also killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. a tragedy in paradise for a young couple and the families they left behind. >> we love her. family, friends, love her so much. >> that was miguel almaguer reporting. we've got a lot to cover in our second hour of "chris jansing reports." let's get right to it. at this hour, breaking news out of the pittsburgh tree of life shooting trial. the gunman behind the deadliest anti-semitic attack in the u.s. found guilty on all 63 federal charges. and happening this hour, president biden set to speak on the one-year anniversary of a major gun safety bill. but with 296 mass shootings already this year, what's next in the fight? we'll bring you those remarks when they happen.

plus, from total celebration to complete chaos, two people were shot, a police officer hit by a fire truck during a victory parade for nba champion denver nuggets. and the department of justice tees off an investigation, looking into that mega merger between the pga tour and saudi funded liv golf. our reporters are fouling all of the latest developments. we start, though, with the breaking news out of pittsburgh where nbc's george solis is covering the guilty verdict in the trial of the gunman who killed 11 people at that synagogue in 2018. george, i know it's been a few hours since the verdict. what are we hearing from the community? >> reporter: yeah, chris, some members of the congregation weighing in, saying they expected this guilty verdict. for them, this is some semblance of justice. in my conversation with them over the last several days, many of them say they will never be able to look at the accused shooter robert bowers directly

in the eye. it was hard for them to be in the courtroom listening to the testimony, having to hear the names of the eleven worshippers that were lost on that day. for them, this is the man who carried out one of the most evil attacks in our nation's history at their synagogue, and for them, yeah, this is what some semblance of justice looks like. a lot of this isn't about the guilty phase. a lot of them expected him to be found guilty of the charges. for them it's about what happens next, the sentencing phase of this trial set to begin a week from monday. for them, it is divisive issue as to whether or not robert bowers should get life in prison or whether or not he should get the death penalty. the prosecution laying out their case during opening arguments, much the same during closing, saying he went to the tree of life synagogue to carry out this heinous attack. the defense doing their part to raise questions about his motivation, mainlily motivated by his views on immigration. the prosecution being clear

there's no doubt that the accused shooter robert bowers didn't go to an immigration camp, the border, he went to the tree of life synagogue and murdered 11 members of the congregation. today the reaction from not just the tree of life congregation but across many facets of what we're seeing from the jewish community is they feel some level of vindication. they are now waiting to see what will happen next during the sentencing phase, which, again, we expect to take place about a week from monday or at least a portion of the trial starting a week from monday, chris. >> george solis, thank you so much. that verdict coming on the same day president biden is set to address gun violence at today's national safer community summit in connecticut. nbc's julie tsirkin is there for us. give us a preview. >> reporter: the president is expected to take the stage behind me any minute, the same place at the university of hartford where president obama gave an impassioned speech after the sandy hook massacre,

pleading for the nation, for congress to do more on gun control. today, president biden is coming here to tout what has been done in the bipartisan safety bill that was signed into law nearly one year ago today. in fact, that is what the summit today is all about. what this law was able to achieve, a first in a generation bill that increased funding, not only for schools and for mental health, but also enabled states to contribute more to the next background check database, to have more resources when it comes to red flag laws, and being able to bolster background check programs on their own, and that is what the president is expected to say today. he's expected to point to states like connecticut, which just recently signed even more gun restrictive measures into law. it's one of the most restrictive states in the country when it comes to gun ownership and safe gun ownership. but the president is going to continue to call on congress to pass more and do more. when it comes universal background checks particularly, and an assault weapons ban. i asked senator chris murphy about this earlier today and why

the majority leader schumer has not put either of those bills on the floor yet, despite it being a democratic controlled senate. he told me today it's about being reflective of what they were able to achieve, what these gun advocates from here and nationwide, including the parents of the sandy hook students, including those children that were killed ten years ago, what they were able to glean from that process, and he told me they are still going to make efforts with republicans to work across the aisle and try to get more done, but of course the president coming here is monumental. it comes days after he spoke about the university of the uvalde school shooting that took the lives of 19 school children, something that education secretary miguel cardona spoke on the stage about behind me from tears from the audience. not only uvalde, but sandy hook, as it hits so close to home and so close to here, chris, so of course this is a monumental day for president biden as he's going to continue to urge for o

