as the weather system unleashes fury on the northeast. this is after spawning deadly tornadoes in the south. tennessee was hit especially too hard. thousands are assessing the devastating damage just weeks before christmas. >> we have been on the ground and we have seen firsthand neighbors helping neighbors. we've heard stories of combat medics getting out with bags to help people in the middle of the night in the tornado. i've never been so proud to be mayor as i am right now. >> a hard time there. all of that plus a vote expected this week in the house to move forward on a baseless impeachment inquiry of the president. >> i think it's easy to sort of sit and laugh and chuckle at this bungling exercised by house republicans trying to impeach the president based on nothing. there is something more sinister at play here. >> this impeachment is political retribution. it is political revenge on behalf of president trump. >> coming up, i'm going to speak to judiciary committee member mary gay scanlon about the impeachment efforts. we are putting a spotlight on vice president kamala harris from an increased role in the israel-hamas war two plans to her expand her 2024 reelection role. the pictures that are going viral -- of the school board member sworn in on a stack of banned books rather than the bible. i'm going to speak to karen smith who used a moment to make a point. that is later on this hour. we begin this hour once again in tennessee where thousands are reeling after a deadly tornado left a trail of damage to the middle of the state. the governor has declared a state of emergency. there are at least 42,000 without power statewide. priscilla thompson is back with me for madison, tennessee. it's good to talk to you. how are people they are dealing with the aftermath of what has taken place over the last 24 hours? >> yeah, yasmin. people are out assessing the damage, trying to clean up and recover what they can. i want to step aside here and give you a look at what is happening. these are folks from the fire department who have cleared this area. i will tell you what we are looking at. there were three people here who died. they died because there was one trailer which slid on top of another trailer. those three people were 37 year old joseph dalton, 31-year-old florida perez, and her two year old son anthony mendes. the father and husband of that child and that woman came back here to their home trying to find his life savings. the fire department said it wasn't safe for him to go in there and look. what they are trying to do is take the trailer off the top so they can try to find the 20 $500 which is all he had saved here. the reason he needs that money is because he hopes to send the remains of his wife and son back to guatemala. that is where they are from. they have only been here a couple of months. he was in their trailer along with them and another child when this happened. he said they heard a very loud noises. everyone began to scream. there was a moment when he no longer heard the screams of his wife. that was when he knew that something was not right. this is some of the devastation that people are dealing with across the state. they were also three people who died in clarksville, tennessee. there was a church that was destroyed. some 13 people were injured, more than 60 people sent to the hospital as a result of these tornadoes which swept across the state. today, we have seen people out trying to clean up, trying to recover what they can and really trying to figure out what happens in terms of putting the pieces of their life back together. there are tens of thousands of people in this state without power. the governor has declared a state of emergency. officials are saying it will not be hours but likely days before that power is restored. that is a bit of what folks are dealing with. there's certainly a lot of devastation here. you see the fire department trying to make sure that this structure is safe, trying to help that father, that husband find that money that he is looking for so he can get the remains of his family members back to their homeland. yasmin? >> is there an area where they have safe haven for those whose homes are uninhabitable right now or completely destroyed, water, food access? they try to pick up the pieces. >> yes, yasmin. there are two red cross shelters that have been opened here. folks in this community and in that clarksville community are able to go to those shelters where they can receive food as a try to figure out a short term plan here. that is what we see. there are houses which are completely destroyed. their houses where the roof is ripped off. there are bedrooms that are wide open. people cannot stay in those places, those structures may not be safe to stand. i think i'm getting some of the debris there. >> it's okay, priscilla. get some water. take it easy. i know there's a lot of debris around you. thank you for that report. our thoughts are with the community right now. let's head over to the northeast right now. millions are getting pounding with heavy rain and winds. parts of upstate new york are expected to get up to a foot of snow as well. new york city is under a travel advisory as residents are urged to stay home. i want to bring in george soliz who is in manhattan with more on this. last time i checked, we saw rain coming down. it was certainly about to get more heavy, more intense, winds picking up as well. what are you hearing from officials on the expectations of this thing? >> of course. kathy hochul urges to new yorkers to stay home and tried lightly. this has turned a lot more serious in the coming hours. there are 50 million in the bull's-eye between d.c. and maine as the storm moves over, bringing with it, as he mentioned, some of those ripping winds and wind gusts between 45 and 60 miles per hour. you mentioned that foot of snow. you're getting a