announce the u.s. will buy another 500 million doses of the pfizer vaccine and donate them to low-income countries. that comes as the cdc advisory committee is meeting to decide who is in those high-risk groups that will qualify for booster shots? the president will also intending a lot of time today dealing with a confluence of political crises on capitol hill. house democrats locked in a stalemate that threatens to derail his domestic agenda. and democrats and republicans in a standoff that could lead to a government shutdown. and the u.s. potentially defaulting on its debt. we'll be talking with michigan democratic governor dan kildee about how all of this might get resolved. and then there's the crisis at the southern border where the biden administration is still trying to deal with those thousands of haitian migrants strand under a bridge in texas in the ongoing intense heat. a crisis that is also taking center stage on capitol hill, as the homeland security secretary is testifying before a house committee. so a very busy wednesday and we begin this hour with the latest on the pandemic. happening right now, that cdc panel meeting to decide which american should get a pfizer booster shot and when they should get it. of course, it was just last week that the fda rejected a proposal that would have allowed boosters for almost every american over 16, limiting them instead to 65 and over and high-risk groups. for more on this, i want to bring in dr. kavita patel, a physician who served as policy director in the obama white house. she is also an msnbc medical contributor. also joining us, senior white house reporter for nbcnews.com, shannon pettypiece, and nbc news correspondent stephanie gosk is in new york city for us. thank you all for being with us. despite american's broad access to the vaccine, covid deaths have reached an average now again 1,900 a day. johns hopkins reports that more than 675,000 americans have died from this virus. but less than 64% of the total population is vaccinated. what are we not doing here? what are we getting wrong? >> chris, unfortunately what we're getting wrong is this is sort of a social network phenomenon. you're seeing states that are incredibly highly vaccinated that are experiencing not just their peaks, but their declines. and places with low vaccination rate, it's rip roaring. pacific northwest, tennessee, idaho, it is just continuing to be this surge that doesn't end. and it does have a lot to do with once communities start to form this kind of attitude and opinion about vaccines, even though it's not political, it becomes incredibly volatile and emotional, leading to, you know, people getting kicked out of school board meetings over masks to people protesting vaccine sites. and that's what we're doing wrong. we're not overcoming that intransient attitude that has developed in many parts of the country, frankly. >> and not to mention, we have seen people under threat on their positions because of this. so stephanie, this big meeting, cdc, could shape the rollout of boosters in the coming months. tell us what we're expecting. >> chris, before i get to that, let me just explain where i am. i'm in front of this health center that gives out -- that does testing as well as gives out vaccines. almost everyone in line here is here for a test. that foot traffic for vaccines has petered out and really trailed off in recent months. and this booster decision by the fda could change that. so you have the cdc meeting on discussing who's at high-risk. right now in this country, the only people who are authorized to get the pfizer booster or any booster for that matter, are people who suffer from immune deficiencies. that could include people with certain diseases, as well as cancer patients. right now, the cdc and fda are discussing this recommendation that the pfizer vaccine, and this is important, just the pfizer vaccine, could be given to people over the age of 65 and people at high risk as a booster shot. that decision hasn't come yet, but the fda is expected to make it in the coming days, chris. >> dr. patel, i want to go to you, because of where she is right now. the testing and i know that, you know, i live in new york city, so on my way home, walking home from work, i can stop and get a test. that's no problem. that's not the case, that's particularly not the case for people who want to do in-home testing. let me read to you something that was in "the new york times." in britain, france, and germany, rapid testing is widely available and inexpensive. many people also keep tests in their homes and self-administer them. i've self-administered numerous tests. is this going to be critical? weapon don't talk a lot about testing, because as a component of getting to where we immediate to be? >> yeah, chris, absolutely. and you're right, it's a component. it's not the end-all, be-all. you can't test your way out of covid. but it can certainly cause you to stop at the door if your child or you have a runny nose and you're not sure, is this just allergies, a cold, or could it be symptomatic covid? so i think it's incredibly important. in the uk, i have colleagues who can call essentially a 1-800-number, and for free, chris, they get five tests or even more mailed to their home for a certain number of days. it is a critical component. we should be demanding more. the biden administration has made good on it. and even importantly, with contacts at this global summit today, it will be important to figure out how we can do this worldwide. we need to have vaccination be the top priority. but even with vaccines, we're watching breakthrough cases. we want to know when things get critical, testing at home or in the workplace, even, rapid testing can be an important component to success in overcoming this globally. >> shannon, let's talk about what the white house is doing today. there has been a call from many folks, but now the w.h.o is saying it, as well. they're saying, looking, wealthier