turnout was stronger than the overall turnout in south carolina, and two out of three african americans senators in the united states senate today represent those southern states. it's hard it -- hard to again nye -- deny progress that two out of the three come from the southern states that people say are the places where african american -- african american votes are being suppressed. not to mention the fact that 2020 was a banner year for minority participation in the greatest nation on earth from a voting perspective, and that is, my friends, good news. the democrats' proposal would allow for the supporters of bernie sanders and their tax dollars to go into my reelection account. i oppose that. it would undermine voter i.d. laws across our country. i oppose that. it puts unaccountable bureaucrats in charge of our elections. americans oppose that. and walking in on the day of the election, registering to vote without any verification is something i, too, oppose. and so, madam president, when i think about the important issue of voting and when i think about the issue of voter suppression, it l

senate serve american democracy. and when those rules endanger our democracy, the answer is simple -- we must change them, and it is not unprecedented. the senate changed the filibuster in 1917 to protect our nation from the threat of world war i. the senate changed the filibuster in 1975 to try to restore the function of this body. in recent decades, the senate has made more than 160 exceptions to the filibuster to do what's best for the nation. and today, it's time for us to do so once again. with all due respect to the history and the traditions of the senate, our job is to protect the future of this country, beginning with our democracy. as martin luther king once told us, america is essentially a dream, a dream yet unfulfilled. and today it falls on each of us to take up dr. king's lifelong struggle. this is our moment. this is our moment to debate. this is our moment to vote. we must work together to pass a voting rights law that secures the vote for every american, regardless of race, religion, ability or gende

american citizens. if we look back at our history, this is only the latest example be of how the senate has impeded americaness, and it wouldn't be the first time that senate rules were changed in response to that. before the civil war, a time even before you were in the senate, mr. president, the senate sheltered the minority interest of slaveholders. on this floor. after the war, it enabled mon or barons and isolationists to profit from the conflict and its aftermath. each time in our country's history, crises forced the senate to fundamentally change the way it worked, and each change has led to meaningful progress, including clearing the way for the passage of the 14th and 15th amendments, to emancipate and enfranchise former slaves, sweeping antitrust reforms, long-delayed legislation to protect civil rights. the bottom line is that the senate rules are not suspended in amber, especially when they're being abused the way they're being abused today. they can and they always have changed with the times. and finally, let me say this -- as we consider these reforms the last thing we should do is make anoth

a president shouting that 52 senators and millions of americans are racist. unless he gets whatever he wants. is proving exactly why the framers built the senate to check his power. this whole display is the best possible argument for preserving the senate rules that extend deliberation, force bipartisan compromise and let cooler heads prevail. nothing proves it better than this episode. it offers a perfect case study and why senator biden was right about the filibuster and president biden is wrong. one respected scholar explained it this way, the smallest majority we have ever seen in our politics is trying to change the rules for how people get elected in every single state. that is just about the best argument for the filibuster you could possibly imagine. so, mr. president. the citizens of the greatest country in the world deserve for their elected officials to treat them like grown-ups. the adults of america deserve to hear from the adults in washington, d.c.. so i close with some basic truths. obviously our country is more divided than it should be. i ha

look at the statistics, african-american voters are voting and just as higher percentage as americans. >> senatorcconnell says he misspoke. he defended his record on race by noting that he was at the 1963 wash on -- march on washington. senator manchin was delivering a speech saying he would not support the filibuster. >> i think that was a bad timing situation. they were going to hold up this measure. they both support the package itself. it failed. we'll new this was going to fail. -- we all knew this was going to fail. the democrats were hoping to convince them that this is such a crisis situation that something had to be done. they did not get there. democrats the next day were not feeling whipped. they violated the rules of congress in a way. they thought they had to do it. they think they made some progress. they showed people a lot about the history of the filibuster, way could be changed. i don't think there giving up on this. there is some compromise talk that is really about changing the counting of presidential election votes. democrats took their beating but they are going to keep on

