>> professor timothy snyder gets tonight's last word. the 11th hour with stephanie ruhle starts now. tonight, the countdown to south carolina's primary, it is

a pivotal moment for nikki haley's campaign. plus, reproductive rights taking center stage after a controversial court ruling. and with the clock ticking on a government shutdown, house republicans flock to cpac, how their messaging could impact negotiations. president biden announces new sanctions on russia, while the war in ukraine reaches its two year mark, as the 11th hour gets underway on this thursday night. good evening once again, i am stephanie ruhle, we are now 257 days away from the election. and the saturday republicans are down in south carolina, they will cast their vote in these states presidential primary. it is nikki haley's home state, but donald trump is a big time in the polls. haley has pledged to stay in the race past saturday's contest no matter what happens. heading into this pivotal primary, reproductive rights are also front and center.

that is because of the decision from alabama supreme court declaring that frozen embryos or children. this has now put ivf treatment in doubt in the state, leaving doctors and families scrambling. today, president biden blasted the decision and said that it is a direct result of the supreme court ruling against roe v. wade, his blame putt squarely on donald trump for his supreme court justices. my colleague, dasha burns, takes a look at how alabama's court ruling has the potential to change the political conversation. >> -- walk a fine line on reproductive rights. on wednesday, nikki haley asked about the alabama decision by nbc news's ali vitali. >> the supreme court there said that embryos created through ivf her consider children, and they are offered the same protections. do you agree? >> i mean, i think that

embryos, to me, our babies. >> later appearing to walk back those comments. >> i guess my question is, you then disagree with the alabama supreme court, right? >> yeah. but i think that the court was doing it based on the law. we do not want fertility treatments to shut down. >> reproductive rights have become an issue for republicans since the fall of roe v. wade. for the vast majority of americans, supporting access to ivf, a survey from republican kellyanne conway's firm showed 78% support even among those who identify as pro life advocates. today at cpac, -- woman we spoke to were in full support of ivf. >> why would they stop doing that for people who are having difficulties becoming pregnant? that is disturbing to me. and i am no abortion, i am pro- life. >> alabama senator, tommy tuberville, also reacting. >> do you agree with the supreme court decision or not? >> i have to look at what they are agreeing to, and not

agreeing to. i've haven't seen it. >> with that, let's get smarter with the help of our lead off panel tonight, my dear, dear friend, nbc's managing washington editor carol lee is here. i'm so happy, i didn't know she was going to be in new york. peter baker joins us, chief white house correspondent for the new york times, and former u.s. attorney, joyce vance, who spent 25 years since a federal prosecutor. carol, since i'm so happy to see you, you must go first. let's start with south carolina, what are you watching for? >> look, obviously, when nikki haley does after south carolina is what everybody is going to be watching for. she sent a bit of mixed singles signals about this. she gave the state of the race speech this week where she said she isn't for the long haul. and she walked it back, said look, we are going to south carolina, michigan, and then we are going to continue on just super tuesday, we haven't really thought beyond. good candidates say that all the time, and they're in the race until they are, not, and this is her home state.

and i think those clips you showed, in dasha burns peace shows she's not navigating this decision in alabama very well. and she tends to step in. it she stepped in it and she keeps trying to clean it up. so it will be, i think, the question coming out of south carolina is not who wins, it is how much does she wind up losing, and what does she say afterwards, and what does she do? >> peter, is there any precedent for a candidate surviving a loss in their home state? because that is how the polls are looking right now. e polls are looking right now. >> there's not a lot of pressure on them surviving and then winning the nomination. no. i would have to look back. but i can't remember an example like that. it is true that you can lose big in your home state and continue a candidacy for a while. the fact is she says she is staying in. maybe she will, as carole lee says, maybe you stay right until the minute. -- ted cruz did in 2016, all the way until may 3rd, long after he had any chance of

