leigh ann caldwell and garrett haake are with me. we are going to be in senate gridlock, leigh ann, for a while as the days wind down, and the issue of the $2,000 may very much be held hostage to the veto override or vice-versa. >> that's right. these two issues are absolutely now connected. mcconnell has a choice, does he let the stimulus issue die and let the veto override process go up until saturday, the amount of time it takes, that's a day before a new congress is seated? or does mcconnell try to give his members who need, perhaps, a vote on the stimulus bill down in georgia, some sort of vote on that? there is a lot of questions and a lot of unknown answers at this point, andrea. the story is not over yet in the senate. >> better you than i up there on capitol hill today, leigh ann. thanks so much for all of that. garrett, you know the hill as well as anybody and you're down there with the president who is probably out on the golf course and not watching this and worrying about it but there will be an impact in georgia where th

leigh ann caldwell, the day started so promising. what happened? >> reporter: it sure did, lindsey. then the same issue that has been a sticking point for about 24 to 48 hours just will not go away. senate republicans held a conference call at 1:00 where senate majority leader mitch mcconnell told his members that he is standing behind the republican position and that is what is blocking some sort of deal. democrats and republicans can't agree on what is called the toomey provision introduced by pat toomey, a republican of pennsylvania. democrats say it has nothing to even do with covid relief and it will tie the hands of the next -- the biden administration to lend and help the economy. what it does is it closes all doors for the federal reserve and the treasury department to reopen any sort of lending program, one that was created during the current pandemic that's supposed to expire at the end of the year. so, you know, this is a $900 billion bill. there's a lot of provisions in here to help people who are struggling, the unemployed, people who are threatening, getting kicked out

joining me is nbc's leigh ann caldwell. i saw the headlines moving overnight, leigh ann, what's happened? >> reporter: hey, ali. there does seem to be some pretty good news on capitol hill. we've been hearing for days that a deal is within reach. finally this morning we can say a deal is actually within reach. the reason is democrats came to an agreement with senator pat toomey, republican of pennsylvania, who was demanding some language regarding a federal reserve lending program, something that is just tangentially related to covid and does not have a lot of impact on people, but they got through that impasse late last night, and that is paving the way for all of the other details to fall into place. and so that is some potentially very good news for americans struggling to make ends meet, people who are on the verge of losing their unemployment insurance, on the verge of being kicked out of their home because the eviction moratorium is coming to an end at the end of the day month. that's also very good news for vaccine di

let me go to leigh ann caldwell.ook, janet yellen, that looks like -- i don't think there's anything as unanimous anymore in our polarized politics but janet yellen looks like somebody that can get half the republicans to vote for her, minimum, given there's many of those republicans that voted for her before. to confirm her as chair of the federal reserve. i guess the question is, and republicans already decided to single out neera tanden, a, why is that and, b, is that a reflection? if that's the fight they're going to pick, that means everybody else they're happy with? >> well, republicans are also in a very difficult position because they are not even acknowledging many of them are not acknowledging that joe biden is the president-elect. and then they're on capitol hill being asked to respond to joe biden's nominees. so there's some of the senators who are keeping their powders dry saying they will cross that bridge in january. they are talking about the senators john thune and senator blunt, both members of lead

>> leigh ann caldwell, thank you. steve patterson out in california, the idea of more relief needed in that state, the idea of a second vaccine, most certainly needed in that state especially for these front line workers working the 12-hour days, 12 days straight as california is dealing with its most deadly surge yet in this virus. >> reporter: the front line workers are overworked, they're overstressed not just because they're working long shifts but the nurses are working long shifts treating two or three or four patients, acute care nurses, with ratios that are way out of whack. this is not sustainable for these nurses. in fact there's a nursing organization of about 2,400 that threatened to strike by christmas eve. of course it is good news that there may be a new vaccine on the way. the governor described it is finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but he also describes that light as just a speck. we are deep in the darkness. one out of every 80 residents here in l.a. county has covid. the ratios agai

