i'm jose diaz-balart. i'll see you tomorrow night on "nbc nightly news" saturday. you can always reach me on twitter and instagram @jdbalart. please follow the show @jdbalartmsnbc. thank you for the privilege of your time. lindsey reiser picks up with more news right now. good friday morning. i'm lindsey reiser, live from msnbc headquarters in new york. right now, the countdown is on. six days, that's how much time the justice department has to submit its proposed redactions to the affidavit used to secure the fbi's search of donald trump's mar-a-lago estate. how much of it will we actually see and what could it reveal about the broader investigation. we'll talk to experts about the details investigators would want to keep secret. also this hour, a political jolt from senator mitch mcconnell. >> i think there's probably a

greater likelihood the house flips than the senate. >> he blames candidate quality. but who's to blame for that? we're going to look at the key races where warning signs are flashing for the gop. plus, when americans think of the irs, accountants come to mind, but some republicans are now portraying the agency as an armed strike force. the potentially dangerous implications of the party's escalating rhetoric. we're going to start, though, with that affidavit and the doj's investigation. joining me right now, nbc news correspondent sam brock in west palm beach, florida. nbc's julia ainsley in washington. also with me is kyle cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for politico, and harry litman, former u.s. attorney and host of "the talking feds" podcast. thank you all for being with me. sam, first, we want to go to you. the government has until thursday to submit the redactions it wants to this affidavit. what will this process look like and what else did the judge say?

>> reporter: so, lindsey, right now, we know that there is absolutely the potential in this case for it to drag on. the judge ordered a directive for the next six days now, seven as of yesterday, for the doj to provide its version of the redacted affidavit, what they would like to see released, not like to, but think is realistic to get out there. the judge will then review it, and he has seen the entire affidavit and has some idea of what's in there and thinks what the public is entitled to see. they'll try to figure out a middle ground. if they cannot, the next step is that the judge would seal his version and that would start his appellate process. so who knows how long that goes on for. if they can't come to terms, this could be a matter of weeks or conceivably be a couple of months. a couple of notes i want to bring to you from yesterday's court session. first, the trump attorney, christina bob, she was there, she sat in there as an observer as the attorneys for the media made the argument of why this affidavit should be unsealed.

former president trump has been one of the most vociferous voices and full-throated voices in the full affidavit being unsealed, and yet his attorneys in court said nothing. his legal team has yet to file paperwork requesting that the affidavit be unveiled. so there's certainly a bit of disconnect between what he has said and the actions of his legal team. the other thing i would say is that the judge in this case has come under duress himself, has faced death threats. palm beach gardens police department says it's cooperating right now with federal authorities to try to keep him safe. so if anyone is sensitive to the idea that getting this information out there could imperil the livelihood of the federal agents that were involved in the search, he most certainly is. and yet knowing that contextually still decided there was a compelling interest to get information out to the public. the information is, what is that middle ground? how do they determine what that information will be, illuminating to the public, or potentially dangerous for those that are involved directly within the investigation? will there be tidbits based on the testimony, based on some of the methodology that's explained within that affidavit about why they felt that criminal activity

may have happened at mar-a-lago that does not put anyone in danger. that's really the biggest question in all of this. >> so, harry, sam talked about the when, weeks, if not months. but another big question is how much will this affidavit actually reveal. and criminal defense attorney john sale was on "morning joe" earlier. hechd approached by trump's legal team to work on the case but declined. he weighed in on that legal question. >> i think we're going to all be disappointed. and i think it's pretty clear that we're not going to get anything that's going to compromise the investigation. and we're not going to get anything that would lead to speculation as to who the witnesses are. >> first, harry, do you agree? and how high is the bar for the government to redact something? >> so, yeah, i do agree. all of that is true. and by the way, he's now joined a large club of people who won't represent donald trump. but the government has out their black pen now and they're trying

their best. they actually in their papers told the judge, if you go this route, we're going to produce gobbledygook, because we'll have to black out everything. as they said, could be a road map to the investigation, could endanger witnesses, could disincentivize future witnesses to come back. but they don't want to look ridiculous, so they are going to try to play ball, and reinhart, a long time ausda, made it clear that he thinks there are at least chunks that he thinks can go forward. at best, you'll see a very large ly redacted document. what is there will be bad for trump. that's why they didn't take any position, but then there is the potential appeals process if the doj is dissatisfied. to the district court, just above the magistrate judge, and then the court of appeals. >> the government argued that it couldn't release more than just the cover sheet of the affidavit, but it doesn't seem like the judge agreed. >> -- already made their case that they were reveals as much

