now let's get to the bloomberg first word news in london with leigh-ann gerrans. hi, leigh-ann. leigh-ann: hi, francine. the impeachment trial against former president trump is constitutional. they voted to proceed, rejecting the argument that trump cannot be tried because he is no longer in office. the arab world is celebrating the arrival of the first capsule to mars, entering orbit after its seven month, 480 million monitor journey. two more unmanned craft from the u.s. and china will arrive in the coming days. >> the sequence went exactly as planned to the docks. we are quite happy that it was smooth sailing in the orbit around mars. all have been checked overnight by teams. everything seems nominal. we are now assessing the current orbit that we went into to see what we will do going forward until we reach our final destination into the orbit around mars. leigh-ann: and -- facing another challenge, public official's remark cutting the support. last week, he disparaged women for talking too much. there are calls for him to step aside, with one sponsor pointing out the olympi

leigh-ann: hi, francine. the u.s. economy has seen the worst growth since 17 oh nine, when frost killed crops. but europe has grown, twice in the expected in the fourth quarter. chancellor richi sunak says it is right to proceed cautiously. chancellor sunak: right now, many families and businesses are experiencing hardships. leigh-ann: crossing to europe, italy's mario draghi has won broad support in efforts to form a new government, the five-star movement. the biggest force in italy's parliament put its weight behind him yesterday after online vote of members. the designate is expected to report back to the president with the picks for his cabinet. and the of trillion open tennis tournament in melbourne will continue, without spectators, as the city enters a five-day lockdown here to all residents of the city and surrounding state of victoria must stay at home except for essential active fees, including work. australia is hoping to contain an outbreak of a more of ireland variant -- virulent variant of the v

hi, leigh-ann. leigh-ann: good morning, francine. a violent mob raging through the u.s. capitol, videos showing with one calling for nancy pelosi. >> where are you, nancy? we are looking for you! ♪ nancy oh, nancy nancy ♪ where are you, nancy? leigh-ann: the siege is being portrayed as the long action to stoke insurrection. they seem far from winning the 17 gop votes needed to convict trump. bank of england governor andrew bailey says the post-brexit actions are unrealistic and underlines the go-between the u.k. and the block over equivalence roles. without them, they have to support operations in both britain and the eu. amsterdam overtook london as europe's largest share trading hub in january. local media reports a former japanese prime minister yoshi plans to resign in the face of growing criticism over his comments about women, mom known in japan for his gaffe, he said that they need to limit the speaking time of women because they talk too much. global news, 24 hours a day, on air and at bloomberg @quicktake, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in mo

i'm leigh-ann gerrans. this is bloomberg. francine? francine: leigh-ann, thank you so much. the focus on bitcoin but also -- reaching $30,000 for the first time since 1990. let's get a check in with the markets are doing. stocks rising as the vaccine rollout is slowing, the virus outbreaks seem to be -- i'm also showing wti. that top six dollars a barrel. u.s. markets are shut for presidents' day. exchanges in china and hong kong also closed on monday but the pound reaching the highest since april 2018 and bitcoin flipping after a weekend rally that took the cryptocurrency to a record of almost $50,000. in a historic second impeachment trial, former president donald trump is been acquitted by the senate on charges of inciting a riot on the capital. the vote was 57-40 three, which fell short of the two thirds majority needed for conviction, with some republicans breaking from the party by voting guilty. this is causing some to worry about the increased friction amongst republican party. >> the trump movement is alive and well. people believe he brought change to washington. p

here is leigh-ann gerrans. hi, leigh-ann. leigh-ann: good morning, francine. treasury secretary janet yellen convened a meeting of officials about the recent volatility, with the securities and exchange commission agreeing to issue a timely study of recent events after its recent surge, gamestop has capped another day of heavy losses, pushing its collapse past 80% this week. the u.k. will require travelers from coronavirus hotspots to quarantine, starting october 8 15. arrivals -- february 15. arrivals we need to isolate for 10 days. the news comes amid confusion over how soon the government would implement the policy. german chancellor angela merkel says it is refusing to ease the lockdown of europe's largest economy. the pandemic is showing signs of easing, but the longtime leaders as the nation must be very careful in this last meeting -- in this last stretch. the chancellor is meeting with others soon. the national football league is hoping to avoid any large-scale outbreaks at the super bowl appeared overall attendance has been capped at 25,000, a record