little bit of a one-two punch from that system. it's going to be moving over. governor phil murphy urged new jersey to stay home right now. there's a little bit of respite from the rain. we are seeing the umbrellas right now. in manhattan, it's sort of the epicenter of the holiday season. we are going to head to higher ground. we are obviously going to stay indoors once things start to pick up. some of the heavy rain is supposed to be moving into the overnight hours into monday. what you are really looking at is the potential for nasty commutes and travel delays across much of the northeast as the system moves through. taking in the sights, some of them are not prepared for this weather. this is the kind of weather where you definitely want some rain gear like we have on. needless to say, some people are not letting this dampen the holiday spirit. listen. >> i mean, when it gets ugly, air it out. we got a couple umbrellas with us, packed with some rain jackets. we got the proper shoe wear on. living it up in the city, to, rain or shine. do you know what i mean? >> are you anticipating delays? >> we are hoping not, but it's not looking a good. we are hoping it is smooth sailing. it's probably going to be pretty delayed, i would say. >> of course, things are somewhat light hearted. when you have this much rain which falls in a short window, the potential for the localized flash flooding particularly in urban areas is a very serious threat. take precautions. if you see that rising water, turn around, don't drown. >> we have seen a lot of that here in the new york city metro area. subway systems and the highways as well, basement apartments, certainly urging folks here in the new york city area to take precautions. george soliz, thank you. we are back in 60 seconds. the president of the university of pennsylvania resigned in wake of anger after what she told congress about antisemitism and houses preparing to vote to move a baseless impeachment inquiry into president biden. i want to talk about all of this with mary gay scanlon coming up next. with mary gay scanlon coming up next coming up next e!!! oh, fudge!!! ♪♪ the holidays are joy, except for all the snow, slush, salt, and pine needle catastrophes... weathertech's cargoliners and floorliners are laser-measured to perfectly protect the front, back, and even up the sides. order the perfect holiday gift today at weathertech.com and don't forget weathertech gift cards. meet the traveling trio. the thrill seeker. the soul searcher. and - ahoy! it's the explorer! each helping to protect their money with chase. woah, a lost card isn't keeping this thrill seeker down. lost her card, not the vibe. the soul searcher, is finding his identity, and helping to protect it. hey! oh yeah, the explorer! she's looking to dive deeper... all while chase looks out for her. iend have chase. alerts that help check. tools that help protect. one bank that puts you in control. chase. make more of what's yours. >> mcgill was grilled by republican congresswoman elise stefanik on tuesday. >> does calling for the genocide of jews to violate pens rules or code of conduct? yes or no? >> if the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. >> i am asking specifically calling for the genocide of jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment? >> if it is directed and pervasive, it is harassment. >> congresswoman stefanik had called for mcgill's ousting on x, formerly known as twitter, one down, two to go, referring to the presidents of harvard and m.i.t. who also appeared at the hearing. i want to bring in mary scanlon, a pennsylvanian who serves on the judiciary committee, to talk more about this and much more. thank you for joining us on this. your colleague elise stefanik continuing in that tweet, harvard and m.i.t., do the right thing. do you think the other two university presidents should step down? give me your reaction to the president of upenn handing in her resignation yesterday evening. >> obviously, there was a firestorm as a result of the hearing. we should all be condemning antisemitic speech and actions on campus, islamophobic speech and actions on campus. there's a lot going on. we hear about the trauma that people are experiencing every day. i have 19 colleges in my district. this was not a hearing which was about trying to find solutions to this kind of conduct. this was a gotcha moment. representative stefanik got exactly what she wanted. she wanted to be able to hold up someone as a scapegoat and be able to sow more chaos and divisions. that's what we are seeing. that's what we are seeing from the maga majority in the house every single day. we have four voting days before the end of the year. we have not produced a budget. the government has almost shut down. there have been three different -- they're trying to cut vital services, whether it's fee made it to folks like those who are suffering in tennessee, whether it's home heating for seniors. all of those issues are on the table. the maga majority is trying to sow chaos and division everywhere it can, whether it is with that hearing or with the impeachment inquiry. >> we're going to get into the impeachment inquiry in a moment. do you think the president of upenn should not have resigned? >> you know, i think that's a decision for the board of penn. i think she probably made the right decision given the amount of chaos that was occurring on that campus. i think we can also see that, across the spectrum of colleges and universities, different institutions are handling things differently. they are managing to have thoughtful discussions and set out guidelines for productive discussions without getting into hate speech or other conduct which could be criminal. >> let's talk about this potential impeachment inquiry, this floor vote to formalize the impeachment inquiry into the president. it could happen. i want to