>> i think it's exactly because of the voices of senator roger wicker that it is so important we havecourt that looks like the face of america, that represents the diversity of america, the diversity of experience that understands the principles of intersectionality, as was being discussed. and look, we could talk about roger wicker and a bunch of other southern white senators being from a bygone era and that's true. hopefully, republicans will not just overtly oppose this on matters of race or the fact that joe biden pledged to pick a woman of color and instead evaluate the nominee based on their qualifications. you know, in the past, ideology wasn't even really on the table. it was just whether or not they were a qualified jurist. we forget scalia was unanimously confirmed by the senate. ruth bader ginsburg only had two detractors but it hasn't been since sotomayor that we saw numbers in the 60s. hopefully the republicans will at least mask it in differences over ideology, but we know the behavior of roger wicker and some of his colleagues is what it is and should be called out for

we'll see how that irony works out. >> speaking of irony, this you, roger wicker? quote, i have never seen a more talented, more articulate nominee for the supreme court than i have in this new justice, amy coney barrett. you mean the amy coney barrett who had never tried a case to verdict or argued an appeal in any court? that amy coney barrett is the most talented nominee for the supreme court that roger wicker has ever seen? really? wicker seems to have no problem appointing a woman, so long as it's a white conservative woman. funny how that works. susan collins, meanwhile, says she has no problem with an african american woman on the court. it's president biden making that promise that seems to be the issue. >> the way that the president has handled this nomination has been clumsy at best. it adds to the further perception that the court is a political institution, like congress, when it is not supposed to be. >> you say that it's clumsy, but isn't it exactly what president reagan did when he said he would appoint a woman to the supreme court? isn't it exactly

eric: senator roger wicker is just back from ukraine. he will tell us what he saw in just a moment.nd we'll also be joined by the british ambassador to the united states, karen pearce is here, to outline how washington, london and our nato allies can confront putin. but first, greg palkot is in the ukrainian capital of kiev, amy kellogg in moscow, alexandria hoff in washington with the latest from our nation's capitol. >> reporter: the president has declared if russia further invades ukraine, the u.s. alongside allies and partners are ready to impose consequences. the statement was made this weekend after president biden met with his national security team at camp david to discuss what they call continued russia aggressive action towards ukraine. in geneva, top diplomats once again failed to come to agreement over the brewing crisis. secretary of state anthony d antiincentive blinken said in this today. >> we've given russia two paths, one i engaged in just last weekend in geneva, but there's also a path of renewed aggression and massive consequences that we have been building mow f

. >> one of the big things, comment from last week is roger wicker, the senator from mississippi whoa of the president announcing that he is going to pick a black woman for the supreme court is akin to affirmative action and quotas. that is another thing that is putting his colleagues in a very uncomfortable position because not everybody agrees with him at all. that's something else that i talked to the new hampshire governor about. >> i'm never for quotas. in the opportunity of bringing somebody to the u.s. supreme court, it's an amazing opportunity as and has to be on merit. >> is this a quota? >> i say as a governor i don't see things as quotas like that. there's a number of limited individuals. you want folks with a diverse background. in that sense, i wouldn't agree it's a quota. >> when it comes to supreme court nominations, we have seen over the past five, six years senate republicans, particularly the leadership, kind of impervious to geneuine and understandable criticism of being hypocrites. in this particular case there's a lot of fodder there because it was former preside

last point about roger wicker, i served with him for a long time. the worst poverty rate in the nation. the worst. women, children, everyone. terrible. suffering from poverty. one of the worst homicide rates and you know, why doesn't he go deal with that instead of dishing out this ugliness. >> let's play what he said earlier. it is wholly outrageous where he's comparing this potential nomination with that of affirmative action, the rising of a black woman to the supreme court bench. take a listen to this. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quote, the majority of the court may be saying writ large it's unconstitutional. we'll see how that irony works out. >> april, would love to get your reaction? >> i'm sure senator wicker doesn't mean to imply there are no qualified black women to be nominated, but references quotas in this way definitely leaves his statement up for interpretation. the true