let's get to first word news with leigh-ann gerrans. leigh-ann: the u.s. new milestone in its vaccine rollout. more americans have received the jab than have tested positive for covid-19. as of yesterday afternoon, 26.5 million americans have taken one or both doses, slightly higher than the 26.3 million who have tested positive for the disease. the u.s. is giving about 1.3 million doses a day. president biden says the u.s. could reinstate sanctions on myanmar if the military does not give up power. it seized control in a coup yesterday morning. the u.s. is calling for their release, saying any moves away from democracy will result in new restrictions. new york and northeastern u.s. are facing their heaviest snowstorms for the winter so far. while the front of the storm is easing, it is expected to drop several more inches overnight. if the forecast holds, the storm will earn a spot in the top 10 worst storms to hit new york city going back as far as 1869. global news 24 hours a day, on air and at bloomberg quicktake, powered by more than 2700 journalists

i'm leigh-ann gerrans. this is bloomberg.ine: coming up, we continue to track covid-19 with the -- that conversation at 6:30 a.m. in new york and 11:30 am in london. this is bloomberg. ♪ francine: this is "bloomberg surveillance." you are looking at the principal room. coming up litter today, the greek prime minister. that will be on bloomberg, a little later on. this is bloomberg. ♪ now to exclusive conversation with the former chief executive of unicredit. he planned to raise funds for a special acquisitions company that will invest in private services. i started by asking him what he wanted to start a spac after unicredit. >> if you look at the cooperation between the u.s. and --[indiscernible] we lack capital in europe. [indiscernible] -- we chose the financial sector to do that. francine: the world has capital in abundance. many people are starting spac's. why should they -- why should anybody invest money with you four? >> [indiscernible] what we can bring to a company is our wealth of experience in the financial sector

here is leigh-ann gerrans. hi, leigh-ann. leigh-ann: good morning, francine. the u.k. has passed the peak of the latest wave of the pandemic. confections are still alarmingly high. records are on track to inoculate about 15 million in the highest risk group by february 15 you the u.s. securities and exchange commission is honing social media for fraud and the value stocks of gamestop, amc, and others. bloomberg sources say regulators may be part of an asset to manipulate the market and drive up prices. treasury secretary janet yellen will meet with regulators later today to discuss the recent volatility. protests against myanmar's coup are growing. tightening grip on power, internet service providers to temporarily block access to block facebook. they are charged with violating law for possessing illegal walkie-talkies. global news, 24 hours a day, on air and on bloomberg @quicktake, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. i am leigh-ann gerrans. this is bloomberg. francine? francine: leigh-ann, thank you so much. now, the bank of

here is leigh-ann gerrans. hi, leigh-ann. leigh-ann: hi, francine. gamestop and other retail investor favorites also slumping. robinhood that put out a restricted list last year -- last week have lost a combined 167 billion dollars in market value in the last few days. treasury secretary janet yellen is summoning regulators to discuss the recent volatility is. former ecb chief mario draghi has been tapped to become italy's prime minister. producing a new coalition for outgoing premier just a picante. the veteran policymaker may the about to take charge. european commission president ursula von der leyen is taking the blame over the recent gaffer vaccine next ports. sources say she made the comment that a private meeting after facing a barrage of criticism. she was forced into a u-turn over controls a vaccine shipment between ireland and northern ireland and the eu's commitment to keep the eu's borders open. and russia has jailed alexey navalny for two years and eight months. he had been recovering in germany from a near fatal nerve agent attack. and

leigh-ann: bitcoin has made a fresh record of $47,000.ncing a 1.5 billion dollar investment in the cryptocurrency and saying it will now accept the digital coin as payment. mike novogratz think more companies will follow suit and see bitcoin doubling by the end of 2021. double cut i thought bitcoin was going to be at 50,000 or 60,000, but things have been happening so much faster. the corporate adoption rate, the institutional adoption rate is accelerating the on what i thought, so i think bitcoin could end the year at $100,000. leigh-ann: mario draghi is on track to form a government in italy, having won support of leading political parties. talks are said to have gone well and he may announce his cabinet later this week. italy is facing a deep recession and the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. lawyers for former president donald trump have laid out their case against his impeachment. they argue a second trial is unconstitutional because trump has already left office. and that his remarks did not invite insurrection on capitol hill.

