Collide, the Supreme Court to hear Donald Trumps claim of president ial immunity as another state bans him from the ballot. His legal calendar now pushing closer and closer to novembers vote. Also breaking this morning, the Defense Secretary in the hot seat on the hill, just arriving there set to face questions about his hospitalization, well bring you that testimony live. Also ahead, split screen on the border, President Biden and trump Making Dueling Trips to texas today setting up a clash on immigration politics. Plus, inferno in texas, one person now confirmed dead as wildfires rage in the panhandle. It is a busy thursday. Thanks for joining us. It is 10 00 eastern. Im Ana Cabrera Reporting from new york. Fresh upheaval in Donald Trumps legal calendar with news the u. S. Supreme court will take up yet another trump appeal. The nations highest court now agreeing to hear trumps claim of immunity in the federal elections interference case. Now, arguments wont happen until late april with the potential decision in the summer, potentially pushing that trial incredibly close, if not after the president ial election. We are also still waiting on the Supreme Courts decision in the colorado ballot case, as a judge in yet another state, illinois, has just banned trump from that states ballot. Lets bring in nbcs garrett haake, msnbc legal correspondent, lisa rubin, political magazine Senior Writer and former federal prosecutor and veteran prosecutor and Trial Attorney paul henderson. Garrett, what can you tell us about this Supreme Court move and the time line for hearing trumps Immunity Claim Arguments . Reporter the courts decision here would set oral arguments on april 22nd, and then youre looking at another month or longer until you get a decision from the court. All of it pushes the start date for a potential trial late into the summer or possibly early into the fall, and up against what is an informal but predict Effective Doj policy not to engage in actions that might affect the outcome of an election within 60 days of an election. All of this is to say this delay puts in jeopardy the idea that this trial could be held, certainly concluded anytime before the election in november. Remember, we dont have election day anymore. We have election month with early votes and so forth going on. I can tell you the trump team is thrilled by this development. They want to see this argument play out. Legally speaking his strategy has long been to delay, delay, delay. Here he gets help in doing that from the highest court in the land, and theres nothing anybody can do to stop it. This is a historic mess. Already the district court, the Appeals Court rejected trumps Immunity Argument so your thoughts on why the Supreme Court decided to take up this case and didnt just let those Lower Court Rulings stand. There are two possibilities, ana. One is that they view this issue as so important that the Supreme Court has to weigh in, particularly because there are at least two other cases where trump either has made or will make similar president ial Immunity Arguments. He has indicated he will file such a motion and the Fulton County rico case, assuming that case continues after we resolve the issues about fani williss potential disqualification. Hes also made that motion in the florida case before judge aileen cannon. Thats the maralago documents case. He filed a motion to dismiss that indictment on Immunity Grounds last week. One is they could just say to themselves this issue is what lawyers would call capable of repetition, yet potentially evading review. The other and potentially darker one is that they want to reverse both judge chutkan and the d. C. Circuit. They took a narrow question hear. Its whether and if so to what extent a former president is entitled to immunity for actions alleged to be official conduct as president. Alleged by whom is the question that i and others have posed. Donald trump says that he has been indicted for acts that are official. The Department Of Justice through special counsel jack smith takes a very different view of the acts alleged in the indictment, so you might be able to read into the wording of the question presented by the court some feeling that what the lower courts have done here is not quite right. And coach, why do you think it took so long for the Supreme Court to say theyll take this case . Well, we all recall that, you know, jack smith had asked them to take it in december, to try to make sure that this time line wouldnt get so crunched, and what do you make then of the april 22nd timing for the Argument Arguments . Yeah, count me among the people who are frustrated with how long this has taken. It didnt need to take this long. It shouldnt have taken this long. I agree with lisa in terms of the scenarios that may have led us here. I want to introduce one more given the practical reality of this court and the behavior of the conservative justices who have taken over the court since trumps administration. Its very possible that some number of them are just content to see this move slowly, not accepting trumps argument, being prepared to reject it at some point, but that they think the trial may be being rushed or whatever. Were talking about a court that i think is more political than ever in my memory. Three of them, roberts, kavanaugh, and barrett made their careers working as lawyers for the republican party. That is why they ended up on the Supreme Court ultimately. The rest of them include justice alito, thomas and gorsuch, none of whom i would regard as are strictly nonpartisan actors here. No reason why it needs to take this long going forward, and i share everyones concerns about whats really going on here. Garrett, at the heart of this case is americas democracy, the democratic system in this country, and now looking at the time line weve all talked about, this could back up right into the election. What do you see as the implications. What does this mean for americans for the voters . Its huge. If you look at the polling, i think theres an open question about how polls show hypothetical behavior in the future. A lot of Donald Trumps support in some of these early states that weve been covering but also in the swing states we will be covering has hinged on whether or not he has a convicted felon or not by the time votes have been cast. Our elections are very narrowly decided, and theres so much sort of chaff in this space coming from trump and his allies about these cases, about whether or not theyre politically motivated, about if anything here is criminal at all. A question of having a court, having a jury decide whether or not trump is guilty or innocent of any of these charges. I would argue most especially those related to january 6th and the transfer of power in the last election is a really important data point for voters that will almost certainly be absent when theyre making their decision about who to vote for this fall. Coming back to the wording in the Supreme Courts brief and the question they plan to take up here, let me bring it up again. Whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy president ial immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office. That sounds quite broad. Do you read anything into the wording, your thoughts about this question theyre going to decide . Yeah, its quite broad and quite broad on purpose because its part of trumps argument that he has absolute immunity for, as it turns out, almost anything. And again, this issue is being raised as an expansion from the federal Appellate Court that already ruled against him. So coming to this level, elevating it to the Supreme Court is a huge, huge win for him and essentially stops all of the federal prosecution. I just want to remind folks, though, that that doesnt affect the state prosecutions that are still going on, so it really elevates the significance of new york hush money case and the Georgia Election interference case thats still going on, even though hes going to still try and make those same motions about his immunity in those cases as well. But it heightens whats going to happen there. For me whats going on with the Supreme Court is a real challenge and recalls into question the objectivity of the Supreme Court and how theyve handled these cases that theyve taken up with this issue on the insurrection and the secondary issue thats still going on about whether or not hes even going to appear in some of these ballots throughout the country as well. And theyre both really important in determining what the next few months are going to look like for donald trump as a candidate for the republican party. Again, right now it is the d. C. Election interference case that is on hold as this issue is being decided. That is the president ial Immunity Argument and claim that has reached the Supreme Court, but President Trump and his lawyers make this Immunity Argument in all of his cases. Could it hit pause on those as well moving forward . Whether its federal or state . Well, look, i mean, practically speaking here, hes just trying to get past november and hope that he wins the election and that, you know, he can shut down the federal cases and put all the state cases on ice. I think the d. A. s case in manhattan, that looks like its set to go to trial on march 25th. The case in georgia i think is in limbo to put it charitably. The case in florida, i think it was ambitious to ever think it was going to go to trial this summer, but to my eye, the odds that that will go to trial before november are practically zero at this point. Judge cannon does not seem to want that to happen. So we are looking at a scenario here where kind of the one case that goes to trial is the one that is regarded by many people as perhaps the weakest legally and the least consequential politically. Garrett, lets turn to the other development where the legal and political collide. What can you tell us about the illinois judges decision im being told Secretary Austin is now speaking on capitol hill. Were going to go there live. Everybody, thank you for joining us. Were going to keep it that way. The department is deeply focused now on meeting the pacing challenge from the peoples republic of china on making The Middle East more secure and for the october 7th terrorist assault on israel and on ensuring that ukraine can continue to defend itself against putins war of aggression. So as always, we are focused on the defense of our nation, but i know that congress has some legitimate concerns about some issues around my illness, so let me start by thanking all those who have offered me well wishes after my recent Cancer Treatment and Hospital Stay. I very much appreciate your kind words, and i received World Class Medical Care at walter reed. And i wanted to again publicly thank my doctors and the outstanding nursing staff. They expect me to be completely cured of my Prostate Cancer which was caught early, and i continue to recover, and now i want to be very clear. There was never any lapse in authorities or in command and control. At all times either i or the Deputy Secretary was in a position to conduct the duties of my office, but we did have a breakdown in notifications during my january stay at walter reed, and that is sharing my location and why i was there. And back in december, i should have promptly informed the president , my team in congress and the American People of my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Again, we did not handle this right, and i did not handle it right. As you know, i have apologized including directly to the president , and i take full responsibility. Im also taking responsibility for some institutional changes to make sure that this cannot happen again. Its not enough for me to pledge to do better, the system must be postured better to make the appropriate notifications when authorities are transferred. And my staff must be ready to carry all of this out. But let me be clear, i never