good morning. welcome to "morning joe." it is thursday, may 5th. we've got a lot to get to this morning. president biden using the issue of abortion as an example of what he calls the, quote, ultra maga agenda. sharpening his midterm message against the trump wing of the republican party. calling it the most extreme in recent american history. >> you can actually make it more simple. just call them trump crazies. say they're crazy as -- well, we'll fill in that blank later. >> we have a lot of examples. we're following the latest developments from ukraine. new reporting that intelligence given to ukraine by the united states has led to the deaths of many russian generals killed in action. plus, more civilians evacuated from war-torn

mariupol. just a moment, we'll talk to former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, bill taylor. it's been 27 months since the first confirmed case of covid in this country. now, the u.s. has passed a stunning 1 million deaths from the virus. 1 million people. we'll discuss how we got there and where we go from here. willie, there's so much to talk about here. of course, we're going to start with the story about the russian generals. it's certainly consequential. but it does seem like we've all just sort of breezed past that 1 million mark. we all remember back in the spring of 2020 when we had officials saying maybe 70,000 people would die. maybe 100,000 people would die. i remember there was a british -- maybe it was kings college, but there was a british research institution, university, that said up to 1

million people would die. my god, the chuckling from the maga freaks, the disregard from the maga freaks, the same people who worshipped donald trump for saying it was two or three people who came in from china and would soon go away, those maga freaks proven wrong time and time again. we've hit the 1 million mark. >> yeah, we have. even though we sort of knew it was coming in these last few months, it is still a shocking figure to see in print. 1 million of our neighbors, 1 million of our family members have died because of this virus. we had dr. deborah birx on the show last week, and we were reflecting on that moment where she came to podium and said there was a study -- in march and april of 2020, she said, we could get up to 240,000 deaths. that was breathtaking. we didn't believe the number could be that high. we thought it was a vast overstatement of the problem. now, here we are, two years later, at 1 million deaths. it's been a tragedy for the country, but it's been a human

tragedy for families across this country. it continues as these subvariants -- luckily, we've got these vaccines that stop us from dying, by and large, and keep us out of the hospital much better than we used to -- but it is still here with us. that number, it's stunning this morning. 1 million american deaths from covid. >> mika, it's a very good reminder. of course, we're in a far different place than we were two years ago. >> yeah. >> so the impact of covid not as bad because of vaccines, because of booster shots, because we built up, as scott gottlieb said, we built up the wall of immunity, which is great news for so many people, especially our senior friends watching the show and other people who are compromised as far as their immunity goes. at the same time, we said it last week, we're going to say it now, i mean, you look at what happened this past weekend in washington, d.c. people that had been reporting on this deadly plague over the

past couple years, all jamming into a small room in washington, d.c. didn't get it before. said the president shouldn't have gone. guess what happened? they've all gotten covid. >> i don't know. they're not making announcements. i think it is weird. some people who -- >> have covid. >> they're not making that announcement for the safety of others who were around them. we do know that the secretary of state had a positive test. abc's jonathan karl released that he had it. but nobody -- i don't know who else is saying they have it. this is what i'm worried about. >> yeah. >> if you're going to make a choice like that after covering this story for three years -- >> a bad choice. >> -- and you know the science and you know the media right now is under attack by a certain wing of the republican party, you want to be transparent. >> yeah, you do. jonathan lemire, of course, a lot of people, and we know a lot

of people have covid who aren't announcing it. they don't want to announce it. i guess they're embarrassed they went to this event that they shouldn't have gone to. jonathan, again, you were there. i mean, but, of course, dr. ronny jackson tells me with your genes, you can live to be 200 years old. perhaps you're immune from it. really, i have to say, i'm the guy that said, "let people do what they want to do on airplanes. let people do what they want to do in airports." >> look at this. >> you know, use common sense. my god, you know, i'm feeling an itch in the back of my throat just looking at these pictures. >> yeah, there have been dozens of positive cases connected to the dinner. it's, of course, not just the dinner itself saturday night. it is a weekend full of events. to be clear, most of the events that led up to the dinner were outside. they're outside. ventilation. that's much safer, of course. >> yeah. >> the dinner itself did require

proof of vaccination. it did require showing a negative test. i kept my mask on for most of it for fears of exactly like this. >> there you go. >> so far, i've been testing every day out of precaution. feel fine. negative every time, include winning a pcr. dr. ronny jackson, thanks, buddy. but it is true, though, that, right now, this is a moment where not only do you, of course, have several top biden officials coming down with the coronavirus, but much of the washington press core at a time where, let's just say, there's a lot going on in terms of news in washington, d.c. >> yeah. >> good point. >> it is fascinating. willie, a couple of things to note. if you look at the shot of jonathan lemire, yes, he wore a mask, but we still have him encased in the glass box you often see in superhero movies. that's obviously where they kept loki. he is in the glass box like loki. also -- >> alex says it is not because

of covid. >> yeah, you know, it is because i think the new york yankees have actually -- are melting down our operations right now. >> there have been some tech issues this morning. >> there have been some tech issues. also, yeah, he is in the glass box. also, he did wear a mask. man, you should see the pictures of all the food smeared on the front of the mask while he was eating. wait, he took off the mask wile eating. >> it kept me safe, but i was really hungry afterwards. i can't figure it out. >> exactly. >> stay in the glass box. you know what? we talked about president biden last week. i think the three of us agreed that he should have sent a video message. let's hope, truly, for the sake of the country and the sake of him that he remains healthy. in hindsight, what we were talking about last week is probably true. a video might have been a better idea. we hope he stays safe. we hope everybody who does have it from the washington correspondents dinner recovers

quickly. my decision to stay home and watch 12-year-old and 14-year-olds play basketball is vindicated. >> it is a decision. the death rate is down. it is different, the covid we're dealing with right now. we'll talk about this more. it isn't like going out to a party at the height of the pandemic. >> right. >> things have changed. >> right. let's get to our top story this morning. u.s. officials say intelligence given to ukrainian forces has led to the deaths of several russian generals. senior officials told "the new york times" the assistance is part of a classified effort by the biden administration to give ukraine real-time battlefield intelligence. that includes anticipated russian troop movements based off moscow's secret battle plans in the donbas region of eastern ukraine. nbc news has not been able to independently verify the report. ukrainian forces claim to have killed 12 generals on the front lines. but american officials did not

give a specific number of deaths that were the result of shared information. the "times" quoted officials as saying the united states prohibits itself from providing intelligence about the most senior russian leaders. after the "times" article was published, the national security council released a statement, that the battlefield intelligence was not provided to the ukrainians, quote, with the intent to kill russian generals. so they didn't have the intent there. let's bring in former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, bill taylor. former chief of staff to the secretary of defense, jeremy bash is with us, as well. >> mr. ambassador, let's just call this what it is. >> interesting. >> it is not interesting, it is extraordinarily serious. this is something that vladimir putin could seize upon as the united states getting involved and could call this an act of war. and i guess it's something that we've all known all along, but it certainly is stark when you

read it in a headline in "the new york times." and it also shows just how much we are making a difference for the ukrainians. >> joe, you are exactly right. we are making a difference. we are involved. we are providing assistance in many ways to the ukrainians because we want the ukrainians to win. the ukrainians need to beat the russians on the battlefield there so that they can stop the atrocities, so that they can show that democracies are going to win around the world. we have a lot at stake in ukraine. yes, we're providing lots of different ways that the ukrainians can win, and that's a good thing. >> jeremy, is this to be expected? i mean, it is obviously a big revelation, especially when you're talking about maybe 12 generals killed with the help of american intelligence. but in addition to the massive arms packages we're talking about, $800 million, another $800 million, $33 billion on the table right now, isn't

intelligence sharing sort of a part of that aid? maybe not as public, maybe not advertised as openly, but isn't that part of what the united states would be doing for ukraine? >> yes, willie. three dimensions. one is the equipment. the second is the training. increasingly, the united states and western allies are training ukrainians outside of ukraine. that's enormously significant. and the third pillar of this indirect warfare you referenced and ambassador taylor referenced is the intelligence sharing. it can be strategic, what is putin's agenda, how is he conducting the war, but also specific, tactical, battlefield intelligence, whereabouts and maneuvers of specific russian forces. now, potentially, you could argue that this isn't given with the intent of killing senior russians. that might be deemed too escalatory to acknowledge publicly. but i think, clearly, the russians have employed very bad

operational security. their command and control is broken. their entire war plan has failed on multiple levels. the vulnerability of their generals to ukrainian fire is evident from this report and many others. >> all right. western officials speculate that vladimir putin may use russia's victory day on may 9th as a means to declare an official war against ukraine. the holiday traditionally celebrates the soviet union's defeat of nazi germany. since russia's invasion has failed to produce many victories, some analysts fear putin will instead use the occasion to turn what he currently calls a special military operation into an all-out war. the kremlin denies these claims, saying there is no chance putin will declare war on monday. during a pre-taped interview with fox news that aired yesterday, volodymyr zelenskyy, ukraine's president, addressed concerns over the possibility.

>> translator: for us, this is not going to change anything. for us, war is going on for eight years now. the full-fledged war is going on for 70 days. whatever putin is going to say, the possibility or the probability is there. they want to show what kind of czars they are. they wounded the entire city. that'd be like in a bad hollywood movie. is that the victory that we are striving for? for the civilized world, this is defeat. the may of 9th is going to be remembered in the world as a tragedy, as a bloody day, and certainly not the day to forget. >> mr. ambassador, can you give us some insight? we originally thought may the 9th was going to be this day that putin would take whatever scraps of good news he could take from the battlefield in ukraine, wrap it up into a nice little package, have a parade in the kremlin, and declare

victory. only problem on the way to that parade stand is the fact that putin can't win a battle. he can't win anything. the russians just keep getting knocked back on their ass in every phase of this war. so the question is, how does he -- how does he claim victory on may the 9th? what does he do? >> joe, it's a great question. it's a great question. this demonstrates, joe, what you just said, that is, he now will have to realize that he's not been able to succeed on the battlefield. he's been defeated in the north around kyiv. he's been defeated in his attempts to bludgeon the ukrainians. he's not been able to do anything in the east on the ground. his ground forces are beaten up. so the question is, what does he do? we know that he lies and his people lie. that is when they say, "no, we're not going to declare war." they also said they weren't going to invade. so we can't take that at all.

if, however, he decides that that's as good as it is going to get, then he will look for a way to put a bow on it, as you said, even though he has not achieved what he is after. he's always wanted to dominate ukraine. he's failed at that. the ukrainians have been valiant and heroic in pushing him back. he cannot win this war, joe. ukrainians will win. that's what he is going to have to face on may 9th. >> so, jeremy, i reported a few weeks ago that u.s. officials have been watching this may 9th date for a while. for a time, they thought, maybe that's the day putin might come to the table with a victory and say, time to get out of this. they no longer think that is the case. then they thought, maybe he could escalate it in some way. they don't think that's the case either. he doesn't have the ability to do so. if he were to actually declare war, which seems like a distinction without a difference from the special military operation he's got now, what would that mean? would that actually change anything if, on may 9th, he makes that pronouncement? >> i don't think it changes anything.

