i will be back here at 2:00 p.m. eastern. good day. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington. i'm garrett haake in for andrea. president biden is kicking off his first trip to asia as president today visiting south korea and then japan. the president is looking to demonstrate his commitment to the region while checking china's growing influence. earlier, he toured a samsung semiconductor plant amid a shortage of microchips that has car prices rising. it's being overshadowed. overnight, two secret service employees were sent home. one of whom allegedly assaulted a korean man before the president's arrival. meanwhile, in the u.s., the baby formula shortage that has the white has on defense, the first flights importing formula from

abroad could start arriving this weekend. after the president used emergency powers to try to solve this formula crisis. amid the conflicted messaging, the white house is in the midst of a staff shakeup. john kirby is now headed to the white house joining the national security council. the latest from ukraine where the donbas region in the east is, quote, completely destroyed and resembling hell according to president zelenskyy. this as ukraine is about to get nearly $60 billion more in aid from the u.s. and from g7 nations. in oklahoma, the most restrictive abortion law in the nation approved by the legislature on thursday. banning the procedure from the moment of fertilization. the first of the growing challenges facing the white house. joining me now is senior white house correspondent. >> kyle: -- kelly o'donnell in seoul, jonathan lemire, and former white house press secretary robert gibbs.

we have former undersecretary of state richard s this engle. kelly, why this trip to asia and why now? what's going on with this distraction here of the two secret service agents sent home? >> there are many layers to this. part of the reason for now is because both south korea and japan have new leaders. it's a way for the president and the u.s. partnership to extend and reinforce the alliances which are so critical in this part of the world and especially when dealing with china and north korea. president biden has a chance to now meet with president yoon and then with the new prime minister of japan and to continue these conversations. also, the president is emphasizing what he can do to try to bring jobs back home to the u.s. samsung, which is a super global player in the economy here in south korea and extending abroad is going to do more to reinforce

investment in tyler, texas, by putting in a new chip production there, which the president says will create 3,000 american jobs. fresh off air force i, the president went to meet with samsung to tour the facilities there and to tout that. of course, that comes at a time when there are great concerns at home about supply chain, about prices, about inflation. this is a way where the president is saying, more manufacturing control about things like chips and more partnership with this kind of investment can give the u.s. greater resilience in the economy. that's part of what's happening now. you asked about the secret service incident. there is a history over time having covered a number of administrations a number of these foreign trips, agents and officers of the secret service obviously go in ahead of the president. that's the case here. there's a lot of security that's done in advance. we are told by sources in the secret service and local officials that there was some kind of skirmish, some incident

before the president even got here involving a taxicab with two individuals who were employed by the secret service. because they may have violated policy, they have been sent back to the united states on administrative leave while this is further investigated. anything like this, however small and however unrelated to the direct protection of the president, is a distraction, an embarrassment and can be problematic for the agency. it does not affect security, but it's something we are talking about. it's an indication that when you talk about the complex security and all of the issues here, this becomes a diplomatic problem. that's one of the incidents that's being looked at by the secret service. it doesn't affect how president biden is being protected. not the agents involved in his protective detail. >> the secret service doesn't like to get attention for anything. it's right there in the name. >> exactly. >> john lemire, you have this baby formula shortage.

you have inflation, gas prices, name the issue. now we have word that john kirby, the pentagon spokesperson who all our viewers are familiar with, is leaving the pentagon to join the white house. how do you see these things as all related as the white house tries to solve these problems and also solve their messaging around these problems? >> well, we are less than six months to the midterms. that, of course, shadows everything right now. as much as the president wants to pivot toward foreign policy and asia in particular, there are distractions there, the war in ukraine, saber rattling from north korea, that trip as kelly was saying, so much is sending a message to beijing. obviously, this administration has to keep one eye on things back home. they know there aren't going to be too many votes cast this november on the president's ind-pacific policy. it's matters at home. kitchen table issues, pocketbook issues. rye now, that's about rising

prices. we know how high inflation is right now, 40-year high. gas prices continue to set records by the day. as senior advisers say to me, that's the one consumer good where everybody knows how much it costs because the price is advertised on the side of the highway. people are keenly aware of the sticker shot. as much as they label it as putin's price hike, there's a limit to how much that can catch on. the baby formula shortage, which has alarmed a lot of families across the country. john kirby, the admiral coming in from the pentagon, this comes a moment as the communication staff is reshaped at the west wing. jen psaki just left. what kirby brings to the white house is an expertise on foreign policy. so there's a sense that there will be a little bit -- there's

