle on all these stories. let me start with justice correspondent pete williams, kristen welker, ali vitali, amy howell, legal analyst tali weinstein and ceo of the national coalition of black civic participation, melody campbell. good to see you all. thank you. pete, we've got to start with you here. we have the pick. it is now official as we saw live on msnbc just within the last hour. talk us through the process and where it goes from here. >> well, she'll now begin that process of meeting with

senators, as many of them who will agree to meet with her as possible. many republicans are already signaling they will meet with her. so she'll try to do as many as she can. that is an ordeal that all supreme court nominee goes through. and then the chairman of the judiciary committee has said he wants to have these hearings pretty quickly. so there was certainly no -- even though it's historic, there was no drama in today's announcement because this was widely expected to be the nominee. she was mentioned a year ago. she was mentioned in every single story about who the leading contenders were. and we're told that she actually got the word last night and she was on the bench this morning hearing three cases on the appeals court on which she served for eight months. so that's a critical factor in her potential nomination because the u.s. court of appeals here for the district of columbia handles the same kinds of issues the supreme court tends to handle. questions about the authority of federal agencies, the fine

contours of federal law. so she has that experience and, of course, before that, she was eight years as a federal trial court judge, too. and that's additional experience that she'll bring to the court. plus she has some experience the court hasn't seen for 40 years. she's a former federal public defender. and not since thurgood marshall was on the court has there been someone who has legitimate experience defending criminal justice defendants. and she also served on the u.s. sentencing commission which is another thing she has in common with stephen breyer and she's a former breyer clerk. there's lots of things in her background that would add to the experience of the court. >> pete, thank you. you've got more reporting to do. aly, let's look ahead to what's going to happen which is the confirmation process. you may have just seen that flow chart up. that is how things are going to go. it is a lengthy process but it's expected to be accelerated. as we're coming on the air in the last couple minutes we're hearing more from some senators who will be key in getting

her -- getting judge jackson, of course, confirmed to the supreme court. bring us up to speed on the new reporting you and your team are doing. >> yeah, because there are some tea leaves we can read here, hallie, especially now that we have the pick. pete is right. there are republican senators who are saying that they are open to meeting with justice jackson, talking with her about her potential nomination or her potential confirmation as we move forward. there's three specific people we're looking for on the republican side of this. when white house officials spoke with members this morning, the white house officials said they still feel like they can make this a bipartisan confirmation. so just in the last few minutes we're hearing from some of the people on the republican side of this who had previously voted to confirm her just in the lavt year or so when her nomination to the d.c. court came up. specifically i'm talking about senator lisa murkowski here, not telegraphing how she might vote here but making clear that we now know what she voted for in the past doesn't mean that this

is how she's going to vote now. she says i've been clear that previously voting to confirm an individual to a lower court does not signal how i will vote for a supreme court justice. she goes on to say she's committed to doing her due diligence here. it's different than what we're hearing from senator lindsey graham who voted for judge jackson in the last year. now he is saying that because this is not the person who another south carolina justice was up for this job. he says here that this pick means in his words the radical left has won president biden over again. doesn't necessarily say he's not going to vote for her, but at the same time, it's clear that he's not necessarily excited about this pick. and then, of course, senator susan collins, the third of those republicans who we're looking at, she has not said her reaction yet. but there's one other person here i'm looking at when we talk about this being a sped up timeline. a lot to do in about six weeks or so based on the timeline the judiciary committee laid out. that's senator joe manchin who

balked at a speedy process. in a statement today manchin is saying i'll evaluate judge jackson's record, legal qualifications and judicial philosophy to serve on the highest court in the land. again, not telegraphing there, but these are some of the key players we're watching as this process begins to unfold. >> a li, thank you. kristen, as ali points out, democrats point to and are pointing to the fact, as we heard from president biden in his remarks just in the last 60 minutes, she's been confirmed three times already, bipartisan confirmations. we can show it here. u.s. circuit judge for d.c., federal district court, the u.s. sentencing commission. you see it on the screen right now. talk to me now that the moment is out there, right, now that the speech has happened, the pomp and circumstance in rolling out this historic supreme court pick, what is the sort of attitude and tone the white house is taking now as this confirmation process is really officially beginning here. >> well, i think you're right to highlight all of that bipartisan

support from the past for one reason, hallie. think back to when mr. biden was a candidate and when he made that promise that he was going to govern with bipartisanship. he's been criticized for not doing that enough. this is a chance for him to pick someone who could potentially get bipartisan support for all of the reasons that ali mapped out. we do not know where these senators will fall ultimately. but clearly the president and white house looked at that very list you just laid out and that was undoubtedly something that bolstered the credentials of judge jackson. we consistently asked the administration how important this bipartisanship in this process and they acknowledge, look, it's certainly a factor. the white house also consistently said that the president wanted to pick someone in the mold of justice breyer. of course, as pete said, judge jackson was a clerk for justice breyer. so what happens now? i can tell you that the team that's been working on this pick has been really working around the clock on outreach already.

