it's the reason why i know that i still have work to do in the united states senate to protect the this core value. i was john lewis's pastor and in his memory i continue to fight the good fight, but the people of georgia have the ability to exercise the vote in this season, and i want to encourage him to vote early being no. >> senator raphael warnock thank you so. much >> thank. >> that's all in for this thursday night. alex wagner begins now good evening. chris chris, you never forget that the senator is also of reverend. >> big spectrum, big from some politicians are incredibly effective and just not particularly i'm using communicator. some are good communicators. but it is very striking when you are in the presence of somebody like the reverend

raphael warnock was just obviously a tremendously and profound person. >> i spent some time with him on the trail in georgia in the last election and you never lost sight of the fact that he was john lewis's pastor irreverent. he is a force of nature. thanks to you at home for joining us. when hurricane ian came ashore last afternoon, we knew it was one of the strongest storm to ever hit florida, or ever hit the united states period. and after a terrifying night in southwest florida, they like brought harrowing evidence of the destruction in storm like that brings. this is fort myers beach, one of the barrier islands that ian slammed into as a nearly category five storm. before the her again, it was a popular beach destination for resorts and restaurants. as you can see, much of it has been leveled. one local resident told local paper quote fort myers beach is gone. this is the causeway leading to sanibel island just west of the

fort myers beach. it's the only road to that island of 6000 people. as you can see here it is impassable. all the bridges to pine island just north of there have also failed. this evening nbc nightly news anchor lester holt spoke, to the people who didn't evacuate before the storm and may be trapped there. >> we have had significant numbers of people contact us, people who we knew were on the island, so we have been logging those meticulously and getting those out to our first responders. we had about 200 households that didn't evacuate on the island that we know of, and the search and rescue teams are on the island going to those areas trying to help those individuals and make sure they are safe. there have been some people that have come off the island. >> as you hear the mayor of sanibel describing there, a huge issue today is that the infrastructure damage is making

it difficult for first responders to reach areas where people may be stranded or worse. at least ten people are confirmed dead from the storm but that number is expected to rise perhaps significantly. visiting fema headquarters today, president biden warned it in could be the deadliest hurricane in florida's history, saying it early reports suggested substantial loss of life. the faa this evening declared a temporary restricted airspace over fort myers to clear the area for search operations. florida governor says there have been over 700 come from rescue statewide so far, and be clear, the storm is not over. nearly two and a half million customers are still without power. even his residents in southwest florida's begin to survey the damage and search the wreckage for survivors, and central florida and on the northeast caused the disaster is still unfolding. orlando saw historic flooding today after drenching 15 inches of rain, and the rain and wind continued into tonight as residents wait for the floodwaters to recede.

as a moved out into the atlantic this evening, there was a storm surge on the east coast just of the was on the west coast. here you see the city of st. augustine, where the most stands this river over topped its banks where it flows into the atlantic. officials say that historical levels of river flooding could affect for communities inland not just on the coast. it could affect them for weeks. now that ian is moved out into the atlantic, it is strengthened from a truck typical storm back into a category one hurricane. the states north of florida are bracing for its impact as it turns back west toward the south carolina coast. right now, it is places like lee county on florida's southwest county, that's cape coral, fort myers, sanibel, where the situation is most dire. even as rescuers search for those who need help, lee counties public hospital system announced that they are evacuating all of their patients, at least 800 people, out of that county because of the lack of power and running water. the storm may have moved on

from southwest florida but the grappling with what it left behind is just beginning. joining us now from fort myers, florida cnbc correspondent perry ross. in perry, we spoke last night just after fort myers was devastated. can you tell us about the last 24 hours and what it is been like? a >> so, today we went down to fort myers where there was flooding entire neighborhoods that are separated by water. today we heard stories of surviving and stories of saving. on the surviving side, we met an 80-year-old women who was filed by a couple of twentysomethings, she was taking her cell phone, trapped in her house and was just tapping against the window. she was trapped inside of her house and buy some luck, these twentysomethings heard her, dove into the water, and got her. we met a woman called mandy, she was wearing a lifejacket inside of her house with her husband. they were standing on top of a

