i appreciate it. thanks. >> thank you. before we go, we wrap up this hour with good news. good news on the power of community. when 80-year-old ice cream vendor juan was robbed at gunpoint earlier this week, he lost $120. that's the money he said he was needing to send to his son in peru. this weekend, residents in oakland came together to give him a hand. on saturday -- look at the pictures -- dozens of people lined up to buy juan's ice cream. >> let juan know the community is there for him. he is not alone. >> one man giving juan $500 and a hug. the outpouring bringing him to tears and showing how a little generosity means so much to so

many. that wraps up the hour for me. i'm jose diaz-balart. andrea mitchell picks up with more news right now. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," the federal grand jury weighing a possible indictment against former president trump who received a target letter from the special counsel a week ago, making it likely he would be charged with crimes related to january 6th and the attempt to overturn the election. that grand jury is considering its decisions. at the white house, president biden creating a federal monument to emmett till, the black 14-year-old brutally tortured and lynched nearly seven decades ago. his mother who demanded an open casket funeral to reveal the horrors of her son's death to the public. multiple developments everys overseas. russian warplanes disabling an unmanned u.s. drone over syria.

dramatic footage just released by the pentagon. ♪♪ good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. the grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election is expected to meet again today. could potentially hand up the most serious indictment to date against former president trump. members of the special counsel's office have spoken with former acting attorney general richard donoghue, a key witness to the congressional january 6 committee, about alleged election interference in the final days of the trump white house. former new york police commissioner bernie kerik, a top giuliani associate in 2020, who was imprisoned for four years on corruption charges, has turned over thousands of pages of documents to jack smith. laura jarrett joins me now.

what should we make of these developments from the special counsel's office? one week after mr. trump received that target letter. jack smith prosecutors are interviewing people. that does not rule out that they could come down with an indictment or present it to the grand jury. >> right. for folks trying to follow the twists and turns, it can seem dizzying. we know the grand jury is actively investigating, is still hearing testimony. in recent days we have at least one witness go before that grand jury. we don't know if there are others still to come. as you mentioned, the reporting confirming the former new york police commissioner turned over documents they have been seeking for a while. they were seeking it about kerik and giuliani's alleged efforts to uncover voter interference. they were advised was not

well-founded but there was a substantial amount of documents that they amassed that the special counsel wanted their hands on. is there anything that will result in the special counsel having to dig further and actually reverse course here? it's those open-ended loose threads that make it hard to predict when, in fact, an indictment, if one should be handed up, would come. they have to follow through on that. there might be other witnesses to hear from. if any witness says anything that's interesting in the grand jury that they hadn't heart -- heard before, they have to follow through. >> stay with us. i want to bring in garrett hague and former u.s. attorney join vance. >> the target letter, which we haven't seen, is a device

prosecutors use at different stages. it doesn't mean an indictment is imminent. it gave the former president four days to decide whether he wanted to speak to the grand jury. that made it look like things were heating up. the devil is in the details. even as prosecutors believe they are drawing close to an indictment, there can be factors internal or external that consume more time. grand jurors may have questions about details that need to be nailed down. the only thing that we know for certain about criminal indictments is that they have taken place when a clerk's office adds them to the docket. we know they have happened for certain. everything else is cloaked in secrecy. >> how have donald trump's attorneys been reacting to this, garrett? what are you hearing about others who might have gotten target letters, others in the inner circle? >> we are hearing a little from

his attorneys, publically defending him, saying anything he might be charged with had to do with his job as president. therefore, it has no bearing on any criminal activity. no news on target letters still. we have not heard of any other individuals connected with this getting target letters. we haven't reported any. i haven't seen any other news organization reporting it. as for trump's team, they are having a field day with this. when we go on indictment watch in the media, they raise a ton of money. it's part of the reason trump was -- tried to scoop the new york district attorney. it's the reason he posted about the indictment in the documents case, about the target letter here. the minute he does that, he starts posting and suggests that ron desantis is colluding with the doj. they are using this to fuel their campaign.