not just to senators but also to outside groups to try to lay the groundwork for what they are hoping will be a swift and smooth confirmation process. of course, there will undoubtedly be some bumps along the way. but the president has been juggling that with the ukraine crisis but we're told he still had several meetings on a weekly if not daily basis about this because, clearly, it's one of the most important decisions of his presidency. and hallie, i would underscore for all of the hustry making reasons this day is significant, there's one more which is that it was exactly two years to this day that candidate biden made that pledge to nominate the first black woman to the supreme court. and so now here we are. >> thank you. melanie, let me go to you. you look at the biography and the experience and the resume of judge jackson here that she so capably laid out in her remarks that we've been talking about

here. pete mentioned it before he had to go. she was a public defender. that is not something that we see often in the the supreme court. it's been a couple of decades since we've seen anyone with significant public defender experience become a justice. she brings a lived experience to the table. if she is confirmed, that is reflective of more than what you might typically see in a courts make-up. >> yes. and i think our nation is -- so many people are smiling in this moment because after 233 years, we -- once she's confirmed and have a fair hearing process, that we'll be able to look up my great niece will be able to look up and see herself. i'll be able to see myself in seeing this black woman with exceptional qualifications and background who, as you mentioned, has a lived experience. she walks in that door with all

of the knowledge and expertise and experience that would only be a benefit to the supreme court, but most importantly to our democracy and to our nation. >> amy, let me go to you. ideologically, she -- it's not likely that her appointment is going to shift the supreme court. the way that she does her job essentially, how do you see her playing into the mix when it comes to the political make-up of the court? >> i think that's right that she's not going to shift the balance on the court. it's still going to be predominantly a conservative court with three liberal justices. now there will be all three liberal justices will be female, for the first time. it ensures that that seat will remain held by democratic appointee now for another three decades in all likelihood. as melanie just suggested, she will be a different justice than

justice stephen breyer because of her experience as a public defender. because of -- because she's a different person. she's a black woman than justice stephen breyer was. so she'll bring that to the table as well. there's often a narrative at confirmation hearings about justices as umpires who call the balls and strikes. but the truth is that the law will often only get you so far. the supreme court decides cases because they are hard. they come to the supreme court often because lower courts have reached different conclusions on them and they look to the supreme court to figure it out. and the justices have to bring something to the table whether it's their life experiences, their judicial philosophies. and so she'll bring that to the table. she'll bring a different style than justice breyer. i think you saw it on display in the white house ceremony today. she's very warm. she's very relatable. and i imagine we'll see that on the bench as well. >> tally, you were a former clerk to justice o'connor.

can you talk about what's happening for the judge now? how her life is changing. she probably is thinking about assembling her team, although you don't want to get too far ahead of the process here. she's going to be really focused on getting ready for the senate confirmation hearings. bring us behind the scenes about what it's going to be like for her over the next few weeks. >> well, i am sure that she is already thinking about a lot of the work that she did in preparing for her confirmation hear,s for the d.c. circuit. really making sure she's able to answer all of those questions about herself, about her judicial philosophy, about the law. but you know, i think she is completely ready to take this on. and you mentioned justice o'connor. as i was reading about judge jackson today and listening to her remarks, i was struck by how similar she is to justice o'connor. so many of the qualities that are not right on the page but her personal qualities, her

charisma, her magnetism, her love of engaging with people. she's fond of saying you have to be able to talk to different kinds of people. i could hear justice o'connor's voice saying that. her vitality. and i make this point in terms of her readiness, not as a cute historical fact, the similarities between the first woman and hopefully the sixth woman to sit on the supreme court, but because as you know, on the court, justices hear from lots of lawyers but they only talk to their clerks and to one another. and these gifts that she has, i think, will serve her well. justice o'connor became the power center of the supreme court because she was able to listen to persuade, to connect with others and i am looking forward to decades of justice jackson deploying those same gifts to be incredibly effective in this job. >> tali, melanie, amy, thank you. kristen welker and ali, great

