A very good day to all of you from msnbc World Headquarters in new york. Welcome to alex witt reports. Developing at this hour, some new reaction to the rnc Censuring Congresswoman liz cheney and congressman Adam Kinzinger for their role in the house probe of january 6th. That resolution receiving some major backlash for referring to attack as, quote, legitimate political discourse. Fellow 1 6 Committee Member jaime raskin just telling me what struck him the most about that move. Theyre licensing Political Violence in america. Theyre essentially embracing insurrection and coup as a mode of taking power in the country, and one thing that was particularly alarming to me about it was that it wasnt even clear that donald trump was the one pushing them to do this. Theyve so internalized the Command Structure of the new Republican Party under donald trump as a cult leader that they just do his will without even being told. It comes as former Vp Mike Pence delivered his Harshest Rebuke yet of donald trump, saying his claim that he should have overturned the results of the 2020 election is, quote, wrong. Meantime, overseas, new reporting from the New York Times says according to Ukrainian Armed forces, portions of the Russian Military have reached, quote, full combat strength and appear to be in the final stages of readiness for Military Action should the kremlin order it. It comes as President Biden sent more than 3,000 u. S. Troops to nato allies in Eastern Europe and is keeping another 8,500 soldiers on standby and just a few minutes ago, chairman of the House Armed Services committee, adam smith, telling me why hes confident in that move. Putins whole goal here is to divide the west, divide nato and to drive us out of Eastern Europe. What were showing, and i think its one of the better moves by the Biden Administration, is that this is going to have the opposite effect. We are going to be more present in Eastern Europe as a result of this, primarily because poland, romania, the baltic states, you know, theyve always had a high level of fear about russia, but now thats going up. They want our help. They want natos help. And to the extent that we increase our presence and strengthen our ties with Eastern European nations, that shows putin that his effort to sort of redominate Eastern Europe, to bring back the soviet empire, is not going to work. Joining us now, nbcs josh lederman, covering the president from wilmington, delaware, where the president is spending the weekend and matt bradley is joining us from ukraine. Josh, were going to start with you. Russia and china appear to be forming quite a united front after that putin and xi meeting, so hows the white house reacting to it . Reporter well, china clearly one of the most important partners for russian president Vladimir Putin, alex, and it might seem like ancient history, but if you rewind the clock to 2008, The Last Time Beijing hosted the olympics, it was on the same day of the opening ceremonies that russia actually launched its incursion into georgia. So there is a history here of russia using these kinds of major world events as perhaps a distraction from Military Action that they are taking against their neighbors. And thats one of the concerns that u. S. Officials have now. Either that russia could do something during the olympics or potentially wait until its over to then launch an attack. We heard from the top u. S. Diplomat for asia, daniel, who was arguing that, look, if this were to take place during the olympics, it would serve to really embarrass china, to put beijing in the place of tacitly supporting or even endorsing an incursion by russia into the sovereign territory of a neighbor. Now, as that dynamic is playing out over in asia, the u. S. Continuing to try to head off potential steps by Vladimir Putin to create a false pretext for a war in ukraine. Pointing out and making Public Information that the u. S. Says they have about russian plans to create a fake video that would depict ukrainian attack against russia, complete with fake bodies and all kinds of Crisis Actors that would basically be a Propaganda Effort to justify russian actions. That prompted quite a bit of pushback here in washington from reporters and others who said, look, show us the evidence if thats true because theres a troubled history of the u. S. Making allegations based on intelligence not putting it all out there and then some of that turning out not to be true, so thats why i was so interested to hear what the chair of the House Armed Services committee, adam smith, had to tell you about that last hour. Lets take a listen. I have not personally seen this declassified information. I dont know that anyone has, and i think it would be helpful if the Biden Administration would show it to people. I think its perfectly okay for reporters to ask, okay, you say this, okay, based on what . Prove it. Were not just going to take your word for it, and i think the Biden Administration would be well served to provide that evidence. Reporter u. S. Officials still closely watching all this play out even though the United States does not have a diplomatic presence at the olympics, choosing to boycott those games in beijing, alex, but in the meantime, the signs of a Russian March towards conflict seem to be evident throughout the weekend with reports that