more action. it's notable he's coming to address the first of its kind gun safety summit. >> julie tsirkin, thank you for that, and as if to punctuate the president's point, going to denver and steve patterson. what are they saying about this at the nba celebration? >> reporter: this is the second shooting following the nuggets win, the first one happened on monday right after the big win. a mass shooting erupted, ten people shot. police calling that a drug dispute. this one happened right after that parade. as you mentioned, tangentially related, just off one of the side streets after things were wrapping up. they're confident because there was ample video evidence, cameras, police say they have a photo of the suspect, and they say it's contained because everybody in that shooting, including the victims, seem to know each other. so they're fairly confident that

an investigation will lead to a capture at any point. but this is just one instance in gun violence in multiple this week that have been tied to this celebration that we've seen, the mayor speaking out, the police chief speaking out saying that this can't stand in the city of denver, and it's marring what should have been a very celebratory week for the city, chris. >> steve patterson, thank you for that. the doj's anti-trust division says it's looking into a deal between the pga tour and the saudi-backed liv golf. morgan brennan is here for cnbc on msnbc. so what is the pga saying about this investigation? >> well, chris, the pga tour reiterating its confidence in the proposed tie up with saudi back liv group. we are confident once all stake holders learn how the pga will lead this venture, they will understand how it benefits players, fans and sports and protecting the american institution of golf. that in response to increased antitrust scrutiny of the

proposed merger by the justice department which declined to comment, as did liv. worth noting, it is not unusual for u.s. regulators to review a high profile transaction such as this. it doesn't mean it violates antitrust laws, but a review by the doj, which is already been investigating the pga tour and other government entities for anticompetitive behavior, it does inject uncertainty into the fate of this deal, which stunned many when it was announced last week. it also comes as senate finance committee chair ron wyden said he's opening a wide ranging probe, arguing that the merger raises questions about foreign investment in american real estate that could be adjacent to military facilities or sensitive manufacturing buildings. raises questions about compensation, and whether the pga tour should maintain its tax exempt status. bottom line here, it's far from a done deal. if it gets the regulatory green light, this is a process that could now take significantly longer to happen, maybe a year. maybe years. all of this, chris, coming into

a big weekend for golf as the pga tour kicks off its 2023 u.s. open in los angeles. >> morgan brennan, thank you. a major rivalry between two very powerful governors getting uglier by the minute. but as desantis and newsome face off, will it have any impact on 2024? we'll discuss in 60 seconds. 2024 we'll discuss in 60 seconds. s wh 85% more tide in every pod. who needs that much more tide? (crashing sounds) everyone's gonna need more tide. it's a mess out there. that's why there's 85% more tide in every power pod. -see? -baby: ah. - representative! - sorry, i didn't get that. - oh buddy! you need a hug. you also need consumer cellular. get the exact same coverage as the nation's leading carriers and 100% us based customer support. starting at $20. consumer cellular. first, there's an idea and you do something about it for the first time with godaddy. then before you know it, (it is a life changer...) you make your first sale. small business first. never stopped coming.

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>> make it three. >> three-hour debate with ron desantis. >> should i make it four? >> with no notes, i look forward to that. we can talk about his zest for demonization, his assault on free enterprise. >> what i would tell him is, you know what, stop pussy footing around. are you going to throw your hat in the ring and challenge joe? are you to get in and do it or just sit on the sidelines and chirp? >> i want to bring in former new york democratic congressman max rose and former florida republican congressman david jolly, also an msnbc political analyst who seemed to both enjoy those little nuggets from both of the governors. so, david, let me read more from the "wall street journal" op-ed, quote, this could be the substantiative argument the country needs, pitting florida's red state model against california's blue state approach, instead of cat calls in the media, they could make a case to the public with evidence and data for the country to