reporting as always. i know you'll come back with updates. appreciate it. to our other big breaking news. the russian military getting further into ukraine. we're getting word of a call between president biden and ukrainian president zelenskyy this afternoon. it comes as we're seeing russia's military looking like it's hitting more resistance than expected. according to what we're hearing from a u.s. defense official. russia estimated to have already conducted more than 200 total missile launches. and you know that means you have ukrainian women, kids, older adults all scrambling for safety. with men aimi aged 18 to 60 blo from leaving the country. all of it as what we referenced at the top of the show, that u.n. security council meeting is happening now. we'll see a push to try to hold a vote in support of ukraine. the writing is a little bit on the wall on how that goes. we'll talk about it in a second. let me bring in cal perry who is in western ukraine. raf sanchez in moscow, josh letterman in brussels. we've been in and out of this

live rolling coverage all day and all night where you are of what is happening in not just kyiv but in kharkiv, to a degree where you are in lviv with the tensions really coming to a boiling point here. bring us up to speed on the latest in the last 60 minutes or so. >> so kyiv, kharkiv, fierce fighting. russian forces are moving closer and closer to kyiv. they are on the pout outskirts. where i am in the west you have a growing humanitarian crisis. i spent part of the day at the central train station here in lviv. what we saw was truly dramatic. coming one direction from kyiv, you have civilians. they can't bring much with them. maybe one bag. most chose to bring their pets instead of luggage. you can only get so much on that train. as they got off the train, the looks on people's faces. people are stunned. emotional. they are drained. and then going the other direction you have ukrainian soldiers. some of them 18, 19 years old. these are kids. and many of them are headed off

to war for the first time. the point that you made, men of military age are no longer allowed to leave this country. we're talking to folks who have come here to get their family to the border and then they'll just turn around and go right back to the front. the other problem, 50 miles from where i am to the polish border is now a seven-mile backup of vehicles. people are choosing to get out of their cars and trying to walk across that border. that is dangerous. it is nighttime here. it's cold. people do not have what they need. it's becoming a more and more dangerous situation. as of right now the united nations says at least 100,000 people are on the move. you can expect that number will rise dramatically, hallie. >> what's also interesting as we talk about what we've seen over the course of -- i say the day here in the u.s. the night where you are in moscow, where cal is in lviv as well. is russians trying to protest what vladimir putin is doing. this new crackdown now that we've learned about in the last couple of hours on social media, for example, as you have all of

this developing in moscow. where does that stand? >> yeah, hallie, we're seeing a crackdown on the streets and a crackdown online. on the streets, russian anti-war protesters are back out tonight in st. petersburg, despite that enormous wave of arrests last night. 1700 people arrested across 50 cities. one placard up in st. petersburg said "peace for ukraine, freedom for us." now online, the russian prosecutor general has announced just in the last couple of hours they are planning to impose some form of censorship on facebook in this country. we just took a look at the nbc news in moscow. facebook is still online but we're still expecting various critical of the government media sites may find they are being censored. a lot of russians aren't on facebook, they are on an equivalent. this is coming as vladimir putin

appeared on state television earlier and called for the ukrainian military to rise up in a coup against president zelenskyy and the government of ukraine. he called them neo-nazis and drug dealers. and he urged the army to take control in kyiv and then open up a direct line of negotiations with moscow. kind of ironic. he's calling for a coup on the one hand but the russian government is also saying that it's prepared for peace talks with ukrainian officials in minsk over the border in belarus. belarus has been the venue for a number of peace talks in the past. but it is hardly neutral grounds now. belarus is essentially a staging location for the russian military as it drives south into ukraine as it closes in across kyiv. so a lot of questions, i think, about whether this offer of talks is being made in good faith or not. >> let me go to you because we're watching this afternoon that u.n. security council meeting. we sort of know how that's going

to turn out, although there are certain signals the u.s. is watching. you'll fill us in on this and this first ever deployment announced from nato secretary-general. >> that's right, hallie. nato is going to be deploying its response force for the first time in nato's history. now the response force is comprised of about 40,000 troops. they rotate. they come in from all of the nato members, including u.s. troops. and not all 40,000 will be deployed, but main of them will. they are ready to move within two days if necessary. now these are troops who encompass air, land, sea as well as special operations forces. never in nato's history has it activated the force for collective defense and deterrence. they've been involved before in humanitarian-type missions. they helped with security for the olympics in athens in about 2004, for example, but nato has never had to take this issue. the secretary-general of nato telling us today that europe is