senators in the history of the country and comes out victorious. i would love for us to have a conversation about what we're doing for americans as opposed to this negative false narrative of what is happening to america. thank you, madam president. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: i have deep and tremendous respect for my friend from south carolina. i'm not a senator from the south, but my family hails from the south, from monroe, louisiana, to alabama, to north carolina. i know my roots and i know the challenges of jim crow and thank god we are not in a time of jim crow. the history that my friend talked to i know i know this history and i know my colleagues in the senate know this history. we're all not blind to what happened in terms of racial oppression going back to the founding of this nation. the constitution the people have been waving around, it's hard not to read that and not see that many of the compromises were based upon an acquiescence to that original sin of this nation, slavery. we know the violence of what he said and talked about. i'm frustrated that we can agree that there has

a bipartisan delegation of american senators visited kiev yesterday with a message for vladimir putin, who insists it's russia that's threatened by decades of nato expansion. >> our message is there will be consequences if he chooses to violate the sanctity of this democracy. >> reporter: diplomacy is in high gear. before secretary of state antony blinken arrives in kiev tomorrow, the head of nato warning war is a real possibility. >> the risk of a conflict is real nato allies call on russia to de-escalate, and any further aggression will come with a high cost for moscow. >> reporter: secretary blinken is due to meet ukraine's president tomorrow and russia's foreign minister on friday russia denies reports it has already begun to thin out its embassy here, which could be an ominous sign or just more messaging from president putin. lester? >> richard engel in ukraine tonight. richard, thanks. >>> up next, drug dealers selling deadly pills on social media. our exclusive. we ask if snapchat is doing enough to fight it ♪♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the

americans. the staff and the senate who are in top positions is nowhere near that in terms of african-americans. the number is more like three to 4%. even though there are like 20 to 22% of the votes nationally. i agree, there are certainly challenges and problems in both parties in terms of not being sufficiently exclusive. host: about five minutes left with spencer overton this morning. this is -- from the democrat line. good morning. caller: good morning. happy new year to you. host: good morning morning, go ahead. caller: we had one way to vote. if you had to go to work, you would get fired from that job. everybody talk about wages and bonuses. with the rent, lights, gas, everything went up since we been here. i think democracy is more important than talking about the filibuster. people are dying out here homeless, no place to live. unemployment, food stamps, they have took away food stamps. order we going to do? but you got the filibuster. if you have the change regulations, do what you have to do to save democracy. host: spencer overton? guest: i think the caller made a really good point i

issuing a statement saying until democracy is secured for all americans, which includes african americans, senatoronnell, the fight will continue. today the senator called the criticism of what he said an outrageous mischaracterization and that he meant to say african americans are voting at just a high percentage as all americans. >>> when we come back, we're going pay tribute tonight to a beloved comedian and actor and rock 'n' roll legend. hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up, that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, do

senate by filibuster was civil rights for black americans. iven that, wouldn't you say it's fair for us to say the filibuster in that history was, indeed, a relic of jim crow? mr. grassley: you know who controlled the senate during that period of time on the issue you brought up and it was democrat senators from the south. remember when the civil rights act of 1965 was passed, that there was a higher percentage of republicans than democrats that voted for it, and the one person that made a difference in getting the civil rights act passed was senator dirksen, the republican leader. i will have to end this discussion with you because -- but i want to say one thing. why would you want to expand this president that's sent by democrats into legislation and weaken bipartisanship. that's where we have to leave it. s is a slippery slope. you may want do it for a voting rights act. mr. merkley: thank you for responding to my questions. mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: i think i'll start by returning to the 18

ian pannell with american senators in ukraine's capitol today delivering a tough message to vladimir putin. >>> and celebrating betty white on what would have been her 100th birthday. fans taking up one of her biggest causes, her love of animals. >>> good evening on this monday, martin luther king jr. day. it's great to have you with us, i'm whit johnson, in for david tonight. and we begin with that massive winter storm. days of snow, ice, even tornadoes, turning deadly. snow and wind alerts from north carolina to maine at this hour. and as temperatures plummet overnight, the growing danger on the roads all the way to the south. more than two feet of snow in ohio. drivers stranded in whiteout conditions. strong waves and icy wind in hampton beach, new hampshire. in raleigh, north carolina, drivers sliding on the ice, struggling to remain control. other caring scrambling out of the way. a weekend of stretch courthouse dri treacherous driving. a tractor trailer dangling off an overpass. the storm spawning tornadoes in florida. a couple there driving right into the dangerous winds. toni