as they could. it was the cover sheet and just a few other little tidbits, not what was really the heart of this, which was the whole reason why they needed to do this search in the first place the information they presented. they've already done some of that work previously. they've showed the judge, this is all that we can share. now they're in this incredibly difficult position, as harry points out, they have to show something, so they don't look ridiculous, and a they are playing ball, but what they could actually show that would in any way appease this judge that's trying to balance these competing interests here in terms of what the public needs to know, but also preserving the integrity of the investigation and the witnesses. it's really putting doj in a hard spot to figure out what, if anything, they could put ford that would be meaningful, and meaningful enough to this judge and this case. so they now have until august 25th, next thursday, to try to come up with some answers to some very difficult questions here. >> kyle, your latest reporting in politico says, quote, trump's

legal woes enter yet another protracted face, and quote, the former president god few new details about the probe in a piece of unwelcome news, to boot. the feds just getting started. can you expand on that >> sure, one of the few substantiative things we learned is that the probe was in its early stages. that's very significant. there's a lot of speculation about how far along is this probe? they have been trying to recover these documents from mar-a-lago for months and they clearly had developed enough evidence to suggest several potential crimes at issue. but it doesn't sound like they're anywhere close to a resolution. and so we could be talking about a period where they go dark in advance of the midterm elections and that this doesn't pick up again until late this year, early next year, and even then, we may still be a ways off from some sort of concrete resolution. so if anything was learned yesterday in court, that was it. >> and kyle, team trump is

really vocal on cable news, on twitter about wanting the affidavit unsealed, even though christina bob didn't make an argument in court yesterday. let's play part of when she went on fox news afterwards. >> we need to wait and see. i can't be certain at this point, because we haven't seen the affidavit and we certainly haven't seen the redactions and how it's going to play out, but we'll be making that decision as it comes out. you know, we've got to see it. we haven't seen it. it has been under seal. so i don't know. we can't say. >> kyle, has that been a legal strategy in the trump sphere before to make a lot of noise on twitter and on conservative media, but not so much in the courtroom? >> yes. in fact, we're all trying to discern what the trump legal strategy is. and that's a great example of something where, you know, trump is out there, you know, banging the drum about a certain angle and his legal team isn't sort of backing that up in substance. we see that all the time, where they try to be all things to all

people, but are hesitant, reluctant to take a step that might lock them into a course of action, particularly when they just don't know what they don't know. they don't know what's in that affidavit and what could come out. it's easy to say, release it all, just like they said, release the search warrant, and then when the warrant came out, it's, here's what we're investigating you for and it wasn't great news for donald trump. they may not like what they find out if they get any of this unsealed. >> let's talk about that strategy. trump's spokesman is also saying on twitter, no redactions should be necessary and the whole affidavit should be released. is it risky to demand the public release of a document you haven't seen yet? >> they are -- they are saying it so they can set up to be aggrieved no matter what happens, because there's a zero possibility that the affidavit is released unredacted. so this is a posturing at the rhetorical level, but think of what's in the affidavit. documentation of crimes at mar-a-lago, possibly by him.

but also, the whole back and forth that puts the lie to his idea that this was just innocent and i was cooperative. we know, and it's going to be chapter and verse in the affidavit, that at least after they got the subpoena in june, they simply stonewalled and lied about what was still there. that's not going to look good and will directly contradict trump's position that we were trying to be cooperative or, you know, what are they, why are they getting so hot and bothered about it. >> julia, a source familiar told nbc news that there are discussions inside trump world about releasing surveillance video of the mar-a-lago search. what's the reaction to that inside the doj? >> well, lindsey, the stakes are high here. we could see as soon as today trump's team brazenly release the surveillance video that they own, that's at mar-a-lago, showing the agents involved in this raid. now, doj is aware of that and they are very concerned that there could be privacy issues. that if the american public can