winning the nomination. so candidates do tend to stick around sometimes past their sell by date, and there are a lot of reasons you might do, that you might do that in order to make a, point you might do that in order to improve your chances for a future job. i don't think that that is the case when nikki haley i don't think that will happen. but she may be trying to make a point here with the party and maybe she is waiting to see how some of these court actions play out. and leave herself as the last person standing if, by any strong, you know, by any strikes of lightning that this party comes to their senses and decides to get a different candidate. but that doesn't seem likely at this point. >> but that is the thing, carol, because people are going, she has no path, she can't win, i can't believe she staying in. there's also no precedent for a leading candidate being faced with charges. a criminal indictment. this guy has got 91. doesn't it make some level as of sense? as long as she got the money to at lee stay in the game? >> that's one of the theories, right? that she staying in the game and that she's going to stick with this, and to be the last woman standing, to be the alternative if and when there

is a situation where voters turn against former president trump, whether his criminal and legal troubles are overwhelming, and we don't know. but i think that we can all very safely say that there's things going on in this election in 2024. >> but peter, isn't it amazing. carole just said a moment ago, nikki haley tends to step in it. and she struggles to get her messaging around this alabama thing. donald trump steps and it every single day yesterday and i guarantee tomorrow. that doesn't seem to hurt him with his voters. >> no. and never has. you're going back to 2016. remember he assaulted john mccain's war record. he was a prisoner of war ended and it didn't seem to matter to republican voters. they seem to be more supportive of the military service. he insulted gold star families who have lost their loved ones. in iraq it didn't seem to matter. he said that -- he was caught on tape, of course, talking

about grabbing women by their private parts. and it didn't seem to change things. so, i think that long ago, we learned that former president trump, saying the outrageous things, stepping in, it changing your message, it doesn't seem to really make a difference in terms of where his base is. they are silently for. him when he does make mistakes or when he does say something outrageous, they either applaud, or shrug their shoulders, say so be. he is who he is. and it hasn't changed the dynamics of the race yet. >> but of course, his base is not necessarily enough to win a general election. joyce, let's talk about this alabama decision. before we get to the politics, some say that the decision violates state and federal laws. it could be vulnerable to legal challenges, but at the same time, as surprised as we, are should we be? people have been concerned that the future of ivf has been at risk since amy coney barrett joined the court. >> that's right, before amy

coney barrett became a judge she publicly supported a group that allowed in vitro fertilization, ivf could become criminalized. here's how that works legally, stephanie. once the dobbs decision is handed down, and every state is free to send rules around abortion, states like alabama adopted fetal personhood. bills. bills that said life began at the moment of conception. but the embryos that are used and ivf are post fertilization. they're postconception. they are fertilized, are permitted to grow for a few days, then they are frozen for future use. so you can see how this works. in states that have fetal personhood, life begins at conception, anything that is done to one of these embryos could possibly be carrying not just civil consequences, which is what has at stake in the case of the alabama supreme court decided, but they could carry criminal consequences. that is the setup here. >> carol lee, this supreme

court decision and alabama, how risky is this for republicans in an election year? >> here is the dynamic. the republicans were already struggling with how to message on abortion. and now -- >> they are going for there further. >> they have this. prominent republicans from senator tuberville of alabama who didn't seem to understand what the ruling meant. >> he called it a bill. >> correct. to nikki haley, to tim scott he said he has not really studied the issue. and former president trump who as of yet, has not weighed in, unless he has in the last few moments. so this is a different dynamic for the polling reasons. at the beginning of this, even those who oppose abortion rights, or for ivf treatments. it is how they grow their families. then you see the biden campaign which is seizing all of this. from the white house, to the campaign, they intend to continue to do that and the president, and the vice

president today, destroying the direct line saying that this decision in alabama as what they have been warning about after the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. and they draw a direct line to the former president trump saying that it is his fault. >> peter, it is worth pointing out just how fringe this alabama embryo decision is. mike pence. mike pence, of all people, we all know him as an outspoken opponent of abortion rights, he has talked in the past about how crucial ivf treatments were for his own family. he has said in the past that fertility treatments, quote, deserves the protection of the law. this is coming from mike pence. so what do republican saying to their voters, many of whom approve of ivf, many of those voters have families because of ivf. >> yes. many republican voters, if not most republican voters make a distinction between ivf and abortion. i think that they see the embryo created outside of the womb as different than an embryo created inside the womb, as to whether or not that is a