nations need to put more into boosters. there are a lot of even doctors that would argue -- i'm sorry, first vaccines. elsewhere in the world, a lot of doctors that argue that boosters should take a backseat to getting a wider coverage of first vaccines throughout the developing world in particular. tell us about this announcement this morning and has the administration changed its mind at all about booster shots? >> you're right, chris. and particularly this week with the u.n. general assembly, there has been a lot of criticism over the u.s. and other wealthy nations for starting to give their populations a third shot or at least planning to give their populations a third shot when so much of the world hasn't even gotten their first shot. and the lower income countries, only about 20% of people there have been vaccinated. and there's a number of countries where not even 1% of the population has been vaccinated. so that's a criticism. in response to that, the administration saying today that they are buying another 500 million doses of the pfizer vaccine. that is on top of a $500 million purchase they made over the summer that they will send overseas. so by this time next year, the administration plans to have donated 1.1 billion doses of vaccine to countries overseas and about 160 million of them have already gone out the door. so the biden administration trying to say, we can do both. we can give boosters to our population. they say they have enough supply to vaccinate every american who's eligible for a vaccine, whether it's people 65 or older, or whether eventually we start giving it to people in the younger age ranges, as well as vaccinating the world. and the u.s. is doing more at this point than any ore country, but the world health organization says to vaccinate the world, to get 70% of the world vaccinated, we need 11 billion doses. so 1 billion certainly significant, but either other companies will have to step up or the u.s. will have to do more if they want to get the vast majority of people on this planet vaccinated. >> and dr. patel, that's a pretty daunting number. 11 billion doses would be needed to vaccinate 70% of the population, eligible population in the world. just looking at what we're seeing today, how meaningful are those 500 million doses? >> they're meaningful, because i think it sets a precedent for other countries. to your point, chris, obviously, it's a drop in the bucket. and i'm going to highlight. i've worked in other countries, pfizer is still a very critical vaccine that requires freezer storage. it's not the ultrafreezers -- but the freezers required are not something you see in all of these countries. so we'll have to demand not just from the manufacturers that we have close relationships with, but worldwide, even manufacturers we haven't talked about much, like novavax and others, including some of the ones that have not emerged in the united states as potential manufacturers. that's where the 500 million becomes a very important symbol of what countries can do. and it also highlights, chris, we're not going to get to 11 billion overnight. so testing, ventilators, oxygen, all the things that we've talked about are even more critical. those are part of pillars of biden's plan. it will be interesting to see how he can touch on it, because those pieces might be more critical in the near-term while we're trying to get billions of vaccines out the door. >> dr. kavita patel and stephanie gosk, thanks to both of you. shannon, you're going to stick around. we'll come back to you in a little while. meantime, on capitol hill, there's just so much tension among democrats. the president is going to meet with members of his congressional caucus today to try to break a stalemate that could derail the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill focusing on other democratic priorities. that includes education, health care, fighting climate change. this battle comes as the clock is ticking to come up with a compromise if they're going to avoid a government shutdown. last night, the white house did approve a bill to fund the government through early december, but senate republicans say they will not vote for it, because it would also raise the debt ceiling through the end of 2022. joining us now, senior capitol hill correspondent garrett haake, and shannon pettypiece back with us from the white house. garrett, the government needs to be funded by october 21st. the debt ceiling needs to be raised by mid-to-late october. the house is scheduled to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill next monday. so really, nothing going on where you are, but tell us where we stand on these issues. >> reporter: well, look, the president getting involved today will have the most effect on those democratic-only infighting issues here. how to handle the reconciliation bill and the hard infrastructure bill that's supposed to get its first floor vote in the house on monday. and i say its first floor vote, because right now, it doesn't look like it will have the votes to pass. progressive democrats in the house will hold their votes until the reconciliation bill is ready to go. they say perhaps until it passes the senate. that can't happen by monday, so those measures are in trouble. that's where presidential leadership will be really important. the president may be the only person who can convince democrats of all stripes, they've got to jump together, because progressives just aren't there yet. here's what pramila jayapal, the head of the progressive caucus in the past told rachel maddow after her long meeting with nancy pelosi yesterday. >> all of a sudden, the tables get turned on us, and we are now finding that people are saying, oh, no, just pass the infrastructure bill, and you know what, we'll get to child care later. we'll get to paid leave later. over half of our caucus has said that they will not just vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. we