follow their lead. is what the country needs, i mean, yes, plenty of fire because it's fun to watch and it gets our attention, but could they bring some substance as well about what it is that divides this country? >> yes, i think so. i think gavin newsom could, proving he is presidential material. he has said he's not running in '24. he fully supports joe biden, but he's delivering a message to confront the republican culture war agenda that is really taken root in florida and texas and other states. but it also has a direct impact on ron desantis's fortunes, and his aspirations to the white house for this reason, chris. the more people get to know ron desantis, the less they like him. his numbers fall, and you see this in the current confrontation between the two. gavin newsom wants to confront ron desantis, on issues of immigration, flying migrants out of state, disney and culture

wars, and education and don't say gay. gavin newsom wants to confront ron desantis on policy, he questioned his manhood, stop put pussy footing around. i'm a bigger man than you are, but he did not answer the culture questions that gavin newsomments to -- wants to talk about. it's very revealing. >> max, i wonder, is it possible to have a debate based on facts and data in this day when the country is so divided, when emotions are running high, and frankly, when both of these guys know how to get some attention. they know how to speak in sound bites. >> of course it's possible. of course it's encouraged, but that is not what this is about. this is about politics. you can't take the politics out of politics, of course, so gavin newsom is loving this. right? you have a presidential contender attacking him, he's loving each and every moment, this makes zero sense for ron desantis to be doing this.

it is laughable and actually speaks to something, though, very important, which is the fact that ron desantis is absolutely petrified to attack joe biden because then of course we get to talk about joe biden's moderate, pragmatic, bipartisan, get stuff done record, and he is afraid to attack donald trump. he is of course in a heated primary right now. there's only one individual truly pussy footing around right now, and that's ron desantis in his abject fear of attacking donald trump. it's crazy. >> so i wonder, is there another advantage to having somebody, max, like governor newsom out there. he can challenge republicans, right, he can get ron desantis into a fight, but allows biden to stay focused on being presidential, doing stuff presidents do. any minute now he's at this forum, and doing the job as president, and looking down as his aides would think at that

fray? >> you're 100% correct. i mean, this is a dream come true for the president's presidential campaign. i think foremost because the american people are still very much exhausted. they are exhausted from covid aftermath, they're exhausted from inflation. they're exhausted from the news cycle and these fake culture wars. what they want to see, and this is the vast majority, not the loud extremes, they truly want to see a stewardship and leadership of this country, and that's what president biden is able to do each and every day, particularly with his new attack dog, governor newsom. >> i want to ask you about a war of words, david, that's been bubbling up, it's between republican candidate, senator tim scott and former president obama. obama saying that when tim scott holds himself up as an example of how anyone can make it in america, it doesn't reflect reality. take a listen. >> i'm not being cynical about

tim scott individually. i am maybe suggesting that the rhetoric can't we all get along, and the quotes you made about, you know, from my speech in 2004, about there's a united states of america that has to be undergirded with an honest accounting of our past and our present. there may come a time where there's somebody in the republican party that is more serious about actually addressing some of the deep inequality that still exists in our society that tracks race. and is a consequence of our racial history, and if that happens, i think that would be fantastic. i haven't yet seen it. >> and tim scott responds by tweeting in part, democrats deny our progress to protect their power. we live in a country where little black and brown boys and girls can be president of the united states. the truth is, we've had one. and the good news is we will

have another. so i think, you know, here we go again where you have a republican not hitting the front runner, not even necessarily hitting the number two, but, you know, going up against a democrat who will never run for anything ever again. >> yeah, and, chris, two critically important conversations, the one with gavin newsom on culture, the one with obama and tim scott on race, and i think it exposes a strategy and a failure of republicans when they talk about the issue of race, whether they be white, black or brown. they embrace this notion of equality of opportunity, as though that is sufficient to address the historic challenges that have been put upon the black and brown communities in the united states. they say, look, i'm for equality of opportunity. anyone from any zip code should be able to rise up. the problem is they stop there. if you believe in equality of opportunity, that's actually a calling for federal policy changes to empower all people

