and good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington continuing right now on msnbc, reports, a powerful reminder of our nation's painful history as americans across the nation celebrate juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in america. we'll take a look at the history of this holiday and how president biden is making a new push to engage black voters this year. a critical part of his base with a campaign co-chair south carolina congressman james clyburn. plus, a primary nail biter in virginia today, can the chair of the house freedom caucus hold onto his seat or will his trump-backed republican opponent emerge victorious? right now the results are too close to call. and we're on a severe watch across the eastern part and midwest of the country, the first tropical storm headed for texas as more than 7 million people from michigan to maine are sweltering under extreme temperatures. we've got the latest on the forecast. we begin with the biden campaign's push to engage with black voters on this juneteenth. the president just three years ago declared this day a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the u.s. at the time he said it would go down as one of the greatest honors of his presidency. now, as he is running for re-election, he is hoping to combat concerns about -- concerns in his campaign about waning enthusiasm among black voters with the campaign ramping up voter outreach at a juneteenth parade in milwaukee today. and a new campaign ad for juneteenth targeting bounce tv affiliates in atlanta and detroit on black radio and during coverage of the special baseball game honoring the negro league and willie mays in birmingham, alabama, tonight. >> this juneteenth, we salute those who built this country, those who sacrificed, those who suffered and refused to be defined by pain or silenced by oppression. we celebrate freedom, freedom to live, breathe, play, choose, marry, vote. we are the culture, we blaze trails, we define our future. we are the heart and soul of america, and we must ask ourselves, in this moment, how will we continue our legacy. >> and joining us now is democratic congressman and cochair of the biden/harris campaign, jim clyburn of south carolina. congressman, it's great to see you, and happy juneteenth, especially on this important holiday. >> thank you very, very much. you know, today i was reading the schedule in birmingham for the celebration that's taking place there, and willie mays was scheduled to be at that event, and of course yesterday he transitioned, and i wish for his family and all his great fans, happy juneteenth. >> well, and the -- his passing last night was just -- especially with tomorrow night's game honoring the negro leagues in birmingham where he started out with the negro leagues as a 19-year-old right out of high school. >> absolutely. game to be played on that field that he once played on. congratulate major league baseball for doing that. thank you. >> and wondering about your thoughts on this day. i mean, juneteenth is a celebration, but it's also a commemoration and acknowledgment that there were so many enslaved americans who weren't even told, and even after they were told in galveston, texas, because of the slow communications back then, you know, a month later, there were people according to "the washington post" today who did not know for years, people in texas because plantation owners did not want to start paying their workers. >> that's absolutely correct. i've said for a long, long time now that juneteenth is a perfect example of what the failure to communicate is all about. abraham lincoln signed those two emancipation proclamations in 1862 and the one effect, all the other former slave states outside washington, d.c., effective january 1st, 1863. it was first publicly read here in south carolina, not far from where i'm currently sitting. it's where 4,000 former enslaved gathered to listen to the reading of the emancipation proclamation. it was two and a half years later june 19th, 1865, that those approximately 250,000 people in galveston, texas, got the word that they were free. and so that to me is a perfect example of what happens. that is one of the messages i try to get on juneteenth. orangeburg, south carolina, where a big crowd gathered, south carolina state, technical college, and the local communities all celebrating some renewal efforts to be put forth in that community and that was for me to say to them how important it is for us to open the lines of communication. maintain communications. listen to each other. respect each other and remember what lessons said to us even while the country was still -- that this country is great because its people are good, and the people of this country cease to be good, this country will cease to be great, and that is the message i'm trying to project today. let us not lose our goodness toward each other because if we do that, this country's greatness will go down the drain. >> and as my colleague and friend and fellow host al sharpton, the president of the national action network reflecting on juneteenth told the hill, quote, he said it's not lost on any of us in the fight for social justice that this juneteenth comes at a time when every right that we've won since the civil war is under attack. what do you think -- >> he's correct. >> but what do you think of the job that the president is doing in trying to restore these rights? because the voting rights have come under attack again from the supreme court in redistricting, and affirmative action last year from the supreme court, and other civil rights that have been enjoyed for decades but, you know, women, black and white women, women of all colors certainly set back half a century in many states with states' rights now being the answer. >> yes, you know, this campaign this year is all about freedom, freedom to vote, the freedom to make reproductive choices about one's own body, the freedom to pursue education, to pursue what is great about this country. so i've been saying to people -- i think i said earlier this morning on this network, that this campaign this year is about freedoms versus favors. we've got a president who is doing what is necessary to unleash this country's greatness in a way that people will be free to pursue their dreams and aspirations. we've got the other side who seek and find favor with people. i'm going to be your retribution if you do not favor me. we have the results coming in from elections now where it is all about vengeance. it's all about you doing a favor for me, i'll do a favor for you. that's not joe biden. joe