there's a lot of concern in this community about how police handle minor situations and the community feels they're too quick to pull out their weapon and all of this is in the context of this very somber day for patrick lyoya's family. >> thank you for the privilege of your time. see you on "nbc nightly news" saturday. "andrea mitchell reports" starts right now. ♪ good day, everyone. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington. as a russian commander now says are russia is seeking control of southern ukraine, beyond its previously stated aim of conquering the east. that would cut off a zelenskyy government from black sea ports, giving russia the land bridge it's long sought. >> they're doing what we call shaping operations. continuing to move in, enabling

capabilities to allow them to conduct larger operations in the donbas. there's a lot of challenges they have to overcome and this is not a military known for being adaptive, known for having leaders encouraged to take initiative and change the way they're doing things in the moment. so, this is still going to be, we believe, a challenge for them. >> meanwhile, ukrainian forces and civilians remain barricaded in mariupol after the kremlin rejected president zelenskyy's appeal from an orthodox ceasefire this easter weekend. and they say satellite images outside mariupol appear to show freshly dug mass grave as for which could be thousands of bodies layered in the graves but no one knows precisely how many. a new recording shows house mcall republican leader mccarthy

said he was going to ask president trump to resign. despite denials, author of a new book, "play the tape." for the first time on rachel maddow's show putting a line in mccarthy's denial. how is trump reacting to all this? and will this doom mccarthy's hopes to be speaker of the house if republicans win in the midterms? and another new take by the "the new york times" new book. and today is earth day. i'll be joined by a white house special climate envoy, john kerry as the white house struggles to produce more fossil fuels to reduce oil prices. west of the major fighting in the donbas region. pentagon officials are seeing russian forces preparing for

what could be a major offensive in the east. >> reporter: i mean, you can say they've already begun. they're sort of tenderizing the ground in the east. this is is an area of the country that's been at war the past eight years. when we talk about major offensives, they're going to have to ramp up to increase the violence that has noticeably increased. what we're seeing is still more bombing and there's been a lot of bombing on a the eastern front for the past two months of this invasion of this russian attempt to take over all of ukraine. but ever since president putin iticided to moderate his goals, essentially retreat from the area around kyiv and kharkiv, he called it a refocusing. it's clear this is a retreat and he left humiliated. said he was going to be focussed on the east.

he's going to expand property declared by ukrainians that are pro-russian. you can expect quite a bit of violence to the east of where i am. >> and joining me now, served during the obama administration. director brennan, good to is see you. russia is regrouping, trying to shape the battle field. this is a different kind of battle than they fought around kyiv and would be devastating if they block the sea ports. do you think they've solved the basic problems, command and control, logistics, all the other problems that were surprising to a lot of people in the earlier battles? >> by consolidating forces in the east and concentrating the area, i think they have a more

realistic opportunity to make gains on the battle field. clearly the multi-pronged offensive was beset by a whole host of problems from leadership, logistics, the inability to integrate air operations. i think they're focusing on as much as they can the donbas region and i agree going to the south is something they want to be able to move forward in. moving from what was a single phase campaign, what putin thought initially to a multi-phase campaign. >> and leon panetta was saying to us the other day, another former cia director, that time is so critical. it's now or never, really to get, he thinks tanks in fact and more artillery pieces to get more now because it's now or never if they're going to really get to the russians, hold them down, push them back and getputen to decide it's time to leave. >> i think it's critically important to increase the

quality and quantity of weapons going in and have an uninterrupted supply of weapon systems, as well as ammunition. ukrainians need this capability to withstand concentrated efforts in the east. the terrain is more conducive to the type of military campaign the russians are hoping to be able to fight. >> you saw in the list of weapons, the 800 million last week was announced and has to get in their hands. and another 800 million this week. is that the quality they need? the number of artillery pieces? the amount of ammo? and can it get from the deepos actually into their hands? >> i think they're trying to expedite the delivery of the weapons cyst isms. the types of howitzers and other types of things, the javelins.

switch blade munitions. all of these in combination will give the ukrainians the capability to forstall these russian advances across this eastern part of ukraine. but i do think, to the extent we can get different weapons systems in there, not just defensive systems, but i think any weapon system we give to the ukrainians should be considered defensive because they're going to use it against the invading russian force. >> and they need to be more offensive. >> that's right. they're going to use them in an offensive capacity and i think as much as possibility is what the ukrainians need on the air, on the grund. all different weapons systems. the ones from the nato countries that have the soviet era-types of weapons systems they're used to using. the more we can get in there, the faster, as well as making sure it's not interrupted by disruptions that the russians might try to undertake.