whether it's susan collins or roger wicker who is a member of my committee. these are really smart people who are in it for some good reason and have valid concerns and smart things to say. i think it's very important to listen to them, respect them, and see if -- where there's common ground. with respect to being a hidden player, that's fine with me. i just want to get things done down here. you know, i've lived the life of governor, of being in the headlines every day. this is a different job. and i rather always be known as a workhorse, not a show horse. just putting points on the board. >> staying on the president's agenda, build back better is currently stalled in congress. and a lot of people want to know if the administration is comfortable with the package of a few items, paid for over 10 years as opposed to the last package that was passed by the house. so yes or no, secretary if are you comfortable with that type of package and what items do you think have to absolutely be in there? secretary raimondo: that's the president's call. that is not my cal

. >>> let's bring in senator roger wicker. he traveled this week with a bipartisan group of senators to ukraine and met with ukrainian president zelensky. senator, thanks for joining us. appreciate it. cnn's barbara starr at the pentagon learned today that military leaders are preparing a series of options for president biden's approval to beef up the u.s. military presence in eastern europe, not necessarily in ukraine. do you think this might have the intended goal was a possible deterrence if russia ultimately decides to invade? >> well, i think it might possibly be a deterrent but also would position us to be able to supply arms to our friends in ukraine if we have to. there was a lot of mention in the previous segment about diplomacy. we always have to try diplomacy, but i do think now is the time to actually show that we're going to try to provide the weaponry to the ukrainians to actually defend themselves. >> what's your reaction to -- not sure if you heard it, but matthew chance, our reporter in kyiv just got off the p

republican senator roger wicker compared the president's promise to affirmative action. white house confirming that south carolina u.s. district judge michelle childs is a potential nominee, and this as republican senator lindsey graham is voicing his support for childs, appearing to push back against wicker's remarks. josh lederman is at the white house with more. >> reporter: the supreme court guessing game in high gear who will president biden pick to fulfill his historic pledge? >> it's long overdue in my mind. >> reporter: and will any republicans back her one lavishing praise on one of the president's candidates. >> i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than michelle childs. >> reporter: she is a federal judge in south carolina. already nominated for the d.c. appeals court. but mr. biden is casting a wide net. a source telling nbc news his list of candidates has grown to more than a dozen. democrats looking to move quickly, but not so quickly that republicans can say it was rushed >> it's going to be fair it's going

on a mississippi radio show, republican senator roger wicker compared the president's promise to affirmative action. meanwhile, the white house confirming that south carolina u.s. district judge michelle childs is a potential nominee, and republican senator lindsey graham voiced his support for the judge, telling cbs' "face the nation" that childs is, quote, incredibly qualified. adding that there is no affirmative action component if she is chosen. >>> a glitch with oakland university's undergraduate student application left perspective students thinking they were getting a nearly full ride to the school 5500 students mistakenly received emails saying they won the platinum presidential scholar award worth $12,000 a year the mistake was due to human error. the university has apologized to those students >>> still to come, poolside poisoning. why multiple people were found unconscious by a pool. >>> plus, the surprising numbers behind student loan debt and a racial disparity and people love it. of course, they love the savings they're gonna get with geico, but... it goes beyond that. you. des

senator roger wicker facing criticism after saying any potential black woman nominee must be benefitting from affirmative action. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. >> yes. >> and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota. >> reporter: like you said, we know the president is considering more than a dozen black women for this nomination, and tonight the white house is also responding directly to those comments from senator wicker, saying in a statement, president biden has established one of the strongest track records ever when it comes to choosing extraordinarily qualified and ground-breaking nominees. >> mary alice parks in washington. thank you. >>> your money tonight. with that major nor'easter pounding several states, soaring energy prices are driving up the cost of heating your home. for american households using natural gas, families will spend 30% more on average. heating oil and electricity also on the rise. here is abc's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight plummeting

mississippi republican senator roger wicker has criticized the president's promise to nominate a black woman comparing it to affirmative action, but not all republicans agree with that. put me in the making sure the court and other institutions like america, south carolina republican senator lindsey graham told cbs face the nation who he would like to see nominated. i can't think of a bp>> better for president biden to consider supreme court. the michelle chiles. she has wide support in our state. >> and democrats want to move fast to fill the seat. justice steven briar will vacate at the end of the term this summer. it's going to be fair. it's going to be deliberate and we're going to be timely to illinois senator and chair of the judiciary committee. durbin told nbc timing will depend on the nominee. the person has been before the seeking. >> approval for circuit court. then the committee knows quite a bit about the person. >> and president biden says he will consult with the vice president and senators about the woman he will pick reporting in washington reshad hudson. back to you.

