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tv   Andrea Mitchell Reports  MSNBC  March 16, 2022 9:00am-10:00am PDT

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half hour from now. that will be up on "andrea mitchell reports" starts next. ♪ good day, everyone. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington where president biden's announcement of military assistance to ukraine has been upstaged by ukraine's president zelenskyy's plea to congress for a no-fly zone, reminding americans of the horrors of our own past. >> remember pearl harbor. terrible morning of december 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you. remember september the 11th, a terrible day in 2001, when evil tried to turn your cities, independent territories into battle fields, when innocent
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people were attacked from air, our country experienced the same every day. we are asking for air flight, for an answer to this terror from the whole world. is this a lot to ask for, to create a no-fly zone to save people? >> zelenskyy did present lawmakers and the white house to provide ukraine with surface-to-air missile systems and fighter jets to combat the russian aggression. >> aircraft that can help ukraine help europe. and you know, that exist and you have them but they are on earth, not the ukrainian sky. >> president zelenskyy also playing this heartbreaking video. the terror his people are
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experiencing every day and speaking english in his closing message to the u.s. >> as the leader of my nation, i'm addressing the president biden you are the leader of the nation. i wish you to be the leader of the world. being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. >> and joining me now is nbc senior capitol hill correspondent in haig and peter alexander. what do we expect the president to respond after the powerful speech and appeal again for a no-fly zone. >> reporter: it was searing, pointed and certainly powerful. weect pect to hear from the president. was supposed to happen at 11:45 eastern, now closer to twivl:30.
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and we expect the president is going to lay out $800 million in additional security assistance to be delivered to ukraine. that would make a total of $1 billion over the course of the last week. $2 billion in total since the president has taken office. that most recent price tag coming as part of the government spending plan the president signed into law yesterday. part of close to $14 billion in total aid. so, this is the latest in a continued round of sufort from the united states to ukraine. but the real question is what specifically will president biden lay out? we're told he's going to focus on what the u.s. has done so far and has been effective so far. the antiarmor, antitank missiles referred to as javelins and what are described as stingers of which the u.s. has provided about 600 so far. will they provide the longer-range air defense systems? mobile units, many russian made,
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like one name to keep an eye out for is the s 300 you heard president zelenskyy specifically call for. they can shoot down some of the incoming cruise missiles russia has been targeting ukraine with so far. zelenskyy saying a thousand missiles so far hitting his country. we'll keep an eye on that from the president as he details what they've done so far and what more they'll continue to do going forward. >> and that's partly because the russian advance was so delayed, that they were using off shore cruise missile firing from their war ships when they hit lviv, the military base rather near lviv. >> reporter: that's right. one thing i was listening for is he would ask for aerntd ship missiles. we know there have been conversations and pressure that the u.s. might provide those going forward. this does put the president on the spot. you heard from zelenskyy,
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speaking about the united states in language that we here understand, noting the martin luther king, i have a dream speech, saying personally he has a need and that need is for the u.s. to do more, andrea. >> and garret, as peter was saying. zelenskyy's speech was so emotional and gripping and so brilliantly delivered that has to have an even greater impact. i can bow 300 lawmakers and staff had already a heard him a weekend ago but this appeal was important and it's going to put up a real test between congressional leaders asking for more and the no-fly zone for some and the pentagon decision that it's not needed and these other antitank and antiaircraft weapons are more effective. >> reporter: surveying lawmakers after the speech, between the
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two options zelenskyy offered, no-fly zone or giving over all the other weapons sgh creasing sanctions, lawmakers are prepared to take the latter. i think there was a soechbs shock and moral out rage among the lawmakers i talked to, particularly at the video zelenskyy showed during his speech. many of those images are things we've become familiar with. seeing in that context laid out in stark terms the stakes for lawmakers who came out saying they are ready to give zelenskyy almost everything else he's asking for, other than a no-fly zone. here's what mitt romney told me when he walked out of the speech today. >> extraordinarily emotional and one feels a connection to the people of ukraine and an obligation to do what is necessary to preserve life and protect democracy. he was highly specific about the things we can do to help, not just aircraft but s 300 and
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other intercepting type systems that will allow them to have a more safe sky. that's something we've got to do. >> reporter: and befitting his background as an entertainer, zelenskyy clearly knew his audience, both by closing in english, something very powerful to the lawmakers and talk about sanctioning members of the russian dumau. the russian legislative branch. several lawmakers said that was a idea they were interested in, to increase pressure on the putin regime more broadly. essentially every other means other than american combat power. >> and nbc's jacob is joining us from lviv. one of the things i heard from senator klobuchar last night was lawmakers have to be quieter about what we are delivering because it's really important the russians can't take out some of the convoys with the aid that
