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good day. i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. even before the dust settles on krysten sinema's switch from democrat to independent, the race for her seat is heating up. for the next two years, what will that change mean for the democrats and political battles ahead? plus brittney griner now in texas. the arms dealer she was traded for back in moscow. the biden administration answering krutices who are asking whew they took the deal that led to the release of the man whose known as the merchant of death. >> we did an assessment before we made this trade. a national security assessment, which we normally do, that was done in this case. we believe we will be able to defend from anybody else. >> coming up, i'll talk to the former president of of ukraine,

who knows something about the russian mind set and a woman who knows all too well what it's like to survive in a russian prison. the activist, and america's staggering mental health crisis taking a a toll on so many. inen colluding overwhelming those tries toing to help. i'll talk to a paramedic who says his city is getting more than 400 calls a day to deal with emotionally disturbed people more than he's ever seen in 20 years. but let's start with that shakeup reverberating throughout washington. krysten sinema says she's leaving the democratic party. >> registering as ab independent and showing up to work with the tult of independent is a retlex of who i have always been. it's a reflection of who arizona is. we don't line up to do what we're told. we do what's right for our state and for our country.

i'm going to be the same person i have always been. that's who i am. >> democrats say this will have no affect on senate control. she will caucus with the democrats and keep her committee assignments. press secretary says we have every reason to can want that we will continue to work successfully with sinema. but will it affect president biden's high priority agenda item? the appointment of judges. let's bring in ryan nobles on capitol hill. jake sherman is an msnbc political contributor. we're trying to get him up. a little technical problem there. and joining me here onset is congressman david jolly, an msnbc political analyst. ryan, democratic senator chris coons had a similar take. >> with just won a 51st seat with senator warnock's

reelection. that makes a big difference on how the judiciary committee will operate. i want to look forward to senator sinema continuing to be a regular and strong and reliable vote for judicial nominees. so frankly, i don't think this will change very much. >> that's his take. i wonderer what really chuck schumer thinks. is it going to make his life harder? >> i think in the short-term, the answer is no. functionally, senator coons is right. in terms of the math of the united states senate, the democrats are going to have the majority. they will be able to do all the things theymented to do prior to making this announcement. they seemed to have worked out some sort of an arrangement with sinema, i don't know to formally caucus with them, but she is going to be essentially part of their organizational structure. she will take up a democratic seat on many of the committees that they have. so it would seem to align a lot

closer to what we have with bernie sanders angus king if she were an independent senator operating on her own. but let's be clear. sinema has been a pain in the neck for chuck schumer and the democrats. 90% of the time she's voting with democrats. but it's the 10% on some of the big issues that they really care about where she's kind of stepped out along with senator joe manchin of west virginia and been centerist brick wall. she would argue that's what arizonans want, kind of in the mode of john mccain, who wasn't afraid to buck his party. the calculation really seems to be leaning towards what this means for 2024, where there are more independent recommendation sistered voters than there are democrats. >> jake, welcome back. glad we got the technical glitches out of the way. senator sinema did explain her reason for the move. she said just too much

partisanship on capitol hill. >> both parties have created this kind of requirement or a pull towards the edges that you unthinkingly support all of one party oos viewpoints. it's made it difficult to find folks willing to work together and solve problems. >> is that wholly it? or is there something else at work here? >> i don't know if it's wholy it. if she's an independent, she doesn't have to run in a democratic primary. she has competition in the democratic primary or expected competition. this is about her not being a democrat or not calling herself a democrat is not going to help the partisanship in washington in any way. it is basically, i would imagine, it would seem based on our reporting and pretty simple analysis here, this is about her own personal comfort noting to

take positions that her party doesn't support. and also further more, paving a slightly easier path back to the senate in 2024. so i kind of agree with ryan here. she's always kind of had no problem taking positions that she liked, whether they were in line with party orthodoxy or not. >> let's talk about potential challengers. jake just mentioned one of them, who just happened to put out a statement critical of her essentially saying she's putting her own interests ahead of that of arizonans. kari lake tweeted great news. she's another possibility. what could this race look like? >> is she really going to be on the ballot wp we should presume she will be, but having been through her journey, you really