no question -- he will have more of an elevated roll. we should expect to hear him at briefings as well, particularly on matters when it comes to the war in ukraine and other foreign policy concerns. >> that makes sense. robert gibbs, we are getting closer to the midterms. i noticed it on capitol hill. lawmakers stopped talking about what they will pass and started talking about how you need to elect more republicans or democrats to do this thing in the next congress. how is the white house potentially looking at all of these issues we just talked about, the threat of a potential recession, with the midterm mood music going on even louder and louder in the background right now? >> well, look, i think one thing about a white house and a presidency is you have to balance a lot of different issues. right? there's nothing that's more valuable in any white house than a president's time. clearly, this white house believes i think rightly that the investment of time right now

in strengthening those relationships in the indo-pacific with japan and korea are of the utmost importance. again, we don't have the luxury -- presidents don't have the luxury of deciding, they will focus on certain things. this white house is going to have to make progress on inflation. they're going to have to get the kinks out of the supply chain. they're going to have to continue to manage ukraine, which is halfway around the other side of the world, as well as provide a check on china. there's a lot of different things that are going on. as you said, the clock is ticking faster towards midterm elections. they're going to have to focus on that. that's the point of a white house, you have to be able to walk, chew gum, juggle, ride a unicycle at the same time. that's the level of problems that come at a president. that's what this white house is working to manage. >> robert, just because you have firsthand experience with this kind of thing, i'm not someone who pays a lot of attention to staff stories. i'm not interested in them

unless they tell us something about what's really going on with a lawmaker or the president behind the scenes. does john kirby coming into the white house tell us anything about how joe biden is thinking about all of these challenges the administration faces? >> garrett, one of the things -- look, first of all, onis a remarkably effective communicator. that's the first thing. you always flaunt as many of those as you can in the building. my guess is also that our battle -- the battle in ukraine with russia is taking up a lot of time. it's taking up a lot of head space. it's probably taking up a lot of time in the briefing. i think having somebody there that can manage the communications around that, not something that was probably planned six months ago or even three months ago, but is taking up a lot of time. let's be clear, i love watching jake sullivan brief. he is quite good at it. but if he is spentspending an h

getting ready and an hour in the briefing room, that's two hours he is not the national security advisor in a meeting or on a phone call or in the situation room. i think having john there to help communicate effectively what's happening globally in ukraine, with china, with korea, with north korea, it's imperative and a smart move by the white house. >> rick, robert talked about the idea of balance and time for the white house. talk to me a little bit about why we are seeing the much discussed asia pivot as the president tries to balance his time with ukraine and these domestic issues. >> garrett, i guess we are seeing it now. this is when the trip was planned. this is a continuation of the obama pivot or rebalance to asia. we are a pacific nation, the future of our country is much

more involved with the indo-pacific region in some ways than anywhere else. china is our long-term competitor, adversary. way more than russia. it's just good politics, too, in the sense that people are worried about the supply chain issue. 80% of the semiconductors and computer chips are made in east asia. taiwan makes about 65% of them. part of what he is doing is he wants to show china there are going to be consequences to anything that china does that's belligerent or aggressive towards taiwan. we need taiwan to keep making semiconductor chips. that's what run the economy. it has a practical aspect. i only add this because we had this discussion. we are talking about the white house focusing on the midterms. they are partly focusing on the midterms because we are focusing on the midterms. that's what we are talking about rather than policy in east asia.

we are talking about white house staff changes. that makes them have to reckon with those things rather than dealing with policy issue. >> around and around we go. kelly, jonathan, robert and richard, thank you all. coming up, stark assessment as the u.s. and allies send billions more in military aid, ukraine's president says a key part of his country is now completely destroyed. senator coons on how the push to add sweden and finland to the nato alliance. to the nato alliance this is art inspired by real stories of bipolar depression. i just couldn't find my way out of it. the lows of bipolar depression can take you to a dark place. latuda could make a real difference in your symptoms. latuda was proven to significantly reduce bipolar depression symptoms and in clinical studies, had no substantial impact on weight. this is where i want to be. call your doctor about sudden behavior changes or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children