life that needs to be protected under the law. they see the creation of ivf most republicans as well as most democrats as the creation of life, rather than the other way around. helping couples who are not able to have babies in other circumstances have a baby. which is of course, the goal in some ways of the pro-life movement. so it is an extreme version of the logic of the pro-life movement that has upset undisturbed a lot of people. otherwise they will be pretty staunch pro-life advocates. abortion advocates. so i think that this is a place where the republican party has left to try to explain where it stands. and i think that you have not seen any kind of consensus there that shows you how unsettled this is for a lot of elected officials trying to straddle the line between the very strong fringe of their party, and the mainstream of their party, which even if it might be against that, may not be against ivf. >> joyce, what is this alabama decision tell us about what

else we can see from the courts after dobbs? what can be next? >> right. what couldn't be next? because there's always been a concern that birth control could be one of the next frontiers of attacks. it depends on how far conservatives are willing to push their agenda. to peter's point, something very interesting is happened in alabama today there was a rush to put bills in play in both alabama house and alabama senate that would roll this decision back. bills that would say, precisely, in the -- that peter laid out, that it's not life unless it's inside of a uterus. so, i think we will see this sort of practical political impact, where republicans know that dobbs has been very damaging, not necessarily in the core of their electorate, but among others, and certainly among women. they will not want to go too far from this. i think that that makes it unlikely that we will see, for instance, a direct attack on birth control before the

elections. but after that, maybe all bets are off. >> my goodness. all right. new topic, peter, a good sign for the economy, or a good sign for the markets today. we saw the markets have had the best day that they have had an over one year. and people across this country will see that as a positive sign and their 401ks. we are also expecting strong gdp numbers. we are expecting an inflation report next week. how does the biden campaign message these economic winds. talk about market highs, when our grocery bills are still hitting their highs. how do they balance these two? >> yeah, the market hit this high while donald trump was president you could be sure that he would be telling you about it. he would be telling you about it again, again, and again, and taking credit. that is not bidens nature, because he knows what goes up and what comes down, he knows that even if it helps a lot of people, he does not want to look like he's out of touch with those who still feel the economy is not helping them, as you say the grocery prices have not come down. inflation has come down.

what he means as prices are not going up as fast anymore. that's important, obviously. so the price of eggs is still less high today, higher than it was a year ago, even though it is not continuing to grow the way it had been in 2022, for instance. that is a harsh message to shell. so. but there are so many good -- indicators right now. the white house is feeling optimistic that this is starting to punch through. that you are seeing consumer confidence go, up up you are seeing poll numbers suggesting a little bit more optimism about the economy. obviously economists have retreated from their predictions of recession, that are more jobs, there is low unemployment, there's a lot to be feeling good about. if you worry president coming into your election year with the numbers that this president has, for the most part you would be pretty happy. but inflation, you are, right is a hangover and that is something that he's talking about when he talks about ways of bringing cases down. >> all right. peter, thank you so much. joyce, thank you, carol, great to see you in person. i'm not letting you go to commercial just yet. because tonight, the former fbi

informant who allegedly -- lies about the bidens, lies that he got from russian intelligence. this guy is now back in custody. he was re-arrested today in vegas. tonight, maryland congressman jamie raskin reacted to that news. watch this. >> special counsel in the case, david weiss, obviously had some serious reasons for saying that an ankle bracelet was not enough. i'm glad he is not going to be able to absconded disappear, because he is obviously now a crucial witness in terms of figuring out how exactly they executed this plot of disinformation and propaganda against president biden. >> we've got to dig into this. you are in luck, because nbc investigations correspondent, my fave, tom winter is here. tom, this story started crazy and it's only getting crazier. explain. >> it's a bit bizarre to me -- >> all little? >> because normally, we might