russia has flown two bombers, Nuclear Armed bombers, over its neighbor, belarus, where, of course, russia has been pouring thousands of troops. The u. S. Has said they could put up to 30,000 troops, potentially creating another avenue for a russia invasion into ukraine. Yep. Okay. Thank you for all that. Appreciate the latest from that, josh. Lets go to another shipment of u. S. Military cargo to keep in this same vein of discussion. It has arrived in kyiv today as thousands of Russian Troops are massed on ukraines border. Matt bradley is joining us from ukraine once again. You have to wonder how the folks there, matt, are preparing and even reacting to these latest headlines, though i know you say in some parts along the border, its been a constant state of stress and potential war. Reporter yeah, i mean, were in a really interesting place right now, alex. This is actually, youve heard of kyiv, of course, were in kharkiv, the second largest city of ukraine and kind of the undeclared capital of the east of the country. Its a large city, mostly russianspeaking and there used to be a place where there was a lot of prorussian sentiment and Vladimir Putin could point to a place like this and say reliably that this was a place where the population might support him if he were to launch an invasion. Not so anymore. Not after that 2014 incursion. A lot of people are no longer sympathetic to Vladimir Putin and russia, even though they, you know, i spoke with one woman today, she said, i was born in russia, i speak russian, i think in russian, and i would die for ukraine. We started the day off this morning, we were at a civilian training for basically just average schmos who are trying to volunteer to learn how to fight in case it comes to an insurgency. These guys are not going to be the first line of defense against russia, but they may end up being the last line, because once the russians move in with their superior ground, air, and naval forces, they could really, really run right over the conventional forces in a conventional battle against ukraine, and it will be up to what would essentially be an insurgency that would be led by people like this. So it was a really interesting day, watching these men prepare to take matters into their own hands and fight against the russians. And very interesting commentary from that ukrainian, saying, born in russia, think and speak in russian, yet would die in ukraine. Thats going to stick with me for a long time. Thank you so much, matt bradley, for that. Joining me now is new york congressman gregory meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee. Welcome, sir, good to speak with you and were going to get to ukraine in just a few moments but i want to start with that putin and xi meeting in which they declared opposition to any expansion of nato and affirming taiwan is a part of china. Lets take a look at the joint statement, which reads, in part, the sides reaffirmed their strong mutual support for the protection of their core interests, state sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and oppose interference by Exernal Forces in their internal affairs. So the question to you, sir, is, has the u. S. And its policy pushed russia and china closer together, and was this unavoidable . If two authoritarian governments whos doing this. The aggressors in all of this has been russia. It wasnt the United States that has threatened russia or anything of that nature. It wasnt the United States who Invaded Crimea and georgia, maldova, taking sovereign territory. Thats russia. And so in this case, with ukraine, they are making their own decision of which way they want to go. So, it is his saying that, here we are in 2022, and you see someone trying to be is being aggressive and taking sovereign property, and i would assume that that would be the same thing with china, trying to move in. And so it is a the reason why the western countries and democracy is at stake here and why we in the United States, along with our western allies and freedomloving and democratic countries across the globe need to stick together to prevent the kind of authoritarian governments that we currently see in russia and china. But theres a how here question, because the other part of that statement, putin and xi said, in part, friendship between the two states has no limits. There are no forbidden areas of cooperation. So, what threat does this Tightening Relationship Pose to the u. S. . I mean, how can it be countered . Look, i think that in this age of interconnectedness, global networking, global economy, if russia and putin ties hands and we stay firm with our beliefs, they will have and this is why the devastating sanctions that will be put on russia would cripple their economy, et cetera, and i think they will feel the problems from their own countries, because of what will take place there. So, the bluster of what they talk, i think that the key is to try to see if they can make us break the unity that we have. The key is they see the unity that we have with our western allies, with our european allies, with our nato allies, with our allies, for example, in australia and india, moving forward, and so what they would like to do with this bluster is to see if they can divide us. If they cant divide us, then i think that you will see them move back. Lets