good afternoon. i'm christina ruffini. we begin with what will be more than a week of ceremonies and commemorations to honor the life and legacy of form er president jimmy carter who died at the age of 100. those events will culminate in a state funeral january 9th in washington, d.c., featuring a eulogy by president biden who praised carter for both his character and his decency in remarks last night. >> today we look at jimmy carter and see a man of a bygone era with character, faith and humility, that mattered. i don't believe it's a bygone year. i see it for all times. >> carter, a recipient of the nobel peace prize became known for his post diplomatic and charity work as well as from 1977 to 1981. from promoting free and fair elections around the world to his work eradicating a tropical disease that once impacted millions to building homes for

the poor. carter proved that while he may have lost a second term, he never lost his resolve to make a difference. nbc's jesse kirsch is reporting from plains, georgia, also joining us is peter baker, chief white house correspondent for "the new york times" and an msnbc political analyst, reverend al sharpton, president of the national action network and host of msnbc's "politics nation" and columnist for "old goats newsletter" author of his very best jimmy carter life and an msnbc contributor. jesse, what more do we know about the memorial services and the tributes we're going to see play out over the next few weeks or so? >> reporter: let's start here in plains, georgia, the former president's hometown. this is where he was born. this is where his persona as a peanut farmer from georgia was cultivated and what largely, of course, helped propel him to the white house. so this is a community that is in mourning like so many but

also, i think, at peace with what is unfolding here. this is not a surprise. his health was ailing for quite some time. there is some ribbon bunting on the pillars in the downtown here just behind me and there are also people starting to pay tribute at the carter center signing condolence books in washington as well. we are expecting a vigil here at the church where mr. carter served as a sunday schoolteacher for so many years after his presidency right up until the pandemic, so we are expecting a vigil there this evening and, as you mentioned, january 9th is when the official state funeral is expected, a week from this upcoming thursday and, of course, plans are still being finalized and we're dealing with a holiday week on top of that. you can imagine how that might be further complicating logistics. i want to say, this is my first time in plains today. if you were to step into this community having no context whatsoever, it would take you five seconds to realize this is the home of jimmy carter. over my shoulder is a massive

sign commemorating that. there are images and memorabilia tied to him in just about every storefront on that block behind me here. this truly embraces its most famous son. christina? >> nbc's jesse kirsch, thank you. peter, we'll turn to you now. carter campaigned for president on the slogan a government as good as its people coming out of watergate, out of the scandal, and he famously shunned the limousine ride to walk to the white house on the day of his inauguration. that's a tradition now. did carter start that and can you talk to us about how he brought the presidency back down-to-earth? >> he did start that, absolutely. he didn't ask anybody's permission in advance. it was his idea. the secret service detail was a little bit chagrinned and worried. it wasn't the kind of thing presidents did but he wanted to return humility to the office and demonstrating his own personal humility. this was a person who actually

talked the talk and walked the walk. he was always somebody of plain roots out of plains, georgia. he went back to live in the same house he and rosalynn built, a small ranch house that's worth only about $200,000 today, hardly the palace or the estate or the ranches that people have come to imagine with other presidents, and that's because he believed humility was an important part of public service. he didn't want them to play "hail to the chief" when he walked into the office, carried his own luggage on air force one. he forced his aides to drive themselves to work rather than have car service pick them up. some of that was, unfortunately, over the top. he changed his mind on playing "hail to the chief." they said it diminished the office not to have the grandeur associated with it but demonstrated he was a man of the people, as he saw it. >> i guess if the president says i'm going to get out and walk, secret service is going to have to roll with it.

reverend, i want to turn to you. i want to play a portion of an interview carter did during donald trump's first term where he talks about the quality of being president. let's take a listen. >> were you too nice to be president because people criticized you for your demeanor and you might say the energy that was brought to the job. does america want kind of a jerk as president? >> apparently from the recent election, yes. i never knew it before. >> what do you think it takes to be president? what's the one quality that it requires to be the president? >> i used to think it was to tell the truth. but i've changed my mind lately. >> i saw that for the first time last night. i somehow had missed it. it broke my heart to see that admission from him. do you think character and morality still matter in the same way when it comes to the office of the presidency? >> i think that it does matter. i think that for a season

sometimes less character and less being of a certain standard and value have a season, but it will not last. let's remember, jimmy carter was elected in '76 right after we were dealing with watergate where president richard nixon had to resign from office, and the vietnam war. and people turned to a man, who most of the voters at the time didn't even know of and had just been governor of georgia. the first time we had a governor from the deep south in 100 years because they wanted character. because they wanted somebody to bring us out of what had been a disgrace with watergate and what was an endless war in vietnam. he represented hope and he never let that go. he was a deep southerner that stood up for civil rights. he was close to the king family, both daddy king sr. and coretta

king, martin luther king iii, his education department, the push excel program, the work of reverend jesse jackson. so he reached out and he did things that brought the country together. it was the economy and the gas lines and i remember it from my early 20s, that cost him his defeat. he never ever lowered his standards. when i had my several encounters with him, he always asked me about my prayer life, talked about his faith. and i think the country will get back to that after we go through this season that he referred to in his interview with stephen colbert. >> jonathan, in your book, the way you wrote it, it changed the way a lot of people viewed carter's presidency. he only had the one term which can be sometimes looked at as a bit of a failure, at the very least a mixed legacy.

you write about how he really altered aspects of the office in ways that still shape the way it operates today. he elevated the vice president, brought him in on decisions, started other departments. can you walk us through what the biggest legacies in the way the white house operates are from the carter administration? >> yeah, there were a number of changes. you mentioned two very important ones. before that the vice presidency was as fdr's first vice president said, worth a warm bucket of spit, and that's the way vice presidents were viewed. they didn't have anything to do except go to funerals. carter decided he wanted to do something different. when he named walter mondale on the ticket, they struck a deal where mondale would be, for instance, in the chain of military command, which no vice president had ever been before. he gave him an office in the west wing, which vice presidents had not had before.

he did the same thing with the role of first lady. rosalynn carter, to whom he was married for 77 years, was a very close adviser and she was the first lady who was given her own offices in the east wing, which most first ladies since then have done. they've wanted to do big things, which she did. he also overhauled the civil service for the first time in 100 years, reformed it so it worked better for the people. there are a whole series of new departments -- the department of education, fema was started in the carter administration. and i could go down through a whole series of other things that he did, a couple of which became important in recent history. fisa courts, another innovation of the carter administration.