pool table that flipped over. they were standing there for hours in a lifejacket. mandy tells us her water was up to her neck. and the savings i, we met this man name kevin ott will tee, he said he saved 16 people. he was with his three kids, his two sons in his daughter. >> scary a. but we saved a lot of people today to, that's good. people there would never have made it. old people, suck, we had to leave a lot of people to. >> we spoke to him outside of the house where he saved the family of his ex girlfriend. there were about three or four of them he says that were trapped inside a house in ten feet of water. they were inside a alex. >> terry, people standing in lifejackets on top of pool tables inside their house. it was seen their only lifeline here is their cell phones.

how are telecommunications? are people able to get through to emergency services via phone? >> their only lifeline is there deadline. there is no cell service at all period. if we were down there today speaking these people. we were saying hey how's it going we have no idea? the only thing that they understand as within their four walls under the roof if they still have one. they are essentially trapped. likely right now the water is going down. we were down there earlier today, the only way we could get around was hitching rides with people have those trucks with a higher suspension. we call a couple of swamp buggies as well. there's no communication. we had to drive maybe 20 or 30 minutes outside of where we were to get cell service to send a tweets, let people know where we were, checking in to make sure that we were okay and all that stuff. cell service just doesn't exist. when we spoke to mandy a woman

with a lifejacket in the pool table, she said what is phoenix gonna do? how is fema gonna help them right now? she told us her message from fema what she's been hearing from fema, go online to fill out the form, go on line to philippe find out more information. online just doesn't exist for them at this point. >> we are showing some images here perry of the utter devastation. there is no home to go to. this is just wreckage, piles of debris. what kind of shelter is there for people who are hoping to return home and realize there is no home to return to? >> so, the shelters we are hearing about i believe it was 12 or 14 yesterday added two more. people have either been going towards miami or be going up to gainesville to find shelter, but the biggest issue is communication. the people have to know that shelters are there, and the thing we are seeing is the destruction is so widespread the you have first responders who are just so spread out, so it's difficult to get to every

single person. that's not the fall of the first responders. they're trying to do the job taking life over property right now, but just to show you what we are talking about, we were across the street from, indiana her neighbor's house was on fire. it was burning to the ground. there was nobody there. we saw some fire fighters drive-by but they were trying, to find a woman who was trapped in an attic. so we have firefighters driving by a building that is burning, because they're still looking for people. there's so many different variables at play, the timing, the communication, making sure people have food, water and everything like that. these people feel helpless. there is no real communication, turning us to reporters saying, what are you hearing, what are you seeing, how bad is it? >> i mean, i'd ask you as a reporter who is been living through this chapter that is going to be to most people the most devastating chapter of their life, what is the emotional tenor of the people you've spoken to?

obviously, this is an incredibly fraught, devastating, sad and tragic moment. do you see resilience or -- just tell me how it is been to talk to people whose lives have been so deeply affected by hurricane. >> one, they are tired first off, they really haven't slept. they are exhausted emotionally, physically. the woman we talked with mindy, she said we will talk to you but can you please sit down my feet or tired from standing and, i said of course no problem at all. they are just tired. kevin the man on the boat was saving the 16 people, he hadn't slept, he was exhausted. he just wants to sleep tonight. these people are sleeping in areas with no cell service, then they can't even charge their phones when there's no power. they are just emotionally, physically drained. who knows when they're going to have a chance to refill? >> see nbc's perry meyer in

fort myers. stay safe. >> joining us now is fort myers city manager marty lyon mr. line thank you for joining us i know this is a terrible time for your community. fort myers got some of the worst of the storm yesterday. can you tell us how recovery efforts are being coordinated today? >> okay, well first we got started late last night about 11:00. a preliminary assessment team went out into the field to try and get an idea of what we would see this morning, and then bright and early this morning they got it and started their assessment work to assess not only damage of city owned facilities but private property as well. they came up with estimates to be used for various purposes for fema et cetera. we've got a very storm savvy team, in the city of fort myers, an experience team of directors and staff, they know what to do and how to do it.