go to the escalating tensions between russia and ukraine. Last week, you ratcheted up some frequent flyer miles when i met a bipartisan delegation to meet with officials in ukraine two days ago as well, there was a bipartisan classified briefing for house members, so given all that you have learned, sir, how close to the brink is the prospect of a russian invasion . Well, i dont think that we really know. I dont know putin knows what hes going to do and what hes not going to do. And thats why i think that the Biden Administration has done what it should be doing, and that is have a plan a and a plan b. The diplomacy road is open. And thats what we hope that putin takes. And dialogue and conversation will continue. And hopefully diplomacy will win the day, and theyre still having that conversation. But should they choose a different way, thats why weve got to give the arms to the ukranians so that they are in they are prepared to defend themselves, and thats also why we had to send some troops to the baltics for to protect our nato allies. So, im curious how you see sanctions fitting into diplomacy, because you know the senate is inching closer to completing a Sanctions Package against russia. We have political reporting that senators in both parties are a little concerned, a, that its taking too long. Theyre worried that russia could invade ukraine before they finalize it but theres an issue thats being debated and its the timing, whether to impose sanctions now or do it after an attack, so which one do you think would be most effective and which approach do you support . I support that we dont need to go now, because that then could give russia, say, well it wont then act as an deterrent. The deterrent is, if you go in, then this is whats going to happen to you. These devastating, crucial sanctions. And i think that also, what that does is solidify us with our nato allies, you know, you go in, prematurely, go in early, then it could endanger the unity that we already have with our european allies. You know, before i went to the ukraine, i went into brussels, and i met with our allies in both nato and the european union, and i saw the solidarity that we had right now with the position that weve been taking that if russia crosses that line, how we will come together, and it wont be unilateral sanctions, it will be multilateral sanctions and thats whats successful. And i think that we need to continue on the path on keeping our unity with our allies together because as i said earlier, if, in fact, the russians could divide us from some of our european allies or nato allies, then thats a victory for them. So lets stay tight with our allies, lets move forward and if, in fact, they cross the line, lets keep that as a deterrent, but if they, in fact, cross the line, we have the plan b to make sure that they are the devastating sanctions will be then launched upon them. Let me ask you one final question a bit closer to home, the focus there with the majority of your, sir, your district, which includes parts of new york city. Crime is certainly up here in the big apple, about 38 overall this year, shootings up, Transit Crimes up a whopping 70 , car thefts almost doubling. New yorks certainly not alone in this regard. Major cities across the country are facing crime surges and you know the president met with mayor eric adams and he said that the answer is to come together, police and communities have to build trust, make us all safer and the answer is not defunding the police. What are your constituents telling you . What do you think is the best approach to reducing crime . I think mayor eric adams has it right. I think that what we can do is we can have the appropriate Law Enforcement without them without and have justice and hold people accountable at the same time. My district, for example, we focus so much so on wanting and having an appropriate police department. We had another precinct being built in the district. But at the same time, it doesnt mean that there has to be an abuse of police, and i think mayor adams said it correctly. Restarting his anticrime unit and saying that he will hold those accountable if, in fact, you break the rules. So we can go and get safety in our communities without having overly aggressive policing that causes individuals to be randomly pulled over without any probable cause. It was done you know, im a former prosecutor. It was done previously under mayor David Dinkins and we can do it again in to regard. And i think that weve got the right mayor at the right time with the right message, the right knowledge to get that done. So im solidly behind the proposals that mayor eric adams has proposed. Okay. New york congressman gregory meeks, thank you so much for your time. Good to see you. Well, it could wind up being the biggest moment in their lives, but they cant be in beijing to see it. How an alternative plan is helping the parents of olympic athletes next. Plan is helping the parents of olympic helping the parents of olympic athletes next. The entrance they make, the surprises they initiate. Otezla. Its a choice you can make. Otezla is not a cream. Its a pill that treats Plaque Psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines, and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. 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