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those crucial new details about the justice department's investigation of the january 6th attack. the "washington post" with this headline that's getting a ton of attention this morning, the justice department now investigating trump's actions in its criminal probe. the story even revealing intimate details from that highly secretive federal grand jury, saying, quote, prosecutors have asked hours of detailed questions about meetings trump led in december 2020 and january 2021, his pressure campaign on pence to overturn the election and what instructions trump gave his lawyers and advisers about fake electors and sending electors back to the states. that's according to four people familiar with the matter. nbc news, by the way, confirms from an administration official the doj is investigating trump's actions as part of its january 6th probe but clarifies that that does not necessarily mean it is open to criminal investigation into the former president himself. so let's get right to our panel now. nbc news capitol hill

correspondent ali vitali is with us, josh dawsey for the "washington post," a part of that extraordinary by line on the bombshell report that we just mentioned and paul butler, former federal prosecutor, professor at georgetown law school, also for our sake an msnbc legal analyst. josh, let me get to you, as we noted, you are part of the team that helped report this at the "washington post." walk through what you have unearthed and why it is so significant. obviously the process as it relates to any justice department investigation certainly this one is broadly opaque, but it does pull back the curtain a bit on what they are doing behind closed doors. >> sure. i mean, i think it's important to note, as you said, peter that is correct we don't know how this will end, it's no sign that it will actually lead to any sort of charges or anything against the former president. we just don't know that yet, it's too early, but what we do know is that there's been some significant investigative steps scrutinizing former president trump's actions.

one, back in april they looked at home records of former top aides including mark meadows, his former chief of staff to look through those and we know that a federal grand jury has been hearing hours of detailed information, questioning from federal prosecutors about what the former president did in those days leading up to january 6. if he was involved in the fake electors scheme, as you said, to present different slates of electors, what he instructed advisers and lawyers to do to pressure vice president mike pence, and what he was doing in that period before january 6 of what he knew about what was going to happen that day. again, as i said, there is no -- there is no predetermination that there could be any sort of charges here, but we do know more that happen we previously did about the department of justice's interest in his actions precisely. >> josh, one of the most, i think, notable items in the reporting that you and the team post here is that that receipt

of the phone records of those key officials, including mark meadows, took place in april, which is to say while most of the country has been glued to these january 6 committee hearings and there was some frustration i think among some democrats that maybe the justice department wasn't doing more, dating back several months already they were actively pursuing this effort. >> that's right. and a lot of the investigatory steps behind the scenes maybe we just didn't know about. some of it, though, more recently we obviously can see because it has emerged to the public with former pence aides leading grand jury proceedings in downtown washington. some have been behind the scenes and quiet, other parts seem to be coming more to the fore. the doj began with the prosecution -- i think there has been charges against more than 800 people now, the far right militia group, the folks that shattered windows and rioters and their attention seems to be

moving into the political spoo err to look at advisers and lawyers and the president's conduct itself. >> paul, a former president has never been charged with a crime in the country's history right now. based on the reporting that we have and some of the details about the sort of two principle, you know, paths, the tracks of investigation as they describe it, there's seditious conspiracy on one hand, this conspiracy to try to basically interfere with the process that was taking place on january 6, there's also the potential fraud associated with those fake elector slates. what do you see as most problematic and where the president is perhaps most vulnerable? >> so trump has exposure on both levels. we know from marc short that on january 6 trump was actively encouraging the insurrectionists, including when he knew that they had a murderous intent towards his own vice president. i think that trump probably has the most exposure, though, on the fake elector scheme. marc short had very compelling

testimony before the house panel which he probably also offered to the grand jury where, again, he indicated that in that crazy meeting on january 4 with all these outside lawyers trump knew that the fake elector scheme was fake and illegal. so there we look at possible exposure for crimes like conspiracy to defraud the united states, a very serious felony. >> i want to play for you a clip from part of an exclusive conversation my colleague lester holt had with the attorney general merrick garland, took place late yesterday. >> it is inevitable in this kind of investigation that there will be speculation about what we are doing, who we are investigating, what our theories are. the reason there is this speculation and uncertainty is that a fundamental tenet of what we do as prosecutors and investigators is to do it outside of the public eye. >> outside of the public eye. he also says no one is above the