to demonize americans who disagree with him he compared, listen to this a bipartisan majority of senators to literal traders. two profoundly on presidential i've personally respected joe biden for many years. i did not recognize the man at the podium yesterday. american voters did not give president biden a mandate for very g much. he got a tied senates, negative in the house and the in over a century. the president did not get a mandate to transform america or reshape society. but he did arguably get a mandate to do just one central thing. one thing that he campaigned on. here is what that was. bridge a divided country, lower the temperature, dial down the perpetual error of crisis in our politics. that is the one central promise that joe biden made. it is the one job citizens actually hired him to do. it is the one project that would've actually been consistent, consistent with the congress the voters elected. present biden's chosen to fail his own test. the president's ranch, rant yesterday was incoherent, incorrect, and beneath his office. he used the phrase jim crow 2.0 that makes th

it's this unique feature of the senate that is blown up millions and millions of american voices will cease to be heard in this chamber. a radical senate takeover for a radical elections take over, for a radical takeover of our nation's future. what the democratic leader wants to do would not protect our democracy or our system of government. it would destroy a key feature of american government forever. and senators on both sides know it. >> madam president? >> senator from illinois. >> madam president, i i listed carefully to the republican leaders statement about the institutions of the senate, traditions of the senate, the rules of the senate, the precedence of the senate, and why we are duty-bound to follow them. but i but i couldn't get the out of my mind as he spoke. the image of that news that came to us one day the supreme court justice antonin scalia had tragically passed away. and we all remember what happened next. it was the same republican leader who sent the word out to his republican members, don't even entertain the possibility that president obama is going to fill th

this is georgia democratic senator raphael warnock, one of just three african americans in the senate. >> history is watching us. our children are counting on us. and i hope we will have the courage to do what is right for our communities and for our country, the courage to cross this bridge, to do the hard work in this defining moral moment in america for the sake of communities that sent us here in the first place, for the sake of the planet, for the sake of health care, for the sake of being able to argue for the things we care about. amy: this comes as republican-led state legislatures have passed more than 30 laws restricting ballot access and have introduced at least 400 more. mother jones reporter ari berman tweeted -- "it's completely undemocratic that 41 gop senators representing 21% of the u.s. can block bills supported by 70% of public that expand voting access for tens of millions." president biden capped his first year in office wednesday with a marathon, two-hour press conference in which he blamed republicans for stalling much of his legislative agenda. it was biden's f

it is a unique feature of the senate millions and millions of americans voices will cease to be heardn this chamber. a radical senate take over for a radical election take over or a radical takeover for the nation's future. but the democratic leader wants to do or the system of government it is a key feature of american government. >> listen carefully to the republican leaders and and why we are duty-bound to follow them. i couldn't get this image out of my mind the image of the us one dayame to the supreme court justice scalia had tragically passed away. was the same republican leader who sent this out as republican leaders don't even entertain the possibility that obama will fill the vacancy on the supreme court we will keep the vacancy open in the hopes to elect a republican president to fill it that was eight months at least before the election it was the first time in the history of the united states that a republican leader of the senate used his power not even to meet with merrick garland to even entertain an office meeting to discuss and it was out of the question. the supreme

it's the unique feature of the senate is blown up millions and millions of americans voices will cease to be heard in this chamber. a radical senate takeover 48 radical elections takeover. for a radical takeover of our nations future. with democratic leader d wants to do would not protect our democracy or system of government. it would destroy a key feature of american government forever. and senators on both sides know it. madam president allison curve to the republican leaders statement about the institutions of the senate, the traditions the precedents of the senate and why we are duty-bound to follow them. but i cannot get this image out of my mind as he spoke. the image of the news that came to us one day supreme court justice had tragically passed away. we all remember what happened next, it's her public leader sent the word out to as republican members don't even entertain the possibility that president obama is going to fill this vacancy on the supreme court. we are going to keep this vacancy open and the hopes will at the republican president fill it. that was eight months at

the american people believe the senate is broken. i believe the american people are right. during this congress, the united states has wasted an unprecedented amount of time on procedural -- and person destruction. obstruction. the work of this country goes undone. congress should be passing legislation that strengthens our economy, protects american families. instead, we are burning wasted hours and wasted days between filibusters. i could say we are burning wasted days and wasted weeks between filibusters. even one of the senate's most basic duties, confirmation of presidential nominees, has become completely unworkable. mr. president, there has been an unbelievable, unprecedented obstruction. for the first time in the history of our republic tomorrow public and's have routinely used the filibuster to prevent president obama from appointing or confirming judges. it is truly a troubling trend that republicans are willing to lock executive branch nominations even when they have no objection to the qualifications of the nominee. instead, they block qualified nominees to circ