let's get to the bloomberg business with leigh-ann gerrans.nn: france's finance ministers says annie -- by the earlier must be friendly. it follows the decision that the firm has to suspend the hostile takeover attempt of its rivals. it made an offer directly to shareholders after being rebuffed by the company's management. suez argues the offer is illegal. investing giant rene sung technology has been hit with at least $5 billion in redemption. last year's unprecedented market swings tripped up many managers with rene france's public funds posting the worst ever returns. $1.9 billion in december and january and are set to yank and nearly $1.7 billion this month. and rene sachs of japan has agreed to buy apple supplier dialogue semi-. the latest u.k. chipmaker being sold to an asian investor. dialogue is valued by -- at about 4.9 billion euros, 20% premium to friday's close. headquartered near london, the ship from has risen about 25% so far this year. that is your bloomberg business flash. francine? francine: larry summers's warning about the

let's get to the bloomberg first word news with leigh-ann gerrans. leigh-ann: the u.k.s is conserved -- according to this trust. the eu's new rules require vaccine producers to get authorizations before sending jobs up by the block. the u.k.'s access won't be disrupted. in a few minutes, we'll speak to the trade minister. joe biden is meeting with republican senators to discuss the alternative proposal for an economic relief package. the lawmakers are suggesting a plan worth $600 billion in response to bidens $1.9 trillion. republicans have rejected the bigger plan that say they are willing to discuss the path forward. and opec-plus has seen almost total compliance for its oil supply cuts in january. the 23 nation alliance and to own 27% in an effort to prop up prices following a modest increase in production for january. opec and its allies have decided to keep output unchanged in february and march. global news, 24 hours a day on air and on bloomberg quicktake, powered by more than 2,700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. i am leigh-ann gerrans. this

leigh ann, this is coming in in literally the last two and a half minutes, i think. tell us more about these impeachment i don't want to call them rules but perhaps signals that we are getting closer to what this trial is going to look like. >> reporter: that's right, hallie. we're 26, 27 hours away from the start of a trial and they really cut it up to the deadline where senate leaders are nearing an agreement on what this trial would look like. there were so many questions up until now, including on that issue of witnesses. so what the rules state as it states now is that witnesses would only be called after the senate votes to agree to hear witnesses at some point in the trial. so that's a clear indication that we might not see witnesses. the timeline also suggests that each side gets 16 hours to make their case. that means with the trial essentially starting in the middle of the week, it could go into a second week. so that means that it's very unlikely to wrap by the end of this week if they use all of their time. but that first day of the trial, tomorrow, halli

leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill for us this morning. thank you for getting us started. >>> and former pennsylvania congressman ryan costello. has kevin mccarthy allowed the republican party to be painted as the stereotype that democrats are trying to create? >> i don't see it that way. every member has the right to speak their voice. i don't agree with a great deal of what representative greene has said. but at the same point in time i think the democrats are trying to capitalize on this. i don't think it's going to work. i don't think many members of the republican party really know even what qanon is, other than some wild conspiracy theory that changes, you know, every other week with what they think in the past and i think democrats are trying to latch onto that. i worry institutionally about removing someone from a committee as a majority party, from a minority party. this is not going to be good long term for the united states congress. it simply is not. i think it's the wrong move by democrats. and i am not defending representativ

leigh ann, is that realistic, given where the process is right now? >> reporter: it's a pretty ambitious timetable, hallie. everything has to go relatively perfectly in order for that to happen. that's because this process that democrats chose to use does take some time. like, for example, what happened last night. it was the senators' favorite night of the year, where they stay up all night long voting on amendments that are potentially politically problematic for them. but in the end, they got what they wanted. they got passage of this bucket budget reconciliation that allows them to pass what their ultimate goal, the covid relief bill, in a partisan fashion with just 51 senators who voted -- who are needed to vote for it. but it has to go back to the house, and it's going to happen around noon today where the house is going to vote on it. we just got word on that. because there were some changes to the reconciliation process last night, out of the 40 amendments that they voted on, there were a couple changes, and that included more money for restau

let's get to the first word news with leigh-ann gerrans. leigh anne: england has hit its milestone of immunizing the top four priority groups, including over 70's by february 15. with 50 move -- 15 million vaccinations, the u.k. has given one jab to over 25% of the adult population. it adds to pressure on boris johnson to reopen the economy. in the u.s., the former president donald trump has been quitted on the impeachment -- acquited. senators who voted against trump but fell short of the majority needed to convict. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell described the president as practically and morally responsible for the attack on the capital. new zealand's unrestricted movement and social interaction has come to an abrupt halt due to three new cases of covid-19 after and a curb -- emergency cabinet meeting, the prime minister put auckland into a snap three-day lockdown. she reimposed social distancing for the rest of the country. global news, 24 hours a day on air and on bloomberg quicktake powered by 2700 journalists and analysts in