facing the biggest security threat it's faced in decades. and that is why they are going to be moving some of these troops toward eastern europe to try to shore up those defenses. not to fight russia and ukraine. we want to be clear about that. nato and the u.s. sticking with their assertion that they do not want to get into a military conflict with russia. they are working really hard to deconflict to make sure that there's no accidental run-ins between nato forces and russia. but they want to make sure they're poised and ready to go if anything were to change that would actually threaten some of these nato countries that are watching what's going on in ukraine and very scared they could be next, hallie. as you mentioned with that security council meeting, that we do expect a vote on condemning russia, demanding that they immediately cease their military operations. but as you said, it's a fait accompli because russia has a veto as a permanent member. they happen to be the rotating presidency of the security council right now. that's not likely to go anywhere

but nato -- u.n. members adamant they want to hold that vote anyway because they want to put themselves on the record, create as much diplomatic pressure and isolation for president putin now that he's proceeding full bore with this attack in ukraine. >> josh, thank you. live in brussels. cal, are you still with us? before we go, what is your expectation? been doing overnight coverage, watching all of this as dawn turns to day where you are. what's your expectation for what you may see? >> so this is a city now under curfew where i am. so, look, i think they want to keep people inside. they're worried about some kind of insider threat, disinformation campaign from russia is thorough. we heard this morning russian troops were putting on ukrainian uniforms. imagine what that does to people in kyiv. all eyes will be on the capital tonight. the pictures were absolutely stunning. and they were stunning the night before when we had the security council meeting with vladimir putin speaking. and the president.

it has been truly difficult to believe. as forces move in, on the capital and you look at those pictures now. and as night has fallen, there are concerns that the power is going to go out. there concerns there will be renewed rocket attacks. there are concerns the roads are going to be cut off. that is what this country is dealing with and again, what is happening in kyiv is going to be feared to be happening here. there doesn't seem to be an end to what russia is willing to do and that's the fear people have here. >> cal perry, thank you. raf sanchez, josh lederman. appreciate you being overseas for us. stay close to your cameras. we're about to get updates from the white house and pentagon. dual briefings on msnbc. we expect new information potentially from both. especially with the pentagon reportedly considering ways to help train ukrainian forces. we'll talk to a member of the armed services committee who was just briefed on it. we've got a lot coming up after the break. e brk.ea

♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems.

looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. aahhh let's get you lovebirds flying! book with priceline and you save more...

so you can “ahhhh” more. - ahhh... - ahhhh... - ahhhhh!!!!!!! - ahhhhh!!!!!!! ahhhhh! ahhhhh! aaaaah... i'll see you at the hotel. priceline. every trip is a big deal. at xfinity, we live and work in the same neighborhood as you. i'll see you at the hotel. we're always working to keep you connected to what you love. and now, we're working to bring you the next generation of wifi. it's ultra-fast. faster than a gig. supersonic wifi. only from xfinity. it can power hundreds of devices with three times the bandwidth. so your growing wifi needs will be met. supersonic wifi only from us... xfinity.

to make my vision a reality. i have to take every perspective, and see clearly from every point of view. with my varilux progressive lenses i seamlessly transition from near to far. and see every detail in sharp focus. when you see no limits, there are no limits. book now at your local essilor experts to push the limits of your vision. varilux lenses by essilor. right now the cdc meeting. and at any moment, the agency may potentially announce a change to masking guidance. as we have reported here at nbc news, based on that reporting, there is a possibility and

expectation they could loosen masking guidance. loosen the recommendations because of a drop in the number of people in hospitals. it comes after something we've talked about a lot. a bunch of states in the last few weeks have recently lifted mask mandates. we're talking about states that vote forward president biden. more blue states that resisted making those changes. i want to bring in dr. kavita patel. also an msnbc medical contributor. and to be clear, dr. patel, nothing is official yet. fine. we're basing this on reporting from our teams on the ground that there is the possibility the cdc could make this change. what would that mean? what would the impact of something like that be realistically? >> well, hallie, i think the impact will be that the map you showed, and if you look at the current cdc definitions for transmission, high, medium and low, what i suspect we'll see is ahat looked mostly red and orange in terms of previous definitions to probably, you know, yellow,

green, where a majority of the country is going to be deemed pretty much low transmission or no need to wear masks. they may not be as explicit as that, but because of the decrease of hospitalizations and decrease in actual cases, that's what i suspect will happen later today or some time soon. >> recent polling we've seen shows that a big percentage of americans feel like we are past the worst of the pandemic. and one thing you and i have talked about on this show has been the science versus the politics. and what is driving some of the decision-making process. how would you put some of these numbers into context for us as it relates to potential changes coming from the cdc? >> yeah, so i'll put it into context. because of vaccinations and the availability, it's so hard to get that we do have more and more treatments, including oral treatments available. that has shifted us from thinking about just every single case being kind of a threat of disease to having really moved to where now it's -- if you are

