[men chanting in native language] [man speaking indistinctly] spoor: the proposed mine near the kruger--a very large, very extensive mine--would be devastating for that area for a number of reasons: 1--water, there simply isn't adequate water; 2--it would destroy thousands of hectares of high-yield agricultural land; and thirdly, it would be on the border of the kruger national park, which is a world heritage site, and it would do damage to the tourism industry, which is one of the few bright spots we have here. we've been approached regarding this kruger coal-mining project by a number of local community organizations. the technique that we've developed is to put up these demands, make these calls, note those objections, and then wait for the dmr to award the license anyway. i must be frank about it. i mean, it would be a really bad thing if there was a coal mine there, but it wouldn't surprise me if the right were granted. [man saking instinctly] i was at a meeting where they promised 5 jobs with a specific mine, but what happened is that the mining company brought their own laborers

so the other leading contender is leondra kruger. and she is a justice on the california supreme court. like ketanji brown jackson, she has stellar legal credentials. interestingly, she was hired by the republican solicitor general of the united states to be an assistant solicitor general. this is prior to her becoming a justice. and on the state supreme court. and she then went on to serve six more years after that in the obama administration, becoming the deputy solicitor general and arguing 12 cases. so at the age of 38, she was plucked by jerry brown on to the state supreme court of california, where she has earned a lot of acclaim and has a record that is very kind of moderately liberal cautious record. >> and, nina, the -- if you look at the two leading candidates, judge jackson's 51, judge kruger is 45, how much is age going to play into this selection process, and would it play in enough that even those six years make a difference? >> i don't think so. i think both of them are young enough to serve on the supreme court. i thi

leo th dra kruger is a possibility.dent were to get a second nomination i would be very -- i think she would be a very likely choice. when you look at the political, at the academic, when you look at issues, ketanji jackson seems like a very solid pick to be confirmed and serve a long and significant tenure. >> abby, you could look at this a couple of ways politically for president biden. today he's holding this meeting, is immediately just facing a barrage of questions about the supreme court when he wanted to focus on the economy today. did this just become a top priority? >> absolutely. sure president biden wanted to talk about build back better today. that's fine. for this particular president with a need to give something that is of great importance to his supporters, people who put him in office, particularly black women, this is an important moment, a moment they've been waiting for because democrats have been anxious about the seat and that promise is very, very important to the people who put biden in office an

kruger clerb edclerked for john stevens and acted in the obama administration. >> i think we tend to forget when we're in the outside world that really conversations about these very difficult cases are confined to a very small number of people. >> but a key endorsement could shift the focus to district court judge j. michelle childs of south carolina. congressman jim clyburn, critical in helping deliver the battleground state to biden in 2020, has endorsed childs. just last month, biden nominated childs to the u.s. court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit. the nomination does remain pending. >> i have a high regard and sincere appreciation for our legal system, which is the form of order in our court, in our democracy. >> other names floated include anita earls, associate justice of the supreme court of north carolina. judge mimi wright, who sits on minnesota's federal district court. judge eunice lee is a former new york public defender who biden nominated to the second circuit. judge candace jackson-akiwumi is an alumna of chicago's public defenders office, appointed

and i just give a head start to justice kruger. because of her age. and secondly she is just primed and ready to do this. that doesn't mean she's better than any of the other names that have been floated. i'm partial to california. >> thank you so much for your time. and insight. >> thank you. >> if you want to know more about the judges who are being considered to be the top contenders. head to our web site. or or app. click on the supreme court at the top of the page. >> up next wheels up. team usa on the way to the olympics. what happens when they arrive? we're getting our first look inside the olympic bubble of beijing. it's a rising trend on social media. private groups where everything is free. no strings attached. we give you the low down. this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and this is emmanuel, a future recording artist, and one of the millions of students we're connecting throughout the next 10. through projectup, comcast is committing $1 bil

another likely front-runner, 45-year-old leondra kruger, a justice on california's supreme court. kruger, a former justice department lawyer, has argued several cases before the u.s. supreme court. the white house tonight brushing off speculation that president biden might nominate vice president harris >> the president has every intention, as he said before, of running for re-election and running for re-election with vice president harris on the ticket as his partner. >> reporter: the pick will not change the balance of the conservative court but for president biden, with inflation soaring, his agenda stalled, and poll numbers sinking, it's a chance for a much needed political win >> peter, is the white house giving any indication about how quickly the president will move on a decision >> reporter: yeah, lester people familiar with the process tell nbc news that president biden will try to put forward a nominee quickly. it is something the president has thought about since before taking office. even during the transition, top advisers gave him formal presentation about the best p