so we're being proactive going forward, we have an action plan and we are going to carry it out. >> i think a lot of people will be hairy happy to hear the you have an action plan and, that these are people who are storm savvy. but then your mayor today said this is the worst storm he's seen in the area since he entered public service in the mid 70s. what is it been like for you? how does this moment stack up against other storms that have been in florida that have hit your area? >> you know, i've been in fort myers for a little over a year as city manager but i've worked quite a bit of my career in the coastal regions of north carolina and south carolina. i would have to say this is right up there with some of the strongest storms that i've had to deal with. what i've seen over the years is that every storm is different. some have stronger winds, some have a lot more rain, some of higher storm surge. this storm had all three and it

was a pretty strong storm and had significant impact. this will be as our eoc partners from the county say, this will be a marathon not a sprint to get cleaned up. >> we've seen some reports of hospital patients being evacuated to other area hospitals. what kind of resources does fort myers have right now and what kind of resources do they need more of? >> we are very lucky that the state of florida has a very strong emergency management program. li county as a very robust emergency management program as well, and the city as i said, we have a lot of experience with the department of directors, so all indications are at this point the resources from the state and federal government will be coming and coming quickly. we've established request list of capital items. human resources that we need to

get things back to normal and we have a positive outlook at this point. >> that's wonderful to hear the of a positive outlook. as we are talking, you were playing images of the destruction on the ground there and it is staggering. i don't think it's lost on anybody that you are in a dark room that is not lit. i assume you don't have electricity and i guess my question is, what is your guidance to people in fort myers who may want to use gas or electric power and appliances, should they be using them given the flooding that is currently in place? >> we'll, if you step outside in most communities you will hear generators running. so we are hopeful that people have those connected safely in compliance with codes and it'll make them a little more comfortable as we move forward. but yes, it is a challenging

time and we are without power. of course, our city facilities have generator power. i came home for a few hours. i'm in my home now without power or water, so i've made it the best i could hear, but like i said, it's not going to be a quick recovery as at the end of yesterday there was some 280,000 customers who were without power, and a significant ma amount of customers in the city will be without water for the next couple of days. it'll be a challenging time, but the resources from our partners in the state and county i think we'll get through just fine. >> that is a word of encouragement from fort myers, city manager, marty long. thank you for your time, and good luck. >> thank you we will have much more on this devastation in florida this hour. we will talk with the coast

guard commander with the rescues's team is taking out tonight. up next, the judge in the trump investigation, delivering another win for the former president. claire thomas's wife, ginni, talks with the january six committee. what she had to say, coming up next. g up next i tried everything to remove fabric odors, but my clothes still smelled. until i finally found new downy rinse and refresh! unlike many other products, downy rinse & refresh doesn't cover odors or leave residues... it helps remove them. it's safe on all fabrics and gentle on skin -- just add to your fabric softener tray. downy rinse & refresh helps remove odors up to 3 times better than detergent alone, so fabrics look and smell clean. try new downy rinse & refresh. guaranteed or your money back. find it in the fabric softener aisle or online.

new astepro allergy. now available without a prescription. astepro is the first and only 24-hour steroid free spray. while other allergy sprays take hours astepro starts working in 30 minutes. so you can... astepro and go. what the fbi, is probably doing,

is planting evidence.

that is what they did during the russia hoax. they also have a hunch they doctored evidence to get the warrant. >> for example, do i know the boxes of material they took from mar-a-lago, that they won't put things in those boxes to entrap him? how do we know? their lawyers weren't allowed to see the boxes >> the lawyer said they brought and backpacks. what was in the backpacks? today bring those and to fill them up, or do they have something in their? >> the problem you have is, they go into rooms, it won't let anyone near them. they won't even let them in the same building. did they drop anything into those piles? or, did they do it later? no chain of custody with them. >> ever since former president trump's personal residence at mar-a-lago was searched by the fbi, trump, republican lawmakers, and conservative media, have been pushing the idea that the fbi may have planted incriminating evidence while they were there. trump is not really guilty, he's being framed, it is a witch hunt, it segura. trump's lawyers, even, suggesting as much in their legal filings. last week, raymond dearie, the