biden is about what this country fundamentally has attempted to pursue and this is a pursuit. it's not a perfect nation, and we'll never be perfect. we should always be in pursuit of that perfection, and so when i hear people say that this -- we as a black people, as a family were better off during jim crow than we are today and blaming it on the department of health, education, and welfare, which no longer exists, but did exist at the time and president lyndon johnson. how could you say that the president that signed the civil rights of 1964, the voting rights act of 1965, the president gave us medicare, medicaid, the higher education act. elementary and secondary education act, that those are the things that broke up the family. so you're much better being together enslaved than to pursue your happiness or even your country's greatness, its independence and freedoms. that to me defines what this campaign this year is all about. when people don't know what joe biden has done, i ask them to come with me and see what he has done. >> and i didn't mean to interrupt you, i apologize for the satellite delay, but donald trump says that he is the best president for black americans since abraham lincoln, and in a new poll from from the usa today suffolk has president biden down with black voters in the battleground states in michigan, pennsylvania, significant drops from where he stood in, you know, 2020. you told "politico" you don't understand these polls. we don't have to believe the polls. they've been wrong before, but there does seem to be a lack of enthusiasm, and some anecdotal evidence that donald trump, who was in detroit just a few days ago in a black church, although mostly white people in the congregation that day, seems to be making a concerted effort to try to appeal to black voters. >> sure, he's making a concerted effort, and that's fine. when i ask voters to compare the records. you know how i was born and raised in -- my father used to preach often, preached from the seventh chapter of the book of matthew where we are informed that we should know them by their deeds, not their words. so i don't care what is said to you. look at what they are doing. when you have a person running for president who became angry that senator john mccain because he cast the deciding vote to allow us to increase health insurance for people in this country, about 20 million more people with health insurance than had it before. his anger was he wanted to get rid of the affordable care act. i ask anybody in this country, black or white, do you think you're better off without the affordable care act? and that's what this man says he's delivered for african americans. i ask them to show me one single substantive thing that he has done that would make black americans proud to be a part of this effort, not what he has said because if he can tell you that he is the greatest president for african americans since abraham lincoln, that is a bigger lie than he's told about the january 6th -- on january 6th about the election of 2020. so just listen to these people with all these platitudes and listen to his minions out here mouthing off this stuff. we have to be very careful because this is all about miscommunication, misinformation, and that is what caused me great pause because i know the power of the media, and the power of the media repeating these things rather than reporting them when it's actually happening, that is what's causing the problem. people feel depressed, and if you depress enough people, you can suppress their votes. that's why i'm running around the country, i'm going to georgia this weekend to spend two days down there reminding people of what this man did for a full year since he was in office and ask him when he comes to you if this is what you would do for me next year, why didn't you do it for me the four years that you had it at your control to do so. >> congressman james clyburn, thank you so much, and thanks for joining us on this important holiday of juneteenth. we appreciate it. >> thank you very much for having me. >> you bet. and as we mentioned, today is juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery that president biden signed into law making it a federal holiday in 2021. it's a date that's been sacred to african american communities since 1865. nbc's zinhle essamuah takes a closer look at its history and talks to the woman who became known as the grandmother of juneteenth for her push to get it recognized. >> reporter: these walls in fort worth, texas, may look like a black history museum, but it's actually the home of opal lee. >> and ms. pal lee, you are 97 years old, right? >> yeah. >> many consider you the grandmother of juneteenth. >> mm-hmm, mm-hmm. >> how does that title sit with you? >> hey, i don't mind titles. >> reporter: for years, lee advocated for juneteenth to become a federal holiday, inspired by her own family's celebrations. >> we'd go to the fairground for the juneteenth celebration. there'd be music and food. >> reporter: but one year when lee was 12, the annual celebration turned to terror. >> my parents had just bought a house, and my mom had it fixed up so nice, but people started gathering. >> what kind of people? >> all kinds. >> reporter: it was a white mob. >> the paper said it was 500 of them, and my dad came home with a gun and the police were there and told my dad if you bust a cap, we'll let this mob have you. they did despicable things. >> reporter: the terror did not quelch her resolve. she made headlines at 89 years old, pledging to work from fort worth to washington, d.c. the journey 2.5 miles each day to symbolize the two and a half years black texans waited for the message of emancipation to reach them. >> there's a little old lady in tennis shoes was walking from fort worth to d.c. 1,400 miles, somebody would take notice. >> reporter: and they did. in 2021, the white house calling lee president joe biden making juneteenth a federal holiday. >> how did you feel? >> i don't know how to express it. i was awed. i was thankful. >> reporter: in may, lee was awarded the presidential medal of freedom. >> i'm struck by how much history lives on your walls but also in your stories. what do you ultimately want your legacy to be? >> that there was an old lady who tried to get it over to everybody that we are one people. >> and our thanks to zinhle essamuah for bringing us that tribute. and coming up, congressional cliff hanger, the chair of the house freedom caucus in a too close to call race in virginia that's pitting him against the power of donald trump's endorsement and also the endorsement, the opposition of former speaker kevin mccarthy's revenge campaign, both against him and in favor of his opponent. stay right here, we'll have the latest. and risk-reward analysis, help make trading feel effortless. and its customizable scans with social sentiment help you find and unlock opportunities in the market. e*trade from morgan stanley (♪♪) help you find and unlock opportunities in the market. ohhh crap, that's a really good gift. now we gotta get france something. wait! we could use etsy's gift mode! yes, what do the french like? ...anyone? cheese... they like cheese! brilliant. done. 