. >> reporter: senator roger wicker of mississippi comparing the president's pledge to affirmative action. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about -- about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. >> yes. >> and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota. >> reporter: but neither of those senators objected when former president donald trump announced he would pick a woman to succeed ruth bader ginsburg. >> it will be a woman, a very talented, very brilliant woman. we haven't chosen yet, but we have numerous women on the list. >> reporter: when ronald reagan ran for president in 1980, he too campaigned on a promise to make history. in his case, by nominating the country's first female justice. >> one of the first supreme court vacancies in my administration will be filled by the most qualified woman i can possibly find. it's time for a woman to sit among our highest jurists. >> reporter: of the 115 supreme court justices in american history, 108 have been white men. only five have been female. a black woman has never

let's take a listen to what republican senator roger wicker said. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about, about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination, and -- and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of -- >> what's your sense how the president has handled this? >> i think he's handled it very correctly. i can tell you, i look at one of my granddaughters, who's african american and straight as in school and everything else. to have this baloney, and roger wick sir a friend of mine. basically saying, well, if you're a woman and if you're a woman of color, you can only be qualified if you have some firmtive action. every single woman, white or black, in this country should reject such a, such a foolish and racist statement. you pick the best person possible. nobody -- i didn't remember any republican coming up when ronald reagan said i'm going to place the first woman on the supreme court. sandra day o'connor backed by bary goldwater and backed by me and i voted for her, because i felt she was the most qualified name

here's roger wicker on friday. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing this sort of affirmative racial discrimination and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quote -- >> fellow republican senator, josh holly said this, quote, i think it sends the wrong sigona to al so say if the person is of a certain background, we don't care what their record is, their believes are. that would be extraordinary. that's also not really what's happening. as for right wing media, near hysterics about the forthcoming biden pick. >> you have to wonder at this point since we're going by skin color and gender, why joe biden is ignoring the obvious choice. why doesn't he strike a real blow for equity and nominate bridgette floyd. george floyd's sister. she's not a judge or lawyer or whatever, but at this stage, who cares. that's not the point anymore, this law stuff. >> right. okay. here to discuss this is the number three democrat in the u.s. house. south carolina congressman, jim clyburn. congressman, i guess republicans, some, are saying you can have

so it was cut -- a lot of people, particularly tom -- roger wicker of, ranking member mt. people that surround sohn and what they're telling the commerce committee is she played a very minor role in this. she only signed it because she was a board member, the real deal was cut by lawyers, she had nothing to do with it. in any event, this locast thing is going to become an issue particularly if wicker gets his way and there's another hearing. then the fireworks are going to go nuts. we don't know if that's the case. i guess a lot of this comes down to, as all things do these days, joe manchin and kyrsten sinema, and particularly sinema because she's a moderate. she's on the committee, she's on the commerce committee. she hasn't said which way she's voting. if she's not voting for her, well, or there's probably going to be another hearing, and then this thing goes going -- thing's going to get very interesting. keep an eye on this. the fcc, if you don't know, is probably the most powerful -- i mean, there are a lot of regulators that are powerful, the securities and exchange

mississippi republican senator roger wicker has criticized the president's promise to nominate a black woman comparing it to affirmative action, but not all republicans agree with that. put me in the making sure the court and other institutions. >>like america, south carolina, republican senator lindsey graham told cbs face the nation who he would like to see nominated. i can't think of a >>better for president biden to consider supreme court. the michelle chiles. she has wide support in our state. >>and democrats want to move fast to fill the seat. justice steven briar will vacate at the end of the term this summer. it's going to be fair. it's going to be deliberate and we're going to be timely to illinois senator and chair of the judiciary committee. dick durbin told nbc timing will depend on the nominee for that person has been before the seeking. >>approval for circuit court. then the committee knows quite a bit about the person. >>and the president says he will consult with the vice president and senators about the woman he plans to nominate reporting in washington reshad hudson.

