minutes. they declared after this, ukraine is winning. made clear the u.s. isn't just there to bolster ukraine's defense but also now to weaken russia from here on out. they also pledged u.s. diplomats will return to ukraine for the first time in more than two months. this morning, president biden named his nominee to be u.s. ambassador to ukraine. their visit comes as putin's forces are continuing their relentless attacks with russia striking five train stations in western and central ukraine. we are told there are casualties. in mariupol, russia claims it is offering a cease-fire now at the steel plant to allow civilians to get out and evacuate. but russia has repeatedly attacked humanitarian corridors and ukraine says no corridor has been agreed to. let's begin. matt rivers is live in kyiv. this visit from top u.s. officials, it's a show of force, yes, but they also brought very big statements. >> no question. and there's going to be symbolic shows of support moving forward. but both symbolic and very practical shows of support from the united states. the headlines coming out of this meeting, including the fact that the diplomatic presence of the united states is going to return here to kyiv in the coming weeks. that's following suit from several other countries, other western allies that have done something similar. not only is that a sign the united states thinks it is safe enough for its diplomats to come back here but also is a significant sign of support that the united states is in it with ukraine for the long haul. meanwhile, another headline coming out of that meeting. more than $700 million in additional military aid being sent to ukraine in the coming weeks, according to secretary of defense lloyd austin. we have a sound bite where he talks about what he hopes some of that aid will eventually result in. >> we want to see russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading ukraine. so it has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops quite frankly. and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability. >> pretty pointed statement there from the secretary of defense towards the beginning of this war, critics said the biden administration was more concerned with not escalating with russia. now you're hearing pointed statements about weakening russia militarily moving forward. finally, we are hearing that the united states secretary general guterres will be in moscow today with ukrainian officials demanding publicly that he try and get humanitarian corridors open in this country which are so desperately needed in many different cities across ukraine, kate. >> good to see you, matt. thank you very much. let's turn to this fresh attack on ukraine's rail system. russian forces hit several train stations overnight in western and central ukraine while a large fire at an oil depot in russia is now under investigation. the cause there, so far, unknown. cnn's scott mclean is live in lviv. what can you tell us about these attacks? >> hey, kate. the timing here is quite interesting. you had antony blinken, lloyd austin leaving the country into safe nato territory in the early hours this morning and then just a few hours after that, the air raid sirens went off here in lviv. they just went off a couple of minutes ago as well. and that is not long after that, the head of ukrainian railways said that five different rail sites across the country in central and western ukraine were hit by russian missile strikes. if you look at the map of the railways in this country, those strikes are all at choke points or junction points. it appears as if the russians were trying to damage the ability for trains to move from west to east or from east to west. not entirely clear but that's what it looks like on the map. we went out to one of those sites about an hour's drive east of here in lviv. we were limited in what we were allowed to shoot. the governor put out a video earlier showing an electrical substation on fire. not the station itself but an electrical substation. we saw at that site, as well, the remnants of what they said were russian rockets, twisted bits of charred and partially melted metal scattered all throughout the area very close to those train tracks. separately, as you mentioned, just across the border in russia, there was a fire at a fuel depot in the bryansk region. this comes not long since the russians accused the ukrainians of going after another fuel depot in the belgorod region and also shelling a village just across the border. and so it seems like these depots are -- again, it's not entirely clear what caused that fire, but the russians may well point the finger at the ukrainians, kate. >> good to see you, scott. thank you for that. joining us for more on this is cnn political and national security analyst david sanger. he's a correspondent with "the new york times" and also with us, former nato supreme allied commander europe, retired general philip breedlove. we played a key moment from the defense secretary. matt rivers was pointing to it. while in ukraine saying that the united states wants to not only help ukraine but also wants to see russia weakened to the point where it can't do this again essentially. when you hear that from the secretary of defense, what does that tell you, general? >> well, thanks for having me on this morning, and they are welcome words to me. i think we're seeing a bit of a policy shift in that not only are we starting to use the word "when" and that we want the ukrainians to win, but now we see usefulness or see a need for ukraine to diminish the russian capabilities. and so while those are good words and we're beginning to push back now a little bit against mr. putin, now the onus is on us to make sure that we're giving them the right tools at the right speed and at the right location. >> key point there. david, what are you hearing from your sources about this? is this a real shift in the stated goals here? not just to help ukraine, but to really weaken russia? >> it certainly sounds that way. you