It is 11 00 a. M. Eastern, 8 00 a. M. Pacific. Im jose diazbalart. Right now a federal judge in florida is holding a hearing on several key issues related to former President Trumps classified documents case, including when to start the trial. The former president is attending the hearing in fort pierce about 130 miles north of miami. Hes his remaining rival nikki haley said she thinks all his legal problems should be dealt with before the election. I think all of the cases should be dealt with before november. We need to know whats going to happen before it happen before the presidency happens, because after that, should he become president , i dont think any of it will get. Over 500 miles away, a judge will hear Closing Arguments this afternoon in a motion to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney fani willis from prosecuting the case 6r789. With us to talk more about all of this, msnbc National Correspondent Yasmin Vossoughian outside the federal courthouse in fort pierce, florida. Msnbc legal contributor katie phang in atlanta, also host of the katie phang show noon on saturdays. And msnbc Legal Correspondent lisa rubin. What has been happening so far in that classified documents case hearing . Reporter so, we know the former president is inside the courtroom right now, jose. Thats all we know. We saw him entering around 9 30 or so this morning. There is no technology, phones or computers allowed inside the courtroom. So were having to try and portion together what is actually happening inside. As soon as i get a note from the folks inside, ill relay it to you. Lets talk about what is likely to happen today. A couple of things were looking at here. A potential date for this trial to begin. The Juror Questionnaire which are handed in by both sides, the former president s attorneys and the prosecutors in this case, jack smith, and his attorneys as well, along with some of the motions especially filed by the former president. The dates proposed by jack smith is july 8th. Donald trumps Attorney Proposing August 12th saying this thing should not go on even before the election and making the argument for that. Eileen kent has indicated that that date will likely not stick because the amount of discovery that trumps attorneys are going to have to go through. When it comes to questions, i thought it was important we talk about this, there is some crossovers that were submitted when it came to the questionnaire. What Bumper Stickers do you have on your car, and then some differences between what jack smith is submitting when it comes to a Jury Questionnaire, versus what is being submitted by trumps attorneys. Trumps attorneys want to know who you voted for, for instance, in the 2020 election. Did you vote . Jack smith and his attorneys wanting to know, for instance, do you feel as if trump won the election or who won the election . And i think thats interesting because as i look around here, there is a lot of donald Trump Supporters sitting around me right now. One of the big flags says trump won, save america. So you think about that, and apply it to the jury pool right now that this trial is looking at and why that question for jack smith and his team will be pertinent. Lets talk about the dates and possible crossover here. We know, jose, judge Juan Marshawn in new york had collaboration with tanya chutkan, judge chutkan in d. C. When it came to choosing march 25th. We know the d. C. Trial is on hold waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court, the hearing, that public hearing that will go forward on april 22nd. We wonder if there is going to be collaboration between this judge Aileen Cannon and the three other judges in the other cases when the date will be set. And or will she say today because of this Immunity Motion that the former president s attorneys filed last week that now stands in front of the Supreme Court, will they indefinitely put this trial on hold until they get a decision from the Supreme Court . And if she doesnt and chooses the end of the summer, could that then push any chance of a d. C. Trial Going Forward beyond the election . Because they will interact with each other or overlap with each other. Those are some things were watching for today. And the big news that comes out of this will be the date, if a date is set for this trial, jose. So many overlapping potentially overlapping issues in florida, in d. C. , in new york. It just seems like what are the key things youre looking for from todays hearing in florida specifically . Well, jose, i think it is tempting to talk about the Jury Questionnaire and the different questions that each side wants to be asked. As yasmin noted, before we get to the question of a trial, the thing im most interested in today is whether judge cannon sets a trial date at all. Both sides were ordered to propose pretrial schedules and trial dates. And trumps team complied with that, but grudgingly, if you read the submission that they filed last night at around 6 00 p. M. They essentially say, we respect the courts order and as such, were going to tell you that we think april 12th is an appropriate day to try former President Trump and one of his codefendants, carlos de oliveira. But they then continue to give her a litany of reasons why no trial date should be scheduled in this year at all. And so it is all but an invitation for judge