>> you've got these grim satellite photos potentially horrific. is there any way to analyze those photos and assess how many people could have been killed and buried? >> the united states intelligence community has analysts that have had to look at these things previously in other battle fields. so, i'm sure they're going through this right now. it's clear the russians are trying to cover up all the atrocities they have is perpetrated inside ukraine. >> want to draw your attention to something else to analyze for our experts at the cia, which is a picture of vladimir putin. he was sitting with his general, chief of staff. he's slumped for the full four minutes of their release, he's holding with one hand on to the table. is that the posture we've seen before with vladimir putin? >> i was pretty certain vladimir putin was feeling all the stress ares and strains over the last

seven or eight weeks because of his failure to carry out what he thought would be a quick military effort inside ukraine. it shows he's a man that has quite a bit of stress. i think he's demonstrating he's trying to be closer to the briefer, as opposed to the past with the great distance. >> the big table is gone. >> he looks less confident and despite the bravado with, i'm sure he's losing a lot of sleep. and as so many russian soldiers have been killed and injured, that's effecting families throughout russia. in addition to the international isolation, economic sanctions and the problems the russian people are feeling, he knows he's got himself in a very difficult predicament and i don't believe he's figured out a way to get out of this with the success he had hoped for. >> and quick question about the sinking of the ship. they had an s-400 on the ship apparently. are we giving them real-time

intelligence or how did they manage to sink that ship? >> we're seeing things the administration is doing publicly, as far as the weapons systems. i would assume there's a lot more happening behind the scenes as far as training and different intelligence support that is allowing the ukrainians to leverage the capabilities that they have in a very, very effective fashion. i'm confident the u.s. government and biden administration is doing a lot we don't see and good on them for doing that. >> your expertise is invaluable. thank you so much, john brennan. good to see you. and tale of the tape. the audio are recording everyone is talk about that could derail mccarthy's push to become speaker of the house if they win the house. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc.

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new audio reveals that house republican leader told his party's leadership he would urge then president trump to resign. also on the call, among the leaders, liz cheney, the time in good graces with mccarthy, who his leader kicked out of the republican leadership. they first reported the contents of the call. mccarthy denied the "times" report as totally false, wrong. they shared the audio with rachel maddow just hours later. >> liz, you on the phone? >> yeah, i'm here. thanks, kevin. i guess there's a question and you is asked if, you know, what happens if it gets there after he's gone, is there any chance, are you hearing he might resign? is there any reason to think that might happen? >> yvl are had a few

discussions. my gut tells me no. i'm seriously thinking of having that conversation with him tonight. i haven't talked to him in a couple days. from what i know of him, i mean, you guys know him too. do you think he'd ever back away? what i'm going to do is i'm going to call him. this is what i think. we know that it'll pass the house, i think there's a chance it will pass the senate even when he's gone. and i think there's a lot of different ramifications for that. now, i have isn't had a discussion with the demes that if he did resign, if that happened, now, this is one personal fear i have. i do not want to get into any conversation about pence pardoning. again, the only discussion i

would have with him is i think this will pass and it would be my recommendation you should resign. i mean, that would be my take but i don't think he'll take it. but i don't know. >> nbc news correspondent, senior capitol hill correspondent, garrett haak here. this came from the new book coming out next week. but this audio that rachel played last night with him is just extraordinary. >> well, it certainly shuts the door on mccarthy's trying to dismiss this, which he did when we asked specifically if any call had taken place. lots of republicans were saying things like this in the days immediately after january 6th. i think what makes mccarthy different is how quickly and hard he pivoted back towards supporting donald trump and