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is be dg livered around where you are and i guess it's because of what happened in western ukraine, where, for the first time, there were strikes last weekend. >> reporter: it remains a concern of the the people that i talk to here. behind me, you can see there are people red cross essentially pop-up humanitarian camp in lviv. they're coming from all over the country. i've talked to people from kharkiv, kyiv, almost every direction and what i heard in a tent where the woman with the three daughters slept just last night before getting on one of the buses over here to head to poland wr, not that she was talking about her family. of course she's sad to be without her family and leaving without her parents. she said the same words as president zelenskyy. to close the skies. to be able to create literal air cover, for people to move and for this country to find some
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semblance of peace, offer pause and for the people to literally not have to run for their life. looking behind me, people who showed up without the clothes on their backs, they're literally looking for clothes, for shelter and after that, they try to find a train? and the skies are still open. >> and they have no idea where they're going to end up. thank you so much. chief foreign correspondent. richard engel is now joining us from kyiv. richard, you've experienced it first-hand, the uncertainty of knowing when the next strike is going to hit, what is happening there. as well i wanted to ask about the report from ukrainian officials that i don't think we've confirmed yet that in mariupol the russians were
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holding as many as 400 people hostage in a hospital. >> reporter: i'll start with the second. that's come from zelenskyy's office and a deputy mayor. all of them claiming that russian forces have taken over a hospital. primary care hospital in mariupol. and that they are not allowing people in the hospital to leave, that the russian forces have been firing from within the hospital out into the streets and that they have also heard it in other people from the neighborhood. so, a total of 4 to 500 from the hospital and the accusations are that the russians are using them as human shields. difficult to confirm independently because mariupol is so cut off. here there is a great deal of concern of speculation, of curiosity as people are trying to figure out what comes next. the russians have been on the doorsteps of the city for days
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now. they don't seem to be making any significant advances. ukrainian troops have launched overnight a counteroffensive. unclear if that's going to do much. the russians are continuing to lob the odd missile into the center of kyiv. but here many are watching these peace talks and they're trying to figure out if it there is reason for optimism. both the russians and members of the ukrainian negotiating team are starting to suggest that there is movement. on the russian side, they're saying that there's movement because the ukrainian delegation has agreed in principal to talk about neutrality; that is giving up on the dream of this country to join nato and finding some sort of international security guarantees but -- and then on the ukrainian side, they say that the russian delegation is being more, quote/unquote
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reasonable compared to the earlier demands, which were about complete cupitchlation. regards all of what they're signaling, it all depends on one, which is vladimir putin. and we're all focussed on the speech zelenskyy gave in congress. about the same time he was speaking, putin gave an address on russian television. it was angry. suggested no compromise. he talked about the need for this war, how -- repeating the alligations that ukraine is developing weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons. repeated the claim that the united states is helping ukraine develop bio labs, which both ukraine and u.s. officials have dismissed out of hand. he also said that russians are now seeing, within their own society, who are the patriots and who are the traitors and saying that this fifth column should leave russia and that
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russians should spit them out like a fly that is accidentally flown into the mouth and many in russia are signaling he's concerned wider crackdowns could be coming. while you have zelenskyy giving this inspiring speech, you have a very angry vladimir putin laying out the same claims that he has since the beginning of this invasion. >> and that's so important to emphasize and reemphasize that this is all dependent on putin. it's not going to end without putin making a dramatically different decision than he's apparently making. >> reporter: it is all about him. and if he stops at this stage and the rumors about the ceasefires are true, that they're making progress, putin will have a lot to answer for at home. there's frustration growing within his own military. he's now clearly turning on russians who don't oppose them.
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thousands have been arrested. we've seen protesters taken away simply for holding up blank signs or for signs that have generic things written on them like two words, instead of writing no war, one protester wrote two words on a placard and was quickly taken away. if he stops now and declares victory, which he would do anyway, there could be serious ramifications at home. but based on what putin was just saying and the tone, it does not -- it doesn't seem to indicate he's in a mood for compromise. >> thank you so much, richard. richard engel and of course richard soeb rauf and joining us how the, pennsylvania democratic congresswoman, a member of the armed services committee and an air force veteran.