law. what unique challenges exist here for a justice department in this political climate in a campaign year ahead of the midterms this fall to be pursuing the former president of the united states? >> so there are a couple of intentions. one is that it's fair when there is an investigation for the department to follow its policy of not talking about it. if people don't end up getting charged with crimes, it's unfair to tar them with the sense that they've been investigated by federal grand jury. at the same time this is a matter of huge public interest. the former president of the united states possibly committed crimes ranging from sedition to some people say involuntary manslaughter for his complicit in what happened on january 6. so the public has a right to know some of what's going on. so garland is trying to navigate this tension. yesterday he let out a little bit more when he said that the investigation is moving on, just january 6 insurrection day, to

looking at anybody who tried to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power. hard to see how that doesn't lead directly to donald j. trump. >> i want to get to ali vitali who is on the hill right now. as we have heard from members of the committee there have been discussions about whether there would be a criminal referral sent to the department of justice. at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether there is a referral or not but those committee members do believe the justice department should be actively pursuing this. what are you hearing from them in terms of a reaction? >> reporter: they believe that the doj should be actively pursuing this and from the reaction we got last night they're pleasantly surprised to hear that they at least seem to be going down the road of asking questions about the former president's involvement with these fake elector schemes and other pieces of the puzzle that the january 6th committee have made public through their eight hearings so far. and that's why what you hear from the committee members is all of them towing the line of doj and the january 6th committee are not the same, they don't report to each other in the hierarchal way of

washington, but at the same time what we are also hearing from committee members is that they believe that if doj follows the thread of what happened here that they will land at donald trump at the center of t it's what we've seen the committee doing over the course of the last several months, continuing to introduce us to new facts, new testimony, people inside the former president's orbit, they are the ones, the people inside the former president's orbit, telling the story during the january 6 committee hearings. that's exactly why as we see more people who overlap with who we've seen from the january 6 committee coming in before doj, you start to understand what that overlap might entail because we've seen many of those testimonies already play out live, peter. >> you and i both paid close attention yesterday, the former president donald trump back in washington for the first time since leaving the white house, since obviously he left following that awful assault that happened where you are standing in his name and remarkably among those who are here, republicans here to welcome him, kevin mccarthy who

immediately after the attack said i've had it with this guy, and lindsey graham yesterday. talk about what he said then and what he's saying now about the former president. >> reporter: look, all of these republicans who are now back by and large at the former president's side had condemnations for him in the immediate aftermath of january 6th, but it is the thing that when i talk to my republican sources and, peter, i'm sure you hear this, too, the fact that trump is stillhe leader of this party, the fundraising prowess that he has, the ability and the hold that he has over the grassroots and the base of this party, that's still very palpable for many republicans who are serving in this very building and it's why we've seen them whitewash what happened on january 6th and try to shift the blame away from the former president and paint the committee's work as partisan in nature, though of course the committee has tried, it is bipartisan in its constitution, but they've also tried to elevate this above the regular politicking that consumes issues in this building, instead saying that this is a way to hold

accountable the people who endangered the very principles of our democracy. nevertheless, in this constant shifting of people who condemned the former president and are now back at his side, lindsey graham yesterday summed it up well saying that he wants trump to run again and also that he's done with the january 6th committee. listen. >> if you think trump is bad for the party, i disagree with you. i think president trump is good for the party. >> all i can say is count me out. enough is enough. >> and of course there's that juxtaposition that we are talking about, graham just yesterday versus graham over a year ago talking about the 6th and that is sort of the juxtaposition that we see throughout this building, quite frankly, peter. >> it's like they say at men's warehouse, what a difference a day makes. in this case what a difference 18 months makes for lindsey graham. we appreciate all of you for being a part of that conversation here. president biden, by the way, he reportedly will speak with

the chinese president xi jinping as soon as tomorrow amid new heightened tensions over taiwan as the house speaker nancy pelosi is apparently weighing a potential trip to the island, even as the biden administration discourages that trip nbc news now reporting it shows it's actually uniting lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who now encourage pelosi's visit. mike memoli is going to join us, he has the latest on that. mike, walk us through t what are the stakes for this call, especially with the potential pelosi trip hanging over. nancy pelosi is not any american politician, she is only behind the vice president next in line to the oval office. certainly china is paying close attention to this plan. >> reporter: yeah, that's absolutely right, peter. this would be the fifth phone call directly between presidents biden and xi as a white house official puts it, this is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world right now and the previous calls have all been in the view of the white house in their description about managing the strategic