. >> other than a tool that requires new policy to be broadly supported by senators with the broader cross-section of americans? inevitably viewed as an obstacle whoever is the senate majority which ensures those americans represented by the minority party have a voice in the process? demands to eliminate this threshold from whichever party amount to a group of people separated onto sides of the canyon shouting that solution to theirir colleagues. makes the risk wider and deeper. and nearly every partyline response every partisan action taken to protect the value has led up to more division, not less. the impact is clear for all to see to study a solution of tit for tat in which each new majority weakens the guardrail for the senate furthering resentment and anger against constituents at home. democrats increased use for traditional nominees under president george w. bush a similar tactic by republicans from president barack obama the 2013 decision by senate democrats to eliminate the 60 vote threshold for the most nominations lead directly to our response in 2017 by senate republicans who eliminated the thres

so, if my colleague tries to break the senate to silence those millions of americans, we will make our voices heard in this chamber in ways that are more inconvenient for the majority and this white house than what anybody has seen in living memory. last year the senate passed major bipartisan legislation on infrastructure, on hate crimes,, on government funding, on competing with china. last year senators sped through noncontroversial nominations. so what would a postnuclear senate look like? i assure you it would not be more efficient or more productive. i personally guarantee it. do my colleagues understand how many times per day the senate needs and get unanimous consent for basic housekeeping? do we understand how many things are required roll call votes? how often the minority could demand plenty debate. our colleagues who are itching for a procedural nuclear winter have not even begun to contemplate how it would look. our colleagues who are itching to drain every drop of collegiality from this body have not even begun to consider how that would work. if the democratic leader tri

other than a tool that involves federal policy to be broadly supported by senators representing broader crosshatching of americans, a guard rail inevitably those who hold the senate majority. which in reality insures millions of americans represented by the minority party have a voice in the process. demand to eliminate this threshold from whichever party holds the fleeting majority, amount to a group of people separated on two sides of the canyon shouting that solution to their colleagues and that makes the risks wider and deeper. in recent years, nearly every partyline response to the promise we face in this body, every partisan action taken to protect cherished value has led us to more division, not less. the impact is clear for all to see, the steady escalation of tit for tat in which each new majority weakens the guardrails of the senate and excludes input from the other party furthering resentment and anger among this body and our constituents at home. democrats increased use for judicial nominees under president george w. bush led to some tactics by republicans under president barack obama. 2013 decision b

than a tool that requires new federal policies to be broadly supported by senators representing a broader cross-section of americans? a guardrail inevitably viewed as an obstacle by whoever holds the senate majority but which in reality ensures that millions of americans represented by the minority party the voice in the process. demands to eliminate this threshold from whichever party holds the fleeting majority amount to a group of peopleseparated on two sides of a canyon , shouting the solution to their colleagues and back makes the rest both wider and deeper. consider this: in recent years, nearly every party line response in this party, every partisan action taken to protect a cherished value has led up to your division. not less. the impact is clear for all to see. the study asked escalation of. [bleep] for tat in which each new majority weakens the guardrails of the senate and excludes input from either party furthering resentment and anger in this body and ourconstituents at home . democrats increased use of requiring cloture for traditional nominees under president george w. bush led to similar tactics by

