i'm chuck todd of nbc news here in washington with msnbc special korb coverage of the senate confirmation hearings. president trump's pick to succeed the late ruth bader beginberg, amy coney barrett. the senate will gather into what expected to be a contentious amount of days. and pushing for what could be one of the fastest confirmation votes in decade, the republicans and senate a conservative majority on the court for years to come. it remains to be seen whether democrats will try to delay this hearing which will be unlike any before, due to the pandemic. due to chairman lindsey graham denying a request from democrats to require covid testing for all members ahead of the hearing, even though two republicans that sit on this committee have already tested positive. and in a prepared opening statement obtained by nbc news, amy coney barrett won't mention her conservatism or devout catholic views but say "americans of all backgrounds deserve an independent supreme court that interprets or constitution and laws as they are written." joining me now our team of nbc news reporters legal and po