competition between these two countries, biden has often talked about the relationship he has built with president xi dating back more than a decade ago to their time as vice president, but of these interactions between these two men, we have not seen one at such a fraught political moment at this point. the president in part because of his own words, you and i were together in tokyo just two months ago when the president when asked said that the u.s. would be prepared to defend taiwan by force if necessary if china were to make a move against taiwan. and then you add to that this potential trip by the speaker of the house, as you say, second in line to the oval office in the order of succession really providing a rare rift, a divide between these two top democrats who are often aligned on so much issues. the white house officially not commenting on pelosi's trip. pelosi has not confirmed she's making this trip. given the stakes at the moment, given the fact that they woe president xi is heading into his own political moment ahead of

the party congress in china this fall where he's going to be potentially named for a historic third term, there is concern that pelosi's aggressive move, provocative move, would be responded to in kind by the chinese, potentially with some military action in the taiwan straits, something that the white house is keen to avoid. as pelosi is considering this trip, even if she hasn't confirmed t it's an open discussion on capitol hill. republicans and democrats alike saying she should not back down in the face of provocations from china about what they might do if pelosi were to go, but obviously the biden administration which is dealing with a very combative global situation, especially as it relates to russia and ukraine, is wary to add to that with an even more potentially problematic situation in the taiwan strait. >> mike memoli at the white house, we appreciate it there. juggling geopolitical challenges and also health issues for the president as well. we do expect to see president biden speak from the rose garden soon as he has now ended his covid isolation, finally tested

negative for the virus. that good news to share with you. we will bring you his remarks live when they happen. first, though, it's expected to be another triple digit day in parts of this country. relief is coming, might be a bit. live to tulsa where it's expected to feel as hot as 112 degrees today. plus just eight house republicans voted with democrats last week to protect the right to contraception under federal law. so will it get any more support in the evenly divided senate? we will speak to the senator who introduced the bill. senate you y for what you need. if anyone objects to this marriage... (emu squawks) kevin, no! not today. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ we wil ♪ ♪ ♪i'm so defensive,♪ ♪i got bongos thumping in my chest♪ ♪and something tells me they don't beat me♪ ♪ ♪

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extreme heat warnings, drought-like conditions and the threat of more grass fires, that's the reality for the folks in oklahoma right now. nbc's antonia hilton is there, she's in tulsa. it is a hot one. nice little bit of water behind you, some relief for some of those young people. when is the temperature going to

fall? >> reporter: well, people are hoping they might get a little bit of rain later this evening, but what everyone is looking forward to is this weekend when temperatures are expected to go down into the 80s and 90s and there should finally be showers here. today is about 105 and the heat index is likely going to be much higher than that and so, you know, people are coming out to places like this, running around in splash pads just trying to keep cool. not only is it dangerously hot but oklahoma has been in the midst of an almost year-long drought. those two conditions combined can be really dangerous and what officials are really looking out for is, as you mentioned, the potential for grass fires. many of the counties in the state right now have burn bans. tulsa doesn't have one yet but officials are looking at the possibility and that's because those two can combine to end up looking like what we saw happen in northeast dallas we reported on earlier this week where this fire spread really quickly, ended up destroying multiple homes and left families homeless at possibly the worst time and

the worst weather conditions to be homeless. take a listen to a conversation we had with one woman out early this morning just trying to keep cool. >> a sauna, it feels like you walk outside and literally it is a sauna. about the time you get into your car you are dripping. you have to open your doors for all the heat to get out your car before you actually get in. >> reporter: it looks like that relief is coming around the corner finally as we go into august, but i really have to emphasize, you know, this weather can be dangerous. if you have loved ones who are elderly or young ones who are out at camp or family members who work outside in the heat, make sure there's a buddy system that people are checking in on each other because this can be dangerous. all of the ems teams and emergency management teams have been saying that they are dealing with more heat-related responses lately. keep an eye out for each other and make sure that people have the resources they need to stay safe right knew. >> hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,

you can't say it enough these days. by the way, splash pads have really gotten a whole lot nicer an back in the day. it used to be you run through the neighbors sprinklers. >> i know. i'm about to jump into this one. >> i was going to say, when we see in an hour if you're soaked we will know what happened. thanks so much. coming up right here, we expect to see president biden in the rose garden soon. he has now ended his covid isolation as of this morning, finally testing negative. we will bring you his remarks when they happen live. first, though, a new poll found three quarters of voters support having access to birth control, protected under federal law. why is a bill that would do just that stalled in the senate? one of it's co-sponsors is the nevada senator jacky rosen and she joins us next. s co-sponsorse