see, and -- prosecutor said to the district court judge the one who actually oversees this trial, said, we've got an issue too what happened in the federal court and we'd like to take the opportunity to look at this again and here's the evidence and look at everything we've uncovered. all of a sudden, this afternoon, in a magistrate court filing in nevada, we get this note not from federal prosecutors not from the fbi but from his own defense attorneys and also smirnoff's own defense attorneys saying where at the office meeting today. and all the sudden, we come in and arrest my client. and so, what's going on here? and, so that was the first indication that we had a bit. we had no indication yet as to what the chain of events that led up to this today and we know from the california docket those two docket entries missing, something that is filed under sealed. that appears to be filed under seal this afternoon, tonight. but we still don't know from prosecutors up there than when the arrests was made. they confirmed that. exactly what is going on here. meanwhile, back in nevada, the

attorneys for smirnoff are not for saying, hey, judge we want you to roll right now to keep our client here. tell the marshals don't send them to california. that's just been in the last -- couple hours -- >> but how unusual is that, right? somebody gets arrested, released, and then arrested again but it doesn't sound like arrested on different charges. >> that's the keeping. the key thing. what makes it unusual is that normally, you might say, hey we've uncovered new crimes of this proceeding. it's new stuff. we've got a new indictment. new charges. we don't see any of that here, stephanie. at least, not so far. we're trying to figure out what this is about. there appears to have been some sealed activity that took place in california, today or yesterday. and so based on that we might learn some new information. i was really frankly surprised that i'm sitting here today. when i left to go home and put the kids to bed, i thought for sure when i came back it was, oh! stephanie! this is exactly what happened. this is what prosecutors say they did. we have none of that tonight. >> on a 1 to 10, how it is this? as weird as the informant name being smirnoff? >> i knew you were going to say

that. i would say -- >> because that's pretty weird. >> for these types of things, this is probably a seven, or an eight. >> a seven or an eight? >> you know i don't go that far. >> totally predictable. tom winter, thank you for being here. thank you for coming back after he put his children to bed. that is how much he cares about the news. when we come, back growing outrage. over the death of a non-binary teenager after a fight in a high school bathroom. and, later, trump republican allies are flooding the zone at cpac. but, on capitol hill, not so much. what the house gop is not doing about the looming government shutdown. when the 11th hour, just getting underway on a very busy thursday night. also, a weird, one -- tom -- at seven. -- at seven.

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tragedy in oklahoma, where a nonbinary student, nex benedict, died after a fight in a high school bathroom. -- in a statement obtained by our nbc news affiliate, an attorney for the benedicts urge authorities to investigate quickly and fairly. adding, quote, the benedicts know all too well the devastating effects of bullying and school violence, and pray for a meaningful change wherein bullying is taken seriously and no family has to deal with another preventable tragedy. in the statement the high school expressed their commitment to student safety and security and released what information they could in coordination with the police investigation. state representative zooey zepher joins me now. she is the first transgender woman elected to the montana legislature. zoe, the death of a young person is always difficult. so, i just want to get how you feel right now. you're a member of this community. i am quite sure you know the effects of bullying.

how are you feeling tonight? >> you know, we mourn. we mourn the loss of a life that should've been. you know, i know, stepmother of a eight year old. we think about when we send our children to school we want them to come back better, brighter and fundamentally we want them to come back alive. and what we see here is a situation where a 16 year old had faced repeated bullying over the course of a year. and was allegedly assaulted by three of the classmates and died the next day. that is not how any life should come to an end. >> you are a lawmaker. so i am sure you spent an enormous amount of time in the last 24 hours using every resource you have to figure out as much as you possibly can about this story. what stands out to you most about what happened here? >> you know, there's a couple of things that stand out to me. on one hand, you had another student of this high school coming out on social media