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>> thank you again for having me. it was gutting. i think to a person, people were devastated by the very eloquent plea that president zelenskyy delivered to the congress. obviously both congressman and senators as well to do more in defense and protection of ukraine and defense and protection of freedom and democracy everywhere. >> you've been pushing your colleagues for several weeks to do more on both sides of the aisle. was his fallback position to the no-fly zone something that you think you can generate support from the administration for, which is fighter jets and other antiaircraft and obviously antitank weapons. ? >> so, certainly that has been his request and his position in the alternative of not having a -- of having a no-fly zone. something i've been advocating for and as you mentioned, bipartisanly, there's a group of us that we support and address his requests for air power that
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is not obviously provided by us in the cockpit but rather is provided in terms of the equipment. drones, s 300s, all of the things he's been asking for with the exception of us being involved in the no-fly zone and us having boots on the ground. i'm hopeful president biden in his speech today will favorably look on and address those requests and requirements of president zelenskyy. >> do you understand the president warn aing to the democratic caucus the other day in philadelphia that going ahead with the no-fly zone would be world war iii? that's the way he put it, speaking directly am to the microphone for great emphasis. is that warning valid? >> so, i do understand why that is a very big and real concern and as i mentioned, i have not called for that as well. in addition to the president worrying about that. but i think there are things we can still do in addition to aircraft, in addition to drones
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and a variety of other sorts of weapons we can provide, president zelenskyy asked for increased sanctions to be levied across the equivalent of our congress in russia as well. so, there's still much we can be doing and i'll continue to do my job, my constitutional job, which is oversight, asking questions, making sure we're doing everything possible. as i mentioned, in defense, not only of ukraine but there democracies we eall hold so dear. i would like the mention briefly that my father is actually born in lviv. i take this very personally but i think we should each individually take this personally because it's about the freedoms that we value and hold so dearly. >> you and many of your constituents, who have your generations go back into that region and i know it's very important to all americans, but particularly those of us who have roots there, understandably. thank you have very much, congresswoman.
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>> thank you. and under fire. people of ukraine cities running for cover. as attacks intensify. more on the flee. >> more help. as the kremlin's assault rolls on. this is msnbc. this is msnbc. y business is on a journey. and along the ride, you'll find many challenges. ♪ your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers.
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the quake triggering a tsunami advisory. so far no immediate reports of casualties or damage. the same area was devastated by the deadly 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011. which also caused a nuclear disaster at the fukushima power plant. a total meltdown when they lost power. officials say they see no abnormalities at the power plant near the quake location. we'll keep a close watch and bring you the latest as any new information comes in. ukraine's president zelenskyy pleading with congress to close the skies. russia has fired nearly 1,000 missiles at ukraine. and invoking martin luther king jr. during addressing congress, the dire nature of his request. >> i have a dream. these words are known to each of you today i can say i have a need. i need to protect our sky. i need your decision, your help.
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which means exactly the same, the same you feel when you hear the words i have a dream. >> joining us now, retired army lieutenant alexander vindman, former director of european affairs and retired four-star general, mccaffrey. pleading again for a no-fly zone during an address to congress. should that changing the president's mind about creating a no-fly zone or do you agree there are alternatives? perhaps fighter jets that could work perhaps more effectively? >> there's no question it's a moving and brilliant presentation by president zelenskyy. he's desperate. his army has fought magnificently. they've essentially ground the russian ground combat campaign largely to a halt in the process
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of which, of course, a lot of the cities of ukraine have been massively damaged. the russians have not yet opened up their full campaign. kyiv is being hit but not by thousands of rounds a day of millimeter and rockets. this is going to get worse before better. i think zelenskyy should be at 100% support out of the administration and is. there are things we can do to further intensify the pressure on the russians. this switch blade 600 is a magic cystism. we've been reluctant to threat russians see what it can do. the may well be an ability to transfer s 300 antiair systems, which can hit cruise and ballistic missiles from the three nato countries that have them. so, more needs be done but many
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voices will call for war and i think president biden wisely is trying to keep europe and the united states out of direct combat with the russian armed forces in ukraine. >> and we were just showing, while you were talking about the switch blade system. that is basically a drone that can be used to take out tank or other equipment. a drone that is remarkable in its ability to change direction. >> if we wanted to put -- improve patriot into ukraine, it would probably be 90 days to a year before we'd have a training and maintenance pack aage and operational ability. even s 300, i think going to be very difficult to transfer to ukraine, without the people to operate it.