so this was a much more productive domestic agenda than most people realized. they kind of go, mediocre president, because he was swamped by events in the last two years of his presidency, great former president. the truth is more complicated than that and he did make a number of mistakes, but, at the end of the day, he was a political failure since he lost to ronald reagan by a large margin, but a substantive and often visionary success especially on the environment and clean energy. >> peter, i want to ask you, joe biden endorsed him for president in 1976. take a listen how he answered a question on carter's inspiration. >> mr. president, as you think about the president, is there anything about jimmy carter's time after leaving office that inspired you? >> yeah, never give up hope.

never give up hope. i mean it from the bottom of my heart. so much negativeness out there. i know you're tired of hearing me say it over the last four years, but, folks, there's nothing beyond our capacity, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together. and i mean it. i mean it. and he believed it. >> peter, this seemed to really impact president biden yesterday. do you think he sees a little bit of himself in carter, and what are you expecting to hear from him when he gives the eulogy knowing that biden himself is about to embark on his post white house life? >> i think there's a serendipity moment. you have another one-term democratic president who struggled with inflation, who is struggling now, getting the last hostages out from the middle east, dungeon, in effect, who accomplished a lot as jonathan

said, about president carter but was unappreciated and unable to translate into the political support that he wanted to have for a second term. now they're very different people. carter was not a creature of washington. there was a real connection there and you're showing that picture of president biden visiting with former president carter in plains, georgia, in 2021. biden was the first sitting president to do that, to make the trek to plains to honor the former president in person the way he did. i think, in fact, in some ways biden had the closest relationship with carter of all of the former and sitting presidents that he has encountered over the years since gerald ford with whom carter struck a real friendship. >> and, reverend, you posted a photo last year with president carter, and in the post you said that every time you had been around him you left knowing you had been in the presence of a sincere, grounded and god-fearing man. can you talk a little bit about

president carter's faith and how significant it was to him throughout his life? >> it was very significant, the picture you show was at the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on washington in 2013 that martin luther king iii and i chaired. and i was talking there at the foot of the lincoln statue, the lincoln memorial, to president clinton and carter. president carter kind of touched my arm. he said, how are you doing with your ministry, al? i see you out there with your activism. don't leave your ministry. i said, that is my ministry, president carter. i preach every sunday at a church. i don't want to pastor a church, i want to run my national organization, but i'm still very much committed to my ministry. he said keep your prayer life going. youl he sincerely

meant it. he was he didn't talk about religion as a thing you say to voters. he meant that. he taught sunday school until he couldn't teach it anymore, and he would talk about it. he would know bible verses. he could really, in many ways, delve into the scriptures and give interpretation. this was rare with politicians. i think in some ways listening to you talk about joe biden, it reminded me one saturday when president biden called me and just left mass, we were talking about some issue and i don't remember many presidents other than jimmy carter that even openly wentd open ly went to church when it wasn't a political event until joe biden. >> i heard an interview with his grandson saying how much he loved sunday school and did it hundreds of times a year when he could. here is a part of the speech that was famously known as the

malaise speech or crisis of confident speech he delivered in the summer of 1979 when his approval ratings were at historic lows. >> i want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to american democracy. i do not mean our political and civil liberties. they will endure. and i do not refer to the outward strength of america, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world with unmatched economic power and military might. the threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. it is a crisis of confidence. >> the reaction to that speech from the american public kind of changed over the course of carter's term, and parts of it, history is long, how is it

viewed today? has the view of that speech changed over time, and do parts of it still resonate? >> well, you know, at the time the very first reaction was positive, but then carter did something that wasn't smart. he fired half of his cabinet, and so the overall takeaway from the speech was not positive. both ronald reagan and ted kennedy challenged him in the primaries the following year, they said he's talking down america. he's saying it's our fault these problems. he wasn't really doing that. he was saying that we need to be less concerned with material things, and we need to sacrifice, particularly on energy, to improve the nation. and what's fascinating about this speech now is how much of his description it really reads as it if it could have been given now, his description of the bitterness and the lack of

trust and the lack of confidence so many americans felt. the difference is no president would give that speech now because after ronald reagan, they all felt they had to be optimistic and hopeful and not ask for any sacrifice. this kind of message could never be delivered nowadays, but it's a fascinating speech to watch and to study to understand a lot, not just about jimmy carter but the 1970s. >> okay. we're going to have to leave it there. thank you all so much for being with us. and, as we go to break, here is more of jimmy carter's message to the country in that famous crisis of confidence speech. >> we know strength of america. we are strong. we can regain our unity. we can regain our confidence. we are the heirs of generations

who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now.

there's a new legal defeat for president-elect donald trump, a federal appeals court in manhattan upheld the $5 million civil verdict e. jean carroll won against him last year. a jury found trump liable for sexually abuser her in a

dressing room and defaming her after she spoke about it publicly. his team released a statement saying they will appeal. a major investigation is under way in korea after 179 people were killed in the nation's worst aviation disaster in decades. we do want to warn you the video you're about to see it disturbing. it shows the plane landing on its belly and skidding down the runway before crashing into a wall and bursting into flames. only two people survived the crash. south korean officials say pilots were warned of a bird strike just moments before the crash and there's also questions about why the plane's landing gear did not deploy. joining us with the latest from seoul, south korea, is a freelance journalist and also with us msnbc aviation analyst john cox. i want to talk with you first, what more are we learning from the investigation, and is the fact that south korea is already -- currently in the middle of a political crisis complicating this at all? >> hi, christina.

we learned that the pilot did report being struck by birds in his mayday call and there have been eyewitness reports of hearing loud booms or explosions. the investigators are still trying to figure out what happened between that moment and then just a few minutes later the disastrous crash landing and it's going to take quite a while. the black boxes have been recovered. one of them is slightly damaged, but that should hopefully provide insights into the months ahead. as far as the political situation here, there are questions. the current acting president has only been in office for three days. there have been two impeachments in the last two weeks and public sentiment is more still on the grief and shock phase but there's very little room for error with this government. there's so much bad feeling

about all the upheaval and turmoil. i think if there's any sense they're mishandling the investigation or covering things up, the public outcry, i imagine, would be strong. so right now it's still in the early phase. i think the public is watching and there are genuine concerns how well suited they are to handle such a complex investigation. >> all right, thank you so much. john, i want to turn to you now. when you look at that video, what jumps out at you? pilots practice for belly landings. what stands out as something that looks like it's really going wrong there? >> the thing that stood out to me the most the fact the airplane is on the center line. the landing gear is not down. i'll come back to that in a