regardless of zip code, not to just leave it to be. what i would suggest to tim scott is look where the numbers and look where the black community voters are. maybe they have moved from mid single digits to higher single digits to support republicans in the past decade, but is that really improvement, does that really suggest that you're addressing the needs of the black community in the country? i don't think so. >> former congressman david jolly, former congressman max rose, let's get you two in a room, you know, that could be fun, actually. it's always fun to see you both. thank you very much. good to have you on the program again. now to a rare legal win for donald trump. the westchester county district attorney closed a long-running investigation into whether trump or his company misled authorities in order to get a break on taxes on properties related to his national golf club. that's briar cliff manor, about 30 miles north of trump tower. no charges were filed in the case. trump responded in all caps on his social media platform,

quote, where and when do i get my reputation back. when will the other fake cases against me be dropped? years after the murder of george floyd, attorney general merrick garland has just unveiled the long awaited results of doj's probe into the minneapolis police department. the damning findings are next. l. the damning findings are next. hi, i'm todd. i'm a veteran of 23 years. i served three overseas tours. i love to give back to the community. i offer what i can

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we just got this breaking news that the family of jalen walker, the 25-year-old black man who was killed when akron, ohio, police shot him 46 times, they have filed a $45 million lawsuit against the city, senior police officials and the eight officers involved in the shooting. the suit filed in u.s. district court almost exactly a year after the killing alleges excessive force. the city told the akron beacon journal it will not be commenting on pending legislation. litigation, not legislation. today the department of justice has released the long awaited results of an investigation into the minneapolis police department. that one was launched in the wake of the 2020 murder of george floyd. >> our review found numerous incidents in which mpd officers responded to a person's statement that they could not breathe with a version of, you can breathe. you're talking right now. mpd stopped black and native american people nearly six times more often than white people.

>> joining me now, nbc's ron allen. charles coleman is a civil rights attorney, former federal attorney and msnbc legal analyst. ron, tell us more about what's in this report? >> well, the doj basically said that the conditions in the minneapolis police department are what made possible the death, the murder of george floyd. it was a top-to-bottom scathing report that talked about how they use excessive force too much, how they discriminate against black and native american citizens, they violate the first amendment rights of protesters and the media. they discriminate against people with behavioral disabilities. internal investigations go on too long. more than two years in some cases. there were numerous examples of racist comments by police against black people. there were 19 police shootings investigated and a significant portion of them were unconstitutional. you name it, there's a problem there, and that's what this whole 89-page report laid out, with vivid examples of a police officer stopping a young man

drawing his gun, putting him against the car because he had a stolen a $5 burrito, things of that nature. so there's a lot of detail, a lot of specifics, and now there's a consent decree formed, essentially a negotiated agreement where the city and the doj undertake various reforms. there were 28 different measures that they laid out that they want to see happen, and that process can take years. it can take a long time, but the bottom line is that there's a federal monitor involved. there's a federal judge overseeing this process, and as one doj official put it, they're trying, essentially, to reinvent the minneapolis police department. >> with that kind of oversight, can it change anything? a culture is a culture, first of all, second of all, there was another investigation, a state investigation where among other things, they found significant racial disparities with respect to officers' use of force, traffic stops, searches, arrests, criticizing an organizational culture where

officers and supervisors used racist, misogynistic language with impunity, but a lot of people argued it didn't make a difference. will this make a difference? >> chris, the issue is not limited to this report. the issue is not limited to minneapolis policing. we've seen this movie before, and we understand the plot. american policing has a culture issue and a culture problem. it is not cultured in a spirit of service and protection. it is unfortunately cultured this a spirit of violence and aggression. and we've seen this time and time again. this report almost verbatim could be substituted for another report that came from merrick garland's doj about the louisville police department. if you recall kristen clark and the investigation there, the doj had extremely similar findings. if you go back, different administration, different doj, but the report that came out of ferguson also very similar when we're talking about this. so the issue is that american

