up in ukraine, became the first american lawmakers to visit the country since the russian invasion began. senator danes metd with the mayor of bucha and travelled throughout the town. and millions are heading to the airports for the holiday weekend. we'll get the latest from the busiest airport amid a spike in covid concerns. we begin with molly hunter in kyiv. the ukrainian people are are getting a huge morale boost that their claim they sank that ship. >> reporter: yeah, andrea. that's right. it was a huge strategic loss and symbolic for both sides. as you mentioned the exact order of events is disputed. ukraine says they hit the russian warship with missiles. russia says they evacuated everyone. russia does admit the ship has actually sunk but does not say it was hit by ukrainian fire. while this is a symbolic loss, it probably won't immediately impact russia's ability to continue to blockade the coastline. and we've been monitoring additional threats from russia. they say they'll continue ramping up, increase their missile fire on the capitol. we do have reports from ukrainian officials that three missile strikes were carried out in the kyiv area. we do not exclude a possibility, officials say, on any blows from objects. the other news you mentioned, that dispatch first reported of russia complaining about u.s. aid. now, the white house official tells our kelly o'donnell this shows the effectsiveness of our weapons delivery and security assistance to ukraine. because russia is getting upset. our weapons assistance is making a difference. that is how the u.s. government is reading this. the u.s. and european allies are contributing billions worth of weapons to ukraine. also says the state department spokesperson says the ukrainian partners are using the aid to extraordinary effect. andrea. >> thanks to molly hunter. thank you very much. and of course, joining us now, former u.s. ambassador to russia, michael mcfall and former ambassador to nato. first of all, let me play an answer from another former u.s. ambassador to russia. cia director, william burns. when asked from senate arm services chairman, about how a cornered vladimir putin might use weapons. >> given the potential desperation of president putin and the russian leadership, given the setbacks they've faced so far militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons. >> so, bill burns does not -- is not an alargest. alargest. might he >> first of all, we need play the second sentence after that clip. that's the clip everybody's watching. and i watched the clip last night. a great interview. everybody should watch it. he said so far they have nodes evidence to suggest, new evidence to suggest he's thinking about using nuclear weapons. i think that's an important sentence to add to the clip getting all thutengsz. of course, it's hoy. of course he's blustering all kinds of threats. this memo that was loced, that we're seeing if you keep supplying. and these are hard choices. i want to be clear. i don't envy the biden administration for making these choices when facing the threats. but on the three big packages of threats, i think two of the three are off the table. one strategic nuclear war with us off the table. they mated that crystal clear. attack on nato. i think that's a very, very low probability event. if you're losing against ukraine, you're going to attack the most powerful alliance in the world, anchored by the most powerful military in the world? i think that's very unlikely. the tactical nuclear weapon is the one i worry about in particular because that is something thapt is in their doctrine and 2, we have not made clear we will response in a commiserate way. we've been ambiguous about that. i think we need to be careful to assume that would be what he does. he does that, he alienates the entire world, not just us. >> let me follow up on that because there's potentially more concern to come. just this week we saw finland and sweden are talking about, within weeks, asking nato for membership. something they never would have considered before because of their long-held neutrality, held by finland and both women, by the way, meeting wednesday in stock home and saying yes, and by all indications, they have met all the requirements. he has said they've met the requirements and this could happen. the path towards nato membership. if that were to happen in june, as early as the nato meetings, rather in june, how would putin react to that? that's an 830 mile border. i don't need to tell you. >> that i believe already signalled they're going to move nuclear weapons to the borders. but they've already done that. i think we need to disentangle rhetorical threats and actual movements. at the beginning of the war, afterall, putin said very scary things. i was worried that we had put our nuclear forces on a new higher alert. and turned out they didn't do that. turned out that was a bluff. i don't want to in any way it minnish how scary it is. but the consequences of not doing things are also important. and in this case, i think we will be enhanced as an alliance and our new members, if they choose to join, will be enhanced. the consequences outweigh the negative consequences of not doing that. >> i want to ask you the same question. there was an interview in the atlantic done by colleagues and friends, jeffrey goldberg and apple boum. president zelenskyy expressed frustration with the process of getting weapons. he said when some leaders ask what weapons i need, i need a moment to calm myself because i already told them the week before. it's groundhog day. i feel like bill murray. they're not against us. they just live in a different situation. as long as they haven't lost their parents and children, they do not feel the way we feel. is there an understandable disconnect between zelenskyy on the phone with president biden this week and the speed with which these weapons are arriving and not getting everything he wants? >> i mean there's an understandable disconnect in the sense that he is there fighting for the foucher of his country, indeed for the survival of his country. and we are here trying to figure out how to help him best. every minute is a minute too long. every hour is an hour too late. for the shipment of weapons. i do think it is important, however, to underscore that we are now sending large amounts of weapons. we should continue to do so because our aim, as jake sullivan, the national security advisor said this weekend, is a free and independent ukraine. and we are not going to get a free and independent ukraine without ukraine actually