right now on "andrea mitchell reports," colorado springs, the latest community to be devastated by america's plague of mass shootings after a gunman fired randomly into a crowded gay nightclub.

we'll have a live report. also this hour, the latest on elon musk's controversial decision since he bought twitter, including about donald trump and kanye west. and worldwide condemnation of iran's regime over death sentences to citizens protesting against the death of 22-year-old massa amany two minutes ago. good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. as the colorado springs police department tries to help the community cope with the unspeakable tragedy of saturday night's mass killings at a club that is also an important lgbtq gathering center. five people are dead, dozens are injured after a gunman opened fire inside of the popular club. a potential hate crime that could have been much worse if not for the heroic actions of two unarmed patrons inside the nightclub. >> while the suspect was inside of the club, at least two heroic

people inside the club confronted and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others. we owe them a great debt of thanks. >> we hope to learn more about the suspect's motive from this heinous act and the investigation during a press conference in about two hours. but we begin this hour with nbc's priscilla thompson in colorado springs and brandon wolf, lgbtq civil rights advocate and a survivor of the 2016 pulse nightclub mass shooting. and former u.s. attorney, barbara mcquade. priscilla in colorado springs, what kind of resources or are city officials making available to citizens. there's an expo today, what are you learning about this attack ahead of the press conference this afternoon? >> yeah, so we are learning more about the victims at this hour. my colleague, deon hampton just confirming the name of a second victim, ashley poe.

he spoke with her sister who said that she was here on a girls trip. she didn't identify as a member of the lgbtq plus community, but she found herself at club "q" over the weekend, having a fun girls night out when she tragically became a victim of this crime. the sister also telling deon hampton that ashley poe leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter. we're also learning the name of another victim that we reported a little bit earlier today, danielle aston. his mom confirming with us that he was a bartender at club "q." he loved his job here. and that he, too, was killed over the weekend during this violence, but he loved '80s hair and funky clothes and was just such a creative person. his parents are sharing. we're also hearing reports that charges have been filed and we're working to obtain those court documents, but i will say that the district attorney has already said that the charge

would be first-degree murder here, and of course, with five people dead, likely five counts of that. but we'll be watching very closely to see if there are any hate crime charges or charges related to bias that are being filed. and i also want to talk a little bit about what happened here. it is really remarkable when you look at timeline of how quickly folks were able to subdue this shooter and get police in and begin getting those people who were wounded out. i want to play a little bit of how the mayor described what happened. take a listen. >> the police get a dispatch of 11:57. they arrive at 12:00. and by 12:02, the individual, the perpetrator is subdued. and that's largely because two, but primarily one, as i understand it, were able to take a handgun that he's got in his possession, take it away from him, and use that weapon, not by shooting it, but by hitting him

and disabeling him. it's an incredible act of heroism. >> the community today celebrating that heroism, but also, very sad about this loss. you see people continuing to come to this memorial and there are also a number of crisis centers that are offering support for people who may be struggling to deal with all of this here. andrea? >> it's just too much to deal with. that's really hideous, barbara. let's talk about this. because police, they have not said definitively that this attack was a hate crime, but in 2021 alone, the center for hate and extremism found a 51% increase in anti-gay hate crime in major u.s. cities. so what kind of state and federal charges could the suspect face if this is proved? >> i would imagine that investigators are looking into the motive. one of the ways that they would do that is to look at his social media accounts, to talk to people that he was close to. and even witnesses who are at the club that night, to hear

whether he made any statements that might indicate a motive. but if so, we could see enchands charges under the state law as well as federal law, both of which have hate crime statutes. and although you're not likely to get any additional penalties from what you can get with first-degree homicide charges, it is important to hold people accountable when their motive is to harm people based on some demographic characteristic, whether that's race, gender, religion or sexual identity. because when someone is targeted on that basis, it makes everyone in that community feel less safe. it's also an attack against a democracy and a pluralistic society. we pass hate crime laws because we say we do not tolerate that kind of attack on people because of who they are. >> and brandon wolf, i want to play an excerpt from an incredible interview that nbc's morgan chesky did with a survivor. the man was inside club "q" during the attack. >> when you crawled out of that

dressing room, joshua, what did you see? >> i saw bodies on the floor. blood, shattered glass, broken cups. people covered up in white sheets. people trying to be resuscitated and worked on. i went outside and there was more bodies, more sheets. people standing around crying, looking for their loved ones. it was very traumatic. >> brandon, what can people do? what can the community do, itself, national organizations, to help survivors and to try to prevent this? what do you need from government? >> my heart absolutely breaks for that man. because i've been there before. i know what it feels like.