trying to make those moments of doubt after january 6th go away. this issue hasn't gone away and to me, i think the big question now is what does donald trump do with this? >> and in fact, he went to mar-a-lago. >> that was a pivotal moment. it was a few weeks after january 6th. he was the first major republican figure to go to mar-a-lago. posted all over social media and that was seen by a lot of congressional are republicans as a sign they were bringing donald trump back in the fold. then all the sudden the number of votes in the house got smaller and the number of votes in the senate got smaller and that was a key pivot point towards reembracing donald trump, where the party still stands now. the man donald trump referred to as "my kevin." as long as he stays donald trump's kevin, he stays on track to being the next speaker of the house.

>> and he was so outraged reportedly that the january 6th committee is looking at during the insurrection and afterwards, he was outraged by it. on the floor, as we saw publicly. so, what he'd done was clearly taken a temperature, internal caucusing and discovered people didn't care about january 6th and they wanted the loyalty to trump and thalts are why the quick pivot to mar-a-lago at the time. >> and we saw the same thing happen in the senate too. >> mcconnell's still mad by the way. he doesn't talk to trump, about trump. but i think there was a practical political decision made here that the republican party still needed donald trump for either of the two men to get back in power and change how they talked about him and particularly in mcconnell's case, it changed the strategy for the whole impeachment trial.

>> and quickly, now what happens with donald trump? the reporting he has talked to trump since the audio release and that trump is fine with it, presumably because it makes him even more subservient to donald trump should he become speaker. >> this is the "washington post" reporting. we have not yet confirmed it but it tracks with a lot of what we know about donald trump. he wants to be seen as the guy in the republican party. and it leaves him in the position where he decides if mccarthy gets to be speaker. >> the political version of succession. >> i think that's right. >> and you're going to anchor the 3:00. >> that's ror right. we'll have a lot more. >> we'll let you go and bring in dean of the clinton school of public service. politico white house editor, and

david jolly, former republican congressman from florida. as you look at what's happening to your caucus, we actually have more audio. the times reporters releasing more audio earlier, speaking about frump to house republicans on january 11th. >> let me be very clear to all of you and i've been clear to the president. he bears responsibilities for his words of actions. no ifs, ands or but. i asked does he hold responsibility for what happened? does he feel bad about what happened? he said he does have some responsibility for what happened. and he need to acknowledge that. >> what's your reaction to all of this? >> he lied to his leadership team, his conference members, the former president, the press.

kevin mccarthy lied to the american people. very likely now his second bid for the speakership is in jeopardy. he thought he was going to be speaker in 2015 with the resignation of john boehner. so much so he flew his wife and kids into the room for the vote and fell short. i was one of the members at the time who withheld my support from kevin mccargy. the challenge is can he keep his republican leadership team in the ranks? can he withstand the next week or two or do we see, come the sunday shows, if you will, that twl are republicans in congress that say they would entertain becoming speaker should the opportunity become itself. steve scalise, other members. we know kevin mccarthy will be challenged by the margery green caucus but what about those on the precipice of elevating their

leadership? do they begin to message test their candidacy. >> fr speakership should republicans win the house back? >> or does he get credit if they do get the house back and have donald trump behind him at that point? >> i'm bullish on kevin mccarthy than our colleague, david jolly here. i think this too shall paz. it's not the first time someone has said something nasty about don on the. in fact, last week donald trump endorsed j.d. vance who said bad things about trump only to be in his good graces. i think there's a lot of time before the elections and vote for next speaker. and secondly, the republicans are poised to win a big house majority. i think that's going to over shadow whatever exists. let me add there may be other

