soon because time is running out. congress is ready to get on the easter recess. they had gop priorities, too, into the administration, all sidelined because they re rallying again to the defense of donald trump who continues to exert influence over the party thank you, as always great to see you this morning. thanks to all of you for getting up way too early with us on this thursday morning. morning joe starts now. after he was arrested, apparently today, donald trump has called for america to de-fund the police, ithe fbi, te department of justice, because the democrats have weaponized law enforcement. all right. who in this panel, who thinks that is a good idea? all right. nobody oh, man well, yeah. donald trump s vengeance messaging doesn t seem to be resonating with his base the former president continues to rage post that s a thing, on social media. despite a warning from the judge not to do so meanwhile, mike pence will have to testify before a federal g
forces are close to encircling bakhmut. the u.s. is downplaying the strategic significance if russia wins this round of the war. also tonight, republicans are presented with the sharpest contrast yet between donald trump and ron desantis. we re breaking down dueling speeches by the former president and the current florida governor as they gear up for a potential 2024 primary showdown. and a series of new airline scares is raising serious questions about aviation safety here in the united states. from a bird strike that caused engine failure and smoke in the cabin to the wings of two commercial jets clipping on the many close cal? welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer. you re in the situation room. we begin on the front lines of eastern ukraine right now, where the battle for bakhmut is growing more urgent by the hour. russian fighters making gains as they move to surround the city. cnn s alex marquardt is joining us live
i m john king in washington. thank you. for sharing your day with us. new developments in the cases against donald trump. top trump aides tell a federal grand jury about the former president s plan to seize voting machines and there s new fallout from the 34 felony count new york indictment. trump attacks the prosecutor and the judge in that case now on a parallel path with the 2024 nominating calendar, plus two big middle election, middle america elections in chicago. a progressive wins at chicago mayor s race dominated by crime and by schools and this wisconsin blockbuster democrats seizing control of the state supreme court that giant proof of the power of the abortion issue, and today the speaker of the house plays host to taiwan s president. beijing reacts angrily even though this meeting is a compromise of sorts of first for us next steps in the 34 felony count new york case against donald trump and some important exclusive new cnn reporting about one of two federal inv
turning into terror. four americans taken into mexico, the car crash and the confrontation and new images offering a glimpse of the frightening encounter. and plus in a twist, d.c. backtracks withdrawaling the crime bill but that is not stopping the u.s. senate charging ahead with the vote to override what the d.c. city council wants. plus, scary moments on a southwest flight when a cabin filled with smoke and forced an emergency landing. welcome to the lead, i m jake tapper and we start with the world lead. four u.s. citizens missing in mexico after they were likely targeted by armed criminals. mistakenly, the fbi said, the four drove from texas into the mexico city on friday where a gunman fired at their car. assaulted them and then abducted them. a u.s. official said the americans wither in mexico for medical procedures. video obtained by cnn appears to show individuals forcefully loaded into the back of a pickup truck on friday. the border city has been racked by
a harsh trump critic with a long and sordid history with the former president. watch what he said. that indictment landed like a dud. right? commentators across the spectrum are saying boy, there s not much here. raises all kinds of questions about the legal theory behind this case. they ll have a tough time facing motions to dismiss. unimpressive document. martha: so interesting, right? kellyanne conway and mark penn here. buff first, legal analysis from judge jeanine pirro, co host of the five. great to have you here today. a day into this, you look at it and go what is he doing? is there a method to this madness or is it just madness? a day into it, you wake up and said maybe i missed something. you look at the indictment again. you say no, he missed something. he would not, d.a. bragg, would not identify the second crime. why? why not illuminate what it is? why not prosecute it on its own? why hide it from the rest of us? what is he afraid of? when he s asked the