intended to keep my hospitalization from the white house or from anybody else. Thats why we immediately instituted changes to the way that the authorities can be temporarily transferred to my deputy and to the way that notifications get made. Thats also why we conducted a 30day review of the entire process. Now, because the review deals with the continuity of operations, its directors wrote it as classified. But of course weve shared that review with all of you. The review made eight recommendations to me, and i have directed that all eight recommendations be implemented. We put two in place already, and were moving out quickly on the other six. So let me quickly summarize them for you. Weve made clear that we expect full Information Sharing with a deputy or another designated official, assumes functions and duties as Acting Secretary. Weve issued written guidelines for clearer Information Sharing between my staff and the Deputy Secretary staff if these scenarios arise. We will ensure that the Department Officials in the order of succession are familiar with and supported for the relevant processes. And were moving quickly to develop a mandatory reporting protocol for personnel who support me or the Deputy Secretary in situations that might affect our ability to perform our duties and functions. Of course, we already have continuity of Operations Plans in place, and well continue to review and update those plans as appropriate. Now, even before the 30day review, we already had made some changes. In the future if the Deputy Secretary needs to temporarily assume the duties of my office, she and several White House Offices will be immediately notified. That includes the White House Situation Room and the white house Chief Of Staff. Key officials across the department will also be notified including the Deputy Secretary, the chairman of the joint chiefs, and the general counsel. And the reason for that assumption of duties will be included in writing. As you saw and you saw these new procedures in action during my hospitalization earlier this month, and finally, the dod Inspector General is still working on his own independent review, which we fully support. Now, before i take your questions, i want to, again, make one thing very clear. At no time during my treatment or recovery were there any gaps in authorities and there were no risks to the departments command and control. And from the time that i resumed my duties on january 5th, i fully participated in National Security decisionmaking on events in The Middle East and about military operations in selfdefense to protect our troops and our facilities over there. Again, were moving swiftly to put some helpful new procedures in place to prevent any lapses in notification, and i am confident that we will not experience the same issues in the future. So let me, again, thank you for the opportunity to be here today and for everything that this committee does to support to stand by the mission and the people of the Department Of Defense including their families. I know you understand this, but one of the best things that you can do right now to support them is to pass a fullyear appropriation. And doing so well ensure that our troops get paid and our civilian employees can stay on the job and that we can continue to procure and feel the very best capability to defend our country. We need the flexibility and stability that fullyear appropriations provide. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member smith, i appreciate your leadership on that score, and i stand ready to assist you in any way. With that, ill be glad to take your questions. Thank you, mr. Secretary. Chairman now yields his question time to the chairman of the subcommittee on military personnel, the gentleman from indiana, mr. Banks. Mr. Secretary, help us get this straight, at what point during your Hospital Stay did you or your staff decide that the president should know about your hospitalization . As i understand it, my Chief Of Staff contacted the National Security adviser and advised him that id been hospitalized on the 4th Of January. At what point during your stay was the 4th Of January . Im sorry, i didnt hear you. How long into your stay was that . Well, as weve pointed out as has been pointed out earlier, i days after you were hospitalized . I was hospitalized on the 1st of january, right. Yes or no, did you tell your staff not to inform the president , anyone on your staff . I never told anyone not to inform the president , the white house or anyone else about my hospitalization. So the 30day Review Summary lays a lot of blame at the feet of your staff. It seems that that would appear, correct, for the breakdown in the process . Youve told us that you are responsible, but the 30day review seems to blame your staff. The 30 day review pointed out that there were some missteps and but there was never any ill intent or an intent to obfuscate. One year ago you told me in this hearing room you had no regrets about what happened in afghanistan. Do you regret what happened here . Ive said that we didnt get this right, congressman, and we put measures in place to ensure that the Notification Process is improved going forward. Mr. Secretary, who will be held accountable the transfer of authority was who will be held accountable for this . Again this embarrassment . Again, i take full responsibility and we put measures in place to address the shortcomings. Are you surprised the president didnt call for your resignation . Im surprised, but are you surprised that he didnt call for your resignation . The president has expressed full faith and confidence in me. So youre not surprised that he didnt call for your resignation. Is it typical that the president would go three days without talking to his Secretary Of Defense . Is that typical . Is that a regular posture . Do you usually go days without talking to the commander i mean, that can happen, it depends whether or not the president s on travel, if