minute. everything is going reasonably well and then they strike a concrete burm. my question is why was that there? that's and tennas can be made t break away doing minimal damage to an aircraft that goes off the end of a runway. that's one of the primary questions we have to ask makes it makes a difference in the severity of this event. i looked at the time line from the time that the air traffic controllers advised of a bird activity, the pilots say we've taken a bird strike. they go around. they announce an emergency with mayday, mayday, mayday and minutes later, just a few minutes later, they're on the runway. this tells the investigators there was something significantly wrong. the pilots did not have time to go run the normal check list and follow the normal procedures in

the event a bird strike compromised one of the engines. there's much more going on here. and if the priority was to maintain control of the jet and then land it on an open area where there are no obstructions or obstacles, they did that, and they did that and the airplane was on center line. to land a 737 on the engine pods is possible. the pods are strong enough to support the airplane. so for whatever reason the timing available to the crew was very short and they prioritized maintaining control, they got it on the runway and then, unfortunately, it was that concrete berm. >> it seems like a lot of people have been asking that question, even if you go off the highway, there's why there's the orange barrels filled with water so you're slowing down before you hit an obstacle that could be dangerous. the other question is why they

hadn't foamed the runway, something they try to do before a belly landing. do you think that's because they just didn't have time? and are bird strikes usually this catastrophic with all the technology we have? do you think a series of things had to have gone wrong to take down this plane? >> bird strikes taking out an engine do happen. they're rare but they do happen. the airplane is totally capable of flight on one engine. a single engine lost, i would expect the plane to land normally and safely. the fact the foaming of the runway is not something we do so much anymore because we want the fire trucks full of foam when the airplane lands. the -- i don't think in this case there was time. it's only about four minutes from the time the pilots announced they're going to go around until they're landing on the runway. in addition, some of the automatic transmissions that come out from the airplane, they

stop at about 900 feet, which makes the investigators question was there electrical power or an electrical anomaly and that's another piece of this. there's a lot that the investigators are going to have to piece together, a lot of steps to understand what all occurred here. >> john cox, thank you for breaking some of that down for us. and we're also following new developments in the christmas day plane crash in kazakhstan that killed 38 people. azerbaijan's president is demanding russia take responsibility for the crash and pay compensation to the victims. over the weekend vladimir putin apologized for what he called a tragic incident but stopped short of acknowledging that moscow was responsible. and still ahead, jimmy carter's legacy as a citizen of the world. we're going to talk to someone who spent 30 years working alongside the former president, joins us on his lifelong fight for human rights and how his

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free from the burdens of congressional approval or interparty politics. and so the carter center was born. the former president said he and his wife, rosalynn, would later talk about whether he was able to accomplish more in the world through the carter center than he would have as a second-term president. i think, yes, he told the "ajc." karen ryan on human rights and special representy on women and girls at the carter center worked with president carter for nearly 36 years. karen, i want to ask you what is your favorite memory of working with president carter? >> thank you. and we are very much still absorbing. we always know this is coming, but it's still a time of sadness and reflection for us. we appreciate the opportunity to share those thoughts about the carter center's work with you. my favorite memory are the times he brought people together, like you said in the introduction,

his idea for the carter center was to bring people together to solve complicated problems. he never thought anything was too complicated or too hard. the guidance that he gave us, he would say to us, we have to cling to unchanging principles even in changing times, and so whenever we were facing a problem, whether it was israel and palestine or the congo or human rights in kenya or anywhere, he would say, what is the principle involved? so a memory that comes to me was just today, actually, i got an email and a message from an activist in kenya. her name is ruth. she's an activist in kenya, and while she was at the center with us, she had received threats from the people who had killed her brother, who was also an activist. and so president carter saw that she was very upset and asked her what was wrong, and she said,

you know, i have received these threats. i don't know if i go home whether i'll be safe. he took a picture with her. he sent her a letter. she posted it on facebook. and pretty soon her name was removed from the threat list, and she was able to go home safely. i mean, this is one example of the kind of solidarity that he showed to human rights activists all over the world. he believed that human rights and democracy really had to come from inside a country, inside a culture. he would ask us, what can we do to support those who are really fighting that fight and not impose from outside? he often didn't even want to have credit, take credit for things he contributed to. so that's -- today i got that reminder from ruth all the way from nairobi. >> as you mentioned, so much of his work especially in his post presidency was behind the scenes and he did quietly. can you tell us the impact he had on the lives of women and girls globally? someone quoted a post from his book this morning where he said,

i've become convinced the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the depp depp depp -- deprivation and abuse of girls. what impact did he have? >> well, if you read any of his books you'll see his mother, miss lillian, his wife, rosalynn, mrs. carter, and the women in his life, including miss julia coleman, who was his superintendent in high school, influenced him to stand up for justice. and so he would see the deprivation of women and girls, their rights. in the white house he appointed more women to cabinet positions and ruth bader ginsburg was elevated to a federal judgeship under his administration. white house. but after the white house, he continueth i think resonated with a lot of people

was speaking as a christian sou man. he said, i see it's men -- male religious figures in all faiths that misinterpret the scripture to oppress women. he would encourage men to take that on. the men must be more vocal. i got an email from a man after a book talk from the book that he wrote that said, after hearing him speak, he went home and opened a book group -- a group at his church for men to really work on violence against women within their communities. so he really inspired people to work on violence against women, which, as you said, he saw as the most pervasive and unaddressed human rights violation on earth. >> okay. karin ryan, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> and for all his accomplishments, jimmy carter said his greatest achievement was, in fact, his marriage to his beloved rosalynn.

the couple was married 77 years until her death last year, longer than any other presidential couple. a cartoonist for "the "atlanta journal-constitution"" creating this touching reunion in heaven. nbc's andrea mitchell has more on a love story for the ages. >> reporter: a love story that spanned more than seven decades, formerer president jimmy carter and first lady rosalynn carter, the longest married first couple, surpassed 77 years of marriage. both growing up in plains, georgia, the carters went on their first date in 1945. though rosalynn initially rejected the first proposal, the couple tied the knot on july 7th, 1946. their love seeing them through raising four children, a presidential term, running the family farm supply business, humanitarian work around the world, and a cancer diagnosis. from sharing a kiss on the presidential debate stage to a

smooch on the kiss cam at a 2019 nba game, the relationship wasn't without tribulations, though. the couple reflected on writing a book together on "today." >> we did have a terrible time writing the book. >> we thought the last chapter would be about our divorce. >> reporter: in 2021 reflecting on how they worked together as a team. >> they treat each other as equals and they always have. >> reporter: the 39th president also sharing this marriage advice with judy woodruff on pbs. >> we make up and give each other a kiss before we go to sleep. >> reporter: the carters celebrated their 75-year milestone anniversary together in their hometown of plains, georgia. >> and to my wife, rosalynn, i want to express a particular gratitude for being the right woman that i chose for my wife.