believe you can change the world. you believe you make big decisions and peel people will follow you. that's not always true in the independent space. i bare some of those scars. >> isn't it usually more of a collective shrug? >> it's a reflection of the fact that in the united states, merit jerns of a successful independent candidate -- in a unique case. sinema is trying to be a unique case in arizona. but the politics are very different. this will be a race of sbebt polling. sinema will not have decide. other candidates will not have to decide until the summer of 2024 if they are going to qualify for the ballot. who knows what the world of politics will look like then. as we sit here today, sinema is going to test the waters as an

undependent, but behave as a democrat. but 90% of the tomb, she's with the democrats. 90% of the time, joe manchin is with the democrats. you're seeing schumer play nice with her because there's no benefit right now to push sinema away. >> i wonder if it could potentially -- we don't know what's going to happen, but we do know if there's an empty senate seat, there's plenty of people raising money for it. so that sprait separates the pot of available cash. could it complicated democrats' chances? >> what you'll see very quickly, maybe tomorrow would be a generic three-way race. sinema might be in thursday already. but who does it take from conventional wisdom, it takes from democrats, but we just won't know because she is very unpredictable. who know what is she does between now and 2024. >> which brings us back to the

more immediate impact. she likes to see herself as a maverick like john mccain. she said she's going to operate the way she always has. but will other senators potentially treat her differently? how she viewed in the chambers and do you think it impacts in any way the ability to operate the way she always has? >> it probably enhances it sleight. she's a free agent now. i think that republicans will see that as a benefit and try to woo her on certain things because she is kind of branding herself a free agent. i don't think -- i think what david said is right. which is that they are going to play nice with her because they need her. there's no reason to treat her poorly because she's a vote. she does vote with democrats nearly all the time. they need her to get things out of committee. they need her on the floor. there's no reason to be upset or angry. i do know a lot behind the

scenes a lot of people are per tech ed. members of the house are upset. she comes out and make this is pronouncement, which had been in the works for a little bit. people are not terribly pleased, but uh-uh don't anticipate any real food fights over this. >> jake, ryan, thank you both so much. david, you're going to stay with me. 928 days after the murder of george floyd, just moments from now, one of the key officers involved will be sentenced. the officer who knelt on floyd's back will be sentenced on state charges. he's expected to get three and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to second degree manslaughter. king is serving three years in federal prison for violating george floyd's civil rights. floyd's legal team is calling it another piece of justice for the floyd team. in roughly an hour, the justice department will formally ask a judge to hold former

president trump's's office in contempt. it all connects to the mar-a-lago classified documents case and ken dilanian has the very latest on this story for us. i understand this is going to be a sealed, secret hearing, but what can you tell us? >> that's right. all these proceedings are secret because they involve grand jury information, which is secret by law. this is an ongoing dispute between the justice department and the trump team, where the justice department is trying to get donald trump's office and his lawyers to certify that they have gathered up all the classified information in his possession and have turned it over. and recently, they conducted a series of voluntary searches, the trump team did, of various property asks found two documents marked classified at a storage facility containing trump materials that was run by the federal government. so that raised questions about what else is out there. and after all the trump side got a grand jury subpoena back in may from the justice department

demanding that they turn over all classified documents. and when the justice department developed evidence, they found lots of classified documents. what seems to be clear is they don't have the probable cause to do other searches, but they still suspect that they haven't gotten everything. so they are asking this judge to hold the office of the former president in contempt. >> ken dilanian, thank you so much for that update. wnba superstar brittney griner free. what her next few days will look like back on u.s. soil. i'll talk to a russian activist who served time in a brutal penal colt gnu and knows firsthand bha the readjustment is like. plus celebrations are ringing out in moscow over the swap and the return of a notorious arms dealer. does the exchange in any way empower poout? i'll ask the former president of ukraine, next. you're watching "chris jansing reports," only on msnbc. "snbc ♪♪