vaccinated, it's very unlikely and boosted, it's very unlikely that you'll suffer severe disease, death. the things we worried about. that's the shift the science supports. it's changing because with omicron, now we know we need the boosters. before we thought the original shots were fine. and i think everybody wants to read into this like we've gone into an endemic phase. to be in an endemic phase, we need stability over time. we have not had enough time. we still have way too many deaths per day and we just don't know what the next season will look like. so if we can talk in 3 to 6 months and we're still having low transmission numbers, no hospitalizations, that's when we can start to say, wow, not only is the worst behind us but this is getting to where we don't have to have the entire world on standby when we see these surges in countries like south africa, like the united states, like the uk. but we're not there yet. and i do -- i want to emphasize, still waiting for the fda to

take action for the under 5 vaccine. we're still waiting for enough treatments for immunocompromised people. and we have a lot of people asking, so when should we wear a mask and how do we know which household need to be recommended to wear masks. so hopefully that guidance will come. but when -- >> i was going to say -- >> having that mask is helpful. >> sorry to interrupt you. do you believe it's incumbent on federal agencies like the cdc to be able to give that guidance to americans, exactly what you are talking about? when should i wear a mask? who households should be more cognizant? >> they have to. look, i wish we lived in a country where we had a robust health care system where if you needed to ask me a question to understand what you need to do. we've learned that that does not exist. so we depend on the cdc to give us that kind of guidance. and free of the politics. just the science and just the facts. i do hope we see that. i hope it's very clear how to keep people safe. if they are concerned about immune conditions, household

members that kant get vaccinated or mount an immune response. and another plug for helping people find treatment as well as some of those monoclonal antibodies you can get in advance if you have qualifying immune conditions. all of that free, but not easy to find. hopefully we'll get more and more clarity on how to do that. >> dr. kavita patel, always great to hear from you. we'll sneak in a quick break. the u.n. security council vote to support ukraine should have started. seeing a delay. we'll have more as we keep an eye on the white house n pentagon briefings with potential new reporting coming, set to start any second. g comin set to start any second. ut off y doctor my leg was red and swollen just doing the crossword... but i didn't wait. they told their doctors. and found out their symptoms... leg pain, swelling and redness - were deep vein thrombosis. a blood clot which could travel to the lungs and lead to a pulmonary embolism. which could cause chest pain or discomfort,

or difficulty breathing - and be deadly. if you have one or more of these symptoms, contact your doctor. this is no time to wait. what do you think healthier looks like? cvs can help you support your nutrition, sleep, immune system, energy ...even skin. so healthier can look a lot like...you. cvs. healthier happens together.

riders! let your queries be known. yeah, hi. instead of letting passengers wrap their arms around us, could we put little handles on our jackets? -denied. -can you imagine? i want a new nickname. can you guys start calling me snake? no, bryan. -denied. -how about we all get quotes to see if we can save with america's number one motorcycle insurer? approved. cool! hey, if bryan's not gonna be snake, can i be snake? -all: no. need your prescription refilled? capsule pharmacy can fill and hand deliver your medications

- the same day - for free. go to capsule.com to get started. we handle your insurance, coordinate with your doctor, and text you when your medication is ready. all you have to do is schedule delivery. we bring your medication directly from our pharmacy, straight to your doorstep. get your prescriptions filled and delivered today - for free. go to capsule.com and get started in 15 seconds.

3:36 eastern time. the pentagon briefing room. on the left side of the screen. we're waiting to see john kirby for a development and update on the developments overseas. the possibility of new u.s. troop movements.

we're also waiting to see what's happening at the white house where we expect to hear from press secretary jen psaki with several key questions for her to answer. we're watching both live as i bring in nbc's matt bradley who is live in ukraine. also nbc's national security intelligence correspondent ken dilanian, andrea mitchell and retired lieutenant general ben hodges. matt, let me start with you in kharkiv. we heard from cal perry a few minutes ago who was on the ground in lviv. you and i were on the air at 5:00 this morning eastern on msnbc. and you were in the thick of it. what do you see tonight and what are you bracing for? >> well, actually, because we were in the thick of it this morning we've left kharkiv. we're in nipro, a couple of hours south. we heard a massive bombardment. i was in the midst of telling you and ayman mohyeldin how we

were in the eye of it. we were in the ring road. we weren't seeing much inside the city. that changed dramatcally. this is what you're seeing in this battlefield. we started hearing bombardments and a rat-a-tat-tat of guns sounding from like pretty near to where we were. this lasted several minutes. this is par for the course in this conflict but we had thought and we put ourselves there because it wasn't too close to the action. and so we decided after we took shelter in an underground parking garage under the hotel for a little while, we decided we were going to be back here to dniepro, an industrial city in the east center part of ukraine. and here things are a little quieter and we felt we could operate from here a little better. that's where you find us now. >> matt, i know you can't really stand by. i'm going to ask the others to stand by. you've got to get yourself to a secure location.