listen to speaker mike johnson talking about that. >> next to the declaration of war, i think impeachment is the heaviest power that congress has. we have to be methodical and careful and follow the facts where they lead. the impeachment inquiry is the next necessary step. the white house now is stonewalling. >> usually, he would follow the facts where they lead if there was evidence to suggest there was wrongdoing. the fact is, there is no evidence to suggest there is wrongdoing. what is your reaction to what we are hearing from speaker mike johnson? >> i think there is so much to unpack there. up until a couple of weeks ago, he was in agreement with folks like fox news and jonathan turley who has been the republicans since favorite impeachment scholar for the last several impeachments, going back to bill clinton days. they know that. the problem is they don't have anything else to do. they are not passing legislation. they are not putting together a budget. this is one more shiny object that they are trying to use to this impeachment inquiry is not being led by constitutional scholars. it's being led by folks like marjorie taylor greene and jim jordan who want positions or pardons from the next trump administration. you open an impeachment inquiry when there is evidence of high crimes and misdemeanor. we have not seen that here. it is, if it were not so serious, it would be a joke. this is pure political theater. it is designed to distract from the fact that this republican majority has nothing to show for a whole year in office. we've had 20 bills passed into law this entire year through congress. three of them were to prevent government shutdowns. i mean, it is an absolute travesty. again, they are spending the very limited time we have left this year in d. just trying to sow more division. >> congresswoman, while i have you, i want to ask you about the israel-hamas war. you joined other members of congress in calling for a cease-fire. what is your reaction to the u.s. veto of the u.n. resolution for a cease-fire? >> look, we have to continue doing everything we can to move into a position where there could be durable peace and security in that region. that means engaging and i multilateral way. i was heartened that after we made that call there were limited cease-fires and hostage exchanges. there was humanitarian relief that was provided. we have to do everything we can. i think there is broad agreement that we need to move forward. we can't continue in the cycle of violence. we need to find a way that there can be durable peace and security. the cease-fire letter that i signed on and put forward, we are focused on the children of the region, the children in gaza, the children in israel. international law demands that there be relief for those children and we need to work for that. >> representative mary gay scanlon, thank you. still ahead, a look at the crucial role of vice president kamala harris and the administration's response to the israel hamas war. plus, how voters in iowa are feeling as republican presidential candidates flock to the state ahead of next month's caucus. breaking tradition to honor representatives in literature -- i'm going to speak to the new school board president pennsylvania who chose to be sworn in on a stack of frequently banned books coming up. ack of frequently banned books coming up up for generations. this life is in our blood. give the gift of family heritage with ancestry. the subway series is taking your favorite to the next level! like the #20. the elite chicken and bacon ranch. built with rotisserie-style chicken and double cheese. i love what i'm seeing here. that's some well-coached chicken. you done, peyton? the subway series just keeps gettin' better. (♪♪) kevin! kevin? kevin? ooh, nice. kevin, where are you? kevin?!?!?.... hey, what's going on? i'm right here! i was busy cashbacking for the holidays with chase freedom unlimited. i'm gonna cashback on a gingerbread house! oooh, it's got little people inside! and a snowglobe. oh, i wished i lived in there. you know i can't believe you lost another kevin. it's a holiday tradition! that it is! earn big time with chase freedom unlimited. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours. [deep exhale] ♪ trumpet music plays ♪ 579 breaths to show 'em your stuff. every breath matters. don't let rsv take your breath away. protect yourself from rsv with abrysvo, pfizer's rsv vaccine. abrysvo is a vaccine for the prevention of lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. rsv can be serious if you are 60 or older. having asthma, copd, diabetes, or heart disease puts you at even higher risk. abrysvo is not for everyone and may not protect all who receive the vaccine. don't get abrysvo if you've had a severe allergic reaction to its ingredients. people with a weakened immune system may have a decreased response to abrysvo. he most common side effects are tiredness, headache, pain at the injection site, and muscle pain. ask your pharmacist or doctor about pfizer's rsv vaccine, abrysvo. visit these retailers or find other retailers near you at abrysvo.com [deep breath] my husband and i have never been more active. at abrysvo.com shingles doesn't care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesn't care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of shingles sharply increases after age 50. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care but, shingrix protects. shingrix is now zero dollars for almost everyone. ask your doctor about shingrix today. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? did we peak your interest? you can get two unlimited lines for just $30 each a month. there are no term contracts or line activation fees. and you can bring your own device. oh, and all on the most reliable 5g mobile network nationwide. wireless that works for you. >> welcome back. it's not just possible, it's happening. we are following breaking news from the white house regarding ukraine. i want to go straight to nbc's brie jackson. if you will, walk us through what we are hearing this hour. >> good afternoon. what we do know is that president biden and president zelenskyy had a meeting on tuesday. no word yet if he has accepted the invitation. the white house says the president wants to underscore his administration's commitment to supporting the people of ukraine as they defend themselves. this visit comes as lawmakers are back at the negotiating table to discuss funding for ukraine. the biden administration is calling on congress to urgently approved an aid package which includes funding for israel and ukraine. negotiations had stalled due to republican objections that the measure lacks significant changes to immigration policy. president biden visited ukraine back in february. the president continues to push to have congress take action on this. the last time that we know that, it was back in september. the president has once again invited zelenskyy to return to the white house on tuesday. >> brie jackson, thank you, we appreciate it. turning to the iowa caucuses, just over a month away, if you can believe it. three of the republican candidates are attending a faith and family event will former president trump was here in new york attending a fund-raiser. i want to bring in julia frenkel from iowa to talk about that. julian, how are the candidates pushing toward the caucuses? what are you hearing from voters? >> that's right. we are weeks away from the iowa caucuses. many of the top gop presidential contenders are on the ground in the hawkeye state campaigning this weekend. a number of them are attending a major gop cattle call event hosted by randy feenstra. we heard from former u.n. ambassador nikki haley, florida governor ron desantis, and businessmen vivek ramaswamy. all of the candidates are primarily sticking to their talking points with a bit of family and religion mixed in. notably absent from this event's gop front runner former president donald trump. he spoke at a fund-raiser event in new york city yesterday. he is expected to testify in his civil tax fraud case happening in manhattan. he is expected to return to the hawkeye state for an event here on wednesday. statewide, he is leading in the polls pretty consistently, about 30% from his nearest gop competitors here. that support for the former president is not just playing out in his polling numbers. it's something we have heard in so many conversations with voters over the last few months and across the state. they say that the former president, they are supporting him and they are wondering whether to consider another candidate. at the same time, as they are willing to go to these campaign events, they are comparing the former president to these other candidates. i want you to hear a few of my conversations with iowa voters who attended vivek ramaswamy events. at this point in the race, they aren't sure whether to abandon the former president or move on. take a listen. >> i'm still leaning toward trump. he has the track record. it's hard to turn that away. he's done a lot for the country. >> between trump and vivek, who do you want to become the next president? >> i'm not going to commit to that right now. i love them both, i really do. i like the fact that vivek's younger. i like his morals. >> yasmin, we are just 36 days out from the iowa caucuses. those voters that you just heard from our representative of so many others across the state who say that although the race is not over yet, former president donald trump is still the candidate to beat. yasmin? >> juul gillian frenkel for us, thank you. we are alive as idf forces move south. from being in the center of the biden administration's policy on israel to the key role she is playing in the reelection efforts, we are going to look at vice president kamala harris and why she will be crucial to joe biden in 2024. ucial to joe biden in 2024. joe biden in 2024. moderate to severe eczema still disrupts my skin. despite treatment it disrupts my skin with itch. it disrupts my skin with rash. but now, i can disrupt eczema with rinvoq. rinvoq is not a steroid, topical, or injection. it's one pill, once a day. many taking rinvoq saw clear or almost-clear skin while some saw up to 100% clear skin. and, they felt dramatic and fast itch relief some as early as 2 days. that's rinvoq relief. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal, cancers including lymphoma and skin cancer, death, heart attack, stroke, and tears in the stomach or intestines occurred. people 50 and older with at least one heart disease risk factor have higher risks. don't take if allergic to rinvoq, as serious reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. disrupt the itch and rash of eczema. talk to your doctor about rinvoq. learn how abbvie can help you save. welcome back. in the middle east, israel says it's pushing forward with its assault in southern gaza in an effort to root out hamas. the country's military saying warplanes struck targets in the strip and its forces had engaged in battle in a neighborhood east of gaza city. according to the palestinian health ministry, 17,700 people have been killed in gaza so far. we want to bring in nbc news correspondent -- from tel aviv with more on this. i want to talk, if we can, about the ongoing hostage situation inside gaza. the israeli government releasing an update on that. what more can you tell us about that? >> reporter: right. they are confirming 137 hostages remain in captivity, in hamas captivity inside of gaza. they are also saying 20 have died since october 7th. so that is not as part of the 137. that is in addition. that would include starbuck, who is the hostage who was confirmed dead by the berry kibbutz yesterday, who was a soldier, we understand, perhaps