committed the crime of falsifying business records with the intent to influence the 2016 election. then, the prosecution will recap their case and tied together testimony from their witnesses and the evidence including documents with handwritten notes accounting for just how the hush money payment was to be reimbursed to michael cohen, who testified that he did it at the direction of and for the benefit of donald trump. closing arguments will take up most if not the entire day, st which will be followed by judge mershon giving jury instructions, which should last about one hour. and then the fate will be in the hands of the jury that could reach a verdict as early as this week. trump is already attacking the jury instructions on social media. there is a significant development in florida and the classified documents case against him. jack smith is asking eileen cannon to modify the conditions of release in the classified documents case after he told the very dangerous lie about a standard deadly force protocol included in the search warrant for the fbi search of mar-a-lago , which took place while donald trump was 1100 miles away in new jersey. ey in a new filing he urges the judge to forbid donald trump for making statements that posep a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement involved in the case adding, those deceptive and inflammatory assertions irresponsibly put a target on the backs of the fbi agents involved in this case as trump well knows. as lisa rubin points out, he is upping the ante with this filing because the consequences can include the immediate issuance of a warrant for the defendants arrest, a revocation of release and order of detention. and a prosecution for contempt. but perhaps, most importantly, if the judge denies this, it's immediately appealable to the 11th circuit under federal statute. joining us to get us started is joyce vance and she's the cohost of sisters in law and a senior fellow at nyu law. and we are joined by a national security attorney who represents people in the he intelligence community. my thanks to both of you. getting us started with a special edition. let's focus on the new york trial. we have the closing arguments tomorrow, as i stated. the defense goes first and then the prosecution. what are the key things you are looking forward to hearing? >> it will be that counterbalance between proof beyond reasonable doubt on the prosecution side, and the defense poking holes wherever they can't. it's like playing soccer. i used to think about this as a soccer mom. when you are the prosecution, you cannot let a single ball ba get through. and for the defense you don't care if it's pretty or clean. anything you can do that beats through the defenses of the other side is a win for you. if there's any room for reasonable doubt in the mind of the jury, it's all over. and the instructions from the judge will say they cannot render a verdict of guilty unless they are convinced the prosecution has given them proof beyond a reasonable doubt on all elements of the crime. that is where the dividing line is drawn.>> there are going to be some motions that will be argued before closing statements that will be denied. and a motion for a judgment of acquittal, meaning the judge could take the case out of the hands of the jury if the prosecution did not meet the burden. i hate to ask you this, but i have a theory. the jury has been off for a week and they've had time to go back to their lives and go back to their jobs and then they go to the closing arguments tomorrow. how quickly do you think we could see a verdict?>> part of this will depend on where the verdict comes down. if you are trump, you hope for sometime. what you are aiming for is hung jury. i don't think trump expects to get an acquittal, that he's aiming for a hung jury. the longer it takes, the more likely it is there are one or two holdouts that prevent a unanimous decision. so we will see how quickly they come back. i don't expect it to to be three hours. i expect this to be at least a full day. there was a lot of testimony and evidence presented that they will have to go through. the biggest thing is today by the credibility of the testimony of the evidence prevented by the prosecution and is it enough to connected to donald trump.>> before we pivot to mar- a-lago, i wanted to bring up something that trump posted last night where he was attacking judge merchan. he said he had to come up with three fake options for the jury to come up with and he said nonsense that i won't read out loud. talk about the fact that the law in new york does not require that the jury renders a unanimous verdict on the secondary offense. the intent to conceal or commit another crime. they only have to beyond a reasonable doubt come to a conclusion as to whether or not there was a falsification with intent. but the secondary crime does not have to be proven. >> i think this is confusing to nonlawyers. we know from watching legal shows on tv that jury verdicts in criminal cases have to be unanimous. there does have to be a er unanimous finding of guilt. what we are really talking about here is the elements of the crime and the element of the crime involves donald trump creating or causing to be created false business records and doing it with the appropriate state of mind and the intent to conceal another crime. were there does not have to be unanimity is on what that other crime is or how it was committed. that is well established in new york law. it's nothing that the judge has done or anything that is startling to near practitioners. it's a common charge that the d.a.'s office brings in the law is a path that has been well trod and there's nothing exceptional going on. >> in other words, trump was lying about the law. let's switch to mar-a-lago. this filing by jack smith was important to modify the bond conditions and we know it's premised on the idea that trump has been lying and surrogates have been lying about a standard protocol included in every search warrant done and executed by the fbi. assuming that judge cannon does not take up this motion, let alone maybe she denies it in the end, what's the recourse for jack smith?>> and this was kind of teed up in your intro. jack smith has two options. if the judge sits on this, he could seek a writ of mandate and go over her head and have the 11th circuit interbeing because this is the condition of release. but if ishe does deny it, he c immediately appeal under the federal statute to the 11th circuit. i don't expect judge cannon to sit around on this. i think she will move in terms of a time frame. the question is how long does she take to rule on it and how long can jack smith wait. this is one of the rare opportunities he has had to go over her head. the last time was jury's instructions and she backed off. will she do something here that gives them an opportunity to have her removed. >> there is this game of chicken that is going on between the government and judge cannon. even if she ends up denying it, it's not the first time that the 11th circuit has slapped her for making errors. is therer a time in which it does become a point where smith has to secret crucial has to seek recusal? >> i don't think he has to seek recusal. what happens here is cut two options. if she denies the motion, the government is entitled to peel a denial of the motion. they can go to atlanta immediately and ask the 11th circuit to expedite the appeal because of the risk to the lives of law enforcement involved in this conduct. by the same token, if the judge delays, the path is not clear, that they could ask for a writ that says a judge has failed to do something that they are obligated to do. so it would not be compelling the nature of her decision. it would just be an order that says you must hold a hearing. and the answer to your question about recusal is this. the 11th circuit has in the past, when they decided judge has too much skin in the game and can no longer be fair, they have delicately recused judges in that situation and asked another judge in that district to reassign the case. so what we will find out is it's clear that jack smith is ready to take a blow torch to the way this judge is handling this case. the question is whether the 11th circuit will have the appetite to do the right thing and replacer if necessary. >> it's absurd that we talk about recusal and writs of mandamus. my last question is in this filing on page 5, i thought this was an important paragraph about the fact that the fbi executed the warrant as planned on august 8th, 2022. and it talks about all of the precautions and preparations done so that none of this was sprung as a surprise on the ru u.s. secret service. trump new. he knew when they were going to come and when they were going be there. secret service facilitated entry for the fbi. considering what is at stake here, the fact that there targets being put on the back of law enforcement, is this something that merits the judge responding to the fact that this filing was done? there's nothing entered that says that trump must response what was filed by jack smith.>> i expect judge cannon to issue some sort of an order setting a deadline. for trump lawyers to respond so she can resolve this. i think that paragraph was a necessary public response from the justice department jack smith outlining how unequivocally false and complete garbage the original filing by trump's lawyers was and how they paraphrased and selectively quoted the use of force policy and how the trump advocates in the media have said this was all a means of trying to get trump killed and get his family killed. this was complete and utter garbage and that needs to be there on the public document. >> i love they say that the search warrant was a raid for mar-a-lago. if you picked it up that when it was michael cohen, it was not a raid. was a search warrant. thanks to you for getting us started. it's good to see you both. coming up, with the unofficial start of the summer, the bride the biden presidential campaign is kicking into gear. they are mourning to make sure that voters know the stakes of a second trump term. 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. some people just know there's a better way to do things. and some people... don't. bundle your home and auto with allstate and save. you're in good hands with allstate. a mystery! jessie loves playing detective. but the real mystery was her irritated skin. so, we switched to tide free & gentle. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin. tide free and gentle liquid is epa safer choice certified. it's gotta be tide. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪♪) (tony hawk) skating for over 45 years has taken a toll on my body. i take qunol turmeric grams because it helpsof protein. with healthy joints and inflammation support. why qunol? it has superior absorption compared to regular turmeric. qunol. the brand i trust. when did i call leaffilter? when i saw my gutters overflowing onto my porch. leaffilter is a permanent gutter solution, so, you never have to worry about costly damage from clogged gutters again. it's the easiest call you can make. call 833.leaf.filter today, or visit leaffilter.com. craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. i so he sublet half his real estate office... [ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. meg's moving company uses t-mobile. so she scaled down her fleet to save money. and don's paying so much for at&t, he's been waiting to update his equipment! there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to 70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. we are continuing to follow breaking news out of gaza. health officials say at least 45 people were killed in the city of rafah after a fire was set to can't. world leaders have expressed outrage in the national security council issued a new statement this afternoon. >> reporter: a spokesperson with the national security council reacted to the strike earlier today saying that the white house is working with the idf and partners on the ground in rafah to assess what happened before the strike. they said the scenes coming out of rafah are heartbreaking and they defended israel's right to go after hamas, which israel said was the reason behind this. but the question for the white house is whether israel will face consequences for this. this has been the president's biggest fear for months. white house officials have tried to convince israeli counterparts against starting in the operations to defeat hamas saying it was not required to defeat hamas. and after netanyahu continued to go on with that they said that the u.s. would not support any ground operation without a plan to protect civilians and palestinians. that if israel went forward with that invasion without providing those plans, that the u.s. would reconsider future military support and white house officials said they've not seen those plans. we saw it the president -- now raising questions about whether there will be more pauses to future u.s. weapons and deliveries as well as questions on how this impact these ongoing cease-fire talks. officials say there was progress made over the weekend between the cia director and israeli officials. so there are concerns that the latest strike -- >> thank you for joining us. today the president marked memorial day by honoring those killed while defending democracy. >> freedom has never been guaranteed. every generation has to earn it. between the rights of many. it matters. our democracy is more than just a system of government. it is the soul of america. >> before his address the president begin the day hosting a breakfast at the white house for veterans and gold star families and military leadership before laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. and a stark split screen between the president and donald trump, trump posted a lengthy rant on his social media platform. it began with, happy memorial day to all including the human scum. he went on to attack the judges who preside over his criminal cases. e. jean carroll was not safe from his memorial day message despite threats of a possible third defamation case against him. and while joe biden delivered the commencement speech to cadets at the u.s. military academy at west point, trump was booed and heckled during a libertarian national convention. >> the libertarian party should nominate trump for president of the united states. that's nice. only if you want to win. maybe you don't want to win. >> trump bragged about creating the conservative supreme court majority that overturned roe v. wade. that includes justice samuel alito. he will recently flew flags carried by the mop that attacked the capitol building and clarence thomas who said he wants the court to overturn the laws legalizing birth control and same-sex marriage and restore the law that would criminalize being . joining us now is kelly robinson. that juxtaposition between president biden and donald trump is important going into november. i want to highlight something that the hrc has done. if $15 million campaign to launch in swing states and have the manpower in those states to advance the biden campaign. let our viewers know why it makes sense to invest like that in the biden campaign. >> you said it. the choices in front of us could not be more clear. you look at joe biden and kamala harris. the most pro-equality administration. the administration that put board rules to have the stork levels of protection against harassment for lgbtq+ people. they have more pro-equality people through the building than any other before. against trump, someone who wants to be a dictator and wants to roll back the progress we've made and has said out loud that the people marching in charlottesville were good people. this is not about two candidates. this choice is the difference between two visions for the future and two principals of rights. the good news is we are not without hope and we are not without power. there are 75 million equality voters across the country. people who prioritize lgbtq+ issues. those of the people we will have turnout and make sure they decider future. >> let's drill down a little bit. that 75 million was amazing. of that number, hrc says 62% are younger than 40. 50% are nonwhite and 70% are women. we don't want to count the chickens before they hatch. talk how the messaging works. is there uniformity to how it is rolled out? different strokes for different folks. some things might be more important than others but equality is the most important overriding concept. >> these are voters that are allies. 15 million of them are black voters. so we have to make sure people know what is that stake, and when we talk about the difference between these candidates, overwhelmingly they decide that their vote has to be for biden and harris. but we are just talking about the top of the ticket. we are talking about senate races and the house races and the state legislative races and school board races. in the end the attacks against our community, all levels. we have to put champions in office to make sure we don't just protect the rights that we have but that we advanced more progress.>> it's not just lgbtq+ voters. there are those in the minority that are the black soldiers that you spoke about. talk about the fact that we saw that trump rally in the bronx on thursday, which was to show that there's some kind of support provided by the hispanic and black communities but he decided he wants to lean into racist tropes about black people as if that's supposed to with them over. but quite frankly, it's exhausting that he did this. it's exhausting. and he's not actually trying to win black and brown voters. he's trying to give us reasons to stay home. and we are not accepting the trash. we've already seen him. he has shown us who he is. we don't have to imagine what a second term would mean. don't look further than the supreme court. we have to talk to people now and one thing we know is that more so than any candidate or party, its organizations and issues and conversations one-on- one that change people's minds and get them to turn out. to anyone watching and feeling afraid, this is still a democracy and they have to count all the votes, and you're not without power. join the fight and talk to your neighbors and share your story about why voting this year matters. that is the single most powerful thing you can do to make sure that they show up this election cycle. >> thank you so much for being here. i appreciate it. president biden rolled out the red carpet when the president of kenya came to the white house. so why did the speaker of the house snub him? that is coming up. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. they say we should stop eating so much meat. ♪ so we made meat out of plants. because we aren't quitters. impossible. we're solving the meat problem with more meat. ♪♪ jardiance! -it's a little pill with a ♪♪ ♪♪ big story to tell. ♪♪ ♪♪ i take once-daily jardiance ♪♪ ♪♪ at each day's staaart. ♪♪ ♪♪ as time went on it was easy to seeee, ♪♪ ♪♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪♪ jardiance works twenty-four seven in your body to flush out some sugar. and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects may include ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration that can lead to sudden worsening of kidney function, and genital yeast or urinary tract infections. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction. you may have an increased risk for lower limb loss. call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of infection in your legs or feet. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. ♪♪ jardiance is really swell ♪♪ ♪♪ the little pill with a big story to tell! ♪♪ try killing bugs the worry-free way. not the other way. zevo traps use light to attract and trap flying insects with no odor and no mess. they work continuously, so you don't have to. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. oh, why leaffilter? it's well designed, efficient, i appreciate that. leaffilter's technology keeps debris out of your gutters for good, guaranteed. what more could you ask for? call 833.leaf.filter today, or visit leaffilter.com. the president and first lady hosted the kenyan president last week solidifying one of the most important relationships in the fast- growing continent in the world. at the arrival ceremony, the president talked about how he witnessed the evolving partnership between the u.s. and kenya. >> we are united by the same democratic values. i saw this during my first trip to kenya at the height of the cold war and watched our government stand us one. i saw it when i returned years later as vice president and spoke to students committed to holding the principles of transparency, justice, and accountability that are the heart of our democracies. i see it every day as our democracies continue to draw from the power of the people and the strength of our diversity and to write the next chapter in our partnership. together the u.s. and kenya can deliver on the challenges that matter most to our people's lives. economic security, cyber security, and climate security. let me close with this. we stand at inflection point in history where the decisions we make now will determine our future for decades to come. today i am optimistic and hopeful as i was those years ago when patriots raised the new flag high in the midnight sky. because kenya and the u.s. stand together committed to each other and committed to our people and committed to building a better world. one greater opportunity, dignity, security and liberty for all americans and all kenyans. >> i want to thank president biden for extending an invitation to me to undertake the state visit as a sign of friendship and partnership and cooperation between two countries that share common values. values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, equality , and inclusivity. we are very proud democratic nation, and today as we celebrate our pasts, we are optimistic about our future. >> the state dinner thursday night was attended by several notable guests, including barack obama, whose father was from kenya. mark the 60th anniversary of the u.s. and kenyan relations. it has been longer since african leader has addressed a joint session of congress. the last time was nearly 20 years ago in 2006 when the liberian president spoke before both chambers. democrats have criticized mike johnson for turning down the request to give the kenyan president this honor. in a letter democratic member said foreign adversaries like china and russia and iran are working tirelessly to subvert america's alliances particularly in africa. it risks sending message that african partnerships are less valued by congress. no one has worked harder than vladimir putin to disrupt africa's relationship with the west. a recent report details how the rebranded group in africa is working to consolidate and expand moscow's strategic relationships across the continent the guarantees of regime security and geopolitical protection in exchange for lucrative mining concessions. kenya is helping the u.s. confront the gang violence that has overwhelmed the government in haiti. kenya has agreed to leave a multinational peace force 600 miles south of the u.s. with the first troops expected to arrive in three weeks. joining us now is barbara lee of california. it is an honor to have you. let's talk about how important it was for the president to show the honorifics to the president of kenya but how those strategic alliances between the u.s. and kenya are going to end run the moves by iran, russia, and china. >> thank you for covering this. let me say that i'm deeply grateful that the administration recognizes the importance of africa and specifically kenya and i was privileged to be at the state dinner and at a lunch the next day and listen to them talk about the importance of the strategic alliance. but not only for counterterrorism measures. but to develop these partnerships because we have an historic tie with millions of african americans here in the u.s. who are natural partners with kenya, but we have alliances as it relates to trade and healthcare that benefit both continents. and i was pleased that the president and vice president got this and i hope that the path forward shows some follow-up and success to the discussions we are having.>> another important component of joe biden hosting the president from kenya is the fact that there is more than $1 billion in tech and commerce companies that have invested in kenya. talk about why it is important for the u.s. in terms of its development of the relationships financially. like how it benefits us by maintaining this relationship with kenya. >> my district is right next to silicon valley. it's a district that includes many tech companies that want to do business in kenya. and that helps the u.s. in california and my district and it benefits the people of our country because what we are doing is investing in technology and a continent of young people. the average age is about 19 and these partnerships lead to jobs for kenyans and business opportunities as well as for americans. it's an extremely important investment and i was disappointed that the speaker didn't invite the president to speak to the joint session of congress. we've had the president of israel, we've had the prime minister india and japan and the people of kenya assert that respect. it's been since 2006 and i think it was a missed opportunity. but i want to thank the 11 members of congress who signed my letter and the chair of the black caucus to tell the speaker that this was an important moment that we shouldn't miss. >> i apologize if i interrupted you. what was the excuse given by mike johnson? >> well, what we were told them what he said is it was a scheduling issue. but the maga extremists always find time to do nothing with the bills that they bring forward that don't do much to address the issues and aspirations and the lives of americans and people throughout the world. so they find time for their do- nothing agenda but they cannot find time for a world leader to speak to a joint session of congress, which to me was outrageous.>> especially from a country like kenya. thank you for being here and for your insight on this topic. i appreciate it.>> thank you. russia is escalating their attacks on ukraine according to volodymyr zelenskyy. and trump is playing footsie with vladimir putin. [ indistinct chatter ] [ sigh ] let's just wait them out. the volkswagen atlas with three rows of seating for seven. everyone wants a ride. [ snoring ] ok, get in. [ speaking minionese ] yippee! and see "despicable me 4" in theaters july 3rd. rated pg. i was born to live in the limelight. but psoriasis kept me in the shadows. until i got clearer skin with bimzelx. most people got 100% clear skin. some after the first dose. serious side effects, including suicidal thoughts and behavior, infections and lowered ability to fight them, liver problems, and inflammatory bowel disease, have occurred. tell your doctor if these happen or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. (♪♪) start to get yourself back, with bimzelx. ask your dermatologist about bimzelx today. my grandfather's run meyer the hatter for over 75 years now. he's got so many life experiences that he can share. finding the exact date on ancestry that our family business was founded, was special to share with my grandfather. you don't get that moment every day. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid for twice as long as pepcid. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. on medicare? have diabetes? when enjoying life's special moments are you left guessing which foods are right for you? with the freestyle libre 3 system you'll know your glucose and where it's headed no fingersticks needed. freestyle libre 3 manage your diabetes with more confidence and lower your a1c. so you can focus on those special moments. covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. talk to your provider or visit freestylelibre.us/medicare generalized myasthenia gravis made my life a lot harder. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. ♪♪ vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. ♪♪ most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. available as vyvgart for iv infusion and also as vyvgart hytrulo for subcutaneous injection. additional side effects for vyvgart hytrulo may include injection site reactions. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart. chris counahan for leaffilter— the permanent gutter solution that protects your home in so many ways, it takes more than one chris to explain it. but together, i think we've got the job covered. like leaffilter's has your gutters covered. protecting you from getting up on this thing to clean out your gutters ever again. and you know how else leaffilter protects your home? with our lifetime transferable no clogs warranty. we'd be glad to come out for a free no-hassle inspection. to schedule your free inspection, call 833-leaffilter today or visit leaffilter.com volodymyr zelenskyy was in spain today meeting with officials to secure military age. after more than 820 days of war, he said that vladimir putin is still dropping about 3000 bombs on his sovereign territory every month. on saturday strikes hit a shopping center. and hitting clearly a civilian target. the attack killed at least 18 people and local officials confirmed that today. multiple reports saying a 12- year-old girl was among the dead. and dozens of people were injured and yesterday he renewed a new video -- released a new video in english standing inside what remains of the ukrainian publishing house that was destroyed. he talked about the attacks that people are facing and oust the world to continue to help ukraine in this illegal war. >> we all know who you are dealing with. russia is run by a man who wants to make it a norm, burning lives, destroying cities and villages, dividing people, and racing national borders through war. there is no nation that can stop such were alone and leading world leaders engagement is needed. i am in kharkiv, a city in the east of ukraine and unfortunately close to the border of russia. what does it mean for kharkiv? a third year of constant terror. more than 1 million people in the city, and every night and every day russia's army is showing the city mostly with s 300 missiles. just like all other russian strikes on our cities and villages. some of them once rooming with life are now burnt to ashes. a burnt out emptiness. the most horrible consequences of war. a war that we did not want in ukraine. that we have not provoked and in which ukraine is defending itself from russian attempts to seize our resources and territories and destroy our national identity. >> in the same video he asked president biden and xi jinping of china to join delegations from dozens of nations at a peace summit in switzerland next month. it's the kind of invitation that he knows he could never make it donald trump is allowed back in the oval office. trump was impeached for trying to extort ukraine to go after joe biden. last week trump took the move to insert himself, with an adoration of vladimir putin into the situation involving evan gershkovich, who is held in a russian prison. he claims that he and he alone can convince vladimir putin to release the journalist