johnson: leading the charge probably in favor of protection of the navajo nation would be justice gorsuchom colorado, he is very attuned to the needs of tribal nations within the united states. he is also a textualist on the treaties themselves. and he says if the treaties say that we protect the water rights for the navajo nation, then we absolutely need to protect those rights. soledad: let's talk about affirmative action because i think that is the big one, which is the supreme court's going to basically kill affirmative action. prof. johnson: it really is simply asking the court one question, and that is please reconsider your decision where it said, not that there can be quotas, but that race can simply be an additional factor in admissions. and that would be a factor like it would be if you were a good trombonist or you were a good basketball player. many folks believe it's a foregone conclusion and i don't think that there's anything to disabuse us of that notion. soledad: internet free speech, this one seems complicated to me. prof. johnson: it really is a simple question of wheth

but in the navajo nation, what we continue to do is work on water projects.al water supply systems that interconnect smaller public water systems to be able to secure our water future. amy: can you talk about the water infrastructure and particularly the biden administration and its stance on navajo lands? >> so there has been funding thatas been available under the american rescue plan act, the infrastructure and act, rpa invested 215 million dollars for water and wastewater projects. even at a community level, community representatives h -- to be able to invest in water and wastewater infrastructure projects with the funding. with regards to the infrastructure investment and jobs act, the indian health service whh also helps by connecting homes to the public water system, received $3.5 billion. also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law. we are hopeful this finding -- we are working every day to be able to close the clean water act gap within the navajo nation. there are a large number of projects that need to be done. regional water systems to provide

court, the supreme court hearing a case this morning with implications for the water rights of the navajo nation. >>> and promoting mental health. the cast of the hit show "ted lasso" visiting the white house today to discuss the importance of addressing mental health and well well-being it's monday, march 20th. "early today" starts right now >>> good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm frances rivera. critical and unexpected testimony is set for today in the new york hush money investigation of former president trump. a former legal adviser to michael cohen, trump's former lawyer, is expected to go before the manhattan grand jury it comes after the former president took to social media over the weekend and called for protests in the event of his arrest for more on this we go to nbc's brie jackson in washington lay out what the situation looks like for trump as this week begins. >> reporter: good morning, frances. well, the political world has been on edge since former president trump took to truth social on saturday in a post mr. trump said he expected to be indicted and arrested this coming

the navajo nation says it does not have enough water. and over 150 years ago, it signed a treaty with the u.s. government promising a sufficient supply. the tribe argues the u.s. has broken the terms of the treaty and wants more water from the colorado river. western states are disputing this claim and are saying even with all the recent rain, more water for spthe navajo nation would cut into an already scarce resource. we'll talk about our forecast now is for taking this live. look outside from our camera on top of mount tam. and there's the bay bridge in the city there in the corner. it's been really nice out there. all the rain has really cleared out. the air looks look kind of fuzzy in this picture, but feels nice out there with the sun also shining on this friday. kai, let's hear now. she's in a green. she's not going to pitch today. >> looking one days looking better than the other. yes, we talked about yesterday. if you have those outdoor plans, saturday is definitely a better day for the 2 as far as staying dry because sunday, we

former navajo nation president peterson zah has died.he was the first president elected by the navajo nation, dedicating himself to improving the lives of the navajo people. he was 85. >>> and actor chaim topol has died, best known for "fiddler on the roof." ♪ if i were a rich man ♪ >> he simply went by topol for most of his career. one of israel's most beloved actors. he was 87. >>> when we come back here tonight, the 10-year-old who wrote a song and left it on the kitchen counter, thinking it wasn't good enough. what's now happened tonight, you'll hear the song for yourself. for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are positive for acetylcholine receptor antibodies, it may feel like the world is moving without you. but the picture is changing, with vyvgart. in a clinical trial, participants achieved improved daily abilities with vyvgart added to their current treatment. and vyvgart helped clinical trial participants achieve reduced muscle weakness. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. in a clinical study, the most commo

the justices being asked whether the navajo nation can pursue a claim over water rights.ng one out of every three households across their 16 million acre reservation lacks running water. nbc justice and intel correspondent ken dilanian joins me now. ken, do we have any sense from oral arguments earlier today how the justices are leaning on this case? >> reporter: it was hard to tell, chris. the court appears closely divided. the three liberal justices seem sympathetic and so did conservative justice neil gorsuch. others appeared more skeptical. amy coney barrett asked tough questions on both sides. this case could have a profound impact, not only on the largest native american reservation, but on millions of people across the west who are facing an historic water crisis. the navajo nation sued the federal government 20 years ago now, seeking more access to water from the colorado river and other sources. nearly one in three navajos is without running water. they argue, among other things, the united states is in breach of an 1868 treaty which came after u.s. troops forcib