killed in an attempted rescue operation and the 20 hostages killed, murdered. the prime minister's office say since october 7th remaining 137 captives, of course. so many families across this country wanting these hostages to be released. some very angry, in fact, with the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, who remains deeply unpopular in this country. some of them are accusing the prime minister of placing his military objectives above the lives of the remaining hostages in the hands of hamas. meantime, the humanitarian situation, yasmin, is deteriorating day-by-day. the agency oxfam says it has gone from catastrophic to apocalyptic. this as the idf continues to operate deep in southern gaza. and as the civilian population has pushed into smaller and smaller enclaves, including in rafah, at the very south, this is on the border with egypt, where we are seeing the hospitals at the brink there. and also just ordinary families with special needs children. we heard from a mother saying she can't get injections and medicine she needs for her disabled child. it's really run-of-the-mill, daily issues and medical complaints that are going unanswered right now. all the while, little food, dirty water, and no access to basic care, yasmin. the situation is becoming harder and harder by the day. >> and ongoing devastating situation on the ground for us. thank you. >> during her recent visit to the middle east, vice president kamala harris expressing that the u.s. should take a harder line with israel about the civilian toll being felt in gaza. new york times writing this, miss harris juggled for high stakes meetings or calls with kings and presidents. in her message on the war, privately and publicly, establishing guidelines for how israel should fight its war and what the country should do once the fighting is over. joining me now is daily beast columnist -- to talk about this. david, as always, it is a pleasure to have you. thank you for joining us this hour. much of the role, it seems, the vice president has taken on is really about the day after and driving, it seems, the narrative about the day after. you mentioned how she had conversations in this trip with cc, the egyptian president, on gaza. quote, under no circumstances will the u.s. -- or the west bank. the besiege meant of gaza or the redrawing of the borders of gaza. and then the conversation was different with -- more about what is happening with the west bank and how to empower and strengthen the palestinian authority for what the day after may look like. how do you expect these messages to be received overseas,? considering they are at oz with netanyahu and his administration? >> i think the messages are loud and clear. but i think the message back to the vice president was the fighting had to stop in order for us to consider what we might do to move forward. the vice president is very strong in her remarks. also her remarks publicly in dubai to say there must be limitations on what the israelis are doing, that the toll of the fighting in gaza is taking on the civilian side is far too high. and i think what you get reading between the lines there it is there is a growing tension between that biden administration and the netanyahu administration, because the toll has been to the levels that we are just referred to. i think we are now approaching 18,000 dead, 70% of them women and children, 100,000 buildings destroyed. almost everybody in gaza dislocated. 2.2 million residents, 1.8 or 9 million have been dislocated. as you say, the humanitarian situation is growing worse and worse. so this is very tough. the administration wants to be supportive of israel, but it does not want to see the situation deteriorate even further. >> you mentioned also on the way home, the vice president spoke to the israeli president, isaac herzog, reiterating her support for israel and the president and his administration, support for israel. along those lines, you also talk about some sources telling you that the day after must also include a change of government inside israel. talk to us more about that. >> well, the vice president was clear that you need a security settlement, you need an economic answer, how do you rebuild gaza? you need a political settlement. the only way you get a political settlement is if you remove hamas. you also have to remove people in the israeli government who are seen as an obstacle to this. number one is bibi netanyahu. v netanyahu is so unpopular in israel, i think there is widespread expectation that he will go once the fighting stops. but that also is an incentive for him to keep the fighting going so that he can hang on to power. >> you have said this active role in foreign policy is quite uncommon for vice presidents. why do you think this role is being handed over to vice president kamala harris right now? >> first of all, i don't think it's inconsistent with the role she has played. she's been very active in the ukraine issue. she's been very active in trying to create a counterbalance to china, both in southeast asia with india, in africa. she's been very active in u.s. issues having to do with central america and stopping the flow of migrants into the united states. but from the beginning of this crisis, from what i've heard within the administration, she said, look, we can't just be tactical. we have to be strategic. we can't just bewe have to lookg term goals. that means looking at the day after. she's been backing the efforts to look at the day after with the administration team. >> and david, as always, we are thankful for you. appreciate it. i want to turn out to the key political vice president harris will play in the upcoming presidential campaign. we want to bring in now my friend and colleague symone sanders-townsend, host of symone. symone, great to talk to you. can we pick up on where david left off. i'm wondering