[ applause ] thank you. i love you. >> reporter: last year, the former first lady passed away at the age of 96. carter coming out of hospice care at home to bid her good-bye. his daughter, amy carter, spoke on his behalf, reading from a love letter he wrote to mrs. carter while serving in the namy. >> every time i have ever been away from you, i have been thrilled when i returned to discover just how wonderful you are. >> a love for the ages. our thanks to andrea mitchell for that report. we'll be right back.

happening now, tens of thousands of people are still without power across the south after days of dangerous and deadly weather. nearly 40 possible tornadoes were reported from texas to georgia over the weekend. at least four people were killed. today the cleanup begins. nbc news correspondent kathy park is in hard-hit brandon, mississippi. kathy, how are things looking down there? >> reporter: christina, good afternoon. the storms across the south this weekend were violent, triggering more than 3 dozen reported tornadoes on saturday alone. some of the damage is right here in brandon, mississippi. just take a look at this house. we are told four massive trees toppled onto this house. the blue tarp is covering up a hole, but the homeowner was actually inside this home at the height of the storm but,

incredibly, she made it out alive. people across the south cleaning up after a weekend of wild weather, a deadly outbreak of storms tearing through parts of texas. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: and georgia, with nearly 40 possible tornadoes reported across five states and at least four storm-related fatalities. among the victims, an 18-year-old woman in mississippi who died after a tree slammed into her family home. days of severe weather also leaving streets flooded and treats and power lines down across the south. tens of thousands remain without power and countless homes have now been reduced to rubble. >> you can look down the hall and there's a tree. >> reporter: brandon mississippi resident wendy freeman says she's lucky to be alive. >> if i'd gone to the bathroom, i would be dead. that's where the tree landed. >> reporter: is it tough to see your home this way? >> god will get me through it. >> reporter: neighbors are helping neighbors pick up the

pieces. >> it's a blessing to see the people coming together and helping out where they can help out. >> reporter: with millions heading home, the weather disrupting travel on the roads. >> it wasn't as bad as it was for thanksgiving, but still was pretty bad. >> reporter: and in the air with hundreds of flights canceled and thousands more delayed on sunday alone. >> we got a text at 1:00 this morning the plane was delayed five hours. >> reporter: rainy weather could also put a damper on new year's eve celebrations in sometimes scare. >> three, two, one! >> reporter: but massive crowds are still expected to watch the iconic ball drop. and the same storm system that caused all these problems in the south this weekend is on the move, is actually headed to the new england area, bringing with it heavy rain, some strong winds as well. fortunately here in the south, we're finally catching a break. you can probably see the conditions are improving so that the cleanup can begin. christina? >> kathy, glad to see the sunshine out. thank you so much.

and up next, as 2024 comes to a close, 2025 is teeing up to be another fascinating election year. nbc's steve kornacki is breaking down the races to watch. you're watching msnbc. i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. and adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for type 1 diabetes or children. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take if you or your family had mtc, men 2, or if allergic to it. stop taking and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or any of these allergic reactions. tell your provider if you plan to have surgery or a procedure, are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to be.

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will have races in 2025. nbc's steve kornacki is tracking the ones to watch. steve? >> reporter: all right. 2025 is going to be a big year in elections. i know we just had the biggest election year you could have. there are a few races in 2025, though, that i'm going to be watching, i think are going to be worth keeping an eye on because of some unanswered questions coming out of this presidential race we've just had. here's the three biggies coming up in the new year, 2025. the race for mayor of new york city. and if you don't live around new york city, you're probably wondering why the heck should i care about the race for mayor of new york city. it's a big city. it's a blue city. donald trump still lost in new york city in 2024. he made big gains within it, though, especially because, and we talk about this nationally, new support he got from nonwhite voters, hispanic voters in particular. you see it in places like the bronx. he made dramatic gains there. so the question in new york city simply is there's this group of voters who we used to think of

as pure democratic voters who have kind of said they're up for grabs a little bit. how are they going to handle the new york city's mayor's race. you can learn about those voters, the new trump voters in new york city. for that matter in new jersey, still a blue state. trump lost it in 2024, but he only lost it by about six points. he got blown out four years earlier. this is one of trump's biggest improvements in terms of numbers of any state in the country. trump also improved in virginia. still lost but improved his performance pretty significantly. the big question, i think, overhanging american politics coming out of 2024 is that new support that trump attracted, which you could see in all three of these places from nonwhite voters, was it trump specific, or is it going to work for another republican, not named donald trump? that's what the republican party's hoping for because obviously this hints at a new coalition that could be really powerful politically but it's unknown how much trump is the key ingredient to that.

we may find out in these races. take a look at a place like virginia. trump didn't win it. this is a blue state. this is a double digit biden win cut in ha here, the margin by trump. where did you see it? get ready to hear this one a lot in 2025, loudoun county, big loudoun county, more than 400,000 people. it's sort of the suburbs of washington, d.c., and, again, take a look here. harris wins it by 16 points. you say that's huge, a landslide, right? again, biden had won this by 25. from 25 all the way down to 16. what happened in loudoun county? when you look closely, again, a large hispanic population. there's a growing asian american population. these are groups where donald trump took some very big strides in 2024 compared to how republicans and trump himself had been doing in the past. and that's what brings a county like loudoun down like this. loudoun county will be a big place to look in that governor's race in virginia.

again, with that question of, can republicans pull this kind of thing off without trump? we'll see a lot of places in new jersey with similar stories as well. so, yes, it'll still be a big year in elections. we never have anything but big years in elections. >> all right. it never stops. nbc's steve kornacki with that report. thank you. and still ahead, much more on president jimmy carter's incredible life and legacy and how the country will remember him in the coming weeks. stay close. our coverage continues just after this. speaker 1: time out to give a year-end gift like no other, a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. speaker 2: these kids, they've done nothing wrong in the world, and they end up having to go through all of this to survive. speaker 3: is your throat sore? speaker 2: your donation, it means everything. speaker 1: please don't wait until the last minute. make a difference by supporting the children of st. jude. please, donate now.