im on travel. There are times when we do go days without direct communication. So the big issue for me here is either the president is that aloof or you are irrelevant. Which one is it, mr. Secretary . Its neither. That the president would go three days without knowing that his Secretary Of Defense is not on the job. Its neither. The president is not aloof, and i am i participate in all of the drn. Let me ask you this. On january 2nd, while you were in the hospital, President Biden was vacationing in the caribbean. Your deputy who the president didnt even know had operational control was on a beach in puerto rico. What kind of message does that send to our adversaries . The key piece is tha number one, the deputy has the ability she actually has to secure communications. She has the ability to participate in decisionmaking processes from wherever she is. Mr. Secretary, our adversaries should fear us, and what youve done is embarrassed us. And let me sum this up by this. A leading chinese Propaganda Outlet said that what happened to you exposed, quote, internal chaos. A leading russian Propaganda Outlet said that your disappearance, quote effectively compromised the gentlemans time has expired chair now recognizes the Ranking Member. First, let me say it is not remotely surprising to me that the chinese and the russians are not going to say anything positive about us. That doesnt come as a surprise to me. They seize on every opportunity to attack the United States. So i dont really take their word for what was going on. And a couple of things to drill down on. One, it is fairly routine that the Secretary Of Defense will be in places where you are not able to do everything you need to do, and that authority is transferred. I think a lot of people dont fully understand this. So can you walk us through i mean, how often does it happen that you are in a place where you cant do you cant be as responsive as you need to be so you pass the authority on to your Deputy Secretary . Thanks, as pointed out in the 30day review, there have been a number of times in the past where we transferred authorities because of my inability to have access to secure communications, and then once i had the ability to have access again to secure communications, that was transferred back. So that and the number of times that thats happened is outlined in the 30day review. And was there, again, just to emphasize, was there any time during this process in the first days of january when you were in the hospital, anytime whatsoever when the Deputy Secretary wasnt in a position to fully carry out the responsibilities of the Secretary Of Defense, regardless of whether she was in puerto rico or mexico or maralago, or wherever, she was in a position to carry out all of the authorities that she had as the Acting Secretary of defense in that instance, correct . She is legally and logistically positioned to assume the functions, and she was, youre right, in a position to be able to support the president as Chief Of Staff as made decisions, commander in chief. So she always has secure communications with her just like me, and she has a Situational Awareness thats needed to be able to make effective recommendations to the president , and she working with the chairman of the joint chiefs and also the Combatant Commander would propose options for the president in any situation. Certainly, and one of the things i want to emphasize as this hearing goes forward is not to use this to the advantage of our adversaries, to use it as a partisan attack. There was nothing embarrassing about what happened here. There was nothing that makes us appear weak. The United States as all of this was going on, as has been pointed out, was carrying out strikes against our adversary in order to protect our force. We were doing everything that we needed to do to meet the National Security needs of this country. And if members of this committee incorrectly imply otherwise, they are merely giving aid and comfort to those adversaries that they claim to care about confronting. And i will also One More Time emphasize that if we care about confronting our adversaries, rather than nitpicking the Secretary Of Defense about his precise process in this situation, we should go ahead and pass the National Security supplemental that the senate has passed with 70 bipartisan votes to precisely meet those National Security needs. Whatever russia and chinese Propaganda Machines may be cranking out about this situation, i assure you it pales in comparison to what theyre cranking out about the fact that they think the United States is getting ready to abandon our ally in ukraine. I would challenge any member on the other side of this aisle to claim that the Secretary Of Defense not fully informing the president for three days is somehow more important than walking away from that obligation that we have made and that the whole world is watching us on, and with that, i yield back. Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina, mr. Wilson. Thank you, chairman mike rogers. Secretary austin, i first want to wish you a full and speedy recovery. And sadly, were here today because of the failure to properly communicate directive 3020. 