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but some of the new smart munitions, both javlen, singer and switch blade 600 in particular, which i have not seen a video of, they require very little training. they're man portable. rapidly able to set them up. and they're devastating in their impact on their impact. it turns out to be a surprisingly incompetent approach to take down ukraine. >> i want to -- stay with me for just a second, general mccaffrey and colonel vindman because we just got part of -- nbc nightly news anchor, lester holt,'s interview with zelenskyy. >> president biden has been very clear. he's worried about provocations that could trigger world war iii. do you understand his concern there and do you agree that it
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wouldn't take much to end up in world war iii? >> well, nobody knows whether it may have already started and what is the possibility of this war if ukraine will fall? in case ukraine will fall, it's very hard to say. and we've seen this 80 years ago ewhen the second world war have started and there were similar tragedies in history. nobody would be able to predict when the full-scale war would start and how it will end and whoancer to putin after we have the full civilization at stake. >> so, colonel vindman, your reaction. he still wants his no-fly zone but he may not get it. is that the right decision by
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the president? >> i think that, frankly, we've done too little. at the risk of us being drawn into a world war is that we've done too little to avert a protracted conflict in which putin caters to his standard method of operation, which is incrementalism, doubling down. we're not anywhere near doing too much to provoke an outcome. i think even providing jets, which seems to be beyond the pale of this administration this far, is not something going to precipitate world war roam wroem 3. we've provided military capability to the ukrainian government and the bar for putin to choose to go to war against nato right now is very, very high. he's already bogged down in ukraine. why would he choose a losing conflict against nato? ib think we can do a lot more switch blades as a good way to go. unmanned combat aerial vehicles
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the ukrainians can deploy immediately or within weeks. immediately in the form of volunteers dhat operate the systems. ukrainians have collected 20,000 personally as volunteers. some are unmanned aerial vehicle pilots. that's a place to go to and some of the systems do not require much training lat. they don't need trained pilots. they need an operator on a laptop. we should rirm ukraine has frankly saved the western order. this order that's allowed the u.s. to thrive, they saved it because of their courageous defense of their country and we should give them what they need to sustain this order. we can have had easily ended up in a world where most military analysts said ukraine was going to fall in days and russia would send signal to china they can be aggressive with taiwan. we don't live in that world because of the courageous behavior of ukrainian people and president zelenskyy and we
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should give them the equipment they need to fight. we can't meter insistms based on how much cities are getting devastated. we need to give them the full suite of capabilities. these s 300 systems, they could implement immediately. it's not that hard to get them there. they can be move bide air and ground convoy across the border. and those could be deployed immediately because that's in the capability of the ukrainian armed forces. they operate different variations of s 300s. they have been operating drones. the mig 29s. their parpart of the ukrainian fleet. we should get them everything they need. that's why i wrote about this plan to deepo everything ukraine needs so we don't project our selves to a protracted war. and we know what happens with protracted wars in europe, the u.s. gets dragged in one way or another. we'll get dragged in to a
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scenario where putin lashes out and through accident or miscalculation, strikes out at nato. let's get the ukrainians the equipment they need. we're not doing anywhere near enough. >> and to pick up on that, how would you get the fighter jets to ukraine and some of the other super secret, like the switch blade, high-tech weapons without the risk of them being attacked or captured by the russians? >> european command have put together an ad hawk group of 14 other nations. been astonishinglyfective. they're doing cross border by train and convoy. commercially edelivered. there may by other programs being run by european and u.s. intelligence agencies that -- and the you yanians have been so well organized inside the country. they're able to get them distributed to their fighting forces.