i know what it looks like. i know the sounds, i know the smells. and that's something he's going to unfortunately carry with him not just for days or weeks, but for the rest of his life. the first thing people can do is wrap others with love. the survivors, that community, they're going to need all of us, not just tomorrow, not just next week, but even after the cameras leave and people go about their daily lives, this community is going to need us. and they're going to have us, by the way. you can rely on me, the orlando community, the pulse-affected community, we're here for you, all the way. and the other thing that we need to do is to provide support and resources, as you said, on a governmental level. one of the things that we had in the immediate aftermath of pulse was access to mental health resources for survivors or first responders, for family members. unfortunately, the funding for that dried up in the first two to three years, and when we put it back to the state government to try to fund those mental health resources, governor ron desantis vetoed those funds two years in a row. so we really need the government to step in and provide the mental health resources that are

necessary to, of course, support law enforcement, as they conduct their investigation. and to make sure that those mental health resources and other resources available are there for the long haul. not just a year or two, but this is a community that's going to need them for a while. i know that funds have been set up. i would encourage people, there are a couple of go-fund-mes that have been verified by the gofundme organization, i would look for those. and wrap your arms around these people, offer them a shoulder to cry on. they're going to need us. >> and brandon, at least in colorado, we should point out that the governor is outwardly gay and will certainly be more sympathetic to this, much more engaged than ron desantis, but that doesn't speak to the larger issue. just how difficult is it for you, it's six years since surviving the pulse nightclub shooting, how do you still experience it? >> it's so hard, andrea. yesterday i woke up heartbroken,

heartbroken for the people i know will have thanksgiving dinner tables with an empty seat. heartbroken for the people who will have fire places with a missing stocking. heartbroken for those, who like me, had to call their friends' parents and tell them that their children were not coming home. and today i woke up furious. i am so angry that for years, we have been pummelled with this garbage from the right wing. they insist that the greatest threats our children face today are a teacher with they/them pronouns or a drag queen reading "red fish, blue fish" at the local library. they have blanketed the airwaves with this lgbtq misinformation, even as armed protesters have stood outside pride festivals in places like cordalane, idaho, or protested outside of drag brunches in little corners of this country. and now those same right-wing actors are feigning ignorance as there are five bodies on the floor and dozens injured in colorado springs, saying that we had no idea that this might be the eventual outcome.

i am so angry that our community has to continue to fight and scratch and claw for people to treat us with a basic level of humanity. we just want to live and we need for others to get out of the way, stop dehumanizing us, stop treating us with disdain, stop treating us as less than. treat us as your neighbors, your family members, your friends. we deserve at least that. >> at least that. that's such an important message. brandon wolf, thank you so much for sharing all of that with us today. >> thank you. >> and it's something everyone needs to act on. priscilla thompson, barb, thanks to you as well. barb, stick around. because coming up, we have strife within the party. why some of donald trump's top cabinet members did not pull their punches in going after former president this weekend. that and the special counsel who has been appointed, coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. ed, coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. made it smell like dave was in his happy place -

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nearly a month after taking over twitter, elon musk announced that donald trump can rejoin the social media giant. trump insists he will stick to his own social media platform, truth social, instead. he was banned from twitter after the deadly attack on the capitol, when he was repeating support for the rioters. also, back on twitter, kanye west was locked out of his account after making anti-semitic comments. this weekend, the rapper tweeting shalom with a smiley face. ben collins joins me now. so "r.i.p. twitter" was trending as a hashtag this week. how will letting trump back on the platform sit with people. and the naacp is urging people not to advertise on twitter and to call this, based on a poll, when it was telling his followers, elon musk's followers, let me know if you think trump should be back on. that is hardly what we would

call a poll. >> you can't think of a less scientific poll of a guy post something with no warning on friday night to twitter.com. >> to his followers. >> exactly. twitter is evolving and evolving into a place where the infowar happens. and if advertisers want to be a part of the information war, between rival factions where, for example, kanye west is being replied to elon musk and liked by elon musk saying "shalom," after being temporarily banned from the platform for tweeting that he was about to go def-co 3 on the jews, and he's telling them that they're back in the game here, i am not entirely certain that if i were a brand name advertiser trying to reach families or children or regular people, this is where i would take my stuff. but i'm not sure that's what