cannon to say, i dont think we should schedule a trial right now, in large part because the question of president ial immunity is on the table. Donald trump has moved to dismiss the indictment in the maralago documents case before judge Cannon On Grounds of president ial immunity as he did in judge chutkans case and their argument is that that not only protects the former president from liability and culpability in that case, but it should insulate him from the burdens of trial to begin with, that he shouldnt even have to go through pretrial proceedings on the account of his immunity argument. So, how does that whole immunity issue, the call for it in this florida one, now that the Supreme Court agreed to deal with it, how does that affect in any way this case or and the other one . I think it is possible that judge cannon can say she needs guidance from the Supreme Court before deciding when and if a trial is appropriate. One possibility is that we come out of todays hearing with the entire case on ice because as i just said Donald Trumps argument is that president ial immunity means he shouldnt have to participate in pretrial proceedings at all. Thats why judge chutkan, who was desirous of Going Forward, stayed her case because there was case law in her circuit that said while president ial immunity was on appeal, it wasnt appropriate to force the former president to go through those pretrial proceedings. If judge cannon sets a trial date at all, ill be surprised and looking to see whether that leaves any room for judge chutkan to try her case before the election, should the Supreme Court side with judge chutkan in the d. C. Circuit, jose. Lets turn our focus from fort pierce to atlanta. What can we expect from todays Closing Arguments in georgia . Reporter youre going to hear from the state and the defense. The biggest question is whether or not judge mcafee is already going into the arguments today, with his mind leading one way or another, in terms of whether or not the burden has been met by the defense to disqualify District Attorney fani willis in georgia. There has to be an actual interest, it cannot be speculative or theoretical. The case should have been Folk Ousing On Whether or not there was a financial benefit to fani willis because her boyfriend nathan wade was appointed prosecutor. Terrence bradley ceding more than 400 Text Messages to a Defense Attorney on The Other Side, ashley merchant, she represents michael roman. As a result of the Text Messages, roman is the one who filed the motion to disqualify fani willis, and now were going into the area of what is perjury committed by wade and willis when they swore under oath that their relationship began after wade was appointed Special Prosecutor. There should be about 15 minutes apportioned for these oral arguments. Remember, there is several defendants on the side of the defense. So judge mcafee will afford them the opportunity to be heard. But there is also the issue of nathan wades Cell Phone Records, they were pulled by steve sadow, the lawyer for donald trump. Their admissibility will be addressed today. The Cell Phone Records according to the defense indicating that wade and willis spent time that suggests there was more going on other than just friendship. Both have testified under oath that, yes, wade went to willis condo during that period of time and more importantly, no, Nothing Happened and i think really at the end of the day, judge mcafee has only the ability to rely on the evidence that has been submitted, expecting Written Ruling, jose, do not expect him to rule from the bench today. I would say anywhere from a week to two weeks to afford the judge the opportunity to assess all of the evidence and then issue a Written Ruling in this case. So, lisa, what could that ruling be . What are the options that the judge is going to be weighing . What are the possible outcomes we could be seeing . Lets start with the first one, jose. Katie mentioned that there is some evidence that both sides would like to bring to judge mcafees attention, even though evidence has really already closed. There are these Cell Phone Records and Cell Phone Location Data that steve sadow wants to admit. If judge mcafee decides those are appropriate to look at, we might be looking at a little bit longer period of time before he makes an eventual decision. But eventually he will come to a decision that either fani willis needs to be disqualified because there is a Conflict Of Interest here, or there isnt. I tend to believe that even if there is a problem with fani willis and nathan wades veracity there that there isnt a disqualifying interest here. Where it leaves us is the case would likely stay with the Fulton Countys d. A. Office, but if he finds that they were not credible and that they lied on the stand, the consequences for them personally would be ethical ones and ones that would be referred to at least the Georgia State bar and they may have problems beyond that too. So we may end up with a d. A. s office that retains the case, and a d. A. And her Special Prosecutor that have individual problems that go far beyond this case, jose. And, katie, things changed when that affidavit was submitted. Reporter nathan wade submitted an affidavit in support of the states opposition to this motion to disqualify. But the affidavit in and of itself, you know, was corroborated by