04 of the Department Of Defense, which is critical information requirements through the Chain Of Command to President Biden. As a grateful veteran myself along with you, the American Armed forces, we both understand the crucial role of the Chain Of Command to provide time Sensitive Information to make the right decisions at the right time. When communications fails, there is an increased risk to Mission Success but more importantly increased risk to the servicemen and women. This to me is personal as a 31 year army veteran myself having four sons who served in afghanistan, iraq, and in asia, and currently my District Director is deployed in africa, i just take this personally with the South Carolina National Guard that your service is so critically important. And i appreciate having worked with you before your appointment and we need your capabilities more than ever as we are in a war we did not choose with dictators with rule of gun invading democracies with rule of law. It began february 24th, 2022 with War Criminal Putin invading ukraine, on october 7, 2023, irans hamas invaded israel. Biden opened borders for terrorists makes imminent more 9 11 attacks on American Families and we need our state and National Guards to be ready for duty. Every family actually should have a rally point when communications are cut with an attack. With the current Global Threats today, their attacks on american and our allies by iran in The Middle East, with the lack of Proper Communications degrade our ability to respond . Again, i would emphasize that there was never a break in command and control. There was we transferred authorities in a timely fashion. What we didnt do well was a notification of senior leaders. We put measures in place i deeply regret the response we had was ineffective by delaying a response and it should have been a Immediate Response and it should have been very effective and there should have been no notice. What has done really has put American Families at greater risk. As i conclude, i want to express our sympathy for the family of Alexei Navalny who was assassinated by War Criminal Putin, his widow yulia is a hero for the oppressed people of russia. I yield back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut. Thank you, mr. Rogers and thank you mr. Secretary for being here today and for your 40 plus years of service to defense of our country. Again, just to sort of walk through One More Time about the fact that there was no gap in terms of authorities and who was in control of the department, you went into Critical Care on january 2nd. Your staff then executed the law in terms of notifying the Deputy Secretary of defense that she was in charge, and as a result, i mean, it was seamless. There was just never any moment where there was any absence of authority within the department, isnt that correct . Thats correct, sir. Again, it actually was the Armed Services committee back in 1962 that passed the law that, again, made this process happen, again, without any action, special action of the Secretary Of Defense. Its different actually than the 25th Amendment Of The Constitution where if a president is going to go under anesthesia or is incapacitated, it actually says in section 3 of the amendment that there has to be a voluntary surrender. Again, going back to president reagan, he actually executed documents, filed it with the congress notifying that that was going to happen. Thats not the way the law works for the Department Of Defense. Again, it happens, again, if the secretarys unable to perform duties, then thats it. The Deputy Secretarys in charge. Isnt that correct . Thats correct, sir. And then on january 8th, before even the 30day review or any of their recommendations, you already move to put into place a regulation that basically states that this now will be communicated in all instances to the president of the United States so that the whatever confusion surrounding the lack of communication now has been now codified at the department to make sure it doesnt happen again. Isnt that correct . Thats correct, sir, and we we had the opportunity to put those procedures in play when i went back to the hospital on february 11th. There was timely notification in a seamless fashion. So speaking of gaps, lets talk about the supplemental. On february 13th, the United States senate actually by a vote of 77 to 21, it was more than the 70 votes that my friend mr. Smith cited, overwhelmingly endorsed a package which will provide 60 billion to ukraine, who is in a very dire state today. So 16 days later were here in this room. Were thankfully looks like were going to move forward on an fy 24 final package soon. The fact is nothing has happened in the house to follow up what the senate did. The speaker explicitly said he will let the house work its will in terms of next steps with the supplemental package. I think everybody in this room knows if the bill was brought to the floor, we would get an overwhelmingly majority vote pretty darn close to twothirds. Ive talked to some republicans who say it would be 300 votes. Whats the risk whats the risk of that gap in terms of our National Security and helping our allies . Were seeing the risk play out on the battlefield each and every day as the ukrainians fight valiantly to defend their sovereign territory, and i would remind everyone that with our support in providing security assistance, theyve taken back half of the territory that russia seized. But each and every day we see the russians continuing to push and make incremental gains and thats very troubling. And without our support, the ukrainians will be outgunned in terms of artillery, and theyll also be at risk because of lack of adequate air defense gentlemans time is expired. The chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio, mr. Turner. Chair now recognizes the gentleman from colorado, mr. Lambert. Thank you, mr. Chairman, and for having this hearing. Mr. Secretary we wish you a speedy and full recovery. I would concur with the points brought up by the chairman. Most members of this committee are bewildered of how these events could conspire. Your closest adviser on the confidence of the American People at a time when Overall Trust in the government is declining, americans must still believe that the government can protect them from the growing threats in this world, and one of the most serious threat ss is that of a Missile Attack from russia, china, or north korea. I chair the Strategic Forces subcommittee and im charged by the chairman with the oversight of our entire Nuclear Arsenal including the command and control of our nuclear forces. Every day our Service Members who maintain and operate the Weapons Systems that employ these destructive weapons are ready