on bump stocks. the justices saying it cannot be classified as a machine gun. reaction and what else the court is still considering ahead. fighting words. donald trump calls the city in a critical swing state where he plans to accept the republican nomination for president horrible. ♪♪ good day, i'm jose diaz-balart in today for andrea mitchell. right now, president biden is preparing for his private audience with pope francis as the g7 summit comes to a close in italy. today is the first time a pontiff has attended a g7 summit. officially, he is focusing on the ethics surrounding artificial intelligence. he is also holding personal mini-sessions with world leaders. president biden last met with the pope in 2021 before the wars in ukraine and gaza erupted. the pontiff has been calling for peace in those conflicts, sometimes drawing the ire of many around the world. there's no new movement that we know of towards a cease-fire in gaza. one senior hamas leader today insisting they have no idea of the status of the remaining hostages. in ukraine, kyiv today rejected a proposal dealing -- a deal from vladimir putin promising to end the war if all ukrainian troops with draw from occupied regions and drop its plan to join nato, among other things. that's a non-starter for ukraine. president zelenskyy receiving a major sign of support at the g7, as he secured a $50 billion loan and a historic ten-year security deal with the u.s. >> the united states, the g7 and countries around the world have consistently answered the question by saying yes, we will. we will say yes again and again and again, we will stand with ukraine. >> we begin with monica alba at the g7 and richard engel in ukraine. monica, the president takes great solace in his relationship with the pope. today's meeting is days after his son's felony conviction. explain the bond between the president and the pontiff. >> reporter: it's a deeply personal one, jose. it's an incredibly profound moment for the president, according to him, any time he gets to interact with the pope. there have been several over the last decade or so. it was then vice president biden who traveled to rome for pope francis's inauguration in 2013. then in 2015, when pope francis came to the united states to philadelphia, he actually spent private time with the president in terms of trying to offer some solace after his son beau had died of brain cancer. in 2021, once he was elected president, he traveled to rome, to the vatican, to have a private audience with the pope. they have stayed in touch since then. they have exchanged some written communications, i'm told. this is something where president biden has called pope francis the greatest warrior for peace that he has ever met. they both have really praised each other and really embraced each other with open arms. the fact that he is having a private meeting and audience with the pope today on this week of all weeks when there has been a tremendous emotional toll on the president, on the first family, because of hunter biden's conviction on those felony gun charges, i think it takes on an added meaning for the president who would say that any time he can spend with the pontiff is special. but this certainly does have that added significance. then, of course, there are key issues that he wants to discuss as well when it comes to trying to secure that elusive peace in the war in gaza, the war in ukraine. the vatican has tried to bring awareness to those children, ukrainian children who have been abducted who have been taken by russia throughout the course of this war for more than two years now. they want to bring awareness to that. i'm told that's something that the president and the pope will be discussing as well. >> richard, i want your thoughts on this ten-year agreement that zelenskyy was able to get through president biden and also this whole news that putin is coming up with a peace proposal. what are you hearing about both of those? >> reporter: so, we will start with the putin peace proposal, if that is okay. it seems like it's directed at an audience that doesn't know anything about ukraine. an audience that is tired of supporting ukraine, tired of paying for it, tired of hearing about billions of dollars coming to this country and not really understanding what it's for. people who say, fine, let them take -- let russia take a piece of the country, who cares? it seems to be directed potentially as president trump, who said that he wants to -- or could end this war quickly, which in this country is widely perceived as just give vladimir putin what he wants. that's the easiest way to end the war in a day. this is what vladimir putin is saying that he wants. but in practical terms, it is unworkable, it's unthinkable for the people of ukraine to agree to something like that, at least right now. because it would involve them giving up territory, ceding territory to russia. maybe ukrainians could stomach it a little bit. giving up territory to russia where there are no russian troops, where ukrainians are living right now that's under full ukrainian sovereignty. the ukrainians, according to president putin, should pack up, take up their troops, take up many civilians who wouldn't want to live under russian control and leave the city and then take vladimir putin's word on it that he will stop the war there. people