americans ought to understand it is because there is not a single united states senator who is prepared to vote for a bill which makes it easier for americans to vote, not more difficult. they say we have to protect against fraud. that reminds you trump lied and said there was fraud in the election and he went to court over and over again. not a single court ruled that there was sufficient fraud and only that there wasn't some mistakes. there was no cause to find that fraud had made a different in the election anywhere in the country. so it is a darn shame that we don't have 10 republicans who will stand up for america's right to vote and be facilitated in doing so. rachel: yesterday there was a group of two dozen fellows who employed democratic leadership to bring a bill to the floor to band members from trading individual stocks, and if you does your -- a recent issues should they be able to and traded stocks while serving? rep. hoyer: i personally have said this is an issue i think is dealt with in present law. with a member of congress who had to resign from new york state for using

american citizens. if we look back at our history, this is only the latest example be of how the senate has impeded american progress, and it wouldn't be the first time that senate rules were changed in response to that. before the civil war, a time even before you were in the senate, mr. president, the senate sheltered the minority interest of slaveholders. on this floor. after the war, it enabled mon or barons and isolationists to profit from the conflict and its aftermath. each time in our country's history, crises forced the senate to fundamentally change the way it worked, and each change has led to meaningful progress, including clearing the way for the passage of the 14th and 15th amendments, to emancipate and enfranchise former slaves, sweeping antitrust reforms, long-delayed legislation to protect civil rights. the bottom line is that the senate rules are not suspended in amber, especially when they're being abused the way they're being abused today. they can and they always have changed with the times. and finally, let me say this -- as we consider these reforms the last thing we should do is make

senate right now. i believe we will pay a price, we as americans if the _ we will pay a price, we as americans if the senate pieces of voting rights legislation. in one of the hills, _ rights legislation. in one of the hills, an — rights legislation. in one of the bills, an important measure that would _ bills, an important measure that would knock out what a number of these _ would knock out what a number of these republican controlled state legislators have done ever since last january. it would not solve all of the _ last january. it would not solve all of the problem but it would go a lon- of the problem but it would go a long way— of the problem but it would go a long way to doing that. short answer is, yes, _ long way to doing that. short answer is, yes, the — long way to doing that. short answer is, yes, the senate needs to act on the bills— is, yes, the senate needs to act on the hills and — is, yes, the senate needs to act on the bills and if we don't, we will all pay— the bills and if we don't, we will all pay the — the bills and if we don't, we will all pay the price.— the bills and if we don't,

americans who disagreed with him. compared a bipartisan majority of senators to literal traitors. how profoundly, profoundly unpresidential. look, i've known and liked and personally respected joe biden for many years. i did not recognize the man at the podium yesterday. american voters did not give president biden a mandate for very much. he got a tied senate, negative coat tails in the house, narrowest majorities in over a century. the president did not get a mandate to transform america. but he did arguably get a mandate to do just one central thing that he campaigned on. here is what that was. bridge a divided country, lower the temperature, dial down the perpetual air in politics, one job citizens actually hired him to do. it is the one project that would have actually been consistent, consistent with the congress, the voters elected. ah, but president biden has chosen to fail his own test. the president's rant, rant yesterday was incoherent, incorrect, and beneath his office. he used the phrase jim crow 2.0 to demigod a law that makes the franchise more accessible in his own

it would allow any small majority in the senate to strip the voice of millions of americans considered in the minority. removing the filibuster -- the ability to filibuster legislation would reduce the senate from broad agreements and force further debate and would likely increase divisiveness rather than efficiency. i urge my colleagues to vote against this federal takeover of our state's constitutional right to manage their own elections, and i urge my colleagues to reject this unfounded assault on the senate filibuster. thank you, mr. president. mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, this has been a interesting day of debate. it actually feels good to hear people really speak on an issue. as president pro tem i've sat in that chair where my distinguished friend from maine is sitting now. as presiding officer i sat there for hours today and listened to the debates. i heard many i found extremely good, and then i heard some others. but i appreciated the fact that i had the opportunity as president pro tem to hear so many of

americans. the 50 senators who are currently filibustering the voting rights bill represent 41 million fewer americanse senators who support it. stop acting like the filibuster is anything other than a -- ( cheers and applause ) stop acting like the filibuster is anything other than an anti-democratic tool. which is also a pretty good description of kyrsten sinema. ( cheers and applause ) and for the record, this is what martin luther king said about voting rights and the filibuster: >> i think the vast majority of people in the united states would vote favorably for such a bill. i think the tragedy is that we have a congress with a senate that has a minority of misguided senators who would use the filibuster to keep the majority of people from even voting. they won't let the majority senators vote and certainly they would not want the majority of people to vote, because they know they do not represent the majority of american people. in fact, they represent in their own states a very small minority. >> stephen: the sad thing is, dr. king could make the exact same statement today, and it would be just