know, if you think back to the early days of the war, the initial objective was, of course, to get russia to go back to the pre-february 24 orders. the traditional borders of ukraine, even though there was dispute over the annexation of crimea and the status of the donbas area. then you heard secretary tony blinken talk about the need to make sure that whatever agreement was reached with russia was irreversible. and now what you are hearing is, we need to permanently weaken the russian military so they could never do this again. that's a different thing than building up the ukrainians to de deter. and the question is, how do you do that with a nuclear power because, obviously, if they got truly desperate, they could use their nuclear weapons to obliterate ukraine or maybe other countries. so it's a very different thing to try to weaken the russian military since they've got the nuclear backup than it would be with a non-nuclear state. >> absolutely. general, you mentioned another key moment, a statement from the secretary lloyd austin. and i want to play that where he made clear, made a very clear statement that ukraine can win. >> in terms of their ability to win, the first step in winning is believing that you can win. and so they believe that we can win. we believe that they can win, if they have the right equipment, the right support and we're going to do everything we can, continue to do everything we can to ensure that that gets done. >> and that is an important moment here, why? >> well, first of all, secretary austin is a good friend, and i respect him. and i'm glad that he's beginning to use this language. it is important. the ukrainians have to believe that we intend to give them what they need because that is what will be required for them to win. they have to have faith and confidence that we will deliver as we say we will deliver. and that's why i use the little construction i did a few minutes ago. the right equipment at the right time at the right place. and i think we have some work to do to make sure that we're getting everything forward to those valiant fighters on the front line. >> david, this also gets back to a conversation you and i had from last week. your reporting that vladimir putin actually believes that he is winning. no matter the distorted pictures that his generals are painting for him, is victory harder for him to believe when you have the u.s. defense secretary is saying the exact opposite, so directly, while standing -- while fresh off a visit from ukraine? >> well, it may be harder for putin to believe it. he may think he's got better information or that he's got an advantage now that the war has shifted to the largely open spaces of the donbas and the southeast where, of course, his supply lines are a lot closer. but what worries me about this is, if you have both sides coming in thinking that they are winning, you don't really have the prospect of a diplomatic solution any time soon because each one would want to go press their advantage before they entered any diplomatic discussion. and that may explain why the whole diplomatic effort that we saw in the first few weeks appears to have fallen dead, and putin himself said it was dead. that's concerning. the second concerning element of this, of course, is that if putin actually feels he's in for a second defeat, then his temptation to reach for weapons of mass destruction, whether it's chemical or tactical nuclear weapon, is probably considerably greater. >> i see the general nodding his head in agreement. good to see you both very much. i really appreciate your time. coming up, the supreme court taking up the case of a former high school football coach raising big questions about prayer in public schools. that's next. asy appointment... ♪ pop rock music ♪ >> tech: ...we can replace your winindshield and rerecalibrate your advanced safety system. >> dad: looks great. thanks. >> tech: statay safe with safelite. schedule now. >> singersrs: ♪ safelite repai, safelite replace. ♪ (all): all hail, caesar! pssst julius! you should really check in with your team on ringcentral. oh hi caesar. yeah, you should probably get out of her ♪ ringceral ♪ that was quick. and rew. i earn 3% cash back at drugstores with chase freedom unlimited. that means i earn on my bug spray and my sunscreen. you ready to go fishing? 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(excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. so, should all our it move to the cloud? the cloud would give us more flexibility, but we lose control. ♪ ♪ ♪ should i stay or should i go? ♪ and we need insights across our data silos, but how? ♪ if i go there will be trouble ♪ ♪ ♪ wait, we can stay and go. hpe greenlake is the platform that brings the cloud to us. ♪ should i stay or should i go now? ♪ ♪ ♪ prayer in schools. the issue is right now front and center at the supreme court. the justices hearing oral arguments today about a case brought by a high school football coach at a public high school who took the school system to court over whether or not he can pray at the football games he was coaching. cnn's jessica schneider is live in washington. you've been listening in to oral arguments. what have you been hearing so far? >> it's interesting, kate. right out of the gate here we heard the three liberal leaning justices really hammer the attorney for the coach here. asking a number of hypotheticals about how potentially this could spiral out of control if coaches, coaches like this one, are allowed to pray on the field. this is really a high stake case dealing with free speech and religious liberties. the justices are tackling this important question of, did this coach have the right to engage in prayer on the 50 yard line after games? he insists this was within his right under the free exercise of religion clause, but the school district argues that he really improperly pressured students to join him in what they say was a very public display of prayer while the coach was representing the school district in his capacity as