here think that is ludicrous. the government called it a farce and absurd. he could be trying to change the narrative, speaking to, like i said, a global audience that doesn't understand or doesn't care or a potential next president trump. in terms of the ten-year agreement, we will see how long it lasts. it's a very strong agreement. but if president trump is re-elected, it's very unlikely to survive. >> monica and richard, thank you both so very much. for more on the president's private audience with the pontiff, i'm joined by vatican analyst and contributor deborah luboff. thank you for your time. i'm thinking the vatican has cautioned against escalaing the war. but the white house and the vatican have been working to repatriate thousands of children abducted by russia. >> reporter: pope francis, ever since the war had escalated, the war in ukraine with the suffering, he has been making appeals and several times a week he send a special envoy to ukraine, then to moscow. when he was in russia, he specifically was working on that very cause. what has come of that, unfortunately, the outcomes that pope francis is hoping for has not happened. certainly, that's one of the reasons why at the g7 the encounter between president biden and pope francis is important. to have the world leaders together is hopefully a way of stepping forward. >> the policy or the messaging from the pope, after the 7th of october massacre, has often times been criticized by some who see -- it seems as though no side is happy with what the pope says or doesn't say in the specific issue of the hamas-israel war. the pope actually has been reaching out to biden, the president, asking him to help lower the temperature in the middle east since the october 7th massacre. there's such a distance between the two men when it comes to how to handle the conflict in that region. >> reporter: right. right. it's very -- the position pope francis is delicate. pope francis is focusing on ending the suffering. he is not -- he says that war is a defeat. when it comes to the military solutions, he has spoken very vocally about the concerns regarding potential use of nuclear arms, et cetera. he looks at the potential in a way that works to encourage dialogue and negotiations. yes, as you said, very different approach. >> thank you very much for being with us. appreciate it. when we return, breaking news also from the supreme court, which has overturned a ban of so-called bump stocks. has gun rights advocates and those calling for more regulation are reacting next. "andrea mitchell reports" is back in 90 seconds only on msnbc. ms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling in ra and psa. relieve fatigue... and stop further joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin; heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. done settling? ask your rheumatologist for rinvoq. and take back what's yours. abbvie could help you save. 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[ gasps ] this. wow! do you have any ottomans without legs. sure. you'll flip for the poof cart. in the wayborhood, there's a place for all of us. ♪ wayfair. every style. every home. ♪ 11 past the hour. breaking news from the supreme court today. a ruling that gun bump stocks cannot be regulated. the court says the atf exceeded its authority in issuing a rule that banned bump stocks by classifying them as essentially converting semiautomatic rifles into machine guns. this overturns the trump era regulation enacted after the deadliest mass shooting in las vegas in 2017, where 58 people died. more than 400 were injured. today's 6-3 ruling was divided along ideological lines between conservatives and liberals. in a statement moments ago, president biden says -- >> democratic leader schumer says he is ready but needs republicans to vote on this. joining us now, yamiche alcindor, outside the supreme court, eric ruben, fellow of the brennan center for justice, catherine and harry litman. yamiche, reading from the majority opinion by thomas, he writes -- >> what's he saying here? what was the dissent like? >> what clarence thomas and the conservative justices who voted with him are saying is that bump stocks do not -- they don't see them as categorized and being machine guns. this 2018 ban on bump stocks should not have been put into place. they are reversing it in this decision. it's interesting because this ban went into affect in 2017 after a las vegas -- it went into affect in 2018 after a 2017 shooting in las vegas, one of the deadliest in our country's history. 