elon is up to now. i think he's trying to get as many users as possible really upset on his platform. get them to see the car crash. get them to crowd around us. and then see what he can do with that from there on out. and i want to stress people, this is a website, just a website. it's optional. you don't have to go there. there's other place to get news and talk about, in my opinion -- in my world, the nba or something. you don't have to go here. there are other places that are about to pop up. if i were you, i would just wait it out. i have to go there, but you don't have to. >> you can do it for us so we don't have to. >> ben collins, thank you very much. and in las vegas over the weekend, a string of likely republican rivals for the 2024 nomination taking swipes at donald trump, including some of his most loyal former cabinet members. >> personality and celebrity just aren't going to get it done. we can see that. >> there is no substitute for victory. we've got a lot more to do and i have only begun to fight. >> i've never lost an election,

and i'm not going to start now. >> the reason we're losing is because donald trump has put himself before everybody else. >> let's stop supporting crazy, unelectable candidates in our primaries and start getting behind winners that can close the deal in november. >> they're all republicans, by the way. the pile-on happening as attorney general merrick garland names a special counsel to investigate trump's role in the january 6th insurrection, as well as his handling of classified documents found at mar-a-lago. joining us now, politico white house bureau chief, jonathan lemire, host of "way too early" here on msnbc, ashley parker, nbc news washington correspondent, yamiche alcindor, and back with us, former u.s. attorney, barbara mcquade. so ashley, this was at the republican jewish coalition event in las vegas. some of the potential candidates avoided taking on trump directly.

but several including pompeo and larry hogan, the former governor, certainly did. larry hogan has been doing that for a while. >> that's right. you're seeing them not only take him on, those who did, with an argument that they all seem to have independently coalesced behind, which is this idea, born out by some evidence, which are the previous three elections, that he's a loser. and that when the party follows him, the republican party loses. and even the ones who didn't take him on directly, what is such a stark and notable change, is there willingness to sort of move forward with their own political ambitions, regardless of the fact that trump is running again. so, i was particularly struck by what nikki haley said. she's someone who served in the trump administration initially, after office. she had said that she would not run if trump ran. and then, over the past, you know, year or two, she sort of softened that stance, and then we saw the most forceful take by her yet in that clip that you

just played at the rjc of saying, you know, just wait and watch. i have never lost an election. >> and jonathan, former vice president mike pence was on "meet the press" with chuck todd and he defended trump on the mar-a-lago raid, claiming more could have been done somehow by the justice department, even though it was a year, as chuck pointed out, and they were getting nowhere and were being misled. he criticized attorney general merrick garland for naming a special counsel to oversee trump investigations subsequently. and the most stark exchange was on january 6th, when pence blamed trump's attorneys. let's listen. >> you think the president committed a criminal act? in fomenting the insurrection? do you think a crime was committed? >> well, i -- i don't know if it is criminal to listen to bad advice from lawyers. the truth is, what the president was repeating is what he was

hearing from that gaggle of attorneys around him. >> and jonathan, pence also really went after the january 6th committee, questioning its impartiality, has refused, of course, to cooperate to testify to them. and maybe most interestingly, he said that the dobbs decision was the thing he's proudest of from the trump administration. interesting. >> yeah, and pence is a good example of this delicate balance some of these republicans are trying to strike. where on one hand, they are critical of trump for not looking forward. for looking back at 2020, we did hear the refrain from a few of them that that vision has cost them some victories. so they feel like they've lost some races because of that. but they're still not really willing to condemn much of his behavior. maybe a little bit on january 6th, but that's just about it. and they're quick to rush to defend him, suggesting that he is a victim of prosecutorial overreach by merrick garland or