a coach. the two lower courts here have found in favor of the school saying they could restrict the coach's words and actions right after the football games. but it's really possible with this argument before it increasingly conservative supreme court that we've seen vigorously defend religious rights in all arenas. it's possible they could go the other way here and the football coach could potentially win. just before the arguments began at 10:00, i was outside the supreme court. a group there called americans united for the separation of church and state, they were holding a rally outside a press conference. they are saying that if the supreme court allows this activity, it could improperly impede the religious rights of students who don't have the same beliefs but might feel pressured to pray with their coach. and kate, we've seen the supreme court repeatedly rule in recent months on the side of religious organizations. so some court watchers argue this really could upend supreme court precedent when it comes to prayers in school if the court sides with the coach. that's a distinct possibility with this increasingly conservative court. a 6-3 majority. the arguments are ongoing here, but we'll likely see a ruling just some time before july, so in the comingjessica, thank you. also with me now, cnn legal analyst jeffrey toobin. >> it's a fascinating case. i think jessica is right. this is a real sign of how the court is moving. since 1962, it's been the law of the land and the supreme court that there is no prayer in schools. you can't have teachers directing prayers. but it is also true that teachers have first amendment and free exercise of religion rights. for example, every teacher can, in the school cafeteria say a prayer before he or she eats. nobody disputes that. the question in this case is, is this a private expression of religion on the part of the coach or is it a coercive act to pressure -- particularly the players on his team -- to participate and discriminate against those who choose not to discriminate. >> that's why this case is fascinating on so many levels. we were talking about -- by the time a case gets to the supreme court, the facts of what actually happened are generally established. and that seems to still be in -- a debate. >> and also what's at issue is what facts matter. one of the things that the school board is pointing out is look what happened in this case. after it became publicized, you had people swarming the field, trying to participate in the prayer, trying to -- you had other groups having nonprayers intentionally on the field, and what the school board is saying, the reason we limit religion in the public sphere is that we don't want to have this kind of conflict. we want that to be in the private sphere, not in the government sphere, which is what a public school is. that -- the relevance of people storming the field is something that's being disputed by the parties and the court. >> another layer of this is the supreme court previously refused to hear the case. how does that add to this then? >> you know, i am not sure it has a lot of significance. but, you know, the effort to inject religion and allow religion in the public sphere is a big agenda of the conservatives on the court. you know, and what a lot of liberals believe is, this is all basically an attempt to get school prayer back into public schools again. that's not the issue in this case, but you can see why. if teachers can lead a prayer immediately after a game, where they still have official responsibilities, that's come up in the argument is that just because the whistle blew at the end of the game, doesn't mean that the coach's responsibilities were over. he was still the coach and he was leading a prayer and that's significant to the liberals in the class. the court. >> what are the potential ripple effects because there are a lot of hypotheticals being played out right now in the courtroom because the coach's legal team had said going into this that this goes -- they believe this goes beyond prayer in school. this could impact all government employees and their first amendment rights when they cross the threshold into the workplace, which is what you were really getting at. >> right. and there are a lot of disputes about, you know, when is the coach on duty and when is he not on duty? because he's allowed to have private religious expression, but those lines are less clear. just like, you know, what if there is a prayer in a government office, you know, at 8:59. is that allowed? or is it a group prayer? is it -- and, you know, what you have is a conservative court that such more accommodating of religious expression in government places. and this case is an example. >> not only an important case on its facts. church and state separations but also just in the window into the direction of the court. >> very much. >> in the near and immediate future. >> and it's also about whose perspective does the court look to? is it the person who is wanting to pray? is it his, the coach's free speech rights? sore it the outsider's perspective? the kid who doesn't belong to the majority religion. the kid who doesn't have about religion at all? what about the parents of those kids who don't want religious participation on the part of their kid? whose perspective matters more to the court? that's a tough question. >> it's good to see you, jeff. thanks for working through it with us. coming up, top u.s. officials make a visit to kyiv and make a big announcement. what diplomats returning to the country could mean for the fight in ukraine. we'll be right back. , dippin'. if you're not oozing, then you're losing. tater totting, cold or hohotting. mealin', feelin', pie-ing, trying. color your spread. upgrade your bread. pair it. share it. kraft singles. square it. you're probably thinking that these two are in some sort of lover's quarrel. no, no, no. they' both invested... in green energy. and also each other. digital tools sompressive, you st can't stop. what would you lik the power to