you have supreme court justice kruger from california. but the difference between a michelle childs and many of the other justices on the court, say for amy coney barrett is that she doesn't have that harvard, yale pedigree. what she does, though, is bring that diversity from another perspective. university of south florida. university of south carolina school of law. simply saying that someone checked the box because they went to ivy league does not necessarily qualify them for the supreme court. we're looking for an entire plethora of experience. and judge childs brings all of that including her full self to the court. i will not knock any of these women. they all deserve to be on the court. however, there is something that needs to be said about that level of diversity by having someone who didn't just have that yale, harvard experience but actually had a maybe more full, diverse experience with their background and upbringing. >> scott, there's now going to be a huge political battle ahead of the midterms. how will republicans try to

and leondra kruger.-- the background of these women that would prevent them from being excellent jurists on the u.s. supreme court. only thing that is holding back any situation here for their as scent to the court is the fact that they are black and women and president biden mentioned that he was looking forward to nominating a black woman because there is this void that based on history and natural progression of things these women should have been looked upon as potential candidates and there are black women who have come forward during the obama administration too. so this is to the just a last minute political game that is being played. >> and christine, quickly, your thoughts on the potential nominees. >> yeah, i agree that some of the top choices are exceptionally well qualified. if you look to judge jackson, she has sterling dren shals. she credentials. and she was a clerk for justice breyer. and also leondra kruger has extensive experience. she also served in the solicitor general's office argui

you look at leondra kruger, she's 45.hat's someone who could have a very long career on the bench. >> it's a remarkable trend. but this has become a very real factor. the court that justice breyer joined was far less politicized, far less contentious. every one of the justices on the court he joined was unanimously confirmed by overwhelming margins. today it is different. they are highly polarized and the votes are quite contentious. that means the person who gets there needs to be there for a very long time because you don't necessarily know when the next appointment is going to come. and both parties from contributed to this. both parties are guilty of this. and at the end of the day, there was a time when the average distance between one appointment and the next was just two years. when justice breyer joined, it was 10 years before the chief justice roberts was appointed to the court. that has become part of the modern trend of appointments to the supreme court. >> irin, the difference in age between kruger and childs

california supreme court justice leondra kruger. also a former supreme court clerk, she has argued a dozen cases before the justices. and u.s. district court judge j. michelle childs, a federal judge in south carolina who has been nominated to the d.c. circuit. she's a favorite among high- profile lawmakers. breyer's retirement marks a full-circle moment for the president, who presided over the justice's confirmation to the supreme court in 1994. >> i was proud and grateful to be there at the start of this distinguished career in the supreme court. and i'm very proud to be her today. >> reporter: the nomination will be one of the most consequential choices of biden's presidency. getting a democrat on the court, and notably, a woman of color, could reinvigorate a necessary voting base ahead of november's midterm elections. for the pbs newshour, i'm geoff bennett. >> woodruff: as we saw, the president was clear on his >> woodruff: it is not known exactly when president biden will select his supreme court nominee, but the senate confir

california sreme court justice leondra kruger, also a former u.s.upreme court clerk, she has argued a dozen cases in federal court. and u.s. federal judge j. michelle childs of south carolina, who has been nominated to the d.c. circuit of appeals. she's a favorite of south carolina congressman james clyburn. the house majority whip who was instrumental in biden's win. breyer's retirement also marks a full circle moment for the president, who chaired the senate judiciary committee during breyer's 1994 confirmation. pres. biden: i was proud and grateful to be there at the start of this diinguished career on the supreme court. and i'm very proud to be here today. geoff: the nomination will be one of the most consequential choices of biden's presidency and could offer him a political lifeline ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, breyer's retirement giving the president a chance to nominate his first supreme court justice, a history-making selection, while reinforcing the high court's liberal minority. for the "pbs newshour," i'm geoff bennett in washing