i think it is a pr stunt for him, for his internal audience. remember, jonathan, more than 15,000 russian troops have died in this campaign already over the last 70 days. that's the entirety of the amount of russian forces, soviet forces, that were lost during their multi-year campaign in afghanistan. so he has a very bad story on his hands. as russian mothers and fathers and siblings and even children grieve the losses of their fallen countrymen, i think it's incumbent on putin to try to reverse the tide of that narrative. because as word of that gets out, even though there are only trickles of real truthful information allowed in russia, that's going to root down to his detriment. i think this may 9th stunt is entirely for internal consumption purposes. >> so as a lot of people keep an eye on may 9th, the european union is urging its 27 member countries to sign off on a package that would phase out all russian oil imports by the end

of this year. eu officials pushing for a decision as early as this week. it comes after the block proposed a sixth round of sanctions against russia over its invasion of ukraine. the measures include the phased-in embargo of russian oil imports, as well as delisting more russian banks from the swift payment system. the plan immediately ran into opposition from some eu members seeking a longer transitional period, including hungary, which reportedly already has been offered an extra year to ditch russian oil. so -- >> unbelievable. >> -- ambassador taylor, obviously a significant move here. we can talk about hungary asking for more time. but this has moved very quickly in europe, hasn't it, with germany and other countries who came out and said, "we can't afford to get rid of russian oil. we're going to lose jobs. it'll plunge us into a recession." now having the eu saying, "all our members should get rid of russian oil by the end of the year," it is a significant move, if it happens. >> a very significant move.

very significant move. the russians get $1 billion a day, $300 billion a year, from those sales, the sales of all hydrocarbons. oil, gas, coal, which they sell to the europeans. that $300 billion is what is funding this war. so this is very significant, if that funding flow can be cut off. >> very good. all right. thank you so much, mr. ambassador. we greatly appreciate it. and, willie, obviously, much to be concerned about with the news in ukraine. obviously still a lot of fighting going on in the east. obviously, the russians aren't making good progress. they're still inflicting a lot of casualties. but i don't think we've heard the evidence of this story about the russian generals being targeted with the help of u.s. intel. i suspect we're going to be hearing something from putin

himself on this later today. >> yeah. there's no question, as you pointed out earlier, that this is the kind of thing that put putin can seize on to say, the americans are involved in this proxy war. what he does with the information remains to be seen. you know, the defense department has tried to point out behind the scenes a bit that they've not provided the intelligence that has gone after the leadership of russia. but the fact remains, as jeremy bash points out, this is to be expected as a part of any military aid. training ukrainian troops outside of the country and also providing battlefield intelligence that allows those troops to find russian leaders, find russian troops, and to stop what's happening in the east. it's happening, whether it is acknowledged or not, mika. >> wow. >> yeah. still ahead on "morning joe," president biden sharpens his midterm messaging, going after the ultra maga agenda. is it enough to help democrats in november? also ahead, the fed raises

interest rates by half a percentage point. we'll be joined by one of president biden's economic advisers to talk about what kind of impact this could have on rising inflation. there's also this. dramatic, new surveillance video of a tornado in kansas. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. e traveled every road in this here land! ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ crossed the desert's bare, man. ♪ ♪ i've breathed the mountain air, man. ♪ ♪ of travel i've had my share, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere. ♪ ♪ i've been to: pittsburgh, parkersburg, ♪ ♪ gravelbourg, colorado, ♪ ♪ ellensburg, cedar city, dodge city, what a pity. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere, man. ♪ ♪ i've been everywhere. ♪ biden: we have a crisis: the price at the pump. our prices are rising because of putin's actions. we need to double down on our commitment to clean energy.

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live look at the capitol this morning. it is 24 past the hour. welcome back to "morning joe." the biden administration is still trying to come up with a game plan to protect abortion rights. after that leaked document signalled the supreme court may be ready to overturn roe v. wade. but options are currently limited. according to the "washington post," officials are discussing whether funding, possibly through medicaid or another

mechanism, could be made available for women who travel across state lines for an abortion. but many doubt whether that's actually feasible. there's also been debate over potential executive and regulatory actions the administration could take, but officials privately recognize that nearly any administrative action would face legal challenges from republican attorneys general. meanwhile, earlier this week, jonathan lemire, you reported that president biden and his team were looking to turn to the midterms into a contrast with donald trump and the republicans. now, that plan appears to be in full motion. >> senator rick scott of florida, united states senator, who is leading the republican national campaign committee, released what he calls the ultra maga agenda. it is a maga agenda all right. let me tell you about it. it is extreme, as most maga

things are. what happens if you have -- states change the law saying that children who are lgbtq can't be in classrooms with other children? is that legit under the way the decision is written? what are the next things that are going to be attacked? because this maga crowd is really the most extreme political organization that's existed in american history. >> white house press secretary jen psaki was asked about the shift in messaging at yesterday's press briefing. >> you've heard him say, and maybe back more to the campaign trail, less as president, don't compare me to the almighty. compare me to the alternative. i will expect you'll hear him with that mantra. much more out there over the next coming months. you know, he is -- he has been struck, clearly, because he's talked about this, as you mentioned this morning, and he also has made comments over the last several days about the

direction of some in the republican party, the maga direction of some in the republican party. he's been struck by the hold his predecessor seems to have on far too many members. not all but far too many members of the party. what we're seeing, the latest antics, make clear they are at war with mickey mouse. they're against allowing women to make choices about their own health care. against lowering the cost of prescription drugs. if that remains the platform, the president's view is that is out of whack with the mainstream of the country. >> the press secretary says the president's focus won't be on trump directly but on the candidates who are, quote, under the whim of the former president. joe, i just -- i still think this might be a step behind. because when you're looking at trump's hold on people, it's cult-like. literally matches the definition of a cult. and extreme, that still is in the category of normal. extreme versus not so extreme.

i think we're talking about something completely different. >> yeah, we are, especially with the washington -- >> why not use the words? >> especially with the washington politicians who are just acting like freaks. i mean, there have been hundreds of thousands of words written about working class and middle class americans and why they were attracted to trump's populist message at the beginning. why they're still disaffected and still don't want to go back to mainline candidates. but we need to look at the type of candidates that jen psaki, the white house, are talking about. we need to look at what's before us and how extreme these washington politicians, these maga washington freaks are. you know, the "new york post" reported an influential house republican said being in the military is, quote, like throwing your life away.

she'd never let her son go into the military. is that middle america? another high-profile republican falled freedom fighters like zelenskyy a thug and called the ukrainian government that is fighting putin, quote, incredibly evil. this is also the guy that carries loaded guns to airports and films himself engaging in really disturbing acts. he needs help. also, their fearless leader, donald trump himself, keeps calling putin a genius. keeps calling the invasion of ukraine brilliant. keeps refusing to condemn a war criminal that is killing ukrainians every single day. this is the party. the white house should explain, this is the party that brought you jewish space laiders. lasers. this is the party that talked about the dude from italy who they say stole the election with a satellite. remember those bamboo particles that republicans claimed were in

arizona ballots? those ninja freaks, whatever they were called, that went in and they were going to show that biden stole the election but it ended up that they can't get even -- they just get more votes for joe biden. they called one lie to another lie. websites run by chinese religious cults. you heard it right. websites run by chinese religious cults. this is what america wants? of course, there's always been one phony controversy after another, so republicans can govern by gesture and proclaim their need to be radical. so they can own the libs. lately, those politics of gesture have morphed into actual policies that are hurting you. that are hurting you and your family. that are hurting americans in trump states. the texas governor attacks truckers in his own state because he thinks that's how he

owns the libs. but he ended up costing texans $4 billion. and there, as jen said, there is a florida governor's crazed aid attack with his war on the magic kingdom. again, to own the libs. he's just owning his own taxpayers in central florida. yesterday, a harshly written supreme court draft that we talked about leaked on monday that will end a 50-year constitutional right. get this, that only 19% of americans support being stripped away. only 19% of americans want to ban abortion. what lies ahead if trumpists keep winning? it's just getting worse. candidates like jd vance say they want the centralized state in washington, d.c., to seize all assets of the ford foundation because they are

insufficiently loyal to donald trump. a man that he still claims had the 2020 election stolen from him. these people are, if i can quote aristotle here, crazy as a shithouse rat. >> oh, my gosh, joe. >> i'm sorry. jonathan lemire, i study greek philosophy. i study classics, the classics. these people are absolutely crazy. >> yeah, that was great recall of the aristotle quote, joe. you're right. this is what the are the and his team have tried to do, as i wrote earlier this week. for so long, to the frustration of some democrats, the president has not wanted to directly engage with trump and trumpism. in fact, he never mentions trump's name. in fact, research was done yesterday when he talked about maga. this is the third day since taking office he's used that word, "maga." he doesn't like to talk about trump and his people directly.

in part, because he still believes that there can be some issues in which republicans and democrats can work together. even though members of his own senior staff feel like that is sort of outdated. that's biden remembering his time in the senate when he could reach across the aisle and get things done. they have told him that washington doesn't really exist anymore. yes, they got the infrastructure deal done in a bipartisan fashion last year, but that is the exception rather than the rule. what we'll see, and it started yesterday, is a more direct engagement with the forces that control the republican party. he's not going to use trump's name, i am told, but they're going to paint severe contrasts with things like voting rights, january 6th and democracy, economic policy, and now, of course, in the wake of this leaked draft opinion on abortion rights. they're going to make it -- they know they face a challenging environment this fall. they're the party in power. they tend to lose seats. inflation is big. interest rates, we saw what the

fed did yesterday. this is going to be tough, but they feel like their best chance is to draw a sharp contrast between what they're trying to do and what the republicans and, namely, the trump republicans have tried to do, and paint a picture of what it'd be like if they come back to power. >> let's continue our seminar this morning on greek philosophy with a member of the "new york times" editorial board, mara gaye. good morning. great to see you. everything joe laid out, you'd like to say, that's the extreme, that's the fringe. except if you look at these races we've been watching the last few days -- go to ohio, welcome at pennsylvania, go down to georgia -- these themes have become the mainstream. the congress people joe just mentioned are in those states campaigning with candidates like jd vance, who won the republican nomination. yes, they're crazy, but they're also inching toward the mainstream. they're the themes on which all these candidates are now running in order to curry favor with

donald trump, who they believe can put them into office. >> absolutely. i mean, trumpism is the animating force of the republican party in this moment. i think the scary moment for so many americans, including myself the other day, was that we saw it was not only the animating force, that extremism behind the republican party, but we saw how deeply that extremism has infected our most sacred institutions. i mean, the kind of activism and extremism we saw in the leak drafted memo. hopefully it won't look as it did in the draft eventually, was really alarming to people. my frustration, i have to say is, and it is really important the president is finally starting to talk about the party of republicanism and trumpism as it is today and how extreme it has become, it is really important he names that. but my frustration is hearing so

many of my educated, engaged friends who don't work in politics or journalism, who were genuinely surprised the other day. they never thought in their lifetime they would see roe overturned or at risk. i think we have really failed to describe what's happening in this country. you know, if that's where they are, something has really gotten lost. because the republican party and, particularly, this extreme far-right part of the party, has actually been working toward this end for decades. so everything you're seeing from the democrats and from larger american society, who maybe they're not democrats but they support roe v. wade, they support same-sex marriage, they support loving the right to interracial marriage, they are concerned but are behind beck

decades of republican activism. >> this was so radical, alito felt the need to say, oh, by the way, just because we're going to go out of our way to wipe out a 50-year constitutional right that was built on cases like griswold, the right to conception, and to use conception, and all these other rights, whether talking about interracial marriage, whether you're talking about marriage equality that came out of the same legal reasoning, alito felt the need to say, okay, we're taking this away, but it doesn't mean we're taking these other cases away. they have nothing to do with abortion. well, that's one of the stupidest, like, throwaway lines i've ever seen in my life. conservatives -- and you say people need to be aware. okay, they do need to be aware of how dangerous this opinion is. they also need to be aware, mara, that for decades, these