he is making very few stops and a lot of focus being played when he is on the stage and off the stage on these indictments as proof that he is the strongest person to face joe biden. >> joyce, richard donoghue, think back to the january 6 hearings we covered, he had really important testimony -- potentially important testimony in that he talked about being in the oval office with donald trump and telling him that he had lost the election and there was a lot going on about trying to replace the acting attorney general with this man clark. talk to me about that and what that could mean. >> right. he is the kind of lawyer the former president hates the most, a lawyer who takes notes. that's what he did in his capacity as the deputy attorney general accompanying the acting attorney general, jeff rosen, in a series of phone calls and

meetings with the former president where he tried to convince them to corrupt doj's mission, to advance false claims of fraud. the most telling detail here, andrea -- it's very interesting -- is that the notes reflect that the acting attorney general told the former president point-blank that he wouldn't use the justice department to change the outcome of the election. in other words, the election that president biden had won. trump's response wasn't that he had won the election and he needed doj to pursue that. he said, just -- this word echos throughout trump's practice over the years. as long as there's an investigation ongoing, i can run with that. that's what he asked for. he asked for doj to say there was an investigation into fraud. that's powerful evidence in front of a jury. jurors will be asked to infer trump's state of mind if he is indicted from his conduct.

this is some pretty close to direct evidence that he was aware he had lost. >> laura, coming to a collision between the political and legal calendars year, does the trump legal team have enough person power to tackle all the legal issues? you have new york, florida, possibly georgia, now d.c. we should point out that when you compare all of these, including the classified documents, d.c. and the alleged efforts to overturn the election and potentially incite a riot or do other things to impede with the process, that's really the biggest charge against a former president. we have to put this in the context of history. >> certainly. it's quite serious -- >> potential charge. >> it's quite serious on the substance. it doesn't mean that the hush money case won't take up time. the fact you see sort of overlapping legal teams, someone like todd blanche, who is working on the president's behalf in new york as it relates

to the hush money case, also working on the classified documents case in florida and also working on whatever happens in d.c. as it relates to his attempts to overturn the election. he has a full plate. two of those now have trial dates, which means you have motion practice and a lot to gear up to those. i think you might see more attorneys be added. we have seen another former federal prosecutor added to the team in recent days. i think we are watching for others as well. >> can i add a thought to that, to my legal team partner here? we have been on this watch for a while. politically speaking, the trump campaign may not want to add more manpower. any time they can say, look how big this is, look how much discovery we have, we can't handle this, we need a longer delay, it helps them politically to kick the can down the road. >> my co-counsel i so smart. >> laura, as always, you guys

are so great, thank you so much. joyce and my wing man here garrett hague. president biden and vice president harris will remember emmett till and his mother as the president will establish national monuments in their honor. remarks and more to come from that event and more from more reporting we have done on this extraordinary terrible moment in american history. that's next when "andrea mitchell reports" is back in 60 seconds. you are watching msnbc. seconds. you are watching msnbc we're exp. but my old internet, was not letting me run the show. so, we switched to verizon business internet. they have business grade internet, nationwide. (vo) make the switch. it's your business. it's your verizon. more shopping? you should watch your spending honey. i'm saving with liberty mutual, mom. they customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. check it out, you could save $700 dollars just by switching. ooooh, i'll look into that. let me put a reminder on my phone.

save $700 dollars. pick up dad from airport? ohhhhhh. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ just between us, you know what's better than mopping? anything! ugh. well, i switched to swiffer wetjet, and it's awesome. it's an all-in-one, that absorbs dirt and grime deep inside. and it helps prevent streaks and haze. wetjet is so worth it. love it, or your money back. this hour at the white house, president biden is going to establish the emmett till and mamie till mobley national monument on what would have been till's 82nd birthday. it creates three protected sites in illinois and mississippi, all central to the history of till's

murder in 1955 on a visit to relatives in mississippi. two white men were acquitted of till's murder by an all white jury but later confessed. his mother is being honored for her courageous activism, for insisting on an open casket for her son's funeral in his hometown of chicago, drawing thousands of people as she said, let the world see what they did to my boy. this federally protected status comes after three signs marking the spot where emmett till's mutilated body was believed to have been pulled from the tallahatchie river, the signs were cut down, shot at more than 100 times by vandals. the current marker is 50 pounds and bullet proof and it will be protected by the national park service because of what the president is doing today. joining me now, peter baker and eugene daniels.