wades sworn testimony. And that really kind of bears some essence. They are members of the Georgia State bar. When you heard judge mcafee and assessing the credibility of all these witnesses, you ask yourself what is the motivation to lie . There is uncontriverted evidence that they are no longer dating. I think the defense seized on the opportunity to dive into the salaciousness of somebodys personal life because they think thats going to be enough to disqualify fani willis. But judge mcafee is new to the bench, but not new to the law. If he looks at just the evidence thus far, in my opinion, it is not enough to disqualify her. Yasmin vossoughian, katie phang and lisa rubin, thank you very much for being with us this morning. Coming up, Global Leaders condemn a deadly incident in gaza as more than 100 palestinians were killed waiting for food trucks. Well ask an idf spokesman how this could have happened. Plus, mourners risk their lives to attend the funeral of a top putin critic Aleei Navalny. And duelling trips to the Southern Border. Well talk to former texas congressman beto orourke and get his take on the visits. Were back in 60 seconds. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports. Power e trades awardwinning trading app makes trading easier. 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This morning, World Leaders were condemning thursdays deadly incident that according to palestinian officials left more than 100 people dead in gaza city as they waited for humanitarian aid. The secretarygeneral of the United Nations and the president of france are calling for an independent investigation. In the wake of that incident, the Biden Administration is attempting to salvage a potential ceasefire deal according to multiple u. S. Officials, but privately there is growing concern in the white house that the deal could stall. Joining us from tel aviv is nbcs raf sanchez. Thank you. What more are you learning about what happened yesterday . Reporter well, palestinian Officials Say nearly 200 people were killed across gaza yesterday. The vast majority of them in that single bloody incident in gaza city where Israeli Forces allegedly opened fire on a crowd of people, waiting at an aid distribution point. That is an accusation israel denies. This morning, more fallout after the deadly incident in gaza, where dozens of palestinians were killed waiting for food trucks. Our cameras were there shortly before 4 00 a. M. , as crowds gathered in gaza city, hoping for a single bag of flour. What happened next is in dispute. A Palestinian Eyewitness tells nbc news Israeli Forces opened fire at the crowd before the trucks arrived. In this video from the scene, gunfire can be heard. More than 100 people were killed and 700 wounded according to the Health Ministry in hamasrun gaza. Hospitals flooded with gunshot victims. We went to get food and flour, and they started shooting us, this man says. Israel telling a different story, saying many were killed in a stampede near the trucks as people surged around the aid, as seen in this drone footage. They say their forces only opened fire later, at a specific group that was moving toward troops in a threatening way. Do you have any evidence to support this claim that this crowd posed a threat to israeli troops. If you approach armed soldiers in a war zone and there is a threat and they fire Warning Shots in the air, best thing do is to turn around and walk away. Reporter it is not clear how they were killed. Gaza residents have been desperate for food. The u. N. Warning of famine. Including for children like musa, at 6 months, hes barely older than this war. Doctors say eight other children have died of malnourishment this week at this hospital alone. A u. S. Official says the administration is considering dropping aid by air, a tactic used this week used by jordan. The white house growing increasingly concerned about the and President Biden says yesterdays killing will only complicate what is already a complicated effort to reach a ceasefire deal, a deal he says is no longer likely by monday. Jose, earlier today we saw families of some of those israeli hostages gathering outside a u. S. Embassy building here in tel aviv, urging the administration to keep putting pressure on the Israeli Government to go back to the Negotiating Table and to make a deal. Jose . Raf sanchez in tel aviv, thank you very much. Joining us now is Lieutenant Colonel richard heck, spokesperson for the Israeli Defense forces. Thank you very much for being with us this morning. Just want to start with can you clarify did Israeli Forces open fire on civilians waiting for aid on thursday . So, thank you for having me. This is not the case. And, again, you ill just jump on to what raf sanchez said. We did not intentionally open fire on the mob that basically tried to reach this truck. This is a tragic event, where you can see from the footage we released that the people that came looking for food, there was a stampede, very, very tragic, but we did not open fire on you can see this now, running in the background, we did not open fire on the crowd during that event. There was one specific event at the end of the convoy where our soldiers, some of the crowd approached our soldiers, they felt threatened and they fired shots. We take the numbers with a pinch of salt, where from this tragic stampede. So, lets