weekend because of his departure from some of his colleagues, republican colleagues like senator roger wicker that any of these candidates would be beneficiaries of affirmative action policy. the not so veiled implication here that these black female candidates would not be qualified for the supreme court position. well, lindsey graham saying that in fact he supports u.s. district judge michelle childs. she is also of his home state, south carolina, and he says that she is imminently qualified. >> i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than michelle childs. she has wide support in our state. she is considered to be a fair-minded highly gifted jurist. she's one of the most decent people i've ever met. it would be good for the court to have somebody who is not at harvard or yale. >> house majority whip james clyburn who is also the highest ranking african american in congress also backs childs. he is also from south carolina. he has made it very clear to biden, save biden's campaign essentially he wanted a black female nominee for this particular

. >> but another republican senator, mississippi's roger wicker is under fire for suggesting she andandidates are less than awesome. suggesting that any black female nominee would not have the credentials of white counter parts. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination, and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota. >> the white house swiftly pushed back pointing out that ronald reagan put a woman on the supreme court, without facing criticism about affirmative action or quotas. joining us now jonathan lemire, and eugene daniels. getting senator graham on board, if the white house were to pick judge childs, would certainly help in a 50/50 senate because he might bring some other republicans with him, right? >> right, andrea. obviously in a 50/50 senate, there's no margin for error here. look, there's no sign that the biden white house will face any democratic defections. many people watching this show and this network certainly have had moments of probable frustration at

is making news today is because he is departing from some of his colleagues, republican senator roger wickere floated this very offensive notion that this is some sort of beneficiary of affirmative action policy. a not-so-veiled implication here that these candidates would not be qualified for the position. senator graham outright this morning rejecting all of that and pushing for his support for the candidate from his home state. take a listen. >> i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than michelle childs. she has wide support in our state. she's considered to be a fair-minded, highly gifted jurist. she's one of the most decent people i've ever met. she's highly qualified. she's of good character. and we'll see how she does, if she's nominated, but i cannot say anything bad about michelle childs. she is an awesome person. >> and house majority whip james clyburn, as you know, also from south carolina, making it no secret that he has been pushing and lobbying for her. the course of the last several years and has the ear of the president. reall

. >> again, roger wicker, the way he phrased that and the way that you're hearing some people phrase and i'd wondering what you hear in that. >> i'm very disappointed that roger is acting as though the president is not going to nominate someone who is highly qualified, fair and objective. all of president biden's nominees have had those qualifications. >> what are you specifically looking for in a justice? look, you're not going to get to choose who president biden nominates here, but if you did have a say among the various jurists out there that he seems to be considering, what would you most like to see? >> i'm looking for someone who will be fair and objective, who supports the rule of law and precedent, unlike too many of former president trump's nominees. >> i want to ask you about something that donald trump said over the weekend. he was at a rally, and he suggested if he were to run and win again, he might pardon some of the people who were involved in the insurrection on january 6th of 2021. what are your concerns about a statement like that from a legal or political perspect

just take a listen to mississippi senator roger wicker here. >> the irony is that the supreme court isthe very same time hearing cases about -- about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. >> yes. >> and while adding someone who's the beneficiary of this sort of quota that the majority of the court may be saying writ large it's unconstitutional. we'll see how that irony works out. >> now, i'm not sure if senator wicker here has some sort of psychic powers, but how exactly would he know so much about the qualifications of someone who hasn't even been chosen yet? i mean to be clear a president pledging to pick supreme court candidates from a specific demographic is not a new phenomenon. in fact, several republicans have done it before. back in 1980 then presidential candidate ronald reagan promised he would name a woman to the supreme court. he would go onto nominate the first female justice sandra day o'connor. and of course republicans favorite president trump in 2020 made it very clear. his replacement for justice ginsburg would be a woman. that of course ended up being amy c