same alito radicals have been attacking griswold. these same conservatives have mocked the right of women to even have the right to contraceptions. this has been an article of faith for conservatives since the mid '60s, since this decision came out. so the suggestion that the court can take away roe after a after century but can't take away the right for women to have contraception after 60 years, it is lunacy. everything is on the table now, especially with the crazy extremists that are in the republican party in washington, d.c. right now. >> that's exactly right. i think to see americans kind of slowly realize that has been heartbreaking. it has been a heartbreaking week. i don't -- >> yeah. >> i don't think people

understand, you know, in the world of politics how devastated and scared women are. i'm on text message threads. women are removing their information from period tracker apps, in case state legislatures come after them for having an abortion later on. there's a lot of concern in the country that, you know, day to day life is going to be impacted in ways we cannot even imagine and could not have even fathomed, you know, two years ago or a week ago. so it's a very scary time. and i have to say, as well, that it is a good time to just be honest about taking people at face value. i think when you look at trumpism, you have to believe what people in that movement are saying and take them seriously after their word. >> exactly. >> mara, thank you so much. greatly appreciate you being here and your insights. mika, remember yesterday when we played clips of

republicans saying they're going to be compassionate? rick scott, the same guy who wants to attack working class poor americans, middle class americans, because he doesn't think middle class or working class americans are carrying their load. i guess because the rich need to get richer in rick's eyes. remember, they talked about being compassionate about abortion. then you had high-profile republicans from washington, d.c., of course, and, again, i keep saying washington republicans. i know there are good people out there who are pro-life, who have been fighting for what they saw this week for a very long time. i know they're good people out there disgusted with the federal government and where they've gone -- where it's gone over the past 50 years. they're looking for alternatives. i understand that. we're talking about the crazy leaders in washington, d.c., that are being extreme. that are saying they hate the military. that are saying that they would never let their children go into the military because that would be like wasting their life.

how repugnant? some of these same people, mika, yesterday were mocking women. >> yeah. >> mocking women who are now going to be facing extraordinarily difficult choices regarding apportions. >> sick. >> there is no compassion there by this republican party. >> no. >> no compassion whatsoever. these washington republicans, these old men that are pushing this legislation, or that have been pushing this shift in the court, no compassion there at all for women who are going to be facing difficult choices. fascinating what happens when people they know in their own family have to face that choice. >> well, first of all, just to echo mara, women across america feel betrayed in the worst way. and you talk about that crazy fringe part of leaders in congress, and there are -- >> but they're not fringe.

kevin mccarthy said these people are going to be put in leadership position. these are the people that went up to jd vance to campaign for him at the end of his campaign. he chose to surround himself with people who said they hate the military, with people who said that they would never let their child be in the military because it would be wasting their life. the people who mocked women, who might have to face, like, these horrible choices in the future. the crazies have taken over the house republicans. >> yeah. and in the senate, you can see it at the very, very top level. you can see trump's grip even there. they may not act as crazy, but they can only say something about january 6th once, then they cower back into their corner in the most pitiful -- honestly, it's sad to watch these people, who should be protecting our democracy, not even able to stand up to january

6th. not even to ask for accountability about that. if you can't do that, what else can you -- we shouldn't be surprised when we hear them cowering every day from donald trump. they cannot stand up for themselves. so here we are. but we are at a point where the women of america are going to have to stand up and vote in ways they never have before. figure out how to move forward to get our rights back, if they are indeed taken away. in other news, the federal reserve raised interest rates for the second time this year, hiking them by half a percentage point, with the goal of getting inflation under control. nbc news business and tech correspondent jo ling kent has more. >> reporter: with inflation skyrocketing, willie price tells us she is praying prices come down soon. >> everything is high, almost unaffordable. food is high. the gas is high. electric bills went up. >> reporter: like the majority of americans, is she now lives

paycheck to paycheck. these realities pushing the federal reserve to take action again, raising interest rates by half a percentage point, the biggest hike in 22 years. >> inflation is much too high. we understand the hardship it is causing. >> reporter: the fed's goal, slow down spending to bring inflation down, which is soaring at 8.5%, a 40-year high. prices spiking across the board, from rent to groceries to gas. the national average for a gallon of regular $4.23, 10 cents higher than a week ago. >> i have not been able to do the complete fill up because, you know, i'm on a, basically, fixed income. >> reporter: now, higher interest rates will make loans more expensive, including new auto loans and credit card debt. interest rates on mortgages hitting 5.41%, up from just under 3% a year ago. >> our business could potentially start to dip based on the fact that people are

going to have to change their buying habits. >> reporter: chicago restaurant owner terri evans worries she'll have to pass along the higher costs to her customers, as she tries to expand. >> it is not an easy discussion because we want to do right by our customers, as well. >> jo ling kent reporting there. in a moment, steve rattner will be here with his charts to sift through the implications of this raised by the fed. first, a member of biden's council for economic advisers, jared bernstein. good to see you. your reaction to the fed move, is that an appropriate half point lift of the rate, and what is the impact on the economy? >> the president said weeks ago when he was nominating chair powell for another term that he supported this pivot to tighter monetary policy. the fed is, of course, the first and foremost inflation-fighting institution we have. i was just listening to your playing powell's comments

yesterday. they're very much in sync with what the president is talking about. every time he tals about the economy, he talks about the challenge this elevated inflation poses to family budgets. he also talks about what we're doing to try to help, which is, of course, essential, whether it is our work on supply chains, on shipping, on trucking, on trying to clear out some of those snarls, whether it is trying to make energy prices come down with his historically significant release of oil from our strategic reserves. lowering prescription drug costs, health care premiums. we have a very active agenda in that space, as well. >> jared, good morning. it is jonathan lemire. great to see you again. obviously, some of these inflationary concerns existed before vladimir putin invaded ukraine. but the two gs we keep talking about, groceries and gasoline, are directly impacted by the war. fuel prices up and groceries, as well. the war, officials believe, could last months if not years. how can you tame those price

concerns over that long of a time? >> well, it's by doing precisely the kind of things that i just ticked through, but also, of course, the work of the federal reserve is so important here. look, you're absolutely right. when it comes to commodity prices in general, of course, food and energy, putin's unprovoked invasion is very much in the mix. we talk about energy and gas prices, but we also have to look at metals, at fertilizer, at so many components that come out of that part of the world. so it's key for us to do all we can to reshuffle available supplies, to make sure we're doing everything to try to help ease those pressures. now, take energy, for example. i mentioned the release from the strategic reserve, but the president also worked with our allies to add another 60 million barrels to the release. i don't think that's been quite as reported. we're talking about 240 million

barrels from the strategic reserves. that is a temporary measure, but it is a very important bridge to get us to where we need to go. also, obviously, our renewable agenda, to take our nation, but also every other nation that's been affected by this. europeans are much more exposed to these commodity and energy pressures, to move toward renewable energy sources that not just are helpful to the environment but also geopolitically sound policy at this point. >> jared bernstein, member of president biden's council of economic advisers, thank you so much for being with us today. we greatly appreciate it. with us now, former treasury official and "morning joe" economic analyst steve rattner. he's brought charts to talk about the prevalence of aristotle quotes to make points across cable news in early morning. >> interest rates. >> you have charts on the yankees, how they're doctoring the balls. do we have a correlation between

mlb cheating for the yankees and the number of wins? what did you bring to us today? the kids are very excited. >> i have charts on what a great season the mets are having so far. >> the mets. >> we're rooting for them to win the world series for the first time in 35 years anyway. >> i love it. well, talk about your charts. i suspect they're on inflation which, for the kids at home who wake up just to see steve's charts before they go off to middle school, high school, let me tell you, steve rattner was warning about inflation along with one or two other people long before anybody else was. steve, the inflation hit. let's go through the charts. i'd love to hear your input on what you thought fed chairman powell's comments meant for the economy. >> sure, joe. i'll show charts that will put in graphic terms what you heard from your correspondent and jared a few minutes ago. what you can see on the left side is how much rates have gone

up. how much people's expectations, excuse me, of rates have gone up in a short period of time. if you go back a year, people expected rates to stay near zero. economists expected rates to stay near zero. as inflation became more prevalent, projections for rates this year began to rise and rise and rise. now, the expectation is rates to be at 3% by the end of the year, a dramatic increase, obviously, from near zero at what was expected the beginning of the year. you heard your correspondent talk about mortgage rates. you can see on the right that mortgage rates a year ago were just about 2.65%. now it is 5%. that's the fastest increase in mortgage rates in history. given what is likely to happen with the fed, as you see on the left, mortgage rates should continue to go up as we go on with this. now, obviously -- >> hey, steve, can i ask a quick question? >> of course. >> you know, there has been a debate in washington about whether joe biden had any right to blame inflation, at least partially, on the russian invasion of ukraine. you look at the chart on the

left, and you actually see inflation appeared to be going down. then ukraine invaded -- ukraine was invaded by russia, and those prices went up. only reason i bring this up is also, yesterday, the fed chairman suggested that the invasion of ukraine, along with china's disastrous zero covid polity, were two things pushing up prices for american consumers. >> i agree, joe. there is no question the war in ukraine, as well as what is going on in china, but the war in ukraine probably more importantly, has had a significant effect on inflation. you can see it in oil prices. i was in california yesterday, and gasoline prices are $6.50 a gallon. >> wriex. >> yikes. >> a reasonable amount of that is due to the war. you have the ukraine-russia region as being exporters of the food and wheat. it's been decreased so prices

are going up dramatically. that is absolutely part of it. you can see on the chart on the screen at the moment, expectations for inflation, how much it's gone up. a year ago, we were expecting inflation to be 2%. now, we're expecting 7% for the year. it was 8.5% last month. again, joe, to your point, i didn't mark the ukrainian invasion on this chart, but you can see what a jump it takes over the last couple months. that is ukraine. the turquoise line at the bottom is expected inflation for next year, also sitting at 2% and now it is at 3%. that may not sound like much, but the fed is committed to getting inflation back down to 2%. it means we could be looking at significant interest rates well into next year if inflation stays that way. then all of this, of course, has an impact on economic growth. this talk about recession, chairman powell said yesterday he was aiming for a, quote, softish landing.

i don't know how you'd feel if you were on the plane and the pilot announced he was aiming for a softish landing. but it is a really open question as to where this plane does land. you can see in the economic growth numbers. again, the forecast to growth dropped in less than a year from over 4%, almost 4.5%, down to 3% for this year. again, if you look at the pink line at the bottom, you can see for next year, expected growth down to 2%. we're really kind of starting to bump along the bottom, before we potentially dip into negative territory. so the market was happy with powell yesterday because he did what they wanted him to do, raise rates by half a percentage point. it seems all politicians from both sides are happy with that. again, it is a real question as to where this is going and how high rates will go, how high inflation will go, and what the impact of that will be on the economy, especially as we go into the midterms next year, joe. >> all right. thank you so much, steve. really appreciate it.

coming up, we know that lawmakers and family members are trying to talk to the former president, donald trump, desperately as the capitol attack was unfolding. they were like, "stop, stop." now, we're learning a far-right extremist group was working to get trump on the phone and talking to his intermediaries about him needing to call them all out to stop the transition of power. we'll have that reporting next. also ahead, two big moments from major league baseball. first, a strange staredown. >> kind of creeps me out. >> between innings. it leads to a starting pitcher getting tossed. a follow-up on the story we told you about yesterday, yankees star aaron judge does something really cool for a fan who gets emotional after getting a home run ball. "morning joe" is coming right back.