what would qualify as nonlethal shots being fired . And im just thinking, if we take any of the evidence that seems to be being put forward by different video sources, were looking at that al jazeera video that says people were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. Thats not a stampede wound. Thats a gunshot wound. And what exactly is nonlethal fire . Nonlethal fire is when we were securing the convoy and in order to facilitate the movement of food to the north. Were in a war. This is a combat zone. The soldiers are, again, were losing soldiers every day in this fight, were aware of the humanitarian condition in the north. Again, no lethal fire when we are securing the convoy, people came to our soldiers, they felt threatened, they would maybe take nonlethal shot to try to distance them. Were looking into this event. The numbers coming out from the hamas Health Agency with a pinch of salt, were looking into this, were aware of the severe event, and were taking it very, very seriously. The u. N. And france are both mounting an independent investigation into what happened. Will israel support this . We do not need any other country to launch investigations. We have the means and the will to do this ourselves. And, again, i want to remind everyone here, this is a war zone, were doing everything we can, were trying to facilitate other ideas, raff mentioned it before, things from the air, and were still fighting this to dismantle hamas. If hamas lays down their weapons and bring the hostages back to israel, in a minute. And so, where do you from the israeli, from the idf perspective, go from here as far as trying to determine what israel had as far as responsibility in this incident or not . Well, you know, im very aware of International Law and there was people saying once youre occupying an area, you have to make sure that food is there. We do not want to occupy the gaza strip. We want to dismantle hamas. Were not fighting the Palestinian People who hamas has taken as a human shield. And i will keep repeating that sentence. That is a tragedy and cynical use of hamas and the people. Were doing everything we can to move food and there is an issue here with distribution, not with the quantity or the amount of food going in, the distribution to the north is the challenge and thats what were trying to facilitate and come up with Creative Ideas to get food up north to the people. And right now there are a million civilians in rafah with israels deadline of march 10th for a potential invasion there. How does what happened yesterday play a role in maybe disrupting talks, for example, on the hostages that are still being held by hamas . Im a military man and, again, i will tell you that were also very, very attentive to the voices and the concerns about the 1. 4 people. My Prime Minister said we will not act aggressively in that area without finding a solution for the civilian population there. We did it in the north. And we can do it also in the south. I would just mention to you that we did a specific event in rafah, which was a Special Forces raid to save two of our hostages inside rafah. Well, Lieutenant Colonel richard heck, thank you for being with us this morning. I appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Up next, why the widow of putin critic Aleei Navalny did not attend his funeral this morning in moscow. Thousands of people turned out. Well talk to you about that. It is incredible images coming out of russia. Plus, the texas wildfires scorching an area large enough to stretch from new york to philadelphia. And why they could actually be getting worse. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports on msnbc. G. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports on msnbc. Power e trades awardwinning trading app makes trading easier. With its customizable options chain, easytouse tools and Paper Trading to help sharpen your skills, you can stay on top of the market from wherever you are. E trade from morgan stanley. Gwen hi, weve both got a big birthday coming up. So we have a lot of questions Markabout Medicare plans. Are. Anne weve got a lot of answers. How can i help . Fran well for starters, do you include Hearing Benefits . Anne how about a plan with dental, vision and Hearing Benefits . Gwen i sure like the sound of that anne then how does a zero dollar monthly plan Premium Sound . Gwen fran ooooooooh [laughs] avo if youre new to medicare, call 188865aetna. 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So, if you could change the price, change the name its not a lock, i know a lock. So how can we undo the damage . We could all unsubscribe and switch to xfinity. Their connection is unreal. And we could all unexperience this whole session. Okay, thats uncalled for. 28 past the hour. We have breaking news from florida where were getting details of whats happening inside the courtroom at the Trump Classified documents hearing. Back with us, msnbcs Yasmin Vossoughian outside the courthouse. What are we learning . Reporter so, it is a lot of what we had suspected. Im going keep looking down at my phone. Were getting notes in. And talking about specifically the date here. And this is july 8th, thats the date proposed by the government, arguing july 8th is when this trial should move forward. The former president s trumps saying no, and arguing in fact that this trial