tonight's lead -- right now, we are following reports that u.s. israeli and hamas negotiators are closing in on a deal that would release some hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting in the israel-hamas war. it comes as stark new polling from nbc news shows just how much this conflict has impacted the president's approval rating, which at its lowest point amid widespread dissatisfaction with his handling of the war six weeks into the conflict, and 11 months out from the 2024 election, which according to the new polling, the president could narrowly lose to donald trump if voters went to the polls right now. house democrats assistant -- jim fibrin joins me in a minute with his take on the data. also tonight, 20 of the nation's big city mayors just wrapped up their conference and how to tackle america's urban homelessness crisis. los angeles is the grand zero for that crisis, and we'll talk to the city's mayor. karen bass, about how her administration is tackling homelessness. and a groundbreaking new upright here in new york is reimagining malcolm x and making theatrical history at the same time. the director and star of ex, the life and times of malcolm x, joins me later in the show. but first, the nation is mourning tonight, remembering former first lady rosalynn carter, who passed away earlier today at the age of 96. here's nbc's lester holt with more. >> it's not my pleasure to introduce someone whom i love and respect and cherish. my wife, rosalynn. >> she was jimmy carter's partner, best friend, and closest advisor in an out of the white house for more than three quarters of a century. softspoken, politically savvy, and fiercely determined, rosalynn carter was known as the steel magnolia, and she made the role of first lady her own. born rosalynn smith in plains, georgia, she was a neighbor to jimmy carter, three years her senior. >> i was shy, and found out that he was so easy to talk to, and we just kind of have it off really well. and i think i was already in love with him. >> they married in 1946, when she was 18. >> rosalynn and i have been equally in totally dedicated partners, even when i was still earning a living as a peanut farmer. >> jimmy ran the family farm. rosalynn helped manage the business. they raised the family. three sons, and later, daughter amy. jimmy got into politics, elected georgia governor in 1970, then, running for president with rosalynn's enthusiastic support. >> people got to know him, and when they got to know him -- >> thank you both very much. >> she's completely objective an unbiased. >> >> i love politics. >> the small town girl with a poor family who never finished college thrived on the national stage. >> every day, i see things that i think i could help with. things i need to learn more about. >> jimmy carter won the election with rosalynn playing a key role. >> i was involved with the -- vice president. >> she was front and center from the start, attending cabinet meetings, leading on policy issues, including mental health. becoming the first first lady since eleanor roosevelt to testify before congress. >> i'm here as a concerned citizen. >> there's so many opportunities, and if i don't use the influence i have to help people who need health, i think that's a terrible waste. >> she served as president carter's emissary, taking high-profile trips to latin america and asia. >> i think that i am the first and closest person to the united states, and if i can help him and understanding the countries of the world, that's what i intend to do. >> often more popular than the president himself, she was his advocate in chief. >> i'm proud of jimmy carter and the job he's doing, and he is without a doubt the best person in our country to see us through these times. >> but faced with a troubled economy and a painful hostage crisis, carter lost to ronald reagan in 1980, and the carters returned to win plains. they found at the carter center, and together began a remarkable decades long post presidency devoted to human rights, international diplomacy, eradicating disease, and year after year, building low income housing with habitat for humanity. in 1999, they were awarded the presidential medal of freedom. >> i think that's one of the happiest times of my life. there is life after the white house. >> through it all, she remained her husband's greatest champion. >> it irritates me when people say he's been a good former president. he was a good president! i don't worry about his place in history. >> as for her own place in history, rosalynn carter was characteristically modest. >> i just hope people think i did the best i could. we >> thank you, nbc's lester holt. joining me now by phone is my colleague in civil rights leadership, head of the -- -- with his wife, martin luther king the third. brother martin, thank you for talking with us on such short notice. i know your mother knew rosalynn carter we'll, you're grandfather worked with the carters, you knew them. what's your reaction tonight to the death of the former first lady, rosalind carter? >> well, i think firstly, thank you for the opportunity, and my condolences go out to the entire carter family. rosalynn carter, beyond being an institution, personified this unique partnership between her and her husband, president carter. and when you think about all the work, not just throughout the white house, she certainly -- for the president to have been elected, she was such a critical role. some might argue that maybe president carter would not have been who he has been had it not been for his wife. >> now, the carters, both in and out of the white house, have become synonymous with global efforts to promote peace. as we watch global conflicts like israel-hamas war escalate, what are your thoughts as a global human rights activist yourself? watching someone like roslyn carter passed away? >> more than anything else, tremendous admiration and respect for what she represented for the nation in the world. for example, so many young girls and boys -- but young girls certainly, have been inspired by what she did when it comes to building houses all over the world with habitat for humanity. when it comes to -- monitor and observer of elections, promoting democracy all over the world, promoting peace. i would say this probably very few on our planet who have done what she and her husband did we as it relates to our world. >> so that would be her legacy. what can america learn from roslyn carter's life and work? we >> perhaps the real learning is the meaning of