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founder, rhodes, as he tried to get in touch with president trump. wilson and prosecutors said he heard rhodes repeatedly implore the individual to tell president trump to call upon groups like the oathkeepers to forcibly oppose a transfer of power. the person of the phone didn't allow rhodes to speak to trump,

according to documents. attorneys for rhodes didn't response to nbc news' response for comment, but did tell cnn they were not aware of any time rhodes had direct contact with trump. they also said they had not heard previously about the call. the testimony comes as part of wilson's plea deal. he agreed to cooperate with investigators and testify if necessary. joining us now, justice reporter for nbc news, ryan riley, who has been covering january 6th from the fallout. good morning. tell us more about this attempted contact. was president trump at any point on january 6th in touch with these militia members? >> yeah, so this is an interesting development. yesterday, in fact, the judge paused when he got no paragraph and said, let me make sure i got this right. what it reveals is that there is some sort of trump intermediary who was perhaps serving as a contact between the oathkeepers and this far-right militia group. the oath keepers were in the

white house, essentially, on january 6th. the phone call took place in the hotel right above the -- you probably know where it is in d.c. not far from the capitol grounds. what the court document said, and the individual agreed to, is they were in a suite there. rhodes, the former head of the oath keepers, put someone who is unidentified in court papers on speakerphone and implored that person to tell the president to call up groups like the oath keepers to basically help stop the transition of power. ba basically, they wanted to bring in these groups they had outside of the capitol with guns to try to take over and stop the transfer of power. that individual denied the requests for rhodes to speak directly with trump which, you know, putting that in the court document is significant. i don't think it is in there if this is not someone who has the ability to put stewart rhodes in

touch with trump. it is clear this person has that capability. you don't know where this person comes from, whether it's someone inside the white house, within with the trump campaign, someone in trump's orbit, perhaps roger stone who has connections to the oath keepers. you know, this is a significant development because it indicates that as this attack was unfolding, the oath keepers were trying to get in direct contact with donald trump. >> ryan, good morning. it is jonathan lemire. for the record, i like the dubliner. secondly, go further on what you started to touch upon, these deep ties with members of trump's circle and the extreme groups. stone you mentioned, connections to the oath keepers and proud boys. also, there was a report this week that i believe one of the oath keepers was trying to get in touch with now congressman ronny jackson when he was on the hill because he had information important to january 6th. give us more on the ties of these groups and why investigators are so closely scrutinizing them. >> you know, the ronny jackson,

it wasn't clear whether there was a direct tie. there was discussion of protecting ronny jackson. in terms of the oath keepers communicating directly with him, it seemed rhodes wanted to but they didn't know how to get in contact with him. in this case, because this is a court document, a plea agreement, the feds obviously have rhodes' phone, phone records, because he is currently in federal custody. you know, obviously, they used some encrypted apps to communicate. i think they obviously know who this person was that was on speakerphone on january 6th. but, you know, it is remarkable. as you mention, the proud boys, this is someone -- the proud boys are someone that donald trump said, stand up and stand by. the oath keepers have all these links and were providing security for people in the broader trump universe. you know, leading up to january 6th. so i think these connections are significant, and it is just kind

of remarkable that you have this group that is charged with seditious conspiracy, that had such ties or was able to get in touch with someone who could have gotten in touch with trump. one degree of separation there is what the court papers allege. i do think it is significant, showing those ties of how close things really were to going in a completely different way on january 6th. >> all right. justice reporter for nbc news, ryan riley, thank you so much. mika, ryan brings up a great point. i was going to talk about what the president said, the former president said in the nationalized debate, when they asked him to separate himself from the proud boys. he, of course, wouldn't do it. he said, stand back and stand by. >> right. >> stand by for just this time. just this date. of course, the oath keepers, too, again, had their own contacts with people close to donald trump.

intermediaries with donald trump. yeah, it could have gone dramatically different on that day. you do wonder if that's one of the reasons donald trump kept stalling, wondering if they were going to make more significant progress with their violence. because he ignored his children, ignored -- once again, testimony that don jr. was saying that he has got to make a statement and stop this. you heard one republican leader after another telling him to stop it. kevin mccarthy begging him to stop it and then screaming at him when he wouldn't stop it. trump just kept watching the video of the violence play out. watching police officers getting brutalized. again, as we found out from testimony from people inside the trump house, the white house, actually stopping and rewinding the press coverage to see the particularly violent parts of

the insurrection, and celebrating that. being angry when people were telling him to call off the mob. >> well, i mean, in his video that he tweeted, he called these criminals in the middle of desecrating the capitol and interrupting the process of our democracy very special. he said, remember this day forever. kind of says it all. he could not tell them to stop. >> shows how sick he is. >> the violence. he is sick. >> and, again, it goes back to what we were saying before, mika. these washington republicans, since they've been under the sway of donald trump, they are crazy. >> with that in mind, it is 6 minutes past the top of the hour. along with that and the supreme court news over the past two days, democrats are trying to determine their next move on abortion rights. president biden sharpenings his

-- sharpens his message against the ultra maga agenda. we'll get to the new messaging. we're also following the latest developments from ukraine. new reporting that intelligence given to ukraine by the united states has led to the deaths of many of the russian generals killed in action. senior officias told "the new york times" the assistance is part of a classified effort by the biden administration to give ukraine real-time battlefield intelligence. that includes anticipated russian troop movements based off moscow's secret battle plans in the donbas region of eastern ukraine. nbc news has not been able to independently verify the report. >> ukrainian forces claim to have killed 12 generals on the front lines, but american officials didn't give a number of deaths related to the shared

information. the united states prohibits itself from providing information about the senior most leaders. after the "times" article was published, the national security council said the battlefield intelligence was not provided to the ukrainians, quote, with the intent to kill russian generals. let's bring in executive editor for news at new yorker.com, david road. and mike barnicle joins the conversation, as well. david, i'll start with you and your reaction to this. the nsc tried to not walk back but contextualize the news from the "new york times." yes, we share intelligence. it is part of the aid we're giving to ukraine. taking pains to say they did not provide specific intelligence that maybe led to the deaths of the high-ranking russian generals. >> the united states either must back ukraine in this conflict and provide the intelligence or

not. it is hair-splitting by the white house. i understand their concerns about provoking russia, but, again, we're providing massive amounts of weaponry to the ukrainians to fight the russians. we should be doing that. part of the cost of putin's invasion is these generals and many, many russian soldiers losing their lives. it seems to be hair splitting to me. this is what we have to do to defend ukrainians, i believe. >> mike barnicle, give us, if you can, parallels between what is going on here, what happened in afghanistan in '79 when mika's dad was running u.s. foreign policy for jimmy carter. also, what the soviets did against our troops in vietnam and in korea. >> you know, what is going on here, joe, is a massive influx of intelligence to the ukrainians, to help them win this war. not to hold the russians at bay but to win this war. it began at the immediate start

of the war. i would suggest that the united states was probably very instrumental within hours after the russians invaded ukraine this time, to completely am you amputate the russian command and control. that left them directionless in the field. large numbers of them directionless. so what happened then, they had to go to cell phones to communicate with each other. you have a commander in the east of the ukraine trying to connect with people who are outside with russian troops outside of kyiv, trying to take kyiv. the only way they can do it is with cell phone communications. they turn on the cell phone. that indicates where they are. the targeting aspects are deeply involved with the united states' technical capacity. boom, there goes one general. boom, there goes another general. the other aspect of it is the united states' ability to teach and train the ukrainians in the logistics of battle. we've been talking a lot about

logistics over the past five or six weeks. logistics doesn't mean take a left or take a right. it means, how do you move an army, a complete army, in this case the russian army, across vast expanses of territory with supply lines from mechanizd units, with food for the soldiers involved. all sorts of things that the united states has trained the ukrainians in. the russians are clearly without it. the amount of help we've given the ukrainians, thus far, not only hold the line against the russians but, in some case, turn the russians back from territory they've captured. it is far more important, in a sense, than all of the equipment we're sending, the weaponry we're sending. we're giving them the ability to stay in this battle on a narrowly basis. >> jonathan lemire, obviously, the white house at the start of this war was very cautious. they wanted to make sure they didn't do anything that would trigger an expansion of the war. vladimir putin was threatening

world war iii, threatening the use of nuclear weapons. but much has changed over the past eight, nine weeks. you have the secretary of defense going to europe, declaring it is not enough for ukraine to survive. he wants to bleed out the russians. he wants to weaken their military so they can never do this again. nancy pelosi this past weekend went to ukraine and poland, said the same thing. now, we're getting this intel that the u.s. seems to be all in as it pertains to intel. making a huge difference, of course, on the battlefield. so the question is, where is that line drawn now by the biden administration since it seemed to move so much over the past eight, nine weeks? >> yeah, i don't want to use the word swagger, but there is a confidence that's come from the white house, the biden administration, right now, as to how they've approached this war. they were, as you say, so cautious for a time. we all recall that the sort of blowback, initial consternation that president biden got when he got ahead of his administration,

in terms of calling putin a war criminal, suggesting he should be removed from power. that's changed now. officials like to say to me, he's been proven right. the rest of the world has caught up with biden. there's three things in particular they have focused on that are connected to this. mike hit one in terms of the communications and disabling what the russians can do there. secondly, on the eve of this war, we thought the russians, including u.s. officials, would blanket the globe with cyberattacks. that hasn't happened. u.s. officials have, a, helped prevent some of them, and, b, issued enough deterrents. if they attack the west with cyberattacks, it's clear we can hit them back. third, connected to this story about targeting the generals, it's part of a plan of the u.s. putting out there, right from the beginning, the intel that they have learned as to what the russians were doing. at first, they put it out there and made public to deter putin from going in, or prepare europe

and the rest of the world that putin might go in. since the conflict started, they keep putting it out there to almost stick it to the ex-kgb head, putin. hey, we see what you're doing. we know what you're doing up. some in forward policy circles last night when this "time" story came out, we know this is happening. why brag about it? officials tell me that's the point. they want to make sure putin knows we know exactly what you are up to, both in the kremlin and on the battlefield. mika. the u.s. state department says wnba star brittney griner has been, quote, wrongfully detained by the russian government. the reclassification that came earlier this week means the u.s. will be more aggressive in its effort to secure her release. instead of waiting for her case to make its way through the russian courts. it comes days after another american, trevor reed, a former marine veteran, was released from russian detainment last week.

david rohde, obviously, you've been especially focused on the story with your own personal experiences of being held. what do you think can be done in light of everything that is happening with ukraine, but with the president and trevor reed, to get brittney griner home? >> i think it is going to involve another prisoner exchange. the nature of americans being abducted abroad has changed. the majority of cases five years ago were insurgents and extremist groups. today it is authoritarian governments. russia, china, iran. americans being held overseas by autocratic regimes. i've been told by families, there was a gathering last night of families in washington, and there are at least offers on the table for the release of 16 of the americans, but they involve prisoner exchange. the good news is that this last exchange, the freedom of trevor reed, received bipartisan support. it was -- the president was praised for his leadership.

so i believe they should make these exchanges and can make an exchange for brittney griner. >> executive editor for news at "new yorker.com," david rohde, thank you. the midterm elections are looking to be framed as a choice between democrats and a republican party under the complete control of donald trump. here's what the president said yesterday. >> senator rick scott of florida, united states senator who is leading the republican national senate campaign committee, released what he calls the ultra maga agenda. it is a maga agenda all right. let me tell you about this ultra maga agenda. it is extreme, as most maga things are. what happens if the state changes the law saying that children who are lgbtq can't be in classrooms with other children? is that legit under the way the decision is written?