let me bring in leigh ann caldwell who is on capitol hill, peter alexander is at the white house.to us about what senator sanders is trying to get the ball rolling on basically. >> reporter: well, hallie, first this meeting last night with republicans, senator susan collins called it excellent. she indicated that perhaps there are some areas that they could compromise, perhaps on this -- maybe not the size of the stimulus check, but perhaps who receives the stimulus check. you know, these are biden's people, lawmakers who really enjoyed talking to the senators, these senators enjoyed talking with them, but the big question is is there room for compromise as they move forward because they're still extremely far apart, including on this issue of state and local funding where the biden administration and democrats want $300 billion which is something that republicans haven't even mentioned in their proposal. so bernie sanders, as you mentioned, is prepared as head of the budget committee to move forward on this process that would only need a simple majority to pass this covid relief

joining us now, nbc news correspondent leigh ann caldwell. leigh ann was with us on that day, on january 6th, evacuated from the cannon office building. and leigh ann, it was a very difficult day for me, i'm sure for you, for all of our colleagues, as we covered this. and the reality is, in some ways, that was the point of the presentation, to underscore to senators who were in, arguably, some of the most danger on january 6th, specifically targeted by these rioters, to show them just how close they came to something that could have been so much worse and tried to underscore that they need to do something. they are the only ones that have the power to do something to hold president trump accountable for this. just reflect a little bit on what you saw yesterday and how you think it's going to play going forward, as senators try to make these decisions. >> absolutely, kasie. these senators were forced to relive that moment, whether they wanted to or not in a wholesome way that they probably never would have done, and no one has done up to this

and joining us now is nbc news correspondent leigh ann caldwell. i'm sure your computer was just overwhelmed as you're uncovering the voter-rama on the senate floor. hopefully, we have more hill folks with us this morning. they normally get up a lot later. let's talk about what happened yesterday, because i mean, that speech from marjorie taylor greene, i'm not sure we ever imagined we'd see something like that on the floor of the house of representatives, where she has to insist that, yes, she knows that 9/11 was real, yes, she knows that all of those kids tragically died in these school shootings. what happens now to her, now that democrats have stripped these committee chairs, but there clearly is still significant support for her from republicans? >> yeah. it's a real question on what marjorie taylor greene, what sort of role she's going to have in congress. she just tweeted about seven hours ago, thank you to the real republicans who had her back. she will remember them. and she's going to hold a press conference later this morning. who knows

let's talk about, leigh ann, some of the votes that relate to neera tanden. were the votes postponed and why is this an important position to the biden agenda right now? >> reporter: the homeland security committee who was supposed to vote out her nomination out of the committee today suddenly postponed her vote. we are told by a committee aide our colleague frank thorp was told that the reason is because committee members need more time to process and consider her nomination. well, that's a real bad sign and it shows that perhaps she did not have the votes to make it out of committee. the person i'm looking at in this evenly divided committee among republicans and democrats is senator kyrsten sinema. i reached out to her office and have not yet received a response. hallie, it was -- when neera tanden was nominated it was the liberals who was not happy with it, but now it seems like it's the moderates who could very well sink her nomination. of course, senator joe manchin the moderate democrat from west virginia was the first to come out and say that he would

let me move to leigh ann caldwell.ant to shift gears away from the covid debate, and more of what's going on between mcconnell and mccarthy. and i guess it's this. did mitch mcconnell throw a wrench into kevin mccarthy's plans for this week? or did he provide him cover for what kevin mccarthy would like to do this week? >> reporter: that's an interesting take, chuck. i'm not totally sure. what we know is it is a dramatic contrast between what mitch mcconnell has said about the dynamics of the republican party and what kevin mccarthy has said as well. i think that mcconnell is trying to, of course, win back the majority in 2022 and he's worried about the path that house republicans continue to go down understanding that that is a threat to the senate majority for republicans moving forward. but i don't even know that all senate republicans are on the same page as mcconnell. i spoke to senator rick scott of florida who is the new chairman of the republican campaign committee, and i asked him about marjorie taylor greene

