but newshour weekend special correspondent jeff greenfield has some examples from history that don't l for the actual construction and completion of those projects any time soon. he joined us recently from santa barbara, california. jeff, what's interesting about infrastructure is that america, more than many other countries, help define the scale and scope of large projects that we could take on. i mean, you're talking everything from the hoover dam to the highway infrastructure system. what's different now? >> yeah, you're absolutely right. this used to be a point of pride. i mean, go back to the erie canal, the transcontinental railroad-- hoover dam, the biggest public works project in history, at the time, in the middle of the depression, finished two years ahead of schedule and under budget. and we just don't seem to be able to do that anymore. literally, the "new york times" recently cataloged from one end of the country to the other massive delays and cost overruns. the long island railroad connection to grand central terminal now estimated years late at three or four times the

jeff greenfield has written books on scenarios like this. ork journalist and now a columnist for politico. he joins me now. jeff, military planners war-game scenarios all the time and in some ways alternative histories i guess are the way journalists and historians sort of war-game things. but you've written some alternative history. and as a historian and political analyst, why do you do it? and why isn't it just simply fiction in your mind? >> if you do it right, it teaches you two things. one, the incredibly contingent nature of history. over and over again, tiny changes would have resulted in enormous consequences. if it hadn't stopped raining in dallas, that bubble top would have stayed on john kennedy's limousine. if elian gonzalez' mother had survived there wouldn't have been a custody controversy that probably cost al gore 15 or 20,000 votes in state he lost by 500. the second thing it teaches you is how critical character and temperament is. you take the same conditions and put a different person in and you get a different results. i

it's a pleasure to partner with you on this, jeff greenfield. catch more of jeff and i's conversation about some of these what-it's on the chuck todd cast. that does it for me. msnbc's coverage continues with katy tur and current history being made right now. >>> we'll forgive you for that, chuck. good to be with you, i'm katy tur. the jury has reached a decision in the trial of kim potter, the former minneapolis police officer on trial for manslaughter. you'll recall potter shot and killed daunte wright during a traffic stop when wright jumped back into his car and potter mistook her gun for her taser. the court's website says there is an outcome in the case, which is somewhat vague, but all indications are that it is a verdict. and we'll bring it to you live as soon as it's read in the courtroom. >>> first, though, on this christmas eve eve, millions of families are making last-minute decisions as the omicron variant explodes and for some it is a wrenching choice. get together and risk spreading the virus to elderly relatives or kids too young