and also, that was judge khatami brown jackson and also california supreme court justice leandra kruger. but yes, they are progressive, one appointed by obama and to your point, ideologically, yes, they are further to the left than breyer. however breyer's jurisprudence was incredibly progressive frankly, he was in no way a swing but vote by any means and i think filling that position would definitely be a square with a square, if you chose someone in that ideological event. we call as well that as we let up to this moment there was a respectful distance frankly that many in the democratic party, including and especially the president, were giving justice breyer. however we know that we are calling people to retire and fear and concern that they would miss that vote, however this president maintained a distance and he committed to, he said, filling the federal court vacancies in the lower systems. he has filled over 70 positions among them, now justice jackson of the d.c. circuit court. so i think what was interesting is this president played at safety by letting justice breyer make thi

he is more of what the w i chose europe, director hands. kruger had to say 50 of the 50 countries in europe and central asia have no reported cases of ami chrome. it is quickly becoming the dominant virus in western europe and this no spreading into the balkans. at this rate, the institute for health metrics and evaluation forecasts that more than 50 percent of the population in region will be infected with a microphone in the next $6.00 to $8.00. let's go to washington, d. c and speak to epidemiologist, doctor eric phi golding, doctor, it's great to have you back on t w with her today that more than half of europeans will likely get infected with on the chrome in the next 6 to 8 weeks. what should people here do with the stipend, like that? do they just need to sit back and accept the inevitable? why think, sitting back and doing nothing is actually really risky. what they need to go out and get the booster. what they need to do is where and 95 for f, a p 2 f, a t p 3 mass. what they need to do is ventilate their building, their school office. what they need to do is disinfect the a

and actually the only graduate from hbcu, and then kruger, harvard graduate who's been on the conferencereme court for a little bit. we have four black female nominees very interesting candidates. i think inside baseball for suggesting it might be brown because she was elevated and we will see. i do think judge hall up in brooklyn. >> todd: is there anything in the list at the top people in jurisprudence or in their writings that really concerns you? >> look come i think what you can expect from this administration, something that fits the mold appear they are looking for a sound liberal to replace stephen breyer. i think what conservatives are going to want is apply the law fairly in the case before them. so i think we are more likely to see support of people who have a background that they feel like they can trust. and these judges have been on the district court before so they have a long record of trying cases that include judge brown, judge chai old, the judge hall pier that will be the debate. the actual cases they decide and for those judges a significant history to look back on.

another possible pick is california supreme court justice leondra kruger. california supreme court is exactly like the u.s. supreme court, except all of their opinions come with avocado. ( laughter ) it's delicious. a little lime juice. justice kruger is a yale law school grad, who was acting deputy solicitor general in the obama administration, and twice received the attorney general's award for exceptional service, the department's highest award for employee performance. yes, even higher than the f.b.i.'s clean plate club. ( laughter ) another popular contender is south carolina federal district court judge j. michelle childs. i think she has a good chance, because the j. stands for justice. ( applause ) i'm sorry. and, i'm being told it stands for julianna. still a lo name. hende biden picks, senate majority leader chuck schumer predicted the confirmation process would take place swiftly and that a biden nominee will be confirmed with "all deliberate speed." and if chuck schumer is known for anything, it's lightning speed. (as schumer) "we are committed

justice kruger is on the california supreme court. they have a lot of unanimous rulings.ldn't want to draw distinctions that i'm not ready to draw yet. i haven't had the chance because justice breyer's retirement happened so recently, to really dive in and start drawing distinctions. i think it's a good point, you know, because justices with similar qualifications who appear relatively similar on their face can still reach different conclusions. and two of president trump's nominees i think are good example of that. you have justice neil gorsuch and justice brett kavanaugh, both conservative judges, and in many cases will vote the same way, they went to the same high school even, but don't always vote the same way. in some cases, for example, the decision in the supreme court about whether or not federal employment discrimination laws protect lgbtq employees reached different decisions based on the text of the statute. you can't always assume that two people, even when they appear to have relatively similar qualifications, are going to vote the same way. i'm not quite to