joining us now, nbc news correspondent leigh ann caldwell. leigh ann, great to see you. thanks for being up with us. let's talk through where we think things stand with republicans, because you and i were going back and forth last night about whether it is realistic to consider or to believe that, perhaps, there's a group of them who are willing to vote to convict president trump in a way that may surprise us. what do we know, and how do you think what we heard yesterday affected that calculus? >> so, kasie, there is a few groups of senators that i'm watching. one is, of course, the ones that you just mentioned who say that they've already had their minds made up. then the ones who voted that this was constitutional, the six republicans who said the trial within itself was constitutional. those are the most likely to vote to convict. but then there's this other group who have remained quite silent throughout this, not wanting to give their opinion, and they don't have a lot to lose, including some of the ones who have already announced that they're not running for re-ele

leigh-ann gerrans: with the first word news, i am leigh-ann gerrans.in has given 15 million vaccinations, a milestone that is said to increase pressure on the prime minister to begin reopening the economy. he praised what is called an extraordinary feat, and said england had a ready met its target of them amazing the top 4 priority groups by february 15. more than 25% of bottled population has received at least the first dose of the vaccine. australian house officials say the country's most vulnerable citizens will begin getting vaccinated next week. new zealand as the unit duration of border workers will begin -- inoculation of border workers will begin on february 20. this comes as the country put its most populous city on a three-day lockdown after detecting covid-19 cases. japan will begin vaccinations on wednesday. the government agreed to buy the pfizer vaccine for 72 million people this year. prime minister suga says he wants to make sure infections are falling before canceling the state of emergency currently in effect for 10 regions including

leigh ann caldwell, kristen welker, thank you. >>> president biden on a call with saudi arabia's king ahead of a report that his son approved the killing of jamal khashoggi. the latest developments on how that call went. >>> plus former president trump set to address the annual conservative conference this weekend. what his appearance signals about the future of the gop. we will bring you live to orlando next. ture of the gop. we will bring you live to orlando next what his appearance signals what his appearance signals ever notice how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle. downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. i'm jayson tatum check out my subway sub with delicious turkey and crispy bacon. it will help you hit shots from anywhere, unlike those other subs. my sub has steak. wait, what did he say? steak! choose better be better and now save when you order in the app. subway eat fresh. and now save when

leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill. kelly o'donnell at the white house. the senate parliamentarian ruled it can't be included. for democrats and millions of americans who wanted that hike, what happens now? >> speaker pelosi is keeping that minimum wage xoe component the bill because her members want it. this is a priority. when it goes to the senate after they are expected to pass it late tonight, it's going to have to come out because of the ruling by the parliamentarian who said it doesn't meet compliance under the budget reconciliation rules. those are arcane senate rules. some democrats are saying that they are trying to put in a backdoor way by taxing companies who don't pay $15 an hour. that's in the works in the future. let's be clear, the fact that this minimum wage component is not in the bill, it's actually going to make it easier for democratic leader schumer to pass the covid bill. in the long term, this will put pressure on democrats as the progressive left are really encouraging democrats to get rid of what's known as the filibuster, the 60

jeff and leigh ann, let me start with you. we have some new details in the republican plan and the interesting potential sticking point that i think a lot of people are interested in seems to be those stimulus checks, right? the president said one thing on the campaign trail before he entered the white house, republicans are offering something very different. >> reporter: a great way to characterize it, hallie, is that this group of ten republican senators what they're offering across the board is just significantly less. you look at the top line number, they're offering $600 billion in their counteroffer to president biden's $1.9 trillion proposed package and the biden team has been saying for weeks now that that's not an arbitrary number, that $179 trillion they arrived at that because they looked at the need, came up with the solution and priced it all out. look at the components. look at that. okay. biden is offering $1400 in direction payments to americans, you add that to the $600 you have $2,000. increase jobless benefi

leigh ann caldwell is inside the capitol for us.her things they're also working on this week. do republicans have a counterprogramming strategy here or do they have to own all of this trump stuff in a way and they're just going to suck it up and deal with it? >> reporter: well, republicans are now in the minority in the senate and they continue to be the minority in the house of representatives, so they don't have much say on pushing any sort of agenda, but they do have the power to go on defense, but the reality is that they are going to have to answer for where they stand on this impeachment trial. democrats are talking about covid relief in their legislative priorities, at the same time that they are talking about this impeachment trial, but republicans are going to have to answer questions from reporters, they're going to have to answer to their constituents on how they vote here. so they are going to be front and center because it is up to them on the fate of the former president donald trump on what happens here and that first