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but, we found other interests. i guess we have. [both] finch! let's go! oh yeah! it's not the same. what could you do to solve the problem? we could get xfinity? that's actually super adult of you to suggest. i can't wait to squad up. i love it when you talk nerdy to me. guy, guys, guys, we're still in session. and i don't know what the heck you're talking about. brittney griner is back on american soil. she arrived in texas roughly eight hours ago. take a look at the video. you can see her getting off the plane at joint base san antonio just before dawn. but while many americans are celebrating griner's return, there are new and some pointed questions surrounding the prisoner swap that ultimately brought her home. i want to bring in kerry sanders, in saab ant and former congressman david jolly is back

with me. what do we know about grooig griner's health and what the next few days may look like for her? >> reporter: she is right now over my shoulder inside the medical center. this is the perfect place for somebody who has gone through an ordeal like brittney griner has done. they have experts and teams here who deal with those who have been held in captivity, either by government or by terrorists. so they are well prepared to not only deal with the physical, but also the mental. in this case, brittney griner ten months in captivity by the russians. the last month in a penal coony notoriously harsh. so we saw her get off the plane. she looked rather healthy with a good gate in her step, but there's so much more to this according to experts. what she's doing now is harder to determine because we have a

statement we'll put up here. the u.s. government is now focused on ensuring that brg beijing and her team's well being are prioritized and that all assistance available be offered in an appropriate manner. due to privacy reasons and out of respect to the family, we do not have anything additional to provide. i think we all sort of understand whether it's a wnba player who has been at the center of an international diplomacy back and forth or whether it's just somebody who is maybe in a car accident that those medical pieces of information are private and it's up to the individual and family to decide to release it. after everything that brittney griner and her family have gone through, it's going to take some time at least days before we really hear some specifics about how she's doing and also how she's adjusting, especially psychologically. >> thank you so much for that, kerry sanders. so congressman, i'm sure you heard the remarks from a number of republicans, particularly

folks on the hill who are unhappy about this and they are complaining about the decision to make this switch. let me play a few. >> think about the exchange here. the merchant of death for a wnba star picked up for marijuana he left a marine behind. think about it. it's not an equal exchange. >> let's think about what we did. we traded a basketball player for a known terrorist, a criminal. i hope brittney realizes she lives in the greatest country in the world. the price of freedom isn't free. i hope she'll stand for the national an thunderstorm now. >> our president so weak he couldn't get these two guys for this one terrorist really. it's shameful. >> so setting awe side the idea that the administration said there was no deal on the table, who does it benefit to politicize a prisoner swap?

even the family of the man who is still there said, yes, president biden did the right thing. >> every politician needs to lead with celebrating that brittney griner is home. that is important. you have heard the white house message that. what republicans in particular are trying to position is this argument around joe biden being weak on security. if you look at this swap just through the lens of geopolitical, national security interest, it is out of balance. but that requires you to overlook the humanitarian interest of getting brittney griner home. so what republicans are saying is no deal is better than bringing brittney griner home. you hit on something very important. paul whelan's family, brittney griner's family, the white house, every statement about brittney griner also includes an acknowledgment of trying to get whelan home. what you hear from the white house is the deal to bring whelan home was not on the table.

so do you walk away and leave griner. according to republicans, they should have left her. >> there are a lot of americans that are glad that an american, she's a basketball player, any american who was held unjustly was set free. so a win, a victory in georgia. the passage of the marriage equality bill, which a lot of people didn't think could happen. better than expected economic news. gas prices are way down. s yet polls still show the president under water, which know is a source of great frustration. is it bad messaging? we were saying for awhile, it is economic uncertainty. but certainly the way people are spending doesn't indicate that people feel tremendously dmik pressure. >> i would say very broadly speaking two things are in lay. one, we now are a divided nation. we give no credit to the other side of the aisle. break that down. and the economy is softer than

