everyone, he doesn't have to focus on recent hess in the congress, which not everyone is worried about day to day, but connecting, as you say, with the support that's out there. >> yeah. and it will force us out of this box too of measuring whether he is successful in getting bipartisan policies through by looking to where the support is coming from. and if you have support from republican governors and you have support from republican mayors and you have support, i think more than 50% of republicans in the country support this package, then it's impossible to deny him the accomplishment of governing in a bipartisan way. >> yeah, all great points. i was curious what's on your mind going into this. >> nice to see you, my friend. >> thank you. thank you. i want to welcome everyone to "the beat." i am ari melber. we have a special show planned for you tonight. a live interview right here on "the beat" with white house secretary jen psaki. that's coming up tonight. meanwhile, joe biden preparing to give his first primetime address from the white house. biden signing the covid relief bill this afternoon, lan mark legislation, funds, vaccines, health care. biden is going to preview what's ahead. as i mentioned the numbers nicolle and i were referring to. the majority of americans, 65% say they support his handling of the pandemic and similar majorities support the bill. biden's address comes one year to the day that the w.h.o. declared this a pandemic. meanwhile, top infectious disease expert dr. fauci said this to congress. >> we'll see more cases and things will get worse than they are right now. bottom line, it's going get worse. >> it did get worse. in the next 12 months, one in five americans would lose someone close to them to covid. the entire death toll in this nation stands at 530,000. tonight biden addressing a weary nation that is also so hopeful right now with vaccines now getting out to market, getting out to people. the major covid bill here will give concrete relief to millions, and that's where we begin tonight. i'm joined by my colleague alicia menendez, host of "american voices," juanita tolller and eleanor clift, correspondent for the daily beast. welcome all. eleanor, i begin with you. you've covered many presidents who have tried to come out in their first 100 days and do something that is standard. but this is a really big something against a big challenge. i'm curious what you think and what the president has to do tonight? >> right. to borrow biden's memorable phrase, it's a big f'ing deal. and you see the networks giving him time. there is no quibble about is this really a serious enough issue to break into our regular programing. yes, it's a serious issue. and that he's doing it before he's going to congress to make the first state of the union address, which is basically singnalling his attention is really on the country. and i take every point that nicolle wallace just made about redefining bipartisanship. let the republicans nurse their grudges on capitol hill. he has shown that he can put together a coalition of pressure from outside washington that enabled this to get through. and we should also mention that to keep all 50 democrats together is an accomplishment in and of itself. so i think this is a good moment for this president. and he will use it, though, gracefully, because the main point is to acknowledge the loss that we suffered. one in three or one in five americans have lost a family member or a friend. and to acknowledge that and then to also encourage hope and optimism, but not so over the top that everybody's going to say okay, it's over. so i think it's a balancing act, and he has -- he has shown a sensitivity to the tones that he needs to strike that i don't think everybody would have imagined he would be capable of. i think it's his strongest suit is reading the tone that he needs to set and making it easy for people who didn't vote for him to respect him and to support what he's trying to do. and in these divided times, that's quite an accomplishment. >> yeah. you mentioned people didn't vote for him. we'll put this up, juanita. we have a chart where as mentioned a really big super majority of american support, this new bill now passing. but specifically, republicans and trump voters, i think we have this, 55%, a majority of 2020 trump voters. juanita, they're coming out of not only that divisive election, but everything we know happened afterward in january. that's a pretty striking endorsement of what biden wants to deliver. >> what he wants to deliver and how he wants to respond to every voters' needs. i think biden was explicitly clear on the campaign trail. i lead for all of you. i will represent all of you, and i will respond to all of your needs, no matter who you support in this election, and he's followed through on that. i think to eleanor's point, this is something that gop voters and trump supporters can accept because those direct deposits are going to change their lives. those ability to reopen schools safely will influence their children. the fact that there will be more vaccines distributed more efficiently and at faster pace is going to change their reality. and so that's something that they can't deny. and so i think the other thing we're going the hear from biden tonight of course on emphasizing with the nation as we continue to grieve this pandemic, but really emphasizing and touting the impact that he is having immediately, whether it's those direct deposits that jen psaki would hit potentially this weekend, whether it's jobs that are no longer furloughed like the white house released the statements from american airlines and amtrak that shows how employees and individuals are being helped right now. >> alicia, we in this business and so many people who fixate on the news we keep an eye on all of it. but there are plenty of things that escape daily notice because people are busy living their lives. you talk about filibuster reform that doesn't always break through, although we can explain why it's important. this one is already breaking through in all sorts of ways because people know the checks are coming. it's breaking through in the culture. take a look at some of the ways we were talking about last night. >> something historic happened on capitol hill and it wasn't punching a cop. >> republicans are calling it not what dr. suess would have wanted. >> $1.9 trillion. that's like a for every email you got this year that started with "in these challenging times." >> the money will be going out soon. really, what's more reassuring than the phrase, don't worry, the check's in