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welcome back to msnbc reports. i'm christina ruffini. at this hour, remembering president jimmy carter. what we're learning about how the nation and his small georgia hometown will honor his legacy. and we'll speak with the man who worked side-by-side with carter for more than a decade building homes around the world for habitat for humanity. plus, congress may be away, but the drama on capitol hill is heating up. the latest on speaker mike johnson's fight to keep the gavel, and the big endorsement he just received that may help him out. also, 2025 is almost here, folks, and with it times square iconic new year's eve ball drop. the massive security plans are already under way. we'll have a reporter on the ground with the latest. the plan to honor the life and legacy of the late president

jimmy carter. in the coming days families and friends of the 39th president will mourn the 100-year-old patriarch in his small hometown of plains, georgia, before his official state funeral in washington, d.c. president biden has declared january 9th will be a national day of mourning for the former president, and tributes are pouring in for carter from leaders around the world. memorializing him as both a peacemaker and humanitarian of a generation. joining us now is the associate editor for "the washington post," kevin sullivan, "atlanta journal-constitution" and msnbc political contributor, and counsel and president emeritus and the author of "the weekly substack newsletter home and away" richard haass. mike, we know president biden has declared that flags be flown at half-staff for 30 days. how the plans are unfolding to honor president carter? >> well, christina, the president here in st. croix,

ordering a state funeral to take place in washington. really this entire series of events we'll see beginning to play out. it'll play out in three different phases. the first and the final phase occurring in carter's beloved home state of georgia where he'll lie in repose at the carter center in atlanta. he'll be buried in plains, georgia. the middle phase in washington we'll see most of the pomp and pageantry that only washington can offer. we'll see the former president's body lie in state at the rotunda of the u.s. capitol on january 7th. he'll then have the state funeral at the national cathedral on january 9th, and we expect one of the ies to be delivered in honor of the 39th president by the 46th president, joe biden, who offered some tributes here in st. croix last night after we learned of his death. take a listen.

>> jimmy carter lived a life measured not by words but by his deeds. he forged peace, advanced civil rights, human rights, promoted free and fair elections around the world. he built housing for the homeless with his own hands. >> reporter: we remember, christina, that president biden, then a young senator, was among the first national figures, the first senator in a race that included many senators to endorse jimmy carter for president in 1976, a fitting book end to his career now in the closing days of his term in office he'll be paying tribute to his friend and predecessor, mr. carter. >> all right, mike memoli traveling with president biden in st. croix, thank you. kevin, i want to turn to you next. you've covered jimmy carter extensively including his life after leaving the white house, and i want to play you something he told our colleague, andrea mitchell, in 2019.

>> the white house was more gratifying and more fulfilling, and i would say in many ways more challenging even than being in the white house, and we have been able to reach out to the people that were really in need, which is something the president to do personally. >> you called his post presidential life extraordinary and here in d.c. where people don't agree on much, even critics of the administration seem to agree that extraordinary is an appropriate word. what more can you tell us about after he left the office? >> well, he devoted his life to making the world a better place, which is a remarkable thing for someone in his position. he went around, he was an election monitor. he almost eradicated a disease in africa. he was all over the world, awarded the nobel peace prize in

2002 for his work on democracy and human rights all around the world. we were lucky enough to have dinner with him a few times in the later parts of his life and asked him several times what he was most proud of, and he said, defending human rights and i always told the truth. it was just remarkable those were the things that he thought of as his main legacy and, remember, he was an ex-president for more than 40 years and only the president for 4, so that really was the bulk of his legacy, the things he accomplished. >> richard, you wrote about carter today, including that post presidency we were talking about, saying he focused more on doing good than on doing well. what lessons do you see there for today's political leaders? >> every president has a choice to make what they do afterwards. some are active, some aren't, some do well financially, some don't. i don't think there's a right or a wrong way. what's so extraordinary about jimmy carter, though, was the

commitment he made, the endurance of what he did, the humility with which he acted, the integrity can he brought to everything he did. people can find fault with aspects of his presidency, some of the positions he's controversial for his views on the middle east afterwards, but i think what you're going to hear over the next few weeks is unanimity about respect for the man and for the way he lived his life. >> and, greg, i want to play you some of what carter said about his hometown of plains, georgia, back in 2015. let's take a listen. >> when i got out of the navy in 1953, i came back to plains. and then when i got through being governor, i came back to plains and i got to being president i came back to plains. no matter where we are in the world, we look forward to getting back home to plains. that's where our land is. we still grow peanuts and cotton, corn, on the farm. my roots are there and my

closest friends are there and our church is there, which is very important to me. plains has just been the focal point of our lives. >> and you've talked about how the people of plains have long known carter as a neighbor and a friend, and they simply call him mr. jimmy. can you talk about what jimmy carter and the carter family mean to people there and what we know about how they're planning to honor him? >> yeah, christina, it's pot to know that plains is hardly a crossroads. it's only about 500 people, but it's also the place that cultivated not just jimmy carter but his wife, rosalynn. and as important as his legacy is to the nation and the world in georgia, it means something more. it's an example of how ordinary people with ordinary roots can lead extraordinary lives. and plains is where jimmy carter decided to stake his claim. he moved back after a service in the military. he moved back there after his stint in the white house, and he could have moved anywhere. he and rosalynn decided to move to plains, and it's a place that

will always be dear to his family, and where his final resting place will be. we talked to people in plains who said, this is where jimmy carter wanted to be, and that's where he'll be buried in a few days. >> and, greg, can you talk a little bit about how at the impacted politics in georgia? he was governor there, but he did some community building before that. talk to us about the impact he had. >> yeah, he started his political career, of course, in georgia and the georgia senate. he was a governor in georgia, and it was really a thunderclap momentous moment when, upon taking office, he surprised many in politics and beyond by saying it's time for racial desegregation, racial discrimination to end, upon taking office, and it really set the tone for his presidency. he ran as somewhat of a moderate democrat, fairly conservative and he set his roots as a progressive democrat during that term as georgia governor where he point appointed a record number of women and black

georgians to state appointments and to the judiciary in georgia to set the tone for how he would be in the white house. >> and, richard, leaders from around the world have also been paying tribute to carter. the arab league commended his tireless efforts to achieve peace in the middle east, culminating in the egyptian-israeli peace treaty. macron said he was he has tirelessly fought for peace. can you talk about how carter earned his legacy as an international peacekeeper? >> well, one is consistent standing for human rights, obviously for the democracies like france mattered. his role in the middle east, the camp david agreement is the most -- the egyptian-israeli peace treaty is foundational, the most significant of all the agreements that has ever been negotiated. and then jimmy carter spent a lot of his post presidency

witnessing election and essentially saying this was fair or not, and he had tremendous impact by doing that around the world and in really dozens of countries. again, it's a remarkable run over the last four decades. >> and, kevin, in the years after his presidency, you write that carter became an unofficially roaming ambassador. what did that look like and what was his big test gest impact af left the white house? >> it's an interesting point because he did so much of this, and it wasn't always with the express permission of the current occupant of the white house. pi i mean, he went to north korea and to haiti and was irritating the president. he did what he thought was the correct thing to do even if it wasn't the most politically expedient, so even though that earned him some grumbling from the other presidents he worked