posting, vladimir putin, president of russia will do that for me but not anyone else and we will be paying nothing. what is the quid pro quo for that? joining us now is the u.s. ambassador to russia from 2012 to 2014. he is also an international affairs analyst. ambassador, i'm grateful for you to be here. i want to start with what trump posted. the idea that he's saying he has the keys to the cell literally to get an american home from russia, and yet, he's not doing it right now. he's using this life as a pawn. talk about why cut a, putin would never agree to this, and why, b, trump uses this as a power play? >> first, you are right. if he has that power, he should use it now. he could call his friend and say let him out and show to the world that he has this personal relationship that he's always bragging about and claiming would be in our national interest. so he should do that now. there's no reason to wait. but it will not happen because he does not have that kind of power and influence over vladimir putin despite what he brags about claiming he can do. he was president for 4 years. he met with vladimir putin and they had a summit and they had meetings from time to time. but try to think about what concrete national security interests were achieved for the u.s. because of that close personal relationship. i cannot think of a single thing. >> the other thing i want to talk about is the fact that russia has launched a multi- front invasion of ukraine. the baltic states have said if russia makes significant breakthroughs in terms of that multi-front invasion, that they are contemplating sending troops into ukraine to help them without waiting for nato to give them the green light. there's also an issue that the u.s. have said that weapons cannot be used to be entering into russian territory, but are we at the point where a lot of this is just conversation and it's time for people to take action to help the ukrainians?>> yes. there is a lot of anxiety in ukraine. there is a lot of anxiety in the region. i was in lithuania a few months ago. and there's anxiety that if he succeeds in ukraine, he will try to threaten the states of nato, especially if trump is president to seep we will stand by our allies. it would not be prudent for nato countries to send soldiers to ukraine. i do think, however, it's extremely prudent and long overdue for the biden administration and nato allies to give volodymyr zelenskyy a license to use the weapons we've transferred to him to defend ukraine, especially in kharkiv. it is right on the border of russia. russians are shooting into kharkiv from russian territory and the ukrainians cannot fire back. they should have the right to self-defense. that is embedded in the un charter and the right to self- defense. the time is now because if we let vladimir putin succeed, that's the beginning of threatening nato allies in the neighborhood. >> that is the important message. people sometimes lose sight in terms of why it's important for the u.s. to aid ukraine. it's not just ukraine. it's the other countries that are in the rest of the world if putin is unchecked. do you think the meeting in switzerland where you see joe biden and xi jinping show up?>> your first point cannot be stressed more. there's this idea that he wants a little bit of territory and then he will relax. there's no reason to believe that. he did not stop after invading georgia and didn't stop when he annexed crimea. there's no reason he will stop unless he is stopped on the battlefield, and it is in america's national interest to allow the ukrainians to stop him so that we are not dragged into a war where we have to defense our allies in nato. with respect to the peace conference, i hope that all national leaders will go. i'm not optimistic that xi jinping will show up or president biden. but it's important because it will demonstrate that volodymyr zelenskyy is serious about peace and vladimir putin is not.>> ambassador, thank you for being here. i appreciate it. much more is ahead. including members of the public are lining up outside the criminal courthouse in manhattan were closing arguments begin tomorrow morning . and the supreme court continues to help trump by not issuing a decision on whether he is immune from prosecution for any and all crimes he may have committed while president. even as he promises to pardon january 6th criminals and campaigns with those have been accused in a murder plot. that is next. if you're living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis or active psoriatic arthritis, symptoms can sometimes take you out of the moment. now there's skyrizi, so you can show up with clearer skin... ...and show it off. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ with skyrizi, you could take each step with 90% clearer skin. and if you have psoriatic arthritis, skyrizi can help you get moving with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. thanks to skyrizi, there's nothing like clearer skin and less joint pain, and that means everything. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ ask your doctor about how skyrizi could help with your skin or joint symptoms. learn how abbvie could help you save. try killing bugs the worry-free way. not the other way. zevo traps use light to attract and trap flying insects with no odor and no mess. they work continuously, so you don't have to. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. welcome back. i'm katie filling. we've got a lot of news to get to on this memorial day including the case of the first criminal trial against a former president that will finally be in the hands of the jury this week. what could potentially be the final week of donald trump's new york election interference trial will begin at 9:30 a.m. when both sides will present their closing arguments to the jury. the prosecution will recap how, in the aftermath of the access hollywood tape, donald trump used a catch and kill scheme to prevent other damaging stories from emerging ahead of the 2016 election, including that of stormy daniels. and they'll use documents and witness testimony to corroborate how her hush money payment was reimbursed to michael cohen, who testified that he made that payment at donald trump's direction and for his benefit. the defense will also attempt to undermine the credibility of key witnesses like michael cohen, arguing the prosecution has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that donald trump committed the crime of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 election. judge kershaw and is then expected to read jury instructions to the 12 new yorkers who will decide whether or not to convict donald trump. trump's election interference trial may be the only one of his four criminal indictments to actually go to trial before the november election. what should've been donald trump's first criminal trial, the federal election interference trial in dc, has been indefinitely delayed while we wait for the supreme court to decide whether donald trump has immunity from prosecution for his attempts to steal the 2020 presidential election. it's been over a month since the supreme court heard those oral arguments, and yet, still, we have no decision. the supreme court essentially helping donald trump delay accountability for his actions leading up to january 6. while trump takes promises like this one -- >> it will be my great honor to pardon the peaceful january 6 protesters, or as i often call them, the hostages. they're hostages. there has never been a group of people treated so harshly or unfairly in our country's history. this abuse will be rectified and it will be rectified very quickly. >> that's donald trump promising to pardon rioters who assaulted police officers on january 6, like jesse rumson, who was convicted on friday. the trump appointed judge in his case called some of the arguments from the defense, quote, absurd, as running riley reports for nbc news , same, quote, rumson's testimony was impossible to reconcile with the evidence in the case. judge carl nichols said his comment at the capitol was no accident. but what's interesting about that statement is so far, the january 6 rioters at the capitol have been treated more harshly than donald trump, the man who called them to go there that day. if not for donald trump, january 6 would not have happened. and now, because of the united states supreme court, donald trump may not see the accountability that over 1000 people who were called to do his bidding have already faced. joining us now is glenn kirschner, a former federal prosecutor, msnbc legal analyst and host of the podcast, justice matters, and ryan reilly, just as reporter for nbc news and the author of citizen hunters, january 6 broke the justice system. my thanks to the both of you for getting us started in the 7:00 hour. glenn, i want to start with you because donald trump, right as rain, always posts crazy stuff. at 6:20 p.m. he posts the following -- why is the corrupt government allowed to make the final arguments in the case against me? why can't the defense go last? big advantage, very unfair, blah blah blah blah blah. so glenn, it's in new york. it's how it goes. new york. the defense goes first and then the prosecution goes last. why is it so difficult for the truth to be able to come out when it comes to this stuff? >> first of all, katie, as you said, in jurisdictions all around the country, in criminal prosecutions, because the prosecutors have the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest evidentiary burden known to the criminal law, the sequence of closing arguments is prosecutors go first, then the defense gives its closing argument, and then again, as the prosecutors have the burden of proof, they get a rebuttal argument. they get to rebut the arguments that were made by the defense in their closing arguments. donald trump knows this, or if he didn't know it, his lawyers told him. this is gaslighting. this is donald trump continuing to try to burn it all down, try to destroy the legitimacy of the institutions of government. why? because the institutions of government, better late than never, our trying to hold donald trump accountable for just some of his crimes. it's the same reason he rails against and endangers with his violence inducing rhetoric, his speeches and his posts, the witnesses, the jurors, the judges, the prosecutors, the fbi agents most recently. it is because all of these folks are involved in the endeavor of trying to