do? my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... the burning, itching. the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®... ask your doctor about tremfya® today. they believe that they can win. we believe that they can win. that is the assessment from defense secretary lloyd austin after visiting ukraine. he and the secretary of state are the two highest ranking u.s. officials to meet in person with ukraine's president since russia's invasion began. the secretary of state also pledging to send u.s. diplomats back into kyiv as part of their visit. joining me now is kyra rudic, a member of ukraine's parliament. good to see you again. so this was the highest level u.s. visit to kyiv since the invasion. seeing and hearing from both the defense secretary and the secretary of state, what does it mean to you? >> hello. thank you so much for having me. well, having these high-ranking officials in ukraine sends a strong message that the world is still behind us and that we are working as a united front. it also means that the help and support from the united states will continue and will be increased. and i think that this visit is also important for the united states as well as for ukraine because it shows the world leadership on standing up for democracy. the important point that the world needs right now. >> secretary blinken also announced during the visit that u.s. diplomats are going to be returning to ukraine this week, first to lviv and eventually back into kyiv. it is an important symbolic move, yes, but do you see that as more than a symbolic move? do you think that it will impact -- have an impact on the ground? >> you know, u.s. diplomats moving out of the country was the first sign of war. it was actually the first sign of -- once people starting asking like, are we going to get into this war? is putin really going to attack? so u.s. diplomats returning to ukraine is the first sign of the united states assurance that they believe that we will win. we do believe that we will win. but we need these steps and signs from countries from all over the world that they not only give us the statements but there is actually like physical steps that are taken to reassure that the world stands behind us but also that there is assurance in -- that ukraine is capable to win this war. >> you said that you believe that you will win. the defense secretary said the very same, that we believe that -- he believes that ukraine can win. both of them also directly saying they believe that ukraine is winning right now. does it feel that way to you at this moment? >> well, it's always hard to say because the situation changes every single day. like the attack of russian missiles on your train stations in the central and western ukraine. it created lots of destruction for our people, for the refugees, for the supply chains. for everything. we are rebuilding it, but the inability for us to create safe spaces, to create protected air space for my country is making it very hard to say that we are winning right now. i do believe that we made significant strides towards actually fighting russia back. but we need to make sure that we are having -- think that we can actually feel. very example, the protection of the air force protection and protection of the air space is significant for us. when we will be able to say to our people, here are the safe places in ukraine. because right now there are none. you see the attacks on the western cities. you see the attacks on the southern peaceful cities. you see that putin is saying that there is no place in ukraine where you would feel safe. we want to roll that back. we want to make sure this is not true and for that we need continued weapons support and supply support from our allies, and that would be the next step to make sure that we actually can say to our people, these are the safe cities that you can come to. this is where you can exhale. this is where you can stop worrying all the time. then i could tell you, okay, yeah, we started winning. >> kyra rudik, thank you for coming on. really appreciate it. coming up for us, republican leader kevin mccarthy heading to the southern border right now as lawmakers are sounding off about the leaked audio recording that caught mccarthy in a lie. the very latest fallout from that, next. n. visit letsmakeaplan.n.org to find your cfp® professional. ♪ i am a business hotel. i eat, sleep, and breath efficiency. i'm looking for someone o appreciates high rois and even higher rpms. i would be honed to be your perfect somewhere. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. tastes great in our iced coffees too. which makes waking up at 5 a.m. to milk the cows a little easier. 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[limu emu squawks] woo! new personal record, limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ at this hour, house republican leader kevin mccarthy is leading a group of republicans to the u.s./mexico border to highlight what has become the latest political and policy battle over an immigration policy known as title 42. but the trip also comes at an interesting time. just as mccarthy is facing fresh criticism over the release of leaked audio recordings that reveal he said he intended to tell then-president trump to resign over the capitol insurrection. >> the discussion i did have with him is that i think this will pass. and it would be my recommendation that he should resign. >> there's this trip and then there's also what kevin mccarthy might be trying to get away from. >> that's exactly right, kate. there is what republicans say is a crisis at the border and then there's the crisis of kevin mccarthy's own making. kevin mccarthy is here today at the southern border with a group of house republicans. they are hoping to call attention to the issue of immigration where they feel like they will have the upper hand in the midterms and specifically, they want to call attention to president biden's decision to lift a trump-era immigration policy known as title 42. that