till's cousin will be there. >> it's a moment that i think black americans are excited for. something they have been looking forward to for a long time. this moment where this child was mutilated, beat up and murdered, revitalized and created the civil rights movement we ended up knowing. it told and showed thanks to his mother's courageous telling that she wanted everyone to see what happened to her son. it went on the cover of "jet" magazine and around the country where people saw what was happening in the jim crow south for the first time. folks in the north had no idea how terrible things were for black americans in the south. it's a big moment, the fact it's happening where you have the first black woman who is vice

president, a president who has promised to be a friend to black americans and who was the vice president for the first black president in the country. all of these things are tied together as an important aspect of what's going to happen today. more importantly, the fact it's happening when we as a country are continuing to argue about how do we tell the correct story, the true story about what's happened in this country when it comes to race relations? this is the white house making it clear where they stand on that. >> peter, this is happening as some states are beingping away teaching of black americans. the second biggest song in the country right now is "try that in a small town" by jason aldean whose music video was filmed

outside a courthouse where a black teenager was lynched and a race riot took place. it was during his las vegas performance that a gunman opened fire, killing 60 people in 2017. how important is it to designate these monuments against this backdrop. >> it's incredibly salient. what's remarkable, it's not really history. we are having a debate about how to understand the black experience in america, what america has done over the years in terms of its race relations. ron desantis is under fire for that lesson plan that the state board of education approved in which it suggested to some people who had been enslaved, got valuable stills from it, as if it was a jobs program. that sparked a furor nationwide.

he doubled down on that. i think you are seeing this moment -- this come at a moment of profound debate. president biden is going to wade into that. we heard yesterday from the white house press secretary engage on that, that it's not simply about emmett till, it's about today as well as about history. you will hear him talk about that and about the need to confront the reality of the past rather than to put a smokescreen up and pretend it was something other than what it was. >> as the vice president did in florida just earlier this week. or over the weekend. peter, a playwright and you know as well has written a play about emmett till. it's still being staged all over the south, as a understand it. i saw it here in d.c. it was extraordinary. in 2014, she spearheaded the dedication of a planting of a

sycamore tree at an attorney attended by two white senators and the attorney general and john lewis. this is her at that dedication. >> emmett's brutal murder changed the course of this country's history. it changed me, a young black girl, the same age as emmett. i was happy that summer until word came up from mississippi, and then i was frightened and enraged. now i have a purpose that i want people to remember emmett till, but what happened to all of the emmett tills. >> i was very touched by that. in the climate of what we are seeing now, in the distortion of black history in some state curriculum, how important is it to remember the legacy of what happened in our country as

recently as the 1950s and '60s and arguably in some cases still happening today? >> it affects this ceremony today, the movie that came out, all of which are meant to introduce or re-introduce to a new generation of americans the story of emmett till, not because his story by itself is the most important thing. it's because his story is a part of a broader story, a broader story of young african americans in the south, but not just in the south but particularly in the south, obviously suggested to violence, jim crow laws, repression. emmett till's case before martin luther king became famous and selma and other iconic moments of the civil rights movement. there's a moment now for him to be remembered and his case to be remembered because of the outrage it did spark in the north, it did spark among many

white americans who were shocked to see what happened and the beginning in some ways of a profound change in the country in that era. >> eugene, we thought after we lost john lewis and his great leadership so sadly, we thought there was a moment for legislation on the hill, not just on voting rights but also on police reforms, and neither happened. >> yeah. it seems this congress has struggled -- that's a nice way to put it -- in acting on issues that impact an affect black americans. you look at -- that's republican and democrat. the white house was frustrated with sinema from arizona and manchin from west virginia, when that legislation couldn't get past the filibuster. they weren't willing to make a

carveout. i think about my grandmother who is in south carolina. when she was a kid, my great grandmother used to carry a bucket with them because the bathrooms that the black people were to use were so disgusting in south carolina that they would rather use the bathroom in a pail outside than use those. this reminds people how serious, how terrible those moments were and more importantly, how we have to remember them, continue to teach them but how we have to figure out a way to make sure that we rectify those pains and ills and the impact on black people still walking around this earth today. >> eugene, those memories are so important. that family history is so important. peter, you were helping us set the stage as well. as you see on the other side of

the screen, the white house. i believe that's the -- we used to call it the executive office building. i think it's been renamed the eyes -- it's the indian treaty room. across the west executive drive. the president is coming in. the warning was accurate. we can see he is with the vice president. we also believe he is with emmett till's surviving cousin. the vice president of the united states. >> to our president, joe biden, members of congress, the members of the till family and my fellow americans, today we gather to remember our history. we gather to remember an act of astonishing violence and hate

and to honor the courage of those who called upon our nation to look with open eyes at that horror and to act. the story of emmett till and the incredible bravery of mamie till mobley helped fuel the movement for civil rights in america. their stories continue to inspire our collective fight for justice. when i served in the united states senate, i was so profoundly honored to sponsor the emmett till anti-lynching act alongside congressman bobby rush. it was an even greater honor to stand beside our president joe biden as he signed the law that finally made lynching a federal crime. so many leaders here today made that progress possible.