i want you to listen to what roger wicker of mississippi said earlier today about the possibility of is at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota, the majority of the court may be saying writ large it's unconstitutional. we'll see how that irony works out. >> your thoughts on the supposed irony. >> the irony is it's what ronald reagan did with sandra day o' connor. what matters most is the qualifications of the nominee and the people being mentioned are hugely qualified. this, in fact, he did it as a political imperative in south carolina admitted but then it was a campaign pledge that the voters adopted. they understood it as a an idea whose time has come and that should put the rest of this notion of politics precisely what ronald reagan did and the country rewarded him for it. it is an idea whose time has come and to the extent they are trying to imply it means an unqualified candidate, that's flat out racist. >> i hope you will come back soon. thank you so much for

separated himself from the pack from some of his republican colleagues on the senate side, senator roger wickerminee would be, would be a beneficiary of some sort of affirmative action program, a thinly veiled suggestion these nominees would not be qualified for the position. well, today, we heard from graham who categorically rejected that, judge childs is his person, from south carolina, and imminently qualified. >> i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than michelle childs. she has wide support in our state. she's considered to be a fair-minded, highly gifted juryist, she's one of the most decent people i met, highly qualified, of good character, and we'll see how she does if she's nominated but i cannot say anything bad about michelle childs. she is an awesome person. >> from south carolina as you know, pushing for her, and working the last two years on biden to choose and select a black female judge, sprem court nominee, he says childs really brings something else to the table being from the south and not having ivy league background, but pa

senator roger wicker of mississippi, for example, thinks the promise is a bad idea. >> the irony is thaty same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. >> yes. >> and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota. >> reporters are back to discuss. astead herndon, the beneficiary of this sort of quota. loaded language. loaded language. republicans sometimes have a hard time when our political conversations wander toward race. >> absolutely. this is language that's meant to imply what we all know. that the implication that there is somehow something that is at odds between a qualified candidate and a candidate that is a black woman. the president's choice to say that he was going to nominate a black woman comes in line with previous presidents who have made the determination to prioritize diversity and inclusivity onto the court while at the same time trying to say that this will be someone who is qualified. i think this conversation is kind novemof in the abtract. but when the white house makes a selection we'll then have an actual perso

gloria, i want to start with something that republican senator roger wicker said yesterday about bipartisan'ssten to this. >> that is exactly what biden said he would do in his campaign. so he is just fulfilling a cam baby promise and he told the whole world that is exactly what he was going to do. the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of a affirmative racial discrimination. and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of -- the majority of the court may be saying at large that it is unconstitutional. we'll see how that irony works out. >> gloria, do you think that whoever president biden nominates is the beneficiary of a affirmative racial discrimination? >> not at all. you know, what is so ironic about this, we've had white male affirmative action for nearly 400 years by law and by violence. and yet we have now these black women who have harvard, yale, princeton backgrounds who are looked upon everything that they have gotten was given to them where they have the highest integrity and highest intellectual minds. and i thin

mississippi tepublican senator roger wicker criticized the president's promise to nominate a black woman comparing it to affirmative action. the way that the president >> has handled this nomination has been it fast. adds to the for their perception that the court, it's a play to call institutions still moderate republican senators susan collins told abc news this week. >> that diversity benefits the court. take a look back at history. democratic senator durbin, chair of the judiciary committee pushed back against the criticism that was ronald reagan who announced that he was going to point. >> a woman to the supreme needed durbin says any black woman who's achieved the success necessary to be considered for the supreme court has done it against great odds. the white house said judge child's is one of the candidates being considered and the judge has at least one powerful republican in her corner. i can't think of a better person. south carolina republican senator lindsey graham on cbs face the nation considered to be a fair minded. holly, a jurist. president biden said he plans to final

while another senator of mississippi, roger wicker said it would be a beneficiary of affirmative actionategy when it comes to this pick? you would think after having lost two senate seats in georgia, the gop might be a little bit careful when it comes to attacking the first black woman nominated to the supreme court. >> yeah, there is no strategy so far from the republicans about how to combat or how to address this upcoming pick from president biden. essentially, you have some republicans opening the door to supporting biden's pick. there are others that are essentially saying because biden said he was going to pick a black woman, that this is affirmative action, offending millions of americans who have been wanting for there to be a black woman on the court for years, for decades. we've had a long history in this country, we've never had a black woman on the court. there have been otherment presis who said they were going to put a woman on the court, or demographic they were going to appoint to the court. biden is doing the same thing. republicans are struggling to find a line and str