policing as it stands is broken and needs to move to a public service model. now, will this consent decree have any impact? it's very possible, but that's putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. because the consent decree is only going to be as effective as number one, the independent monitor responsible for making sure it's implemented proper and the judge responsible for overseeing it, and that can change depending on what administration is in the white house, what administration is in the doj, and what those priorities are. so the real issue is this is a step in the right direction. but we've already made the step before. we need to begin to address the root problem. >> what do we do? what realistically can a federal government do? when you go through the report, and you're right, ron, there's a sameness to these examples, right? people who do something that in any real world of parody would be like, all right, give it back. you know, whatever it is, it's something so minor or nothing at

all. literally nothing at all. so what do you do? >> i think what has to happen is there needs to be public pressure on these agencies to actually make recommendations around policy and legislation that's going to move the needle. doj at this point has an extensive amount of experience with understanding what is wrong with american policing, but to your point, as the federal government, there are a lot of limitations in terms of what they can do about it. if there is a need for revisiting police reform as a piece of legislation. this is the time to have the conversation, given the myriad of results we have seen from the doj and civil rights coming out of washington. >> here's another question. we had this conversation when derek chauvin was convicted of murdering george floyd. it was now that we're starting to see people getting convicted, will it have a deterrent effect? and according to mapping police violence, there have been at least 2,858 police killings

since then. so is there such a thing as a deterrent effect? is there only, you can prosecute, but what you have to do is what you just said, it's about going back to the beginning? >> it is. i think that we have neglected the conversation around qualified immunity for quite a bit. i think that was something that president biden talked about a while ago, and then once the police reform bill died shortly after the death of george floyd the following september, when it died in the senate, you start hearing about it. until you're instituting measures of accountability, that's the only way that you're going to get to begin this conversation about culture change. culture is shifted, number one, through leadership and then number two, through accountability. and if officers have the protect of qualified immunity to shield them from accountability when they do commit wrong doing against different communities for whatever reason, there's very little incentive for that

culture to make the change and an evolution around american policing. >> i'll give you the last word, what you look through the report, what struck you? >> that i read it before. that i'd seen this report before. and most major cities, many major cities in the country are currently dealing with consent decrees, seattle, albuquerque, baltimore, new orleans, and they last a long time. and as charles was pointing out, they're only as good as the monitor and the judge who's overseeing them, and during the trump administration, you may recall, there was an order that essentially dialed back on this particular measure. i also find it striking that, you know, during the obama administration there were dozens of these launched and they popped up in places like ferguson and in baltimore, where freddie gray died and michael brown in ferguson, and they popped up in places where there couldn't be a federal prosecution of an officer, so they would basically look at the entire department, and hold them

responsible. now, this push back on the other side, you know, police unions are vehemently against these consent decrees. they cost cities millions and millions of dollars, and right now across the country there's a huge problem with shortages. the minneapolis police department is down a couple hundred officers, and they say now we have to recruit officers and they're aware that the federal government is going to be looking at them as wel, so there's that as well. the ultimate solution seems to be somehow getting the community and the police department and the local government together. you know, a lot of the steps that are taken during these consent decrees involve bringing the community, more community involvement, creating civilian review boards. you know, the mantra is community-based policing. you know, ideally, you would love to have a situation where the cop lives in a neighborhood and patrols it, and goes home, and is part of the community, but, you know, that's not

realistic given a lot of things in this country. >> ron allen, charles coleman, just the start of a really important conversation that this brings about. thank you both very much. appreciate it. the highly anticipated speech that russian president vladimir putin just gave in st. petersburg, what it tells us about the war in ukraine and his strategy? we've got those highlights. plus new remarks from ukrainian president zelenskyy's new exclusive sit-down with nbc news. it's all straight ahead. c news it's all straight ahead. than detergent alone. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. (vo) this is sadie, she's on verizon. and she has the new myplan where she gets exactly what she wants, and only pays for what she needs. she picks only the perks she wants, and saves on every one. all with an incredible new iphone. act now and get iphone 14 pro max on us when you switch. it's your verizon.