a special counsel or whoever it might be. another example, this is william barr. trump's former attorney general who we heard from in an interview this weekend, say that he thinks that, yes, the evidence is there to potentially indict trump. that he thinks that trump would be a mistake for the republican party to nominate again. but when asked if he would vote for trump again to be the nominee, he said, yes, he probably would. and i think that's still where we are. that these republican politicians that have an eye on '24 are trying to create a little space from trump, but there's a little to how far they're willing to go, because they know, as damaged as trump is, and this is the weakest he's been in a while, he is still by far the most powerful voice in the republican party, and per polling, still very popular among republican voters. >> and yamiche, mike pence is clearly going for the evangelical vote with, you know, which he has great affinity, huge commitment, but to say that the abortion decision was the greatest achievement of their administration and how proud he

was of it, he's got to be thinking that there is a very large field in the republican primary field, and that that will at least, you know, get him that important group. >> it's certainly a case to be made, that's that's why he's saying that. and when you think about the fact that abortion was, according to our own nbc news exit polls, the number two issues in the midterms where we saw republicans do so poorly on, what they were able to do is get control of the house. and you have some republicans who are very, very proud of what happened in the dobbs decision. this was, of course, a generational goal for conservatives to overturn roe v. wade. and for people who are backing mike pence and are evangelical christians. people who frankly when i talked to, turned their noses up when they had to vote for former president trump, but did so with the idea that abortion was going to be what they could overturn in the end, that those people, mike pence is really trying to go after. i think what's interesting here, when i see all of these republicans talking about former president trump and sort of dunking on him and not -- and talking about whether or not the

party can get rid of him, it reminds me of january 6th, andrea. we saw all of these republicans come out and say, this is democraticable, this is terrible, and then one by one, they sort of quietly got back into the trump camp. what jonathan said about the fact that former president trump is one of the most popular figures. that he continues to be the person that's likely going to be a nominee here, and that there are going to be a lot of people that have real problems trying to challenge him, it's to me underscores that while all of these people can talk, i'm very interested to see where all of these republicans in three months, in six months, if it becomes clear that donald trump starts winning primaries, will we be in a place where the gop will once again say, that was really bad, but at the end of the day, we have to stick with him. and paul ryan said something that was really interesting this weekend. he said, i can do a lot of things, i don't want to be with former president trump because he's losing. that also tells you that all of these republicans who are maybe trying to win over independent voters, the january 6th insurrection didn't turn them away, the dobbs decision didn't

turn them away, the sort of scandals with adult film stars, the revoling door of people getting fired, that was okay, but once they started losing lech s elections, that's what did him in. >> let's talk about the decision by the attorney general late friday to name special counsel jack smith to oversee the trump probes, both of the probes. and trump immediately damned him. so if he thought he was going to get some kind of political distancing that would satisfy the trump base, certainly, that doesn't happen. what did he accomplish by laying it off, since he has to end up making the decision himself. is this going to be a recommendation from the special counsel to the attorney general. he's still going to have to make the, shall we prosecute or not? >> this strikes me as one of those decisions that janet reno used to say, i'll be damned if i do and damned if i don't, so i might as well just do what i think is the right thing. so that may have been merrick garland's calculus here.

he's supposed to consider a special counsel if there's either a conflict of interest at the justice department or other extraordinary circumstances. and as he appointed out, when there's an investigation involving a former president who's now a candidate for president, that is an extraordinary circumstance. it may also be the case that members of congress are also under scrutiny. so that would also make it an extraordinary circumstance, in light of the number of members of congress, and the nature of the charges they're looking at here. i think it accomplished a few things in doing this. one is that extra measure of independence that should be there for anyone of good faith who actually looks at this. there is also the ability to endure the end of this administration. merrick garland and others in this administration will go when joe biden leaves the white house, but a special counsel will endure until someone actually fires him or his work is concluded. and i think most of us hope that any charges would be either filed or not filed within the next year or so, there would be no doubt motions that are filed

by donald trump to delay and disrupt as much as possible, there will be a lengthy trial, and then there will be appeals that follow that. and so even after this administration leaves, the special counsel will endure. and so will be able to carry out this work into the future. so, i think it does achieve some things that, in addition to merrick garland's ability to focus on other important priorities besides this very important investigation. >> barb, would you take any inference from him, his appointment of a special counsel, that possibly, they are leaning towards a prosecution on one or both of these issues? >> yeah, i guess i would say this. i think the jack smith, the special counsel, will get the call to be able to decide whether there are or not charges that will be filed. but i don't think merrick garland would have taken this step unless he believed that there was substantial evidence in and a very real likelihood that someone was going to have to make a tough decision about this. it doesn't mean it's a done deal, but i do think it means that there is substantial evidence here and someone will