58 people died in that. it's interesting the justices dealt with that event in particular, justice alito wrote that while that 2017 decision -- the 2017 event was heartbreaking it doesn't change federal law. they are dealing with what happened and why this went into affect. sotomayor wrote -- she said if a bird acs like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck. you could hear she disagreed with the way the conservatives are seeing this. former president trump, backed by the nra and the gun lobby in most cases, he was supportive of this ban. the nra was supportive of the ban. they have since reversed course. the trump campaign will respect this decision. as you pointed out, the biden campaign is saying that congress needs to act to try to ban bump stocks, which is what justice alito says needs to happen if bump stocks were to be banned and regulated. >> eric, what do you distill out of this? there's a conversation in the majority opinion on the difference between the atf's decision and regulations and the 1934 law that still stands on the books. what is your reading of this? >> well, i think that one of the things that is problematic about the opinion and the outcome in real world terms is that when the law got written in 1934, bump stocks didn't exist. since that law that addressed and restricted machine guns was written, the gun industry has created different devices and accessories that turn semiautomatic rifles into machine guns. they fire roughly at the same rate of fire. the outcome of this opinion means that those bump stocks are now back in civilian hands until congress acts. one important thing to note is that this was in the a second amendment opinion. there's no real good dispute that bump stocks can be banned consistent with the second amendment. the question going forward is, what will congress do? 18 states have taken action independently to ban bump stocks. this doesn't affect those laws. it will be up to congress, if it can get through political dysfunction on guns, to do what has bipartisan support and ban these devices. >> catherine, in the wake of this ruling, what do you think the outcome and the repercussions are going to be? >> this is not, to me, good for the responsible gun owners. this is good for potential mass shooters. the justice thomas, majority spent a lot of time discussing the mechanics and techniques of how bump stocks work and how semiautomatic guns work. the atf, also known as the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms, probably have more knowledge about that issue, how firearms work, than all nine justices put together. as a former prosecutor, when i prosecuted gun cases, i relied on experts to educate me. i wouldn't rely on a judge or someone else. this is not a good decision for law enforcement or people who are concerned about more mass shootings. i don't know whether or not this congress will pass a law. because justice alito, interesting in his concurrence, said that's what's needed, congress needs to amend the law. >> harry, big rulings to come from the supreme court. trump immunity, the issue of guns and access by domestic abusers, an abortion case. which one are you looking for most? >> you bet. it's going to be quite a two or three-week period. we have half a dozen easily. the premiere case is, of course, the trump immunity case, which is going to be really important in its constitutional principles. equally important in its practical impact on whether there's any possibility whatsoever of the january 6 trial proceeding against trump. it's a constitutional case under firearms. it's whether states have the power to tell someone who has a domestic restraining order they can't have a gun. the suggestion there is that that violates their constitutional rights. there's an important abortion case pitting the federal government's emergency medical dictates and protocol against idaho's individual, very restrictive abortion law passed in the wake of dobbs. also homeless, social media. but i'm -- and, obstruction, the fisher case. but i'm focused, as i think will most people, on the immunity case when it comes down. >> yamiche, eric, catherine, harry, thank you for being with us. a cease-fire negotiation between israel and hamas, they seem to be frozen. what president biden is saying about that from the g7 summit next. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. nly on mc here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. (vo) if you have graves' disease... ...and itchy eyes, the truth may be even more uncomfortable. people with graves' could also get thyroid eye disease, or t-e-d, which may need a different doctor. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com. we are back, 23 past the hour. the biden administration is pledging to work with mediators in the middle east to bridge the remaining gap that could free hostages being held by hamas. at the g7 summit in italy, president biden acknowledged there are challenges with reaching a deal. >> president biden, did you have a chance to discuss a possible cease-fire? >> yes. >> are you confident it's going to be done soon? >> no. i haven't lost hope, but it's going to be tough. >> this as hezbollah launched more than 35 rockets into northern airline today. they said it was in retaliation for an israeli attack overnight. raf sanchez is with us now from tel aviv. raf, let's talk about these attacks going on. also, president biden saying he hasn't lost hope on the hostage negotiations. the big question is, how many hostages are still alive? where are they? what does hamas say about it? >> reporter: jose, a senior hamas official saying that the group doesn't know how many of those roughly 120 hostages still in gaza are alive. they say they are spread out throughout the strip. they are being held by different groups of hamas fighters. hamas simply can't tell you at this point how many are living and how many are dead. the israeli government says that of the 120, roughly 40 are confirmed to be dead. israeli officials suspect that the real number is significantly higher than that. in terms of these cease-fire talks, exactly two weeks ago, you