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or visit your xfinity store and talk to our switch squad today. nearly two months ago, richard engel traveled to a village outside kharkiv where he met with an 88-year-old woman. ukrainian troops had pushed russian forces out of her village. now he has gone back to see how her life has changed. >> reporter: the first time we saw her she was sitting outside her home. scared, confused and overwhelmed. ukrainian troops had just bombed the rush slasians out of her vi. more than anything else, she needed comfort. since then, ukrainian troops have pushed the russians back even further. allowing life to return. power lines are being repaired. shops are still closed, but

there's regular food distribution. we decided to check in on her. hello. how are you? it's nice to see you. it's nice to see you again. the bombing blew out her windows. they are now covered in plastic. her roof leaks, too. how was it when the russians were here? what was it like for you when the russians were in this town? >> but things are now improving. after freshening up in new clothing, she wanted to show us her borscht. onion, dill, parsley, cabbage, all go into boiling ppotatoes.

she checks the seasoning and waits until it's ready. she lived a hard life, surviving world war ii and famine. her husband died nine years ago. her son and daughter, who live in russian-controlled areas, haven't called in months. finally, the borscht is ready. this is delicious. it's very good. thank you. this is her homemade vodka, which goes with the borscht. thank you. cheers. thank you so much. she was happy for some company. wonderful to spend time with you. she seemed sorry to see us go. but now at least with the fighting here over, she's able to smile. richard engel in kharkiv. that story was great.

it was poignant. the borscht looked delicious. catch us up on what's happening. president zelenskyy is talking about donbas turning into hell. what's the latest? >> the russian troops in this country since the war began have suffered two very significant setbacks. they have had gains, taking control of mariupol. but they were pushed back dramatically, in a humiliating fashion from around kyiv and then recently they have been pushed back from the area of kharkiv where i am right now. now the russian troops are trying to correct that mistake on their behalf. they gave up on kyiv fairly quickly. they are not giving up on the kharkiv region. even overnight here, we heard a lot more incoming fire, artillery. the russians have reportedly also been shuffling their command structure up again, replacing field commanders who

were retreating or suffered setbacks. the fight out here in the east seems like it's getting ready for a more intense period as russia has consolidated its gains in the south around mariupol and is trying to claw back some of the territory around kharkiv. >> richard engel, thank you very much. joining me now is democratic senator chris coons, who is in brussels. thank you for joining us. you just finished a meeting or series of meetings at nato. ukraine's foreign minister has been criticizing nato, what he calls a lack of support, since russia invaded. he said, could you name at least one consensus decision made by nato over the past three months that would benefit and help ukraine? does he have a point there? >> garrett, great to be on with

you. i'm herein brussels. that's a puzzling statement given the senate of the united states just passed a $40 billion aid package now on its way to president biden's desk. nato has worked swiftly and in concert to provide significant lethal aid. those stinger missiles and javelin missiles, anti-ship missiles, ammunition and body armor and other critical material that has made possible the brave ukraiian fight against rrussia's invasion of ukraine. in recent days, advancd how itzers have come in. that has helped facilitate success in pushing back against putin's aggression. i understand the frustration

that president zelenskyy and others have expressed in the past with nato not sending in nato troops or nato jets to enforce a no-fly zone. i also respect and agree with the decision to not escalate to a direct russia/nato conflict. >> the president released the last $100 million of the last ukraine aid. is that going to get there? we heard about zelenskyy talking about the donbas region descending into hell. >> the war shifted from what it was early, large tanks and personnel carriers tries to seize kyiv and kharkiv, to an artillery battle with smaller units of infantry in the east and donbas. i do think from all reports that i have heard from the briefing

we got today from our conversation with secretary-general of nato, that the howitzers, advanced artillery systems we are providing are getting to the front lines and are going to make a difference as the ukrainians continue to fight. president biden is today in south korea. will soon go to japan. part of the purpose of his trip is to thank our critical allies in the indo-pacific for also joining in imposing sanctions on russia. all of nato, the eu, many of our other partners in europe and in the indo-pacific have been applying significant pressure on russian oligarchs, on the core circle of supporters around putin, on russia's military production capabilities by cutting off their access to advanced semiconductor chips and by beginning to restrict their access to the global banking system and their ability to sell things like coal, oil and gas into the rest of the world

market. >> it's important to see how these things are connected. closer to ukraine are this issue of finland and sweetsweden tryi join nato. turkey making noise as though they will block it. erdogan calling sweden a nesting ground for terrorist organizations. this is because of sweden's welcome to some turkish kurds. what's your sense of how firm turkey's opposition is to finland and sweden joining nato? is this just the start of a negotiation? >> it's my expectation that ultimately, turkey will join with the rest of the nato allies in welcoming finland and sweden. they are advanced, sophisticated economies with substantial militaries and defense industrial complexes. they will add critically to our northern flank and make it more possible for us to defend the baltic states and to give russia some concern about its northern most border. finland, for example, has just