john kirby at the pentagon is speaking now. we'll listen in for developments. >> just like it will, too, other nations. and as they do that, we will certainly be able to acknowledge and announce those u.s. capabilities and units who will be going specifically as designated to support the nato mission and the nato response force. now as we've also announced previously, the department has placed a range of multi-mission units in the united states and europe on a heightened preparedness to deploy which increase ourselves readiness to provide for the u.s. contributions to the nrf on a shorter tether than what we could do before. with today's activation notice by general walters, we stand ready, if called upon by nato to support the nrf in defense of the alliance and will absolutely do that. and with that, we'll take questions. >> thank you. two things on that point. president biden just announced

that he has ordered additional forces to europe. is that part of what you just described, and second question is, so nato has activated a portion of the rapid -- or the response force. and you can't say how many troops the u.s. will contribute to that because they haven't asked for any troops? >> so the -- in the president's statement, i think he was referring to his announcement yesterday. this was a read out of his call with president zelenskyy and he was reiterating that -- in that conversation, he was pointing back to the announcement he made yesterday. so i have no new announcements of force deployments to speak to you today. think about this activation a bit like you would an rff, request for forces. it's been activated so we'll be in direct consultations with nato and general walters and his

hat to work through what the requirements are going to be for the nato response force and the very ready joint task force. and as i've said many times before, the secretary is very, very committed to making sure that whatever those requirements are, that the united states is ready to lean forward as much as possible. yesterday's announcement, the 7,000 as we talked about, as i also said yesterday, portions of them are -- we can expect will be earmarked for the nato response force. again, after we've consulted with general walters and nato and we understand what they need. but one of the reasons why president biden pushed them forward was so that they could be ready for just such a need. and we wanted to get the clock going to get them prepositioned, if you will. so there's still some homework

to be done. still some math that needs to be worked out, but the secretary wanted to make sure and the president, obviously, wants to make sure that we're leaning as far forward as we can. >> likely would be a brigade among -- >> it could be. again, we're going to work closely with nato and make sure that we fully understand what the requirements are from the united states' perspective and then we'll move forward. but the -- a good chunk of the 7,000 we talked about yesterday, we believe, will be earmarked for nato contributions. again, if it's the -- if it's deemed that they are needed, they are wanted and they're ready. if they aren't, well, then they'll be used -- they can be used unilaterally to support and reassure our allies. for the president and for the secretary, this was very much about trying to lean forward. so i don't have any specifics to say today. specific units or timelines or schedules. but i want to point back to what we said all along that the

united states -- we take this commitment very, very seriously and we're going to lean in as much as we can. >> we want to take you to the white house briefing because press secretary jen psaki has just confirmed significant news. she says the united states will join the european commission and european allies in directly sanctioning russian president vladimir putin. we're going to listen in. >> -- in alignment with our european partners. this is certainly evidence of that. >> on that one, what does sanctioning putin himself do in this meeting, in this administration? a lot of analysts have said this is more of a symbolic vote than anything. >> well, without getting into any specific details, i know you're not exactly asking me this but sort of about financial assets, et cetera, i'll leave that to others to speak to. certainly the united -- the step that we are doing in alignment and in coordination with the europeans just sends a clear message about the strength of the opposition to the actions by president putin and the

direction in his leadership of the russian military. >> just wanted to ask, continuing the questions on sanctions. today we saw that the italian government and the german government said very clearly they'd not veto a move to remove russia from the s.w.i.f.t. transaction system. can you say a word about how quickly you think something like that could happen and whether you believe that that would be another productive tool and perhaps another symbolic or rather important measure? >> sure. well, again, the president's principle is taking steps in alignment. we're stronger together, especially as we stand in the face of the russian military's actions and their invasion of ukraine. as it relates to s.w.i.f.t., we've never taken that off the table, of course. i'm certainly not taking it off the table today. so certainly there will be ongoing discussions about that. as you know, s.w.i.f.t. is a

messaging service that connects 11,000 banks. and many would argue that there are ways that russia -- the russian leadership could get around that over the course of time but it certainly remains an option on the table in terms of the timeline, i don't have anything to predict for that. >> we were also reported today that china increases its reserves as opposed to releasing reserves which could help with the energy price increases but we're seeing -- can you -- what do you think of that move and then also has there been any further communication? does president biden intend to talk to president xi or can you say a word about what you're doing in terms of trying to convince the chinese to be supportive? >> well, i would note that also today the iaea had an informal meeting where they discussed options they could take over the coming days and weeks to help