special master who had been appointed to oversee the tug of war between trump slurs, and the department of justice over the 11,000 documents seized last month, that special master, essentially, told trump's team to put, up or shut up. either present judge dearie with evidence that the fbi planted something, or stop saying they did. that order could've poured a ton of cold water on trump's conspiracy theories that the fbi planted evidence at the beach club. but, it was all a deep state fake. that would've been, politically, optically, legally, not good for trump. that is why trump's legal team brought the special master's order back to the judge in charge of the case, aileen cannon. tonight, it is with the judge dearie order to, essentially, put up, or shut up. meaning, trump, and conservative media can continue to have to make this entire mar-a-lago episode as a deep state fake.

while she was at, it she extended the deadline for the special master's review from the end of november, to the week before christmas. deny, deny, deny, delay, delay, delay. what does this mean for accountability? joining, us david rohde, executive for the new yorker .com. thank you for being here. we have spoken over these last couple of weeks about the trump -ification of the judiciary. on the 11th circuit court glueing, and the judge special master, it seemed the judiciary was back on track. eileen cannon is a specific actor in this. what do you make of this decision on her part? >> it's disappointing. a positive thing, judge dearie, appointed by president reagan, a republican appointed, he was pushing a fact finding effort. essentially, here is the inventory of documents, that the fbi, and the justice department created. tell me, which of these documents may have been planted? which ones are you suspicious of? that is what he was requiring

from trump's lawyers, next friday. a week from now, and judge cannon just threw it out. said, don't answer that question. this is a legal procedure, should be a fact finding exercise. they don't have to present facts. >> there is some talk that, look, the ultimate focus of, this the 100 or so classified documents, the investigation, the analysis, proceeds forward without the involvement of aileen cannon. yet, this politically feels like a gift to trump. the fact that he doesn't have to substantiate his claims, that the fbi planned things at mar-a-lago. whether that was among the 11,000 documents, or elsewhere. it seems like this is something they need at this stage of the game. the idea classified them argument has evaporated. >> there is an unusual deference to donald trump, in all of her rulings not everything that her lawyers

have argued, she agrees with. they said, we don't want to say which documents might be fake, because that maybe later in the case. then, the second thing she did is said, they need more time to review the documents. this whole tactic was to delay, as you said, and she extended the deadline. there is a suspicion of everything that the doj, or fbi, suggests in this case, and everything that seems to come the trump, and his lawyers present. given the track record of donald trump, in the tens of thousands of lives as president, that is, i think, not appropriate. >> the strange conclusion for her to make. mistrust the government, but trust on all trump. the reason trump's team has been giving for these unnecessary delays, sound pretty cooked up. we can't find the right vendor, we can to process this paper in time, you can hire more lawyers, we know you have $3 million to pay chris skies. certainly, you should have some

funds to cover the scanning of those documents. i wonder if the delay itself as a meaningful december 16th, a few weeks after november 30th, and originally, the judge wanted this wrapped up at the end of october. it's inching towards the end of the year. do you think it's meaningful from an optical perspective, an optic's perspective, that this will all come to a head from christmas vacation? >> it's a better time for donald trump. they are talking about the end of october, they could have been a ruling, or some decision that made of, frankly, had an impact in the midterm elections. i don't think it's critical, but yes, it is now right before christmas. it is giving trump more time. importantly, she could block him from ever forcing trump to begin, to put, up or shut up. which of these documents, do you claim, and if he doesn't have to say that, he could go on for, months and months. >> if they will, i guess, there is his ability as a politician,

but this is the, judge these are lawyers, and they are in a center, guilty. this is not a, fact or the effect, and it could be at this kind of era in these basic facts. >> we want confidence in our judicial system. i must add, and ask you, of the news of today. elsewhere, ginni thomas, the wife of clarence thomas, testified before the january six committee a lot of people have said, given ginni thomas's involvement in the events leading up to january 6th, her election denialism, and campaign with states, and other actors, inside of trump world. her relationships is justice thomas for them, and the opening statement today. i guarantee, my husband hasn't spoken with me, pending cases in court, and is an ironclad rule in the home it isn't interested in politics, and you can't see my face here.