justice kruger is on the california supreme court. they have a lot of unanimous rulings. wouldn't want to draw distinctions that i'm not ready to draw yet. i haven't had the chance because justice breyer's retirement happened so recently, to really dive in and start drawing distinctions. i think it's a good point, you know, because justices with similar qualifications who appear relatively similar on their face can still reach different conclusions. and two of president trump's nominees i think are good example of that. you have justice neil gorsuch and justice brett kavanaugh, both conservative judges, and in many cases will vote the same way, they went to the same high school even, but don't always vote the same way. in some cases, for example, the decision in the supreme court about whether or not federal employment discrimination laws protect lgbtq employees reached different decisions based on the text of the statute. you can't always assume that two people, even when they appear to have relatively similar qualifications, are going to vote the same way. i'm not quite

circuit court judge ketanji brown jackson, leondra kruger and j. michelle childs.hal, a member of the senate judiciary committee. senator, thanks for joining us. the president said he will listen to senators from both parties on their suggestions and advice. have you heard from the white house about meeting with the president? >> nothing about meeting with the president, jake, but i deeply respect their willingness to reach out to us and seek our views. i know they're seeking views from a variety of jurists and experts and litigators. but, you know, i'd be remiss, jake, if i failed to acknowledge, i think it's important that we really appreciate justice breyer's extraordinary service to our nation. you know, he was a thinker and a scholar on the court, still is. but one who knew how to fashion realistic solutions in a deeply divided court to try to bring the court together. and he also understood the real world consequences of seemingly very abstract decisions. and i'm hoping that president biden will be consulting real people, so to speak. i believe that he'll be

judge brown jackson and judge kruger have been brought up. the dr regulat haspprod the use of the viral pill to treat c 19. the european medical agency gave the -- give approval to this drug. this oil spill will take at least five more days to clear. delete from an undersea pipeline began tuesday and was eventually stopped a day later. the government's expense -- is examining the impact of the leak. there has been a fresh oil leak at a refinery. owned by the spanish energy giant. it comes as a country grapples with a massive oil triggered by the volcanic eruption in the south pacific ocean. they are taking part in a unique campaign to tackle the mess. >> cleanup crews in peru racing to contain the oil spill. a painstaking task. in land, a call to action has residents lambing up to donate their locks. it turns out hair of all kinds is an excellent oil absorber. hairstylist in the 1990's. the strands are collected and stuffed into sausage like buoys off the coast. they have contaminated more than 20 beaches in peru and people are willing to sac

kruger, de 45 aÑos quien sirve en la corte suprema de california desde 2014. desde 2010 en carolina del sur. carolina: un tema bastante importante para todo el paÍs. mientras tanto y cambiando de tema se aproxima una eventual bomba ciclÓnica al noroeste del paÍs con temperaturas congelantes. tambiÉn esperamos vientos huracanados. grandes acumulaciones de nieve y en el mar o las peligrosas. nos acompaÑa el jefe de meteorologÍa albert martÍnez para decirnos cuÁndo se espera. albert: este viernes en la noche, madrugada del sÁbado serÁ el momento en que estos 30 millones de personas estarÁn amenazados por este sistema invernal. se intensificarÁ durante la noche del viernes al sÁbado. las lÍneas por eso estÁn tan juntas y mire sobre la carretera y la costa la lluvia se queda en el agua, lo bueno es que el domingo habrÁ terminado todo. son vientos de tormenta tropical los que estarÁn en el norte eso puede arrancar Árboles, tendido elÉctrico y muchos se podrÁn quedar a oscuras. hay todavÍa mucha incertidumbre sobre la cantidad de nieve. empieza el viernes, lluvia en

and judge kruger is on state supreme court. and even though she has extensive background in being an advocate in the supreme court and in the federal courts, the decisions she makes right now and for the last six years or so have been about state court matters. so, i think you have to presume that either of these one way or the other are going to be to the left of what a republican nominee would be. but i don't think either of them is considered some sort of flame thrower either. they would, if confirmed, the three liberal justices. but there is a big range to liberal. just like there is a big range to conservative. >> it's a great point. can you pull back the curtain a little bit, nina. what is happening behind the scenes as it relates to the moment between now and a month from now. end of february when the president says he will make this selection. as pete notes a lot of the leg work has been done here. what's the process over the next four weeks? >> the president said he will consult members from both sides of the aisle. so

leondra kruger who sits on the california supreme court. she has a lot of friends in the obama administration. she served in the solicitor general's office. and another judge who is up for the d.c. circuit. michelle childs. you're going to hear other names come up in the next couple days because people will push for their favorites. a lot of people are looking at the fact if he moves quickly, he could do so with ketanji brown jackson there. >> we'll see what happens. that will be very, very quick indeed. thank you. there's more news we're following including new details emerging of a written response by the united states. as fears of an imminent russian invasion are growing. we'll get from ned price who is standing by live. until, energizer ultimate lithium. who wants a cupcake? the number one longest-lasting aa battery. yay! case closed. i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. crest advanced gum restore. detoxifies below the gumline... and restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. crest.