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[whistling] when you have technology that's easier to control... that can scale across all your clouds... we got that right? yeah, we got that. it's easier to be an innovator. so you can do more incredible things. [whistling] 26 minutes past the hour right now this morning here in washington democratic lawmakers are trying to codify the right to contraception into federal law, but that bill appears to be stalled in the senate. in a new poll by morning consult in "politico" found that three out of four registered voters

support federal protections for birth control. joining us now is jacky rosen. senator, we appreciate you making time to be with us. you helped introduce this legislation to codify the right to contraception, as we noted, it is stalled right now. why is that? >> well, first of all, thank you for having me this morning and thank you for bringing up this really important topic because since the 1960s, the 1960s, women have had the right to have access to birth control and we can't go back. we can no longer stand -- stand on precedent. we know the supreme court in the recent rulings will not respect precedent so it's really important that we pass this bill, the right to contraception, to give women the right to plan their families, particularly as extreme maga republicans want to introduce possibly a nationwide abortion ban. the ability for women to plan their families, to make their reproductive health choices

couldn't be more important. we're hoping to move it forward, did pass overwhelmingly in the house with bipartisan support, hoping that we can get those ten votes here in the senate. >> so just for clarity for people, we recognize your desire for this to happen but what's your confidence level that this is something that can be passed before the august recess. >> well, we've been talking within our caucus and of course with leader schumer about getting this on the calendar, we've been talking with our completion. i think everyone understands this is a right for women, we have had this since the 1960s. why would we want to go back? it's important that we put into law that women should be able to make their own choices for birth control. like i said, we are just going to do everything we can to find those ten votes, but really the most important votes will come in november where we need to protect and expand our democratic majority to be sure that women have the right to protect their own reproductive health care choices, make them for themselves. >> that appears to be the big take away here.

the president has said he would be open to eliminating the filibuster rule as it relates to reproductive rights, the rights to an abortion. you support that. would you also support that as it relates to contraception? >> well, i think it's important that we explore all options. i will absolutely take a look at carving it out for those things. like i said, women we make up 50% of the population, maybe even more and it's important that we have the ability to make the choices that are right for us. i can tell you that the maga extreme republicans in state after state as they try to impose these cruel bans on women's health care for no exceptions for rape or incest or life of the mother. so women will die. women are showing up to the manual rooms unable to get critical health care. so i will explore all options to make that happen. women's lives are on the line and we have to take care of women across this nation.

>> senator, quick final thought here. obviously this effort is a preemptive one given the reversal of roe v. wade. there has been frustration between democrats that the white house wasn't prepared for that decision, the nation's highest court hasn't done more in the time since. are you satisfied what you are seeing from the white house on that issue and what more do you want to see right now? >> i urge the president to take every executive action that he can in order to protect women's reproductive health care. >> what would you like him to do in addition to what he has already done? >> they are exploring all options that they have at the administrative level. so whether it's thinking about using federal lands, using other types of things that they can do. i can tell you that they need to look at this in a legal context. so what is going to pass muster for execution action? in the meantime we in the state can muster up the votes for the right to contraception act.

we surely want to pass the respect for marriage act that's also really important. we have a lot of bills on the floor these next few weeks for health care, to lower health care prices, to bring the computer chip manufacturing, so we are working on positive responses to all of this. we're going to let the administration, their legal team see what is feasible and we're going to here in the senate try to do what we can. >> senator jacky rosen, we appreciate you making time to be with us. >> thank you for having me. we are keeping an eye on the rose garden at the white house. the podium is set, the lectern is there. will we hear from the president momentarily? we expect to. supposed to happen any time now. he just tested negative for covid today, finally ends his isolation after five full days. we will take you there live as soon as we see him. next, the fight over supply lines in ukraine, ukrainians just destroyed a key bridge for a russian supply route. the latest from on the ground in odesa ahead. route route the latest fro