what are the next things that are going to be attacked? because this maga crowd is really the most extreme political organization that's existed in american history. >> when asked about the hypothetical example, jen psaki, the white house press secretary, later said he was nearly pointing out this republican party is capable of anything. she said the president's focus will not be on trump directly but on the candidates who are, quote, under the whim of the former president. so, joe, as we've been talk about already a bit this morning, the crazy in the republican party, and it is that. it is not extreme to call it that. it's made its way into the mainstream. we're seeing it in the senate election in ohio. we're seeing it down in georgia, where the lead of many of the conversations at debates and campaign speeches is, yes, the 2020 election was stolen. and the goal is to get the favor of donald trump so that you can be pushed into the senate or into the congress on the back of this agenda that president trump

laid out who, at its center, has a coup they're still going along with. >> as a former back bencher in the house, i made it my goal to ignore noise from back benchers in the house. you can't do that, though, when you have the next speaker of the house, likely, saying that he is going to take those most extreme members, the ones that are saying shocking things day in and day out, like they hate the united states military, or at least they'd never let their children join the united states military because it would be wasting your life. or a lot of the other really extreme things that are coming from these people. but those radical members, the most radical members of the house are the very people that jd vance invited up to ohio. >> yup. >>campaign.

vance, a guy who said we need to seize the assets of private organizations that oppose donald trump, that appears to be the future of this radical wing of the republican party in washington, d.c. let's bring in right now professor at harvard university, pulitzer prize-winning author annette gordon reed. professor, thank you for being with us. feel free, if you want to talk about the leaked document that came from the supreme court, we can talk about that. i must say, there was language in there that i found extraordinarily troubling. alito said, oh, by the way, all these other issues like contraception and interracial marriage, this decision that tears apart 50 years of precedent, this decision won't impact those decisions because those decisions are not about abortion. it's nonsensical logic. suddenly, it seems in 2022, everything is on the table.

what's your historical take of where we are right now as a country? >> well, i have to say, that was the language that interested me, as well. there's no principle basis, really, for distinguishing the situation. he mentions abortion takes a life that is a -- it is an opinion of his. it's a theological opinion that people could argue about. but depending upon when it takes place and so forth. but we are in an interesting moment. obviously, the leak was something that was unprecedented. there have been leaks of results of opinions, but not the actual draft opinion. so we're in different territory with the court now becoming as politicized as other branches of government. it's always -- politics is always involved in it, but this seems to be another level of it. i wasn't surprised by the result. some of the language, as you suggested, was problematic, but i was surprised by the way this came out. we'll have to see what happens

from here. >> yeah. >> concerns over the possible reversal of roe v. wade have prompted responses not just from capitol hill but from state and local governments, as well. speaking outside of planned parenthood facility yesterday, california governor gavin newsom promised to protect abortion rights. the loader of the most populist state in the country also had criticism for his own party for what he says has been a lack of effort against attempts by republicans to strip americans of their rights. >> across the spectrum of issues where is the democratic party? where is the party? why aren't we standing up more firmly, more resolutely? why aren't we calling this out? this is a concerted, coordinated effort. yes, they're winning. they are. they have been. let's acknowledge that. we need to stand up. where's the counteroffensive? this never happened in our lifetime. they're taking away rights that

have been affirmed over and over again and well-established. they're taking them away. wake up, america. i also find it just the height of perversity and absurdity, that these folks, a, lay claim to freedom, but perhaps more insidiously suggest that they're pro-life. when every single one of these folks that are out there trumpeting and championing this decision have consistently opposed prenatal care support. consistently opposed child care. consistently opposed paid family leave. consistently oppose all things to actually strengthen the family and provide the support for someone to live their lives out loud. to support working moms. consistently, the one group of people that over and over and over again oppose all of those

supports, and they claim to be pro-life? they're pro-birth. that's all this is about. it's the pro-birth party. then you are on your own. >> professor gordon reed, we've heard and seen a lot of that kind of passion, like we heard from governor newsom of california, along democrats, among women in the streets of this country over the last couple days, outside the supreme court, because the recourse, it turns out, is to put new people in power to prevent things like this. what do you expect to see this fall in the midterms? does this become an energizing issue for democrats to go out? the house is going to be an uphill climb for democrats. we know that. but to hold on to the senate, for example. >> well, i think that if they want to advance as a party, it has to be part of the discussion. you know, people are galvanized. i saw reports of people going out to the court, protesting. certainly the people i speak with, and from what i've read

and seen, there's a lot of concern about this. this is not something that is a surprise, as i said before, the result. but to see it, to see the language and to see the rational, at least in draft -- we don't know this is going to be the actual end -- but it is concerning. just about abortion rights but also, as we started about talking about what it portends for other rights people take for granted. it is a momentous thing, to take away rights people have come to expect for over almost 50 years. i think it'll be a viable question and debate and talking point and a battle cry, i would say, for democrats in the midterm. >> you know, mike barnicle, gavin newsom said that republicans weren't the pro-life party. they may be the pro-birth party. i take slight exception to that. if you look at everything he said about the republican party

opposing prenatal care, the republican party -- what else did he say -- they opposed child care. they opposed family leave. they opposed health care. you know, what have we seen for the past 12 years? the republicans saying, oh, we're going to replace and reform. no, they haven't done anything. the fact is, they do support the death penalty. that's one thing they support. but more and more, this seems to be a party that really does believe that life begins at conception but ends at childbirth. their responsibility ends at childbirth. oh, no, we'll take -- we'll protect during the time the woman is pregnant, but the second the baby is born, they're on their own.

this is not a party that gives a damn about those babies who are actually born and what happens to them after they're born. it is so hypocritical. >> yeah. you know, joe, that actually, i think, is the critical point of all of this, including the discussion that we've been having as a nation for the past four or five days since the leak became apparent. professor, you think about this a lot. you're a historian. you think about the role of america in terms of our culture, in terms of the world. so let me ask you this, in terms of being a motivating factor for voters this fall or in any election held prior to this fall's elections, the decision that was leaked. how about a group of people in this country who, when you're listening to governor newsom speak about it, a group of

people who wonder why the democratic party doesn't stand up in unity, in outrage, over the lack of child care tax credits, over the lack of family leave, over the lack of things that make people's lives a little easier, but they all stand up in unison, as they have this week, for this important issue, the right to the right of choice for women. no doubt that is a dominant issue. but there are other peripheral issues in people's lives that might take precedent over the right to choice by time the election rolls around. what do you think about that? >> well, i think it has -- it is such a personal issue that affects the lives of women. if you're talk about rape, incest, the idea that someone could force you to become a mother against your will is such a visceral and, you know, personal, as i said, question for people. i know parental leave, those kinds of things are important,

but this is about bodily autonomy. one of the things that has become clear is it is not just about being a pro-birth party. it is about attitudes about women and the role of women in society. i think that is at the crux of all of this. i think that women and people who are supporters of women see that. this is about the rights of women. the opinion talks about, you know, things that are traditional and things that have been a part of our nation's history. talking about a time period when women didn't have rights, when blacks didn't have rights. i think this opinion, because it opens the door to other things, even though it says it is not going to go there, that's not how it work. that's not how opinions work. language in opinions very often shows up and serves as a basis for other opinions. you can't just cut that off by saying, "we're not going to go there." i think this galvanizes people because they can see that it is

connected to other things that are very, very important to people. it's about autonomy. it is about citizenship. equal citizenship for women. >> you talk about a slip by -- slippery slope. you listen to what the professor said and gavin newsom said. when you have a government, when you have a party, when you have an extreme wing of a party that actually believes that they can do what they -- what they say they're going to do in this opinion, you have to recognize, this isn't about abortion. this is about a woman's freedom, american's freedom. it is control over their lives. freedom with what they do with their lives. it's autonomy over a woman's reproductive systems. like, you talk about extreme.

these people that have been running around talking about how they're champion of freedom and, oh, my god, please, you can't tell me to put a piece of paper over my mouth in the middle of a global pandemic that's killed over 1 million americans. that would impact my freedom. yet, these same people have been trying for 40 years to have the supreme court take control of the woman's freedom and her reproductive rights. >> it's the ultimatehypocrisy. >> it is moving in that direction. i'll say again, the opinion page this morning, alito's clerks must have been writing their opinions on the editorial page

the last two day. we quote them positively here, but the last two days has been nonsensical. today, there was a claim, oh, oh, listen, don't worry. they're not going to take away your right to contraceptives. they're not going to take away marriage equality. they're not going to take away the right for americans to have contraception. they won't do that. unlike roe, those are very popular issues. >> uh-huh. >> wait a second, i thought this wasn't a popularity contest. that's what conservatives always say. by the way, as brett stevens brought up yesterday in "the new york times," only 19% of americans think abortion should be banned. only 19%. >> we're going to be talking about popularity contests. >> what's crazy is the "wall street journal" in claiming abortion was very contentious, they actually put that number in there. only 19% of americans believe

abortion should be banned. and 80% of americans believe that abortion should be allowed sometimes or always. this is an extreme decision by an extreme element in the republican party in washington, d.c. it is going to have extreme implications on america, whether you're pro-life or pro-choice. it is a dangerous, dangerous precedent. >> 100%. still ahead on "morning joe," national security analyst clint watts has maps at the big board, breaking down the latest movements by russian forces in eastern ukraine. also ahead, new detail on the on-stage attack of comedian dave chappelle. what we're learning about the man who stormed the stage armed with a knife. plus, america passes a once unthinkable milestone in the pandemic. 1 million covid deaths. we'll reflect on how the country got to this point and where we

could be headed with the virus. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back.