true service. being a true servant. biblically, it says that he who is greatest among you should be a servant. that's what she personified. you know, raising her for children, helping to raise our grandchildren, our great grandchildren. and now, generations of unborn will certainly always have to stop and pause and say, you lived a woman that not only i admire, that if i had my druthers, i would love to be able to be like her, who stood next to her husband and provided unfettered and tremendous advice and counsel. as i said, they as a couple are one of the greatest -- i think one of the greatest couples we ever knew. it reminds me of the partnership that my mom and dad had, in fact. >> roslyn was the second longest living first lady at 96, and at 99, her husband is the longest living president. how much do you think that faith drove her strength in the last few years? and is still driving president carter now, the fate? >> well, that is unquestionable. that's one of the things that they always talked about. that he and she always talked about. their fate. their foundation. probably one of the things that many americans embraced about them. sometimes, we can disagree, and dad and mom and president carter and mrs. carter told us how to disagree without being disagreeable. but the faith is the foundation. it is what propels one every day. that faith is unshakable. >> all right. thank you for letting me get you one such short notice. i wanted you to weigh in on this. martin luther king the third, thank you so much for joining us by phone. and joining me now is democratic assistant leader congressman jim clyburn of south carolina. i want to start, before we get into the polls in the politics, i want to start with your thoughts about the death of rosalind carter. what can you tell us about how the former first lady distinguished herself, not only in the white house, but through her mandatory in efforts? both with before, during, and for decades after her husband's term in office? >> thank you very much for having me, reverend. she was a remarkable woman. i think -- they in and day out, exactly how a first lady -- [inaudible] she did not. not just threat the country, but around the world as well. she traveled foreign nations, carrying the good news of this great country, and she did that with remarkable skill. and i think we're gonna miss her tremendously. >> now, let's get to the latest news. the u.s. israeli and hamas negotiators are closing in on a deal that would release some hostages and exchange for a pause in fighting. what are your thoughts this evening as we see signs of a temporary de-escalation for the conflict could be on the horizon? >> i would hope that is true. i would hope it would be done. within the next few minutes. but the fact of the matter is, i've been traveling throughout my state in the last -- upstate yesterday, lower part of the state, yesterday evening, and i can tell you people are very, very anxious about what's going on with hezbollah. they want to see it come to an end. they understand -- personal issues are. but they also feel that it's time for us to have not just -- a cease-fire. and -- redirecting their energy is and both these countries to get the same results. >> now, while negotiations are taking place in israel, nbc news has learned, an aid package to israel and ukraine could be passed by congress before christmas. -- president biden explicitly linking the two conflicts -- americans brought our obligation to preserve democracy worldwide. what can you tell us about that effort, congressman, about passing this before christmas? >> well, as you know -- sometimes. we do believe that -- that includes ukraine -- it will also include two other pieces as well that i won't comingle here this evening. but, it should be -- and the president -- around the world is at stake. ukraine is very important. not just to this country, but to our allies. ukraine is very important to our nato friends, and we need to do it. and we need to give israel what it means. we need to protect the palestinians, we need to separate the palestinians from hamas, and we need to do it in such a way that people will understand the celebration. we cannot run the risk of allowing this to foster. because i think -- for our president and our country is that people have not been made to understand the difference between the palestinians and what is going on -- >> now, let's talk politics. a new nbc poll today has president biden's approval rating at its lowest point since taking office at 40%. the president also nearly trails donald trump for the first time in a hypothetical matchup. biden has seen his support erode significantly since the israel-hamas war began, especially with young people. do you think a pause in the conflict, broken by this administration, can begin to reverse that trend? >> absolutely. a pause might be a prelude for a cease-fire. -- [inaudible] negotiate a cease fire as well as the future of the palestinians, and others living in gaza. i was over there last year, august of last year, and i could tell you, things are not good there. the last election in israel was catastrophic consequences, and i do not believe will be able to get this thing done the way it ought to be done until there's new leadership and israel. >> now, the washington post was out with the story todaabout the biden team's efforts to reassure democrats who are concerned about the presidents sagging poll numbers. the presidents supporters argue there is no alternative candidate, and point out obama also showed weakness in the poll before winning reelection in 2012. you attended an event in charleston yesterday where one democratic challenger, minnesota congressman dean phillips, made his first south carolina appearance. are you confident president biden has made a case to his party for the nomination, and what's your response to those who are concerned about the reelection efforts of president biden? >> we all are concerned. [inaudible] we're concerned about the world. we know that things are very -- domestically, and internationally. but, this president has done the things that are necessary to get our economy back on track, to get our children back in school. the fact of the matter is, we are all affected by our international relationship. and when you ask people, are you satisfied with what is gone on? there is some dissatisfied over it -- other people to decide is find -- the price of food, the price of gasoline, and if you put all those things together, then you are gonna get