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daniel elseberg who was the man behind the pentagon papers, which were released back in the 70s, creating a political fire storm that the united states has secretly enlarged the war in vietnam has died in kensington, california. he was 92 years old. it was just a few months ago back in march that he had told friends and supporters that he had pancreatic cancer and declined chemotherapy, but it was him who was behind the release of those secret documents that exposed the u.s. expansion of the war, including the bombings in cambodia and laos. a statement from his family, he was the seeker of truth and antiwar activist, beloved husband, grandfather and great father, and thanked everyone for

the outpouring of love. daniel ellsberg dead at the age of 92. we're following a devastating story out of canada. at least 15 people, mainly senior citizens were killed and ten others were injured when a bus collided with a semitruck on a highway. they were headed for a day at a casino. witnesses describe a horrific scene to ctv news with vehicles in flames and rescue personnel desperately trying to bring people to safety. investigators looking for a cause say both of the drivers survived. an american man has been arrested accused of pushing two american tourists off a cliff near the german castle famously known as the inspiration for the disney's cinderella castle. police say the suspect met two american women on a hiking trail and lured them above a steep slope and then he allegedly attacked the pair, shoving them down the slope. one victim, a 21-year-old woman died from her injuries.

the other remains hospitalized. russian president vladimir putin lashed out at ukraine today during an economic forum in st. petersburg. he was giving the keynote speech, and putin falsely accused ukraine's president of covering up nazi crimes and claimed that russia is ready to resume talks with the u.s. nbc's chief international correspondent keir simmons is here with the latest. what more can you tell us about the speech and the reaction? >> reporter: well, i mean, the reaction was applause in the room, chris, but that's because he was talking to russia's elite, lined up in rows, something like a modern day pull it bureau. he declared that the ukrainian armed forces have no chance, i have no doubt about that. just days, of course, after ukraine began its counter offensive. as you suggest, he directed

insults towards president zelenskyy, and barbs towards nato. he talked about the destruction that we have seen of some german leopard tanks that have been sent to ukraine. he said that leopard tanks burn and so would f-16s, referring of course to the plan to train ukrainian fighters with f-16s with the aim, of course, of supplying ukraine hasn't been agreed yet, but it clearly is the direction of travel to supply ukraine with f-16s. so it was an hours long keynote speech by president putin. i will say, chris, you know, when you talk to russians on the streets and our team have been talking to them just today in moscow, of course it's important to remember that there isn't free speech in russia and that there have been huge crackdowns on protests against the war, but you get many russians talking about still their approval of

president putin, his approval ratings at just the most recently independent polling. there isn't much of that in russia, but there is some. suggests that his approval rating is still up at 82%, up from 69% before the invasion of ukraine. around 77% of russians tell that same polling, independent pollster, they dislike america. and another interesting aspect of the polling that we see, the back drop, if you like to president putin's statements today, that 45% of russians, according to that polling believe that this war will continue for at least another year. so in that way, richard engel's interview with president zelenskyy 24 hours ago being one of the interesting aspects of that, of course, saying that they are making progress but it is difficult. it looks like the russian people and the ukrainians agree that this is not a battle that is necessarily going to be finished anytime soon. some russians today are telling

us, chris, that they really hope this is over soon. others saying that they believe that it will end in total victory for russia. of course, they don't get all the information, many of them watch russian state television. there are all of those caveats. i do think the two sides are as polarized as ever. >> keir simmons, thank you so much. appreciate that. let's go from putin's view to president zelenskyy's on escalating efforts to reclaim territory. nbc chief foreign continue richard engel has more of his exclusive interview, including where russia could strike next. >> reporter: there were more long range russian attacks on kyiv this morning. we could hear the air-raid sirens go off, the air defense systems roar into action. there were no casualties. as we're hearing more from our exclusive interview with ukraine's president zelenskyy. >> ukraine is in a full-scale fight to take back russian-occupied land.