. >>> new today, growing back lash to republican senator roger wicker who compared president biden'sirony is the supreme court is here at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota, the majority of the court may be saying it is unconstitutional. we'll see how that irony works out. >> okay. joining me now, democratic strategist and biden campaign consultant. and david jolly, former congressman from florida, and an msnbc political contributor. welcome all. i'm going to let you make some commentary. calling the supreme court a beneficiary of affirmative action. >> first of all, not all black women get into college because of affirmative action. and one thing happen to be white women who quite frankly, the same senator didn't have much to say in this vein when president trump said he would replace justice ginsburg with a woman. he said it would be an inspiration. so this is an example of what is to come when this black woman is name. when president biden stands by his comment

mississippi republican senator roger wicker criticized the president's promise to nominate a black woman comparing it to affirmative action. the way that the president >> has handled this nomination has been it fast. adds to the for their perception that the court, it's a play to call institutions still moderate republican senators susan collins told abc news this week. >> that diversity benefits the court. take a look back at history. democratic senator durbin, chair of the judiciary committee pushed back against the criticism that was ronald reagan who announced that he was going to point. >> a woman to the supreme needed durbin says any black woman who's achieved the success necessary to be considered for the supreme court has done it against great odds. the white house said judge child's is one of the candidates being considered and the judge has at least one powerful republican in her corner. i can't think of a better person. south carolina republican senator lindsey graham on cbs face the nation considered to be a fair minded. holly, a jurist. president biden said he plans to final

mississippi republican senator roger wicker has criticized the president's promise to nominate a blackring it to affirmative action, but not all republicans agree with that. put me in the making sure the court and other institutions. >> like america, south carolina republican senator lindsey graham told cbs face the nation who he would like to see nominated. i can't think of a >> better for president biden considered for the supreme court. the michelle chiles. she has wide support in our state. >> and democrats want to move fast to fill the seat. justice steven briar will vacate at the end of the term this summer. it's going to be fair. it's going to be deliberate and we're going to be timely to illinois senator and chair of the judiciary committee. durbin told nbc timing will depend on the nominee. the person has been before the seeking approval for circuit court. then the committee knows quite a bit about the person and the president says he will consult with the vice president and senators about the woman he plans to nominate reporting in washington reshad hudson. back to you. >> th

senator roger wicker called it an affirmative action quota pick. how do you respond? >> i remind them to look at history and recall it was ronald reagan who announced he was going to appoint a woman to the supreme court and he did, sandra day o'connor, and it was donald trump who announced he would replace ruth bader ginsburg with a woman as well. this isn't the first time a president signalled what they're looking for in a nominee. i would say the bottom line is this in terms of african american women, if they achieved the level of success in the practice of law and juris prudence they've done it against great odds. they're extraordinary people, usually the first of anything in the united states turns out to be extraordinary in their background. the same is true there. they'll all face the same close scrutiny. it's a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. i hope those who are critical of the president's selection aren't doing it for personal reasons. >> you got chuck grassley and tim scott suggesting because the senate is so closely divided, because t

on friday republican senator roger wicker says whoever biden picks will be a, quote, beneficiary of affirmativenation and fill a quota. do you agree with that? >> i'm never for quotas. the opportunity to bring somebody to the u.s. supreme court is a tremendous opportunity. >> is this a quota? >> i'll say as a governor i don't see things as quotas like that, no. you want a group with a diverse set of backgrounds. no, i wouldn't agree it's a quota. you want somebody that brings a different perspective, whether it's a person of color, a male, whatever it might be. you want a variety of perspectives. >> you're okay with him saying he's going to nominate a black woman? >> if that's what -- what everyone wants is a civil, respectful process on both sides as we move forward. that would be a nice breath of fresh air for america. >> i want you to listen to what former president donald trump said at a rally last night about the people who stormed the capitol on january 6th. >> if i run and i win, we will treat those people from january 6th fairly. we will treat them fairly. and if it requires pardons, we