things mccarthy has said about trump. but our reporting from trump world is trump is not totally alarmed by this and he thinks it makes him look superior to mccarthy and mccarthy ended up tucking his tail between his legs and going to mar-a-lago after all this was done. >> and another piece of audiotape from the authors, burns and martin. take a listen. >> i've had it with this guy. what he tid is unacceptable. nobody can defend that and nobody should defend it. >> victoria, this is not a good look for the republican caucus. >> it's not and i'm going to side more with david in that i don't think this has been used for kevin mccarthy. one thing is to have the lindsey grahams and ted cruz's and private disagreements with the president. but this is a whole bunch of

audio, as is, and as you said who knows what more is going to come out. i think that's one piece and in addition, we have a lot of folks within the republican caucus who have aspirations to higher office, who want to be in that leadership. perhaps not the margery taylor greens. i think kevin mccarthy, i'm not a betting woman but if i were, i don't think he makes it to get the gavel. >> and david, in atlanta today, marjorie taylor green is giving her first testimony under oath about her role in january 6th and claiming there's evidence that trump is still saying there's evidence donald trump beat joe biden. how is this going to play? >> it's kind of a perfect representation of today's republican party to have the kevin mccarthy news and ma are rjorie taylor greene testimony.

an incumbent member of the house whose validity to run is on whether she participated in the insurrection. but that's enough to decide whether kevin mccarthy can be speaker. sam referred to how large of a margin can republicans pick up in november? that matters not just for mccarthy but as the caucus sits today, kevin carthy does not have enough votes because of the likes of marjori taylor greene and her wing. the strategy has been to run up the number of republican seats in november. could he get to 260 as a way to lose the m a a -- marjorie taylor greens. they go hand in hand in politics. >> and our correspondent covering trump as she reported in the trump officials are saying there's no comment on all of this.

so, stay tuned. watch this space as rachel would say, since she broke the story in the first place. thank you all. and much more ahead on this earth day with president biden's climate envoy, former secretary of state. envoy, former secretar of steta what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena®

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e*trade now from morgan stanley. welcome back. as we mark this earth day, the most recent u.n. report on climate change shows countries aren't doing enough. highlights a, quote litany of broken climate promises by governments and corporations, accusing them of clinging to harmful fossil fuels. joining me is president biden's special envoy, for climate, former secretary of state, john kerry. happy earth day. >> glad to be with you. thank you. >> this u.n. report, the cochair said if we continue acting as we are now, we're not even going to limit warming to two degrees, never mind 2.5 degrees.

are you alarmed? >> i'm concerned and i know president biden is obviously concerned because he's taken the leadership position as bringing america back as a leader on climate change in the global basis and he went to glasgow last year leading the effort to help less developed countries and vulnerable nations be able to adapt, build resilience. he put forward very serious amount of money to help in this transition. the problem is there have is been intervening events, obviously. but also we're fighting the status quo. the president has put forward very bold proposals. he wants a 50-52% reduction in emissions within the united states before 2030. he set us on an extraordinary path of the building of electric vehicles, all electric vehicles

in the united states by 2035 will be electric. he has asked congress for significant funding to be able to invest in good jobs for union workers and others around our country to be able to build an off shore wind industry, to be able to deploy solar panels. i think infrastructure legislation the president succeeded in passing will build some 500 electric charging stations and help clean up pollution. there are massive commitments that are made but we need the congress, what the president has asked them, to pass critical climate legislation to enable to move faster. i think the president has offered an unprecedented level of leadership in an all of government initiative. but the answer is we are still

in need of greater effort and we need the climate legislation to help us be able to accelerate our own initiatives. >> you know, let's agree that he has laid out some extraordinary goals and made some promises and that congress does hold a lot of this in their hand. but there have been big events, like the war and russian sanctions on russian oil and he's had to go to the strategic reserves and put out more oil to try to keep costs down. he's got a midterm election and gone so far as to authorize something that has really upset the environmental community, which is authorizing more drilling in places like wyoming, more oil and natural gas drilling. so, isn't that countermanning his own goals and promises? >> not if you look at it, andrea, in the full measure of

why it's being done and what the opportunities are we have in front of us here. is there additional pumping? there is because demand is up and because with the situation in ukraine, the united states is going to do everything it can to help our friends who have made sacrifices by refusing to accept russian gas and oil and who are now moving even more rapidly to deploy renewables for their own power sectors and transportation in their country. i don't think -- as long as the additional efforts to produce gas are temporary, as long as they're geared to be able to deal with a need for economic stability in order to be able to make the transitions we need.