these low numbers. but, i do believe as these things get resolved, and they are being resolved, and when people begin to compare this president -- the record of a former president who seems to be his major performance at the moment, there is not gonna be a closeness in the polls. i think it'll be a runaway. >> all right. thank you, as always, congressman jim clyburn. still ahead, we're gonna have more on the extraordinary life of former first lady roslyn carter. stay tuned. stay tuned c'mon, we're right there. c'mon baby. it's the only we need. go, go, go, go! ah! touchdown baby! -touchdown! are your neighbors watching the same game? yeah, my 5g home internet delays the game a bit. but you get used to it. try these. they're noise cancelling earmuffs. i stole them from an airport. it's always something with you, man. great! solid! -greek salad? exactly! don't delay the game with verizon or t-mobile 5g >> welcome back to home internet. catch it on the xfinity 10g network. politicsnation. we're following the death of former first lady rosalynn carter, who passed away peacefully earlier this afternoon at the age of 96. i want to bring on the phone now chris matthews, who was a speech writer for president carter. chris, thank you for joining me. you worked as a speech writer for president carter, and had numerous interactions with the carter family. what are your memories of rosalind carter? what kind of person was she? >> well, thanks for having me on, rev. she was very much opposed to him coming back from his naval career. he was about to be an admiral at some point. he had the good life of pearl harbor, you know how glamorous the navy can be. he was headed toward that career his whole life. one of a sudden, with his father died of cancer, he came back to planes, and he saw how his father had become a leader in the community. -- he realized the friendships that people develop in their later years, and decided to hold the whole family down to plains and become a peanut farmer. and rosalynn wouldn't even talk to him. he's riding in the car, and she said she'd sit in the car with him and have one of the boys, tell your father raf to go to the bathroom. so they were just not getting along. -- he broader aboard. he shared his career with her in the politics world, and she really did become part of it to the point that she is emotionally involved. and one great story, because what you are talking about -- the situation with hamas and israel, just think if israel didn't have egypt in a partnership. egypt keeping diplomatic relations, keeping a chilling but real piece, the trouble that we would be in and gaza right now. they put together a treaty in camp david in 1973, and there was a wonderful scene where -- these really prime minister who had been -- brought israel to its independence, but he had no military experience, and they were up in gettysburg, on the battlefield, and he's all alone, and rosalynn said, you've got to bring him in the little bit. in and started to talk to him, because all the military people there, from the egyptian army and the israeli army, the military people, completely understood the battle of gettysburg. they all studied it in school. but the interesting thing was -- she's worried about him, walks up to the spot where lincoln gave his great gettysburg address, and out of nowhere, softly we spoke the gettysburg address from memory. >> wow. >> and carter said, i still get choked up when i hear about that, i think about it. with this little guy did when he was reciting the gettysburg address from memory. and i think she was really involved. and i remember being on the plane when we were driving the plane, marine one, helicopter, we were flying in to plains, where he won the vote last time, and we got the news at two in the morning that he was -- getting the word that he lost, and his heart must have broken, he said, just don't tell rosalynn. don't tell rosalynn. so -- >> let me ask you this. >> share. >> chris, we see different styles of first ladies over the years. what did rosalind bring to the position that was different then presidential spaces that came before and after her? >> well, i think true partnership. i mean, marriages are a little different, and a lot of them are not necessarily all -- professional side, they try to not share anything. but i get the feeling -- i remember watching her down in tijuana, and in the weather in tijuana, nobody knows this, but it's fabulous. it's really nice. and we slept out all night getting ready for -- but she had the apron on, she was hauling two-by-fours around, it wasn't a pr stunt. those people really did build houses for poor people, and she helped build houses with their help. and within a week, they gave them a house to live in. it was not a pr stunt. all the stuff, in africa, they would conquer disease, actually conquer disease, and i think so much of it was -- i remember when i had my 20th anniversary, she's on zoom with her husband, both sitting in the kitchen like regular people, because that's what they were back to being at that point. and she was just as friendly as hell. he was totally with it back then, two years ago. here's what i think, reverend. i think she's gone, i think he'll be gone soon. i think that's what he was been waiting for. to look out for her, because it was a partnership, but i think jimmy carter loved rosalynn carter, and she loved him. and it was as simple as that. and they're gonna go pretty much together. i just feel that. >> wow. you think they pretty much forgot together? he was waiting to take care of her? >> so much so. it was a heartfelt thing. the sad part was, i think it took her very long time to get over the defeat in 1980. when they lost to reagan. she was sad. you could see it on their face. you see the pictures of her face, and you could see the sadness in her face. -- she was really sad about losing a presidency, and she was rooting for jimmy. jima. and they were a couple to be adored, really, to be cherished. and we were very lucky people to be together all those areas. >> thank you for jumping on short notice. i know you, as you have, would share some things the nation needs to hear. >> after mr. clyburn, great man to be on after. thank you so much. >> thank you. after the break, america's growing homelessness crisis. and the mayor of one of the country's biggest city is said she is going to handle them. right after this. right after this 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? 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