see the face of these fbi agents doing their search, as they were told to do, following their duties, that they could be targeted. we've already seen threats made against the fbi agents who were named in the search warrant. as you know, there was a threat against the fbi office last week in cincinnati. now they're worried that it could be that these agents in the video, if their faces are shown, those people could be targeted, too. in fact, doj officials are so concerned about this, they've been begging media organizations that if this video comes out, to please blur the faces of the agents. now, you know organizations like nbc will take every effort they can to do that. but this video could go viral, it could be on youtube, it could be shared on truth social. there could be a lot of ways that these faces and identities could get out in a way that would really hurt these agents or potentially, you know, put them in a threatening situation. that's something that trump world is clearly not considering when they're talking about putting out this video for all

to see. >> we've already seen some media organizations not redact the names of the agents that were associated with the search. valid concern there. my thanks to all of you. up next, first it was the fbi, now republicans are setting their sights on another government agency, the irs. plus, mitch mcconnell expresses doubt that republicans can take back the senate, blaming candidate quality. we're going to look at some of the key races that may have the gop nervous. and priced out. home sales fall for the sixth straight month, while rents skyrocket nationwide. what's behind the cost that have americans fed up. cost that have americans fed up nope c'mon him? oo, i like him! nooooo... noooo... noooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and each sheet is 2x more absorbent , so you can use less.

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are republicans' chances of flipping the senate this november dwindling? the top republican in the senate seems to think so. >> there's probably a greater likelihood the house flips than the senate. senate races are just different.

they're statewide. candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome. >> those comments from mitch mcconnell underscore the new warning signs for the gop senate candidates in key races. this as a group aligned with mcconnell is prepared to unleash a multi-million dollar ad blitz in ohio. joining me right now is senior national political reporter, sahil kapur and charlie sykes, editor at large of the bulwark and an msnbc political contributor. historically, the odds are in the republicans' favor to retake control, but mcconnell is a very savvy politician. this isn't something that he would have said lightly. >> mitch mcconnell does not say anything lightly. the fact that he said this, it was a moment of candor for the longtime senate republican leader, giving voice to a fear that many republican strategists have quietly held for some time now, which is that an election cycle that started off looking pretty good for the republican party has turned sour and problematic in large part because of what he just said,

candidate quality. mcconnell didn't name names, but it's plain to see who he's concerned about. let's start with a quartet of republican candidate who hand picked by donald trump in crucial senate races, dr. oz in pennsylvania. you just mentioned j.d. vance in ohio. that's a red-leaning state. it should not be this difficult for republicans to hold on, but in part because of a new candidate, it is. there's herschel walker in georgia. a candidate that mcconnell's advisers have long had concerns about, and to some extent, blake masters in arizona who is also trailing. and in wisconsin, you have a two-term incumbent, ron johnson, who is deeply unpopular in his home state, trailing the democrat mandela barnes by four points. a fox news poll released yesterday. republicans can't afford to lose any incumbents. they want a shot at winning back the senate this fall. so if you add it all together, it's not the only reason that republicans are struggling a bit more. there are other factors such as the supreme court overturning roe v. wade, galvanizing democratic voters, falling gas prices are helping a little bit.

but candidate quality is something that mcconnell is intimately familiar with going back to 2010 and 2012 when republicans nominated a bunch of unelectable candidates that cost him his shot at becoming majority leader. there's some chance that he worries that it could happen again. >> charlie, our viewers can't see, but i can see in our studio, you've been nodding fervently the whole time. if we're talking about candidate quality here, who's to blame for that? is it the candidates? is it trump, is it the party? and what does this say about where the gop is headed and what voters want? >> well, it's all of the above. you know, when you look at the candidates that they put on the ballot, the herschel walkers, the dr. ozes, they were all hand picked by donald trump. but they are all candidates that have been endorsed by the base. this is part of the problem of republican politics. up until now, all of their politics has been aimed at the primary voter, at the maga base. well, now it shifts to a general electorate and many of the

things that these candidates said and did or that were acceptable in primaries are not going to be acceptable in a general election. so, you know, i agree completely, this was an act of extraordinary candor by mitch mcconnell. look, the republican base and the republican donor class has been assuming this was going to be a massive red wave. and now what you're starting to see is a preemptive blame game. what happens if they do fall short? and from mcconnell's point of view, there is a flashback to what's happened in the past, where republicans have nominated unelectable whack jobs in seats that they should have won. i mean, think about it. they tried -- they could have had the incumbent governor in arizona, doug ducey, running. he would have been a favorite to win the senate seat. the republican governor, chris sununu in new hampshire decided not to run for senate. those were two seats they could have picked up. and then it looks like they're going to blow winnable elections in both georgia and pennsylvania