i think the president knows that many of these leases that have been granted are not going to be drilled in. we have are an oil and gas industry in the united states that owns massive number of leases already that have been permitted and they are not drilling. so, i look at this as a temporary measure to relieve the price pressure, which is essential to keeping the population committed, moving these directions. and i think it's understandable. i know the president has changed already behavior in very significant ways. for instance, general motors and ford motor company have spent hundreds of millions retooling their plants in the united states so that by 2030, 50% of vehicles we make in america will be electric and by 2035, all vehicles we make in america would be electric.

that's a massive commitment, which both ford and general motors have is joined in and are committed to. in addition to that, the president has created an off shore wind industry. we're trying to move on the siting for those assets as soon as possible. and in addition to that, he is seeking tax credits from the congress that will be able to acis sellerate the deployment of renewables and lower the price energy for american consumers. >> but you've got to get all of that past joe manchin. sinema, manntion. >> yes, you do,and areria. >> sorry. go ahead. >> there's no secret that, yes, there's a critical vote needed in the united states senate. i know the administration is still talking to joe manchin.

joe manchin is, i think, trying to work with some colleagues to see what can be brought together. so, i still hold out hope that congress can step up and pass critical climate legislation, which i might comment, is not -- it shouldn't be partisan. really this is a matter of national security. it costs us tens of hundreds of billions of dollars to clean up after the now much more intense storms that we're experiencing, which are coming as a consequence of climate change. and the fact is that we would be much better off and the president knows this and is trying to point this out to congress and others, if we were to eliminate the need to spend all of that money simply to clean up after a storm because we have adequately invested in avoiding the storms in the first place.

the fact is -- >> let me ask -- let me just ask before we run out of time whether you've found it disappointing that the president did things like the ethanol blend in iowa for the summer, which is polluting, adding more ethanol -- >> as i said to you there are a number of reasons beyond, way beyond the control of the united states, way beyond the president's control, such as the war in ukraine. as well as price push because of covid. there are a lot of things happening and i think the president is correct to take measures to main stay -- maintain a level of stability in our country. economic stability, political stability and be able to move forward with support to effect these big changes that move us towards a clean energy economy,

which will make the united states of america, indeed the planet, cleaner, healthier and safer. that's the result of what the president is trying to do and i'm convinced that, as long as it's temporary, we have to deal with the emissions of gas and oil and coal. we have to. and the president has set a goal of reducing those emissions by 50 to 52% over the course of the next eight years. to take a few months now to build stability and to be able to continue to have the support of the american people to effect this transition is a critical part of leading. and i think the president has been doing what he needs to do in order to, in the end, achieve our goals. those are ambitious goals. more ambitious than the goals set by any president historically. and in the last year, the fastest growing job in america was wind turbin technician. the third fastest growing job in america was solar panel installer.

this transition will create jobs even as it provides for the greater security of our nation. >> and certainly offset the supply chain problems with china on the solar panel problems if we start making them here. let me ask about mccarthy and we're reporting she'll be leaving in may. are you discouraged dealing with this senate, congress? your old colleagues, some new ones. but this new problem, especially with all the temporary setbacks? >> i don't know about the reports. i have talked to gina the other day and she's hard at work and still here and she hasn't told me she's leaving. she's been a superb partner in this endeavor. actually, i'm excited. i believe that remarkable things are happening in the private

sect isser right now. i was in california looking at new start ups that are building technologies that are going to help us make this transitition. there are remarkable things happening that are going to help facilitate the transition. a longer battery scourge, green hydrogen. direct air carbon capture. there are all kinds of ways in which we're going to create whole new industries in our country built around this transition. and so, i see more venture capitol now going to the technologies than at any time in our history and i believe it's going to speed up the transition and create very exciting opportunities in our nation. i think the possibilities of america leading on many of these new technologies is exciting for the economic future of the country, as well as for the substantive impact it will have in dealing with the climate crisis. in addition, i think there are