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they depend on the flow of supplies and right now that is front and center in ukraine. ukraine says its forces struck a bridge in occupied kherson in the south, that's a crucial supply route for russian forces occupying the city. ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy is condemning russia's use of gas supplies as a bargaining chip and after an attack on odesa over the weekend we could also soon see the first grain exports from ukraine in months under a new deal brokered by turkey and the united nations. joining me now is a senior fellow with the atlantic council, he is in the southern port city of odesa, ukraine. michael, we are glad to see you and grateful that you remain safe. tell us what you're seeing and hearing there in odesa. obviously it's crucial, it's an access point to the sea for the ukrainians, for their grain, for

their fertilizer, for so much of the product that they're hoping to try to share with the rest of the world right now. but there are real fears about russia, again, attacking that -- that port city. what are you witnessing? >> good to be with you. yeah, i mean, to give you a sense of how militarized the city is you can probably see behind me tank traps and just maybe 100 feet away is a very, very heavily armed military position where they're checking vehicles and documents, but i've been to odesa many times pre-war and have never seen it like this. it's deserted of tourists, nearly 3 million tourists come here during the summertime. the beaches i was down there today an they are deserted at the height of summer and the reason for that is many people are afraid to go to the beaches because what happens is there are mines in the sea that tend to break off and threat on to the beaches so people are sticking to swimming pools and things like that. it's so sad because so many people have left this city, it's

a cosmopolitan city with rich history and architecture you can see behind me as well, a city of artists and thinkers and innovators and this is the daniel that russian aggression has done. >> so, michael, in very simple terms right now obviously the russians have said that they would -- that they would stick with this sort of lifting of the blockade on that port, on that port city right now, but it follows that attack there on saturday. so what level of confidence do the ukrainians have right now that they are going to be able to pursue this effort to get that product out? >> yeah, well, the russians have shown their true face as a rogue state, as a terrorist state. i have worked with the osc since 2014 for a couple of years and we negotiated several ceasefire agreements with the help of the turks and then more recently the russians signed agreements for the evacuation of civilians and humanitarian aid, they violated those. so the strike on saturday and then there was another one here

a couple days ago shows that they are not serious about international agreements that they adhere to. having said that the ukrainians are determined to push this agreement through, they may get grain flowing as soon as the end of the week if the russians concur. also, peter, the involvement of president erdogan of turkey, he has a lot of skin in the game, he doesn't want to be made to look like a fool so i don't think he would help broker are agreement with the u.n. unless he thought it could happen. >> one final question, michael, and it relates to food insecurity. obviously here in the united states prices have gone up dramatically as a function not just of the pandemic that we witnessed and inflation having a big impact but certainly the war happening where you are. the u.n. just reported earlier this month that i think up to 828 million people or so went hungry in 2021, that's an increase of almost 50 million over the year before, 150 million since the start of the covid pandemic. you know, how -- so we wetter understand it, how crucial is

ukraine's product to our prices here in the united states? >> very crucial. it's not only the grain, the wheat, it's things like sunflower oil. i mean, i know a company that is known to probably a lot of your viewers nature's path, paced in british columbia but manufacture a lot of cereals for the united states market and their founder told me they have huge supply chain problems with key ingredients. they are trying to source here out of ukraine. it could mean millions of dollars of investment, but the problem is it can't go out by sea, it can only go out right now by road and rail and the roads are really clogged with trucks right now. you know, this could happen tomorrow, president putin could release that blockade and grain could be brought out and it will have an immediate impact on prices. >> michael, we always appreciate you making time to talk to us, we're glad that you're safe and thanks for helping us shine a light on the awful situation that continues there. >> my pleasure. this morning executives from

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breaking news right now on msnbc as the camera sets its

position you can see the president of the united states arriving now, his first trip out of the residence since testing positive for covid. he hasn't even been to the west wing just yet, he will make his first remarks as he greets his staff and reporters there with a little pep in his step and the music playing after finally testing negative for covid and ending his isolation, of course, his doctors will keep a close eye for any paxlovid rebound, but here is the president. >> i was walking out, i thought i heard a rumble in my staff saying, oh, he's back. thanks for sticking around. hello, everyone. i have just tested negative for covid-19 after isolating for five days. [ applause ] >> thankfully i will now be able to return to work in person, but i want to thank you all for your well wishes, your prayers over