have to make a tough call. >> barbara mcquade, thank you very much. jonathan lemire and ashley and yamiche, thanks to all of you. the power struggle. 10 million ukrainian families now without reliable power amid russia's nonstop shelling. so what does the pentagon say? and why does the pentagon still say that the ukrainians have the upper hand? the latest next on "andrea mitchell reports." this is msnbc. next on "andrea mitchell reports." this is msnbc. isure, as well as condé nast traveler. but it is now time for us to work even harder, searching for meaningful experiences and new adventures for you to embark upon. they say when you reach the top, there's only one way to go. we say, that way is onwards. viking. exploring the world in comfort. (woman 1) i just switched to verizon business unlimited. it's just right for my little business. unlimited premium data. unlimited hotspot data. (woman 2) you know it's from the most reliable 5g network in america?

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that's decision tech. only from fidelity. ukraine's president zelenskyy is warning his country that they have tough months ahead, as the u.n.'s nuclear inspector is also expressing concern about the safety of ukraine's giant nuclear power plant, following a barrage of more russian shelling. temperatures are continuing to drop in the war-torn country amid waves of rolling blackouts, where millions are without power right now. nbc's molly hunter has the latest. >> reporter: the international atomic energy agency planning to conduct an assessment on the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after a weekend of intense shelling. in a statement, the nuclear watchdog calls it extremely disturbing, but so far, no radiation release or loss of power has been detected. speaking this morning, u.s. secretary of defense, lloyd

austin, saying that ukraine will have the upper hand going into winter. >> throughout the winter months, i think they'll be in much better condition than their adversaries, because of the things that we provided. >> reporter: in the newly liberated city of kherson, science of life returning. the first grocery store reopening. but across the country, as temperatures plunge below zero, an estimated 10 million households still without power. the capital under rolling blackouts, the ukrainians we spoke with resolute, steadfast. we met nastia and two of her kids playing at the park. >> it's a problem when there is at the same time, blackout. it's not okay to sit in complete darkness. >> reporter: and for this doctor, no electricity, no heating is a small price to pay. would you leave the country if that becomes more frequent? >> even if we are sitting without light and without water, i will never leave it. i love winter, but now i don't like it, because i know that in

the same time, soldiers eating cold food and sleeping in cold place and i hate winter for now, because it's very bad for our soldiers. >> molly hunter, thanks to molly for reporting from inside kyiv. and joining us now is lieutenant general steven twitty, former commander of european command. thanks for being with us. there was more shelling in the east over the weekend. fighting is especially fierce in the donetsk region. and pushing russia out completely will be very, very difficult. but the chances that russia defeats ukraine are close to zero. so we are at a stalemate? is this a forever war? >> well, i think you should be prepared for this war to go on for quite some time. and here's why, andrea. as we've talked about before, when it comes to numbers on the ground, they're pretty much matched up evenly. you have about 200,000 or so ukrainian troops, they have about 200,000 to 250,000 russian

troops that operate. and so the force ratio to include the equipment ratio is about the same. what's going to make the difference in this war will be the will and tenacity and it favors the ukrainian, both will and tenacity. as you know, russian ground forces have not done well, and the only thing that the russians have at their disposal now continue to terrorize the ukrainian people with drone attacks and missile attacks on critical infrastructure. so, the ukrainians will continue to make gains over the winter months. it will be important for them to consolidate those gains, number one, refit and rearm during the winter. i know they have their eyes set on crimea going into summertime. it will be critical for the west to provide the critical equipment that they will need to continue this attack. and we'll see where it goes after coming after the winter

months. but the upper hands in the ukrainians, based on the gains that they made so far. >> we've been talking for so long now about these explosions and the shelling around zaporizhzhia. it's the biggest nuclear power plant in all of europe. of course, located in ukraine. the head of the u.n. nuclear agency, the iaea says the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe is there. they want to get in and assess the operation. what more can be done? >> well, what i will tell you is this is totally irresponsible. a nuclear plant should not be used as a military zone to attack in. and what needs to be done is a buffer zone needs to be implemented for both parties, where both parties agree not to fire or operate within that buffer zone. so i see this as irresponsible, on both sides, to be quiet honest with you. let's get the buffer zone implemented, let's enforce the standards. and i see the international