laws. 80% of americans believe people should have to show a photo i.d. in order to vote. senator schumer has already twice tried to cram an american takeover bill down the throats of the american public. this is the third time. so far he has failed. so why? why has this continued to fail? not simply because republicans oppose it. it's failed because the american people oppose it. the american people aren't looking for a federal government takeover of elections. a recent gallon lump poll asked people -- gallup poll asked people what they think is the most important issue facing our country. voting laws didn't crack the top 20. voting laws received less than 1% of the vote. it was an asterisk in the results. democrats' scare tactics on voting laws have utterly failed. now democrats are so desperate to change our voting laws to their advantage that they're going to try to break the senate. that's what they're doing now. the senate is supposed to be, quote, the world's greatest deliberative body. some democrats want deliberations to end forever. democrats claim they'll change the ele

a bipartisan delegation of american senators visited kyiv, yesterday, with a message for vladimir putinsist that's it's russia that's threatened, by decades of nato expansion. >> our message is, there will be consequences if he chooses to violate the sanctity of this democracy. >> diplomacy is in high gear. before secretary of state, anthony blinken, arrives the head of nato warning, war is a real possibility. >> the risk of a conflict is real. nato allies call -- and de-escalate eddie further aggression. >> secretary of state, blinken, is to meet ukraine's -- foreign minister on friday. russia denies reports that it is already begun to thin out its embassy, which could be an ominous sign, or just more messaging from president putin. richard engel, nbc news, kiev. >> coming up, why not is paying very close attention to an object that is twice the size of the empire state building, and is moving it thousands of miles an hour. with the 11th hour continues. my hygienist cleans with a round head. so does my oral-b my hygienist personalizes my cleaning. so does my oral-b oral-b delivers the

not long ago, senator tim scott, african american senator among republicans, was forced to endure asched, a hashtag with a racial slur against him. and when it populated and trended, we found out that there was not some sort of digital or mechanical algorithm that made it so popular. it was human beings have twitter who thought that that was a thing to do. so what i need to know is are these the same people were fact-checking? because clearly he is not that racial slur and deserves much more than that. whoever thought that that was like that idea, we should have read about them being fired. marjorie taylor greene is not a doctor in infectious disease. if you want to get your information from her, follow her, i guess. but what they usually do is put a sticker on all of us, even when we are spouting the facts about covid-19 or whatever, they put a sticker on us. to take her down, i think responsibly, you need to start taking a lot of people down. honestly, why does that person have an account? i don't know what they are tweeting, but somebody who they have said israel dominic is real a

heck, we don't even have all of the senators in the room to discuss this. every american'sght toe make their voice -- to make their voice heard is so critically important to our democracy. we can't say this because senate republicans have spent the past year blocking every democratic attempt to even begin debate on strengthening voter legislation. even as republicans and states around the country pass more and more restrictive voter suppression laws aimed at silencing the voice of the people, we still struggle and beg to have this debate, and they will not vote to allow us to do so. republicans in georgia made it illegal to preempty torely mail out absentee ballots to registered voters, a law that hurts all groups that rely on voting by mail to communities with color and americans living with disabilities. it it also hurts military members living overseas. i myself voted by mail when i was serving our country in iraq. after all, i was a little busy flying combat missions, so i don't know if i would have had the chaens to request an -- chance to request an absentee ballot 15

senate serve american democracy. and when those rules endanger our democracy, the answer is simple -- we must change them, and it is not unprecedented. the senate changed the filibuster in 1917 to protect our nation from the threat of world war i. the senate changed the filibuster in 1975 to try to restore the function of this body. in recent decades, the senate has made more than 160 exceptions to the filibuster to do what's best for the nation. and today, it's time for us to do so once again. with all due respect to the history and the traditions of the senate, our job is to protect the future of this country, beginning with our democracy. as martin luther king once told us, america is essentially a dream, a dream yet unfulfilled. and today it falls on each of us to take up dr. king's lifelong struggle. this is our moment. this is our moment to debate. this is our moment to vote. we must work together to pass a voting rights law that secures the vote for every american, regardless of race, religion, ability or gende