with, he really did go out there and put himself out representing the united states, i think in kind of a noble way with his focus on human rights. he just reminded people the united states can be a beacon for good and for rights and for democracy all around the world, and he did it in so many places overseeing elections, and he was just a voice -- is a voice i think all americans could really be proud of out there around the world. >> and, richard, i want to play you some of what former senator and ambassador to china max baccus said. >> the united states saw china as a wedge against russia. we were having difficult times with russia, as you will recall and he, jimmy carter, realized that he followed president nixon who first visited china. if he, jimmy carter, established

diplomatic relations, that would be a new opportunity for the united states to push back against russia. >> the current u.s./china relationship has been strained as of late. we saw china's president xi jinping put out a statement calling carter the driving force behind the establishment of diplomatic relations between china and the u.s. it was a lovely statement. can you talk about carter's impact on the relationship with china? >> the initial breakthrough was richard nixon and henry kissinger. jimmy carter formalized it, and the united states established formal diplomatic relations with the people's republic of china that was, what, ten years or so before the cold war ended. obviously the u.s./chinese relationship is not in good shape in many ways, but that's really on those who came after jimmy carter about how we've managed this relationship, and that's also on china, as they've

gotten more powerful and have defined their goals in the world. but the idea of institutionalizing this relationship, i think, made a lot of sense strategically. made a lot of sense economically and for many years it was pushing china in a direction that many of us found positive. more recently china has decided to go in some different ways. but jimmy carter, again, i think, gets the credit for putting a floor under this relationship. and as you saw from xi jinping, that still works today. >> the formalization of the one china policy. all right. kevin sullivan, greg and richard haass, thank you for joining us. in 90 seconds, the vote over who will be the next speaker of the house is anything but certain, but mike johnson just got some new wind in his sails.

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let's bring in the political reporter for axios and carlos carbello. steph, i will start with you. we all remember the start of the last congress. it took republicans 15 rounds, very bloody rounds, to elect president mccarthy as speaker. does trump's support for speaker johnson make it less likely we'll see that this time around? >> it certainly helps mike johnson. there's no question he needed trump's full support to give him even a chance to win the speakership in the end. we're already hearing from some of mike johnson skeptics and they're not persuaded totally yet. this could go into a multiround voting process that drags on for a little while here. we know that thomas massey has said he plans to vote for someone other than mike johnson. he has responded since the president-elect's statement earlier this morning saying that he does not think that trump's endorsement is really going to

have any sway or end with johnson becoming speaker again. of course it's important all it takes is just one vote now at this point for johnson to lose his bid to maintain his speakership. so this is going to be some really tough math for mike johnson to pull together in the end here. we'll have to see how it plays out, whether trump puts more pressure on some of the republicans who are not sure they want to see mike johnson in the speakership any longer, or whether trump ultimately changes his mind and decides to stay out of it or push someone else. the question is who the alternatives would be if mike johnson ends up not able to get the votes he needs on friday. >> and whether or not he could really unring that bell after he's already thrown his weight behind him. congressman, i want to you listen to the warning republican congressman mike lawlor offered his colleagues yesterday. >> the fact is that these folks are playing with fire. and if they think they're somehow going to get a more

conservative speaker, they're kidding themselves. mike johnson is arguably the most conservative speaker that's ever been elected to the office. >> do you think that's the end game here for conservatives who are threatening to vote against johnson? do they want a more conservative speaker, or is it something else? >> well, christina, what some of these conservatives want is a speaker who will never negotiate with democrats yet they are the ones who cause many speakers going back to john boehner and paul ryan, kevin mccarthy and mike johnson to negotiate with democrats because they constantly deny republican speakers, republican votes, in order to get things done like funding the government or just passing other kinds of legislation. so what might lawler said in that clip is absolutely right. however, this caucus, some call it the chaos caucus, a lot of these are members of the freedom caucus, they really don't care and they obviously don't mind

taking things to the brink and really pushing republicans speakers off the brink. i think what stef said is right this is mike johnson's race to lose, but it could be a messy process. i think what he has going for him there isn't an alternative leader out there. the people who could be alternatives to mike johnson have tried to become speaker and failed during the current congress. >> okay, but given this razor thin majority, what moves does johnson have to try to convince people of that logic? what do you think he's trying to do behind the scenes now before this vote actually happens? >> well, look, all of these candidates for speaker throughout the years have had many meetings with a lot of the members that are the most recalcitrant, the ones who refuse to compromise, want to take the hardest line on every single issue. at the end of the day, this is a dna issue. these are individuals who just don't accept the concept of compromise, of trying to take

80% of what you want instead of getting 100%. these are my way or the highway type people, so there really isn't much he can do except to tell them that they should probably try to avoid another embarrassing episode like the full week it took to elect mccarthy speaker and then the several weeks that it took to find a consensus candidate who ended up being mike johnson. >> and, stef, january will be a very busy month on the hill. they have an election to certify and now need to honor a former president. until the house chooses a speaker, no other legislative action can take place. is that something republicans are worried about? >> i think this is going to be a key incentive for house republicans and something i would imagine spurs the president-elect to get involved. we know that trump and his team have been working to hit the ground running come january 20th. they are hoping and expecting congress to start teeing up some of their legislative priorities early in january, as soon as

this friday when the new congress begins, and as that pressure builds on house republicans, i think it will be hard to see republicans drag out the speakership contest too long. i think we'll see president-elect trump get antsy if it doesn't go into multiple rounds of voting. republicans are going to want to finish this up, decide who their leaders are and move forward and continue pushing all of these legislative priorities they have been talking about since election day. >> all right, stef kight and carlos curbelo, thank you. coming up on "msnbc reports," jimmy carter's life of service, building homes well into his 90s. we'll speak to the ceo of habitat for humanity international. but first, let's take a look at that humanity. here he is on a delta flight back in 2017 walking down the aisle of the plane, shaking every outstretched hand and greeting people with a smile, apparently something he did on many flights. if you listen closely, you can hear how it resonated. >> i love you, jimmy carter.