community needs to speak up more and support the iaea here. we're trying to prevent many of these attacks from happening. >> lieutenant general steph twitty, thank you very much for being with us today. >> good to be with you. and death sentence. iranian protesters facing execution, but protest leaders say they will not be intimidated. the latest on the national uprising next on "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. uprising next on "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc 12 ir. the most epic sandwich roster ever created. ♪♪ it's subway's biggest refresh yet! ♪♪ what will you do? will you make something better? create something new? our dell technologies advisors can provide you with the tools and expertise you need to bring out the innovator in you. (woman 1) i just switched to verizon business unlimited. it's just right for my little business. to bring out the innovator unlimited premium data. unlimited hotspot data.

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telling nbc news that the family is devastated and heartbroken and that her death still does not seem real. we expect more details on the mass shooting incident during a press conference later this afternoon. and at the world soccer tournament in qatar, after widespread criticism of their ties to the iranian regime, the starting players on iran's national soccer team stayed silent as their national anthem was played, signaling their support for the anti-government protests back home, before losing the opening round match to england. the team's captain also had voiced his support for those protests on saturday, saying, quote, we have to accept the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy. that said, the context is a different context, because in the stands in doha have, of course, been peppered with iranian flag protest signs, reading women, life, freedom. and the sixth known protester in iran has been sentenced to

death, according to a report yesterday, from the official news agency of the iranian judiciary. more than 15,000 people have been arrested in iran for protests that began in september, when a 22-year-old woman died in police custody. and before i go any further, i want to posit that the iranian soccer team had been under huge criticism back home and abroad for its stance with the regime. so many people view their silence today as very little and very late. going me now is an iranian journalist and women's rights activist. six people have now been sentenced to death for these protests. there are 15,000 still behind bars, including, you know, girls, teenagers. what impact are the regime's intimidation tactics having on the movement? >> to be honest, people are devastated. heartbroken right now, because

recently, a child, 10-year-old, like schoolboy, got killed, and we all see in the media now about the workup, but children were burying their classmates' body. and his mother was forced to go on tv to denounce, you know, protesters, and to denounce herself. this is the situation in iran, but i have to tell you that apart from -- despite of the killings, putting people in prison, torturing them, making them force confession, the more that the regime killed people, the more people get determined and angry and frustrated to take back to the streets and chanting against a whole regime. >> human rights organizations say that hundreds have been killed by iranian authorities, including children. do you think that the world is as outraged and involved as it needs to be? >> i strongly believe that the

world must take action, you know? these days, iranian people are facing guns and bullets for their basic rights. this time, it's about dignity. it's about freedom. like, teenagers, when they take to the streets and removing their hijab, they're risking their lives and saying death to dictator. all we see now in international communities is just empty words. to be honest, people are clearly asking the leaders of democratic countries to recall their ambassadors and kick out the iranian diplomats. let me give you one example. people are now talking about the world cup, celebrating it. but iran is the only country that people are clearly celebrating the loss of its national team, because the football national team representing the dictatorship in world cup, and the members of this football team, of course they've silenced, is little too late, but is important.

they were actually meeting with the president, the butcher of iran, and that was a significant message, because rowan when the massacre is happening in iran, iranian regime is using sport to normalizing its murderous regime. so that is why we call on fifa, we call on international communities, take action. because people are getting killed and they're innocent children that they don't have any voice. we don't even see unicef taking action. when you go to their twitter account, there is no information about the children getting killed. more than 50 children got killed so far in uprising in iran. >> thank you very much. >> thank you so much. >> thanks for bringing it to our attention. of course. and the world cup kickoff, also, team usa taking the pitch against wales in just a little over an hour in a world cup mired in controversy. the latest from doha, next. ha, t