why you think it is they are positioned, they have positioned the vice president and the way that they have, is this both strategic and political going into an election year? >> i would say yes and yes. always good to see you, yasmin. i think it is important for people to understand that it is -- i think a lot of times people look at what happens at the white house and they see the vice president and they think, oh, she's only the vice presidential role is only just what the president wants them to do. part of that statement is absolutely true. but the role of the vice presidents and the task of the vice president takes up, how active the vice president's, really depends on what that particular vice president wants to drive. i think people should understand that it is thus the white house positioning the vice president and more so the vice president positioning herself. because these are things she has a record on. we are talking about immigration, climate. she's had a climate adviser from the beginning of the administration, since when i worked there. a gentleman named ike herbie who is still with her. these are issues of importance to her. as david was also noting, she is really leaned in on the foreign policy piece. the things that land on the presidents desk are the hardest and most important things. people, believe it or not, there's a lot of those things that can end up landing on the presidents desk. the president, whomever they are, can't do every single one of them. that is why a vice president, a strong vice president, frankly, is important. those things a president cannot necessarily turn their attention 24 hours, seven days a week on, or the things that do need extra hands, they have a trusted person, essentially a governing partner, if you will, to ask to step in and take those on. or a governing partner that raises their hand. that is the nature of the relationship i have known vice president harris and president biden, frankly, i think we are seeing playing out nowadays. >> there are a lot of issues that have been very close to and important to the youth vote. obviously, much of it came when it came to -- my gosh, i'm having a brain moment. much of it when it came to college debt, obviously, there it is, i brought it up, i figured it out. but also most recently israel and hamas in the israel-hamas war, also when it comes to reproductive rights. the vice president has been very outspoken on israel and hamas, along with reproductive rights. how does she gain the youth vote when it comes to those two big issues? >> i think young people, frankly i think young people are not single issue voters. as young people, there are things we care a lot about. if you don't get our issue right we care about, we are looking and side eyeing and saying maybe we won't pull that lever in the ballot box. i think the way in which the biden harris white house, particularly the biden harris campaign garners the votes and earns the votes of young people is to go out there, or speak to them, hear from them, listen to them, and take some of that language back and implemented. when i used to run campaigns, and jasmine, -- i used to love doing it with my candidates, voters out there in the streets, as i like to say. you need to hear what the people are saying. oftentimes, whether it's the governor or the united states senator or a vice president or president of the united states, they are not talking to, as i like to say, regular people all of the time, right? getting out, they're hearing from them and bringing that language back into the building is important. that is something i think we saw from the vice president. she was at cop28, she praised the climate activists. she talked about how they had young people across the world had been driving on this issue. she challenged the folks at the u.n. to take a page out of the young people's book. she was on that college tour. i think hearing directly from those college students and bringing it back to the white house has been incredible. >> but symone sanders-townsend, there are beautiful things about aging, one of them is not having -- is having great moments, which is what i just had. >> you are not a day over 32, yasmin. come on, now. >> it is your birthday. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> i hope you have the best day and you don't have moments like i do with an extra year on you. you can catch symone every weekend for pm following our show and on peacock with the episodes streaming monday. coming up next, everybody. breaking news, a new filing by special counsel jack smith comes as donald trump prepares to take the stand tomorrow. this time in his own defense. we will be right back. l be right back. jen x is planning a summer in portugal with some help from j.p. morgan wealth plan. let's go whiskers. jen y is working with a banker to budget for her birthday. you only turn 30 once. and jen z? her credit's golden. hello new apartment. three jens getting ahead with chase. solutions that grow with you. one bank for now. for later. for life. chase. make more of what's yours. (sung) febreze! i use febreze fabric refresher everyday. to make my home smell amazing. on my bed... my couch... my jacket or jeans. in between washes. even shoes. febreze doesn't cover up odors with scent, but fights them and freshens! over one thousand uses. febreze fabric refresher. (aidyl) hi, i'm aidyl, and i lost 90 pounds on golo. over one thousand uses. i struggled with weight loss and weight gain my entire life. with all the yo-yo dieting i did in the past, i would lose 20, 30, 50 pounds just to gain them over and over again. thanks to golo, i've been able to steadily go down the sizes in my closet and keep the weight off. for the first time in forever, i feel in control. (announcer) change your life at golo.com. that's golo.com. welcome back, everybody. breaking news, trump saying he