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[cheering] don't panic. gift easy with gift mode, now on etsy. you know what's brilliant? boring. think about it. boring is the unsung catalyst for bold. what straps bold to a rocket and hurtles it into space? boring does. boring makes vacations happen, early retirements possible, and startups start up. because it's smart, dependable, and steady. all words you want from your bank. for nearly 160 years, pnc bank has been brilliantly boring so you can be happily fulfilled... which is pretty un-boring if you think about it. republican house freedom caucus chairman bob good is fighting to keep his seat in a primary contest, where he was opposed by both donald trump as well as former house speaker kevin mccarthy targeting good as one of the leaders who brought him down. good is opposed in that nail biter by congressman john mcguire who according to unofficial counts is ahead by only a few hundred votes. the republican primary race in virginia is currently too close to call within the margin where candidates can demand an automatic recount. on the democratic side in virginia it was a victory for eugene vindman, the trump whistle-blower who along with his twin brother alexander vindman raised alarms about the then president's conduct, donald trump's conduct towards ukraine. vindman won 49% in a crowded field and will run against republican derrick anderson, a former army green beret for congresswoman abigail spanberger's seat. joining us now nbc's ali vitali and msnbc political analyst, brendan buck, former aide to republican speakers john boehner and paul ryan. ali, in that republican primary, that is so fascinating. you've got an incumbent, bob good opposed by both the former president, the republican, you know, head of the party, likely nominee, and the former speaker, between good and mcguire now, the odds are there's going to be a recount, right? >> reporter: it feels like it's heading that way, andrea, and i can't stress enough when i was on the ground in this district on friday and in all my conversations with sources leading up to that and since, the conventional wisdom seemed to be that bob good was in a precarious position. now we're seeing that even with mcguire's trump endorsement, even with the millions of dollars from kevin mccarthy aligned groups that were playing in the district, the latest tally that we have and i'm sure that i am the cool kid along with everyone else who's just been refreshing our results website on nbcnews.com, but the latest tally has this vote separated by 313 votes. bob good for his part has put out a tweet urging that those votes continue to be counted. he says in part this race remains too close to call. candidly, that's our official assessment too. good goes on to say, we're in a period where the law provides a process for evaluating the accuracy of the vote totals and to ensure everyone can have full confidence in the certified results. provisional ballots and mail-in ballots are also stilling to counted. he finally says they're asking for full transparency from the officials involved and that they're asking for patience as good says he thinks he can still prevail. his pponent declared victory last night saying he was the republican nominee in this race, and just given the fact that it's such a ruby red district, to win this primary does mean to win this congressional seat. so whoever comes out here is going to be the congressman from virginia's fifth come january. >> and brendan, what is the significance? what does it signify if a former president and the former speaker can successfully remove the head of the freedom caucus from contention here? one of the most conservative -- >> notably they can barely do that, and i think that actually speaks to the power of incumbency, and actually, how hard it is to lose a primary these days. this guy would not be in danger if donald trump wasn't spending -- directing at least millions of dollars, if kevin mccarthy wasn't directing millions of dollars, and he's almost still hanging on. i only say that because the fear of a primary is so pervasive among house republicans, it explains a lot of why they act the way they do, why everything has to be so far to the right. they're always so paranoid. he may be the only one who loses this entire election cycle. but yes, donald trump, again, his influence cannot be overstated. he is the only reason this man is going to lose. now, they're making an example of him. there are other people who didn't endorse donald trump. there was a convergence of bob good making lots of enemies and all these people identifying him as an easy target perhaps, and again, it's not even proving that easy of a target. >> and just another example is the flip side that you mentioned, brendan, is larry hogan running as a republican for senate in maryland, and against donald trump and trump saying nice things about him despite the fact -- what the fact of his daughter-in-law laura trump, the cochair of the rnc was saying about him. that shows you that donald trump wants to win the senate, and larry hogan has a 50/50 shot, they say, of winning the senate in maryland, even though it's not a red state. >> it's the difficult place that a lot of those i guess purple state republicans find themselves. you can't win with donald trump often because he is so problematic for a lot of swing voters, but you can't win without him. you need trump voters. he is the party in so many ways. you can't really alienate his supporters. bob good is clearly finding that out, and larry hogan is going to have to very delicately navigate, demonstrate his independence to his suburban maryland voters who potentially get by with him without looking like an anti-trump crusader. it's a difficult thing to do these days. you can't really have it both ways. it will be very hard for him to do. yes, larry hogan could be the key to a senate majority for republicans and therefore potentially a key to donald trump having a legislative agenda. >> brend