should go forward after the election, talking about the March 25th Date and the Hush Money Case is moving forward, saying the former president is going to be in Court Every Single Day. Thats a criminal case. Donald trump has to be in Court Every Single Day for that case. Hell likely be in court for six weeks after march 25th. So the former president s attorneys are arguing, since hell be in court for that trial the entire time, the case should not move forward this summer in july 8th when prosecution is proposing. And proposing instead after the election. They also go on to talk about this need for an evidentiary hearing, which essentially presenting evidence, testimony, between the lawyers, that goes on the record before the official start of the trial, this is something that the prosecution, the government does not want. Something the former president s attorneys does in fact want, this is would essentially set the date back for the trial. And so trumps attorneys are arguing this evidentiary hearing should go forward in july, instead of the official start of the trial date, judge Aileen Cannon is Hearing Arguments for that now as well. Theyll be taking a lunch break at one point in the next 30 minutes or so to get more notes from inside the courtroom then. The focus so far this morning has been on that trial date. Likely being moved, by the way, again, reiterating this, from may 20th, where it was initially set, later on. Well see where that date falls. Yasmin vossoughian, thank you for that update. Appreciate it. Now to russia, where today the family and supporters of russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny said their final goodbyes during a Funeral Service two weeks after he ied in a russian penal colony. Thousands of mourners outside the Church Chanting Russia will be free and navalnys name, all under the heaviest of police presence. Joining us now is keir simmons. How it things unfold today and just the fact there were people outside to begin with, even if they didnt say anything, but hundreds of them, maybe thousands of them on the route and then they were screaming his name, it is just so it is such an extraordinary act of strength. It really is. Because as you watch the images, you look at the images, remember, that every one of those people could be arrested, okay, could be fined, but easily, though, the charges against them could be escalated, we estimate to 15 years in jail at the highest sentence. So, it is an act of defiance by those people. There are a lot more people clearly just looking at the pictures on the streets than even the organizers were estimating earlier today when they said they were just over a thousand outside of the church. They have been along the streets throwing flowers and chanting as you say, and really has been a day, jose, of extraordinary images, the kinds of images that honestly 24 hours ago we werent sure we would see. The crowds are principle in that. But also the picture of navalny in an open ambassadors including the u. S. Ambassador there at the service. The picture of his mother kissing his forehead for the last time before his face is covered at the burial site. And then clearly emotional as hes lowered into the ground. The images of by Alexei Navalny supporters streaming aspects of the event that have been clearly filmed by people on cell phones. All of this really is a picture of the kind of opposition, ultimately what it is going to be telling the kremlin is if they thought that by killing Alexei Navalny they were going to put an end to this, then they were wrong. While at the same time, of course, were two weeks away from President Putin being reelected. Big speech yesterday showed on enormous screens around moscow, the kremlin strength is as dominant as ever or certainly President Putin is now very much the only candidate in a way that maybe we wouldnt have seen in previous elections where other people were allowed to stand. Alexei navalnys wife and widow julia putting out a statement on x, an incredibly emotional statement, saying i dont know how i will live without you, but i will try to make you proud up there. So she, too, vowing to continue the fight as Alexei Navalny supporters see it. The kremlin spokesman asked today what he has to say for navalnys family says no, we dont have anything to say to them. People spoke to loudly for him. Keir simmons, thank you so very much. Appreciate it. You bet. Coming up, the Justice Department calls it one of the most serious infiltrations of u. S. Government in history. A former u. S. Ambassador now pleading guilty to spying for cuba. President ial faceoff at the border as the Front Runners pointed fingers over the humanitarian crisis. Talk to former texas congressman beto orourke next. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports on msnbc. Congressman, great to see you. Well chat in just a minute. Con. Well chat in just a minute. Ul n trigger Migraine Attacks too. Thats why my go to is nurtec odt. Its the only Migraine Medication that can treat and prevent my 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. Now im in control. With nurtec odt i can treat a Migraine Attack and prevent one. Talk to your doctor about nurtec today. ella fashion moves fast. Talk to your Doctor Setting Trends is our business. We need to scale with customer demand. In real time. jen so we partner with verizon. Their solution for us . 