it was going to the topic, swoon calling, emailing, and texting. does that satisfy your questions? >> no, and it's bad for the supreme court. it's bad for the american people. maybe they never discussed this in private, but it's just obvious to any american, that to have the weight of supreme court justice, saying, the 2020 election was stolen, which -- >> she continues to say. she said it today. it casts doubt on the court itself. there is much stricter rules, they have to recuse himself, if it's a case that seems too involved in the work of one of their spouses. the court, that is why the confidence levels in the courts drop so low. many have upset the decision, but this doesn't help the credibility of the courts. we need judges to be neutral armors, and just lasting on the statement of the election.

80 judges rejected trump's claim, and was stolen, i think, 30 of them were republicans, there were judges appointed by donald trump, saying the election was stolen she is wrong. factually. it is worth it. >> there was only dissent in the supreme court case, in january, rejecting trump's bid to withhold white house documents from the january six committee not saying, just saying. from the new yorker.com, thank you as always. much more ahead tonight. seems like all of this is an flooding across southwest florida. in a moment, we talk with the coast guard commander, who is in charge of many of them. new astepro allergy. now available without a prescription.

astepro is the first and only 24-hour steroid free spray. while other allergy sprays take hours astepro starts working in 30 minutes. so you can... astepro and go. [sfx: stomach gurgling] it's nothing... sounds like something. ♪ when you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion, ♪ ♪ upset stomach, diarrhea. ♪ pepto bismol coats and soothes for fast relief... when you need it most. what's it going to take for the world to reach net-zero emissions? it's going to take investing in some things you've heard of and some you'd never expect. it's going to take funding innovation in renewable energy, helping reduce carbon footprints, and big bets on environmentally conscious construction. citi has committed 1 trillion dollars in sustainable financing to help build a better future. because to reach net zero, it's going to take everything. ♪ ♪ alice loves the scent of gain so much,

she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice and long-lasting gain scent beads. and now, get $10 back when you spend $30. that's a seriously good deal. 80% of couples sleep too hot or too cold. because quality sleep is vital, the sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature balancing, and now, get $10 back when you spend $30. so you both stay cool. our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. save 40% on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed.now only $1499. only for a limited time. ♪♪ here goes nothing. hey greg. uhh...hello? it's me, your heart! really? yes! recording an ekg in 30 seconds. tada! wow, that was fast. you know it! kardia offers the only personal ekgs that detect six of the most common arrhythmias in just 30 seconds. so you can manage your heart health from home, or on the go. your heart rhythm is normal. no arrhythmias in sight. i wonder what my doctor would say.

ooh! let's find out! with kardia, you can email your ekg directly to them or send it to a cardiologist for review. kardia can do all that? all that and then some, greg! kardia also gives you access to heart health reports and automatic ekg sharing. what next? let's get some fresh air. been cooped up for too long. yeah... ♪♪ kardia mobile card is available for just $99. get yours at kardia.com or amazon. nbc news confirming an

additional two storm related deaths in the lake county, and a search and rescue operations in southwest florida, since they had made landfall, is it destructive category four storm. it was how much devastation was caused, and across the region. it was fema headquarters in washington d.c., and hurricane

in it was the substantial loss of life, and who is the deadliest hurricane in florida history. it is against this ominous backdrop that organizations, local, state, and federal agencies, conducting search and rescue operations throughout the state the naples fire department, waiting and we steep water, to rescue a woman from the car, which became submerged by floodwaters. . they had central florida as a tropical storm, but even in orlando, flooding prompted seems like these, and to reach people desperate to safety. just a few hours ago, effectively, they have become rivers, and boat rescues are ongoing. ron desantis is 700 people rescued so far, and early this morning. early with this management, the bulk of the rescues, at least 500, were carried out in charlotte, and lee county.