have to vote on the reconciliation bill first. >> reporter: so progressives, chris, really do not want to get jammed here. they don't want to get rolled to get one thing done and then have moderates jump ship. that's what they're concerned about. on funding the government and the debt ceiling, those are crises that don't even hit until middle of next week, so from a congressional perspective, there's still time to deal with them. >> middle of next week. so much time left. so, shannon, the president didn't have a great august. september isn't shaping up to be much better with the inter-governmental battles, the problem with france. how important is that meeting today? how important are these talks he's having with congressional democrats and getting them onboard? how much duds he need a win? >> reporter: it's very important. it's a very pivotal meeting. ly say, a lot of times, these deals don't look like there's a solution to them until all of a sudden, there is a solution. and there's certainly people close to the white house see a path where there could be negotiation over the price tag. there could be other things the president offers progressives to get them onboard. but if things stay on the current trajectory, and the president's infrastructure plans and all of this other spending on child care and education and free college are blown up by members of his own party, that really undercuts the fundamental case he made for voters to elect him in november. so much of his campaign, so much of the early days of his presidency, and even so much of the messaging after the senate passed this first infrastructure bill has been around his ability to make washington work again. to bring people together and to do hard things and deliver on his promises. so that is how crucial it is to get these bills passed. regardless of the price tag at this point, the president need something on his desk to sign. and by the end of the year, because, you know, while it seems silly, in washington, it is understood that if this doesn't happen by the end of the year, let alone by the end of the week, like members of congress are talking about, nothing is going to get done in 2022. there is a risk democrats lose the house and the midterm elections and this then could have been the last chance for the president to legislate in his presidency. at least his first term. >> i predict some late nights ahead. garrett haake, shannon pettypiece, thank you very much. appreciate it. still ahead, we have a lot going on this morning. we're eight days away from a democrat shutdown and democrats, as we heard, don't have the votes to pass a spending bill. so here's the question, what's plan "b"? we'll talk to democratic congressman dan kildee about that. plus, the crisis at the border. one of our next guests says that the trump policy is in question. it's become too -- it's become the default approach for biden, too. we're live at the border, next. too. we're veli at the border, next ♪ when you hear 'cough cough sneeze sneeze' ♪ it's time for ♪ 'plop plop fizz fizz' ♪ alka seltzer plus cold relief, dissolves quickly... instantly ready to start working. so you can bounce back fast with alka-seltzer plus. super emma just about sleeps in her cape. but when we realized she was battling sensitive skin, we switched to tide hygienic clean free. it's gentle on her skin, and out cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. opreza: trabajar en recology es más que un empleo para mí, es una tradición familiar. tomé la ruta de mi padre cuando se retiró despues de 47 años. ahora le muestro a la nueva generación lo que es recology como una compañia que pertenece a los empleados. estamos orgullosos de haber creado el sistema de reciclaje. convirtiendo a san francisco, en la ciudad mas verde de america... sigamos haciendo la diferencia juntos. so...i know you and george were struggling with the possibility of having to move. how's that going? well we found a way to make bathing safer with a kohler walk-in bath. it has the lowest step-in of any bath. it has handrails, a wide door, and textured surfaces. so it gives you peace of mind. and you would love the heated backrest -and the whirlpool jets -and the bubblemassage. and it was installed quickly and conveniently by a kohler-certified installer. a kohler-authorized dealer walked us through every step in the process and made us feel completely comfortable in our home. and, yes, it's affordable. looking good, george! we just want to spend as much time as possible in our home, and with our grandkids. they're going to be here any minute for their weekly spa day. ooh, that bubblemassage! have fun! stay in the home and life you've built for years to come. call... to receive one-thousand dollars off your kohler walk-in bath. and take advantage of our special offer of no payments for eighteen months. there is growing frustration with the biden administration among opponents and allies alike as a crisis unfolds along the southern border with thousands upon thousands of asylum seekers, many of them haitian, making their way to texas. "the washington post" reports the administration, meantime, is set to double the number of deportations. we're seeing images of people packed into those makeshift camps in the town of del rio, and there are reports of very low resources there. and of course, the controversy over border patrol agents suppressing crowds with reins on horseback. even as republicans criticize the administration, there's outrage too from within biden's own party. joining me now morgan chesky live from del rio, texas, and former housing and urban development secretary and 2020 presidential candidate, julian castro. good to see both of you. morgan, set the scene for us this morning. what's the situation looking like at the border right now, as the administration is preparing to ramp up deportations? >> reporter: yeah, chris, those deportations already ramped up. about a thousand migrants from this