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President biden and former President Trump appeared yesterday at pretty much the same time, roughly 300 miles from each other, along the u. S. Southern border in texas. Both frontrunners presented very different messages on immigration, which is a top issue among voters. Nbc news senior White House Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez has the very latest. Reporter there has been a significant shift in this race. Former President Trump has always taken a hardline on immigration, and overnight he once again said migrants were poisoning the u. S. But President Biden is now also tackling the issue head on. This morning, immigration front and center in the 2024 campaign after a dramatic split screen in texas, with President Biden and former President Trump visiting the Southern Border about 300 miles apart at the same time. Show a little spine. Reporter the current president in brownsville, texas, blasting House Republicans for torpedoing a bipartisan Border Security bill at mr. Trumps urging. But also, offering this olive branch to the former president. Join me, or ill join you, in telling congress to pass this bipartisan Border Security bill. We can do it together. Reporter the republican frontrunner in eagle pass, texas, blaming the Biden Administration for their recordbreaking influx of migrants. Our country is being poisoned. Were being poisoned. Reporter and pointing to the recent high profile crimes committed by migrants including the murder of laken riley. We will say it and we will remember it. Reporter a review of available data shows crime has actually dipped in cities that received the most migrants. Still a recent poll shows mr. Trump holds a 35 point lead over mr. Biden among registered voters when it comes to which candidate would better handle the border. While mr. Biden holds a 17 point lead on treating immigrants humanely. Here at the bus station, we met migrant families. The children were tired. The parents were worried. These are peoples lives. These are peoples futures that were basically playing with or using as a pawn and we should never use that for political gain. Reporter adding to the border battle in texas, a federal judge temporarily blocked a controversial law here. It would have aloud local police to arrest and deport migrants suspected of being in the state illegally. The governor says he with ill appeal and the case could end up in the u. S. Supreme court. Thank you for that report. For more on this, joining us now is former texas congressman and 2020 president ial candidate beto orourke. Great seeing you always. I appreciate your time. Im thinking, what is your reaction to what we heard from both trump and President Biden yesterday . Well, those comments are a reminder of what a disaster his presidency was for the border. It was chaos. It was cruelty. It was kids in cages. It was family separation, it was a muslim ban, and, jose, as we heard, hes also talking about immigrants poisoning the blood of america. Thats something you could have expected from adolf hitler in the 1930s, not something we should expect from our president today. On bidens behalf, on his part, im glad he came to brownsville. Im glad hes drawing the distinction with President Trump. But there is one more very important thing that he can do. I hope he will. That is to remind this country that we did not become the worlds superpower, leading economically, politically, democratically, without immigrants, immigrants have made this country great. And immigrants are going to be the source of our greatness Going Forward. We have a chance to seize the initiative. And remind america that if we can provide legal pathways for people to come to this country the right way, to work some of the millions of jobs that were unable to fill, to strengthen our communities and as the report makes clear, to make them safer by their very presence, well be that much more successful and that much greater. I think we all have an opportunity as we support President Biden to push him in that direction and remind him that while the polls are important, the president has an ability to shape those polls by reminding us who we are at our best. There is an undeniable fact, that there is a humanitarian crisis, it is at the border, but also affecting cities across the country. Maybe tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions more people clearly, if they could, would be making the Journey Towards the United States to try and receive asylum. Im wondering, with those facts being the facts on the ground, it is easy to talk politics, but where is the focus on the men and women and children, the people behind all of this . What is a policy that could be implemented now for what has already happened and what may happen in the future . We could, for example, today open up more Asylum Appointments. They want to do so the right and legal way, but there is not a legal path open to them right now. You can imagine if you are a young mother with a very young child, and youve been waiting days, weeks, months, to come here and get an Asylum Appointment and you cant, you might consider crossing in between those ports of entry and risking your life and your childs life to get into this country because you know to go back to your home country might mean the end of