our history as a nation is born of tragedy and triumph. of struggle and success. that is who we are. and as people who love our country, as patriots, we know that we must remember and teach our full history. even when it is painful, especially when it is painful. today there are those in our nation who would prefer to erase or even rewrite the ugly parts of our past. those who attempt to teach that enslaved people benefitted from slavery, those who insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, who try to divide our nation with unnecessary debates. let us not be seduced into believing that somehow we will be better if we forget.

we will be better if we remember. we will be stronger if we remember. because we all here know it is only by understanding and learning from our past that we can continue to work together to build a better future. and so now it is my great honor to introduce a leader who has dedicated his life to preserving and protecting our history, and reverend wheeler parker junior shared with me he and his wife will celebrate this weekend their 56th anniversary of marriage. [ applause ]

>> in fact, we were married 56 years on sunday. my wife said when we get to heaven, i'm going to say, lord, not up here, too. a whole lot of amens to that. i'm humbled by this honor. i was born in mississippi. i spent my early years as a sharecropper and was focused upon filling up a nine foot sack. focused upon my quota, not making history, from the outhouse to the white house. from a time when we lived in fear to a time when president

and vice president gave us this great hope. kept their promise by delivering, this is what america means to me. promises made, promised kept. it has been quite a journey for me from the darkness to the light. when i sat with my family on the night of terror, when emmett till was taken from us, taken to be tortured and brutally murdered, back then when i was overwhelmed with terror and fear of certain death in the darkness of a thousand midnights, in a pitch black house on what some have called blackness. i could never imagine a moment like this, standing in the light

of wisdom, grace and deliverance. there's something amazing you feel when you meet president biden, like i did when he signed the anti-lynching bill into law. he welcomed me into this place of great power. i felt the power of his personal devotion. his devotion to justice, to equality, his commitment to keeping a promise of america. this came from his heart, from his soul. got bless you, president biden, for all you have done and will do to preserve our history. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing president joe biden. [ applause ]

>> i'm not going to tell you what he whispered to me. thank you, reverend parker. thank all of you for being here. i want to thank kamala for her not only capacity to do what she does, but the fire with which she brings to the things she cares a lot about. to all the members of congress, including representative thompson, senator duckworth, representative davis, senator durbin, we wish a speedy recovery from covid, and who have long fought to honor the till family, it's not new to any of them. to the till family, it's an honor to be with you again. when i was preparing these remarks, i quite frankly -- my colleagues will understand this. i found myself trying to temper

my anger as i was writing it. i'm not joking. i can't fathom -- i can't fathom what it must have been like. it's hard to believe i was 12 years old. i know no matter how much time has passed, how many birthdays, how many events, how many anniversaries, it's hard to relive this. it brings it all back. we were talking about it, as if it happened yesterday. the things you remember. it's inspiring to see how many of your family have continued as mother's courage to find faith in pain, purpose in pain. that's a remarkable thing, it seems to me. insisting on an open casket for

her murdered and i might add mutilated son. 14 years old. 14 years old. she said, let the people see what i have seen. let the people see what i have seen. my god. all of us who have lost children in other ways know how hard it is even to close the casket or keep it open, what a debate it is. to see the child that had been maimed. the country and the world saw, not just heard the story of emmett till and his mother, as the story of a family's promise and loss and the nation's reckoning with hate, violence,o

power and brutality. it's hard to fathom. hard to fathom for me. it's hard to fathom. but today, on what we have been -- would have been emmett's 82nd birthday, we add another chapter to the story of remembrance and healing. just as we came together to sign lynching a federal crime. think how long that happened. we screened the movie "till" at the white house. today we join together as i sign a proclamation for a national monument in illinois and mississippi. [ applause ]

we ended lynching as a matter of law, we talked about wanting to do this. the support from the community has been so overwhelming. i thank the members of congress for their support, more than that, their leadership. at a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we're making it clear, crystal clear. [ applause ] darkness and denialism can hide much. they erase nothing. you can hide, but they erase nothing. we can't just choose to learn what we want to know. we have to learn what we should