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soccer team on the world stage. their first group match of the 2022 world cup game against wales. and it's the first time they've qualified if some years. nbc's megan fitzgerald is in doha. megan, the u.s. men's team failed to qualify back in 2018, so the pressure is really on this squad to win today and eventually advance through their group, they hope. the women have been the superstars in soccer, not the men, in recent years. >> you're absolutely right. and the men realize just how important tonight's game is. but the good news here is that they are evenly matched against wales when they take the pitch in about an hour and a half, in the stadium behind me here. they know what's on the line, and they say they're say they'r. of course they are one of the youngest teams in the tournament here with only one player ever having world cup experience. but they're ready to go. they were the first of 32 teams to arrive in doha. they hit the ground running, practicing as much as they could leading up to this game. i had an opportunity to sit down

with star goalie matt turner. i want you to listen to a little bit of what he told me. >> is team usa going all the way here? >> one step at a time, obviously. we can't look too far ahead. for us our biggest thing is we set milestone goals along the way. >> reporter: yeah. so cautious optimistic here. and also, you know, i talked a little bit about the controversy that is just a cloud hovering over the tournament here. you can't talk about the world cup this year without talking about that. there's human rights allegations from human rights group saying thousands of migrant workers were killed building the infrastructure over the last decade. building roads and bridges, metro system, erecting seven stadiums, the airport, hotels, you name it. we're talking massive construction. and then of course there's the lbgtq plus community and how being openly gay here in qatar

is illegal. you could be thrown in jail. so i asked the players, does any of this affect your ability to take the field and to play. they said, look, we have spoken out against those issues. we are concerned about those issues. but once they take the field, all eyes are on the game. and their focus trying to bring home a win, andrea. >> indeed. meagan fitzgerald, thank you. a lot of controversy in doha. i have seen incredible reporting on the human rights abuses of those laborers who often went back to their home countries and were deported without being fully paid. remember, telemundo and peacock are home to spanish language coverage of the world cup. this morning two lucky turkeys received the best news a bird could get three days before thanksgiving at a chilly white house ceremony in the rose garden. president biden pardoning chocolate and chip, making them the latest to take part in an annual condition that makes us

nostalgic for another west wing turkey moment >> why are there two turkeys? >> the press secretary decides which is the two finalist as more photogenic. their names -- >> i don't want to know their names. >> eric and troy. >> eric and troy? >> yeah. >> and i have to choose the more photogenic of the two to receive a pardon. >> yeah. >> i have a master's degree from the university of berkeley. >> that's a good school. >> yeah. >> she's a berkeley woman. how could she be asked to identify, monica alaba, which is the most photogenic turkey. it cracks me up every time. forgive me my passion, my obsession with "west wing."

did they stay at the willard in a luxury suite? >> reporter: classic, classic clip. as abe area gal, i can relate to that. i know you can appreciate that as well. >> after some investigative reporting, that, yes, chocolate and chip both had an evening stay at the willard hotel where they were treated luxuriously before their big moment here at the white house this morning. they both grew up on a north carolina farm. now that they have received their presidential pardons, they will both head to north carolina state university where they will live out the rest of their luxurious days. it's been tradition here at the white house, time-honored one in the past that sometimes just one turkey gets the official pardon and then the other one sort of gets to go for the joyride as well. today the president pardoned both of them. chocolate is the one you see up there actually on the table there. and the president even tried to interview his feathered friend

for some reaction as you maybe can see here in a little bit of a clip. of course this does date back to the 1860s. that is the first evidence of at least a request for some poultry clemency. the actual tradition, as you well know, andrea, became a formality under george h.w. bush who did then make the ceremonies quite regular. these fun names, all of this and also on a serious note trying to talk about thanksgiving, how meaningful it is to his own family and of course to military families all across the country and the world who sometimes have to celebrate thanksgiving far from their own loved ones. tonight the president and the first lady will be heading to cherry point, north carolina, to have a friendsgiving with troops. tomorrow they head to nantucket where they typically spend this

holiday surrounded by close family. they will be there the rest of the week and where we expect the first initial conversations, these family gatherings to take place about what might happen for president biden in 2024. we know he said he intends to run and seek re-election. with the first lady, with his grandchildren who we know often counsel him on these matters and make a final call sometime early next year. andrea. >> and monica, led by his oldest granddaughter naomi, the white house bride this weekend, which gets me to your big exclusive. the answer to the question was ralph lauren. monica alaba reporting on everything from the white house. good to see you. and the update on the colorado springs mass shooting is now at 5:00 eastern, not 2:00 eastern.

that will be a news conference carried live here on msnbc. and that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." remember to follow the show online, on facebook and twitter. chris jansing will be here after these brief messages. re after these brief messages no matter your purpose, at pnc private bank we will work with you every step of the way to help you achieve it. so let us focus on the how. just tell us - what's your why?

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