saying that they -- trans students -- saying that they faced daily harassment. including being called slurs from teachers at the high school. you referenced the police report saying that this was not related to trauma. there was another report coming out saying that they were subpoenaing phones from students due to concerns about foul play. so, for me, our community recognizes a hate crime when we see one. and this has all the markings of it. and it is doubly concerning when the state superintendent has called trans people on assault on truth. and appointed the libs of tiktok founder to the school library board. we see the way the anti-trans rhetoric directly leads to violence. and, for me, that is the most concerning thing. these deaths are preventable. but they will continue to happen if people continue to

espouse fear and bring forward hateful legislation around trans people in our communities. >> the human rights campaign is calling for an investigation into this, are you concerned that something is being missed by the local police? >> we have a situation where the family of nex benedict is talking about how concerning the facts around the case are. and to me should not be in a situation where the family is running against the policing saying, someone do something, someone do something. the nature of the conflicting police reports around concerns around foul play, along with saying that a student that was assaulted by three of their classmates did not die in relationship to that assault the day before. i think if we want to get to justice for nex benedict, the department of justice needs to step in. i know the human rights

campaign has been in communication with them, i have been in communication with the department of justice as well. having a federal investigation into this seems to be the way to most likely lead to justice far nex benedict and their family. >> a minute ago, you touched on, sort, of the impact that anti-trans rhetoric has in terms of bullying. but what about the laws? republican governor, kevin -- sitt called nex benedict's death a tragedy and -- does that kind of stuff i exacerbate the bullying? >> it absolutely does. and it's important to note that the harm happens when the laws are in effect. but it also happens when the laws are brought forth. we had teens through the state of montana when their lives for being debated in the montana house. we had a teen attempt suicide while watching one of the

hearings. and it is hypocritical for a superintendent, or governor to come forward and say we care about the student. we care about their lives when they have brought forward policy, have promoted policies that directly harm our communities. the superintendent, the governor -- libs of tiktok -- did not kill the student. but there is blood on their hands. >> zooey, i know i am out of time. but as you're speaking i want to give you the chance, what is your message tonight? right there are scared, especially scared young people who are in the lgbtqia community, non-binary people, trans people who are scared. maybe scared to go to, work may be scared to go to school tomorrow. what is your message to them tonight? >> we see that the rainbow youth project had a 300% uptick in crisis calls this week for lgbtq youth. my message is, i know how hard

it is. and this thought, we just have to find spaces within our community to hold on to one another. throughout the history of attacks on lgbtq people. whether it is today, the 2000s, the 80s it has been our community who has held one another up throughout these attacks. we are going to win in the and through this moral panic. they will not, ultimately, eliminate our rights. trans people will always exist. in the interim, we have to hold on to one another and hold on to that hope. >> zooey thank you for joining, us thank you for your words. and nex benedict's family are in all of our thoughts this evening. thanks again. when we come back, cpac is back. and it looks more like a trump really than ever with maga gear bedazzled guns and even a january six pin ball game. i'm not making that. up it is true. how that unwavering trump loyalty could lead to a government shutdown next week. when the 11th hour continues. when the 11th hour continues.

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can't make enough to get by to afford food and medicine to even keep a roof over their heads. we need to build more housing that's truly affordable. we need to address this terrible epidemic of homelessness. we need to invest in good paying jobs, union jobs and investments in our future. this, this is why i'm running for the us senate. i'm adam schiff and i approve this message. it is always darkest before the dawn. d-o-n. darkest before the dawn. >> i just want our military to -- g.i. joe again. we have that leadership, this november and donald j trump. >> we just want that word to continue on. we have to get it over with. donald trump will stop it when

he first gets. in he knows there is no winning for ukraine. he can work a deal with putin. >> it is day one of cpac. and republicans sure have a lot to say. back on capitol hill, the house gop is doing a whole lot of nothing. axios reports, house republicans have privately resigned themselves to a government shutdown. with the hard-line house freedom caucus urging speaker johnson to completely abandon spending talks with democrats all together. just a reminder, the house freedom caucus is only a fraction of the republican house majority. about three dozen extremist republicans are holding the entire budget hostage. for more, i want to bring in robert gibbs, former campaign senior adviser and white house press secretary under president obama. and mike murphy joins us, veteran republican strategist and co-director of the center for the political future at the university of southern california. both of these gentlemen are the host of the hacks on tap podcast. you must listen. mike, i turn to you first.