committed to purchasing a significant number of the most advanced jet fighter aircraft in the world, the f-35. nato poses no threat at all to russia. but if putin's critical goal in invading ukraine was to prevent the expansion of nato, he has failed. this is a critical strategic defeat for putin. i understand that turkey, which is a nation that has suffered quite a few terrorist attacks by the pkk, an organization we recognize as a terrorist organization, has intense concerns about kurds and kurdish organizations. i am hopeful that by the swedes we assuring them the connections they have with the ypg, the group from the pkk, that they will be able to provide some of the reassurance needed for the turks to get past this moment and that will get a unified vote by nato for sweden and finland before the upcoming summit in madrid. >> in the last minute or so i

have you, i want to ask about the u.n. saying the war in ukraine is exacerbating a hunger problem. what, if anything, do you think can be done to solve this issue while the war continues? >> garrett, i have worked hard on that. it's in the subcommittee i chair. we are adding $5 billion in global hunger relief. it has been added to the bill that was just passed by the senate. that is a stopgap. ukraine feeds 400 million people every year. russia is blockading grain exports from the critical port of odesa, for the longer term, for ukraine's vitality, for the ability to get wheat and sunflower oil and corn to populations that depend on it from egypt to lebanon to south sudan to ethiopia, we have to find a path forward, a humanitarian path towards getting ukraine's grain exports back out on the world market through the black sea.

>> senator coons from brussels, thank you. >> thank you, garrett. coming up, georgia on our minds. days from now, voters head back to the polls. will midterm candidates backed by former president trump win out this time around? this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. hell reports" only on msnbc what goes on it. usually. and in it. mostly. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 high quality products. rigorously tested by us. real world tested by you. and delivered to your door in as little as one hour. your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates

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today marks the last day of what has been a record breaking period of early voting in georgia. ahead of a heated primary on tuesday where former president trump has endorsed election deniers running against incumbents in georgia who did not support his attempt to overturn the election results. he is favors purdue over kemp. joining is blayne alexander and susan page. trump's endorsements in georgia have made 2020 the issue in 2022. what's the state of play? >> i will start with actually the number of people who are

coming out to vote in the elections. look behind me. you can see what we have seen here all day at this precinct. a steady stream of people coming in ready to cast their ballot. this isn't even election day. we are talking about early voting. this is just one snapshot of what we have seen statewide. look at the numbers. more than 655,000 people have gone in person to cast a ballot. that's a record breaking number. every day in this three-week period we have seen record breaking numbers. they have eclipsed 2018 and 2020. since what we saw -- you remember in june of 2020, that disastrous primary in georgia. since then, we have seen the message of early voting being pushed. certainly, these nudges show people are listening. here is what one voter told me earlier today. >> i think all elections are very important, because no matter what the position, it

impacts your everyday life. i think a lot of people come out for presidential elections because it's a big one. they forget about the smaller ones. the city runs, the support services that we get, that is all determined by the smaller elections. every election i can, i try to come out and vote. >> garrett, we talked about the voters. let's talk about the candidates on the ballot and looking squarely at the republican side. two hotly contested primaries. in large part because former president trump hand recruited candidates to go out and essentially challenge and try and unseat georgia's governor, brian kemp and secretary of state brad raffensperger. they are making 2020 a central issue when it comes to the campaigns, or they are trying to. on the governor side, it doesn't appear to be working as well. a poll shows the incumbent is leading by at least more than 30 points, even though the former senator denied yesterday that he is down by that much.

it really kind of reflects what i've been hearing when i'm speaking to voters. when i talk to those who support the former senator, they brought up 2020. they say there are questions or as one person told me, she knows the election was stolen. when i have spoken to his supports, they point to his record. they say he signed a number of laws. he has done a number of things, including making georgia the first state to reopen during the pandemic that put them squarely on his side. in the secretary of state race, closer. there's a two point split. certainly, that's going to be a close one to watch. >> susan, let's pick up there. brad raffensperger has to have the most name recognition of any secretary of state in the country. we know about him from the phone call with trump refusing to help the president then overturn the 2020 election results. that race, extremely close. what could be the political fallout if you end up with election deniers like hice

overseeing future elections? >> it's a huge threat to our democracy if people who are unwilling to abide by the results of a free and fair election are put in secretary of state offices. those are the offices that oversee those elections. i think it's one of the things that people who care deeply, non-partisan people, people in both parties who care deeply about the conduct of our elections, are watching the secretary of state races. trump has -- trump's candidate in a couple secretary of state races have failed to win their republican primaries. if he succeeded in this one, it will be the first where someone was an election denier backed by trump has managed to win the republican nomination to that office. >> blayne, trump batting average would take a significant here with and when purdue loses, as it seems like the polls show.