joining us now, nbc news correspondent leigh ann caldwell. leigh ann, good morning. where to start. it's kind of amazing, the long list of nonsense and troubling stories that we have to deal with on this friday morning with one week to go until the christmas holidays, but why don't we start with the covid relief package? walk us through what we know about what happened yesterday, how the president was or wasn't involved. i mean, we all woke up on thursday morning and thought, okay, we're going to have a deal by the end of the day, and we had some grim faces by the afternoon. >> yeah. well, the good news, kasie, is that everyone has publicly said that they want some sort of deal. so it's going to be really difficult for people to walk away from it at this point. so, that is really what is motivating people and getting people to continue to work through these issues. but the problem is, the longer that this takes, the more difficult it becomes. people tried to add more priorities into this bill, set more parameters or guide science into this legislation, and it's becoming quite diffic

for more on where things stand, we are joined by nbc news correspondent leigh ann caldwell. leigh ann, you have been tracking this all week, minute to minute, and it does feel like, while on monday, we were pretty optimistic that this week could be the week, we are right back where we started five days later as they still are negotiating how to get this done. i know nancy pelosi said they're going to stick around until they do it, but what is the path forward, in your view and according to your reporting at this point? >> so, kasie, i have one source who is involved in these negotiations and told me yesterday they are just stuck on this issue of liability. and i have a second source who is always optimistic, but then they admitted yesterday that they get their heart broken every single day because they're just -- they just cannot reach an agreement, especially on this issue of liability. you know, i'm told that there's a lot of progress, and they have come, figured out how to work this issue of state and local funding, you know, money for firefighters and teachers and first r

we begin with nbc news correspondent leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill. leigh ann, this was very touch-and-go, just about until you came on air. what do we know about this deal? >> reporter: hey, alicia. so, it has been about 270 days since congress last acted regarding covid relief. that's when the cares act was passed. now we're five days before christmas, on a sunday night, and congressional leaders have announced finally that they have reached an agreement on about a $900 billion new version, new covid relief bill. so what sort of relief are americans going to get? so unemployment is going to be extended. and the jobless will also receive an additional $300 a week in a federal unemployment benefit. small businesses, there's going to be about $300 billion in small business loans. there's money for vaccine distribution, as well. and of course, there's direct payments for those who are eligible at around $600 a person and for children, as well. now, many lawmakers say that this is not enough. there are many on the right -- or on the left, and even some on

nbc's leigh ann caldwell is on capitol hill where lawmakers are continuing to hash out those criticalef talks stand at this hour and what does mitch mcconnell object to? >> reporter: hey, ayman, it is like a broken record. the same issues playing lawmakers, this issue of liability protection and the issue of funding for state and local governments, like firefighters, police officers, teachers. majority leader mcconnell sending strong signals that any sort of deal on those two issues in particular are not going to be able to get the support of the entire senate or the entire republican conference. so is mcconnell just being the christmas grinch or is he being a realist? looking at the facts, this bipartisan group of negotiatof have been working day and night on these two issues in particular. they have agreements on everything else. but they have a lot of people they have to please. they have to please republicans, democrats, mcconnell, pelosi, trial lawyers who have a big stake here, the business community like the chamber of commerce, they're trying to get support from them as well.

garrett haake is with the president in florida in leigh ann caldwell is on capitol hill. leigh ann, i want to ask you a big question that hopefully you can answer which is, what is going to happen today with the senate? >> oh, yasmin, i so wish i could answer that question outright and tell you exactly what was going to happen. here's what we do know. there's a lot of moving parts. the senate is going to open the floor today at 12:00 noon, shortly after which we should hear from senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. the big question is what does mcconnell say, especially regarding this $2,000 stimulus check because he has kind of a big decision to make. is he going to let the senate vote on this legislation or is he going to allow his members or is he himself going to block it because what we do know is senate democratic leader chuck schumer is going to try to pass that $2,000 stimulus check bill, but what we call around here by unanimous consent. but if any one senator blocks it, then the deal is done. and we are expecting some republicans to do so. but things are going