we are rapidly approaching a government shutdown. something that hurts everyone. a government shutdown doesn't care if you're a republican or democrat, it's the country. yet, this is how republicans are choosing to spend their time. headlining cpac sessions, sessions that have titles like, no woke warriors. and, would moses go to harvard? i want to quickly make the point, this one, would moses go to harvard? anyone at cpac, anyone in the trump family, any of those republicans in the freedom caucus, if any of their children got into harvard in the next few years, i assure you, they would all go. but what do you make of this decision republicans are making right now? >> well, by the way, i just personally think moses would've gone to georgetown. -- but, yes, cpac is always but in the -- show of the single helix one of the party. [laughter] the problem we have is that one

has a lot of power. we used ignored and roll our eyes. so, now it's kind of a trade show for right wing incorporated. but, particularly, in the house, senate is a little different. it's kind of a runaway train. and that's a combination of folks who think like some of these, frankly, bozos you see at cpac in ascendancy. plus it's such a narrow majority in the house. even if speaker johnson was any good at his job, and i don't believe it he, is it more to work. what so the freedom caucus, small in numbers but begin big in leverage or able to drive the car even farther off the cliff. so i think we will have a shut down. i think it will be short. i don't think it will be that big of a thing by october. but it's keystone cap stuff. and it's not politically good for the party, honestly. >> and it's also hugely expensive and a waste of time. robert, what do you think about all of this? i mean, let me just say it again -- story, if i'm interrupting you. there is literally a january

sixth themed pinball machine. who do they think is going to play it? they're all in jail. >> yes, i mean, look i agree with mike. i remember when cpac was a faction of the republican party, and now it is the entire republican party. and i can -- you know, you watch the speeches, you see what is happening on capitol hill. this is a party now wholly owned by that faction. and really marching farther and farther away from the mainstream. and farther away from that mainstream is exactly the trouble they got into in the 2022 election when they ceded what should've been a good election outcome for them. so, the crazies and the wackos that you see, that are there now. so, look, i think you'll resigned to a government shutdown. i think you resigned to watching more and more of this keystone cops have been. happen. and i'm reminded of when chip roy was a member of the freedom caucus implored the house. which they control, by the way as you pointed out to give them

something anything to run. on here we are, closer and closer to election day. republicans can't even run their own branch of government in the house that they control. and i think each day, those sort of things give opportunities to the biden white house and the biden campaign to -- part of presidential election. >> mike, you talk about kind of the cpac carney show. and that faction. that is the republican party right now. -- donald trump has a loyal and a strong base. but there are not enough of them to win elections. say if he lost the last -- are you seeing him do anything, offer anything in terms of policy, his campaign, his rhetoric, that would be attracting any other voters besides his base? >> let me just say, it's not the entire republican party. the problem is, for trump, the

governing majority of the republican party. there are still a third to 30%, voting for nikki haley, who's not going to be the nominee but -- small numbers, republican governors who have their eyes at this. one of trump's problems as he has enough to muscle a primary, and they have these henchmen run, particularly, the house caucus, whether or not that is enough to win a presidential election is still an open question. but no, trump is not doing anything. trump's theory is the country is going to fire biden so he, can run the world's biggest republican primary till november. and still win. and i have to say, because the presidents numbers are so weak, it is not a crazy scenario. it can happen. the whole key to this election is can joe biden repair himself enough to not get fired and open a vacuum for trump? the country doesn't want trump. but, right now by, at an equal level, they want to fire joe biden. and that's not what you want to be as president. the election is tomorrow,