where it could be. so people are showing a little bit of concern. but i think all you have to do is lock at comments by former republicans to say reallies are underestimating joe biden. he's had a remarkable first few years. watch out for him in 2024. that's newt gingrich's words. >> thank you, david jolly. it's great to have you here. let me bring in petro poroshenko, former president of ukraine. it's so good to have you here. let's start with russia. pro-kremlin allies are celebrating this deal. they say it's a sign that putin has leverage with america. he was able to negotiate from a position of strengths. is that what you see happening here? and does it empower him? >> thank you very much indeed for the invitation. i want to thank you for the great leadership in the world who support ukraine, support in

our fight. not only for our country, but also for the freedom and democracy. and with that situation, i have very long experience how to make a negotiation with putin. and can make two piece of advice. one, please, don't trust putin. we have several documents signed, but we have troops on soil, release all the hostages. and don't be afraid of putin. the ukrainian armed forces demonstrate that. and we have the best negotiator, great diplomat, great art of the diplomacy for negotiation with putin. the anymore of this negotiator is armed forces of ukraine. and how we can make position of the armed forces of ukraine stronger is weapons, this is

sanction and this is possible future nato membership. and i'm very much welcome the decision of the white house to give us $275 million for the ammunition, for the weapons supply, which made position of this significantly stronger. 89 day of russian war. >> i the to ask you about what's hag on the battlefield, but if i can go back to brittney griner for just one second. you do understand vladimir putin, and you dealt with the russians for so long. why was putin so intent on getting viktor bout back? >> i think that 15 years whul he was in prison, we have full information that potentially this terrorist is still in

danger. i very much welcome the return him back the american citizen. from a humanitarian point of view, this is great. and i absolutely confident that the u.s. administration have more than enough position that viktor bout is not danger anymore. because the world has changed for that. but i just want to remind you that thousands and thousands of ukrainian fighters now in the russian prison, they kill them in prison including the events. and that's why we should count absolutely not, but on the powerful pressure on putin, by military, by economic, by sanction, by international

pressure to release all the hostages putin kept. because putin does not understand the language of negotiation. he understands the lack waj of strength. and the whole world, which is now pro-ukrainian coalition, can switch it to anti-putin coalition. we have a positive example of that. with the weapons in the hand, not only by etch speeches and statement, make the pressure on putin and this pressure is efficient. >> let me ask you about the strength of the military and also by extension you can never say that without acknowledging the ukrainian people who have been the backbone of this. western and russian officials say it now appears that ukraine is stepping up its attacks inside russian territory and many people are looking at them ask saying you have an em billion dollarened military that has been far more successful

than people thought they would be. it's very powerful for cain krab, but is it a good military strategy? how do you see this battlefield unfolding? >> they underestimated the armed forces, which was created in 2014 under my presidecy with the great assistance of u.s. and the second, the world is overestimated the second biggest army in the world, russia. ukraine pay for that enormous prices. dozens of thousands of ukrainian military and civilian were killed. but we understand that we are fighting and he would be with us because motivation, all ukraine solar engineers is highly motivated because they stay with

their own people. point number two, we have increasingly supply the weapons, but we need more weapons. we need air defense it's to that's going to stop russian dominance. we need long-range artillery system because we need to stop russian dominance and have a security distance from where we can open the fire against russia. ask we need to trust this we do not use without additional con sill zulation with the yous that they gave the russian territory. we use it to throw away and second position is the sax and embargo. immediately after we introduce the sax for the rst, the prices

three weeks ago that was $92.97 per parol and today is $76. this is huh sanctions work . this is first stp to cut the cash flow, which the world pays to their crazy dictator. that's about $1 billion a sdi. can you imagine these figures? it's half of these figures putin planned to kill ukrainians, to kill democracy, to kill freedom. we should stop that. and the third position, again, please, you should understand that without invitation ukraine to nato, this war is impossible to stop, impossible to finish, impossible win. >> former president petro poroshenko, thank you so much. we appreciate you coming on the program. >> thank you. the challenging road ahead for brittney griner as she tries

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brittney griner set to be in pretty good health and good spirits as she arrived in the u.s. this morning. but then trap signatures back to normal life will not be as simple as taking a flight home. >> over the coming days, the white house says griner will be offered support options to overcome the tail light and psychological impact of being imprisoned under a brutal conditions. nat ya spent time in russian prison. she's a political activist and founding member of the feminist group. it's good to have you back on the program.