the mail. >> there you go, baby! you're rich. buy yourself something nice like rent or medicine. >> jokes or not, alicia, the jokes don't work unless people know the punch line, that this is happening. >> yeah, it's been a long time since they had good news to play with. listen, i think president biden understands that this legislation isn't going to sell itself. that's a lesson that they learned the hard way from 2009 when a lot of democrats felt that then president obama didn't really take the victory lap he deserved to take over his own recovery program. and so tonight i think, yes, you're going to hear him connecting with americans over the shared grief and loss that we've all experienced over the past year, but then he is going to make a hard pivot to a message of hope. and i think what makes tonight different, ari, is that that hope isn't just rhetorical. that hope is actually tied to policy. so he is going to be talking about those direct payments. he is going to be talking about rental assistance. he is going to be talking about moving on unemployment. as juanita said, there is nothing joe biden can say that's going hit quite as hard as someone getting their first direct payment, maybe as soon as this weekend. there is nothing joe biden can say that is going to provide the same type of relief that a school reopening and a parent perhaps being able to go back to work, because they're no longer having to supervisor their child's education. those things are going to be very real. so i think part of the challenge that has already been underscored that i think is right is the fact that they cannot oversell this because americans are going to experience this relief at different times on a different timeline. there is also the fact as much of this is happening rhetorically, connecting the dots for voters between the relief they're feeling and the policies that democrats push through, there is also the case, ari, they actually have to execute on all of this. they have to execute on getting those checks out. they have to execute school reopenings. they have to execute making sure that vaccine distribution continues at this pace. so they have a lot to do that is both happening rhetorically in terms of the tour he is about to go on to sell this plan, but actually all of the mechanics of government continuing to work. >> and there is a lot of signs that the republicans know this is working, including that no one can predict the future, but there is a great deal of experts who see the economy rebounding if this all stays on track. juanita, mcconnell seems to acknowledge that, but then complaining about credit is the best he could come up with. take a look. >> president biden and his democratic government inherited a tide that had already begun to turn toward decisive victory. democrats just want to sprint in front of the parade and claim credit. >> juanita? >> after the gop obstructed aid and did, let's be real, the absolute very least for the general public while they prioritized corporations and big businesses in 2020, it's absolutely ridiculous to hear mcconnell and others say these things. you actively created barriers to getting this aid to the general public. the only tide that biden rode in on was the fact that people were in need, and that included republican voter, and that's why you see a majority of trump supporters and gop supporters supporting the covid law. it's because they need that relief. so mcconnell can keep the salt for himself. we don't need it. the american public is not going to respond to it. it's wasted energy at this point because they're distraction tactics. their efforts to obstruct this legislation all failed and ultimately democrats and biden delivered here. >> eleanor, i'm curious of the tactics leadership used. the republicans in congress didn't go along despite him cornering them by wing over literally a majority of trump voters. i don't know that anyone could have called that in october. and yet here we are. at the same time, biden has done it in his style, which if you want to borrow from marshall mcluhan or any other scholars of communication and media, it's not a super hot style. he is mellow. it's almost like the first low-key president we've had in a while. i'm curious hoy that all fits in, eleanor. >> well, he is not name-calling. and any support he gets from republicans, he cheers. roger wicker, the senator from mississippi was trying to take credit for the funds going to help restaurants. you don't hear anything from the white house calling him out for being hypocritical. they say great. we need his support. and i think keeping that -- >> right. >> -- meter going is important. and you're going hear a lot from republicans about who's going pay for this. well, did that ask that when president trump had his tax cuts which was just about the same amount of money, and that went to $1.9 trillion, and that went to a certain portion of the american public. he boasted how rich he made his friends at mar-a-lago. and so this is going to be paid by the incredible recovery that's going to on the way. the economist is predict 8% growth. now that's not starting from zero. that's starting from negative growth. but that's a lot. and so this is going to pay for itself just the way the deficit spending during world war ii paid for itself with two generations of prosperity. this -- this is such a significant piece of legislation, you can't underestimate it. but that's not the greatest selling point to get republicans votes. we're going to have this transfer of wealth and we're going correct some of the inequality in the economy. you're not going to get republican votes for that. but they're out there with dr. suess. i mean, i think they're really cornered on this one. >> well, and to that point, juanita, eleanor mentions that deficit attacks aren't really working. there is the short-term hypocrisy of it because the trump administration inherited a better situation from obama having paid down eight years and then they ballooned the deficit. so there is no credibility. beyond that, even if you want to be as charitable as possible and say, okay, they're not credible, but there are times when you worry about long-term deficits. you don't worry about it in the middle of a pandemic that is a once-in a-a-century problem. americans are not asking how do we pay for this on a 30-year interest timeline. they're asking how do we pay for rent this month, how do you pay for sfood? how do you pay how to get through partial lockdowns. that's what people are worried about paying for. juanita? >> how can we ensure that i can get vaccinated