is a move that's divided the democratic party. there is some concern about an influx of migrants at the border, so republicans have been stepping up their messaging and really trying to put the squeeze on vulnerable democrats who are up for re-election. but the problem, kate, is this high-profile trip is being overshadowed by the controversy surrounding their own leader. as you mentioned, kevin mccarthy was caught on tape last week bashing donald trump in the days after january 6th. that is reporting that he vehemently and initially denied only to have the tapes come out later. he has made up with trump since then. he's also been calling allies over the weekend to shore up support and contain the fallout. but he's going to have to answer questions about why he lied to the public here today in eagle pass, texas. >> thank you, melanie. joining me for more is chief political analyst gloria borger. >> good to see you. >> where do you see this all standing right now? >> well, i think right now it's kind of in stasis. i think donald trump has said to the republican party, you know, i'm really not so mad at kevin mccarthy. that was the signal for republicans to back down off of him, but i do think this is going to rear its ugly head again if republicans take control of the house. kevin mccarthy wants to be speaker, and people know that he lied and that he was thinking about, okay, we ought -- this president ought to resign. now lots of republicans have collective amnesia on this subject. they all -- lots of them felt the same way in the immediate aftermath of january 6th. but when it became clear to them the base of the republican party felt differently, they kind of changed their minds, shifted in another direction. that is what kevin mccarthy has done. he has followed the base. he will continue to do so. and so right now, it's kind of at ease, for now, until other things occur and then, of course, kevin mccarthy, as we know, can shift with the political winds. >> but one part that you were just hitting on, donald trump's reaction to this. >> yeah. >> he told "the wall street journal" he didn't like the call, but he also doesn't seem to have a problem with it. here's one quote. i think it's all a big compliment, mr. trump said of mr. mccarthy and other republicans who criticized him after january 6, and then said they'll stid back him. they realized they were wrong and supported me. did that surprise you? >> well, it did surprise me, until i read the statement over and over again, and i realized that this is the way donald trump thinks. it gives you great insight into his mind, which is that they were wrong when they said i should resign. they were wrong when they criticized me. but i am so powerful and so important in the republican party that they changed their minds. and also maybe they listened to me and understood that i was right all along. this is the way donald trump thinks. and after i thought about that for a while, it made an awful lot of sense to me because he realized, or in his own mind, he thinks that he has conquered kevin mccarthy and the rest of those people who dared to disagree with him on impeachment, for example, and he has made it his life's work right now to try and defeat those people in the upcoming midterm elections. >> and they think what is clear for at least the reaction so far as you point out from republicans is that they are willing to give kevin mccarthy the benefit of the doubt. let me play congressman michael mccall. >> you have to put it in the context of when it was given. this was right after january 6th. it was a very dark day. a very shocking day. a lot of emotions flying high. what kevin was doing is gaming out various options that, hey, what if he got impeached in the house and the senate convicted. would it be better for him to resign prior to that? but the fact is he never had that conversation with president trump. >> i thought that was interesting ned telling because there were questions of how are fellow republicans going to act? kevin mccarthy needs their support if he wants to reach his ultimate end goal which is to be house speaker. we see that now and it tells you what? >> a lot of republicans were thinking the same way that kevin mccarthy was thinking, at that moment. and i don't know about congressman mccaul, but a lot of republicans were saying, you know, this is it. remember lindsey graham, enough is enough in the senate. so there were a lot of republicans thinking that way, until they put their fingers in the wind and realized that the base of the republican party was not thinking the same way. they were thinking, wait a minute here. those people going up the steps of the capitol, some of them were patriots. they didn't intend to do any damage, et cetera, et cetera. and so the republican party began to shift and began to have this kind of collective amnesia, as i was talking about before. and began to kind of soften their opposition to the insurrection. that happened to kevin mccarthy as he realized the support for donald trump was not waning with the base at all. and so they have been twisting themselves in knots ever since to try and defend donald trump. and now some of them trying to defend kevin mccarthy. >> and there's also this issue -- they are at the southern border to focus in on an issue that is not just red versus -- it's not a red versus blue debate. it's a policy and a real political fight over title 42. and it really does cut through partisan divides. how important do you think this conversation is for the president and for the midterms? >> well, i think -- look. i think it's an important conversation at any time. right now if you look at the polling, it's not the number one issue for all americans because they are worried about inflation, for example, gas prices, et cetera. but i think within the republican base it is a very important issue. so kevin mccarthy going on this trip is a way to kind of change the subject. and it is a problem inside the democratic party because there are a lot of moderate democrats