hold them accountable for his crimes, so he will lie about and gaslight everything to try to undermine the legitimacy of the coming guilty verdicts. and katie, based on the evidence that we saw reported outs, coming out of that new york courtroom, if we don't have a mole on the jury, and i have a feeling judge merchan and the prosecutors were pretty good and careful in the jury selection process to make sure nobody was trying to sneak on the jury with nefarious intent, i have a feeling you're going to see guilty verdicts returned very shortly. >> ryan, let's talk about jesse rumson, the sedition panda. he actually was on video storming the united states capitol and he went to a bench trial, not a jury trial, but the judge was a trump appointed judge who's been presiding over these january 6 rioters cases. ryan, get our viewers up to speed on how the sedition panda, which is absurd, i think that we keep on saying that, and yet you can see him on the screen right now, how his case actually was different than the other ones that have been prosecuted by the government so far for obstruction of an official proceeding. >> because this case is before judge nichols, who has tossed aside this obstruction of a proceeding charge and went to the supreme court, he didn't have to go to that court and bench trial on everything else, even with a judge who is very sympathetic to january 6 clients, he was convicted across the board. and what was really fascinating here was you had this law- enforcement official who he actually assaulted that day, he's now been convicted of assaulting that they, as a lifelong republican. he talked about responding to the january 6 attack and he actually had people in his own life who wanted to distance themselves from him because he served on january 6, because there's such this general idea on the right and in conservative circles that there's this overreach on january 6 or perhaps what happened on january 6 was great and the election, in their minds, i guess is really stolen from donald trump and joe biden is an illegitimate president. it was really remarkable to see his testimony and just him talking about, this is crazy what happened that day. he had riots before in his life, he had done then at the university of maryland after a game they won or lost. he would be part of the response they are and he was part of the freddie gray rights in baltimore, as well. he said he never saw a crowd like they did in this instance, actually charge the police line over and over again. he said sometimes in other situations there would be rocks thrown from afar from someone going away, like it was remarkable and henry sixth because you have this mob that was so convinced that this was the end of the country as they knew it, that they continued to charge the line over and over again. it was really remarkable to hear his testimony. >> ryan brings up the point that this judge throughout the obstruction of an official proceeding count, and that's made its way to the supreme court and oral arguments were heard in front of scotus just about a month and some change ago on that particular decision. but that obstruction of official proceeding charges at play for donald trump in the dc election interference case. talk about why it's so important for there to be expediency coming from scotus not only on the criminal immunity, the blanket immunity that trump is seeking, but even the ruling on whether or not the obstruction of official proceeding charge can survive how it's being used by the doj so far. >> katie, as we await the supreme court's ruling on what i consider to be ridiculous, absolute presidential immunity issue, we also have this secondary concern because the last thing prosecutors want to do is move forward in a case where one or more charges that they've included in the indictment is sort of open for debate as to whether it is a lawful charge. there is, i think the better evidence and the better arguments, and the better appellate laws, of course it's a viable charge. but you can't really have that hanging in the balance when you're proceeding to trial against a former president of the united states for trying to unlawfully retain power, overthrow a presidential election. so yes, that's another issue that we need resolved by the supreme court. of course you know with the thomases and the alitos sitting on the supreme court and refusing to remove themselves, due to their obvious conflict. i mean justice alito has now flown not one but two flags indicating that he is throwing in his lot with the insurrection. you know there are perhaps even bigger problems that the american people have to contend with then the timing of any of the decisions the supreme court might hand down. >> lenni kirschner, ryan reilly, my thanks to both of you for getting us started. i always appreciate seeing both of you friends, thank you for being here. coming up, vice president harris says 1 of three neck women of reproductive age in america live in a state with a trump abortion ban. we heard in the horrific stories that have and continue to come out since the dobbs decision that extreme abortion bans are endangering and traumatizing women by denying them the healthcare that they need. that's next. need. that's next. a once—daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief... and reduced fatigue with rinvoq. check. when flares kept trying to slow me down... i got lasting steroid—free remission... with rinvoq. check. and when my doctor saw damage,... rinvoq helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. for both uc and crohn's: rapid symptom relief... lasting steroid—free remission... and visibly reduced damage. check. check. and check. 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. put uc and crohn's in check... and keep them there with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist about rinvoq and learn how abbvie can help you save. a perfect day for a family outing! shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. okay, so here's my most requested hack for stubborn odors. you'll need vinegar, a large salad bowl and... oh, hi! have you tried tide fabric rinse? it works after your detergent to fight deep odors 3 times better than detergent alone. i love that. try tide fabric rinse. a slow network is no network for business. i love that's why more choose comcast business. and now, we're introducing ultimate speed for business —our fastest plans yet. we're up to 12 times faster than verizon, at&t, and t-mobile. and existing customers could even get up to triple the speeds... at no additional cost. it's ultimate speed for ultimate business. don't miss out on our fastest speed plans yet! switch to comcast business and get started for $49.99 a month. plus, ask how to get up to an $800 prepaid card. call today! this is how black women are dying. that's what our next guest katelyn joshua told reporters before louisiana's republican governor jeff landry signed into law a bill that adds mifepristone and misoprostol, two medications commonly used to end a pregnancy, to the state's list of controlled dangerous substances. both drugs are often used during miscarriages and in 2022, katelyn joshua, a louisiana mother, was turned away from two emergency rooms and denied treatment after experiencing a miscarriage because louisiana had enacted a near-total abortion ban following the supreme court's decision to overturn roe v wade. katelyn joshua is now campaigning on behalf of president biden to remind people across the country that donald trump is responsible for the attacks on reproductive rights. since the fall of roe, trump has taken credit for ending the constitutional right to an abortion and the republican appointed supreme court justices don't want to stop there in its concurring opinion to the supreme court's decision to overturn roe, justice thomas wrote in future cases we should reconsider all of this court's substantive due process presidents, including griswold. that's griswold versus connecticut, a 1965 supreme court decision that protect the rights of married couples to use contraceptives. in april, donald trump thanked the justices who overturned the individual's freedom to make their own health care decisions. >> i want to thank these six justices, chief justice john roberts, clarence thomas, samuel alito, matt cavanaugh, amy coney barrett and neil gorsuch, incredible people, for having the courage to allow this long-term, hard-fought battle to finally end. >> joining us now is katelyn joshua. she was turned away from two emergency rooms while experiencing a miscarriage in louisiana in 2022, and she was denied treatment because of that state's abortion ban. katelyn, when i read your story, i was struck by how much fear and pain that you went through to be able to just get through an experience that if medical providers felt comfortable, because they felt like they weren't going to be criminally prosecuted for helping you and giving you the medical care you need, you would have been okay. i had a miscarriage. i was hemorrhaging. they gave me a d and a c. that was an option for you if it had been somewhere other than louisiana. talk about why it's so important for people to understand that you, me, and countless others, that this is healthcare, that this is something that's really important, so you don't have to go through this again. >> absolutely, and thank you for having me tonight. i think the issue that we're talking about today is so extremely important and it's important for women across this country to understand that while you may think you're in a safe state or you're in a safe place, or maybe you're like me and you live under an abortion ban, all that to say, it is very important for us to get to the polls this fall and fight for these issues on a federal level because our states are not doing enough to protect us as women in child bearing years. it's important for folks to understand that i myself do not want anybody else to experience what i experienced as a woman living in south louisiana under an abortion ban which certainly made it impactful on our maternal healthcare rates. we've seen studies coming out talking about how women, one in three women in the south are looking at potentially losing their life during childbirth, postpartum period or just during childbirth, postpartum period or justin the child bearing years. >> kaitlyn, you said something that really was jaw-dropping. you said folks need answers, not prayers, and that's executive what i was