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i believe with all my heart america must always stand for basic human rights at home and abroad. that is both our history and our destiny. the fundamental force that unites us is not kinship or place of origin or religious preference. the love of liberty is a common blood that flows in our american veins. talk to me about your post presidency and what you think the service record of former presidents should be. >> well, i would say our years after the white house have been more fulfilling and in many ways more challenging than even being in the white house.

we have been able to reach out to people that were really in need, which is something that a president doesn't often have the chance to do personally. >> that was the late president jimmy carter talking about his passion for service, which included decades with the nonprofit habitat for humanity. president carter volunteered with the organization every year from 1984 through 2019, touching lives around the world. he inspired more than 100,000 volunteers across the u.s. and in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair more than 4,400 homes. joining us now is jonathan reckford, ceo of habitat for humanity international, you just saw sitting next to president carter in the interview with andrea mitchell. he may have been a former president, but jimmy carter was out there with everyone else drilling, nailing, doing construction, even when he injured his face and had the working with him both physically and just in the

volunteer space? >> it was one of the great honors of my life to get to spend a week every year with president and mrs. carter building somewhere in the world, and he is both a friend and a hero, so it's a sad day. we second our condolences to the carter family, but it's also an amazing life to celebrate. and get to go see president carter up front, you know, he said often that habitat for humanity was the best way he knew to put his faith into action in a very tangible and practical way. he was a skilled carpenter and he loved to build, but i think he especially loved the connection with the families, and knowing he would do something that would meaningfully change the trajectory for the families. he was a really hard worker. in 2019, i think, set that tone when, even after a fall and with a bandage and a black eye he still came out and built every day. it was always an honor to be on the carter house, but i also warned people, there was a lot of responsibility that came with

that because he set a very high bar, and we would joke it's not a competition as long as the carter house gets finished first. he expected everyone to meet his very high standards and i think he took great joy in the work which is why they kept coming back year after year. >> no kidding. if that's the work ethic you're trying to emulate, i don't know if any of us can necessary you're up. can you share a memory that encapsulates who he was behind the scenes? >> there are so many. one of my most moving ones after the tragic earthquake in haiti, we did something unprecedented and built two years in a row at the epicenter of the earthquake there, and we actually all camped out together. and what was especially moving the second year we walked by the 150 homes we built the year before, as we were building the next 150 homes, and the family with whom we had built the year before had a baby in the intervening year and the chance

to go back and reconnect with them and see the life they were able to have because they had a home, so moving to president and mrs. carter and to me. i think it's really not about the house. it's about the foundation it creates for families to have a better life. i think another one, a little like nashville that certainly resonated deeply with me, was a bad story that turned good. president carter often worked incredibly hard and we were in canada for the 150th anniversary of canada, building 150 homes across the country, and president carter was working too hard on a very hot day in winnipeg, bent over, got a little dizzy. out of an abundance of caution the secret service whisked him off. the press had lined up all the cameras so this was all caught on tape and we were about to have a press conference. he called me slightly grumpy from the car, tell the press i'm fine and get back to work. and, of course, he was right

back out the next day building, but i thought that summed him up so well which was i think with his faith and his chance to be reunited with his love of his life, rosalynn, i think he's fine and his message to all of us would be, get back to work. >> it's a very on-brand remark. and speaking of his faith, this was a cause that really helped president carter, who was a deeply religious man, express that faith. can you explain a little bit about that? >> well, for him, he was always very open about it and, you know, i think his faith was central to who he was, what drove him to want to serve, and he believed deeply that we're here on earth to make lives better for others, and i think, for him, that chance to build direct relationships -- he would say the biggest divide is not religious or racial or ethnic, it's economic and increasingly we are so isolated. habitat gave him a means to be able to cross that divide and build real connection, and he

had such an inclusive and expansive view of his faith, but it was deeply ly part of who hs and a connection why habitat was such a good fit for him. >> and very briefly here, how do you hope to carry on his legacy for years to come with your organization? >> well, there's no replacing president carter, but i think, you know, you think about the numbers. they're pretty staggering, over 4,400 homes built during those carter work projects with 108,000 volunteers, and i think the legacy is that there are millions of people around the world who have been inspired by his example and so the work continues and very specifically we will keep the jimmy and rosalynn carter work project going, and so we'll be in austin, texas, this fall at the end of october, and we think that's so important to bring attention once again to the desperate need for safety and affordable housing, and we do think the best way to honor his remarkable legacy is to keep on the work. >> all right. get back to work.

jonathan reckford, thank you for joining us. >> thanks, christina. and coming up, the party preps and security getting into place in the new year's eve capital of the u.s. our reporter is standing by in, where else, times square. you're watching "msnbc reports." " upset stomach iberogast indigestion iberogast bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast.

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okay. the countdown to 2025 is on. you're looking at a video of a practice run for the ball drop in times square where more than

a million people will gather to ring in the new year, and with them, plenty of security. nbc's antonia hylton joins us from times square and also with us nbc's michelle grossman who track the forecast. antonia, state and federal officials have expressed some concern that the event could be targeted. what do we no about the plans to keep things safe? >> reporter: there are a lot of plans in the works. the stage is already set up. there are barricades all around times square ready to go and there's already an nypd presence here, but that will be ramped up tomorrow. we heard from the mayor as well as the police commissioner, jessica tisch, and there will be uniformed officers, plain clothesed officers ready to take action. in case of any sort of surprise, there will be officers by helicopter out on boats in the water and deploying dogs in addition to the checkpoints they will have in place on sixth and eighth avenues checking every

single reveler who tries to come in and be participate of the celebrations here. take a listen to the plans they have in place. >> there will be officers in uniform and out of uniform. we're going to make sure we have the omni presence of the blue uniform, will always bring that level of security. there are many officers that have plainclothed assignments. not only do we respond to an immediate threat but how do we continue to keep new yorkers and visitors safe to enjoy the new year's. >> reporter: and if you are one of the people planning to come here to new york city to take part in the festivities, a few things up should know. you cannot bring backpacks and duffle bags. if you plan to bring supplies to party all night long, you're going to want to be careful what you bring with you, otherwise you'll get turnay by officials at some of these checkpoints. you won't be able to bring an umbrella and other large items like, say, a folding chair.