so i don't become part of that 530,000 people who lost their lives in the pandemic. the immediate need here, the fact that these wounds are going to linger not only economically, but ari, think about the mental and emotional wounds that people have suffered living in isolation, or living under the stress of not knowing how you're going to put food on the table or pay your bills, pay your mortgage, pay your rent. these immediate needs take priority. and it was only the responsible action we've heard from economists for months and months to give a big response like this covid bill that biden signed into law today. >> yeah. well, look, it's a big night for the country, big night at the white house. i'm thrilled to kick it up with eleanor, juanita and alicia. eleanor and juanita can always be found here on "the beat." eleanor can also be found in "snl" reruns, with a fantastic impression. and i mentioned because alicia, on the other hand, can be found this weekend on msnbc saturdays and sundays 6:00 p.m. eastern "american voices". well recommend it. coming up in just 30 seconds, a top trump official making a stunning admission about trump's responsibility for the riot. emily bazelon is here. we're back in 30 seconds. we designed our 5g to make the things you do every day better. with 5g nationwide, millions of people can now work, listen, and stream in verizon 5g quality. and in parts of many cities where people can use massive capacity, we have ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world. this is the 5g that's built for you. this is 5g built right. only from verizon. we've been covering these so-called accountability hearings dealing with january 6, because you can't just sweep something like that under the rug. well, now donald trump's former acting defense secretary making explosive comments today on the capitol riot, part of the wider factual record that we need to keep an eye on. he says bluntly trump is to blame for the insurrection. >> do you think the president was responsible for what happened on the 6th? >> i don't know, but it seems cause and effect, yeah. the question is would anybody have marched on the capitol and overrun the capitol without the president's speech? i think it's pretty much definitive that wouldn't have happened. so, yes, the question is did he know that he was enraging the crowd to do that? i don't know. >> it would not have happened without donald trump. that's the view from an experienced military leader with inside access to information and a lot of experience about exactly those kind of dangerous situations. this comes amidst new evidence in the criminal probe we've been covering in georgia. here is donald trump on the call with the georgia investigator. and listen for the day he mentions. >> do you think they'll be working after christmas to keep it going fast? >> because you know, we have that date of the 6th which is a very important date. >> a very important date. this goes to the evidence about what was the conscious and intentional plot. trump would continue with the pressure campaign. >> something happened, something bad happened. the people of georgia are so angry at what happened to me. when the right answer comes out, you'll be praised. the people will say great. whatever you can do for access is a great thing. this is an important thing. >> we're joined now by emily bazelon, staff writer for "the new york times" magazine on legal issues. thanks for being here. it will take a long time and historians years more to pick through just everything that led up to january 6, less alone the rest of the era we're living through. but some of this evidence that comes out seems to add to the weight put together by the impeachment managers against donald trump. your view? >> well, i think learning of this second call that trump made and getting the audio for it, this is not the call to join secretary of state brad raffensperger that people may be familiar with. it's someone else in raffensperger's office, a lower official in charge of investigations. and former president trump is clearly pressuring her to find evidence that signatures don't match among voters in georgia and he thinks will provide what he calls the, quote, right answer and get him the precise number of votes he would need to overturn the georgia election result in favor of joe biden. it's very clear what he is asking for. she tries to kind of push him away from this subject. i think she realizes that he is on shaky legal ground here, and that is exactly what we're hearing. >> yeah. and she was at times seemingly shocked. let's take a listen to a bit more. >> i do appreciate you calling. i know that you're a very busy, very important man, and i'm very honored that you called. and, you know, and quite, quite frankly, i'm shocked that you would take time to do that. >> just as a reporter, a lawyer, this is juicy stuff to hear how all this is going down. it's serious but it's also wild because it reminds you that this is so unusual, such an obvious shakedown reaching down to the bowels of state government, which he did in more than one place, sometimes in secretive way, other times blatantly that she doesn't even pretend, although she may be a little off-balance, she doesn't even pretend to act like this is normal. she tells the president "i'm shocked you're even trying this." >> imagine you're a state official and the president of the united states is taking the time to personally call you and basically make a really big request that you go it oand help him overturn the legal results of the state election. and also saying people will praise you, they'll say it's grade, because he is seeing this through a partisan lens, not in terms of what your duties are as a public official. >> do you think she understood it to be a request to engage in criminal acts? >> i think that, you know, she will have to talk about her own mind-set. the fact that she was trying to steer him away from this suggests that there was something that was making her uncomfortable. there is a statute in georgia that the district attorney in fulton county is now considering whether to press charges against president trump. she is investigating. this is all public. and it's about criminal solicitation to commit election fraud. so the question is whether someone is trying to push a public official into committing election fraud. you know, i think the mind said -- what this particular public official felt when she was listening to this does seem relevant to that investigation. >> it's relevant. and adds you reminded us, although only she can speak to her own interpretat