address any volatility in the global markets. and you know, the heightening of price volatility. certainly that meeting today was a chance to consult and continue coordination with partners on global energy supply and security. there's also continuing conversations that we have had from here with partners over the past day. secretary grant holme spoke with french, german, eu and uk counterparts yesterday and will continue those conversations. as it relates to china, you know, i would say that the president's view, of course, is that now is the time for leaders of the world to not just speak out clearly against president putin's flagrant aggression and stand with the people of ukraine, but this is not a moment for equivocation or hiding or waiting to see what happens next. it is already clear what's happening. and as a part of that, it's also important to be a part of the effort to mitigate and minimize the impact on global markets and global oil markets and so i

don't have any additional conversations to read out for you, but i would say certainly we all want to be a part of the solution here and stand up in the face of aggression to help address the problems. >> are you saying that china is equivocating? >> all i'm saying is that every country should think about what side of history they want to be on here and they have the ability to do that. go ahead. >> when did president biden make the final decision to sanction president putin? >> it was made -- it's been on the table for some time but through coordination and discussion with our european partners over the last day or so. >> so he decided in the last 24 hours that he was going to do that? >> it's been on the table for some time. his priority and his focus has been on taking steps in coordination. and obviously that decision was made over the course of the last 24 hours. and in partnership with our european counterparts. >> does it include a travel ban by chance? >> i believe that would be a part of the u.s. component, yes. >> so president putin would be banned from traveling here?

>> there's more details that will be out later today. there are very limited examples of this being done, as you all know. but that is a standard part. but again, there will be more details we'll have available later today. >> another question on travel. the uk banned civilian russian aircraft from its air space saying no aircraft owned, operated or chartered by a person connected with russia shall fly in their air space. is the united states planning to do the same? >> i'm not aware of that being in the plans, but i don't have anything to preview for you. >> and another question, we've seen these predictions from the defense department, from state department about kyiv falling to russia. they've been clear they believe that is in putin's sights and he wants to remove the government there. if that happens, what does the u.s. do do? what is the response and the role the united states takes after something like that happens? >> well, i would just reiterate as we've been warning for months that kyiv falling is a real possibility and we've continued to see russia's progression.

even as we've seen resistance on the ground. russia's military continues to advance toward kyiv. so there is that real possibility. i am just not going to get into, at this point, hypotheticals of what that will look like or what our response will be. go ahead. >> okay. a follow up on sanctions again. >> sure. >> based on what you've said so far. so was this decision to coordinate with allies meant to show unity, meant to show that putin is a pariah, or do you think it will actually have an impact on putin in practice? given the uncertainty about the extent and location of his wealth. >> sure. i understand what you're asking. i'm just not going to get into specifics about his financial assets from here. i think what is important and what we are hoping the world takes away from this is the unity through which the united states, president biden is working with our european partners and allies. >> without getting into details, can you even say if this will or

will not impact him other than showing that he's an outlier. >> i'm not going to get into his personal financial assets. that's typically not something we'd do from here, but the steps that were taken yesterday and a sanctioning the ten largest financial institutions in russia accounting for a huge percentage of banking capacity, of their financial system capacity and the anticipation of that has had an enormous impact on russia whether it is the currency, the ruble that's fallen, the markets skyrocketing inflation in russia and also have taken steps to sanction oligarchs around president putin, people that benefited from corruption in the system and family members to keep them from having the cast to move around assets. >> on the supreme court today,

it was exactly two years ago today that the president made a pledge to nominate a black woman to the supreme court. did he factor the timing into the decision to announce it today? >> no. >> okay. and then can you share any details about process? >> sure. >> now that it is over. >> finally. we are free. >> how long the interview or interviews were, what they talked about and led the president to choose judge jackson over the other candidates. >> sure. i will share the details that we're comfortable sharing and judge jackson will have -- be filling out a range of questionnaires and considered by the full senate and asked questions there. the president interviewed three candidates on monday, february 14th in person. made the final decision and called judge jackson last night. last evening. i would note after the press briefing last evening.