a pivotal moment for our interview with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy at the presidential compound in kyiv. >> this must be a very critical time for you. >> very busy. >> reporter: for over a year, ukraine has been fighting successfully to defend itself. now, it's on the offensive to breakthrough russian front lines, it's proving to be a challenge, and zelenskyy says if ukraine prevails, they'll win the war. >> we are now in the early days of this long anticipated counter offensive. how is it going? >> i cannot give you all the details. the rebels are defensive and offensive actions. things look not bad. i would say it's generally positive. but it's difficult. our heroic people, our troops who are now at the front of the front line are facing very tough

resistance. and you understand why. because for russia to lose this campaign to ukraine i would say actually means losing the war. >> reporter: president zelenskyy also had a dire warning. he blamed russia for blowing up a dam, which russia denies, flooding dozens of villages, and he tells us the next russian target is the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. with u.s. elections looming, president zelenskyy said he's well aware some republican candidates, including former president trump and governor desantis are expressing doubts about america's support for ukraine. >> translator: yes, we are concerned about this. yes, i believe it is a great risk for ukraine. we are not worried about a new person in power. but a change in the policy of the united states, that's what we don't want, and i believe it

won't happen. >> reporter: defense officials from nato countries are meeting today in brussels to discuss possible membership for ukraine. it is something that russia deeply opposes. president zelenskyy says that ukraine must have a clear path toward membership with security guarantees. richard engel, nbc news, kyiv. our thanks to richard for that. and still ahead, teachers calling it quits. how politics are playing into the decision to leave the jobs they love. you're watching "chris jansing reports" only on msnbc. you're watching "chris jansing reports" only on msnbc

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a growing number of teachers are quitting across the country over low pay and burnout. but in one state, they're leaving for another reason. nbc's antonia hilton joins me. tell me more. >> well, we're seeing this happen across the country, but when you talk to teachers in texas, they say that it's politics. we sat down with one teacher who says that her dream job became a nightmare. take a look. >> on the same day that high school english teacher emily ramser won an award for being an outstanding texas educator, she stood in front of the grapevine colleyville schoolteacher to tell them why she was one of the dozens of staff members resigning this year. >> this community has harassed to the point there were days i didn't want to be alive anymore, much less be a teacher.

y'all don't want people like me, people who might be gay to teach here. >> reporter: school districts across the country are facing a teacher shortage, fueled by burnout and low pay, but in texas, many blames politics. last year's ramser's district saw a 40% jump in resignation and retirements after conservative school board members pushed to remove hundreds of books and restrict lessons about race and lgbtq identities. >> i have taught these kids for years to write and grow their voices, and i'm not going to let my actions say something different. >> reporter: ramser who identifies as queer says she was asked to change some of her lessons and remove classroom art work and rainbow stickers. then one afternoon last year, a parent told a local news site that ramser encouraged her child to become transgender by lender her a book called "the prince and the dress maker." >> all i did was give a kid a book. >> what went through your mind?

>> i was terrified. i couldn't breathe. i couldn't think. >> reporter: the mother who accused ramser declined to speak with nbc news. but the child and her father say the allegations were false, that the child already identified as transgender. the district cleared ramser, but never made a statement for her to the public. the district declined to respond to nbc news about this specific case, but acknowledged it has more openings this year than last year, saying many other school districts, not only in texas but across the nation are also experiencing this declining retention rate of teachers and other employees. >> it's like almost like we're in a battle against the school board when the school board should be on our side. >> reporter: students described emily ramser's classroom as one of the most welcoming spaces at school. >> i think ms. ramser was one of the places in general, you could feel accepted, no matter your race, gender, sexuality. >> reporter: do you feel safe at school right now? >> not entirely, no. >> there's a lot of aspects i

cannot express because of the environment of the school that i go to. >> reporter: nbc news obtained the district's 2023 teacher engagement survey. in it almost 300 out of 1,500 staffers complained about the board. by the end of the school year, emily ramser's once vibrant classroom was barren. >> nobody can stop you from getting the education you deserve. i will give you book recommendations because i can give you book recommendations now. hopefully. but you really can do anything. >> reporter: surrounded by her students, she was determined to teach one final lesson. >> he's heading to a different district now, to a private school, and hoping that she can get a fresh start, chris. >> there's so many things to say about that, but i know that you'll follow up and you'll keep us posted because this is a critically important issue. we don't have enough teachers and dedicated teachers for ure. thank you, antonia, appreciate. we're going to hartford now