and the fact that wisconsin is on the line. so what does this say about the republican party? it may say that what works to win donald trump's favor is actually electoral poison when it comes to winning in november. >> electoral poison. >> sahil, before we let both of you go, i want to get to some new reporting you have. and that is the irs. they're coming after the irs in the wake of the agency getting a bump in funding from the inflation reduction act. but in an internal memo, janet yellin outlines the actual priorities for that money. what are some of the gripes and what's the reality? >> lindsey, republicans are certainly escalating their rhetoric against this $80 billion cash infusion that the irs is getting, culminaing in this extraordinary letter by senator rick scott, openly encouraging americans not to apply for irs positions, because in his view, republicans hope to take control of congress, and they will come after those jobs. they will seek to defund them.

and the portrayal here is that that money is going to be used for hiring a series of agents and auditors, who will be combing through the tax returns of ordinary middle class americans. the biden administration dismisses all of that as a complete fabrication. there's a new formal guidance letter by treasury secretary janet yellen to the irs commissioner obtained by nbc news that lays out the specific priorities in terms of how that money needs to be spent. she cites customer service, so more calls are returned to people who need to contact the irs about their tax returns. improving the technology, so that faster refunds, you know, are processed or rather, refunds are processed more quickly and efficiently. and she emphasizes that new audits and examinations need to be focused on wealthy americans and sophisticated tax chaets, who the irs have not had the resources to go after in the past. that has been the biden administration's argument. that's what democrats across the board are saying. but republicans see this opportunity to go after the irs.

it speaks to a disaffected anti-government section of their base. and frankly, there's not a lot else they see in terms of great opportunities to make political hay of in the inflation reduction act. a lot of the other items like empowering medicare, this potpourri of tax credits for health care and clean energy, those are pretty popular. >> we'll have to leave it there. thank you. still to come, homes are selling at the slowest pace since 2015. are we heading for a housing recession or are we already there? at the same time, rents are soaring. this headline from the atlantic says it all. why the rent inflation is so damn high. the reporter behind this story with the answer joins me next. dy with the answer joins me next. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (vo) you can be well-dressed.

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everywhere, too, not just in big cities. skyrocketing rents coming at the same time housing prices are at historic highs, making it harder for people to afford to live. is any relief on the way? emilie ikeda has more on the housing turbulence. >> hi, there. a very different picture from earlier this year. holes are selling at the slowest pace since 2015, aside from the start of the pandemic, and that's because high mortgage rates are pushing people out of the house hunt. this morning, lack of affordability is weighing down the housing market, as would-be home buyers pump the brakes on signing a deed. existing home sales fell for the sixth month in a row and dropped 20% compared to last year. >> several experts now have said that the housing market is in a recession. >> reporter: house hunters are being sidelined by sky-high prices, up nearly 11% from a year ago, limited supply, and rising mortgage rates. >> there's no way i would be able to afford this without a

second job. >> sophia silva nearly backed out of buying a home in chicago when mortgage rates surpassed 5%. it tacked on an extra several hundred dollars to her monthly payments. >> it was the panic of realizing, how having to work a second job will have to be a part of my reality now. >> reporter: rising costs put this minneapolis couple who built their home in a similar situation. >> probably every other day, i would say, do we actually need to go back to the drawing board? >> is there any relief in sight for home buyers? >> home buyers are a little bit more in the driver's seat. we are seeing fewer bidding wars, so there is less competition in the market, but so far that hasn't hit home prices yet, and the reason is, because there's still very little supply on the market and there is strong demand. >> reporter: stubbornly high home prices are sending more people in search of rentals, but there's little relief there. all but three of the most populous metro areas in the u.s. saw rents increase from a year earlier, cincinnati, nashville,

and pittsburgh with the fastest-rising prices. >> rents are sky high, and that makes it even harder to save for a down payment. >> reporter: typically, first-time home buyers make up 40% of sales according to the national association of realtors. but in july, they only represented 29%, as the road to affordability is proving hard to find. >> a drop in demand means dwindling competition, which is good news for buyers. plus, prices are growing, but at a slower pace for both home and rentals. still, there's very little inventory. a typical home, for instance, in july sat on the market for just two weeks. that's tied for the shortest amount of time ever recorded by the national association of realtors. back to you. >> nbc's emilie ikeda reporting. thank you. for more on the housing market, let's go ahead and turn to derek thompson, staff writer for the atlantic. derek, want to take a look here at the cost of buying a home. whether we're in a housing recession, is it relevant here? does it mean that prices will start to fall?