called leader schumer and whip clyburn this morning and the vice president is engaged in the process but she called former president obama and former president clinton and also been calling a rang of members of congress as the announcement process. >> personally -- >> you have been listening to general psaki laying out details on the supreme court selection process but in a big headline this afternoon announcing new sanctions in partnership with the allies against russian president vladimir putin sanctioning him personal with foreign minister sergei lavrov. joining us is andrea mitchell

and ben hogan. andrea, this is one of the tools in the arsenal that president biden until this point reluctant to deploy. talk us through the significance. >> it is significant. he is now following the european union which did the same earlier in the day. i am mystified. they want to increase the sanctions but they didn't frankly let people know, brief the press. you know so well before they did the sanctions yesterday explaining why they did not do the s.w.i.f.t. sanctions which had been kind of hyped up in the media and other places as most important thing to do and the europeans, germans wouldn't let them. the president in the q&a our own peter alexander questioning him and others about why they didn't go that far and now following the european union.

doesn't seem they have a consistent rollout let's say of the sanctions. that said almost every expert agrees and the president himself said yesterday sanctions alone won't deter vladimir putin. didn't stop him despite what officials told us in advance. will not stop him. he is according to the intelligence from very top officials talking to us just hellbent on doing this, on taking ukraine and toppling the government. so no amount of sanctioning of vladimir putin most of whose personal assets hidden through straw holders and swiss bank accounts and whatever are not stopped by this and this sanctioning would impede the travel although i think they have certain ways to get around those. >> i was talking to somebody who you know well. ambassador mike mcfaul with experience in this realm and region.

i think he said 18 hours ago is saying and public about it on nbc news now. i think we are talking too much about sanctions. he felt like it was a symbolic gesture and wouldn't have much bite. >> exactly. >> general hodges, let me putt that to you. how do you view this move? >> of course it is overdue and i think everybody's happy to see president putin himself being targeted like this. i agree with everything andrea said and mike mcfaul. it is a signal but didn't add a stinger or javelin or a shred of intelligence to the ukrainian armed forces which is what they need now and disappointed that the administration has not talked about ramping up, putting more capability into the hands of ukraines especially ash

defense they need. >> thank you so much. andrea, as well. i have to bring in somebody who's been looking to get into the conversation. congressman john garamendi. good afternoon. thank you for being back on the show. >> happy to be with you. >> your reaction to what we heard from the white house here? the sanctions against putin and lavrov? >> absolutely. very, very positive. will it have an impact? perhaps not directly on the individuals. but when taken with the other sanctions and with what we now see in russia itself, that the people on the street. it will have impact in that way. maybe we can tie up the assets. maybe lavrov and putin will -- probably shrug the shoulders and do the dirty deeds they're doing right now but part of the

overall effort. we didn't do this alone. we are doing this with partners and allies and therein lies one of the most important pieces. russia is isolating itself. only has one or two people out there -- countries out there paying attention. china, maybe india. i suspect india won't be quiet much longer. >> you have an unclassified briefing from the administration as the crisis in ukraine escalated and another one next week. what do you feel like the most critical things to learn from that and the big questions that still remain for you on where this goes next and the responsibility on congress to do something here? >> responsibility on congress comes first in my mind. i don't understand why we have not passed the sanction bill of our own. some of it may not -- some of what has been done has been done without the authority of congress. others need to be done but we

has an integral part of the government need to speak loudly in unison in support of the sanctions and passing a sanction bill would do that. with regard to the other issues nato is rallying. over the previous four years trump did everything they could to destroy nato. nato is back. rapid force is now being assembled. united states is pushing men and women and armaments into the eastern areas. others are doing the same. putting up an important message to putin. don't mess with nato. the european union's backing that up. there's an enormous pressure building on putin and his cronies and the russian government and i suspect we'll see more and more russians in the street raising the question

that they raised just minutes after the first bomb dropped. what is going on here? why are we doing this? only in putin's mind is this being done. to the detriment of the world and certainly detriment to those in ukraine. >> in the 30 seconds i have left you mentioned the people in ukraine and seeing the heart breaking images of kids in bunkers dads saying good-bye to families here. what do you want to see on the part of humanitarian astans and something that the administration discussed in the congressional briefing. what do you want to see on that front? >> russia allowing the humanitarian assistance to get to the people that need it. russia controls the access. almost all access. and it's very difficult without russia to get assistance in. the next thing is continuation of military, support for the military. these are the weapons, ammunition to replace and to

back fill what's been used. that's going to be much more difficult. don't expect russia to do that and find ways to achieve that goal and not easy. the message for ukraine is we'll do everything that we possibly can as a country. united states as an ally nato and other nations around the world. >> thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. >> i'll see you on nbc news now. "deadline: white house" picks up the coverage now. ♪♪ hi there, everyone. 4:00 in new york with breaking news here at home and abroad. history being made in washington, d.c. today. president biden announcing judge jackson as the pick to replace justice breyer setting in motion a process that