he has gone silent on tv ads. we are not expecting trump to come back for him. does it look like that race is effectively over from the perspective of the voters and from the perspective of the former president who seems to have checked out on him? >> it appears that way. by all accounts, he has been trying to take several steps back. first trying to provide that layer of protection saying, it's difficult to beat an incumbent in giving recent interviews on conservative radio shows. according to the latest reporting from our political team, he told several people that he is frustrated with what he calls a lackluster effort on the behalf of david purdue. it appears he is taking steps back. from purdue's standpoint, he has made it clear, he told me at events, he said that trump's endorsement is a crucial part of his campaign. that's something that he believes is critical. it's critical. so certainly a bit of trouble when it comes to the former

president stepping back. >> we gotta leave it there. the person i think probably most excited to watch all of this play out is stacey abrams, awaiting the winner of the primary. coming up, raising the bar. former u.s. attorney general william barr is talking to the january 6 committee about talking to the january 6 committee. what they might want to ask him next. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. thanks, dad. that's right, robert. and it's never too early to learn you could save with america's number one motorcycle insurer. that's right, jamie. but it's not just about savings. it's about the friends we make along the way. you said it, flo. and don't forget to floss before you brush. your gums will thank you. -that's right, dr. gary. -jamie? sorry, i had another thought so i got back in line. what was it? [ sighs ] i can't remember.

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before nexium 24hr, anna could only imagine a comfortable night's sleep without frequent heartburn waking her up. now, that dream... . ...is her reality. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts, for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? nbc news has confirmed former attorney general william barr is now in talks with the january 6 select committee about testifying before the panel. they reported barr is discussing a potential interview with the committee scheduled to hold public hearings on its findings starting next month. a spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on whether barr will cooperate. joining me now is ali vitali and

joyce vance. what is the sense whether he would testify or this talking about talking may go the way of rudy giuliani? >> that's the open question here. it's not the first time that we have seen someone close to the former president say that they are in talks to go before the committee and then ultimately have it fall apart or just at this point have it not come to fruition. on the point of giuliani, that's something i have been asking about. with bill barr, of course, we watched the book tour he went on. we know that because of the way he left the administration, he and the former president didn't end things on the best of terms. at the same time, he said he would vote for trump again. it does leave us in that middle ground of whether or not bill barr thinks it's a good idea to go before the january 6 committee and talk to them. of course, he would be a big fish for them to get, especially before that june 9 public hearing phase. at the same time, we are learning more about the

information. in this case photographs that they have at their disposal as they move forward into the next phase of the investigation that will move publically. one source familiar with the work telling me in the last hour or so that they have received photographs that are the official white house pictures. they include some photographs from the day of january 6. now we know that they may have a literal view into what the former president was doing on that day. obviously, his actions are of key importance for the committee. it sheds light on what the public hearings might look like. the chairman and others have said they want these hearings to be visual in nature. now at least we know that might not just be video, but it could also be photographs from the official white house photographers that could lend more insight into that day. >> i mean, i'm imagining the photos of what the president was doing juchl ta ping juxtaposed

powerful tool. "the washington post" broke a story that justice clarence thomas' wife presidented arizona lawmakers after the 2020 election to set aside joe biden's victory and select a, quote, clean slate of electors. this is according to emails the post on taped. how significant do you think this is? is it a potential conflict of interest for her supreme court justice husband? >> it is well past being a conflict for her husband. he should recuse from any cases that have anything to do with activism that she's directly involved in. he risks further damaging the public's confidence in the supreme court. that's just unacceptable. this is also, i think, very important from her point of view. there's a lot of smoke around her participation on january 6. at least as a prosecutor, what you do when there's smoke is you send out a couple of agents to

interview a witness and serve them with a grand jury subpoena if they won't talk to you voluntarily. there's nothing that clarifies that thomas was directly involved in a conspiracy. these emails that the post is reporting were sent from this platform that many people will use to send multiple emails with the same text to a number of different people in congress. of course, she knows john eastman. he clerk for her husband. he was the author of this scheme to have states select new slates of electors that were fake, fictitious, weren't the slates properly elected. it's worth inquiring into what she knows and what conversations they had. garrett, the last thing is that eastman himself filed a pleading in court last night. in that pleading, he is trying to protect a number of his emails claiming they are privileged. he is conceding he had direct contact with president trump and indirect contact through six other people.