remember president biden stood in the white house, he laid out that three-phase plan to end the war in gaza, to free all of the hostages. tuesday of this week, hamas responded to that proposal with a series of changes. secretary blinken said some were acceptable, they are workable. some of them are not. we are in the phase right now of the u.s. and the other mediators, qatar and egypt, going back to israel, showing them the changes hamas made, and trying to see if there is some way to bridge the gap. you heard secretary blinken and other american officials say that ultimately, this is in the hands of sinwar, the leader of hamas, who is in the tunnels somewhere underneath gaza. while the u.s. has not given up hope, it is still not clear whether hamas wants a deal. >> raf, the u.s. is dismantling the pier it built in gaza? >> reporter: that's right. it was set up to bring aid into gaza once again being moved into a safe port in israel. the u.s. military says it will be put back in place. this is another blow to the effort to get food to desperately needy people inside of gaza. nbc news's digital documentaries team followed a family in rafah to get a sense of their daily fight to keep their children fed. take a look. >> reporter: it is just a dire situation, especially in northern gaza, jose. the world health organization saying this week that people in the strip are facing catastrophic levels of hunger, famine-like conditions. that is even with these new entrance points from israel opened up to get food in. humanitarian organizations say they still face major, major israeli restrictions as they try to get food in. then because of the fighting inside of gaza, the chaos, the breakdown of law and order, it remains difficult to get the food distributed to the people who need it. >> raf sanchez in tel aviv, thank you very much. for more on the challenges facing gazans, watch the nbc news digital documentary "the daily struggle for food in gaza" it's on nbcnews.com. joining us now, a man who spent years as a cia officer and colin clarke, director of research. it's been two weeks since president biden laid out a cease-fire and hostage release plan. the u.s. says it's up to hamas. does hamas have any incentive to come up with any agreement? >> a couple of weeks ago, i would have said perhaps. after the recent reporting by "the wall street journal" about the look of sinwar, the hamas military commander, it seems he thinks he has the israelis -- that hamas has the israelis where they want them. we could be in for a bit more kind of game playing here as this continues to unfold. i have gone from somewhat optimistic to pessimistic in the course of two weeks. >> let's talk about that. there are reports that the leader of hamas essentially in communications back and forth with his people has explained pretty well that he has israel where he wants them because palestinian lives are expendable. >> yeah. it seems he is willing to fight the idf to the last palestinian civilian. not a surprise given his history. he knows that international opinion is turning against the israelis. i think we should focus on the fact that hamas is using people as human shields. that doesn't get enough coverage. he sees what is unfolding on the northern border and the potential conflict with hezbollah. he knows there's pressure on netanyahu. so he is content to sit back, let palestinians die, and let this continue to fight out. >> the men, women, and children are suffering above him. israeli forces rescued four hostages last weekend. we are learning more about the role the u.s. played in providing intelligence ahead of that rescue. >> yeah. there was a piece today in "the washington post" which was really well done. it gave us a sense of what's happening behind the scenes. so much in the middle east is done in the intelligence and security channels. there can be tensions in the overt relationship, but behind the scenes, this is where things are carried out. in fact, the u.s. has been providing extraordinary intelligence to israel on two key issues. first on the hostages. in fact, apparently some of our intelligence did assist in the hostage recovery. we have been flying drones over gaza. we have given intelligence. there's a partnership between the cia and joint special operations command, which is really useful. the second piece is that the u.s. government has the authority to provide israel with intelligence in trying to locate high value targets. this is something that the u.s. and special operations community and intelligence community are very good at. this refutes the narrative that you hear that the u.s. is not doing enough in the security and intelligence field. i think it's the right thing to do. the administration deserves some credit for that. >> how complicated, difficult and dangerous was that mission that got those four hostages out? how do you see that? >> you know, if you saw the footage, this is a tactical member of the israeli member giving a fist bump to the hostages. they did reconnaissance with undercover units going in disguised as refugees. they took advantage of the situation on the ground. they went in and rescued the hostages. the hostages came out unharmed. one of the teams did get compromised. there were some civilian casualties. this is going to go down in special operations and intelligence lore as risky. it was well planned. they built mockups in israel. pretty extraordinary. one of the israeli tactical members was killed. that individual being is seen as a hero in israel. >> thank you both so much for being with me this afternoon. i appreciate it. donald trump courts the black vote with the help of some of his celebrity friends. did the former president hurt things more by his comments? this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. we're still going for that nice catch. we're still going for that perfect pizza. and with higher stroke risk from afib not caused by a heart valve problem,... ...we're going for a better treatment than warfarin. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk. and has less major bleeding. over 97% of eliquis patients did not experience a stroke. don't stop taking eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily... ...or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor about eliquis. it's time. yes, the time has come for a fresh approach to dog food. everyday, more dog people are deciding it's time to quit the kibble and feed their dogs fresh food from the farmer's dog. made by vets and delivered right to your door precisely portioned for your dog's needs. it's an idea whose time has come. ♪♪ while i am a paid actor, and this is not a real company, there is no way to fake how upwork can help your business. upwork is half the cost of our old recruiter and they have top-tier talent and everything from pr to project management because this is how we work now. 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>> they had a lot of good things to say. many of them echoed the same sentiment about the economy is changed and democrats aren't what they used to be. some of them pointed to the criminal conviction. i was surprised to hear that. some of them specifically -- mike tyson and others said that black men have felt this all the time or that they have been personally persecuted by the judicial court system, and now this was an opportunity for someone else to see how it happes with black people. i thought that was interesting. my point was that some of them think that this is very relatable. when i asked them if they are talking to people on the ground, they said, those people also talk about his convictions being relatable, black men specifically. >> i'm wondering what your takeaway was from the process of the interview. >> it was a lot. originally, i set out to understand what the campaign was doing as far as outreach to the black community, specifically because they were -- there's polling that suggests that he has an opportunity or trump has an opportunity to do well with -- or bolster his numbers with black men. i was surprised when they introduced me to these different people. i think that -- one of my biggest takeaways is he probably does see himself or his interactions with black people through the lens of who he talked to in the 1980s and 1990s and uses that as an example. he actually told me himself that he was not going to use this conviction thing as part of his campaign. of course, he talked about it in the interview. he said he wasn't going to incorporate that into his campaign. >> some of the folks in the trump world are saying that, that there's a shot that donald trump could make inroads in parts of the black community. the reality is that if you look at the numbers, black voters overwhelmingly went for biden in 2020. is there any indication that that could change? >> yeah. i spoke to a pollster. he was very against the idea that that would change and suggested the bump for trump was in the realm of how voters or how black voters have voted for republicans in the past. he said it's about 14% in general and it kind of swung between those numbers. projection polling is different from exit polling. we will have to see. i do think speaking for people on the ground that there is something there. that was what i looked to unpack and understand better. >> thank you so much for being with us. really appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. coming up, donald trump in the shadow of the u.s. capitol for the first time since the january 6th riots and welcomed by senate and house republicans. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. think about it. boring is the unsung catalyst for bold. what straps bold to a rocket and hurtles it into space? boring does. boring makes vacations happen, early retirements possible, and startups start up. because it's smart, dependable, and steady. all words you want from your bank. for nearly 160 years, pnc bank has been brilliantly boring so you can be happily fulfilled... which is pretty un-boring if you think about it. ♪ ♪ have you always had trouble losing weight and keeping it off? 