looking for in that moment. you had to go from an e.r. to another e.r. you're bleeding. you're running the risk of becoming septic. i mean there's so much going on and all you wanted was medical answers. you don't want somebody to pray for you to get better. you needed answers and yet people were terrified. people in the medical profession were terrified to give you this information. why is it that a red state like louisiana, with it's very confusing laws that create fear and medical professionals, why is it so important then for people to understand that just because they don't have a red state right now that has a year ban, that because of dobbs, now the states make these decisions all on their own? >> absolutely, and i think that's the most valid point to bring up when it comes to story. you may think of abortion rights. when folks talk about abortion a lot of times their minds run to this idea of women who do not want children or do not want to expand their families, and a lot of times we are looking at states that have an abortion ban, we are looking at situations where a lot of us do want children, a lot of us are trying to expand our families but because of intersectionality between maternal healthcare and abortion needs in our state, it's impossible for us to thrive in a way that's safe and effective for a lot of us that are wanting to grow our families. when we talk about the redtape that abortion bans bring, not only are we talking about the lives of women being lost, but we are not seeing a saving anymore babies and i think a lot of times abortion bans speak to this potential for this right to life for pro-life movement that speaks to the potential of growing families in a healthy weight and making sure that babies are safe right now we are looking at its potential in disproportional numbers of women that are losing their lives as a result of these vans. and to your point, we're talking about right now states are safe or have this idea of you can go to nevada, you can go to other states that have full access to maternal healthcare or abortion care, but what we know is very important, bands do not work anywhere and if there is a ban anywhere in this country, none of us are safe. it's important for us to throw this back to our federal government, allow for as biden and vice president harris to do a good job on the second term, being able to reinstate laws that would take everyone in this country, not just from certain states. >> to your point, donald trump has said that he wants to enact a federal ban. so forget the supreme court saying it becomes a state thing. he wants a federal ban if he gets elected back into the oval office. kaitlyn joshua, i want to thank you so much for sharing your story and i'm always speechless but i'm always inspired by the courage of you and others that are willing to share what your journey was, how painful it was that we all understand that there are people, there are faces to the stories, so thank you so much for being here. i appreciate that. >> thank you for having me, have a good night. joining us now for more on this conversation is beneath him rossi, president and ceo of reproductive freedom for all. these stories, they're so important to tell and yet, i'm speechless when i do these interviews because not only did i go through it but i did it at a time in florida where again, i could go get the d and see that i wanted to have. but these women are not having the access that they need to it and i think you go to a state like louisiana where they're like it's just stick with the. stone and may suppressed all on dangerous controlled substances. >> it's horrific and i agree with you. kaitlyn joshua , amanda's horosky, these women are heroes. they are shining a light in the most intimate, painful, personal parts of their journey to motherhood, to parenthood, in a way that frankly they should not have to do. i go from being moved and upset to be an angry that we are even expecting these women to have to travel the country to campaign for the candidate that is the most committed to our fundamental freedoms, and that's joe biden. you've done a great job on this show of talking about what donald trump has said but these are the stories that explain to folks the impact of what donald trump has wrought. as is the america that donald trump has created. 21 states with bans and restrictions. states like louisiana trying to further those restrictions. you know the situation happening right now in louisiana is so important to understand because technically, as kaitlyn said, you can leave the state to get your care. >> if you can afford it. if you can actually have the means to do it, yet. >> or you can find a doctor three telemedicine who can prescribe that care to you. but they're trying to make it as terrifying and confusing as possible for women to access legal care in their own state. this is so important. mifepristone is safe. mifepristone is effective. mifepristone has been authorized by the fda for over 20 years. we expect the supreme court decision that affirms that shortly so that's why you're seeing antiabortion extremists in places like louisiana starting to try to confuse americans again about access to this medicine and its safety, and its efficacy, and the fact that it's still available online through doctors who are in states with shield laws that protect them. >> what kind of crazy about this louisiana thing, too, is the republican white male lawmaker who proposed the bill, i'm all for what he originally said it was going to be, which was you cannot give mifepristone or an abortion inducing pill to a pregnant woman, which is what his sister went through. his brother-in-law did that to his sister and that's the reason why he proposed it. but then he was like, let me stick in this amendment where we are going to take him to safe, fda approved drugs, and we're going to put them on a controlled substances special. my fear, many, is that other states are taking notes, look, that worked in louisiana, let's go ahead and do it in some other place. >> that's 100% what this is. this is the playbook that the radical antiabortion extremists have put together. this is right out of the same book as project 2025. these are the same nefarious folks who are trying to whittle away access. member, under roe, before dobbs, we still had many states post planned parenthood v casey that enacted these really problematic targeted restrictions against abortion providers, things like 72 hour waiting period, mandatory ultrasounds, disinformation masked as medical advice that abortion providers had to deliver to patients. this is the same stuff, so we are on the ballot and we are winning because of the democratic process and these folks are trying to really game the system to create anxiety, fear, this information, and really have a chilling effect on access to care in places where we should still have care. since dobbs abortion funds and abortion providers have been working overtime to provide care and they've been successful in getting women from states like louisiana to other places with care, but one by one you're seeing them try to change the rules and muddy the waters so that women can't get access. this is what we have to be worried about in a trump administration. joe biden and his administration have tried to enforce laws like m tele, the medical emergency case in front of the supreme court for abortion care in emergencies. they've tried to enforce access to mifepristone. those cases are back at the supreme court. what would happen in a trump administration in this type of crisis? it would be even more unimaginable than we are already seeing in the 21 states. the stakes are really clear. i'm grateful to kaitlyn for being on the trail . we need her voices, particularly as a young woman of color it's an incredibly important story to tell and we are just, as you said, i'm in awe of her courage. >> and you know we have to continue to shout it from the rooftops. abortion is healthcare. it's healthcare. its healthcare for kaitlyn joshua and countless others. many tenor rossi, thanks for being here, as always. it's good to see you. coming up, dozens of people have reportedly been killed in rafah, gaza, after an israeli airstrike on an area where displaced palestinians were sheltering in tents. we're going to have the latest including the united states response that came today. that's next. that's next. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. control of crohn's means everything to me. ask your gastroenterologist about skyrizi. ♪ control is everything to me ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. ♪♪ imagine a future where plastic is not wasted... but instead remade over and over... into the things that keep our food fresher, our families safer, and our planet cleaner. to help us get there, america's plastic makers are investing billions of dollars to create innovative products and new recycling technologies for sustainable change. because when you push for smarter solutions, big things can happen. a test or approve a medication. we didn't have to worry about any of those things thanks to the donations. and our family is forever grateful because it's completely changed our lives. slowing my cancer from growing and living longer are two things i want from my metastatic breast cancer treatment. and with kisqali, i can have both. kisqali is a pill that when taken with an aromatase inhibitor helps delay cancer from growing and has been proven to help people live significantly longer across three separate clinical trials. so, i have the confidence to live my life. kisqali can cause lung problems or an abnormal heartbeat, which can lead to death. it can cause serious skin reactions, liver problems, and low white blood cell counts that may result in severe infections. avoid grapefruit during treatment. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including breathing problems, cough, chest pain, a change in your heartbeat, dizziness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdomen pain, bleeding, bruising, fever, chills, or other symptoms of an infection, a severe or worsening rash, are or plan to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. long live life and long live you. ask your doctor about kisqali today. nexium 24hr prevents heartburn acid before it begins. get all-day and all-night heartburn acid prevention with just one pill a day. choose acid prevention. choose nexium. we are continuing to follow the latest out of gaza. dozens of people including women and children were killed last night in an israeli airstrike at a tent camp for displaced palestinians in rafah, according to local officials. nbc's raf sanchez is in tel aviv with more. >> the images coming out of rafah are causing shock and sparking condemnation all around the world. here's what we know. families were sleeping in their tents in the early hours of this morning. many of these tents made of plastic, made of wood, when this israeli airstrike came crashing down, and then all hell broke loose . according to survivors speaking to our team in gaza, they say flames ripped through this tent encampment. children were screaming and ultimately around 40 people killed, according to the emergency services in hamas run gaza. many of them women and children. some of them apparently burned to death. now israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, in a pretty unusual statement in front of the israeli parliament, called this a tragic mishap and said israel will investigate what happened here. the israeli military says the strike did succeed in killing two senior hamas commanders alleged to have been involved in the planning of attacks in the occupied west bank. the idf says it took measures ahead of time to try to reduce civilian casualties but there is now this operation underway. now the white house is saying the images coming out of rafah are, quote, heart raking. they say israel has the right to pursue hamas after the october 7 attack, but that it must take every possible precaution to protect palestinian civilians before launching strikes. we have heard stronger condemnation from president macron of france and from senior u.n. officials. and today, those families, many of whom were displaced several times over the course of the war, are picking through the charred remains of what were their tents, and they're moving on, hoping, hoping, hoping to find safety somewhere else. back to you. >> our thanks to raf sanchez in tel aviv. so for more on the white house's reaction, let's go to nbc white house correspondent allie raffa. >> a spokesperson with the national security council issuing a statement earlier today reacting to the strike in rafah, saying that the u.s. is coordinating with the idf and partners on the ground in rafah to assess what happened. they called the scenes coming out of rafah devastating and heartbreaking that they also defended israel's right to go after hamas, which israel says was the reason behind this strike. the big question now for the white house is whether israel will face any repercussions or consequences for this, because this has been the white house's concern for months now. remember the president has said that without a robust plan in place by the israelis to protect palestinians sheltering in rafah, that the white house would not support any ground offensive by israel into that area, and he said that would cause the u.s. to reconsider future military aid to israel if that is indeed taking place and whether a plan does not come to fruition. the white house saying they still have not seen a plan for that by the israelis. we know that white house officials and their israeli counterparts have had several meetings about what alternative options exist to be able to defeat hamas without invading rafah. so now that we see this strike happening in this population center in rafah , a save zone, designated safe by israel, there is really a growing question on whether that one positive that one weapons shipment from the u.s. to israel, a bunker buster bombs, whether that will be the one and only paws of a weapons shipment or whether we could potentially see more by the u.s. to israel. this latest strike also raising questions on how this could potentially impact cease-fire talks. as we know, white house officials say there was progress made over the weekend in europe during those meetings between the cia director and qatari and israeli officials. so this latest strike raising questions on whether hamas will be willing to accept any potential proposal to come out of those talks after the strike, katie. >> nbc's allie raffa at the white house, thanks. coming up the 2024 election could possibly have existential stakes for american democracy. our next guest, officer eddie glob, has some wise words about how to show up and fight for democracy this year, even when there are deep divisions on some issues. the professor joins us next. n. , a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name. so clearly you. sotyktu. i've struggled with generalized myasthenia gravis. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. ♪♪ vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. ♪♪ in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. available as vyvgart for iv infusion and also as vyvgart hytrulo for subcutaneous injection. additional side effects for vyvgart hytrulo may include injection site reactions. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart. ♪♪ [music playing] tiffany: my daughter is mila. she is 19 months old. she is a little ray of sunshine. one of the happiest babies you'll probably ever meet. [giggles] children with down syndrome typically have a higher risk for developing acute myeloid leukemia, or just leukemia in general. and here we are. marlo thomas: st. jude children's research hospital works day after day to find cures and save the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. tiffany: she was referred to st. jude at 11 months. they knew what to do as soon as they got her diagnosis. they already had her treatment plan drawn out. and they were like, this is what we're going to do. this is how long it's going to take. this is how long in between. this place is like a family to us now. like, i can't say enough how grateful we are to be here. medical bills are always a big thing to everybody because everybody knows that anything medical is going to be expensive. we have received no bills since being at st. jude. we have paid for nothing. marlo thomas: thanks to generous donors like you, families never receive a bill from st. jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food so they can focus on helping their child live. for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the lifesaving research and treatment that these kids need now and in the future. join with your credit or debit card right now, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt that you can proudly wear to show your support. tiffany: anybody and everybody that contributes anything to this place, no matter if it's a big business or just the grandmother that donates once a month, they are changing people's lives. and that's a big deal. [music playing] this memorial day we honor the men and women of the united states armed forces who have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy in this country, as president biden did today at arlington national cemetery. >> freedom has never been guaranteed. every generation has to earn it. fight for it. defend it in battle between autocracy and democracy, between the greed of a few and the rights of many. it matters. our democracy is more than just a system of government. it's the very soul of america. it's how we've been able to constantly adapt through the centuries. it's why we've always emerged from every challenge stronger than when we went in. it's how we come together as one nation united and just as our fallen heroes kept the ultimate faith with our country and our democracy, we must keep faith with them. >> a democracy is not just offended by its military. it must be defended by its voters, all of them, all of the time. as former attorney general eric holder put it just days before the supreme court said it would take up donald trump's claim that he should be immune from criminal prosecution, there is no cavalry coming. the miracle solution, no saviors. in the end, we the american people, not any of our institutions, have to save our democracy by voting in defense of that democracy this fall. we are the cavalry. the responsibility is ours. but how do you encourage voters about that responsibility, even when they are divided on other issues? the reverend dr. martin luther king jr. mack was criticized by some for his vocal opposition to the vietnam war before he was assassinated in 1968. dr. king's antiwar and economic justice positions were never as popular as his position on civil rights. our next guest, princeton professor eddie glavine, has spent years studying the words of dr. king and the writings of other civil rights leaders in this country. his new book, we are the leaders we are looking for, makes the case that ordinary people, the people across this country that are fighting for civil rights, are exactly the heroes that our democracy needs to become a freer, more equitable society. he writes, americans currently find themselves, and there is no reasonable way to deny this, in a moment of profound crisis. the country is changing and the substance of that transformation is not clear. americans are divided in those divisions go well beyond ideological differences. race shadows it all. the great replacement theory, panic and terror around demographic shifts, assaults on voting rights and affirmative action, bitter debates about american history. the answer to the troubles in this country rests, as it always has, with the willingness of everyday people to fight for democracy. not with the outsourcing of that struggle to so-called profits and heroes, with the realization that the salvation of democracy itself requires, in part, the creation of personal attitudes in individual human beings that affirm the dignity and standing of all people. it requires that we understand that democratic flourishing cannot be separated from the individual attitudes that are so deep-seated as to constitute character. we must be the kinds of people democracies require. joining me now is princeton university professor of african american studies, eddie glaude jr. he is an msnbc contributor and new york times best-selling author of the new book, we are the leaders we have been looking for. eddie, my friend, it's good to see you. this book that you have written, there is something that you wrote, it talked about the damaging role that heroes and profits can play in politics. and you wrote about the authority of black moralism resting in the temporal trace of a heroic age, that those who embrace it invokes the movement's martyrs and their achievements along with its