your childs life and your life. So, lets give folks more Legal Options to do this. This ensures there is safety for the migrants and there is a legal path for people to come here to this country, and to do it the right way. Also i look forward to President Biden and his Secretary Of State making the americas their number one Foreign Policy priority. If were trying to address this issue at the border, it is almost too late. We need to convene the countries of this hemisphere and make sure everyone is shouldering their burden fairly and were addressing the root causes of this. Very important that joe biden win reelection, so that in his second term he can make comprehensive Immigration Reform his number one priority. If we fail to do that, you and i will be having this conversation next year and the year that follows, and out into infinity. We need to have a president who can seize the initiative, solve this problem, and i believe that joe biden can, but it helps when we push him do the right thing. Beto orourke, thank you very much. It is always a pleasure to see you. Thank you, jose. Up next, why senator john cornyn says hes already campaigning hard in his bid to succeed Mitch Mcconnell as republican leader in the senate. Plus the new warning from the National Weather service as a wildfire continues to spread in texas. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports on msnbc. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports on msnbc. Eg better with age. Heres to beating these two every thursday. Help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need. 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An area bigger than rhode island. And now it is spreading across oklahoma. Nbcs Morgan Chesky joins us from canadian, texas, where a woman was killed in the fires yesterday. What are you seeing there today . Reporter yeah, jose, tragic scene, were now able to see just how powerful this firestorm was when it made it way through here on tuesday and into wednesday. The flames may be out at least in this area for now, but that lingering smell of smoke just goes to show the extent of the losses here. Im standing in front of one of the dozens of homes that were just incinerated in just a few minutes here in canadian. You mentioned those fires in oklahoma as well, jose. There is a series of blazes all across the panhandle and now into oklahoma, but that largest one, the Smokehouse Creek, that is the one that is proven to be the most deadly, killing that 83yearold woman in her home and were hearing, jose, another woman was killed when she stopped in her truck and was overcome by a fastmoving fire. The son of one of the victims had this to say about this incredible loss. Take a listen. The wind was going 60mileanhour and fires were starting all over the county from the power lines sparking together. It got over into the neighborhood where my mom was, before i had a chance to get over there to get her out. They had already blocked the roads off. Reporter so, where does the Fire Fight Go from here . The texas a M Forest Service positioned crews on the yornlg north side of the Smokehouse Creek fire to protect vulnerable communities. Should there be a shift in wind here, jose, that could open up a whole new fire front and that is why when they look ahead to this weekend forecast of hotter temperatures and high winds, no one is breathing easy here. Jose . Morgan chesky, thank you so very much. Back in washington, President Biden is expected to sign today a shortterm Government Funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. Yesterday, the lawmakers bought themselves a little bit more time to fund the government, but the first new funding deadline is now just a week away. Joining us now is cofounder of punch bowl news, jake sherman, also an msnbc contributor. Jake, so this is a bandaid on top of a bandaid to cover another bandaid. It looks as though things are okay as of right now, but the battle over Government Funding isnt over. Is the first lit the first salvo, i would say. What happened is they kicked Government Funding deadlines, instead of march 1st and march 8th, to march 8th and march 22nd. March 8th is the easy deadline, that includes the interior bill, energy and water bill, military construction, veteran affairs, a number of bills that are noncontroversial. Then you have a week off. Then you come back the week that ends with the 22nd and you have homeland security, defense, labor, hhs, some of the controversial bills. Mike johnson executed a smart move. He didnt have bills ready. He was able to cobble together a majority of the House Republican majority to kick the bills down the road and try to get a longterm spending deal. At this point, its not longterm. Its march 1st, five months into the fiscal year. We are just Getting Started with fiscal year 2024. What is the oneweek extension for . To get their act together, to be honest with you. They need to finish these bills. These are largely and hugely complicated bills. I would point out, back in the day, in the 80s and 90s, they spent all summer on appropriation bills, wrapped them up in july or august, and had them ready for the entire next year. You didnt have to deal with crs or stopgaps or any of these things. You had them done. The bills were passed. You kind of dealt with it that way. Remember, its march. We will have to see the