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ask your rheumatologist for rinvoq. and take back what's yours. abbvie could help you save. 47 past the hour. donald trump met with house and senate republicans in separate meetings behind closed doors yesterday in what was his first visit to capitol hill since congress was attacked on the 6th of january. he is facing pushback after calling milwaukee, the site of the republican national convention, quote, a horrible city. join manage know is charlie sykes and kimberly atkins stohr. charlie, i will start with you. you have been a milwaukee resident. here is what the mayor had to say about trump's comment. >> donald trump wants to talk about things that he thinks are horrible. we lived through his presidency. right back at you, buddy. i would say that. obviously, donald trump is wrong about something yet again. i find it kind of perplexing, kind of strange that he would insult the largest city in wisconsin, because he is running for president, he wants to win wisconsin, win the election. so to insult the state that's hosting your convention i think is bizarre, actually. it's unhinged in a way. >> there we saw the second part, the mayor. charlie, is this something that's going to hurt trump in such a critical state? >> you never know what people are going to remember in november. we speculate about whether this or that will break through. trust me, this broke through. every single person in the state of wisconsin heard what donald trump said and is watching it. it's leading the news broadcasts. it's the banner headline in all of the newspapers. it's an extraordinary look for somebody to come into the city and say what a horrible city it is. then you have to watch the republicans in wisconsin scrambling around trying to get their story straight. somebody said, he didn't say it. well, he did, but he was talking about election integrity. another congressman said he was talking about how democratic the city was. another said he was talking about the crime. it's not a good look for rnc or for donald trump in wisconsin. >> kimberly, we were seeing right before we had mayor johnson on, we heard from mitch mcconnell. that was a question that was asked by ali vitali. she caught up with him after the meeting with trump. what do you think that meeting with trump was able to accomplish for trump and maybe also for the republican party? >> clearly, that was a meeting meant to rally the troops, troops saying for donald trump to say get behind me or essentially get out because we have seen republicans who have been critical at all of donald trump's leave office, choose not to run for re-election including some of the folks this that room including senator romney. but getting back to that first point about what's going on in wisconsin, i think donald trump knew exactly what he was doing, and the fact that as charlie points out it has gotten a lot of recognition, it's doing just what he wants. listen, he has not talked to milwaukee. milwaukee is one of the city's votes he's trying to nullify in 2020 to steal their election. he's talking to the voters outside of milwaukee, in wisconsin and beyond want he is using the same fear tactics. this is racial dog whistling that he has done with cities like chicago, like philadelphia, like atlanta, like detroit, all cities that he sought to nullify their votes. so this is part of his plan, not only the dog whistles that he thinks that many in the republican party long to hear, but also sort of signaling his plan to contest the votes in these places. so don't miss what's going on. it's not a mistake. it's part of the plan. >> and charlie, today donald trump turns 78. he's holding a birthday rally tonight at mar-a-lago, and president biden on x just moments ago nudged trump saying, happy 78th birthday, donald. take it from one old guy to another, age is just a number, but this election, however is a choice. how do you see this playing out, charlie? >> i think what joe biden has to do is sharpen the messages like, look, i'm old. he's old, but i'm old and he's old and crazy. he needs to emphasize those particular differences, but you know, just going back to what happened in washington yesterday, i think that was less a rally than it was a surrender by the republicans. what an extraordinary scene, donald trump returning to the scene of the crime and, you know, watching mitch mcconnell essentially take a knee, that mitch mcconnell didn't want to left a trifle like violent insurrection interfere with their ceremony of genuflection to the orange god king. it is not breaking news that this republican party is a wholly-owned subsidiary of donald trump's ego. that was really an extraordinary scene yesterday, and of course we're going to be seeing this rolling out going forward. and by the way, to kimberly's point about donald trump using his attack on milwaukee to drive a wedge between wisconsin voters, she's absolutely right about that. wisconsin's a very, very divided state, and i'm guessing that you're going to hear this as a maga talking point that of course donald trump is right that milwaukee is, you know, is a horrible city. just like all of the cities that are run by liberals and democrats, but this is also -- it's embarrassing and it's generaing an extraordinary amount of pushback from the civic community and the media and the grass roots here in wisconsin, trust me. >> charlie sykes and kimberly atkins stohr, thank you both so much for being with me this afternoon. i very much appreciate it. coing up, we'll have a whole lot more. we're keeping a close watch on south florida where i live. let me tell you something, this has been just days and days and days of rains and floodings, and there are tons of cars that have just been destroyed, people's homes have been affected. this is really a major issue, and the question is is this rain going to stop anytime soon? 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