pointed out that elections have consequences the three names that kayla just mentioned, jackson, kruger and childs, are currently seen as most likelyto be on the short list as for the confirmation process, the most recent nominee, amy coney barrett was processed in just 27 days the historical average is closer to 6 days. it will be up to democrats to decide based on the fragility of their majority how quickly to move this. >> sahil kapur, thank you. katy, justice breyer seen by so many as the court's chief pragmatist is that what the court is losing here >> they are, and the court is going to shift dramatically. he's been on the court for almost three decades losing the senior-most member of the liberal wing and one of the most senior justices on the court is going to shift not only the full court but what the liberal wing looks like. and justice sonia sotomayor will shift the liberal wing and how they express themselves. >> the nominee obviously won't change the balance on the court. between picking a liberal or a centrist, what does the president have to weigh there? >> the president

. >> reporter: among those mentioned, judge katana ji jackson and leon dra kruger. clerks who served with them were often given advice based on instructions they got from their first job. >> when there was an issue, he would say, work it out, go work it out. >> i'm delighted from a family point of view that now he'll be able to spend more time with family and doing other things. >> justice breyer has a wealth of experience and public service. he attended lowell high school and went to stanford in 1955. after that, he went on to oxforded university. he continued as an assistant special prosecutor in the watergate scandal and was appointed in 1980, a position he maintained until being appointed to the bench by president clinton. >>> our positivity rate is dipping as well. our positivity rate is just below 19%. two weeks ago we were close to 23%. the state adding more than 87,000 cases. that may seem like a high number, but two weeks ago we had 130 cases added that day. bay area health departments are on high alert after two cases of the omicron sub variant were detect

court of appeals, leondra kruger, leslie abrams gardener, j. michelle childs, of course, a favorite of representative clyburn. do you have a favorite? >> i was called when word was spread around. i asked how closely is the president to choosing a nominee. he said he's not made his mind up, at that point a few days ago. i'll trust his judgment on this. i don't want to put the finger on the scale for any of the nominees. i think there are some extraordinary talent there. going back to the point i made earlier, for these african american women to have reached the level of success they have reached, they are extraordinary people. they've been put to the test. they are the first in many instances of their race and gender to be in this position. that extraordinary talent i think should be taken into consideration on a favorable side. >> i also want to ask you about reform of the electoral college act and the possibilities for bipartisan reform there. you talked to susan collins about the president's nominee for the supreme court. what about electoral

. >> the president's short list includes detan gee brown jackson and leondra kruger and michelle childs. if you want to know more about state supreme court justice kruger or the other judges, head to nbcbayarea.com or our nbc bay area app. just click on supreme court at the top of the page. >>> breaking news this morning, right now out of pittsburgh, pennsylvania, that's where there's been a bridge collapse. the city's mayor there says that a bus went over the bridge, you can see a picture here that we have for you. three people on board were hurt and all are expected to be okay. now, first responders are still at the scene right now, but apparently there are no fatalities. want to give you a live look at that site this morning. the mayor says the crash caused a gas leak. the gas is now turned off and all comes with president biden set to visit the city today to talk about his infrastructure plan. >>> 6:06 this morning. coit tower, lit up for the 49ers for that big game this weekend. let's go 49ers. oh, yes, and let's go with a good forecast in the bay area. meteorologist vianey arana,

leondra kruger. she clerked for justice stephens, she's 45 and was a justice during the obama administration, arguing a dozen cases before the supreme court. and jamie childs. she's 55 and close to jim clyburn. >> she's got a bachelor's degree from university of south florida, she has a doctorate from the university of south carolina, from university of law. she's thoroughly southern. >> now a vote that requires the senate will give him months of party rules on voting rights and build back better. while some conservatives would like to take a hard approach -- >> the irony is that the supreme court is, at the same time, hearing cases about this sort of affirmative racial discrimination, and while adding someone who is a beneficiary of this sort of quota. >> without votes to block the nomination, most republicans are signaling they will stay focused on high prices. >> rampant inflation. incredible inflation. >> a 40-year high in the united states. >> when you don't change people's lives, people get ups