will not testify in his new york civil fraud trial tomorrow. he was meant to be the final witness for the defense. join me now is ryan riley, msnbc's justice reporter and -- how january 6th broke justice system. ryan, i know this is just breaking. what are you learning? what do you know? >> that is not going to testify and apparently, you know, can now except some of the recommendations of his lawyers. and there is not a lot of reason for him, legally speaking, to take the stand. he had already testified on -- earlier in the trial. going back to the stand as a witness for the defense was not going to be really beneficial for, him especially given what he said, his lawyer said was the role in imposing this gag order on him, this standing gag order that is still -- has to do with what he can say about the judge. he's not really allowed to go out and attack the judge. essentially, that's what a lot of what he wanted to say was. he had previously attacked the judge on the stand, and he wanted to do it again here. this comes at a time when donald trump is facing multiple criminal trials in the future. you know, we will not be seeing a preview of what is to come yet again in the civil trial tomorrow, it seems. i think the case will probably rest a little quicker than we were expecting. >> ryan riley, if you would stand by for, us i want to bring in -- nbc news investigive producer. adam, i know you are breaking the story for us. i want to read for folks the truth social post frothe former president with this. he said, i've already testified everything and have nothing more to say, other than this is a complete and total election interference. the biden campaign in parentheses witch hunt, i will not be testifying on monday. he said this in all caps on the social media platform. what else are you learning, adam? >> well, we had a 90 and this was going to happen. a lot of i observers, legal analysts, court reporters were really skeptical that he was going to show michael cohen has been saying all along there was no way he was going to put himself on the witness stand again. when he last us to fight on november 6th, when he left, a lot of people said there is no way he's going to come back into this courtroom. there is nothing in it for him. there is no upside for him. as he said, as his attorney has said, he said everything he's going to say. to be honest, he may have felt that he did well on the stand last time. most legal observers felt it was a disaster. he was unable to control himself. he was attacking the attorney general, who was sitting just feet from him. he was attacking the judge who was sitting inches from him. there was really nothing to gain. everything to lose. he already, for all intents and purposes, has lost the case. the judge has ruled that the company committed fraud. it's just a matter of determining the amount that will be discouraged from the company, and whether or not the company will lose its licenses to operate in new york. the attorney said there was no upside to them either. in fact, one of his attorneys said on thursday when he left court that she advised him not to testify. here we are. there were lots of plans in place for his arrival tomorrow morning, but that's not happening. we will see his expert, and why you professor -- who when mr. trump was in court on thursday, it was generally very positive for him. the professor testified that the company did not commit accounting fraud in their statements. there was no misstatements of materiality. generally a very positive day for him. he would go in the hallway and recount and that testimony, how in his mind, based on his testimony, the trump organization did not commit fraud. he had just begun cross examination on friday when the court at 1:00 on friday. that will continue. the cross examination of eli bartos will continue and we expect that to be quite damning. >> i mean, i was outside the court when elie bartos was testifying he was considered at that point the star witness for the defense. lisa reuben, who i believe will join me any moment now, was inside that courtroom. she certainly put into question as to whether or not the former president would end up testifying on monday. hearing it at the last minute is certainly not surprising, as you say, i'm wondering if you've got any indication if the defense plans on bringing any other witnesses beyond bartos now that they said the former president will not be testifying. >> as we wait to hear from lisa, who by the way, protected rightly that mr. trump would not come, in fact. she predicted that eric trump wouldn't come. he did not come. in terms of any further witnesses for the defense, we don't think so. after bartov, their final witness, we will hear from the prosecution. they have the opportunity for rebuttal. we expect there to be two witnesses on rebuttal. and then we will end for the year. next year, on january 5th, both sides will proceed to give documents to the case, the court. on january 11, we will hear their closing arguments. >> right, as the former president's defense team had asked for a delay to prepare for closing arguments. i want to bring in lisa reuben, standing by for us. lisa, you and i stood outside that courtroom on thursday. we had this exact conversation as to whether or would he not testify on monday. you said to me, listen, at this point, he's going to testify. but you really never know with the former president. we will really know and he actually shows up on monday morning for that testimony. you predicted accurately that he is not going to be there he's not going to testify. give me your reaction and why you think this is happening now. >> reporter: in addition to the fact, yasmin, that this is the schedule scrambling again, and whether court can happen tomorrow, as adam was just talking about, eli bartov, the accounting expert still has time left on cross-examination. at