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we got a nice follow-up to a story we told you about yesterday. the 9-year-old boy who was emotional after he received a home run ball hit by his hero aaron judge was handed to him by a bluejays fan up in toronto. he is a yankee fan, derek rodriguez. the 9-year-old lives in toronto by loves the yankees and aaron judge. look at the look on his face.

the jays fan, mike, catches the home run ball and gives it away to young derek. well, ahead of last night's game, the boy teared up again. you can imagine why. he was greeted by his hero, aaron judge, in the yankee dugout after batting practice. what a great moment. judge signed that home run ball that he was carrying with him since he got it the day before. >> cute. >> also gave the boy a pair of his battle gloves. as you can see, judge spending some time with the fan who originally caught the ball, as well. so, joe, this kid, derek rodriguez, he brought the home run ball with him to school. he lives in toronto. prized possession. he gets a phone call. we'd like you to come back to the game. somebody would like to speak to you. you can see it's his hero, aaron judge. judge was reported to get a little choked up himself during that moment, as well. >> well, it is so nice. only in canada. only in canada. you do, of course, have to

question the child's priority, being a yankees fan. at the same time, you know -- >> it's cute. >> -- he is making the best of a difficult situation. no, that was actually so sweet. such a nice moment. for people that don't understand just what baseball means to kids, what it means to their parents, that video really explains it all. there's just a love. there's an absolute love for the game. we saw it yesterday, actually, play out in miami. there was deep abiding love. in this case, though, a degree of love, willie, i think made us all feel a little uncomfortable. in fact, it was kind of creepy. >> yeah. >> this was weird. this was weird. arizona starting pitcher madyson bamgarner ejected after foreign substance. to get a sense of how change this was, the opposing marlins

pitcher is given a quick touch as he headed back to the dugout. okay, yeah, everything is good. go back to the dugout. here's how it went for bamgarner. first plate umpire kind of, his gaze never leaves bumgarner's eye. look at that. oh, get out of there. >> oh, my gosh. >> he is massaging -- >> is that in slo-mo? >> -- his hand. what is that? stop. no. >> what? >> bumgarner -- >> you want someone to love you. oh, i'm sorry, go ahead. holy cow. >> bumgarner said, i get the check. let go of my hand, pal, but he wouldn't let go. the eye contact, i think, got him, mike barnicle. >> wow. >> bumgarner starts barking at the first place umpire, is run out of the game. that was just after the first inning. >> yeah. you know, i don't know what bumgarner said to him. i can take a guess, and it is something i can't say here. to be thrown out of the game for

that, and the lingering on the hand is beyond weird. beyond weird. >> yeah. >> i prefer to focus on the new york yankees and aaron judge and that little boy. as joe just indicated, that capsulizes the romance of the game. you pass it on to your sons and daughters, and they carry it through. a wonderful moment. wonderful moment. >> it was. i know it's painful for this red sox panel to hear, but aaron judge is one of the great guys in baseball. we've seen all the scenes where, in between innings, he'll have catch with a kid up in the crowd, sitting in the right field bleachers. >> let's not get carried away here. >> that young boy wanted a game. the bluejays fan said, i'll try to get you a ball. they were trying to call to the bullpen. as luck would have it, ball came up and immediately gave it to the kid. >> willie, another way to look

at it, yankee makes kid cry. that's the other spin. >> exactly. >> that's weak. >> here we go. still ahead, the latest in the man hunt for an accused killer and a corrections officer who authorities believe helped him escape from jail in alabama. look at him walking right out. >> wow. >> getting in the car. >> kind of easy. plus, why local police won't be assisting the secret service at a planned trump rally in pennsylvania this week. "morning joe" is coming right back. ♪ memories like the corners of my mind ♪ ♪ misty water memories of the way we were ♪

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any time you have to pass a civil rights bill to make voter registration, voting opportunities increase for black people in this country, that in itself is a slap at the system of democracy. the only thing that will affect voter registration is when our own leaders form some kind of political education program that makes our people become more politically mature, politically alert, and aware of what their involvement and participation in politics will bring them. so it's not so much voter registration without voter education is a waste of time. legislation will do neither. >> that was malcolm x speaking about voting rights back in

1965. our next guest is examining significant moments of injustice and inequality throughout u.s. history. professor michael eric dyson joins us now, co-author of "unequal, a story of america." also still with us for the conversation, professor at harvard university, pulitzer prize-winning author, annette gordon reed. professor dyson, i'd like to just ask what the hope is that you have, that readers will take away of this chronicing of key moments in history, key people in history, and then kind of aligning them with modern counterparts. >> yes, beautifully stated. thank you so much, mika. you know, what we're hoping is to engage young people especially, but america more broadly, in a vigorous conversation, a robust interrogation of the events, the ideas that have sparked serious change and revolutionary transformation in american society, connected to black

people, connected to the black struggle, but really seeing it as malcolm x just articulated as the american struggle. and to understand that america is poorer without the contributions of these communities and the events that led to some of the change about which we speak. especially now when we're banning books and we're keeping ideas away, and as preacher joe this morning, and billy graham, td jakes wrote up together maybe with a little jonathan edwards thrown in, if you're talking about defending the freedom of press, the freedom of ideas, and the free exchange of information that allows people to make informed decisions, then you've got to really engage, not retreat. that's what this book is all about. >> annette gordon reed, i'll let you take the next question, but, really, the timing of this book when it feels like we're going backwards in so many ways.

>> mm-hmm, yes, it is an important message. i think -- i haven't read the book yet, but i will, michael. i want to get to it. >> thank you, annette. >> the important things you're mentioning, a lot of these things are happening at the local level. it is important for you have to participate not just when someone is running for the president, but school board elections, local elections, state and all levels of government in democracy people are supposed to participate. that is what it depends upon. and if you don't, other motivated people are going to do it and making decisions for you that you might not like so much. so it is very important message. >> yeah, no, absolutely. and i think that message is extremely valuable and we talk about that voting rights, we talk about poly murray, we speak about everybody from mary church terrell down to nicolle jones because we're trying to grabp with democracy on a local level.

look at the supreme court decision, it throws it back to the states but in history we've seen that states rights has often been a signal for denying the legitimacy of certain constituents, whether it is women, african americans and migrants and latinos and others and that is why we have to be informed to fight back against this culture of ignorance and the val vorization of the lack of knowledge that is troubling in this nation. >> professor, we just saw a film clip of malcolm x. nearly every american has seen film clips of john lewis and selma and martin luther king through the ages with it is all over our media at specific times. we all know or most of us do know about the inequity in terms of race. we all know and feel that race is the third rail of american politics. but there has been introduced into our political culture and our culture itself, i would

submit, over the last ten years, fear of the other. >> yes. >> and the other means that pretty soon america will not be a majority white nation. what has been in your view the most dangerous aspect of race in this country? was it the '60s and the fight for civil rights, the daily fight for civil rights or is it now with this -- the other. >> that is well stated and we know at each moment we think about enslavement and reconstruction and post reconstruction, and 1 years there when you had people going to the senate and in congress or 2,000 elected officials but it was quickly taken back. there was violence to reinforce the anti-voting prospects for african american people. and now, as you say, it is the fear that the diminishing of the white race, let's be honest

here. the fear of disappearance genetically drives the paranoia about abortion. here we are now looking at a supreme court decision in the offing that is about protect that womb at all cost, even if there is rape, even if there is incest. what is that about? it may have something to do with morality and edge wicks but they are quite problematic but it is about a fear about the genetic disappearance of whiteness in this country and i think what is important here is that you nailed it. there is a fear that black and brown and other peoples of color will now be dominant and may do to us what historically we've done to them. but if you look at the history of african american people in particular as i do in this book, there has been nothing but love and consideration for america, belief that america offers the best chance of a possible life that is good and fruitful, but only if we fight for it. and in this book, we talk about the fear of having black books. you're going to ban martin

luther king and tony morrison, ban people who think critically and insightfully about the very issues important to this nation and this fear of this discomfort that might result from white students facing the truth, i think what the real fear is that these white kids, because i teach them every day, get mad at their parents, why didn't we learn this. it is not what you think will happen to them. it is about what they will say to you in response to what they've just learned. >> good morning to the esteemed professor dyson from the esteemed vanderbilt university. gs to see you. one of the things you do well in the book is tie the events of the past to what is happening in the country right now and you have a piece about martin luther king jr. and everyone knows i hope everyone knows by now that he was in memphis when he was killed and in support of sanitation workers there fighting for equal pay and you connect his work there to the

fight that continues today on equal pay. >> yes. it is extremely important to talk about. dr. king in the context of racial and economic justice. he was in a jail in birmingham and they said segregation is the right way to go and not integration and they began to argue and finally doctor king said and asked the jailer, houx money do you make? and when he told him, he said you need to be out here marching with us. so he understand the fight for equal pay is important and with the denial of people through wage equity, there a job that is meaningful is it central to the american story and unless we're able to use our brawn and brain together in order to achieve a life that is worthy of the respect of our families, then all of these ostensible family values mean nothing and dr. king understood that and the fight today for a justice wage carries on that story. >> yes, it does. michael eric dyson, thank you so

much. the new book is "unequal, a story of america", professor and annette gordon-reed thank you for being on this morning. and coming up, a senior u.s. defense official said russia's progress on the battlefield in ukraine has been slow and uneven. clint watts will break down the latest troop movements for us at the big board. we'll have that coming up. plus more political fallout over that leaked draft opinion sugging the supreme court is poised to overturn roe v. wade. two leading house democrats representatives stacey plaskett and richie torres join the conversation. "morning joe" is back in just a moment. find your beat your moment of calm find your potential then own it support your immune system with a potent blend of nutrients

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florida, united states senator, who is leading the republican national senatearral campaign committee released the ultra maga agenda. it is a maga agenda all right. let me tell but this agenda, it is extreme as most maga things are. >> top of hour, president biden takes on the trump wing of the gop slamming the quote extreme ultra maga agenda. it comes as democrats shift their messaging against trump republicans. will will it work? and in a moment clint watts will join us from the big board as the desperation continues inside of that steel plant in mariupol. it all comes amid news u.s. intelligence may have been used to take down russian generals on the battlefield. plus, more fallout from the leaked draft opinion on the overturned of roe v. wade. congresswoman stacey plaskett will join us with more on that and where the january 6

committee stands right now. and then this wild footage from alabama. of a corrections officer caught on tape allegedly helping an accused killer escape from jail. just casually walking out the door. and now she's on the run, too. it is just after 8:00 a.m. on the east coast as we kick off the third hour of "morning joe." jonathan lemire and mike barnicle are with us with along with joe and willie and me. and new details come to light on the true toll of putin's invasion, this as more u.s. weapons arrive in ukraine every day. nbc news correspondent aaron mclaughlin has the very latest. >> reporter: this morning americans supplied howitzers are part of the fight in ukraine. a senior defense official telling nbc news 90% of the howitzers are in ukrainian hands with some being used on the

battlefield. >> the flow into the region continues at an incredible pace. >> reporter: the u.s. congressman also telling nbc news that ukraine is now asking the biden administration for anti-ship missiles. to free up vital port as long the black sea. this despite a fresh warning from the russian defense minister that any movement of nato weapons in ukraine is considered a target. and they have been attacking transportation hubs but they have had no impact on ukraine's ability to resupply itself according to a senior u.s. deeft official. and this morning "the new york times" reports that the u.s. has provided intelligence that helps the ukrainians target and kill russian general as cording to unnamed senior american officials. although sources declined to say how many generals have been killed as a result. nbc has not verified those claims and a national security council spokesperson told the times in a statement that the battlefield intelligence was not

prorided with the intent to kill russian generals. the last ukraine strong hold of the devastated port city of mariupol. despite this week's harrowing rescue mission, hundreds of civilians and fighters are still trapped inside. we counted the minutes between each bombing. five minutes, ten minutes this survivor said. we expected to die any minutes. an investigation by the associated press now estimated 600 civilians died on march 16th when the russians bombed the mariupol theater. you new death toll double the estimate and the product of a detailed analysis of what happened. with russian forces now in control of the most of mariupol, there is no way to know for sure and no way to honor the dead inside of the city. >> nbc's erin mclaughlin reporting for us this morning from kyiv. joining us now, msnbc contributor clint watts. it is good to see you. let you take us through the board. con flicking reports about what

is happening again at the steel factory in mariupol. russia said some humanitarian corridors are open and yet they continue to bomb the steel plant. what are you seeing on your map. >> no real russian advances yesterday of significance other than trying to go into the steel factory. i'm going into blue today to show what the ukrainians have been able to achieve. they've gone 40 kilometers here, into what essentially was around kharkiv. it was under intense bombing from the first days of the war. as the ukrainians push them out into this area, you're seeing less artillery is dropped. they can't do it precisely. separately, in this entire area here, you're starting to see ukrainian military defenses built up and you're seeing russian forces probing on many different axis. you'll see the ukrainians trying to defend here. separately, when we zoom in and look closer, several key things are happening.