the barrier island of santa belle has been cut off from the rest of the mainland the coast guard, out serving the areas, in search of reaching residents to stay behind, as the storm approached. the u.s. coast guard, with 27 aircraft, mostly helicopters, ready in the region before it made landfall. they have been carrying out search and rescue operations ever since. it was the seventh coast guard district, and in the southeast united states. thank you so much for taking the time out of your important schedule. let's get right to it what are you seeing down there? what are you hearing from the folks on the ground? >> good evening. alex, it is going to be with you tonight. so, just after the storm came on land, yesterday, shortly after that, before the sun even rose, we had aircraft in the air, inducting search and rescue missions.

so, since then, we were able to save 83 people we continue to fly those missions, throughout the region, and i've talked to a number of rescuers, or rescue swimmers. the courageous men and women, that put themselves in harm's way. it's devastating. it's devastating destruction throughout the region. the high winds, the historic surge, and the heavy rainfall, leaving it saturated we are happy to say, we are pulling 83 people out, safely >> it is three people, already three lives. can you talk to us about the rescue process, in the method to used? how do you get in touch with the people you need help, or how do they get in touch with you? how do you prioritize who do you help first? >> you think of this as a well organized military operation it's not just the coast guard, as the florida national guard. it is the search and rescue teams.

it is the local fire departments, and they all come together, and they call it the incident command system. it is a management system, where we all use the same language. we share communications, and we refer to those to get help. 9-1-1, the best way to reach emergency responders. if anybody here's my boys, and talking this evening, if you're house woman is in distress, use 9-1-1, don't use social media. it is a battlefield, and we went methodically, box to box, doing a thorough search. >> i'm assuming that this is, primarily, boats getting a lot of flooding, and just the water, and inundation. you also mentioned rescue swimmers. explaining those folks, in one of the other methods you are using to reach people. >> when you go after this, like i said a military operation, the land, the sea, the air.

if we get in there by trucks, and vehicles, and it was the shallow water rescue. they will go door to door, checking on people. if you get this boat, via vehicle, and you get rescue swimmers. it was highly equipped people, and being a basket, or on a line, that go into harm's way and to pull people out. with people in the coast guard. >> very appreciated, critical lifesaving efforts in this moment. let me just ask, how in terms you look at this event, and how the coast guard has had to intervene. has there been anything like this? >> is it any that's unique? going back to their 30 years experience, with the rescues, and operations for hurricane

hugo, and hurricane katrina. last week, in puerto rico, it is going to impact this. it is devastating to you. regardless of the scope, and scale. i will say, in this case, this was historic proportions. the scale, and scope, was unprecedented in the sense, you had the high wind, the heavy rain, and the historic surge. >> brendan mcpherson, commander of the seventh coast guard district, we thank you so sincerely for making the time tonight. we really appreciate it. >> the thing i want to add is, i'm certainly focused on facing lives, and we're focused on getting our fourth reopened, through the mission in the coast guard. we are looking closely with our state partners, to get those parts open as quickly as we can, as we recognize that full-time recovery will rely on those as well >> indeed it well. best in all those efforts.

>> coming up, russian president, vladimir putin, and the for ukrainians territories tomorrow. there is two pestering problems, with 750 miles long, and right in the middle of the baltic sea. that story, is next. stay with us. next. stay with us alright, limu, give me a socket wrench, pliers, and a phone open to libertymutual.com they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need... and a blowtorch.

only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

clunky beige, plastic... or... presto... you choose. better hearing made virtually invisible. this is what the baltics sea, that's that eargo difference.

off the coast of the danish island looks like yesterday. what you see is a massive leak, and from russia, to europe. earlier this week, multiple explosions cost for leaks, from the nord stream 2 pipeline's. causing the release of millions of tons of methane into the sea. two pipelines, under the baltics, er under 750 miles in length. both pipelines, lining more than 300 feet, and not operational for the moment, and not operational at the time of the explosions. russia suspended the flow of gas to the nord stream pipeline in august, in response to western sanctions, well operations and nord stream 2 are frozen, by germany, days before russia invaded ukraine. as to what happened exactly, that is a mystery. the european union, this week, calling it a, quote, deliberate act. european officials say the pattern of the damage suggested