know. we should know about our country. we should know everything, the good, the bad, the truth of who we are as a nation. that's what great nations do. we are a great nation. that's what they do. for only with truth comes healing, justice, repair and another step forward toward forming a more perfect union. we have a hell of a long way to go. that's what's happening. that's what's going to happen with visitors of all backgrounds to learn the history of emmett till and mamie till mobley through our national monument. telling the truth on the full history of our nation is important. it's important to our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren, our nation as a whole. i have said it before. it was a lesson i learned coming

out of the civil rights movement as a kid as a public defender. i used to say -- think that you pass something as good -- you can make hate go away. hate never goes away. it just hides. it hides under the rocks. given a little oxygen by bad people, it becomes roaring out again. it's up to all of us to deal with that. up to all of us to stop it. up to all of us. the best way is with the truth. used in a different context, but i think it applies here. silence is complicity. i will not be silent, nor will you be silent about what happened. [ applause ] it's critical work ahead to continue the fight for racial

justice and equality for all americans. in my administration, we are committed to leading a path forward. i know the members of congress here are more committed than that. i'm going to close with this. the reason the world saw what mrs. till mobley saw was because another hero in this story, the black press -- [ applause ] >> i'm serious. "jet" magazine, other newspapers and radio announcers who told the story, were unflinching in the bravery with which they told the story, making sure america saw what they saw. ida b. wells said the way to right wrongs is turn the light on them. shine the light of truth on them.

that's our charge today. did you ever think we would be talking about banning books in america? banning history? i'm serious. the till family, to all of you here today, we thank you for your courage, for never giving up, never, never giving up. before i say what more is on my mind, i'm not -- it's just barbaric. barbaric what happened. seriously, all you moms out there, imagine the courage it took to say, let them see. the courage. it's now my honor to sign this proclamation in memory of emmett

till and miss mamie till mobley. i thank you all for being here. i know i'm considered too much of an optimist, but i believe if we keep pushing, we will continue to make progress. we will continue to make progress. it's being made. the idea that when that 14-year-old was buried, then this room and this many people of color holding powerful office, changed the direction of the country, it would have been beyond our comprehension. and we're just getting started. [ applause ] >> that is the president in the

old indian treaty room across the way from the white house, on the white house campus, signing the memorial into proclamations, making the emmett till and mamie till mobley memorials permanent. part of the national park system so they can no longer be defaced and vandalized as emmett till's plaque has been defaced along the banks of the tallahatchie river in mississippi. a moment for history and a moment for today given the politics right now of controversy over black history, how it's told, how it's taught in american schools. a russian fighter jet flew close to a u.s. drone. the fighter harassed the drone and deployed flares above it

leaving a few meters of separation. the flares damaged the drone's propeller. it was able to land. the commander of the 9th air force said in a statement the russian fight's disregard for safety detracts for our mission to ensure the defeat of i.s.i.s. admiral, thank you for being with us. this is not the first incident. there have been some with manned aircraft in what is supposed to be a non-conflicted zone over syria. this is a deliberate provocation, is it not? >> it is unquestionably. it's very worrisome in the sense that in the skies, these are not mature diplomats up there. that's not tony blinken flying around. these are young goose and maverick "top gun" kind of people.

we are but a few feet away from an incident where, for example, it's a manned aircraft that the russians come up and try and harass. we see this, by the way, in the south china sea. the unpredictability of this, which occurs at super high speed in very controversial areas, is something we ought to be extremely concerned about. >> russia attacked grain silos on the danube overnight after bombing the city of odessa. today the press secretary at the kremlin said returning to the grain deal negotiated with the help of turkey is not possible now. this is potentially going to starve the global south, subsaharan africa and egypt. increase food prices around the world, add to inflation. i know they are coming up with

land routes. blinken told me in an interview on friday that they are not a substitute for the tonnage that has been able to be stored there in the black sea ports and moved by ship. >> indeed. the lesson here is, if you have to move huge amounts, you are going to go by sea. the admiral will remind you of that. tony blinken knows exactly what he is talking about. the fact that russia is now not only declaring any merchant ship, which would include the grain shipment, any merchant ship coming in and out of ukrainian ports is suggest to be attacked by russian warships, that makes it impossible to get insurance for these ships. it will, as you say, put immense pressure on the global south where people will starve. by the way, here in the united states, look for our food prices