one, let me see if i could get this pulled up. let me go to the east. here what you're seeing is the russians trying to advance on several different fronts. so in each of the axis, the ukrainian military building up defensive positions and blocking them off. what you're seeing here is the ukrainian military pushing for this corridor into izum. and each advance are straight lines across the border here. what you're seeing is on this board trying to encircle this area here. this is western donbas. if they could bring each of the corridors together they have success. but they have not been able to do that. and that report about u.s. intelligence possibly helping the russian -- or the ukrainian military targeting russian military. russian generals, we're talking about a general coming to the corridor here and essentially coming to take charge and lead that effort.

they're then gathering in large formations. a reer, these russians are operating in occupied ukraine. there is a lot of human sources in this area that could help the ukrainian military as well in terms of targeting. plus the advance of those weapons that are coming in. there is anything i would note just big picture as we zoom back out as, i would say this, for every one of these axis, they're starting to get stymied and taking heavy casualties here and the ukrainian military is pushing in. one, three and five, that is what we say in the military, look at those classes, food and fuel and ammunition. the russians are in trouble. they're having a hard time resupplying forwardch the ukrainian military as well. there has not been oil or gasoline coming into this the area and they lack the transport. so it is a battle of logistics in the next two to three weeks. >> you know, clint, over the past couple of weeks you've done such a great job at the board and helped us get into the mind

of the russian generals and the strategists about what they wanted to do. several times they wanted to move troops from the south and then from the north to meet the middle to cut off the ukrainians. it seems like every morning that you're here we're talking about what they've tried to do and yet it seems they've accomplished very little, especially of course up in kyiv which is all blue now. but even in the donbas, where we are expecting them to move much more quickly, have they made any progress over the past two, three weeks. >> very limited. in some of the places here, i will see if i could zoom in zyum. but we're talking small. it is not enough to change the shape of the battlefield. second, even when they're making advances, they're coordinating forces but as they coordinate this provides time for the ukrainians to resupply and readjusted and they're just

using a lot of dumb indirect fire weapons and i mean not precision guided. and i believe i think across the board is they're running out of the guided missions and sanctions will take hold, to make missiles and make aircraft. they have not used aircraft successfully because they were flying too low. first weeks we saw a hundred aircraft shot down by ukrainian anti-aircraft. if they can't get in here and target in a very direct way and really bring their air power to bear with their ground forces, they're going to really struggle in the ukrainian military will continue to do well. >> mike barnicle, the expectations for the russian military have been from the beginning have overestimated their abilities first up in kyiv. we kept seeing a long convey expecting to go in and crush kyiv. it just never happened. and then they relocated baptiste going into the donbas.

but clint just said something fascinating because what we heard, it makes a lot of sense in, open spaces and open fields that are more like kansas instead of urban landscape, you would think that would benefit the russians. but no what are we seeing, as clin brings up, there are a lot of people, a lot of ukrainians in occupied territory that are now actually sympathetic toward the ukrainian cause. they may not have been sympathetic toward the ukrainian cause two or three months ago. but the russians, especially vladimir putin have made so many ukrainians even in these occupied territories, more sympathetic toward the russians. what does that mean? when there is troop movements and the ukrainians are hearing about it and we see a general go out and stick his head out there to try to help on the front lines in the east and what happens? he and everybody else around him gets bombed. so now it even seemed these open spaces are targets that really

make the russians a bit more vulnerable than we would have expected even two weeks ago. >> yeah. you're right, joe. we're watching every day that clint is on the board and talking about this, is that daily diminishment of the russian army. it is an exhausted and ill-prepared army. and they don't have field or colonels and majors and captains the way that the american army does out in the field so they have to bring in generals from moscow. but clint, one of the things that seems to be critical here and maybe you could talk about it a bit. is the lack of targeting and the lack of intelligence that the russians seem to have in terms of resupplies. american resupplies of weaponry throughout ukraine. we're getting massive amounts of weaponry into that country, flawlessly. >> yeah. and mike i think one of things that is most interesting is the u.s. and its nato partners could get supplies to the border of

ukraine faster than the russians could get supplies into ukraine to their own troops. which just demonstrates the power of the u.s. military. we've seen it all the way since world war 2. logistics is what puts the u.s. above any of its adversaries and technology as well. when you look at these supply lines here, bell go rod is down from izyum and in terms of the resupply, you notice three weeks ago they were behind -- helicopter attacks on the oil supply and rear area attacks on russian manufacturing and resupply. that is very unusual to see. and even on the corridor in izyum, now as we see the ukrainians advancing, they're going to try to take this line of supply and communication. if the russians can't hold on to those, they're in a dire state. the other part that remarkable is in this area here, they're just using indirect fires, they're not coordinated with their aircraft and they're not advancing in a very aggressive way and every day that they

don't advance, every day that they can't finish off the steel factory that they were talking about in mariupol, they cannot move troops to donetsk. if they can't move them, every day is a victory for the ukrainians in terms of resupply and moving the weapon news the eastern part of ukraine. >> all right, clint watts. thank you very much. now to political fallout that continues over the leaked draft opinion suggesting that the supreme court is poised to overturn roe v. wade. a decision that would have sweeping consequences for millions of americans on both sides of the abortion debate. nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander reports. >> reporter: overnight this new nonscaleable fencing being installed around the supreme court. after heated clashes in recent days on the steps of the court and nationwide. between americans on both sides of the abortion battle. [ crowd chanting ] the question this morning, what

happens next if the supreme court follows through on its leaked draft opinion that overturned roe v. wade. president biden slamming the draft. >> this is about a lot more than abortion. >> warning the court to unravel same-sex marriage and couldn't raw sepgs and taking aim the maga movement. >> because this maga crowd is the most extreme political organization that has existed in american history. and in recent american history. >> reporter: nancy pelosi slamming the draft as an assault on women. >> did violence not only to women, but to the constitution of the united states. >> reporter: but republicans like governor ron desantis in florida are taking a wait and see approach. largely focusing on the leak. >> you know, you could leak stuff out of a court, which is really unprecedented, but let's see when you actually have something rendered. >> over turning roe would not outlaw abortion but leave it up

to state legislatures to decide whether there should be restrictions. north dakota is among the 13 states with so-called trigger laws that would ban abortion with the exceptions for the health of the mother if roe is overturned. >> it means lights out in north dakota. >> it will be the move worked toward for 50 years. >> we may have an opportunity to build consensus and pass laws to save lives all over the country. >> reporter: it is already heating up as a crucial issue heading into the midterms with democrats looking to capitalize. but republicans insisting it won't matter in november. >> we're going to win in 2022. and roe v. wade is not going to change the outcome. >> all right, that is nbc's peter alexander with that report. joining us now, democratic congresswoman stacey plaskett who represents the united states virgin islands and democratic congressman richie torres who represents the south bronx of new york. good to you have both.

stacy, how much does this leaked draft opinion do you think change really the scope of the voters that dems may want to try and attract in the midterms? >> well first, a belated happy birthday to you, mika. it is all week for yu birthday. >> thank you. of course. >> but i think that it changes in the sense that we actually now, many americans could see the real opinion and the thought process of the extreme right of the republican party. where, alito said in his opinion that, listen, this is not a right that women have always had therefore we have the ability to take it away. does that also hold for voting rights, for black people and hold for segregated schools and gay marriage. this is a water point that the democrats need to capitalize on. and i'm hopeful that we're going to do that. >> you know, it is so interesting, congressman torres, you saw a guy who loves wading

in controversy, ron desantis. he'll even take on mickey mouse. when he's asked about roe v. wade, he said hold on let's wait and see what decision is. let's be calm. i mean, ron desantis never, never holds back like that. but there is a reason why and it is something that desantis is gooding to face and republicans across will face if this becomes law. this yesterday from the tampa bay times, a poll that asks, how many floridians support roe v. wade and how many floridians want it overturned. the numbers 68% agree with roe v. wade in florida. only 23%, one in five voters in florida, want roe v. wade overturned. it seems the harsh ideology is going to come face-to-face with some of their own voters'

desires. it makes it tough out there for some republicans. >> i agree with you. ron desantis is normally an overzealous cultural warrior so his silence is telling but the majority of people support roe v. wade and the draft opinion from justice alito is a frontal assault not only on reproductive rights but a whole range of legal cases plafr particularly landmark lgbt cases and if the supreme court, if the government can determine whether you could have an abortion, then where do you draw the line? could the government determine who you could marry or be intimate with or how you could raise your children? all of these rights that we've long taken for grants are at risk. >> it is good to see you both this morning. congresswoman plaskett, i'll begin with you. it is nice to have brooklyn and the bronx represented on the show this morning.

let me ask you about the economy. we're talking about the cultural issues but front ander at least republicans hope so will be inflation and how expensive as you know it is go to fill up your car with a tank of gas or to scan through a grocery line these days. unemployment is low, yes there are more jobs than we could fill in this country but people are having trouble paying for things right now. how do address that to voters come fall? >> i think we agree with them. that, yes, prices are too high. and we explain what our process isond aur -- and our plan to bring those prices down. we need to remind americans of what this president and this administration and having a unified congress has been able to do. we saved americans lives. the democrats were the ones that saved americans jobs and americans businesses. and if you stick with us, we're going to be the ones that will bring us out of this inflation and supply chain issues. that if you go to the other side, none of these things are going to be there.

and that is the clear message that the democrats have got to be laser focused on to agree with americans, yes, this is true and yes you are facing these problems. we have addressed the others just like we've addressed covid and we got us out of it. we faced job lost and businesses being closed and we got us out tv and we as democrats are the only ones who care about your everyday life and we're going it get you out of all it. >> and the inflation to be sure and also in deed if the roe v. wade decision if it is overturned there is a sense a burden will fall on those who are less well off, communities of color, that they are -- don't have the access or means and to have the services that others might. you represent a district that has had periods of economic struggle. tell us about what this would be for the people who live where you represent? >> as far as inflation? >> no either way inflation or on

abortion rights. if these things were taken away from them. >> thankfully we have strong protections here in new york state. but if roe v. wade is over turned, abortion is illegal immediately in 13 states and could become illegal in as many as half of the states so people would have to travel out of state to access basic reproductive care and there are people of color that lack the means to travel to simply access health care. so it will impose a disproportionately burden. and inflation has a huge impact on my district but the best way to address inflation is to lower of the cost. cap the price of insulin at $25. i'm a strong advocate for the child tax credit. and research has shown that the most common use of ctc payments are food, utilities and housing which are precisely the sectors hardest hit by inflation. >> so congresswoman plaskett,

let's talk about when the rubber literally hits the road with this decision which will come down after 40 years of effort roe v. wade will be overturned. >> that seems almost -- >> a little scary. >> yeah. so let's say you have a daughter, 17 years of age and you live in lubbock, texas and you're daughter becomes pregnant with her boyfriend and you can't afford for her to have her child at 17. because you think her life would pretty much be over in the sense of growth. so you literally then in lubbock, texas, if this passes, after getting in your car and traveling, what, 250, 300 miles, maybe more, texas is a big state to find help for your daughter. how do you explain that to the

american voters? the impact, the single impact of just one aspect of this decision. >> i think we have to explain it to the american voters that the republican party does not care about your life. they care about power. they care about having control. and this is another instance in which they are trying to exert that on you. that i as a mother and you as a father will have to become criminals inform texas law to take your daughter, to take your wife to make health decisions that you all believe is the appropriate one for their life. this gop, these extreme right have made american citizens who are trying to do the right thing in the long-term, for the economic and emotional and mental stability of their families criminals. >> it is really unbelievable. and again, here you have a party that loves to go around