at issue, the navajo nation's access to water.artment has an obligation to provide it and wants rights to the lower colorado river. the higher court is hearing two appeals, one from the federal government and another from the states of arizona and nevada arguing in part there isn't enough water to go around from a river already decimated by a historic drought. joining us is nbc news senior legal correspondent laura jarrett. we have water rights, climate issues. what's at stake here? >> a lot is at stake for this tribe obviously. 30% of the residents in this community do not have access to running water. so this is obviously critical for them. as you mentioned, the argument is just getting under way now. you already see the justices pressing the government about how can you say -- if you have to provide access to this land, whichever one agrees that the government does have to provide access to the land, how can you provide access and not say that includes a right to running water. justice warren saying if you have to provide acces

court, the supreme court hearing a case this morning with implications for the water rights of the navajo nation

>>> well, this morning we are remembering the life and legacy of the first president of the navajo nationsion was inspiring students, especially tribal youth, to attend college. peterson zah passed away after a long illness. he was 85 years old. >>> coming up in our "gma morning menu," our series, the tech effect looks at how artificial intelligence is helping doctors detect breast cancer. >>> we're counting down to the oscars, the producers are sharing secrets about the show. >>> plus, style expert ade samuel is here with what we'll see on the red carpet from hollywood's biggest style icons. >>> and lori bergamotto is here. >> that's right, i am here. i went to the pros, "gma's" amazing hair and make-up artists to find out what the best tools are to get your glam on. all that coming up right here on "gma." with bank of america. see cousin jimmy over there? his girlfriend just caught the bouquet so... he might need a little more help saving. for that engagement ring... the groom's parents. you think they're looking at photos of their handsome boy? they're not! she just saw how much they s

one example i use is the navajo nation. from the 1940's to the 1980's, nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted from the nation's lands, exposing generations of tribal members to the contamination that permeated these sites. after the mining companies were done, they simply left their operations and failed to engage in any cleanup measures. today there are over 500 abandoned uranium mines on tribal nation lands and this continued to be a serious concern for the nations' tribal leadership as we speak. as you can imagine, these mines have contaminanted toll chronic health outcomes among tribal -- to chronic health outcomes among tribal homes. so when we consider the status of uranium mining in this country, we must also consider the inevitable history that this industry has exposed -- imposed upon specifically tribal communities. i hope that in addition to the information my colleague would like to be included in the amendment's report, that we could also work to include a survey of the industry's historical practi

on the navajo nation, their systems were completely taken off line. the fcc in september received a letter from the arizona department of education urging them to allow schools to use funding for more advanced cybersecurity systems. the program currently supports broadband and basic firewalls but not expanded protection. do you support allowing schools to use this for a broader range of security tools, such as advanced firewalls and other services? ms. sohn: i think that is something the fcc should look at. i heard about this in arizona and other states and i think this is something where -- if we are talking about making sure students k-12 have the best networks, secure networks, it seems to me to be logical -- and the sec would have to do a proceeding -- to extend the funding to cybersecurity. >> thanks. you and i have discussed neutrality but i want to follow up. there have been decades of partisan agreement about neutrality and the fcc changes the rules every administration, which leads to litigation. i think the only way to fix that is to pass a

navajo. i'm originally from ganado, arizona, and i live here in washington, d.c.. i and chair of the national endowment for humanities. i am here to welcome you tonight and to say happy arts and humanities month. i would like to quickly just say thank you to our senior deputy chair, tony mitchell, whose voice you heard speaking to you and asking me, come to the stage. thank you, tony. i'm delighted. welcome you to our 2022 jefferson lecture in the humanities. the first lecture we've been able to host in over three years. thank you for joining us on this crisp fall. we are here tonight on land that has seen change and at the same has been preserved to allow us the opportunity reflect on an important period time this land is the traditional homelands of the and people who thrived in a pre-colonial metropolis along with their neighbors, the piscataway and monkey peoples who continue to live here today. this land is now known as the grounds of president lincoln's where abraham lincoln took refuge from the summer heat in this place. he worked on the emancipation proclamation, which declared the fr