>> well, your segment just before covered it very well. we're looking at a problem of supply. we didn't build enough apartments in the 2010s, and we're looking at a problem of demand as more people realize they can't buy a house. well, they have to live somewhere, one hopes. so they're probably going to remain in the rental market. there's one more aspect i want to look into, which is very important and very interesting in that reporting on why rental inflation has been so high. it's because there are many more single-person households that formed after the worst parts of the pandemic. the single-person households rose by 80% since 2020. that's people that hunkered down during the worst of the pandemic, had a lot of roommates, went back to live with their parents, now they're out looking for a place to live, they can't necessarily afford to buy a house on their own, now they look to rent. with all that surging demand for rent, you're seeing rental income go sky high. >> let's talk about what this means for the average person who is renting. and when we talk about high

rents, it's not just here in manhattan, it's everywhere, right? in those sun belt places, you have to pay more for a car, you have to pay more for energy. that means these less disposable income, right? >> right. and you can see how this affects the other aspect of the housing market. your previous segment did a great job of pointing out if you have to pay more and more and more for rent in the place that you're living, that means you can't necessarily save for the down payment on your next house. that means, as a result, you'll see the share of first-time home buyers fall from 40% to 29%. that means the housing market right now tends to be a lot of older buyers, a lot of richer boomers that are selling their house for significant appreciation and buying another house, rather than letting new buyers into the market. it's a real problem for millennials and generation "z," though. >> if you were to advise them, which i realize you are a journalist and not an adviser, but if you've got a young person who says, look, i'm either throwing my money away in rent or throwing my money away in these high interest rates, what

do you tell people? >> there's all sorts of ways to save money. i don't want to be a full financial advisers in 35 seconds. there's probably a lot of variation person-to-person, but the number of generation "z" adults living alone has nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022. so what i would say is, if you're having trouble paying rent, maybe consider taking on a roommate, maybe consider taking on another roommate, you know, buying -- or excuse me, renting somewhere where you can divide the monthly rent by three rather than by one or by two. so i think that one answer here, in both the macro economic side, but also on the personal finance side is thinking about household formation. how many people are you living with? how many people are sharing that rent? as rents go up enough, it's nice to have people sharing that monthly rent. >> and during the pandemic, a lot of people wanted to live alone. jared thompson, thank you so much. next, the new and stark fears concerning a ukrainian nuclear plant controlled by russia. ukraine's president warns of the

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president putin of russia, that talked about the plant today. what did they discuss? >> they discussed sending iaea inspectors to the site. that's the u.n.'s nuclear agency. and according to both the russians and the french, president putin agreed to allow u.n. inspectors to visit the site. now, how quickly that's going to happen is the real question. because in the last 24 hours or so, russian officials had said that it wouldn't be feasible to facilitate access to the site for iaea inspectors until the first week of september or later, which is far too late, given the dramatic concerns that people have in the region right now. yesterday, there were claims both from the russians and the ukrainians that there was going to be some type of provocation at the plant today, which really sent the fears here surging, but to give you a sense of how hard it is to get information out of the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, so far, there are no indications, we haven't heard of anything happening today, any

explosions, but it is in russian-occupied territory. yesterday, we were in zaporizhzhia, about 30 miles up the dnipro river. we pulled back a bit, but the plant is under russian control. there are ukrainian officials running the power plant. according to some reports, they are being tortured. in fact, ukrainian officials have said that. so trying to figure out exactly what is happening there, including who has been doing the shelling that has really raised concerns has been a very difficult challenge. not only for the media, but frankly for the international community. >> that really underscores just the complexity here, with these false flag operations and blaming each side. but, ben, help guide us through that, right? you have ukraine also warning the probability of a major attack of terror at the nuclear facility, saying that that threat is very high. we're talking about one of the largest nuclear plants in all of europe. how dangerous is this? and what can or should the u.s. do? >> well, i mean, i think it's