to go up. we will be back in an inflationary cycle. 15% of the world's foodstock, all these products, come from ukraine. if we allow putin to bottle that up -- final thought, nato ought to be seriously considering doing escorts to get these grain shipments in and out. perfectly allowable under international law. it would be the smart next move for nato in my opinion. >> i was going to ask that. i remember covering in 1987 escorts of tankers. >> indeed. they were covering -- they were carrying international oil out of the arabian gulf as these grain shipments need to come out

of the black sea. the two are very analogous. you and i can remember this. i was a young lieutenant commander. i had hair then. conducting those operations in the arabian gulf, operation ernest will. we can do it again. >> i was covering ronald reagan. let's not return to those incredible years of -- it was quite wonderful. we were at an economic summit in venice. turning to china. i know you have to go, but the chinese foreign minister and central banker have been removed from their posts. china is permitting their open chat rooms to be filled with scandalous rumors about the foreign minister. he was a surprising choice for that post. he was plucked out of obscurity by president xi. this could be very embarrassing

to xi. he had two big jobs, counselor and foreign minister. this is a significant shakeup which could affect a lot of decision making at a veriville -- a very critical time. >> indeed. picture tuesday in washington where tony blinken just suddenly disappears, goes off the grid and two weeks later you hear vague statements of medical conditions and two weeks after that an absolute sewer of filth y criticism. it's unfolding in front of our eyes. think about the billionaire who similarly was removed from fame and fortune, actresses have vanished, tennis players. this is very concerning, because

of the destabilizing affect. many of us know him fairly well from his days as chinese ambassador to the united states. we will perhaps learn more, but i don't think the future of the foreign minister former is very bright. >> i knew him as an ambassador here. a lot of our colleagues knew him in london as an ambassador there. he was a rising star but a tough guy who spoke for president xi, but no longer. we have breaking news for hundreds of thousands of u.p.s. employees. this affects our economy in a huge way. they have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year labor deal, likely averting a strike and a major hit to the national supply chain this summer. the agreement will be subject to voting and ratification by union members. it's a major crisis approaching

an election year that could have really brought down our economy and the economic recovery. assuming they ratify. the texas showdown, border security becoming a bigger flashpoint as the department of justice files suit today over that floating barrier on the rio grande. this is "andrea mitchell reports." we will have a report next. you are watching msnbc. t next you are watching msnbc i hid from the camera. and i wanted to hide from the world. for years, i thought my t.e.d. was beyond help... but then i asked my doctor about tepezza. (vo) tepezza is the only medicine that treats t.e.d. at the source not just the symptoms. in a clinical study more than 8 out of 10 patients taking tepezza had less eye bulging. tepezza is an infusion. patients taking tepezza may have infusion reactions. tell your doctor right away if you experience high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, shortness of breath or muscle pain. before getting tepezza, tell your doctor if you have diabetes, ibd, or are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.

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want to seek asylum should go to a port of entry where it's safer, ordinarily. it's within the law. >> julia ainsley joining me from

outside the department of justice. busy times over there. the justice department is preparing to file for an injunction because the barrier is still in the water. they are asking for a temporary stay, is that correct? >> reporter: not yet, andrea. right now, we are see if they will ask for that temporary stay. all they said now in the western district of texas is that they believe that texas' policy under greg abbott's operation lone star to put up the buoy barriers is in violation of their right to enforce immigration laws of federal government and in violation of a federal law that governed who can obstruct rivers. they say this is in violation of that. they want the texas judge to weigh in on that, but if they want those buoys removed immediately, they'll have to ask the judge to issue a stay, an injunction or temporary restaining order to say these are in violation and need to be removed until the judge can rule

on the merits of the case. it is something i'm keeping a close eye on inside the justice department to see if they might soon file that. we also heard from vice president kamala harris on this, talking not just about the buoys, but overall the tactics being used by texas dps. she called them inhumane. let's take a listen. >> so-called leaders have a blueprint to attack hard-won freedoms and rights and to do it state by state, as part of their national agenda. across our nation, extremists, so-called leaders, demonize, target and attack immigrants. >> reporter: so, andrea, you can see these buoys, there are only a thousand feet long, they're going to become a symbol as we get closer to 2024 as there is a battle between whether or not states can step in to do the job

they say the federal government is not doing. we should point out the immigration numbers are low, the lowest point since the month that biden took office. >> let me clarify since i misspoke, they filed suit, but have not filed for the temporary injunction, correct? >> reporter: that's right. they could ask for that today, andrea. >> thank you so much, julia ainsley, outside the department of justice. and a former republican presidential nominee says that donors should not back any of the 2024 republican candidates they think can't win because it will only strengthen donald trump. stay tuned for that. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. ♪ things are looking up ♪ ♪ i've got symptom relief ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain

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op-ed, romney is calling on donors to pressure candidates who have no chance to drop out. no chance of winning to drop out no later than february 26th, the monday after the contest in iowa and new hampshire, nevada and south carolina. romney adding, quote, our party and our country need a nominee with character, driven by something greater than revenge and ego, preferably from the next generation. a slap at another candidate, the incumbent president. joining me now is former republican congressman from florida david jolly and former obama campaign manager and deputy chief of staff david mussina. how is the call when you got a new monmouth poll showing 69% of republicans think that donald trump is the strongest general election candidate against joe biden? >> yeah, andrea, mitt romney proving on principle to always be correct now in this kind of

post trump era, that trump remains a threat to the white house and any tactic that can stop him can be -- mitt romney is asking other candidates to put aside their ambitions and vanities and in politics that's awfully hard. i think the hard reality is also donald trump is just cruising to the nomination at this point. even a jack smith indictment probably strengthens his road to the nomination, there may not be anything to stop donald trump and this cycle's gop nomination. >> jim, the anti-trump pac win it back made an ad. i want to play part of their new spot. >> this past midterm, i was convinced there would be a red wave, convinced. trump came out and endorsed a number of candidates who miserably lost. dr. oz, that's not a good omen. when his endorsement makes you lose, i think trump fatigue did finally set in. he definitely was the right man

in 2016, we needed change. he would have been the right man in 2020 because of those policies that he would have continued by now in 2024, it is just time for new blood. >> that's an iowa voice, looking very authentic, i don't know if he's an actor or not, but jim, that kind of message is not penetrating with the pro trump republican base. >> it isn't. and it is weird i find myself agreeing with mitt romney, but he's right, the republicans have a fundamental problem, how do they stop donald trump and the way they stop him is by getting one alternative. right now they have nine or ten. you see the republicans swinging at each other every day as they compete for the anti-trump lane. yesterday chris christie really went after tim scott, because tim scott is starting to move in the polls and they're just feeding on each other and donald trump continues to solidify his lead. >> we saw this act in 2015 and 2016, of course, and the republican field of david jolly.

what about tim scott? he's still behind ron desantis, but narrowing the gap and appears to be surging in iowa, i felt his personal story having heard him speak and seeing him in person, his narrative, is very appealing. especially his evangelical roots in a state like iowa and south carolina, of course. >> tim scott is an intriguing candidate to watch in this race, for one specific reason. from the moment of his kickoff and every day since, he's fashioned himself in the mold of the aspirational republican politician. but progressives are not going to agree with any of the ideology of any of the candidates. if you consider donald trump to be a unique threat to the constitution, if you consider ron desantis' culture wars and willingness to abuse some tactics to be a unique threat, among those side, tim scott is setting himself out not as an angry populist, a culture warrior, but as a traditional

aspirational republican and spending a lot of money now in iowa, he's starting to let the bank account go a little bit. you're seeing his numbers climb. does anybody have what it takes to take on donald trump? who knows. tim scott is uniquely positioned on his message and that makes him an intriguing profile to keep an eye on. >> and finally, jim, very quickly, just really want to talk about kevin mccarthy, speaker of the house, and now talking about an impeachment against the biden -- against joe biden for alleged misbehavior, whatever, by the biden family, not just hunter. he can control the judiciary committee, of course. so is this something that is really going to happen? >> it is not. kevin mccarthy is doing everything he can to lose himself the house. he's focusing on political vendettas, abortion bans and everything he promised he wouldn't do if he became speaker and all he's doing is alienating swing voters who will be crucial. this latest move is perplexing at best and is not going to happen. >> jim, david, thank you so much

for our political wrap-up. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." be sure to tune in tomorrow when republican presidential candidate chris christie will be my guest. chris jansing reports starts right now. good day. i'm chris jansing, live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. donald trump splitting his focus today between the white house and the courthouse. because even as he gears up to raise big bucks at an event down south, his political and legal fate could come down to a decision by a d.c. grand jury. the latest on where jack smith's case stands right now. plus, the new evidence that keeps pouring in. plus, fires burning literally all over the world. you're looking at wildfires on four different continents happening right now. the new links scientists are drawing between the fires and the deadly heat and the