he doesn't identify who they are. in the weeks leading up to january 6. >> he lost a couple of court cases on those emails. there's other january 6 news that came out yesterday afternoon regarding georgia representative barry loudermilk. they wrote, we believe you have information regarding a tour you led through parts of the capitol complex on january 5. the complex was closed then, as you and i know. what's the significance? >> there's a view -- this is something that has been talked about over the last year from many here that there were tours being led at a time when there weren't tours being led at the capitol and that republican lawmakers were doing that. he is pushing back in his response to the letter from the committee. he is saying this family was not doing any reconnaissance effort. that they never entered the

capitol complex. the committee's letter to him says exactly the opposite, which is that they have testimony that goes to show that he did, in fact, lead a tour. that's why they want to talk to him about it. i think his call for the u.s. capitol police to release the footage is going to be notable. that's something we should look out for. it's an instance where the information the committee is getting from witnesses is directly translating to the letters they are sending to sitting members of congress. >> if that video exists, you have to think we will see it in hearings, if not before. thank you both. coming up, law of the land. oklahoma lawmakers approve what could become the nation's strictest abortion bill. banning the procedure from the moment of fertilization. with a few exceptions. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. y on msnc this... is the planning effect. this is how it feels to have a dedicated fidelity advisor looking at your full financial picture. this is what it's like to have a comprehensive wealth plan

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the co-chair of bridge 21st century. the governor said he wants oklahoma to be the most pro life state in the country. what impact will this law have on the women of oklahoma? >> of course it would mean that oklahoma would become the first state that could completely ban abortion, safe and legal abortion since roe was decided. it's modeled on the texas ban in effect since september that really allows local citizens to turn in neighbors and anyone that helped trying to assist a woman. it is cruel and inhumane and of course you probably know that many women in texas because they have not been able to get access to legal abortion since september have been going to oklahoma and now seeing huge areas of the country with no more access to safe and legal

abortion. it means it won't be safe and legal and women will have to take things into their own hands and creates a dangerous situation. >> talk about the health implications. i assume there's not companion legislation to improve health care access in the state. right? what's the broader health care picture in oklahoma for women and children now facing a different set of circumstances potentially? >> what we are seeing across the country is the states that are banning abortion are also refusing to do anything for the moms, the families that are impacted. mississippi which is the state up before the supreme court has a highest rate of poverty in the nation, twice the maternal mortality rate and the leaders

that passed the ban in mississippi refuse to expand access for new moms why you get two months of health care and then you are on your own. the same states trying to end access to safe and legal abortion are voting against support for -- to make sure that children are safe and healthy and mothers are. >> i think you can't talk about this bill without talking about sb 8 in texas to enforce the penalties. other states now including oklahoma are copying that format. what does it mean to see states imply the model elsewhere? >> i think two things. one is of course because the supreme court is refused to intervene in texas it is a bad

sign that the supreme court absolutely doesn't care that this law in texas is inconstitutional. the law passed and looks like it will be signed in oklahoma is unconstitutional. the leaked opinion looks like they will reverse 50 years of a right in this country to make decisions about they should pregnancy. i was talking to doctors including a high risk doctor in texas this week who said they have no idea what this means and what the implications are for people who are pregnant, women who may have complicated medically pregnancies. basically the republican party has now said this is not a decision for doctors or people. it is a decision for the government and politicians and that's not supported by the american people and republican and independent voters. >> the supreme court decision said this is coming back to the states or the leaked decision said that. it is coming back to voters.

a new poll shows one of the least popular positions for candidates heading into the midterms is looking to overturn roe v. wade. this is the kind of thing that will be able to capitalize on in oklahoma or across the states come november? >> i think it's a hugely motivating issue. look at the states that are hotly contested. michigan, pennsylvania, georgia. states where the folks runs on the republican ticket say they'll outlaw abortion. >> all right. thank you. that's going to do it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." at goes on it. usually. and in it. mostly. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand.

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on what voters want to mean from the candidates and what it means and the battle for congress. joe biden kicks off the trip to asia as president as u.s. officials warn of a possible nuclear test from north korea. we are live in seoul. russia makes some gains amid a battle that's turned the region into hell. what it means for the future of the war and the u.s.'s role in it. ♪♪ happy friday. welcome. i'm chuck todd why both political parties are trying to reshape the political battle field. what does that fight look like? we'll dive into the numbers out today from the nbc