plans that gina and the president and others have all helped in a team effort. this is a all-of-government effort where i think we're opening up new opportunities in our country to be safer and clearly be healthier. greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, is costing us about 10 million lives a year around the world. and we are really talking about trying to reduce pollution. that's -- this is earth day. i remember what happened in 1970 when i went to work for earth day, the first one ever. and 20 million americans came out of their homes and made a difference for the future of our country. and when seven of twelve bad votes in congress were defeated in the next election, we had a massive sudden infusion of passing good legislation. the clean air act, the safe drinking water act, marine

mammal protection, coastal zone management, endangered species and we signed the president of the united states, then richard nixon, signed the environmental protection agency into law. i see the same energy building in our country today. young people are infuriated by the lack of adequate action. and people all across our country are now voting for a cleaner, healthier and safer environment and i think that's just going to continue and i hope we'll get bipartisan support for this effort because this is not a democrat or republican issue. it's a universal issue, which we all have an interest in seeing resolved. >> john kerry, i can't think of a more inspiring message on earth day. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. >> and now to the search for environmental justice in the alabama black belt where at least 41% of homes in this majority black area have an

inadequate sewage system or not at all. some residents rely on straight piping in a decentralized system of is septic tanks, meaning they live among open sewage. activists alike say a waste management system should be a right. >> reporter: the dark green waters across from jairy dean smith's home hold a foul smelling mix of human waste. >> it smells, it smells so bad. >> reporter: in alabama and many towns across the county i residents pay for sewage to flow into these lagoons. but many homes have failing sewage systems or none lat. >> waste in people's yards. it backs up in the majority of the neighbor's homes, backs up in the bathroom and on the floors. >> reporter: smith and her neighbors say it's a health risk. one study found one out of three adults tested positive for hook

worms, an intestinal parasite long thought to be eradicated. >> it's not necessary for this to go on in 2022. it shouldn't be in the united states. it's the wealthiest country. >> blaming the state and local government for not installing a centralized sewage system. in lowndes county, majority black, the at least 40% of homes have inadequate or no sewage systems at all. catherine coleman flowers, who grew up here, is an environmental activist. you call this the dirty secret why? >> when they find out, they're shocked. they don't believe this is a reality in this count rae. >> reporter: last november, the department of justice opened a civil rights investigation aimed at assessing whether the alabama

and lowndes county health department are discriminating against residents. residents sounded off. >> i hope you're coming to work for real and not play and play us for stupid or crazy. >> discrimination [ inaudible ] we need waste management system. >> reporter: a state health official disagrees and says do jurks won't find any wrong doing. >> i've done my own investigation. i see no discrimination. if you flush the toilet, you're responsibility. your home is your property, it's private property. >> she even suggested residents use out houses. >> you've got an out house on the outside and sewage on the ground. environmentally, the out house is better. >> reporter: she's personally

started a nonprofit pilot program to put septic tanks outside some homes. says that organization doesn't have resources to help everyone. in the meantime, residents like 78-year-old catherine canon are trying to survive in squalled conditions. >> if i go in there, and take a shower or flush when the waste coming back up, sometimes in my kitchen sink. so, i don't use dishes. i use paper plates. it got me disgusted. >> reporter: the sewage pulling below her trailer is is rotting the floors. recently she says she broke her arm falling through the floor but she can't afford to fix it or to move. how do you feel living in this state? >> trapped. trapped. nowhere to go. but we just have to pray and have is faith. and hope tomorrow get better.