hugely dangerous. obviously, if you had some kind of incident at that plant that led to the leak of nuclear fuel, you would be looking at a circumstance in which you had very serious risks of radiation to not just the surrounding population, but ultimately, that could affect populations in other parts of europe, in belarus, in europe itself, and potentially russia. we lived through that with the chernobyl nuclear disaster, also in ukraine, back in the days of the soviet union. and the reason it's so important to get these iaea inspectors on the ground, you need independent and impartial people to make sure that the operations at the plant are continuing in a way that ensures safety. and right now, you have absolutely no visibility into this plant. you have no capacity. and frankly, no reason to trust anything that russia is saying. they're the ones occupying this. they're the ones that appear to be using it for military purposes for cover for their operations. and frankly, i think you also probably have some accurate

suspicions on the ukrainian side, that part of what russia wants to do is deny ukraine a source of energy and electricity that its people rely upon. this is part of the siege mentality that russia is bringing in its actions against the ukrainian population. they're seeking to instill terror and fear of a particular nuclear incident and they're seeking to potentially cut them off from an important source of energy in the country. >> ben, given what we know about ukrainian tactics and russian tactics, we heard josh saying, it's so hard to understand who is doing what shelling. but based on what you know, based on what you're hearing, war you led to believe? >> i've got to be honest here. i can't see a circumstance in which the ukrainians would be engaged in shelling that puts at risk a nuclear disaster that would impact their own people. they're the ones that are most in the eye of danger here.

whereas on the ground, we've seen the russians try to weaponize everything they can, both in terms of trying to be able to provide military for their own operations, efforts to steadily advance the front line in eastern ukraine, and also, just in terms of right to create uncertainty and gain whatever leverage they can over the ukrainian people and the international community. i think the u.s. has to be working not just bilaterally with ukraine, but with the whole international community. this is something that we've put at risk, obviously people in ukraine, but other countries, as well, put at risk, really, the basic norms that have guided nuclear security for decades. i think it's important that we speak with many other countries and the united nations to try to put pressure on russia to allow the plan to get under control and to get eyes on that plan from international experts who would provide assurance that the nuclear material there secure and safe >> josh, have to be clear with you, but what have you learned

of russian attacks on nuclear military sites in crimea? >> the big question has been whether ukraine was behind those explosions here. now a ukrainian russian official tells me that saboteurs, ukrainian partisans who oppose russia's occupation of crimea were involved in those attacks. we're also hearing a u.s. official who says that the united states government has put no restrictions on ukraine using u.s.-provided long-rain weapons to hit targets in crimea, because of the fact that the u.s., the international community, considers crimea still to be part of ukraine. lindsey? >> josh letterman and ben rhodes, thank you both. we are following a sentencing hearing happening right now in virginia for a member of the terror cell known as the isis beatles. he was found guilty for his role in the kidnapping and murder of four americans. journalist james foley and steven sotloff and aid workers peter casick and kayla mueller. their family members are inside the court delivering victim statements, including the

parents of james foley. foley's mother spoke directly to her son's killer telling him her son, quote, lives on. foley was beheaded in 2014 after a year in captivity in syria. nbc news justice and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian joins me now. i understand, this is the highest profile isis fighter to stand trial in the u.s. what more do we know about the sentencing at this point? >> that's right. he is facing life in prison. he was captured in syria by kurdish-backed militia back in 2018 as he tried the flee in turkey. he was part of this british-important group of isis terrorists known as the beatles who tortured and murdered american hostages, beheading some of them, as we all remember, on video. he was convicted in federal court after an emotional two-week trial back in april, that featured the testimony of 12 former captives who detailed relentless beatings, sexual abuse, waterboardings, and killings by these beatles. he is very likely to serve his

sentence at the supermax prison in florence, colorado. the beatles are held responsible for the deaths of those four u.s. hostages, many of whose family members are in the courtroom today and making victim impact statements, lindsey. >> so we've mentioned the suspect is part of this four-member jihadist cell. two members are jailed, one is dead. let's talk about the threats still of this happening with other terror groups. ken? >> thankfully, isis and al qaeda, for that matter, are much diminished forces from what they were 10, 15 years ago, according to u.s. officials, but they're still around. and no one would rule out hostage taking of americans or attacks certainly in the region. the one thing that we can say is that neither group has the capacity, according to u.s. intelligence officials, to mount a complex attack on the united states. but americans who go to these volatile parts of the world are always at risk. but this was a particularly

virulent strain of a particularly awful terrorist group. and it's a chapter that many of us hope that we never see the likes of gun, lindsey. >> certainly. ken dilanian, we'll keep an eye on what happens there. thank you so much. next, they've dealt with the pandemic. they're juggling new laws around what they can say and teach and now teachers in south lake, texas, are emblematic of a national trend. they're unsure if there's a place for them in the classroom and whether it's worth teaching anymore. >> they might fire you for doing this interview? >> well, they can't fire me, because i quit. use i quit with skincare super ingredient collagen! olay body wash hydrates for healthier-looking skin in just 14 days, from dry and dull to firm and radiant. with olay body, i feel fearless in my skin.