a coordinated explosion. they denied involvement, sorting the leagues the result of state sponsored terrorism. nato said, the explosions indicate, quote the, result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage. it sounds like everyone is in agreement, this is no accident, but rather, an attack. but, an act of sabotage? who would do that? why? cnn reports today, then it is nbc news. they are now reporting that european security officials have russian navy ships, earlier in the weeks, earlier this week, when the underwater explosions were reported. it is worth asking, would russia, ever, do something to assert its power like that? well, vladimir putin said to hold a rally, of sorts, tomorrow, after a sham referendum to annex for ukrainian territories. the referendum vote, where russian soldiers showed up, with guns, to casually collect peoples votes.

unsurprisingly, the results for a resounding yes for annexation. 99%? 93%? 98%, 87%, respectively in the region's, that were according to the kremlin, now part of russia. putin plans to, officially, announced the results at a kremlin ceremony tomorrow, but comes as nearly 200,000 russians, 200, 000, have fled the country to avoid putin's partial mobilization. in a rare moment of candor, putin, tonight, in an address on state tv, acknowledge that mistakes were passively made, with how men were being drafted. joining us now to, discuss all of this. former u.s. ambassador to russia, during the obama administration. ambassador, thank you for being here tonight. let me, first, just ask you. the referendum vote. what do you think is the point of it? on one hand, is it to justify potential escalation in those areas? or, is it, potentially, to show

the pro or contingent back home in russia, that putin can deliver, and deliver by bringing new land into the russian empire? >> i think it's both. the results have shown from the war, and they are going through this sham stuff to say, this is self determination. people have the right to determine where they want to live, and with an international world, that is as it does. it may not sound stupid everyone around the world, but, secondly, they are also escalating. this is a major turning point in the world tomorrow. once of these places, are part of russia, if they are attacked, russia is now being attacked, not just ukraine. that is a major escalatory move. >> do they need to make escalatory moves when they seized the reports, if he does see them, of hundreds of

thousands of russians fleeing the country to avoid having to fight his war in ukraine? >> without question. remember, they are fleeing, because he did something that he didn't want to do. he is losing this war. you are in a partial mobilization. he wanted 300,000 soldiers, and looked is mobilizing a lot of young men, and mobilizing to leave, maybe 300,000 by the time this is over. they promised the russian people, this is not a word, it is a special, military operation, inside of ukraine. he was losing, after seven months. t didn't overthrow the, quote unquote, not cease. he didn't need to look to rise kyiv. he lost the battle of kyiv, he lost a battle of kharkiv. because he was losing to do this, now, it is having very dangerous results for him, inside of his own country >> when we talk about the people who are being conscripted into

the army, i want to call your attention to a statement from the u.s. state department. advising americans to get out of russia, and, otherwise, are at risk of getting drafted into putin's army. russia, refusing to acknowledge dual nationals un citizenship, denying access to the consular assistance, prevent their departure from russia, and with military service. u.s. citizens residing, or traveling in russia, so depart immediately. what would cause the u.s. state department, to a level of concern, would cause the u.s. state department, to issue something like this. do you find it feasible that putin will try to draft u.s. nationals into his army? >> certainly, i hope he doesn't do that. i've heard from the families inside of russia, and they're mixing out. they have reason to be concerned, because they are also drafting ukrainians.

that is what will happen in those territories you're talking about. after tomorrow, he will start drafting people who live there. there are reports that he is drafting the ethnic tatars, living in crimea, to go fight against the ukrainians. that is a sign of desperation. they shouldn't be surprised if that happens. >> let's ask the theory of the nord stream, and the pipeline explosion. do you have a theory on those explosions? >> honestly, i don't. this is weird. it's clear now, these were sabotaged, terrorist attacks, and where they want to call them. it's not clear who did them. it is a wake up call for all of europe, it is time to get off of russian fossil fuels. i worked in the obama administration, during the transition, who wrote the memo of how to deal with russia back in the fall of 2008, and was to reduce our energy dependence, of our allies, and friends, on russia.