to act within minutes of receiving a valid order from the president that flows down through you or your designated representative. Today many on this day as well will speak about disruptions in chains of command, i will say that the most dangerous Chain Of Command to break is that which communicates orders to our missile silos, Ballistic Missile submarines and strategic bombers. We will only deter attacks on our homeland if our adversaies are assured that we are capable and willing to respond in kind massively if necessary. Not only is our homeland threatened by adversaries, Ballistic Missiles, but will increasingly be threatened by hypersonic missiles, so all of these attacks are a matter of minutes, not hours. Well keep listening to this onrequesting testimony. Youve been listening to the Defense Secretary lloyd austin testifying on the hill addressing the issues around lack of transparency when he was hospitalized in january following surgery for Prostate Cancer. Joining us now is nbc News Pentagon correspondent Courtney Kube and retired u. S. Army Lieutenant General steph twitty, nbc news military analyst. Courtney, let me start with you. This testimony was sort of a long time coming. Lots of pressure coming, especially from republicans to hear directly from the secretary and be able to ask their questions about why he wasnt more transparent, what it meant when it came to National Security issues and all of that. What are your takeaways from what weve heard so far and where this is all headed . Yeah, there has been some pretty fiery exchanges already, primarily from republicans to Secretary Austin, and including frankly, it started right at the very top with the chairman congressman rogers, right off the bat with some i mean, kind of surprising language saying that he was surprised that Secretary Austin didnt seem that anyone noticed that he wasnt in the job for three or four days and questioned his role as Secretary Of Defense, and then the first line of questioning from republicans we heard the same thing, even asking one of them asking Secretary Austin if hes irrelevant and if President Biden is aloof. So all of that being said, yes, this is a hearing room. Theres both sides of the aisle are were hearing pretty much what we expected from them, republicans very critical of this, democrats not, but so far we havent really gotten any new facts or information out of this yet, ana. I did think it was interesting to hear in the secretarys Opening Statement him talk about this 30day review that had taken place within the pentagon, and the eight recommendations that came from that review that he said he is implementing, two of which he said have already been implemented related to immediate notification in the future and even writing down his reason if he were to be incapacitated or unable to assume the helm at any given moment. General, theres obviously a lot of politics surrounding this hearing, but how real or serious do you think the concerns are around the lack of transparency by austin . Yeah, let me just say a couple of things, ana. Number one is i think i need to tell you that i know this gentleman quite well. Hes a dear friend of mine. Ive served with him in the army. He was my Commander Both in garrison and i had the honor to serve with him in combat in iraq. And so i know him quite well, and i dont think there is any intent here to mislead or obfuscate anywhere. What i think happened here is a case where you have what we call in the Army Commanders intent, and you have people around you that you assume will do the right thing. In this case here, to be blamed on him, yes, when it comes to sound judgment, but also on his staff for also not reporting, even though Secretary Austin did not do the right thing. Right, general twitty, and Courtney Kube, thank you. Moments ago President Biden spoke to reporters at the white house as he leaves to go to the border. Hes talking about the latest in gaza. Lets listen. Hope springs eternal. I was on the telephone with the people in the region. Im still probably not by monday, but im hopeful. I wont have an answer today i know it will. [ Inaudible Question ] i dont agree with that position. Okay, the president now headed to the border to talk about Immigration Policy this afternoon, let me bring in nbcs Monica Alba Covering The White House and nbcs matt bradley whos been covering the israelhamas war, facing questions this morning, monica, about whats happening in The Middle East because of some overnight developments. What can you tell us . Reporter yeah, ana, and i was able to put that question to him about whether he still hopes for a temporary cease fire by monday based on those comments he made earlier in the week indicating it was a possibility. And you saw there he said hope springs eternal, and hes been talking to some of the key players in the region, but he did indicate that likely it wont happen by monday, maybe a little bit later, he said, but hes still hopeful that that could coalesce for there to be a temporary pause in the fighting so that some of the remaining hostages can get out in certain waves. As we know, theyve been talking about that and having very intense negotiations on that for weeks and months. Notably, he was asked about that story this morning of Israel Opening Fire On Gazans who were trying to get some aid surrounding some trucks and obviously there are reports now that dozens have been killed, more injured, and the president in responding to that question said hes been tracking that closely, but that there are some conflicting reports, and the most possibly important part of that response was that he was asked whether that will complicate these talks and these negotiations, and he told reporters i know it will because of course this is all happening at the same time as theyre trying to get to that place. But we know that this complicates this potentially, and it puts it, of course, in a far more significant focus as they were trying to get