this late stage, it's unclear whether he can come to court tomorrow, whether he is available, and or whether either of the rebuttal witnesses can come, given that they are rebuttal expert witnesses i would expect that they need to hear the conclusion of bartov's testimony in order to testify themselves. my expectation is we will probably have a dark day in court tomorrow. on is we win terms of the former president's thinking, though, one of the reasons i kept saying to everyone that he wouldn't show up goes back to forwards. it's the gag order. i have said to you and i've said on our air that i really thought it was untenable for the former president to come and testify and a time when he might not be able to resist the impulse to complain about judge engoron's principal law clerk, while he was sitting just feet away from her. he did an okay job last week in court. not stepping over that line. but of course, he wasn't on the stand at that time. the man is nothing else an impulsive witness who every time he opens his mouth in a legal proceeding, he generally gets himself in more and more trouble. for example, when he was on the stand in the attorney general's case, he admitted quite openly that he was the final say on his own financial statements, that he reviewed them. he sometime -- somehow used that as a casual, nothing much about it kind of response. my guess is that internally, the attorney general's lawyers at that time were pumping their fists. that is a huge admission for them. you and i both know from the e. jean carroll case, for example, that when he was deposed in that case, that was the most damning testimony of all in that case. again, a very legally sound decision by the former president and his team. but a real head with -- respect to the court and the attorney generals office, all of whom were expecting to come tomorrow. my guess is he has to call it off at this point because of the security preparations that would've needed to take place, the nypd, and a law enforcement body associated with the court system. >> and lisa, do you expect the defense is going to rest after eli bartov's testimony is concluded? >> i do. i don't expect there's anybody else. if you read the former presidents truth social statements, it doesn't leave room for him to come back at a later time. it doesn't say that he will -- it says he will not be testifying monday. but it doesn't suggest he will be testifying, for example, idly at a later time in -- it's helpful for our viewers to know that when you are presenting your case at trial, you don't just get to press pause whenever you feel like it. the judge expectation at all times, and the rules require that you move from witnessed a witness. you have your next witness ready as soon as one is over. unless and until we hear from -- and that there is some other witness that they are prepared to call, either somebody on their list of 120 something witnesses originally, or someone that was called by the attorney generals office -- my full expectation is as soon as eli bartov it is done, the defense will rest. >> lisa reuben, thank you. adam race, ryan riley, thank you guys as well. once again, the former president no longer testifying tomorrow in his new york civil fraud trial. we will have much more on that breaking news throughout the evening here on msnbc. before i go, i want to get in quickly a story we've been promising you throughout the hour. karen smith, the new school board president for the central book district in -- getting sorted not on a bible but on a stack of banned books. i want to bring in karen smith. karen, i apologize. we don't have much time with you. i want to talk about why it is you decided to get sworn in on this stack of banned books versus what normally people would be sworn in on, which is the bible. >> sure. thanks for having me. it's actually a friend of mine who mentioned swearing in on the banned books. i immediately thought, yes, after the last two years, what we've been through, here it felt like the right decision. >> were you surprised and that it went viral the way that it did and it has gained the momentum that it has? >> i was surprised, to be honest. but we have quite an important story here in central bucks. these banned books have become a center of the culture wars that have been profligate-ing the last couple years here. and the -- it has just become a real focus of the republican party and they've really lost their way. i feel like it is, you know, we've got to get back to focusing on what's really important in the classroom and representing all students. >> you chose these books yourself for various reasons. can you talk to me about that? >> sure, yeah. all the books that were in my stack have been challenged in our district. it was not challenged by the library book policy, but it was challenged by the neutrality policy in the district. each one had a different meaning to me. perhaps the one that is easiest to explain was a book called flame or. recently, i was a keynote speaker at the american association of school librarians conference and the young person that i spoke with said that this book saved their life. and it was such a powerful moment to hear a young person say that. i don't think a lot of us will ever forget that moment. >> that's one of the reasons why you chose flamer to be one of the books when you are sworn in with your mission there as school board president. karen smith, thank you so much. we appreciate you. we certainly wish you the best of luck in your time ahead. that wraps up for me, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian. i will be back in the chair and excited and sunday at two pm eastern. symone starts right. and greetings, everyone. you are watching symone. impeachment is probably the highest power congress has. that is what speaker of the house mike johnson, that's what he said today and i