i think we're all so happy to see brittney griner, to hear her being able to speak. we're trying to read maybe too much into it. she's happy, but seemed a little hesitant. i wonder if you could tell us about your experience and how it informs what we might know about what she's going through right now. the simplest way to ask, what do you see when you see that video? >> there's another video of her receiving the wearing the head scar that have you're forced to wear in the penal colony. she's surprised and cannot believe what's happening with her. i think what i can recall, i could not comprehend and believe that it is something that

actually happened. and perhaps it seems a little stress tofl people around her. i think once she's at home with her family it's going to be easier for her. it's the world where she can be free. the long-term consequences of being held in captivity, they are not easy to overcome. this distrust to people around here for awhile. s pshlly it's hard for brittney

buzz she end up in the worst penal colony in all russia. >> are there things that you were able to do that people were able to help you with that made the adjustment better? >> there are little things you don't know what to choose. i remember i didn't know how to choose because for two years i was just giving things, food, clothes, shampoo, so your friends and family are here to support and help you, how to overcome this tran suggestion. and i hope brittney is not going to make the same mistakes. i went right into action. i felt like because i'm free now, i'm obliged to help everyone who stayed behind and i jumped right into the human rights activity.

i gave thousands of interviews about conditions of russian jail. then turned out later i was neglecting my mental health. and then just after a year of being terribly depressed and incredibly traumatized, i finally admitted to myself that something is not right with me. and i came to see a doctor. so i would encourage her to take dare of herself first and she can try to save other people. i know it's really you have this complex of guilt because even if you're in penal colony for about a month, after you still form relationships with people and still see that a lot of them ended up in jail for almost nothing. there are a lot of women who

ended up in jail because they protected themselves from abusive husbands and they would kill them because the russians do not protect women from domestic violence. so there are a lot of pieces that make to sense. you know they don't have to be in jail. you feel for them. and you want to save them. but you should take care of yourself first and then save others. i would encourage brittney to write a box about her journey because. >> we thank you because again, you have helped us to understand the situation there and what it has meant for brittney griner. thank you so much. we appreciate your time. >> thank you. a medical responder on the job for two decades is now sound sounding the alarm about the mental health crisis in cities

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learn more at getrealaboutdiabetes.com america's mental health crisis which was superchashlged by the pandemic is only knot only impacting patients, but new indications of how much it's also hurting the helpers. among the cities faing a crisis in denver where there are tl have been calls for a state of emergency, in detroit police are making more than 60 mental health runs a day. and in new york, a veteran paramedic says he hasn't seen a crisis like this in his 20 years in the field. joining he now is the author of that piece and a lieutenant paramedic with the new york city fire department bureau of emergency medical services anthony almojera. you are the author of "riding the lightning" a year in the life of a new york city

paramedic. i have to tell you, your piece was so compelling. what's it like out there that you felt compelled to write it? >> as i mentioned in the piece, i have never seen it this bad in the 20 years i have been doing ems. it's gotten worse over the years. the pandemic broke a lot of things, including the fragmented health care system that we have. it really put a lot of pressure on ems workers, the pair deadics doing 6,000 calls a day, which is way above normal. you mentioned 425 runs on average a day. emotionally disturbed persons. what compelled me to write this was i saw the mayor's plan, and i'm for it. let's get people off the streets. but it's once again a bad day kind of plan. >> let me just stop you for a second. because not everyone may know

what the mayor's plan is, which was to get homeless people who are living on the streets and the subways into facilities where they can be helped but even if that's by force. >> correct. even if that's by force, which ems has always had the ability to take people in. but now they are involving cops a lot more, which can be considered potential conflict. when you give the decision making capacity to cops instead of ems workers, which i'm sure cops don't want that decision. also we don't have the facilities to bring them to. there's no beds. there's not enough social workers or nurses. over the last 20 years, new york city has closed approximately 12 hospitals and numerous other facilities to handle patients. so we're taking them in. they are holding them through a day or maybe two and then back

out on the street. so it's a splashy headline. it's a reaction to get sbat become into the society with the help that comes along with that housing, social workers, first responders because the introduce into that pipeline of health care, which is broken. >> and we can't afford to lose any of you. and you have talked about the burn out that you faced. the pan dependentic would have been enough for anybody. what you folks did during that period was extraordinary. but you said the result was thoughts of suicide, depression, all of those emotions that were already inflated by the pandemic. we're seeing this hit first responders all over the u.s. what kind of support is needed?