who are saying, don't do this right now, mr. president. you're going to hurt me in my district. i have enough problems, but they, you know, democrats are complaining and republicans are going down there to sort of put it out front for voters. >> good to see you, gloria. >> good to see you. coming up for us, a big win for french president emanuel macron and the reaction from president biden after macron beats the odds. live details f from paris, next. psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen, painful. emerge tremfyant®. tremfya® is approved to help reduce... joint sympto in adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions y occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant® with tremfya®... ask you doctor about tremfya® today. wayfair's biggest sale of the year is way day. shop outdoor furniture up to 65% off... rugs up to 80% off... and lighting up to 65% off... plus get free shipping on everything! shop way day, april 27th and 28th at wayfair.com. when you need help it's great to be in sync with customer service. a team of reps who can anticipate the next step genesys technology is changing the way customer service teams anticipate what customers need. because happy customers are music to our ears. genesys, we're behind every customer smile. a major victory for french president emmanuel macron. he defeated le pen in a runoff vote that could have reshaped european politics. he is the first french leader in 20 years to win reelection. melissa bell has more from paris. big night for macron. where does this go from here? >> reporter: big night for macron. continuity when it comes to europe and to ukraine. in fact, the two phone calls that president macron had after his victory were with the german chancellor who will have heaved a sigh of relief that europe will be able to stay together, but also with president zelenskyy which tells you all you need to know about the determination to stay by the ukrainian president's side. the american president said a short while ago he felt good about the french election result. but if that is the headline that 58% that macron won to win the reelection, the other headline is the extraordinary score recorded by le pen. she came within just over 5 million votes. that's what he spoke to last night in his victory speech. >> translator: i know for many of our compatriots, their anger and disagreements which let them to vote for this project must find a response. that will be my responsibility and that of those around me. >> he knows that he has to reach out to the voters to speak to them. there's another big election in a month's time in france. and that is the legislative vote. if he does not get a parliamentary majority, he will find it difficult to govern. that's what he needs to work on, convincing the far right and far left extreme votes that they need to rethink and back his party. >> melissa, thank you. thanks for that. a dangerous situation which is flaring up in new mexico. a pair of wildfires merging into one massive blaze scorching tens of thousands of acres. it's one of several wildfires also burning west at the same time. lucy kavanaugh has been following all this. she joins us now. lucy, what's happening? >> well, unfortunately these fires are no closer to being contained, especially in new mexico as of sunday night, the new mexico fires were just 12% contained. the two blazes merging to form a perimeter of more than 180 miles. much of the area is suffering from prolonged and severe drought. new mexico's governor warning the fires are coming dangerously early in the season and this is a start of what's expected to be a longer, and frankly more dangerous fire season. and as you point out, new mexico is just one of several affected states with flames tiering through arizona and new mexico. one person dying in new mexico. a retired fire chief who was acting as a spotter. he was overwhelmed by the flames as he was driving near one of the blazes there. but there is some temporary relief in sight at least for today, kate, with easing winds and lower temperatures expected in the southwest. there's even a chance of rain and snow showers in northeast and new mexico. something that's very much welcome there. kate? >> very much needed. thank you so much, lucy, for tracking that. let's turn to this. an idea that seemed farfetched just a week ago seems closer than ever to becoming reality. today could be the day that twitter sells itself to elon musk. news reports say a deal is near. brian stelter has more on this. >> yes. these talks turned serious on sunday. why? because musk proved he had the financing. he proved on thursday that he really could afford to buy the 91% of twitter shares that he doesn't currently own. he proved he could take it private. and that is why the twitter board had to take this seriously. as you said, at first investors weren't sure how serious musk was. but he is proving that he really is in this to win it. he has started to win large shareholders over. that's why the board began meeting, and here we are midday monday. it could be announced later in the day. the deal could also fall apart. at the moment musk seems to be in line to take over twitter. >> is there any indication of what this deal would mean for twitter, for -- i mean, for -- >> yeah. for one of the most important communications platforms in the world. >> what is his plans? >> no one knows. i'm not sure musk even knows. is it a play thing or business? is he in it for politics or fun? he loves the platform. is he buying it because it's a fun toy? >> he's also gotten himself into a ton of trouble. >> yes. is he doing goipg to bring donald trump back to the platform? is it a free for all? i think he would repel users if he took away the content moderation, but he is a free speech absolutist. i think he'll tweet us and tell us what he's going to do. >> that may be where we hear it first. thank you. i appreciate it. thank you for watching at this hour. i'm kate bolduan. 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