because the president is there speaking at the safer communities summit. this is focused on what to do about gun violence. let's listen. >> i really mean it. you know, as a kid i came out of a different movement, the civil rights movement. senator blumenthal and i talked about it before, i come from a stating with the 8th largest black population in the country and was segregated when i was a kid. that's what got me engaged and made me believe that we could do anything. made me believe we could do anything. so i want to thank chris for the introduction, but before i say anything else, i want to acknowledge the amazing young people we just heard from. [ applause ] you know, i really mean it. it takes extraordinary courage for them to stand up here and retell the story. because many of you out there,

parents, relatives and/or victims yourself, it's not just your story. it's the first graders, the educators at sandy hook, the kids and teachers at uvalde, who i sat with afterwards, it's the emanuel, eight years ago tomorrow. the tree of life synagogue, it's the families all across hartford, not just shootings that make the headlines but every single day, every damn day in america. in areas that are poor, mostly minority, there's a mass shooting. it never reaches the crescendo that it reaches other places. every single day. [ applause ]. >> folks, there's a lot we have to do. and it takes courage to tell a story that you've been through because, you know, i spent a lot

of time as president, and i spent 30 some times, visits, many more days in afghanistan and iraq, and i watch, you know, we have post-traumatic stress, they call it, for soldiers. what's the difference between post-traumatic stress for a soldier in the hills of afghanistan and a 4th grade kid meets in a classroom when they have to duck and cover? i'm serious. >> [ applause ]. and you're here, many of you, and it brings it all back. brings it all back for your families, your parents, your siblings, and it brings it back for the entire country. it ripples through the nation. i don't know how many times i met people at events in the country who shake my hand and say i'm worried, there's been another shooting not far from where i live. i'm scared to send my kid to school. it has had a profound impact, and some people in this room

have turned your pain into purpose. i suspect all of you have. your loss into determination. and your anger, justifiable anger into a deep-seeded commitment. you're the reason why i'm so optimistic about the future of this country, and that's not hyperbole. that's a fact. you're the best educated, most involved, least selfish, and most consequential generation in american history. i'm also optimistic because of leaders like senator murphy. chris, thanks for inviting me today and for organizing this summit. you know, chris and i -- [ applause ]. >> chris and i have known each other a long time. we grew closer after that december day in 2012. he was just elected to the senate, and barack and i had just been reelected to the white house, the soul of newtown, the soul of connecticut, the soul of the nation was pierced forever. you've never forgotten that feeling, never given up on something that we can never lose, ever lose hope, hope.

the same goes for senator dick blumenthal, he was attorney general of my deceased son. was attorney general of delaware. another leader in the fight against gun violence. and governor lamont, connecticut delegation, which is incredible. i think on this issue and many others, you're the best delegation in the united states of america. [ cheers and applause ] >> that's the truth. i also want to acknowledge the gentle lady from georgia, lucy macbeth. [ cheers and applause ] lucy carries her son jordan in her heart. she proves you can run for office, ending gun violence in the south, and you can win. only by about 20 points or something like that. i've never come close. lucy, i know this isn't easy for

you. you're a real pro, but i know it's not easy for you. i remember. and one of jill's favorite people in the whole world and mine, i always introduce her as she is -- mark kelly is her husband. ladies and gentlemen, gabby giffords. she has more courage than most people i have ever known. i would be honored to bestow the presidential medal of freedom on gabby, not only for her courage and inflict, to help carry this movement. she's not stopping now. gabby, i love you. you're wonderful. and congresswoman larson, thanks for the passport into your district. you have never given up. you've never given up either and to the state and local leaders, the mayor and others, the dedication to this vital issue