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i think switch blade is a potential game changer for ground combat against russian armored north of kyiv. but again, all this takes time. it takes creativity. i don't think we're on the verge of world war iii at all. putin doesn't have the grund combat power to seize the baltic states. but we would be involved in a shooting war with russia if we go in by air, even if it's nonnato. brits, french, u.s. it's a viable military option. president biden has a very cautious role to play here to not widen the war in europe. >> well, it's a good dish cushion. thank you both so much. alexander vindman and general
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mccaffrey. you can see more of lester holter holt's interview tonight. and president biden expected to announce $800 million in military aid to ukraine. joining me is a member of ukraine's parliament and youv been visiting some of the embattled cities in your country. tell us what strikes you as the most urgeabout right now, the biggest crisis. >> the reality that is dev station, street by street and it's towns not expecting anything of the sort unseen since the second world war. the reality is ja crane is the
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testing ground for humanity. >> we've heard reports from the president's office today that there was -- that the russians have taken control of a hospital in mariupol and that the patients there and -- i sume, medical staff are hostage, 400 people. can you give us any detail or conformation? >> mariupol is hell on earth. more than 20,000 casualties at the moment. that is happening because russians want to take the city at all costs. if you want clearer sign of all manner of war crimes, you need go no further. mariupol is testing ground frafor all the russian might. and it still holds on. they're to stand there until the very last and the point is
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they're showing the example of all ukrainians around ukraine. we have to stand up until the end. >> i wanted to ask row about the civilians who, as you point out, are in the line of fooir, the deaths in mariupol and the deaths of the journalists as well. you tweeted about -- correct me, please, who is serving as a consultant, working with fox news as a producer when she was killed at the age of 24. tell me about her. >> she was the dearest person with whom, for a decade, we've went through everything together. and she deserved so much more in her life. she had so much ambition, promise and the desire to tell the story of what was happening in ukraine to the world. she was helping american news channel to tell the story and died in the process. it was hit by a mortar fire,
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direct hit and death of everyone. the correspondents live at the scene filming outside the car. the reality is her death is indicative of what we all feel in ukraine. everybody has somebody who has died, suffered in some way and i wonder how many more alec sandra's should happen before the west does what need to be done to stop this madness. we're living through a moment that should not happen again, happening again. >> well, we feel so much for what your country is going through and of course, in that horrible attack also, the wonderful cameraman and our own state department colleague who survived the attack and the
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bravery and terrible losses by all ukrainians and your friend, sasha. just unbearable. thank you very much for being with us today. >> thank you. >> and the emotional appeal by the president of ukraine to members of congress, touching hearts but will it change minds? or prompt more action by congress and the president. our president. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. a mitchell reports" on msnbc. because of my late husband jay. i wish he could have seen our daughter ellie get married, on the best day of her life. but colon cancer took him from us, like it's taken so many others. that's why i've made it my mission to talk about getting screened and ask people to share their reasons why. i screen for my growing family. being with them means everything to me. i screen for my girls. they're always surprising me. i screen for my son. i'm his biggest fan. if you're 45 or older and at average risk, it's time to screen. today, there are more screening options than ever before, including cologuard.
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precedence and in addition to what we've heard from sources on the hill. look at what happened in the private online call. he said he needed more aid. bigger sanctions and for russia to hurt more and more direct military support and he basically got two out of three. president biden moved within days to ban russian oil and natural gas imports. you saw even stricter sanctions rolled out against russia and you saw congress move in a bipartisan way to move through billions of dollars in aid to ukraine, which you saw move through in the omnibus spending bill you saw yesterday. since february 24th, a realignment in domestic politics because the world basically changed. people saw more on the european continent.
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there was a refocusing of the lens and the interparty battles between democrats and republicans really faded into the background. so, there is general consensus on the big things he, more aid to ukraine, more defensive systems for sure. where you start to see some of the contours, in particular are in the details of this. when it comes to issues like fighter jets, how to provide those and they seem to be mainly logistical issues. and you're starting to see some of the conversations because you saw president zelenskyy reiterate that request today. so far everyone seems to be aligned on both sides of the aisle, with the president, with members of nato. a no-fly zone seems out of the question. you've heard that from some of the president's strongest critics is he agrees that could start world war iii. senator mcconnell indicates he doesn't think members of congress will support that.
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right now this is where most members of congress and the american people are as well. >> and there's a strong push among the more hawkish members to do more. but donald trump was also, of course, an isolationist and has had a hard time not saying good things about vladimir putin. so, the republicans have their own problem on their far right. >> that's ror right. but what we've seen over the last few weeks is a consensus forming within the republican members of congress, especially some of the key senators to be more supportive of ukraine than president trump is. you could argue that trump, even though he's the leader of the republican party today, is isolated on the issue of ukraine and the war and russia's attack. a lot of fellow republicans would like to see a more hawkish approach, more forceful support of ukraine and condemnation of
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what putin is doing and the russian military and their attacks on ukraine than the one trump had issued. >> and i want to quickly ask both of you about midterms because we have seen the declining poll ratings stabilize and edge up with the way he's responded on ukraine but he still has inflation and the fed is going to raise rates today and he's got other problems as well. do you think this at least is helping the democrats, helping the white house as they head into the midterms? >> you know, it certainly is giving biden an opportunity to be the strong leader that he campaigned as. and that he hopes to appear to be in the first year of his presidency. and importantly, the issue of inflation, which has been so troubling for democrats politically the last few months. this war gives biden an opportunity to get blame for rising gas prices and consumer
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prices, to pin that blame on putin and russia. he has a bit of a scapegoat that can be helpful in the campaign season as the midterms approach. >> and your take on that? >> i think he's spot on. i think war has a way of refocusing everyone's attention and priorities. right now about half americans -- about half of all americans approve of how biden has handled the war in ukraine so far. and this is coming off a disastrous approach to the afghanistan and the russian invasion of ukraine has changed everything. americans are seeing the president in a new light. whether or not that does lead to more support in the midterms, we don't know. i think we have to wait and see. there's a long time before then. but for now, most americans seem to be backing what the president is doing.