a bipartisan delegation of american senators visited kiev yesterday with a message for vladimir putinat's threatened by decades of nato expansion. >> our message there will be consequences if he chooses to violate the sanctity of this democracy. >> reporter: diplomacy is in high gear. before secretary of state antony blinken arrives in kiev tomorrow, the head of nato warning war is a real possibility. >> the risk of a conflict is real. nato allies call to deses claitt and any further will come with a high cost for moscow. >> reporter: secretary of state antony blinken is due to meet ukraine's president tomorrow and russia's foreign minister on friday. russia denies reports that it has already begun to thin out its embassy here, which could be ominous sign or just more messaging from president putin. richard engle, nbc news. >>> coming up, why nasa is paying very close attention to an object twice the size of the empire state building and moving at thousands of miles an hour when "the 11th hour" continues. s my name is douglas. i'm a writer/director and i'm still working. in the kind o

heck, we don't even have all of the senators in the room to discuss this. every american's right toe make their voice -- to make their voice heard is so critically important to our democracy. we can't say this because senate republicans have spent the past year blocking every democratic attempt to even begin debate on strengthening voter legislation. even as republicans and states around the country pass more and more restrictive voter suppression laws aimed at silencing the voice of the people, we still struggle and beg to have this debate, and they will not vote to allow us to do so. republicans in georgia made it illegal to preempty torely mail out absentee ballots to registered voters, a law that hurts all groups that rely on voting by mail to communities with color and americans living with disabilities. it it also hurts military members living overseas. i myself voted by mail when i was serving our country in iraq. after all, i was a little busy flying combat missions, so i don't know if i would have had the chaens to request an -- chance to request an absentee ballot

so, if my colleague tries to break the senate to silence those millions of americans, we will make their voices heard in this chamber in ways that are more inconvenient for the majority and this white house than what anybody has seen in living memory. last year the senate passed major bipartisan legislation on infrastructure, on hate crimes, on government funding, on competing with china. last year, senators helped speed through noncontroversial nominations. so what would a post-nuclear senate look like? i assure you, it would not be more efficient or more productive. i personally guarantee it. do my colleagues understand how many times per day the senate needs and gets unanimous consent for basic house housekeeping? do they understand how many things would require roll call votes, how often the minority could demand lengthy debate? our colleagues who are itching for a procedural nuclear winter have not even begun to contemplate how it would look. our colleagues who are itching to drain every drop of collegiality from this body have not even begun to consider how that would work. if the

here's one thing every senator, every american should remember.istory has never been kind to those who have sided with voter suppression over voters' rights. they will be even less kind for those who side with election subversion. soy ask every elected official in america how do you want to be remembered? consequential moments in history present a choice. do you want to be on the side of dr. king or george wallace? do you want to be on the side of john lewis or bull connor? do you want to be on the side of abraham lincoln or jefferson davis? this is the moment to decide. to defend our elections. to defend our democracy. [applause] and if you do that, you will not be alone. that's because the struggle to protect voting rights has never been borne by one group alone. we saw freedom riders of every race, leaders of every faith marching arm in arm. and yes, democrats and republicans in congress of the united states and in the presidency. i did not live the struggles of douglass, tubman, king, lewis, goodman, cheney, and countless others known and unkn

yes, american democracies under attack. and today 50 democratic senators agree on the right to response to this tactic the freedom to vote act would guarantee that every american citizens can easily vote and get their vote counted. the act would defend against attempts to overturn the will of the people. the act would reform our broken campaign finance system and help root out dark money, and critically important, the act would ban partisan gerrymandering by either side. the companion bill, the john lewis voting rights advancement act, would restore historic protections against state laws that have the purpose and the affect of discriminating on the basis of race. unfortunately, senate republicans would rather destroy our democracy then have free and fair elections. and so they support those around the country who are trying to block access to voting, and you are trying to rig how votes get counted. elections are about the will of the majority, but republicans in the senate don't want what a majority of americans want. in fact, the 50 republicans in the se