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with powerful, easy-to-use tools power e*trade makes complex trading easier react to fast-moving markets with dynamic charting and a futures ladder that lets you place, flatten, or reverse orders so you won't miss an opportunity ♪♪ as students return to class for the new year, schools are having a tough time finding enough teachers, especially amid growing cultural fights. in south lake, texas, the school week just began. what did you hear from teachers? >> teachers across south lake, texas are exhausted after dealing with pandemic, after dealing with new laws that restrict the way they can deal

with racism and what they can say in their classrooms and dealing with stagnant pay. now a large number of them are looking at leaving the profession. one survey found 70% of texas teachers are looking for a way out. >> reporter: for seven years adam burns loved his job as a middle school teacher. after members of a conservative political action committee won the majority of seats on the school board and texas passed laws on how teachers could address racism in the classroom, they thought of their 11-year-old son. >> did you think you could be true to yourself and stay in this job? >> not at all. >> reporter: adam quit in july but says the school has not found his replacement and his contract requires him to stay until they do. >> my message to other teachers is to be true to yourself. for the district, i would say it's time to start listening to

the people that you employ. >> reporter: given exhaustion and stress from the covid pandemic, one survey finds as many as 55% of america's educators are considering leaving the profession. in south lake, texas nbc news has covered conflicts and an active civil rights litigation. 93 out of 175 teachers left that district last year. >> here's three teachers. >> really good teachers. >> amazing teachers. >> reporter: tim hamillson taught spanish for nine years. a group of parents became outraged when he wore a black lives matter mask. he was demoted but he refused to take the position. the school district did not mention on any personnel matters. kim ross left last spring after

teaching algebra for 13 years. >> part of what we saw and what was happening that made us go, i don't think i can do this anymore. at least for now. >> they might fire you for doing this interview. >> they can't fire me because i kit. >> reporter: a new survey found 70% of texas teachers are considering leaving the profession entirely. the highest number recorded since the survey began in 1980. the president of the texas state teachers association -- >> educators are feeling less support, not just from elected officials, but also an increase of lack of support from parents because of all the political rhetoric that is being thrown around about who we are. >> reporter: if this continues, what will happen to the public schools? >> we'll see more classrooms without teachers. we'll see even less people wanting to come into education. >> reporter: despite losing 16% of its teachers last year, the district says it only has three open positions currently, which

it expects to fill shortly. and it is implementing raises. adam hopes his colleagues and young son understand why he chose to speak out. >> does it upset you to think this might be the end of the road for you with teaching? >> it was a big leap for myself and my family for me to do this and realizing that i don't feel like there's a place for me. it's really tough. >> reporter: antonia hylton, nbc news, south lake, texas. what we often find in our south lake reporting is that community is a couple months ahead of where other parts of the country will be in a few months time. we're hearing there's reduced class offerings, some increased class sizes and teachers that remain that are taking on higher workloads. so they feel like they're dealing with a crisis and there's not a solution or a relief coming in sight any time

soon. >> somebody i interviewed about this said we have to rethink what a classroom looks like, a lot of kids, one teacher and a bunch of different aides. where are these teachers going? they spent so many years fostering this career, where do they go after this? >> so many of them are heartbroken. two of the three teachers you just met there, they don't have a job right now. they're figuring out what's next for them. adam is in the process of becoming a pilot. he has a plan. but it's heartbreaking for him. he's excited about the new role but he loved being a teacher. he would have continued on in that role if these pressures had not come his way. >> you think about all the teachers that shaped you as well, what a shape. >> thank you. that does it for me this friday. "andrea mitchell reports" starts next. they just found out they can redeem rewards for a second honeymoon. romance is in the air.

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good day. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in new york. the defense department has been told that the department has not proposed enough evidence to redact the whole affidavit. trump lawyers did not present any argument in court, leaving that to attorneys