>> leigh ann caldwell live on the hill. thank you. >>> elsewhere on the hill right now, senators are moving closer to confirming the rest of president biden's cabinet. right now miguel cardona is sitting down with senators for his confirmation hearing and the energy committee is about to hold a vote to advance jennifer granholm's nomination to the full senate for final confirmation. in about 20 minutes from now you have isabelle guzman joe biden's pick to head the small business administration facing senators in her own confirmation. it is a busy morning on capitol hill. all of that even before we get to what is set to happen in just about ten minutes from now, the start of the congressional tribute ceremony for fallen capitol hill police officer brian sicknick. >>> also ahead, we have new nbc news reporting on what hundreds of democratic hill staffers did to try to persuade senators to convict former president trump. >>> plus new comments just out this morning from president biden, his most substantial yet, about his prede

leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill, shaq brewster in milwaukee ahead of the president's visit there.er, i think a lot of people want -- this is like our second first day of school, i guess, if you will, for the joe biden white house here. >> right. >> do they accept this notion that, hey, today is sort of inauguration part two, now that trump truly is in the background? >> chuck, i think it is being framed as sort of a relaunch, right, of the biden presidency but if you ask jen psaki, they say they weren't distracted by impeachment over the last week but the allies and lawmakers on the hill clearly were with their eyes focused on the last president, not the present one and the present crisis at hand. that's what i think this administration, this president is, as you noted with the timeline over the course of this week, really trying to put his stamp on really trying to drive home the urgency of this. again, seizing the spotlight here with those domestic first domestic business trips, the stop in wisconsin today, the stop in michigan, a little bit later. it's not just on that topic, y

let me bring in nbc's leigh ann caldwell from capitol hill. seem like it is still the party of donald trump. look at the acquittal from the impeachment trial over the weekend, the local backlash to the senators who did on the republican side vote to convict, you've got recent polling a bunch of it showing that gop voters largely still favor donald trump and even senator mcconnell in that new interview, leigh ann, is saying he thinks trump could potentially still be a constructive part of the political process ahead of 2022. what are you hearing from your sources behind the scenes on where this goes? >> reporter: so, hallie, the impeachment trial and the former president's acquittal many republicans were hoping that that was going to end the drama starring donald trump, but we all know the former president and he has other ideas. he likes to be the center of attention and he made it very clear that he plans to be that, leading into the 2022 midterm elections, which is why this has real life consequences in the republican party. what this divisi

joining me now nbc news capitol hill correspondent leigh ann caldwell. leigh ann, when we talk about 9/11-style commission, having covered that, that was a lengthy, very detailed endeavor as to what went wrong, what conspiracies might have been involved, what warnings were overlooked, how to make changes, change the structure of our government in terms of the intelligence agencies created the director of national intelligence, the new homeland security large department encompassing a lot that had been in other departments before that. so we don't even know what they're considering in the resolution. they have to pass the legislation to even create this commission. >> reporter: that's right, andrea. and how all-encompassing the 9/11 commission, this seems to be what nancy pelosi is thinking about for this january 6th as well. we are told by a source, senior democratic aide, that they are going to move quickly, that they could have this legislation setting up this commission as early as this week. as far as speaker pelosi is concerned, she doesn't see much

. >> joining us now, capitol hill important leigh ann caldwell. always great to have you. why don't we start there with ron johnson who was promoting conspiracy theories about an event that threatened his life and the lives of everybody else in that room. for the most part this hearing actually featured republicans and democrats asking probing questions aimed at actually youtd lining a time line and a set of facts. johnson of course was the exception. >> reporter: that's right. well, senator johnson has been going down these conspiracy theory rabbit holes for quite some time. he was obsessed with hunter biden over the past year or two. and so this is not that shocking for senator johnson who i don't know how to take him seriously as a senator anymore, to ask him serious probing questions as a reporter. he is up for re-election in 2022 in a state that biden won in 2020. and talking to democratic sources, this is a top get for democrats in the midterm elections because they think he is so out of step with a blue leaning state. but there is also a constituency that absolutely