that creates leverage. finally, europe is doing it, and plots them, and i think this is one more tragic message why it is not in their security, and i say, environmental, and economic interests, to be dependent on russia for oil, and gas. >> this chapter has been a series of wake up call us, about how we should no longer be dependent on russian oil and gas. michael mcfaul, former u.s. ambassador to russia, always great to see you, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you for having me. >> up next, the question of who gets aid, after a disaster like hurricane ian, may depend, very much, on which part of the country we live in. stay with us. h us ♪ music (“i swear”) plays ♪ jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day... and forgot where she was. [buzz]

you can always spot a first timer. gain flings with oxi boost and febreze. ♪ ♪ this... is a glimpse into the no-too-distant future of lincoln. ♪ ♪ it's what sanctuary could look like... feel like... sound like... even smell like. more on that soon. ♪ ♪ the best part? the prequel is pretty sweet too. ♪ ♪

hi, i'm jason and i've lost 202 pounds on golo. so the first time i ever seen a golo advertisement, the prequel is pretty sweet too. i said, "yeah, whatever. there's no way this works like this." and threw it to the side. a couple weeks later, i seen it again after getting not so pleasant news from my physician. i was 424 pounds, and my doctor was recommending weight loss surgery. to avoid the surgery, i had to make a change. so i decided to go with golo and it's changed my life.

when i first started golo and taking release, my cravings, they went away. and i was so surprised. you feel that your body is working and functioning the way it should be and you feel energized. golo has improved my life in so many ways. i'm able to stand and actually make dinner. i'm able to clean my house. i'm able to do just simple tasks that a lot of people call simple, but when you're extremely heavy they're not so simple. golo is real and when you take release in august 2017, hurricane and follow the plan, it works. harvey devastated communities and texas, and louisiana, and 107 people dead. less than one month later, another hurricane, hurricane maria, battered u.s. communities, and puerto rico the final death toll, from

hurricane maria, was over 3000. just yesterday, the u.s. commission on civil rights, part of the federal government, to released a study, comparing the responses to hurricane harvey, and hurricane maria the commission found glaring disparities, and responses, to those two hurricanes for instance, quote, within the first nine days after landfall, survivors received at least $100 million, in fema dollars while maria survivors, receiving at least slightly over 6 million in aid. 6% of what survivors on the mainland got. the commission reports the factors lead to despair and factors, including president trump's hostile, biased, and critical declarations made against american citizens residing in puerto rico. now, under a different president, american lawmakers are facing a similar situation to the one in 2017, after hurricane fiona, and in. one on a mainland, one in puerto rico. it has been two weeks since

hurricane fiona made landfall, and, still more than a fifth of puerto rico residents, are without power. residents of puerto rico, already, preparing to be forgotten as hurricane in dominates the headlines. one advocate in puerto rico told politico, we will be put on the backburner, as always. it's florida. it's attached to the united states. so far, the biden administration, appearing to be determined to not repeat this mistakes of the past. the department of homeland security, issuing a waiver, to a 100-year-old shipping law, keeping desperately needed fuel from reaching puerto rico shores. during a press briefing today, president biden reiterated, the commitment to helping the people of puerto rico. >> the devastating images in florida, and they want to be clear. to the people of puerto rico, i'm committed to, you in the recovery of the island they will stand by you for however long it takes to get it done. >> the president, also saying,

he intends to visit the island of puerto rico as it recovers. it is the true storm of this time, and the victims of both of these storms need all of the help they can get. that does it for us tonight, we will see you again tomorrow, now, it is time for the last word, with lawrence o'donnell. good evening lawrence r the last good evening. our first guest is congressman adam schiff. ginni thomas testified to the january six committee today, he is a member of the committee so, this will be, i think, a bit like one of those tooth pulling interviews. i am trying to get him to answer a question about what was said on the committee, and he doesn't want to violate committee confidentiality, so he is quite good at, still, delivering an answer that doesn't violate the committee confidentiality. but, i do want the audience -- >> zero column shifty shift for nothing. no just kidding, only one person calls on that. if anyone can do a tooth polling interv