closer to that, but this, of course, latest development could really derail some of that progress and the president said he expects to learn more about that as the day unfolds, ana. We do have video of that violent event that took place, the aftermath of it there in gaza this morning. We have to warn our viewers, it is graphic and disturbing no doubt about it. At least 100 people are reportedly dead after the Israeli Military opened fire. They confirmed, yes, they opened fire saying that the people posed a threat to israeli soldiers. They also say some casualties might have been caused by trampling in the crowd. Matt, what more are we learning about exactly what happened here. Yeah, youre seeing some of those satellite images. This was the latest tragedy out of the gaza strip. More than 100 people killed. Its 104 people who were killed. The israelis said what happene is civilians crowded around a delivery truck. Aid has fallen by half in the last couple of weeks. This according to the united nations. There was a major desperation. Weve been seeing famine in the gaza strip as well as deadly disease, and now we have been seeing infants over the past couple of days who have died and according to the gazan ministry of health, theyve died because of starvation. It was a very desperate situation. L the palestinian side said the israelis opened fire with a machine gun. That is what killed more than 100 people. A lot of those people were trampled to death as they tried to reach the aid. Regardless, this just goes to show the level of desperation in the gaza strip and weve reached another grim milestone today, ana, 30,000 people reportedly killed by israeli attacks in the gaza strip since the offensive began in october. This also according to the gazan ministry of health. These numbers considered reliable by the united nations, the Lan Set Journal and the United States, they tend to agree with these figures. A Split Screen Showdown as President Biden and donald trump Plan Dueling Border Visits today. Plus, a changing of the guard, the horse race already happening in the halls of congress to replace Mitch Mcconnell as the republican leader in the senate. Is the stage set now for a maga takeover . Taovkeer you always got your mid on the green. Not you. You your Business Bank account with Quickbooks Money now earns 5 apy. thats how you business differently. Intuit quickbooks. Whoa, how did you defeat them . Thats how you business differently. With a little kung fu strength and by connecting my devices to the most powerful force of all. Skadoosh. Hah, huh . Cool right . Amazing. Harness the power of xfinity internet and stay connected to the things you love. Ah, theyll be like this for hours. Hello dad, hello dad, hello da. Uhoh. Good bunnies. Ahh it is a split screen day in texas with both President Biden and former President Trump in the Lone Star State today to talk about an issue that could be central to the election, immigration. President biden is expected to press conditioning to pass the senates bipartisan Border Security bill, while trump is expected to highlight the Record Number of Undocumented Migrant Crossings during bidens time in office. Jay gray joins us now from brownsville texas. Both men in texas, but about 300 miles apart. Its a big state. How divergent are the messages going to be and how do they reflect the stories they want to tell . Reporter i think you make a great point, and theyll be very different messages from both men here in brownsville, the president will meet with Border Patrol agents. Hell meet with local officials, and hes really trying to ramp up pressure on Congressional Republicans to work on that bipartisan Border Security measure that has been a political football in washington over the last several months. So youll hear a message of what he believes should change and how it should happen. This is in brownsville. Its a much bigger place than eagle pass where the former president will be, and he will be more pointed in his attack. As you talked about, talking directly about problems that have occurred during the Biden Administration about the influx of migrants have moved in. Thats an area that have seen as many as any along the southern borders of the u. S. , tent cities there. Tens of thousands at times moving through eagle pass. So it will be two very different messages in two very different places. Jay gray, appreciate the update, again, from brownsville as we await the president s arrival there and continue to cover his visit today. And turning to the capital now where the house is set to vote in just a few hours on a new deal to avert a fast approaching Government Shutdown. At least for now. The plan pushes the Funding Deadlines further into march, Buying Congress a little more time to negotiate, but it also means we could end up in this exact same situation in just a few weeks, and the clock to pass that temporary deal is ticking with the first wave of the shutdown still threatening to begin at midnight tomorrow. Nbcs sahil kapur is with us and anchor of the Washington Post live, leigh ann caldwell. Sahil, what do we know about this deal and the vote today . Reporter congressional leaders and appropriators have struck a partial government funding deal, as well as agreed to do a stopgap deal that extends this deadline to later in the month. Lets show the graphic that has some of the details. They have agreed on six Appropriations Bills that are still being finalized in terms of actually text that theyll later have to vote on. That includes the department of agriculture, energy and interior. What remains is tougher, that will be the March 22nd Deadline that they still have to agree on, still have to write. For now what congress is trying to do is pass a shortterm bill that prevents a Government Shutdown for this weekend. Its expected to get a vote in the house early afternoon. It will have to pass on the socalled suspension of the rules. That means it will need a twothirds majority. It is