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leigh ann caldwell is on capitol hill.onnell at his press conference this afternoon. is he going to voice support for one of these, potentially both of these. are we making real progress is the bottom line? >> reporter: hey, chris. those are all the questions. what we do a lot around is read the tea leaves. they're telling us there's at least a willingness to want to get something done. the question is what those congressional leaders going to do about it. the fact is there's really just one game in town. that's these two proposals released by this bipartisan group of negotiators. they separated the controversial from the non-controversial. $750 billion of things people agree on. separate from that is the $160 billion in state and local funding and this liability protection for people who get covid and want to see an employer or a business. also, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is indicating he seems okay with moving forward without this liability protection which is a reversal from something he's been saying for mo

we've got so many from kelly o'donnell, leigh ann caldwell from capitol hill. chief correspondent at the "the new york times" peter baker. and "the new york times" washington correspondent and msnbc national security contributor michael schmidt. michael, i'm going to start with you because i just saw that you and maggie haberman posted a new article about half an hour ago on "the new york times" called "a president unhappy, unleashed and unpredictable." and apparently talked to more than a dozen current and former administration officials. some of this most loyal aides, advisers, you write, are deeply concerned. so given everything we've seen loafer the last 24 hours, give us the big picture. what do the people closest to president trump right now think they're dealing with? >> well, i think they're dealing with someone who is not necessarily hearing from all of his aides about the consequences that he could pace for everything. something that came through in the reporting was that earlier in the presidency, when trump was wanting to do something that was eithe

msnbc correspondent leigh ann caldwell has the latest for us. leag leigh ann, good morning to you. to getting aid to the american people and businesses? >> hey, kendis. so it is some good news. we have been hearing for days that a deal is within reach. well, finally, a deal is within reach. and that's because overnight, lawmakers, democrats got through this major, major impasse that republican senator pat toomey over this federal reserve lending program for the pandemic that was supposed to expire at the end of the year. now that they have gotten through that major hurdle, all the other items are expected to fall into place very, very quickly. and what happens next? well, the house of representatives, they could vote as early as 1:00 p.m. today, that is the earliest. and then the senate will follow suit. but don't hold me to that timeline, because we have not seen legislation yet. so they are working furiously to get that out. and then, they have a few more, just logistical, congressional-related semantics that they have to deal with. so by the end of today, this could head to the

nbc news capitol hill correspondent leigh ann caldwell. nbc news presidential historian michael beschloss. leigh ann, let me begin with you. what are the democrats and republicans planning on doing next? >> reporter: well, ayman, there does seem to be some sort of showdown in the senate over the stimulus checks right now. senate democratic leader chuck schumer tried to pass additional $2,000 stimulus bill that passed the house last night on the senate floor, but it was blocked by senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. mitch mcconnell said in statements on the floor that he hinted at, perhaps, he might bring up a $2,000 stimulus check bill, but he would, perhaps, tie it with the president's other priorities of some changes to section 230 that deals with social media companies and something that deals with alleged voter fraud as well, but he kept his intentions extremely vague. so where things go now from here, it's all up to mcconnell, but he is seeing a little bit more pressure from members of his own party. his two senators from georgia w

nbc's leigh ann caldwell is on capitol hill. monica alba is following president trump in florida. also with us, politico senior writer jake sherman, an msnbc contributor, and former florida republican congressman carlos carbello, also an msnbc political analyst. leigh ann, let me start with you. the news has just been unfolding there over the course of the last hour with mcconnell on the floor. and we walked folks through a little bit of what played out, but it suggests to me that he knows just what a bind he is in. the suggestion is that he may try to combine different issues that the president talked about to make it harder for democrats to vote in favor of those checks that they overwhelmingly supported in the house of representatives. what's your take on what we saw unfold today, and what happens next? >> so, kasie, what we saw unfold was that mcconnell wants to be sure that he has control of this process. he did not want a unanimous consent attempt by the democratic leader chuck schumer to pass. he wants to do any sort of vote on the stimulus checks on his own terms, if he de