so you are going to want to layer up and make sure you're prepared for the elements you might experience tomorrow. on the fun side of things, though, you can expect performances from people like lenny kravitz, carrie underwood and the jonas brothers, and the crystal ball has been tested out. it's a little ways behind me here. 260 triangle crystals on it and weighs 12,000 pounds. >> i feel i weigh close to that after the holiday season, but thank you for keeping an eye on everything there. michelle, you heard antonia say no umbrellas. they're famously not allowed during the times square festivities. what do we know about the forecast tomorrow night? >> you're not going to need as many layers because it will be on the milder side, temperatures around 50 but there is a chance for heavy rain. a system is bringing snowy

weather on the north side of this and that's going to be the theme as we go throughout the day, rain and wind throughout new england. that system moving its way towards the east. look at what happens tomorrow. this is new year's day and new year's eve day, some rain into portions of the northeast that could be heavy at times leading up to that ball drop. trending drier, though, right near midnight. we will watch that closely. a drop in the south central sats. plenty of sunshine. that's the place to be in the southwest, temperatures in the upper 60s in some spots. the pacific northwest has been so wet lately, we're looking dry tomorrow morning which is nice and throughout the day tomorrow. as we go to new year's eve getting closer to the evening hours, you will need the rain gear. again, not a whole lot of layers because temperatures aren't going to be frigid. looking better in terms of the temperatures but we will need the rain gear because we will see the heavy rain leading up to the ball drop. temperatures back to the

northwest, the plains, the central plains, temperatures only in the teens. 15 in portions of the central plains. 20s and 30s in texas and then as we make our way to the southwest, that is the place to be. later on another system and the chance for higher elevation snow, lower elevation rain. a look at new york city, there is the ball drop, 2025 ringing in with a few showers by midnight. we are looking at things drying out to midnight. we will keep you updated but that temperature 50 degrees, not bad having to stand out for hours in new york city. back to you. >> michelle, hopefully a little bit of dampness won't dampen anyone's experience, thanks so much. still to come on "msnbc reports," the group of voters that swung right in 2024 and what experts think democrats should do about it. ld do about t health care is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in,

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unexpected group of voters. >> plaque male voters could prove to be a ekeyswing voting bloc. >> reporter: as primary season kicked off, some voters seemed unenthused. what is missing from the election cycle? what is missing? >> a good candidate right now. >> reporter: what's the word you think when you see these two candidates running for president? >> hell no. >> reporter: and democrats worried about their base. >> the president's support among black voters is slipping. a recent nbc news poll shows just 61% would now choose him over a republican. >> he's about to lose me. >> reporter: the former president, donald trump, eyed a potential opening. >> donald trump's campaign is targeting young, black men, believing this year the gop can win them over. >> i love the black population of this country. i've done so much for the black population of this country. >> reporter: as this long overlooked voting bloc made it clear what mattered most to them. >> anything that's going to directly affect my community --

>> we are entrepreneurs and business persons and homeowners, and we want some real discussions around economic matters in the community. >> reporter: some felt ignored. >> we haven't heard anything from a democrat or a republican. >> reporter: some felt empowered. >> i want to make a decision that is going to be impactful. >> we need to save ourselves. if we're looking for somebody to save us, it's not going to happen. >> reporter: a tug and pull between the status quo and the hope for something new. >> people come to our communities and der for our votes. >> reporter: and then an 11th hour candidate shake-up. >> it's not about me. it's about you. >> reporter: president biden bowed out of the race. >> are you ready to make your voices heard? >> reporter: and vice president kamala harris became the nominee. >> and when we fight, we win! >> reporter: and suddenly there was something new along with new energy for candidate kamala harris looking to make history as the country's first indian,

black, and woman president. >> let's get out and make kamala harris the 47th president. >> reporter: a slew of black celebrities showing their support. >> our black men, we have to get them out to vote. >> reporter: while the trump campaign had its own endorsements. >> let's vote for trump, baby. make some noise for the president. >> reporter: the former president courted controversy with his version of black voter outreach. >> they're taking black jobs. black people walking around with my mug shot, and a lot of people said that that's why the black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against. >> reporter: for some black men there was an appeal beyond trump being trump. >> he has good folks around him and good policy, and so that's all i'm looking for. >> reporter: in the end, the vast majority of black voters, including black men, stood by vp harris, many dreaming of a new way forward. >> i voted for kamala. i think it's time to try something new. >> reporter: but there were unforecasted shifts, and a surprising realignment of voters

including growth with hispanic men and young people. among them, young black men, all moving toward trump. >> the democratic party trying to understand shifts in its core coalition. >> reporter: and setting the stage for a reckoning to come in american presidential politics. president-elect trump will be inaugurated on martin luther king jr. day, begging for some to question what happens to a dream deferred. >> trymaine lee, thank you for that report. we want to bring in congressman jones. it's nice to see you again. i want to ask you, you listened to that report and you know the issue. going forward, what do democrats need to do to shore up the groups of voters we just mentioned, black men, hispanic men and, surprisingly, young people? >> it's good to be with you. i would say what i've been saying for the past several weeks, which is democrats have to redouble their efforts to be

the economic populace of the modern 21st century. black men, hispanic men, working class people at large in the united states of america are facing many of the same economic challenges that white working class voters are facing. they want to know how they're going to put food on the table. they're going to want to know how to pay their rent and their mortgage, how they're going to cover the cost of child care. it turns out only one major political party is offering solutions for that, but those solutions are not being heard very well in this information environment, which is replete with disinformation, as you know, depending on what news network you listen to and whether you get your information from facebook or x or twitter, whatever you want to call it and, of course, we can do even more as democrats to make very clear we are willing to stand up to corporate greed and to lower the cost of living for working people here in the united states of america. it's the republicans who have already made their platform

primarily that of tax cuts for billionaires and billion dollar corporations. >> okay. if, as you say, democrats need to try to do more, what things are you going to be looking for within your party to see if they've really learned the lesson of the last election? >> i want to see a robust economic agenda that no one can mistake for anything other than it is, which is an agenda for working people to do better in this broken economy that still, far too often, favors the wealthy and the well connected. there was obviously a string of achievements vice president harris could run on having been part of the biden/harris administration, the child tax credit, for example. obviously keeping schools open and putting people back to work and obviously the unprecedented job growth that we've seen over the past several years under the

biden/harris administration, but many folks were g what her economic platform would be moving forward. i think leaning more into that housdemocrats, for example, seek to take back the majority in the 2026 elections, and, of course, as senate democrats could take it back in the elections to say nothing of the all-important 2028 presidential election where i think we're going to need to see an economic populace run as our nominee against whoever republicans choose. >> i am in no way ready to start talking about 2028. but former congressman mondaire jones, thank you for joining us. >> thanks for having me. and that does it for us this hour. thank you for watching. i'm christina ruffini. more msnbc coming your way after a short break. and keep off the weight. that's why golo works so well for me. golo has been really empowering for me. i just recently purchased my first swimsuit since high school.

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♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ hi there, everyone. it's 4:00 in new york. we are so happy you're here. there is a lot to get to today including the political civil war already threatening to tear apart trump's grip on the republican party. it's one that pits elon musk against steve bannon and it's under way even before donald trump is inaugurated. there's also news about a stinging defeat for donald trump and his ongoing legal battles with e. jean carroll, but we begin with a cebr