Congress Start On Fiscal Year 2025 spending pretty soon. Anyhow, thats where we stand. A week off and you have the big defense bill and all those things. Meanwhile, three men named john have been floated to replace Mitch Mcconnell as leader of the senate gop. One is john cornyn who is officially running. You wrote about his blitz to try to gain support. What are you learning . Yeah. John cornyn is in the race, the first candidate in the race. He has the most to lose here. Not in the leadership at all right now. Trying to make a big bid. He was the Majority Whip during Donald Trumps tenure. He is running hard and running quickly. Usually, speed kills in these races. A lot of this will depend what happens in november, if donald trump wins the white house. Jake sherman, thank you. Thanks. Up next, a former u. S. Diplomat is pleading guilty to spying on the United States for cuba for 40 years. Now he is being accused of being an accomplice in the death of a cuban dissident more than a decade ago. We will speak with his daughter about the legal action they are taking next. L action they are taking next. For severe eosinophilic asthma. Not for sudden breathing problems. Allergic reactions can occur. Get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. Infections that can cause shingles have occurred. Dont stop steroids unless told by your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. May cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. Ask an Asthma Specialist if nucala is right for you. 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Neutrogena® retinol is it possible to count on my internet like my Customers Count on me . It is with comcast business. Keeping you up and running with our 99. 9 network reliability. And security that helps outsmart threats to your data. Moaire dida twoo . Your data, too. Theres even roundtheclock customer support. So you can be there for your customers. With comcast business, reliability isnt just possible. Its happening. Get started for 49 a month. Plus, ask how to get up to a 800 prepaid card with a qualifying internet package. Dont wait, call and switch today 55 past the hour. A major case the u. S. Attorney calls one of the highest reaching and longest lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent. Yesterday, a former u. S. Ambassador said he would plead guilty to charges of working as a secret agent for cuba for more than 40 years. Joining us now the founder of cuba de cila. Shes the daughter of an activist killed in a car crash in cuba. Thank you. I know your mother filed a lawsuit yesterday accusing him of being an accomplice to your fathers death. Tell me how your family sees his involvement in this. Thats correct. Thank you so much for having me. The facts are the following. The cuban regime was found responsible for the killing of my father after ten years of investigation. They released that one year ago. He has an agent of the cuban regime before, during and after my fathers assassination. In that moment, he was the commander of the u. S. South command. He was influencing u. S. Top officials and access in the most sensitive intelligence information of this country. Yesterday, my father would have turned 72. My mother filed this lawsuit against this cuban spy for the same reasons. Looking for the same she has been asking since his assassination. She wants to know the truth. She wants justice. She wants to stop impunity of the cuban regime and the collaborators. This guy, 40 years plus spying for the cuban regime. This is not something that happened in the early days of the cold war with east germany and west germany. This is something thats happening its 90 miles away from the United States. This guy did this for more than 40 years. Thats right. Thats why this is not just about my family. This is not just about my fathers assassination. This is also on behalf this is also on all the victims of those regime, all the families that have been victims of the cuban regime and its collaborators. The cuban regime is not supporting cigars. Its Perpetrating A Regime that repress the cuban people and that is threatening peace and stability in the region. You did mention that your father would have turned 72 years old yesterday. So many dreams, so many possible advances cut short. What are you thinking when you are thinking of him today . My father dedicated his life to freedom and democracy. He fought not only for the cuban people, but he fought also against a regime that is undermining that same freedom, that same democracy in the rest of the region. I truly believe we, all cubans, we deserve to know the truth. We deserve to know what this exdiplomat turned cuban regime puppet did to support repression in my country. I truly believe that the American People deserve to know what this spy did to undermine Americas National security. For more than 40 years. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. Very much appreciate your time. Thank you so much. That wraps up thehour for me. Im jose diazbalart. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Right now on Andrea Mitchell reports, Donald Trumps legal trials. The former president in federal court in florida where his lawyers and the special counsels seem are debating when his classified documents should begin. What could be a blockbuster afternoon inside a georgia courthouse. Time for closing ats