>> it's just extraordinary and joining us, nbc washington correspondent, moderator of "washington week" on pbs. one resident said it's like going back a hundred years. >> they're living amid waste, failing systems, no systems at all. the bide in administration has requested $1.4 million from congress to open an environmental justice in the department of justice. they see this as a law enforcement issue because, as all of this is playing out, activists on the ground say the government officials have the power to penalize residents and arrest them and place leans on their homes if they don't have proper sewage systems, even if they can't afford it. a shocking and challenging situation. >> that's pennies in terms of the federal budget. what are prospects of getting legislation through? >> it's a great question. the director of the office of

management and budget said this is part of doj's mission. if there's wrong doing happening, including environmental, needs to be rectified, investigated and litigated. that being said it's anyone's guess if this will happen. that. the d.o.j. is taking this seriously and obviously the biden administration is making this a priority because you see the people that i met, katherine, that last woman who said she was trapped. she is someone who cannot afford to move and someone who is literally having to shower at work. she works as a made at someone's home. that's where she can brush her teeth and get clean because she feels as though she's literally living amid her own waste. >> there's another aspect to all this, which is the health issue. >> yes. >> as we saw in flint with water issues, as we've seen in west virginia in past stories we've done with chemical leaks on nbc. so the health departments have to get into this, too. >> certainly.

when we were down there filming these public meetings, there were officials from the department of health and human services also listening to these stories. there's of course the hook worm issues which was a parasite that was supposed to be eradicated. there are some who are claiming at least and feeling like people are getting cancer and getting asthma and getting other ailments because they are living among all of this waste. people just frankly don't feel safe in lownes county. they home that people come and investigate. people just want sewage systems to work and what jeri dean smith told me, she believes sewage systems should be a right. the story is getting at the fact that here is a law enforcement agency trying to get that basic

right for americans. >> it's great reporting. you in the field is such a great bonus for us, too. >> thank you. and we'll be watching tonight. and the french face-off. the close presidential election in france. could the results help putin divide nato? that's next. putin divide nato? that's next. is turning into their parents. -not those two. -yep, they're gone. -forever? -yep. that there is progressive's homequote explorer website, where i compared home insurance rates. we don't need to print the internet. some are beyond help. i will give you $100 if you can tell me what this is. -scotch egg. -it's a meatball. progressive can't help you from becoming your parents, but we can help you compare rates on home insurance with homequote explorer. we've got a lot of work to do. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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in france this weekend a tough runoff. a presidential election that could have historic implications for the country and the world as current french president emmanuel macron faces off again far right challenger, marie le pen, a supporter of putin and a supporter of nato. it means the outcome. election could have a profound impact on the war in ukraine and a lot for nato. keir simmons is in paris. >> reporter: the populist

leader, marie le pen with surging sort from a flag waving far right not seen in france since world war ii. why do you support marie le pen? for immigration? >> yes. >> she's glorious. >> reporter: she's glorious? >> yes. >> pen was quickly to congratulate president trump in 2016 riding a familiar anti-establishment wave. for the current president, polls suggest he'll hold on to power. listen to how reluctant she is to admit she'll vote for him. >> reporter: the other candidate, not macron. >> no. >> reporter: you don't want to say the name? >> no. because it's not my political -- >> reporter: le pen has focused on the soaring cost of living and posts pictures on social

media with her cats. the candidates clashing for the first time on television this week. >> reporter: we watched a vote, they don't like macron and they definitely don't like le pen. >> macron accused her with financial ties to putin and she called him elitist. >> none of them talked about how difficult it is to be a young person in this country. >> reporter: macron fighting for every vote. >> if you vote le pen, you vote for a huge blow to the western world, a huge blow to biden. >> and that was keir simmons for us in france. we'll be watching on sunday for the election results. that does it for this edition of

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try for free today at aura.com what was that password anyway? ew. if it's friday, despite putin's claim of victory, standoff continues in mariupol as new satellite imagery appears to show mass grave sites near that besieged city. we'll speak to a top official about the situation on the ground coming up. plus, hear it for yourself. more audio and more fallout from house republican leader kevin mccarthy's phone call revealing a conversation he had with former president trump admitting he bore some responsibility for the january 6th insurrection. and on earth day, we expect to hear president biden address the climate crisis this hour as much of his agenda remains stalled in washington. we'll bring you those remarks

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