vocabularies as a way to claim their legitimacy in the face of the eroding conditions of much of contemporary black life. so eddie, the question for you, in 2024, who should we be looking to now? >> first of all, katie, thank you so much for that lead in. you know the short answer to your question is we have to look to ourselves. we have to understand our power. you know when we follow people, often times we cease doing the hard work of working on ourselves. we outsource our responsibility to them and then we think we can go about the daily chores and trials and demands of our lives. but i think we are in a moment now that requires each of us to understand that if we don't step up to the responsibility of salvaging our democracy, we may lose it. and i think part of what i'm trying to do in the book is to say sometimes people can invoke the past as a way of disciplining the present, narrowing what constitutes legitimate forms of political dissent. some people can invoke the past as a way of justifying their own presence at the head of the march. some people can justify or invoke the past just to get you to just simply bow down to the status quo. we have to understand, what are our values, what kind of human beings do we aspire to be, what kind of country we want, and you know what, katie, we have to fight for it tooth and nail. if not, we are going to lose it. >> there is something that you wrote in time magazine recently, maybe within the last few weeks. you said that no matter trump's bombast or his criminality, the theater of his politics makes certain segments of white america feel good. his rallies offer a kind of catharsis and confirmation. many who attend them are given license to express their hatreds and their fears. this is what i struggle with, eddie. it's, do you try to reason with those people? do you try to make some type of understanding who they are when they're built inherently on a hatred of others, of people who look like you and me, the black and brown people? because white america is what trump tries to rally the people behind. so how do i as an individual, if i'm looking to myself to lead, to not be lazy or not be complacent, because it is easy to follow, as you say, what does it take for me to be able to have the metal to be able to feel like i can make a difference in november. >> first of all, what trump is appealing to is what frederick douglass talked about in july 5 of 1852. he said there's a horrible reptile in the bosom of the nation and that reptile, for him, was slavery, it was a certain set of assumptions, not just necessarily about black people but about the superiority of white people to own black people and he said we must rip that reptile from our hearts. but you know, it's the central contradiction. it's the contradiction that eats at the entrails of the country and donald trump is appealing to those grievances, those hatreds, those old ghosts, as president biden said, those old ghosts that have the nation by the throat. so what do we do? jim wallis has this wonderful formulation in his book, the false white gospel. he says we have to make a distinction between those people we must persuade and those people we must defeat. we often times spend a lot of our energy trying to persuade people who really don't accord you and i dignity and standing. they hold noxious and insidious views. they're not interested in being persuaded, so what you and i have to do is understand the problems right in front of us, not to think of this in some abstract way. i use this phrase over and over again in the book, let's engage in our politics close to the ground. let's stop looking to dc. let's look right where we are, where we are in our local communities around education, around jobs with decent wage, around basic municipal issues that face us that then can be networked across the country. the problem as miss ella baker said is often right in front of our noses. let's not pay it out too far and once we bring it close to the ground, katie, that's when we can get about the hard work. it's not too much and we all have the courage and the capacity and the capability to do that work. >> your book is powerful, eddie, and the personal anecdotes are one the kind of, for me, resonate the most. i want to thank you for being here, giving us even this brief glimpse into what you have done. your new book, we are the leaders we have been looking for, is out. everybody should go and read it. officer eddie glaude, thank you so much for being here. >> thank you so much, take care of yourself. coming up, it's election day in texas tomorrow. we'll be joined by a young nurse who has already made history in the texas senate and hopes to do it again, starting tomorrow. that's next. rrow. that's next. rer skin at 4 month. and skyrizi is just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. nothing on my skin means everything! ♪ nothing is everything ♪ ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. learn how abbvie could help you save. so, what are you thinking? i'm thinking... (speaking to self) about our honeymoon. what about africa? safari? hot air balloon ride? swim with elephants? wait, can we afford a safari? great question. like everything, it takes a little planning. or, put the money towards a down-payment... ...on a ranch ...in montana ...with horses let's take a look at those scenarios. j.p. morgan wealth management has advisors in chase branches and tools, like wealth plan to keep you on track. when you're planning for it all... the answer is j.p. morgan wealth management. only purple's gel flex grid passes the raw egg test. no other mattress cradles your body and simultaneously supports your spine. the answer is memory foam doesn't come close. get your best sleep guaranteed. save up to $800 during our memorial day sale. visit purple.com or a store near you are your gutters clogged? cleaning them can be dangerous, mucky, yuck. get leaffilter. it's as easy as one, two, three. call or click today. get your free gutter inspection on your schedule and get leaffilter installed in as little as a few hours. you'll never have to clean out your gutters again, guaranteed. get leaf filter today. call 833 leaffilter or go to leaffilter.com as easy as 1, 2, 3 tomorrow it's election day in texas. just three weeks ago, e.r. nurse and community activist molly cook won a special election to fill the remainder of democrat john whitmire's seat for texas state senate district 15. molly cook's historic victory made her the first member of the lgbtq+ community to serve in the texas state senate. cook's term ends in january but tomorrow she's running in the democratic primary to keep her texas senate seat for a full four year term. molly cook is the youngest state senator currently serving in texas. here are some of the issues that molly ran on to win voters in district 15. >> when i clock in for work i know every second counts. i'm democrat molly cook and in the e.r. it's those seconds that can save a life, and the clock is always sticking in texas. will today be the day we are racing to save her after a miscarriage, repairing the damage of a gunshot wound, keeping neighbors alive after their power goes out? i'm holly cook and i'm running for texas senate because we don't have any more time to wait. >> joining us now is texas state senator molly cook, who is running for reelection in tomorrow's democratic primary for texas state senate district 15. molly, thank you so much for being here. number one, congratulations. number two, good luck tomorrow but i'm marveling that you're pulling this off in texas. i'm from florida so it's behold my beer kind of energy between texas and florida all the time, but you came back from a deficit of what, about 14 points from that primary, to win. to talk about why you think your background as a grassroots activist who understood that community activism is the way to go resonated so much with those voters? >> thank you so much, katie, and thanks for having me on. i'll just say the previous speaker, officer glaude was speaking about politics on the ground and how important that is. there is nobody who understands politics on the ground better than a grassroots organizer and an emergency room nurse, whose meeting with people at the bedside in moments of fear, anxiety, sickness and injury. so i know what makes people sick and i have a masters in public health policy, so i understand how to think about systems to bring about healing. >> molly, talk about the messaging that you think is the most important thing going into the election tomorrow. >> the messaging, the most powerful thing that we can do is get our voters excited. as many people know, houston just experienced yet another disaster that has hurt a lot of folks in our district, and what we saw was a drop off in voters turning out the days after that disaster, and then we saw a pop in the early voting on thursday and friday. so we are working to reach our voters, to get them excited, talking on over 1000 doors a day, aching phone calls to let them know that we really can put the first woman ever in this seat, the first out member of the lgbtq+ community in the texas senate for the next four year term to fight for us and fight for our rights. >> molly, i'm a big opponent of see her, the her, so for somebody like you, you are the ultimate in the representation opportunity, where you can go and serve. you can inspire others to say, look, i can do it i'll represent your interests when i'm in the texas senate. >> i think a really important thing that we've experienced in this cycle, especially, and of course you can check out molly for texas.com to see all the issues and everything that i care about, but i have been sharing my own abortion story and i had an abortion in this state in 2014, and i cannot believe that today i count myself lucky that it was legal and safe and that message has resonated at the door steps. the courage to be exactly who i am often ends in tears and hugs at the ends of the conversation. so i think that authenticity that you're talking about is necessary, advantageous, and is going to get us a win tomorrow. >> i have to say goodbye but i wanted to self-correct. you actually won your primary by 14 points so i wanted to make sure i got that accurate. thank you so much, texas state senator molly cook and good luck tomorrow. >> thank you so much, katie. >> that does it for us. i'm going to see you tomorrow and the rest of this week or msnbc's complete coverage of donald trump's criminal trial. .