this past week and the calls i have gotten. i also want to thank the medical team here at the white house for the incredibly care they gave me. fortunately, god thankfully, o god willing, my symptoms were mild, my recovery was quick and i am feeling great. the entire time i was in rice lags i was able to work, to carry out the duties of the office and without any interruption. it's a real statement on where we are on the fight against covid-19. right now we are facing a new variant, the ba.5 variant, a very transmissible version of omicron variant we saw here this past winter. in fact, this new variant that affected me is getting a lot of people infected all around the world, not just here in the united states. we should take precautions to try to slow the spread of this virus. my administration has made billions of dollars in funding available to improve ventilation in our schools and our public

buildings. we've made tests widely available to you can take one before attending a large indoor gathering or visiting with high risk individuals. we made high quality masks available for free so you should consider wearing a mask when you are in a crowded indoor public place. these precautions add an extra layer of protection for your you and for those around you, but the reality is that ba.5 means many of us are still going to get covid even if we take the precautions. that doesn't mean we are doing anything wrong. unfortunately this covid is still with us, as it has been for two and a half years, but our fight against covid is making a huge difference. what's different now is our ability to protect ourselves from serious illness due to covid. in fact, that's radically different today than it was just a year ago.

covid isn't gone but even with cases climbing in this country covid deaths are down nearly 90% and when i took office that's 90% difference between today and when i took office. that's what's new. that's what's new in covid response. different from where we were just a year ago. even if covid -- even if you get covid, you can avoid winding up with a severe case. you can now prevent most covid deaths and that's because three free tools my administration has invested in and distributed this past year, booster shots, at-home tests, easy to use effective treatments. we've got through covid with no fear -- i got through with no fear. a very mild discomfort because of these essential life-saving tools. and guess what, i want to remind everybody, they are free. they are convenient. and they are safe and they work.

first, booster shots. they weren't available a year ago. they are now. everywhere. every person age 5 and over should get a booster shot. if you are over 50 years old you should get two booster shots. i did. and if you have your boosters -- one if you are under 50, two if you are over 50, your odds of getting severely ill from covid are very, very low. even older americans are very unlikely to get severe covid if they have two booster shots. most covid deaths are among those who are not up to date on their shots, their covid vaccinations. so if you are over 50 and you haven't gotten a booster shot this year, go get one right away. go to covid.gov, type in your zip code and find a place where you can get a booster shot for free, usually at a site that's less than five miles from your home. second, at-home tests.

a year ago at-home tests were rare and expensive, now everyone in america can get them for free, shipped to their door. shipped to their door. there is no excuse. again, go to covid.gov and order at-home tests for free. testing to find out if your symptoms mean you have covid is critical in getting treatment quickly. third, treatments. if you test positive you have a new powerful -- we have a new powerful treatment called paxlovid. it wasn't available a year ago. it's now -- it's a pill and now you can take these pills at home. you can get them for free at tens of thousands of local drugstores around the country. the food and drug administration, the fda even put in a special rule to many pharmacists can prescribe these -- this particular drug. so you don't even have to go to the doctor to get a

prescription. millions of americans have used paxlovid -- paxlovid, excuse me -- paxlovid -- i tell you what, i think it's -- i used it. paxlovid, including me. this life-saving drug reduces risk of hospital zags and death from covid-19 by about 90%. again, it's free, safe and easy to take and we moved quickly to make it widely available including to thousands of convenient tests -- treat sites where you can get tested and if you need it paxlovid is at the ready right then and there when you make your visit. again, go to covid.gov to find where test and treat sites are near you. here is the bottom line, when my predecessor got covid he had to get helicoptered to walter reed medical center. he was severely ill. thankfully he recovered. when i got covid i worked from

upstairs at the white house in the offices upstairs and for the five-day period. the difference is vaccinations, of course. but also three new tools, free to all and widely available. you don't need to be president to get these tools used for your defense. in fact, the same booster shots, the same at-home tests, the same treatment that i got is available to you. the biden administration made sure all americans across the country, from all walks of life, have free access to those tools. covid was killing thousands of americans a day when i got here. that isn't the case anymore. you can live without fear by doing what i did. get boosted, get tested and get treatment. at the same time, the biden administration remains vigilant. we have the tools to keep you from getting severely ill or dying from covid. but we're not stopping there. earlier this week, we had a