expected to pass with that twothirds majority with a fraction of republicans and nearly all, if not all democrats. Then it will go to the senate. Theyre going to try to get this done as soon as possible. Remember, ana, this has to get unanimous consent in the senate to get a speedy vote. If a Single Member objects, then congress could stumble into that Government Shutdown, which begins friday at midnight. Finally, ana, this is the fourth stopgap bill, the fourth shortterm measure since the Fiscal Year Ended late at the end of last september. They still havent even begun the next years Appropriations Bills. So much happening there on the hill. Lets talk about the other big news coming from the senate, minority leader Mitch Mcconnell announcing hes going to step down from that Leadership Role in november after 18 years as the longest serving Senate Leader in american history. Here was mcconnell yesterday. One of lifes most under appreciated talents is to know when its time to move on to lifes next chapter. So i stand before you today, mr. President and my colleagues, to say this will be my last term as republican leader of the senate. Im no longer the young man sitting in the back hoping colleagues would remember my name. Its time for the next generation of leadership. Leanne, what have you learned about whats behind this decision and who that next generation of leadership could be . Well, ana, people will definitely remember Mitch Mcconnells name for several reasons. Democrats obviously loathed him for many, many years, and now trump and the trump wing of the party loathe him because he is now the last backstop against a trumpification of the entire Republican Senate conference. And so why now . Well, he is 82 years old, so that did play a factor, but also a big factor is that he is losing support within his party. He is one of the last vestiges of the Old School Republican party, the reagan republicanism, and now hes more aligned with democrats on some issues, especially this issue of ukraine. Now, what happens next is really a Pivotal Moment for the republican party. It will determine the direction, if trump does have a complete takeover, and we just got news that john cornyn is the first person to jump in that race. He just made that announcement, so, that horse race has begun officially. Leigh ann caldwell, thank you. Wish we had more time to discuss today. Sahil kapur, thank you as well. Up next on ana cabrera reports, the largest wildfire in texas history, barely contained, and it has turned deadly. Contained, and it has turned deadly with nurtec odt, i can treat a migraine when it strikes and prevent migraine attacks, all in one. Dont take if allergic to nurtec. Allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. Most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. Ask about nurtec odt. Always dry scoop before you run. Listen to me, the hot dog diet got me shredded. Its time we listen to science. One a day is formulated with key nutrients to support whole body health. One a day. Science that matters. 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Were getting what looks like grapple, theyre going to get an edge on this fire in some areas with the temperatures dropping. These winds arent as strong as the ones we had days ago which helped that fire spread. This fire, you made reference to, the Smokehouse Creek fire, it is already extending over 100 miles long, it is the largest in texas state history. And thats the wildfire that has gotten the attention of the firefighters doing what they can to protect a lot of the structures that are threatened. Now, you can see open fields behind me, most of the area that has been burned are areas like these, this is open fields, but there are communities there are towns in between that have been affected. Im going to show you what it is like on the ground right now. It is almost surreal that were dealing with wildfires and youve got snow on the ground at the moment. This change in temperatures can help the firefighters as they do what they can to contain that fire. The latest update indicates it is only 3 contained. And they also have three other wildfires that are still considered active that theyre also working to contain at the moment. We also know that state and fire authorities have now changed the fire preparedness level from a 2 to a 3. This means that they will allocate more resources and also came with them informing that the Weather Conditions indicate that they expect wildfires to continue for a few more weeks. So well have to wait and see how this goes for the next few days. Also keeping in mind the forecast indicates the winds can pick up by saturday or sunday which would make the conditions more ideal for those fires to spread. Ana . And were looking at pictures of what is in the path. There is livestock, there are people, we know one person already confirmed dead, guad venegas, thank you for that reporting. Stay safe. Thats going to do it for us today. Thank you, all, for joining on this packed news thursday. Well see you back here tomorrow, same time, same place. For now, im Ana Cabrera Reporting from new york. Jose diazbalart picks up our coverage right after this. K. Jose diazbalart picks up our coverage right after this. We ner demand. In real time. jen so we partner with verizon. Their solution for us . A private 5g network. ella we now get more control of production, efficiencies, and greater agility. marquis with a custom private 5g network. Our customers get what they want, when they want it. jen now were even smarter and ready for whats next. vo achieve enterprise intelligence. Its your vision, its your verizon. Heres to Getting Better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need. Without the stuff you dont. So, heres to now. Boost. When my doctor gave me breztri for my copd, things changed for me. Breztri gave me better breathing, symptom improvement, and reduced flare ups. 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