court and leondra kruger.e under consideration, michelle childs, a federal judge from south carolina. joining me is capitol hill correspondent garrett haake and tam tam meek co-brown is a professor from harvard law school and the author of the book "civil rights queen" on the struggle for equality. thank you for being with me. garrett, walk us through the process. what does it look like? how soon can the senate confirm the new justice? >> reporter: the modern record is pretty recent, amy coney barrett in just 27 days. they will say they want to move as quickly as they can. once the president makes the nomination, we'll see the nominee up on the hill starting to drop by particularly focused on the judiciary committee. we'll likely get a couple of days of hearings with the nominee before they vote, then a final vote on the senate floor. all of this will be very tight in a 50/50 senate and an evenly divided judiciary committee. whether they can pick off any republican votes will be one of the big story lines we'l

there's leandra kruger. she was born in l.a. area in pasadena. another possible replacement, u.s. circuit court judge ka tan ji brown jackson. she's currently at the court of appeals at the district of columbia and she also served as a law clerk to justice breyer. and vice president kamala harris. >> that's got the buzz everywhere. you think why? the vice president, 57 years old, former u.s. senator obviously, attorney general of the state. it could be a choice, a tradeoff. do you stay as vp if you're nominated or do you take that slot on the supreme court where i could be impacting the nation for the next 20, 30, 40 years. that's a tough one. >> it's going to be very interesting. the senate has already said they want to get on this asap before june. it also should be noted that president biden has said when he was campaigning for president that he wants to nominate, if he had the opportunity, a black woman to be on the supreme court, which leads us to that list of candidates. >>> moving on, we get it, adults can choose whether or not they want to get vaccinated and boosted. but w

potential candidates include california supreme jordan justice, leondra kruger, federal appeals court judge, ketanji brown jackson, and appeals court judge candace and also j. michelle childs. >> we asked what would come for his brother. >> he loves to cook and he loves to write and he loves to draw so i think he will be pretty busy. >> it does sound like. he said his brother will likely return to massachusetts where he spent most of his adult life. >>> still ahead and streaming on cbs news area, three days ahead of the nfc championship, we sit down one-on-one with san francisco's mayor and why she says she is better. >> a classy move by thousands of chase fans and how they think the buffalo bills for one of the most exciting playoff games in team history. >> we can be excited about blue skies over the bay area and the haze over the horizon the past few days has thinned out significantly. we will look at how it looks on thno >>> g r the winter olympics. they left la earlier today, and they are doing everything they can to avoid contracting covid. athletes must record to negative test

california supreme court justice leondra kruger and michelle childs, who has a backing of jim clyburn, who spoke about her earlier to the "the washington post" >> i have been discussing michelle childs with the president and his people now for, i guess, at least 13 months. she has, what i call, the kind of background and experiences that we ought to have. i am very, very concerned that we pick on this elitest kind of atmosphere when we pretend the only way you can demonstrate qualifications is to go to certain schools. well, i don't think that's right. >> melissa, he's advocating for a south carolina federal judge. do you think that's dispositive with this white house? >> i don't know if it's dispositive. i would like to push back on representative clyburn's view that own lee the quality of one's school projects a diversity at the court. in fact, all three of these perspective nominees have very diverse work experiences. judge jackson was a public defender before becoming a judge. justice kruger would be the first justice to have state court experience since david suitor and sandra da

the other name i'm hearing a lot of people mention is leandra kruger.on the california supreme court. she has a reputation of being more conservative not in the sense that she is a republican but just very cautious, very committed to precedent, very committed to making incremental change. and so i think like the choice that biden's got to make here is whoever he nominates has got to be in the minority. they're going to be writing a lot of dissents. if uwant somebody to plant a flag what the law should be in that opinion do you want someone like judge jackson or do you want someone who may be able to find some common ground with the republicans who control the court? and in that case you might want someone more like justice kruger. >> unlike when breyer was actually confirmed you no longer need a supreme court majority to appoint supreme court justices thanks to mitch mcconnell. if democrats actually stick together and they don't need republican support, do you think any senator will cross the aisle and support biden's nominee, or do you think there may