conference at the white house about the next generation of vaccines, with a goal of keeping people from getting sick in the first place, getting covid at all, even getting it. let me close with this. over the past 18 months, my administration left no stone unturned in our fight against this pandemic. none. we brought down deaths by nearly 90% since i took office because of the help of all the people in this rose garden. businesses and schools responded. grandparents are hugging again. wedding is and celebrations are happening again. let's ee mother with hope and light for what can come. get vaccinated if you haven't gotten already. now, get boosted. order your free test. if you get sick, and test positive, seek treatment. take advantage of these life saving tools. we have more of these tools than

we ever had before. to my friends in congress, let's keep investing in these tools. vaccinations, treatments, tests and more so we can help make them available to americans, the american people on a permanent basis. let's get moving, when i say permanent basis, as long as they are needed. let's keep moving forward safely. god bless you all. now, i get to go back to the oval office. thank you all very much. [ cheers and applause ] >> president biden with a bit of a triumphant return to the rose garden. for the first time since late last week when he tested positive for covid, returning to the oval office. not the one in the residence he has been using. the president trying to use this announcement, aviators on, as a teachable moment, about the changing state of the covid crisis and you can boost and test and treat in ways you

couldn't 18 months ago. mike memoli is joining us. also, dr. patel. she is an msnbc medical contributor. mike, i want to get to you, if i can, right now. the white house was preparing for this. they have been grateful the president had mild symptoms from the beginning. just five days behind closed doors in isolation. now he is out. they really wanted to use this deliver a message to the american public. >> reporter: that's right. this was a triumphant moment as you put it and also a teachable moment for the president and for this administration. the president clearly in good spirits as he is returning to work, making the point that the same kind of treatments that he has been able to get and the reason he was able to have such a mild case and return to work so quickly is because of the progress he says that's been made during his time in office in treating and tackling this pandemic. it's notable, about a year ago, we remember the president was in

the -- on the south lawn saying the nation was on the cusp of declaring independence from the virus. today, he talked about a different benchmark for success. the fact we are able to prevent serious illness, thanks to the availability of vaccines and treatments like paxlovid that he received. really struck by the fact that the president made a direct comparison between his turn with the illness versus what president trump experienced when he was diagnosed with covid-19. the president making the point that while he was able to largely keep at work in the residence of the white house, his predecessor had to be airlifted to walter reed and had serious illness, as the president put it. he was grateful he did improve but drawing an explicit comparison between himself and his predecessor at this key moment. it was notable, of course, he did not take questions there. preferring to go right back to work. noting that this was his first time returning to the west wing having the staff with him there

to applaud his arrival. among those who was not there, as i understand it, is dr. kevin o'connor, who has been the president's chief physician. not taking a victory lap as the president was for a plan that has been in the works really since we saw covid first emerge. dr. kebkevin has been leading t keep the candidate safe now the president safe and there is your results, the president going into the oval office now after a brief, mild case of five days. >> of course, given at 79, he is the oldest person to hold this office in american history, there were concerns about his health, how he would deal with covid. good news, he is out of it quickly. dr. patel, to you on that topic. i think a lot of americans paying close attention to the changing numbers. fewer deaths. but hospitalizatios ticking up because of the ba.5 subvariant. how concerned should we be about the seriousness of this particular variant? >> peter, i think the president

led off with indicating we have treatments and masks and mitigation measures. we need to use them. that underscores the seriousness. this is highly infectious. we don't know when the president got it. just, again, repeat, this is just such an infectious version of the variant. especially if you are not boosted, this can be even if you have the first two shots in your vaccine this can put you in the hospital which is why early diagnosis and treatment is incredibly important. i do think all those messages were on point in the president's remarks. hopefully somebody today will watch and listen and get tested, treated, boosted, if they haven't already. >> 17 close contacted the white house identified. among them the first lady who is likely safe to return tots white house. we will keep you posted on those details. mike memoli, dr. patel, we appreciate your expertise. that's going to wrap it up for me. i'm peter alexander. andrea mitchell will pick up with more news, that's next. andrea mitchell come to you with a replacement you can trust.

>> man: looks great. >> tech: that's service on your time. schedule now. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ with more news, that's next.

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[whistling] when you have technology that's easier to control... that can scale across all your clouds... we got that right? yeah, we got that. it's easier to be an innovator. so you can do more incredible things. [whistling] ♪♪ good day, everyone. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington. president biden is cleared from covid isolation after completing five full days in quarantine. his doctors say he tested negative last night and this morning after taking a full course of the anti-viral drug paxlovid and