. >> it feels like what roger wicker did, and i don't know if he knows he intended -- did he actuallye it harder for republicans to criticize this pick? he went in a direction -- we don't even know the pick yet. >> that's the point. you need to know who the pick is. before we talk about votes, we need to know who the pick is and what are her credentials are, what she's done. >> let's put them up here, we have ketanji jackson, leondra kruger. >> i don't think there's anything wrong with president biden making a critical argument when he said in the context of a campaign, having lost long island and new hampshire, that he was going to pick a black woman. it helped him. it was a political announcement. republicans were fine with that point. i think they would be wise to wait to look at the actual credentials and the arguments of the women who are nominated. >> the white house was ready for this. they were prepared for the white house to lean this direction. there are people close to the president, political advisors, who do think republicans want to pick this fight, it's one they want to

i do want to get your reaction to something that roger wicker said about the president's pledge and makingomments about affirmative action. >> irony is the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. >> yes. >> and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota, the majority of the court may be saying at large, it's unconstitutional. we'll see how that irony works out. >> yeah. anyway, what they said, the chuckle in there. how do you respond to that? >> well, it's so disrespectful. the way he's coming out is outdated. even the most conservative member of the supreme court and republicans know that it is beyond time to diversify the supreme court of america. and the absence of a woman, a black woman, means that it is not diversified. and you don't have at the table the voices of everyone in this country that should be represented. and so it's disrespectful, dishonorable, and we are going on get past that. we know that biden believes in bipartisanship. he's forever trying to do that. and he'll continue to try.

mississippi republican senator roger wicker. >> has criticized the president's promise to nominate ack woman comparing it to affirmative action, but not all republicans agree with that. put me in the making sure the court and other institutions like america, south carolina republican senator lindsey graham told cbs face the nation who he would like to see nominated. i can't think of a >> better for president biden considered for the supreme court. the michelle chiles. she has wide support in our state. >> and democrats want to move fast to fill the seat. justice steven briar will vacate at the end of the term this summer. it's going to be fair. it's going to be deliberate and we're going to be timely to illinois senator and chair of the judiciary committee. durbin told nbc timing will depend on the nominee. the person has been before the seeking approval for circuit court. then the committee knows quite a bit about the person. and the president says he will consult with the vice president as well as senators about the woman. he will pick reporting in water outrage. you should expect

in a minute we'll speak with republican senator roger wicker of mississippi who just returned from atoday. >> reporter: the united states and russia giving diplomacy new life. >> i believe we are now on a clearer path in terms of understanding each other's concerns. each other's positions. >> reporter: secretary of state tony blinken said the u.s. would put pen to paper in order to advance a conversation. >> what we've agreed today is that we will share in writing next week our ideas, our response to concerns that russia has raised. concerns that we have that we will share again in writing with russia. >> reporter: still, the two countries are incredibly far apart. first and foremost, the u.s. says russia must pull back its troops from ukraine's borders. russia is demanding that nato cease any plans for expansion. but the u.s. and nato have said that is a nonstarter. >> there is no trade space there. none. >> reporter: russian foreign

we've heard from republicans like roger wicker who have likened biden's promise to nominate a black womansupreme court saying it's akin to affirmative action. several of his republican colleagues took to sunday shows this weekend to rebut that kind of statement, specifically lindsey graham speaking not a u.s. about not just the process in general but one woman in south carolina who may end up getting this nomination. let's listen. >> i don't see michelle childs as affirmative action. i do see putting a black woman on the court making the court more like america. >> the way the president has handled this nomination has been clumsy at best. it adds to the further perception that the court so a political institution like congress when it's not supposed to be. >> reporter: those two people will be watching closely in congress. they're both two republican senators who have voted for over 60% of biden's judicial nominees so far, graham expressing his preference for judge childs. he fell short of saying he would definitely vote yes on her but certainly the growing praise he hemoed on her could l