scene have already been flown back to haiti within the last 48 hours or so. this is a dynamic, fluid situation, and we still have, at last check, about 7,500 migrants underneath this border bridge in del rio, texas. that remains closed for the time being. all traffic being diverted to eagle pass, about 60 miles south of us here. so authorities can get a better handle on what's become just an incredibly heartbreaking scene here. we know that there are men, women, and children underneath that bridge, some of whom have had trouble finding enough food and water to last, despite handouts from agents that are down there. i spoke to one 25-year-old haitian man, darneil, who told me that he and his pregnant wife spent about a week underneath that very bridge. at one point, things got so bad, he chose to swim back across the rio grande into mexico with a little money he had to purchase food and water, and upon swimming back, got caught up in the currents with, had to let go of what he had just to make it to the other shore. he is not the only one with a similar story to that. in the meantime, as these numbers drop here at this camp, the tension is only rising, because the fear of deportation is absolutely known at this point, as i said, with about a thousand folks have already been flown back to haiti. those people primarily single haitian adults, families who are not claiming asylum. dhs saying any unaccompanied child or family claiming asylum should be able to stay in the united states. and for a lot of those people, they have already been bused to laredo, el paso, houston, these are the large processing centers that are currently not overwhelmed like facilities are here in del rio, despite the massive response from federal and state authorities that we saw over the weekend. their arrival on saturday evening was enough to stop the flow of migrants coming across the river, at least at this point, but we've already been hearing reports of crossings downriver. so the problem still exists to some degree. certainly not in the numbers that we saw here, leading up to the weekend, where it peaked at about 15,000. but this is very much an ongoing situation, complicated by the fact that dhs officials have told us that they are monitoring groups of thousands of haitians in colombia, in panama, in peru, as well, who may be making the trip north, although it remains to be seen when or if that would take place. chris? >> so julian, look, you know these issues very well. you and i have talked together in texas. you have said that the biden administration is falling into the same patterns as the trump administration. tell us what you mean by that and your impression is of what's happening on the ground right now? >> well, look, joe biden's not donald trump. donald trump had a dark heart for immigrants, for asylees, refugees, i don't believe that about joe biden. but when it comes to a policy like title 42 that donald trump put in place using covid-19 as the reason to summarily expel people who wanted to claim asylum. in other words, deporting them without even making an asylum claim, that was novel. it was, i think, based on donald trump's wanting to keep all of these people out, no matter what. well, that policy has been kept in place by the biden administration and so my fear is that the trump administration policies in too many instances, especially with title 42 are becoming the default policies. you put that against the backdrop of the fact that these are haitian refugees who experience natural disaster, political turmoil, the assassination of the president, gang violence, deep poverty. i mean, these are the very definition of refugees, and so as majority leader chuck schumer said, it defies common sense. they shouldn't be deporting plane loads of people over and over again. on top of that, chris, in fiscal year 2020, the united states took in only about 11,000 refugees. in physical year 2021, that number is about 7,500. we're on track to have the lowest number of refugees that we've taken in, in decades. the biden administration has said that they're going to raise that to 125,000, but even then, that would pale in comparison to what we've done in years past. >> and even as that's happening, we're seeing these questions being raised about those who have come, seek refugee status, how they're being treated. those pictures of agents on horseback, questions raised about how they use some sort of rope or reins. now, there is an investigation that's ongoing. we've heard from the vice president, we've heard from the secretary that this should not happen. but as we wait for the results of that investigation, what goes through your mind when you see those pictures and what needs to happen here? >> well, they're treating people like animals in that video. and there needs to be more moral clarity from the president on down that that's not right, that it's not going to happen. that there will be consequences for federal employees who treat people like that. and look, i know that joe biden is a good man. i know that he wants to do the right thing by these people who are seeking a better life in his country -- >> but is it possible that this has gotten away from him. the administration has acknowledged that they were surprised by the pace of people coming in. >> that's possible. and look, you know, anytime you have thousands of people were there sleeping under the bridge, that's going to pretend challenges, right? and at the same time, we're a country of almost 350 million people. this country has more resources than any country around the world. there are countries much bigger than the united states that take in multiple times of refugees than we do. so this is a situation that can be managed. that resources should be dedicated to those communities or those local border communities around there, that are dealing with this, but also to make sure that these individuals, these migrants, these refugees, the asylum seekers, are treated with respect, treated with compassion, instead of being whipped with a horse ring. >> julian castro, thank you so much. morgan chesky, thank you so much for your ongoing reporting from there. we're also following some breaking news out of louisville, kentucky. a teenager is dead after an apparent drive-by shooting at a bus stop. and another teen and a juvenile were also injured in the shooting. police say those shots were fired around 6:30 this morning, as three were waiting for the bus. several other kids were at that bus stop at the same time, although thankfully they weren't hurt. the suspect has not been apprehended and police are asking anyone with information to contact them. coming up, former president donald trump is filing a lawsuit against most people, including his own niece. we'll explain why. you're watching msnbc reports. y. you're watching msnbc reports. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® works differently than any other diabetes pill to lower blood sugar in all 3 of these ways... increases insulin when you need it... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. people taking rybelsus® lost up to 8 pounds. rybelsus® isn't for peopl with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrin neoplasia syndrome type 2 or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. wake up to what's possibl with rybelsus®. ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today. finally yasso! a ridiculously creamy, crunchy, chocolatey dipped ice cream experience with 25% less calories because it's made with greek yogurt. so, thanks for everything ice cream, but we'll take it from here. yasso audaciously delicious right now we are in the middle of a couple of critical weeks for congress and president joe biden's agenda. lawmakers have a host of big items on their plate including funding the government and raising the debt limit, not to mention legislation to fix america's crumbling infrastructure and expand the social safety net. oregon congressman peter defazio, he's been in office almost 35 years, told my colleague sahil kapur, i've been here for cliffs and crises and wars and this is going to be the biggest mash-up i've ever seen since i've been here. joining me now, dan kildee. he's the chief democratic whip and sits on the budget and ways and means committees. good to see you. how you? >> i'm doing great, chris. thanks. >> talk to me about how you see where we are right now, congressman. because it's -- i keep using the word daunting this hour. but there is so much going on. there's clearly a split between moderates and more progressives in congress. what can and should the president do today when he meets with some of the members of the caucus to get this thing moving in a direction that gets it done? >> i think the message has to be really clear, doing nothing, not an option. and of course, defaulting on our bills, no way is that an option. we have to keep the government open. the hope i have is that this conversation can be focused on finding the boldest common denominator among democrats. clearly, republicans have taken themselves out of the conversation in the sense that they don't want to do anything at all. they want this administration to fail even if the country goes into a recession. they're okay with that. we can't be. our goal as to be, find the boldest step forward, hold hands, go back to the american people, implement what we can pass. and then we have an argument to continue to remain in a majority that allows us to take the necessary next steps. i hope that's the message that the president delivers today. >> it does seem, though, like the split is in the same place that it was weeks ago and months ago. it really hasn't changed. so what's going to change in the next couple of days? >> well, we have to create, number one, a greater sense of urgency. and i understand how this works. everyone is trying to use whatever leverage they think they have to maximum their position. that's fine. i'm okay with that, as long as the understanding is that there comes a moment where we have to hold hands and move forward. that means that some folks will have to give up priorities or lessen the pursuit of the priorities -- >> you're the whip, are you getting any indication that they're going to do that? >> i do get an indication from people across the spectrum that the option of doing nothing is no good. and that we have to come together. and that there is a deal to be had. we have to force that question. and hopefully that's what the conversation with the president today will achieve. >> one of the most pressing questions, obviously, is raising the debt ceiling. and i want to play for you what some of your house and senate colleagues have said when asked about this issue. >> what is the plan "b"? >> we're not going to let them off the hook. >> the plan "b" is there's no plan "b." you've got to pay your bills. >> what happens if the republicans block it? what's the plan "b"? >> then that's on the republicans. >> jon tester is always so straightforward. there's no plan "b." but, look, the debt limit needs to be raised some time next month, so how do you go about preventing the u.s. from defaulting? >> well, the idea that we're actually having this conversation because republicans are choosing to allow the u.s. government to fail to pay its bills in order to get at president biden or to get at democrats, it's like somebody holding a gun to their head and saying, if you don't do what i want, i'll shoot. this is bad for all of us. so there really isn't a plan "b." the question is, what's the mechanism that gets it across the finish line? and maybe it needs to be wrapped up into one big deal that can be passed with democrat-only votes. if that's what we have to do, i'm fine with that. it's a shame it's come to that. yesterday, every single republican in the house of representatives voted to default on our obligations. 