and leigh ann caldwell joins me now from capitol hill for all of the updates.nt now senate parliamentarian news, any hint why this has taken more time, more campaigning, more lobbying on each side of this debate? >> reporter: well, chuck, our capitol hill team is joking that perhaps she's waiting for all the senators to get out of town in about an hour to make her decision so she's not flooded with questions and complaints after her decision. so we don't really know, speaker pelosi said at her news conference earlier today the decision will come any minute. i texted one of my sources, and said is that accurate? and they said, wishful thinking. so no one really knows the timing, except for the parliamentarian here but everyone's on pins and needles because it is going to be a big moment on how democrats move forward and we've talked about this before but if the parliamentarian says it cannot be included in the covid relief bill, she's not taking into consideration politics at all. she's only looking at senate rules and procedure. that is what she's basing her de

nbc's leigh ann caldwell is at her post on capitol hill.iden, he is adding to democrats' to do list. give us a sense of what is in the bill and how it's being received so far. >> reporter: sure, jeff. this is a pretty big, bold and progressive piece of legislation that's gone a lot further in many ways than previous immigration attempts in the past. what this legislation does is it provides a path to citizenship for the 11 million or so undocumented immigrants in eight years, which is pretty much a quicker time line. it also has a faster track for daka recipients, tps holders and farmworkers. it changes government language by using the word alien to non-citizen. it increases diversity visas from 55,000 to 80,000. this is a lot that is on the progressive, liberal wish list. nancy pelosi was asked about it at a press conference. listen to what she had to say about it. >> i salute the president for putting forth the legislation that he did. there are others who want to do piecemeal. that may be a good approach, too. that's up to the congress t

leigh ann caldwell at the capital. you. >> thank you. >> the democrats won the senate, and one month, one insurrection later they are finally taking their precious gavels. members love to chair things. this happened after minority leader chuck schumer and mcconnell agreed on how to run a 50/50 senate. allowing democrats to pass the resolution and take control of the majority upper chamber. now the question becomes can the democrats advance the president's agenda with their razor thin majority? i'm joined by senator tim kaine, democrat from virginia. i guess first, it finally happened. today was the day. you guys now have control. congratulations. >> thank you, chris. we feel very, very good about it. you control the agenda, so it's 50/50, but once you're the majority, you can -- hearings what happens. you can determine what bills get marked up in committee. you can determine what bills get attention on the floor, and that is a very, very good thing. >> so let's talk about that. there have been a number of committee --

. >>> following the fallout nbc news capitol hill correspondent leigh ann leigh ann caldwell.icans who are coming to ted cruz's defense. you have people saying, what is he supposed do? what can a senator do in these citizens? you have others pointing to former leaders like beto o'rourke who are trying to help out. what's the sense of what you are hearing on the hill? >> reporter: that's right. his opponent, who ted cruz barely beat, he made over 7,000 phone calls to see what help they need. there are things that senators can actually do in the state if it's not large-scale, having an individual impact. as far as democrats are concerned, the attack groups and some of the groups are calling on senator cruz to resign. pointing out the hypocrisy. officially on the hill, there's not a lot of reaction from democrats because they think this is a scandal of his own making and he is doing a good enough job to really lie in the bed that he has made. the thing that people outside are really frustrated with is the level of hypocrisy coming from the texas senator. a lot of people are point

leigh ann caldwell, thank you so much. we greatly appreciate it. john meacham, i would love to get your perspective on what you're reading through right now, studying the decades leading up to the civil war. and what strikes me, parallels between that time and where we are right now. i'm curious if you have been drawing any parallels between the wigs collapsing and vanishing because of slavery. the no-nothings doing the same. the rise of the republican party between 1856 and 1860, meteoric rise the past four years. this republican party, as you said for a long time, 150-160 year duopoly. two parties dominating for that long. we just look at the last election. in georgia, republicans of course lost the urban center of atlanta. they lost the suburbs of atlanta. now with marjorie taylor greene, they are starting to look some of the exurbs. you see this is a party going in a direction that mitch mcconnell knows leads them off a cliff. what parallels do you draw between history's lessons in the 1850s and what we're going through right now. >> i think yo

let me bring in now nbc reporters leigh ann caldwell on capitol hill, monica alba in west palm beach,t impeachment. leigh ann, i know you have new reporting on what we're hearing from the impeachment managers team but you have been talking to republican members, too. bring us up to speed. >> reporter: that's right. let's start with the impeachment managers. today is their day, not to talk about the constitutionality, which they called that part of their presentation yesterday dry. today they're going to talk about the merits of the president's role in inciting an insurrection. they say that they are going to bring the goods and they also say that they are going to have new evidence in the form of video from capitol security. something that the public has never seen before. so it could be another really gripping day on the senate floor by these impeachment managers. as far as the trump defense team, however, i just spoke with one of his biggest defenders, he is not part of his trump defense team, but a big defender in congress, representative jim jordan of ohio. he defended the defense