leigh ann caldwell, thank you. joining me is the secretary of the pennsylvania department of health, dr. rachel levine. you're worried, doctor, this is not going to have enough money, or you're not going to have enough money to distribute this vaccine. explain your concerns. >> sure. so, "operation warp speed" to develop the vaccines cost 10 or more billion dollars. it looks like this is going to be successful. we have one vaccine now and hopefully another coming next week. however, $340 million has been distributed to the states as well as the territories and big cities that are tasked with distributing and administering the vaccine. that's about $1 per person in the united states and clearly insufficient. so the states are asking for more funding to be able to accomplish our mission. >> so what happens if you don't get the funding? >> well, we have enough money to start. we have enough -- vaccines are being given in pennsylvania today, so we have enough money to start our program, but this is going to be a long-t

leigh ann caldwell, let me go back to you on what happens with this electoral college vote because of course the voting in georgia's january 5th. we expect the formal certification on january 6th of the electoral college. normally this is a pretty short closed-book process. in some cases, in some years it's taken no more than half an hour or so to do the entire thing because they have a mechanism to speed it up because it's not controversial. we don't have a lot of examples in the past of it being challenged. and there's so many questions right now on capitol hill about what republicans may try to do. i've been talking to sources who are trying to figure out exactly how all these processes are going to work. we don't want to get down too far into the weeds. but i think what matters here is the president is encourage his supporters to go to washington to make a public stand here and you have republicans in the house that are willing to indulge him. louie gohmert today sued mike pence, who is going to be the person who presides over all of this. what are you expecting and what are you h

leigh ann. leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill. we'll check in with her later on in the program. >> here is what senate minority leader, senate chuck schumer of new york had to say, after congress reached a deal on this covid relief package. >> the agreement on this package could be summed up by the expression "better late than never" although i know many of my republican colleagues wish it was never. >> maize horona of hawaii. olaha. >> aloha. >> i don't get the point of all of this hank ering, politicicin, back and forth for a bill that no one is really happy with and that came past the 11th hour. we're at like the 13th hour right now. what has been going on in congress? i don't mean to sound off on you as if it is entirely your fault, but what is going on in congress that this took so long and then yielded a bill that no one seems to be happy with, really happy with? >> the house passed the heroes act about six months ago, half a year ago. it's not what's been going on but what's not been going on. mitch mcconnell sat on the hou

. >> that's where we start tonight, leigh anne caldwell is with us. leigh anne, one question that's burning in the minds of many others, who is eligible for these checks. individuals making up to $75,000, couples making up $150,000 will receive this $600 payment and their children as well will receive $600. there is no changes as far as qualifications is concerned. we know that was a big topic of discussion in the last few days of negotiations. they made it the same as cares. the same people got checks last time will get checks this time. alicia. >> jonathan, i am struck by something that house speaker pelosi said in her remarks which she repeated this frustration that she clearly heard before which is the question "what took so long"? that's the question americans are asking tonight. i wonder if your analysis is of what he laid out there. >> here we are a few days before christmas, we know the cliche that congress only gets stuff done at deadlines and they certainly ran into one here. that's good news but some democrats already voiced their complaints