mississippi republican senator roger wicker. >> has criticized the president's promise to nominate a black woman comparing it to affirmative action, but not all republicans agree with that. put me in the making sure the court and other institutions like america, south carolina republican senator lindsey graham told cbs face the nation who he would like to see nominated. i can't think of a >> better for president biden considered for the supreme court. the michelle chiles. she has wide support in our state. >> and democrats want to move fast to fill the seat. justice steven briar will vacate at the end of the term this summer. it's going to be fair. it's going to be deliberate and we're going to be timely to illinois senator and chair of the judiciary committee. durbin told nbc timing will depend on the nominee. the person has been before the seeking approval for circuit court. then the committee knows quite a bit about the person and the president says he will consult with the vice president and senators about the woman he plans to nominate reporting in washington reshad hudson. back

woman is nominated that they will not be qualified for the seat or even when it comes to senator roger wickersissippi, a republican, where he said that basically the -- whoever is chosen will be a beneficiary of affirmative action and will be fulfilling a quota. now, these women who sent this letter to president biden they are influential as we said, they are civil rights leaders, political -- political -- people in the political spectrum from all types of work, media personalities and they were really active in pushing the president, then candidate, to pick a black woman vice president in 2020. they've been involved in voting rights efforts at the white house as well as police reform, but now here is their goal is to protect this nominee whoever it should be. remember, we don't know who it is yet, but they want to protect them and make sure they get to this confirmation process fairly, swiftly and with the least amount of damage to their name as possible. christi and boris. >> and jasmine, president biden says he's going to select the nominee by the end of february. what can we expect over t

source, democratic senator ben carden, the chairman of the small business committee, and republican roger wickerranking member of the commerce committee, have been in talks about a package based on their bills to provide another $50 billion for restaurants. the "post" reported the total price tag could be about $68 billion. meanwhile, there's an ongoing push from the house from about 60 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to help not just restaurants but also gyms and hotels as well minnesota democratic representative dean phillips is spearheading that effort, and in a letter to leadership he rote tens of thousands of small businesses across the country are faced with the possibility of lay-offs, reduced service or hours or outright closure, barring additional federal relief but already key republicans are throwing cold water on this idea gop senator john barra sent us this statement we need to fully open our economy instead of passing the buck and calling for more taxpayer bailouts. some lawmakers originally hoped they could attach this aid to the bigger social spending package, kelly, but n

mississippi republican senator roger wicker. >> has criticized the president's promise to nominate a black woman comparing it to affirmative action, but not all republicans agree with that. put me in the making sure the court and other institutions like america, south carolina republican senator lindsey graham told cbs face the nation who he would like to see nominated. i can't think of a >> better for president biden considered for the supreme court. the michelle chiles. she has wide support in our state. >> and democrats want to move fast to fill the seat. justice steven briar will vacate at the end of the term this summer. it's going to be fair. it's going to be deliberate and we're going to be timely to illinois senator and chair of the judiciary committee, durbin told nbc timing will depend on the nominee for the person has been before the seeking approval for circuit court. then the committee knows quite a bit about the person and the president says he will consult with the vice president and senators about the woman he plans to nominate reporting in washington reshad hudson. b

the forceful rebuke came just one day after mississippi senator roger wicker's remarks during a radio show interview in which he said it was ironic that the supreme court was considering an affirmative action case right now. >> the irony is that the supreme court is at the very same time hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination. >> yes. >> and while adding someone who is the beneficiary of this sort of quota. the majority of the court may be saying writ large, it's unconstitutional. we'll see how that irony works out. >> no irony there at all, by the way, to fact check that. joining me, shontel brown of ohio, also a member of the house oversight committee and congressional black caucus. thank you so much for joining us. we appreciate it. just give me first your reaction to what you heard there from the mississippi senator. >> well, first of all, thank you for having me. i think it's important to point out and thank the justice breyer for his years of distinguished service on the supreme court. i think president biden is simply upholding his promise to nominat