appeals court judge ketanji jackson and leondra kruger. clerk whose served with him were often given vice from former senator ted kennedy. >> when we were working on an opinion and there was an issue we trying to hash out, he would say work it out. work it out. >> breyer is a graduate and native of california and his older brother hopes to see him more. >> i hope he spends more time in california. that's hardly a sentence. >>> up next, nearly $40 billion. governor newsom lays out a plan to battle climate change. the reason he made the announcement right in silicon valley. >>> san jose passed its new gun ordinance and it didn't take long for opponents to lay out how they plan to fight it. >>> i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. a beautiful night across the bay. i'll show you what's up for tomorrow morning and the latest on our pollen and air quality. i'll have that for you in about seven minutes. this is elodia. she's a recording artist. 1 of 10 million people that comcast has connected to affordable internet in the last 10 years. and thi

someone like leondra kruger. appointed by jerry brown in 2014, she has connection. in this case, it's from the state supreme court. here's another one that some people talked about. an outsider. cherilyn ifill, the legal defense fund hid. that's someone that was filled by thurgood marshall. time magazine last year described her as one of the 100-most influential people in the world. obviously, she's got some cashe. and kamala harris. you say why? the vice president 57 years old, attorney general in this state. it could be a tradeoff, if you will. do you stay vp if you're nominated and say i'm going to stay here, or you say no, i'll take that slot if i get it where i can be impacting the nation for the next 20, 30, 40 year. that's a tough one. it's a name we cannot run away from at this moment. >> surely a lot will be unfolding in the coming weeks. appreciate your time. >>> and nightly continues continues our coverage on the sudden retirement. pete williams will take a look at breyer's legacy as one of the three remaining liberal justices on the bench coming up at 6:

we started to hear about ketanji brown jackson and leondra kruger. >> i have to ask about the oddness, i don't know if it's odd, but judge childs is going to be in a confirmation hearing while potentially interviewing for another judgeship here, right? how unique is that? >> yeah. that is very unusual. you know, there have been some pretty quick turnarounds of people who got on a court of appeals and then found themselves having to figure out how to get to the supreme court to go to work after very little experience on the bench. you know, john roberts wasn't on the appeals court that long, amy coney barrett wasn't, so there could be some relatively quick turnarounds. that would be unusual. speaking of unusual, its unusual for a supreme court justice to hand deliver his letter of retirement, which is what we understand justice breyer did today. it's not unprecedented. we think justice kennedy did the same thing and so did harry blackmon, but usually when justices retire, they dispatch their letters down to the white house, so this is somewhat unusual but understandable in the current

. >> among the contenders, ketanji brown jackson, leondra kruger. jackson, a former breyer law clerk 51 and twice confirmed by the senate including once by this senate. >> i'm not ejecting my personal views, i'm evenhandedly applying the law. >> leondra krueger a justice on california's supreme court, and clerked for john paul stevens, 45, a deputy in the solicitor general's office during the obama administration arguing a dozen cases before the supreme court. >> and mi sheld childs a federal judge in south carolina, recently nominated to the court of appeals for the dc circuit, 55 and clerked with jim clyburn. >> she's got a bachelor's degree from university of south florida, she has a doctorate she has a jurisdoctorate from the university of south carolina, from duke university. she's thoroughly southern. >> now a vote that requires the senate will give him months of party rules on voting rights and build back better. while some conservatives would like to take an aggressive approach -- >> this is a hard woke left administration. >> the irony is t

supreme court justice leondra kruger reporting in washington reshad hudson. >> justice briar is a san francisco native who attended ball high school and stanford university and today low with least a statement congratulating justice briar on his time on the nation's highest court. here's part of the statement. the lowell alumni association congratulates justice steven briar, lowell high school class of 1955. on it. exemplary career in public service. he is an inspiration to countless low alumni and san franciscans. we are immensely grateful. i'm proud of his long commitment to justice fairness and the rule of law and briars retirement will give president joe biden his first court pick. but is there a way that the president's nominee could be blocked from joining the court kron four's noelle bellow spoke with a constitutional law expert and has the side of the story from us. she is here live in the newsroom. good good afternoon, justine short answer to that last question. it's highly unlikely a nominee from the president will be blocked on like when president obama nominated merrick ga