. >> garrett haake, leigh ann caldwell, good to see you both. good to see you both, guys. thank you. >> i'm going native and not coming back. >> as you should. so as the president debated whether or not to sign this bill over the holiday, this message from one democrat. >> it is christmas eve, but it is not a silent night. all is not calm. for too many nothing is bright and for too many they are not sleeping peacefully. i beg the president to know how many people in this country are scared, fearful, terror, hungry, and that we must get a bill done so that we are helping americans. >> that was congresswoman debbie ding will from michigan. she is joining me now. congresswoman, thank you for joining me on this. happy holidays to you and yours, by the way. that was an incredibly impassioned moment there in which you pled with the president to understand the polite of so many americans, 14 million americans that were on the brink of losing unemployment insurance at that moment, just a couple of days away. so many food insecure in this country, many of which i have interviewed o

let's start with leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill. allis ellison barber in missouri. bill neely in an empty london. tom koz tell lcostello in busy . we've been talking for 24 hours about a deal and a vote. i've been watching the emails trickle in, and it seems we are very close here. >> reporter: ali, we are extremely close. we are waiting for the text of this legislation, which we are told could happen soon. these negotiators have blown through every single deadline they've created themselves so far, so i'm not necessarily holding them to that. this $900 billion covid relief bill is going to be attached to a $1.4 trillion government funding bill. that's 3,000 pages or more of legislation that they are writing overnight, trying to finish up. the important points are, what is in this legislation, and what relief are americans going to get? if you got a stimulus check last time, you're going to get one this time, albeit, it is going to be smaller, about $600 per person. and per child. a family of four can get up to $2,400. there is an extension of unemployment insurance

let's start with leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill. allis ellison barber in missouri.empty london. tom koz tell lcostello in busy . we've been talking for 24 hours about a deal and a vote. i've been watching the emails trickle in, and it seems we are very close here. >> reporter: ali, we are extremely close. we are waiting for the text of this legislation, which we are told could happen soon. these negotiators have blown through every single deadline they've created themselves so far, so i'm not necessarily holding them to that. this

nbc's leigh ann caldwell is joining me now. okay. it's the $900 billion question. what is the latest senator mcconnell has said that we're just hours away from a deal? do you think that time line's realistic? >> it does seem to be realistic, alex. the reason is, is because what is happening now is that leadership is talking about all of these issues with their members. we know that earlier in the afternoon treasury secretary steve mnuchin and kevin mccarthy had a conference call with their members going through the legislation. and house speaker nancy pelosi is on a conference call with her leadership team also going through the details of what is in this bill. because, let's be honest, alex, these members do not have a lot of time to digest a $900 billion bill combined with a $1.4 trillion government funding bill that they're going to have to vote on in just perhaps a few hours if things do come together as quickly as people are saying. and that is a really hard pill for some of these lawmakers to swallow not being able to read the details and go through the minut

my colleague leigh ann caldwell caught mitch mcconnell in the hallway.g they're working on. we've talked to republican senators all morning and look, you never have lost money betting against covid relief in congress up to this point in this year but it appears there is momentum on this. there are senators who are part of this bipartisan group working on this as of a few days ago, i'm told that group continues to increase in size and members are breaking off to dig into the specifics. i think everyone up here knows this is the last best chance to get something done, probably until significantly into the first quarter of next year and that deadline does seem to be driving people towards perhaps an actual solution or at least the passage of what the members describe is an emergency measure here, roughly $900 billion bipartisan framework. >> we talked about what's in the bill, right, and we know that report came out of a weekly unemployment benefits, bipartisan framework would extend that as you're noting for people which a lot of people are desperate for.

nbc's leigh ann caldwell has more about what still needs to be done and worked out. >> reporter: that's, and that is waiting until the last minute to get their work done, and also extending their own deadlines. what they're not good at is actually getting things over the finish line, and that's the stage that we're in now. so, just hours before the government is going to shut down, they did extend their funding allotment for two more days. and what that does is that gets them more time to work out the details of a covid relief bill. let's listen to what senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said last night on the senate floor before they passed this government funding extension. >> i believe all sides feel we're making good progress on a major relief bill of the travel with the full-year appropriations measure. but alas, we are not there yet. given that, our urgent task is to pass a stop-gap government funding measure. there's no reason why the federal government funding the federal government funding should lapse while we hammer out our remaining differences. >> as mcconnell said, no,