3% of the national debt has occurred during joe biden's presidency, a lot of it under the trump presidency. but they want to forget that and force a default, to have the u.s. not pay its bills, to push us into a recession. people across the spectrum, in industry and in in workplace all know this is a stupid thing for republicans to do, but republicans embracing stupid. >> congressman john kildee, thank you. and nbc news confirming that the former president is suing "the new york times" and his niece, mary trump, over a story about his tax returns. the suit accuses them of engages in a quote, insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly sensitive records, which they exploited for their own benefit and puts damages at no less than $100 million. mary trump issued a statement among other things calling her uncle, quote, a loser. "the new york times" called the suit an attempt to silence news organizations. joining me now to break this all down, nbc news investigative correspondent, tom winter. hey, tom, look, we all know donald trump has always been a litigious guy, but tell us about this lawsuit. >> this lawsuit is squarely aimed at "the new york times'" reporting about the president's taxes and his lack thereof of paying those taxes and not filing -- well, he did file his returns, and how much taxes he paid over a series of years. so the allegation is that they say mary trump broke into his attorneys' offices and obtained a number of tax documents that were delivered to mary trump as part of litigation back after fred trump, donald trump's father, passed away. and they say that she took those documents and gave them to "the times" and that's what was behind their reporting. we don't know how that all went down, because we're not "the times'" reporters and we're not the people who publish the story. but they're saying that that amounted to tortious interference on behalf of the "new york times" reporters and that mary trump essentially broke her nondisclosure agreement. it's not clear to me, a couple of different things. one, how mary trump could have stolen documents that were provided to her and her attorneys as part of litigation, but it is possible that her nondisclosure agreement, and she's addressed some of this in the past, could have been broken by her. and it's not clear what "the new york times" communicated with mary trump. as far as this lawsuit, i think an interesting thing here, chris, is that it essentially proves the story. because if the documents were, in fact, fake, there would be no reason here to sue. the president called this a totally fake news when "the times" started publishing documents about his tax payments and about his tax returns, so this essentially substantiates their reporting, because otherwise, why would you sue and why would you claim damages? i think that's an important thing that we want to note in the reporting of this. as far as this lawsuit was filed in state court, in duchess county, new york. it's something that will obviously take some time to go through the courts there, chris. >> also worth noting that presidents release their tax returns, donald trump has not, claiming he's under the longest audit perhaps in the history of audits. tom winter, as always, appreciate your reporting. thank you. gabby petito's death now ruled a homicide. so the big question now is, where's her fiancee? we're live at the search site, next on "msnbc reports" t the se, next on "msnbc reports mm. [ clicks tongue ] i don't know. i think they look good, man. mm, smooth. uh, they are a little tight. like, too tight? might just need to break 'em in a little bit. you don't want 'em too loose. for those who were born to ride there's progressive. with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. think i'm gonna wear these home. -excellent choice. [slow electronic notes fade in] [fast upbeat music begins] with 24/7 roadside assistance. -okay. [music stops] and release. [deep exhale] [fast upbeat music resumes] [music stops] tide pods ultra oxi one ups the cleaning power of liquid. can it one up whatever they're doing? for sure. seriously? one up the power of liquid, one up the toughest stains. any further questions? uh uh! one up the power of liquid with tide pods ultra oxi. i became a sofi member because i needed to consolidate my credit card debt. i needed just one simple way to pay it all off. it was an easy decision to apply with sofi loans, just based on the interest rate and how much i would be saving. there was only one that stood out and one that actually made sense and that was sofi personal loans. it felt so freeing. i felt like i was finally out of this neverending trap of interest and payments and debt. ♪♪ to make my vision a reality. i have to take every perspective, and see clearly from every point of view. with my varilux progressive lenses i seamlessly transition from near to far. and see every detail in sharp focus. when you see no limits, there are no limits. book now at your local essilor experts to push the limits of your vision. varilux lenses by essilor. it's your home. and there's no place like wayfair to make the kitchen sink, the entertainment center. however you make it, make your next project like no other. without my medication, my small tremors would be extreme. i was diagnosed with parkinson's. i had to retire from law enforcement. it was devastating. one of my medications is three thousand dollars per month. prescription drugs do not work if you cannot afford them. aarp is fighting for americans like larry, and we won't stop. that's why we're calling on congress to let medicare negotiate lower prescription drug prices. (vo) unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. that's how we've become the leader in 5g. #1 in customer satisfaction. and a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. . right now, searchers are back at it in a huge florida wildlife reserve looking for gabby petito's fiance, who's a person of interest in her death. investigators want to talk to brian