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>> thanks so much and now we're going to take a quick look at some of the other big stories making headlines today. the federal reserve is set to raise interest rates for the first time since 2018. an expected quarter point boost, the start of several rate hikes to come to try to curb the highest inflation in decades. and pfizer seeking approval for a second booster for individuals 65 and upor those siting waning immunity after several months. and overnight, iran has released two british hostages, including rad cliff, an aid worker who had been detained nearly six years. her release is raising hopes for the revival of the nuclear agreement and a separate agreement to hopefully release four american prisoners. rush to safety. red cross workers helping 10s of thousands escape the blockaded
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port of mariupol, as russian troops seize the largest hospital. ps seize the largest hospital fast walker. thanks, gary. and for unexpected heartburn... frank is a fan of pepcid. it works in minutes. nexium 24 hour and prilosec otc can take one to four days to fully work. pepcid. strong relief for fans of fast. everyone remembers the moment they heard, “you have cancer.” how their world stopped... ...and when they found a way to face it. for some,... ...this is where their keytruda story begins. keytruda—a breakthrough immunotherapy that may treat certain cancers. one of those cancers is advanced melanoma, which is a kind of skin cancer where keytruda may be used when your melanoma has spread or cannot be removed by surgery. keytruda helps your immune system fight cancer... ...but can also cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body. this can happen during or after treatment and may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea,
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medical aid, food aid from the international committee of the red cross reached ukraine tuesday. however, the group says it's a drop in the ocean compared to the humanitarian needs in the country, especially in besieged areas look mariupol, where water, food, electricity, medical supplies are extremely scarce. joining us is jason, a spokes spent po the international red cross. let's talk about the barriers between the aid and the people. >> the very good news we saw yesterday where up to 20,000 people were able to escape the city. the teams that had been barricaded along with residents, also were able to leave the city to move out of harm's way, and move all these civilians boo a
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location with greater access to food, greater access to we're. such an excellent piece of news among a sea of bad news. it's the kind of work we hope to continue to do. now, of course, the next. >> i was going to be ask you about the president, peter maher, the president of the international red cross, he arrived in the capital. he's in location now. what he's saying in his meetings with officials is we want to be sure that there's space for this humanitarian access, and we want to say the protection of civilians is extremely important, so that's the message he's carrying in his meetings today and tomorrow. really showing the support of the entire red cross system for
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civilians who are suffering from this conflict. >> how is your own team in mariupol doing? >> so the video in the viewers in the background shows our teams from mariupol leading the convoy out of the city yesterday. that's good news for our team and really good news for all these residents who were able to leave. as you mentioned, they were to one meal a day, collecting water from streams of course, we know there are tens of thousandssh and laser focus on them and their needs. we know they're going through extreme hardship, fighting for their lives in the sense they may not have access to clean water. they may not have enough food to
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eat. so there's a lot of work to be done in the coming days for increased action, to get even more people out. >> what more would you like to see from the biden administration and from congress? >> so the one thing i can see about the united states is that is the top funder of the internal national red cross. there's a huge amount of support for this humanitarian work from the american people. anything that any world power can do, with any influence on either side, to increase the amount of space that humanitarians have to work, to remind all the parties to this conflict that they signed on to the geneva conventions, which protect civilians in conflict. that's -- we need to see more adherence to these rules.
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we all see these images. we know that civilians are suffering greatly. if the powers in this situation adhered more to the laws they have signed on to, we could reduce the civilian suffering even amidst the conflict. >> jason, thank you so very much. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." follow us online, and please tune in for more of lester holt's interview with ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy, tonight on "nightly news" on your nbc station. more of this, as we will be carrying the president's somewhat delayed speech right here on msnbc. president's somewhat delayed speech right here on msnbc. clear. save money. live better. offer everyday low prices, fresh groceries delivered to your door and prescriptions as low as $4.
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