. >> kelly o'donnell, leigh ann caldwell, thanks. >>> health officials rushing to get as many americans vaccinated as fast as they can. in massachusetts, some critics say the state prioritized speed over equity. hard-hit black and brown communities have not gotten the shots they need. we will get latest from boston on how the state's changing its strategy. my subway sub with delicious turkey and crispy bacon. it will help you hit shots from anywhere, unlike those other subs. my sub has steak. wait, what did he say? steak! choose better be better and now save when you order in the app. subway eat fresh. with relapsing forms of ms, there's a lot to deal with. not just unpredictable relapses. all these other things too. who needs that kind of drama? kesimpta is a once-monthly at-home injection that may help you put this rms drama in its place. kesimpta was proven superior at reducing the rate of relapses, active lesions and slowing disability progression versus aubagio. don't take kesimpta if you have hepatitis b, and tell your doctor if you have had it, as it could come back. kesimpta can

nbc news correspondent leigh ann caldwell live at the capitol, thank you very much. >> thank you. >>>senate, democrats won the majority on january 6th, and almost one month and one insurrection later, they're finally taking their committee chairs, their precious gavels, members of congress love to chair things. and this happened after senate majority leader chuck schumer and minority leader mitch mcconnell reached an agreement earlier today on how to run a 50/50 senate, allowing democrats to pass the organizing resolution and take majority control of the upper chamber. now, the question becomes, can democrats advance the president's agenda, particularly on major legislation and nominees with their razor thin majority? i'm joined by senator tim kaine, democrat from virginia. i guess, first, it finally happened. today was the day, you guys now have control. congratulations. >> thank you, chris. we feel very, very good about it. you control the agenda, so it's 50, but once you're the majority, you can determine what hearings will happen. you can determine what bills get marked up in comm

we have monica alba at white house, jo ling kent with the jobs report and leigh ann caldwell. president biden will deliver economic information later this hour. what can you tell us about the president's economic focus today? >> it's the first event, the fact that the white house is having these coronavirus briefings now three times a week from health experts and officials, the fact that's happening this hour and then 45 minutes from now, we will see president biden talk about why the need he will argue is so essential right now for his american rescue plan. this is something that for months has been a twin crises. that's how the white house is presenting it, that the pandemic itself as it continues to rage is of great concern, but, of course, the economic fallout is its own kind of issue that needs to be addressed. that's why you have president biden inviting house leadership into the oval office for this meeting. of course, he talked to republicans earlier in the week as well as senate democrats to try to see how they can get through the procedural hurdles on this and have a

. >> leigh ann, you just got off a call with the house impeachment managers.lay out? >> reporter: they're feeling pretty good about the presentation that they laid out. they say that they're ready for the president's defense, saying that it's going to be just a distraction campaign and not a lot of substance to their argument. they also commented on the fact that at some certain points of the trial yesterday there were sometimes up to a dozen republican senators who were not necessarily in the room. they could have been watching off the -- outside the room, just on the little room outside, but they say the only way to not convict this president is if you refuse to actually listen to the evidence. let's be clear, a lot of these senate republicans who are saying that they are opposed to conviction is not about the merits of the case, they're talking about the process, they're talking about the un -- what they say is unconstitutionality of it, even though the senate had already decided a couple days ago that this, in fact, was constitutional. it's very hard for t

. >> leigh ann caldwell, give our lawmakers the gift of discernment so they know truth from falsehood. >> reporter: absolutely right. barry black is always very good at his opening prayer and tying it to the moment that is before this the senate. he did that once again. but i was saying before, as we're going to hear from the rest of the impeachment managers, including joaquim castro of texas, who could play a very big role today, nicole. >> leigh ann caldwell, we'll be calling on you all day. thanks for spending time with us this morning. let's listen in. >> hear yeah, all persons are commanded to keep silence on pain of imprisonment while the senate of the united states is sitting for the trial of the article of impeachment against donald john trump, former president of the united states. >> mr. president. >> the majority leader is recognized. ? thank you, mr. president. for the information of all senators, no motions were filed this morning, so we'll proceed to the house managers' presentation. we anticipate two ten-minute breaks and a 45-minute dinner break around 6:00 p.m. >> pur