laundrie, who hasn't been seen in more than a week after wyoming officials confirmed that the body discovered sunday in a national park is petito and they ruled her death a homicide. joining me now from venice, florida, nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard. what's the latest on the search, vaughn? >> reporter: yeah, we're talking about a 40-square-mile area here, the carlton reserve. this is about 20 minutes from where brian laundrie was living. it was now more than three weeks ago, september 1st, that his family says he returned in that white van from the western part of the country, but without gabby. and ever since then, he was here, in florida, not providing any answers to any questions, including being uncooperative with authorities. and it was one week ago yesterday, now eight days ago, that the family says that he came to this reserve in a vehicle, to go on a hike. but now it's been eight days, they say, since he has been seen. it took them four days, though. it was last friday that they finally reported him missing to authorities. so there's a big question mark, where has brian laundrie gone over the course of the eight days? initially, they called off the search here in this reserve, but yesterday morning, they were back at it, and now 24 hours later here, this wednesday, they are at it here yet again. again, we're talking about a 40-square mile area, much of it swampland. a lot of the water is coming up to authorities' waists here. you've seen atvs and other swamp-like vehicles that have moved in to take part of the search. but authorities suggest this search could be far beyond this reserve area. one other thing we've got to note here is the fact that last night, the initial autopsy report came out from the coroner in wyoming, determining that, in fact, it was a homicide that led to gabby's death.waiting for that full autopsy report to be released from the coroner's office in wyoming to find out exactly how gabby was killed. but the family has been given the conclusion that this is, in fact, gabby and it was a homicide that led to her death in wyoming now more than three weeks ago. >> vaughn hillyard, thank you so much for that. petito's conference is all too common. the fbi last year declared near 55,000 people missing under involuntary circumstances. that's where they may be in danger. ten times that many went missing overall. nearly 40% of them, people of color. and in wyoming alone, hundreds of indigenous women and girls have disappeared, all garnering little or no attention. but petito's case has created an enormous following, galvanizing thousands of online sleuths who follow every development, come up with scores of theories, even post what they say the new evidence. joining me now, todd shipley, president of high technology crime investigation association. thank you for joining us. what are you seeing online in this case and why do you think the disappearance of gabby petito has garnered so much attention online? >> well, i think that we have to look at the fact that the youtubers and tiktokers have been following her for some time and she has a minor following out there and they were wondering what had happened to her. and when the moab sheriff's department video came out, i think that heightened everything. because once we saw that this was a domestic violence case and a romantic story gone sideways, that more people were interested in what was occurring with gabby and what happened to her. >> the online amateur detective phenomenon is nothing new. are we finding that new theories, new leads are generally helpful to the actual investigators, or are they more likely to cause a distraction? >> i think that they can be helpful, but the problem is, at what cost. the distraction is real. because, remember, law enforcement is not out there looking a youtube and tiktok, looking for evidence. these people are having that conversation, discussing things, and coming up with theories. and even posting things, because there has been videos posted of people finding the van. there's other, you know, comments about, you know, running into people. laundrie, specifically, and if it doesn't get translated to law enforcement correctly, it can be a huge distraction. and if everybody is reporting these things, then there's a lot of data that the law enforcement have to go through that could hinder the actual investigation rather than help the actual investigation. this is about quality. it's not the quantity of the information, it's about the quality of the information. >> do you see a situation in which the focus right now, the search for fiancee brian laundrie could be helped by citizen activists, by online activists? >> sure, i think if somebody sees him, they've got to report it. don't go to tiktok and say, hey, i just saw the guy. get on the phone and call law enforcement and say, he was here. there are real things -- i think there's a tendency for people to use social media to do the communication when it isn't really going to get to law enforcement in a timely manner if you don't pick up the phone and call them. >> there's a lot of frustration out there. i mentioned the stacks and it does seem that -- and i think we could qualify it, how many of these stories that become big news, that become -- that get the fascination online are of attractive white women, frankly. and we don't see that kind of attention paid when people of color or as i said, in wyoming, indigenous people. is that just something that is -- is that the case online as well? is that the -- are these the kind of cases that tend to garner a following? >> i don't know whether it's because of the color of her skin. i think that we see postings on facebook, missing people, of other social media all the time. i think what's garnered the attention in this particular case is that romantic story gone wrong. you know? and that there's video of this. most of the time we have cities full of homeless people that are reported missing probably someplace, and we aren't concerned about that, but this one is unique in the fact that she was already a minor personality online. she had this terrible video from a lab of her destruction personally and what was happening in her relationship, and so it intrigued people now, because now we have this woman who is in this domestic violence situation, and apparently can't get out of it and dent know how and doesn't take the advice of law enforcement. at some point she goes back to laundrie. >> todd shipley, thank you so much. appreciate your time. up next, you could say it's a covid success story. puerto rico leading the u.s. in vaccinations. we'll talk about that when we come back. we'll talk about that when we come back. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. is mealtime a struggle? introducing ore-ida potato pay. where ore-ida golden crinkles are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime. alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. potato pay them to. say hello to your fairy godmother alice and long-lasting gain scent beads. try spring daydream, now part of our irresistible scent collection. ♪ when you hear 'cough cough sneeze sneeze' ♪ it's time for ♪ 'plop plop fizz fizz' ♪ alka seltzer plus cold relief, dissolves quickly... instantly ready to start working. so you can bounce back fast with alka-seltzer plus. growing up in a little red house, on the edge of a forest in norway, there were three things my family encouraged: kindness, honesty and hard work. over time, i've come to add a fourth: be curious. be curious about the world around us, and then go. go with an open heart, and you will find inspiration anew. viking. exploring the world in comfort. in 2016, i was working at the amazon warehouse when my brother passed away. and a couple of years later, my mother passed away. after taking care of them, i knew that i really wanted to become a nurse. amazon helped me with training and tuition. today, i'm a medical assistant and i'm studying to become a registered nurse. in filipino: you'll always be in my heart. we're moments away from the president convening a virtual summit of world leaders to talk about ways to end what is the deadliest pandemic in history. killing more than 4 .5 million people worldwide. at home covid cases are going down in some parts of the country but not in the northwest. gabe gutierrez has the story. no spokane, washington, they are turning down more than half of patient transfers because there's not enough room. >> reporter: how frustrating is it that a year and a half into this pandemic, you're still having to deal with this? >> this was a really tough week. i'm finishing seven days in the icu. it's an emotional roller coaster. >> reporter: some hospitals are considering whether to activate what's known as crisis standards of care. essentially, guidelines for how to ration resources. several miles down the freeway is the idaho border. a state with few covid restrictions, no mask mandate, and one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. >> idaho is known for its prideful independence, and so we have certainly struggled with vaccination rates as we know. and that struggle has translated into a hospital system and a health care system that's overwhelmed. >> reporter: to relieve the pressure on hospitals, idaho has officially ax activated crisis standard of clear. this clinic is being changed to an antibody center. in montana billings clinic is limiting echo treatments, external machines that function as a critical patient's heart and lungs. we toured the icu earlier this month and met a 24-year-old, patrick. >> i would not wish this stuff on my worst enemy. >> reporter: days later, he was placed on a ventilator and this weekend passed away. he leaves behind a young son. >> every time we moved him, we weren't sure if the end was going to be in that moment. and so i just wanted to be there to hold his hand. >> such a tragic and unnecessary loss. our thanks to nbc's gabe gutierrez. that's going to wrap up this hour for me. thank you for watching. a programming note. starting this monday, jose diaz-balart will be in this chair 10:00 a.m. eastern. tune in. we pick up with more news right after this quick break. for sure. seriously? one up the power of liquid, one up the toughest stains. any further questions? uh uh! one up the power of liquid with tide pods ultra oxi. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. alright. y'all know when they say your home is a reflection of you? well helene found herself in a lamp. no joke. i got a fancy grown up lamp to make me feel like a fancy grown up. mhm. adulting ain't easy. ooh! check this one out. waffles loves her dog bed. we can hardly get her out of it. she's kind of a diva. yes, waffles! living your best life. [woof] i'm telling y'all there's no place like wayfair to make your home totally you. ooh! i want that. hi, i'm steve and i live in austin, texas. i work as a personal assistant to the owner of a large manufacturing firm. i've got anywhere from 10 to 50 projects going at any given time. i absolutely have to be sharp. let me tell ya, i was struggling with my memory. it was going downhill. my friend recommended that i try prevagen and over time, it made a very significant difference in my memory and in my cognitive ability. i started to feel a much better sense of well-being. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. good morning, everybody. right now two big pandemic events with big implications for our fight with this virus. any second now at the white house you have president biden kicking off a virtual summit with world leaders. he's setting ambitious goals. he's looking to level the playingfield by promising hundreds of millions of new vaccine doses to lower income countries. plus a hercules task aiming to get 70% of the global population vaccinated by next september. this summit is coming as an advisory committee to the cdc meets