february, maybe trump is giving in the house republicans giving tools with all of this. i think robert could argue that. but, you know trump can be popular to getting elected. biden can't get this numbers up. >> robert, can joe biden repair i'm self from what the? do you need me to go through the laundry list of accomplishments he's had over the last three years? it's a long one. >> yes, look, i think that there's a few things he's got to do. he certainly got to remind people of those accomplishments. they have been quickly, signing ceremonies go, they've got to spend a lot of time reminding people of the important piece of legislation that they put into effect. and the impacts that the have on real people's lives, like cutting drug cost, increasing manufacturing jobs in this country. the presidents economic health has to catch up with what we have seen in the improving consumer confidence numbers, which to mike's point, i'm glad there isn't an election tomorrow. but there is an eight months. so, that repair work has to

happen. and, as we talked about, i think he's got to use these openings and these maneuvers to put a choice in front of the american people about who do you want deciding these things over the next four years. that's a winning combination for joe biden. >> all right, then gentlemen. the co-host of hacks on tap. thank you both for being here. when we come back, russia is in for the largest set of sanctions since they invaded ukraine. how the white house is making them pay for navalny's death. when the 11th hour continues. h

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this morning i had the honor of meeting with alexei navalny's wife and daughter. as to state the obvious, he was a man in incredible courage, and it's amazing how his wife and daughter are emulating that. and we're going to be announcing these sanctions against putin, who is responsible for his death. >> tonight, we've got new details on those sanctions. according to a treasury spokesperson, the united states will impose over 500 sanctions on a wide range of targets. it's the largest batch of sanctions since russia invaded ukraine two years ago this week. and, in that time, life in ukraine has been shattered. i want to bring in simon shuster, senior correspondent that time magazine and author of the new book, "the showman: inside the invasion that shook

the world and made a leader of zelensky" it is out now. simon, i just want to start with this, if these are these extraordinarily damaging sanctions that we can put on russia, why haven't we done them already? it's been a brutal two years? >> listen, alexei navalny was -- ukraine. when i last exchanged letters with, him when he was already in prison, this was in late 2021 early 2022. he was pleading with the u.s. authorities to impose sanctions on a long list of putin's cronies, members of his government, members of the security services. and the u.s. government was holding off. at the same time president olimpiyskiy and ukraine was also urging sanctions on the party of the united states and europe to try and deter putin from invading. that wasn't done. a lot of sanctions have been imposed since the invasion in

early 2022. now almost two years ago. but i don't see that they've had any deterred effect. and i'm not sure that they've heard the russian economy nearly as much as the u.s. authorities expected. >> let's talk about where we are in this war. because ukraine was just forced to retreat on the battlefield, zelenskyy just appointed a new commander, and congress is still stalling on ukraine aid. talk to us about where ukraine's right now. >> well, they are shifting to somewhat a different strategy. i think everyone in the leadership in kyiv has acknowledged that that front line is pretty much frozen at this point. the russians are advancing. but these are not major, strategic breakthroughs. the town of avdiivka before the invasion had a population of 30,000 people. this is not a big population center, what's more, the russians have basically destroyed that town entirely before seizing it.

so, these are not major movements of the front line. what the ukrainians are shifting to, now, strategically and in the war or what i think of these kind of over the top attacks, so much more drones, attack drones going far behind enemy lines, going deep into russian territory also a lot of attacks on the black sea really trying to push the russian navy out of there. and really looking for any way that the ukrainians had used to show that they're still in the fight, that they're still causing pain to russia. and they're still looking for avenues towards victory. that's really been the single- minded focus, president zelenskyy as the war has dragged on, as it's become harder to find these weak points in the russian war machine that he can hit sanctions or another one. he's also been pushing the u. u.s. to impose and implement the sanctions to really break the russian war machine. >> you have traveled extensively throughout ukraine

over the last two years. this country, these people, every element of their lives has been upended. what's it like there now? >> it's a lot gloomier than in the beginning, certainly. i think that, in the beginning, people volunteered in part because the volunteered to serve in the military. in part because the authorities, and presidents ellen's key told them, and president zelenskyy believed deep in his heart that this war could be won within a few months. that he could find either, through negotiated sentiments settlement or through a fierce military response with the help of the west that this war can be brought to an end. now, that horizon seems to be moving further and further into the distance and that really discourages people from volunteering for the military. so, the main problem, i, think militarily that ukraine has now is finding new recruits. president zelenskyy needs to find ways to inspire people to