trumpeting themselves as champions of freedom. you can't put a cloth across my face in the middle of a pandemic. i control my oeb body and now and now it is the republican party, the same people that are taking away a womans a right to control their life, their bodies, their own reproductive organs. what hypocrites. >> joe, you know -- >> yeah, go ahead. >> the republican party has never been shy about the fact that those rights and privileges to be able not to wear a mask or it be able not to get vaccinated are really just for them. it is not for every day americans. they do not care about every day americans lives or else as richie said, they would have voted for the child tax credit. they would have voted for family leave. they would have voted to bring down the costs of insulin. they are not interested in your life. they are interested in power and the ability to keep it for

themselves. >> and there is this weird obsession, mika, with masculinity. hyper masculinity. >> strength. >> among people on the trump right. a war on masculinity. ier if democratic members of the supreme court appointed by democrats started to try to control their -- their reproductive organs. oh, my god, they'd go crazy. they're obsessed enough with them right now and their lack of masculinity. it is just bizarre. >> so some members of congress stacy plaskett and richie torres, thank you for being on this morning. we wan to take a quick look at morning pains. the connect post said lawmakers have approved a package of bills that will provide tens of million dollars to address the pandemic's toll on state's youth. the bills are aimed at

attracting more school psychologists, expanding mental health services, offering higher education grants and supporting mobile mental health clinics. the portland free press reports on maine's first black supreme court justice has been sworn in. lawrence is eager to get to work and acknowledged the generations before him to, quote, made this historic day possible. to new york where the york dispatch reports google has begun accepting applications to remove personal information including phone numbers and physical addresses and mails from its search results. google said it is making the change to protect users from, quote unwanted direct contact or even physical harm. the tribune review in west moreland pennsylvania, the sheriff's office will not assist

the secret service at a trump rally. the decision to pull out came late after a late legal advice from the county solicitor which advised there could be liability concerns for the sheriff's office because the event is being held on private property. the former president will be in pennsylvania to support republican senate candidate dr. memit oz as a rally that is expected to draw more than 20,000 people. >> you know dr. oz and what trump have in common. >> what is that? >> they used to be huge pro-choice guys. >> and in florida as hurricane season approaches the villages daily sun reports officials will be holding preparedness drills in training for residents ahead of june 1st as storms get stronger officials stress the importance of being prepared. local sheriffs offices and police departments will also be holding training and practice drills to ensureer that ready for what a hurricane brings.

and speaking of new weather. new video footage of the astonishing tornado in kansas last friday that damaged more than a thousand buildings. surveillance video from city hall shows the twister ripping through the streets of andover, kansas, on friday evening picking up debris and growing larger and darker. the national weather service said it is created 165 mile per hour winds and was on ground for 21 terrifying minutes. there were no deaths reported from the storm. and still ahead on "morning joe," after more than two years, the united states hits a grim and once unfathomable toll of the coronavirus pandemic. we'll look back at how we got to this moment and that number. plus president biden is calling out the republicans who are following the ultra maga agenda. is there a simpler way he could

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best of all, prop a won't raise your taxes. vote yes on prop a for fast, safe, reliable transit. welcome back to "morning joe." it was just about two years ago that we reported this staggering news about the pandemic. >> the united states went from 1 death to 100,000 in just a few months time. with what usa today called the fastest killner u.s. history. >> that was may of 2020. now the death toll has grown ten fold, topping 1 million in the united states. nbc news national correspondent gabe guiterrez reports. >> reporter: it is perhaps the grimmest milestone of the pandemic. at least 1 million covid deaths in the u.s. according to an official nbc news count. >> that number is devastating. but in the modern context of

million deaths in a very advanced country is unthinkable. >> reporter: this doctor with mt. sinai hospital was on the fron lines in new york city, one of the earliest epicenters of the pandemic. >> it is very hard to lose a patient that ufr been fighting for. >> reporter: his cardiac icu was converted into a full time covid unit. >> back in march of 2020. what was the worst case scenario back then? >> when we started off, we were completely unaware. we were not very clear about where this would go. >> reporter: dr. angela chen diagnosed the first confirmed covid case in new york. >> what i replay and recount is the patients that i've encountered with covid and being with them in their final days. >> reporter: here in new york, cases reason the rise again,

topping 2,000 for the first time since late february. there are also concerns of a possible fifth or sixth wave in some parts of the country. california cases are up 10% over the last week. but 1 million is much more than just a number for so many americans. lisa wilson in palm beach county, florida, lost her grandmother to covid last summer. >> it was so terrifying. my aunt called me once sunday morning i think and she said, something is wrong with her. she was laid across the bed and she was like gasping for air, she was gasping for air. >> reporter: in all six relatives claimed by covid. >> it was very, very hard. everyone was just confused about the whole situation. >> gabe guiterrez reports for us there. coming up next, new details in the ongoing manhunt for an accused killer and the corrections officer who apparently helped him to escape.

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welcome back to "morning joe." the biden administration is still trying to come up with a game plan to protect abortion rights. after that leaks document signals the supreme court may be ready to overturn roe v. wade. but options are currently limited. according to "the washington post," officials are discussing whether funding possibly through medicaid or another mechanism could be made available for women who travel across state lines for an abortion. but many doubt whether that is actually feasible. there is also been debate over potential executive and regulatory actions the administration could take. but officials privately

recognize that nearly any administrative action would face legal challenges from republican attorneys general. meanwhile this week, jonathan, lemire, you reported that president biden and his team were looking to turn to the midterms into a contrast with donald trump and the republicans. and now that plan appears to be in full motion. >> senator rick scott of florida, united states senator, who is leading the republican national senate campaign committee released what he calls the ultra maga agenda. it is a maga agenda all right. let me tell but this ulta maga agenda. it is extreme as most maga things are. what happens if you have changes in the law saying that children who are lgbtq can't be in claw rooms with other children. is that legit under the way that the decisions are written?

what are the next things that are going to be attacked because this maga crowd is really most extreme political organization that has existed in american history. >> white house press secretary jen psaki was asked about the shift in messaging at yesterday's press briefing. >> you've heard him say and maybe back more to the campaign trail less as president, don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative and i would expect you'll hear him with that mantra much more out there over the next come -- coming months. he's been struck because he talked about this this morning and made comments over the last several days about the direction of some in the republican party, the maga direction of some in the republican party and he's been struck by the hold his predecessor seems to have on far too many members, not all but far too many members of the party and what we're seeing, the

latest antics make clear that they are at war with mickey mouse, they're against allowing women to make choices about their own health care, against lowering the cost of prescription drugs and if that remains their platform and that is out of whack with the mainstream of the country. >> the press secretary said the president's focus won't be on trump directly. but on the candidates who are quote under the whim of the former president. and joe, i just -- i still think this might be a step behind. because when you're looking at trump's hold on people, it is cult-like and it is the definition of a cult. and extreme, that is in the category of normal. extreme versus not so extreme. i think we're talking about something completely different. >> yeah, we are, especially with the washington -- >> and why not use the word. >> especially with the washington politics acing like freaks.

there have been hundreds of thousands of words written about working class americans and why they were attracted to trump's pollulous message at the beginning. why they're still diseffected don't want to go back to main line candidates. but we need to look at the type of pandemics that jen psaki, and the white house are talking about. we need to look at what is before us and how extreme these washington politicians, those maga washington freaks are. you know, the new york post reported that an influenceal house republican said being in the military is like throwing your life away and should never let her son go into the military. is that middle america? another high-profile republican called freedom fighters like zelenskyy a thug and called ukrainian government fighting putin, quote, incredibly evil. this is also the guy that

carries loaded guns to airports and films himself in engaging acts. he needs help. and their fearless leader, trump keeps calling putin a genius and the invasion brilliant and keeps refusing to condemn a war criminal that is killing ukrainians every single day. this is the party -- the white house should explain, this is the party that brought you jewish space lasers. this is the party that talked about that dude from italy who they say stole the election with a satellite. remember those bamboo particles that republicans claimed were in arizona ballots. and those ninja freaks or whatever they were call and they went in and were going to show that biden stole the election. except it ended up they get even more votes for joe biden.

they've called one lie after another lie from websites run by chinese religious cults. you heard it right, from websites run by chinese religious cults. this is what america wants. and there is always one phony controversy after another churned up by republicans so they could governor by gesture and proclaim their need to be radical so they could own the libs. but lately those politics of gesture have morphed into actual policies that are hurting you. that are hurting you and your family. that are hurting americans in trump states. the texas governor attacks truckers in his own state. because he thinks that how he owns the libs but he ended up costing texans $4 billion and there is the florida governor's attack on florida taxpayers, going to cost him about a billion dollars. vieh his war on the magic

kingdom, again to own the libs. but he's owning his own taxpayers in central florida. and yesterday a harshly written supreme court draft leaked on monday that will end a 50-year constitutional right, get this, that only 19% of americans support being striped away. only 19% of americans want to ban abortion. and what lies ahead if trumpists keep winning? it is just getting worse. candidates like jd vance say they want the centralized state in washington, d.c. to seize all of the assets of the ford foundation because they are insufficiently loyal to donald trump. a man that he still claims had the 2020 election stolen from him. these people are, if i could quote aristotle here.

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>> he was here in 2020 for an arraignment and preliminary hearing and then he went back to state prison. we do know that they remained in touch while he was in state prison. >> so their relationship in whatever parameters would you define it is at least two years old? >> yes. >> maybe older? >> could be older. >> the sheriff said vicki drove more than two lauers to this state prison outside of birmingham to see kasie. she's isn't sure how many times. any logs or videos of their visits aren't ready for release. it is the latest layner a complex case. >> this could happen with best of folks. vicki white i would trust with my life. >> all of the attention squared on finding the unlikely pair on the sun since last friday. posting these sketches to show the height deferential between the 6'9" kasie white and the 5'5" vicki white.

the pair was driving in a local road in a patrol car before ditching it in a parking lot and happen hopping in a ford edge getaway car. >> are you surprised that no one noticed this 6'9" man. >> and he's a big guy. >> and he could have changed his clothes and appearance but the duo may be heavily armed. >> she owned an ar-15 and a shotgun and another pistol. typically those would not be in her patrol car. they were her personal weapon as long as the duty weapon that they carried. the fact that she owns them, it is a fair assumption that they're with them. >> that was sam brock reporting. and coming up, more on that shocking attack on dave chappell and how the suspect appears to have slipped a weapon past security. that is next on "morning joe."

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we have new details this morning about the on stage attack of comedian dave chappelle on tuesday night in los angeles. gadi schwartz reports on how the suspect managed to smuggle a weapon past security and metal detectors at l.a.'s iconic hollywood bowl. >> make some noise for hip-hop history. >> just seconds after being attacked by a member of the audience, dave chappelle was back on his feet and back to making jokes. >> thank god, that guy was clumsy. >> the suspect was surrounded by security and close friends busta rhymes and jamie foxx. >> whenever you're in trouble, jamie foxx will show up in a sheriff's hat. >> another comedian was nearby

as the suspect approached. >> if it wasn't for his clumsiness and dave prowess, something else could have happened. >> isaiah lee was bloody and bruised before being booked on assault with a deadly weapon. he was carrying this replica gun with a bayonet style blade. he suffered from mental health issues and has been in and out of homeless shelters. >> was that will smith? >> industry professionals say at tack know shows the need to protect performers. >> it is like a secret service kind of type of awareness you need to have because we've seen how quickly things could escalate and get to the stage. >> the company that managed the hollywood bowl saying in a statement the safety of our artists and visitors an staff is our top priority. netflix saying we