>> since february or march of 2020, several members of the ems have committed suicide. we have had to hire rough 1,200 people who are kwiting. we average 10 to 15 people weekly in ems to this day. what needs to happen is we need to reinvest in ems. the mental health services are lacking the fire department does not provide adequate mental health services for ems workers. we had to set up an organization called the help fund. through donations to that, we were able to provide mental health services outside the fire department. therapists and other access to different types of mental health care. but that's still not enough. we don't collect enough money to pay for what we need. so if we're going to have a

health care system that's take ing people off the streets to provide better mental health care for them, then we have to make sure that people who are doing that for them are also taking care of with resources and access to health care and mental health care. >> it's such an important message. we thank you for coming on to tell us about it. the book is "riding the lightning", we appreciate you. a once thriving town with historic roots is disappearing. the legal battle now underway to save what's left. kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger. research shows people remember commercials with nostalgia. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan?

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washington, d.c. >> this is the tree my dad planted, when i was about nine years old. >> back then, most families in the surrounding area were black, descended from newly emancipated african americans who settled here after the civil war, for nearly a century they prospered but in the decks to come, most of it would be a race to the name of progress, just not theirs. >> developers came in, and driving us away from home. and as they did that, the community got smaller and smaller. >> today, the farm where matthew grew up is a strip mall, anchored by whole foods. >> it is hard to believe that this community that you grew up in is now this? >> yes, because it's hard, this was home at one time. and now it is anything else but that. >> down river road, the 102-year-old moses macedonia

baptist church wedged between a bank and a high rise, is the last visible remnant of the once thriving black community. marcia coleman edebyo is the pastor's wife. >> everyone asks me, what is this little black church doing in the middle of downtown bethesda and the question is what are you doing here? this church has been here for 102 years. >> now, another sacred piece of the community's history is in jeopardy. the land where the moses macedonia baptist cemetery once stood is up for sale. harvey and marcia believe this area bulldozed and paved over in the '60s is the resting place for as many as 500 ancestors. >> we will fight every single day to make sure that you are never disrespected. >> they formed the bethesda african cemetery coalition, and won a court injunction blocking montgomery county, which owns

the land, from selling it to an river. the county plans commission has appealed the ruling. >> everybody is standing on holy ground. >> the dispute highlights a growing nationwide movement by the descendants and historians to find, preserve, and memorialize black burial grounds, often the only remaining proof of lost black communities. >> this struggle, it's a struggle demanded, not asking, but demanding that our humanity is respected. >> and for harvey matthews, it's a fight to tell a story about a place he was proud to call home. >> this was a prosperous black community. >> oh, yes. >> the mission has been granted a temporary injunction blocking the county from going forward with the sale. montgomery county told nbc news it is working to get the facts about the cemetery and we'll be working to get a quote unbiased

professional archeological study of the site. you can catch more of the story, on the podcast, "into america," listen now wherever you get your podcasts. after seven season, the end of era. trevor noah siling off from the dalz -- signing ot off from the disthe daily show" anchor desk and lived in u.s. for four years before taking over the legendary desk from john stewart in 2014. and he never played any of the premium clubs before this, and talked about at how at the beginning of the show, it was hard to get people to fill the audience, and now in the final goodbye, he made a teary-eyed shout-out to black women. take a listen. >> i'll tell you now, do yourself a favor, if you truly want to know what to do or how to do it, or maybe the best way or the most equitable way, talk to black women. they are a lot of the reason that i'm here. i'm grateful to them. i'm grateful to every single one

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