serve in the military. to find soldiers and that's a big challenge. i think a lot of people are running away from ukraine in the draft offices and then trying to avoid service now because it's not clear how long they will have to serve. and, that's the big question for zelenskyy now. and the government, you know, dealing with the mobilization of new troops and new soldiers. >> simon shuster, every time you come here, we make us smarter. at the beginning of the segment, our viewers weren't even sure if your name was real, and now they know that you are the real deal. when we come, back it is a scene you have seen only in the movies. do not go to bed. you have to see this. someone stuck on the train tracks but gets rescued at the last second. except, our next story is for real. you've got to see this one. when the 11th hour continues. s when the 11th hour continues.

"overflowing with ideas and energy." that's the san francisco chronicle endorsing democrat katie porter for senate over all other options. porter is "easily the most impressive candidate." "known for her grilling of corporate executives." with "deep policy knowledge." katie porter's housing plan has "bipartisan-friendly ideas

to bring homebuilding costs down." and the chronicle praises "her ideas to end soft corruption in politics." let's shake up the senate. with democrat katie porter. i'm katie porter and i approve this message. the economy is simply not working for millions of hard working families. with democrat katie porter. they're working harder than ever and they still can't make enough to get by to afford food and medicine to even keep a roof over their heads. we need to build more housing that's truly affordable. we need to address this terrible epidemic of homelessness. we need to invest in good paying jobs, union jobs and investments in our future. this, this is why i'm running for the us senate. i'm adam schiff and i approve this message. the last thing before we go, honoring a hero. the damsel in distress tied to railroad tracks as the tale as

although the railroad itself. usually, a dashing hero comes around and rescues here just in the nick of time. well, are you ready for this one? one alabama teenager, became a real life hero this month when she risked her life to rescue a disabled woman who was in fact stuck in the railroad tracks. limestone county commission recognized lilly baker this week with a proclamation for her quick thinking, decisive actions that day. well, waff 48 reporter matthew king has more on this heroic rescue, you have got to watch this. >> i didn't know i was going to get that feeling to pick up. i didn't know any of. that i didn't even know i'd become this way. >> reporter: for 18-year-old, lily baker, it's a divine coincidence she was set on the train tracks on austin with roe the same time as an elderly woman was walking across the tracks because she couldn't get around any other way. >> i had already watched three or four people pass this lady, by and she would stop for them to go by. they wouldn't even think about

her. >> reporter: instead, baker stopped her car to see if she needed help. >> i was just trying to help her in general. and, then suddenly -- >> reporter: she heard, what she feared the most. [bell ringing] >> we've got to hurry up. i'm not worried about your wheelchair. we've got to hurry up. she just kept telling me, i can't walk, i can't walk, it's hurting. i said, i don't matter. i know it's hurting, but i have to help you. we can't do this. >> reporter: pulling with all her might, baker was able to get get both out of the deadly reach of the train, but not without the elderly woman breaking both of her ankles. >> me and her both lost our shoes. and, i was just yelling, somebody called the ambulance. there were people watching, and i said, somebody called the ambulance. i couldn't get to my phone. i really wasn't expecting it at all. >> reporter: now, one wheel sits as an ominous reminder of what could've happened. baker's -- heroics caught the attention of the police chief, jeremy robinson. >> if it wasn't for her today, there would be somebody that

wouldn't be alive right now. >> reporter: he said, everyone could learn a lesson about kindness, and bravery from this moment. >> we're not the only ones out there that could do something. anybody can. and, also, to be such a young lady it shows you that bravery and courage can come in all sizes and shapes. >> holy cow. you know we say it on the show, all the time. if you need help, ask for it. but if you can give, help give it. , and my god, mrs. lilly certainly did a real life example of how anyone can be a hero. extraordinary. and, on that amazing note i wish you a very good night. from all of our colleagues, across the networks of nbc, thanks for staying up late with me. wasn't it worth it for that story? see you again tomorrow. again t