circuit judge ketanji brown-jackson, leondra kruger and j. but it is not just judges. prominent civil rights lawyer is reportedly being considered as well. with me now is senior editor and legal correspondent, also someone who knows everything supreme court. so dahlia -- don't make that face. you do. i know you. >> i'm just going to cop to that right now. >> very funny comment from ken. i like that. all right. let's talk about these -- who is on the short list. yet we talked about ketanji brown-jackson. who else is on the list? >> i think she stays at the top for a lot of people because it is an easy lift because, as you just heard, three republicans voted under a year ago to confirm her. and so it's tough to make the case that she wouldn't get bipartisan support. and i think right under her are california supreme court justice leondra kruger who is a strong candidate. and district judge j. michelle childs who has a relationship in some sense to this only because representative james clybourn from south carolina who really pressed biden durin

for example, one leading contender, california supreme court justice leondra kruger. >> i think we have a crew. there is absolutely fantastic. i think she would be great on the supreme court and i would applaud president biden if you were to nominate her. i think she would be confirmed. she is a moderate. she is not a a radical left. progressive type. she's a moderate democrat. she's got experience in front of the supreme court. she's obviously been on the california supreme court now for a number of years. so she'd be great. >> others on the shortlist. >> there are other nominees. there's a judge in dc who is also talented and has a lot of claim. and she clerked for justice briar. that particular judge could time g jackson there's a judge in south carolina has been nominated for the appellate court down there has said. and as melissa mary melissa mary used a black woman who used to be the dean at berkeley, she is now in new york. >> court followers have also mention naacp legal defense fund professor sherrilyn eyeful little says with bryars early announcement he plans to leave after th

one of the names is justice kruger. she is one of the youngest justice ever appointed to the california supreme court. she's argued 12 cases before the court and served in the jstice department under both parties. she's more moderate. it may help her case in getting this. we will have to see. >> we will be watching for that. we should get news coming up fairly soon. house speaker. and, nancy pelosi, has announced she will seek another term. >> she is 81. >> room for another younger generation to come up? >> a debate in the democratic party for years. in some ways it's a surprise that she promised this would be her last term as speaker. it's pretty impressive anyone would stay on in congress after the leadership role. however, i don't think she wants to make herself a lame duck. she's helping other members with their fundraiser. one thing to keep in mind is she can retire or resign at any point. even sworn in for a new term. this puts the speculation locally who might run for the seat. it give her some strength heading i

for example, one leading contender, california supreme court justice leondra kruger. >> i think we have a crew. there is absolutely fantastic. i think she would be great on the supreme court and i would applaud president biden if you were to nominate her. i think she would be confirmed. she is a moderate. she is not a a radical left. progressive type. she's a moderate democrat. she's got experience in front of the supreme court. she's obviously been on the california supreme court now for a number of years. so she'd be great. >> others on the shortlist. >> there are other nominees. there's a judge in dc who is also talented and has a lot of claim. and she clerked for justice briar. that particular judge could time g jackson there's a judge in south carolina has been nominated for the appellate court down there has said. and as melissa mary melissa mary used a black woman who used to be the dean at berkeley, she is now in new york. >> court followers have also mention naacp legal defense fund professor sherrilyn eyeful little says with bryars early announcement he plans to leave after th

ketanji brown jackson, leandra reid kruger of california, and michelle child's of south carolina.y potential nominee that the white house has publicly acknowledged being under consideration is childs. south carolina senator lindsey graham joins us from clemson, south carolina this morning. good morning to you, senator. >> good morning. >> brennan: as you know, coming up on this program, congressman jim clyburn has said repeatedly in interviews that south carolina federal district judge, michelle childs is not only someone he likes, but that both south carolina senators will support her. so he is talking about you. did you tell him you're a yes vote on childs? >> here is what i will tell him and the nation: i can't think of a better person for president biden to consider for the supreme court than michelle childs. she is considered to be a fair-minded, highly-gifted jurist. she is one of the most decent people i have ever met. it would be good for the court to have somebody who is not at harvard or yale. she is a graduate of the university of south california. a public education ba