being able to, not only stop the invasion but reverse it. and that requires major military capabilities. we should be aware that the russians have a vote in this. not only on the ground in ukraine but the possibility that they could escalate in the way that you and mike were talking about. i agree with mike that we shouldn't be self deterred. to the contrary. we should send a very, very clear signal to moscow that that kind of escalation is not only unacceptable but would lead to the kind of consequences he doesn't want, which is the possibility of united states, nato directly coming to the aid of ukraine. if a nuclear weapon gets used, a large-scale use of chemical weapons is forthcoming, they need to know that the war changes. that our calculations will change. that our willingnesses to engage will change. as a result of that. and that's the kind of message that i hope we're is sending quietly. no necessary to doso openly. but it is a message that needs to be sent. >> and as a 230r78er nato ambassador, would you support from the u.s. perspective, the admission of finland and sweden? >> oh, absolutely. i think our problem over the last 30 years isn't that we haven't -- we've gone too far when it comes to nato enlargement. i think the war in ukraine shows we haven't gone far enough. the countries that are members of nato are protected. if finland and sweden want to join, who are we to say no? their security requires, if they believe security required to be part of the alliance, we believe that's their right and we should do so. not only does that mean we will have an obligation to defend these two countries, but they will have an obligation to defend the rest of nato, including the baltic states, which remain expoegszed, no matter the outcome of the war when it comes to russian capabilities. i think european security will be enhanced and the security of finland and sweden will be enhanced and russian security will be enhanced. that poses no threat to russia. is in everyone's interest. >> and just finally, mike mcfall zb you heard anything more about the opposition leader who was arrested shortly after doing interviews on msnbc and cnn for criticizing the kremlin? >> well, he's in custody. he has a fantastic lawyer. sounds like it will be a 15-day arrest. and hopefully he will leave the country right after that. we need vladimir on programs just like this. he can't do that from a jail cell in russia. >> we hope this -- it will be brief. this is a man who has survived at least two poisonings by the russians and somehow bravely went back. thank you so much, mike mcfall, the two ambassadors today. and today at 2:00 eastern, state department spokesperson, ned price will join my colleague, katy tur for the response from ukraine and the latest response. and one of the holiest days for christian wbz muds lms and jews and the ramadan and first day of passover all being observed today. violence ept ared after israeli police entered the most sacred arab site ahead of ramadan prayers and what palestinians say was an unprovoked attack leaving more than 150 palestinians injured. they say some were throwing rocks and collected more objecs to hurl at officers. the mosque reopened after they made hundreds of arrests. israel has been in the stage of high alert after a number of recent terror attacks in recent weeks. threatening the stability of a fragile coalition government. and covid concerns at home. what you need to know about the rising number of cases and travel protocols as families are getting together, gathering over the holidays. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc no, no, no. they're both invested... in green energy. and also each other. digital tools so impressive, you just can't stop. what would you like the power to do? 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to its name already. there was a snag earlier this morning for the better part of an hour or so. officials were dealing with a suspicious package that shut down two of the three security check points. that means all the traffic was routed to one. no issue the. it's just another example of potential delays people are running into this holiday weekend. here they're expecting to see short of 2 million passengers over the entire holiday week. this really mirrors what we're seeing from airport to airport. tsa says over the last week, they processed nearly 2.1 million travellers every day, just shy of prepandemic levels. over a million up from this time last year or nearly more than a million than last year this time. it's clear airport travel is on the rise. but they're still dealing with staffing shortages and they're struggling to keep up. in fact, jet blue announced they're slashing some of the summer schedule by as much as 10% going to flights this summer. triple a has tips for people trying to get flights but hoping to not deal with any potential delays. they say the simplest step is to book early in the morning. more likely they'll take off on time. and as delays start to build, and book a flight. >> thank you. lots of good advice and joining us for more good advice is a critical care pulmonologist, and assistant professor at the university of washington. thanks so much for being with us. the beginning of a holiday weekend. and a lot of americans are traveling over the holiday and many going indoors in large and small groups. should we expect a similar uptick in cases? already seeing in d.c. before the holiday. similar to what we saw? >> reporter: great to see you. good afternoon. i think the answer will bow yes. even though we're testing yes. if you have a rapid at home test, you're watching this right now and you test yourself after you arrive to your destination with a rapid test, we're not necessarily recording those to a department of public health. we may not actually see it formally reported, dramatic increase in cases. but probably increased transmission. what we expect and these -- we expect hospitalizations will continue to decline day over day and the next six months, which is good news. the next six months until at least the end of october. hopefully continue unstressing of hospitals. i think winter of 2022 is a different story. >> because i travel internationally and you have to get tested and show a negative test before you get a boarding pass is new mexico you don't have to. you just have to be masked. so, people who have have covid could be on those airplanes, right? >> that's absolutely right. that's why the federal mask mandate has been extended for a few weeks. there's many of us and flight attendants who say we would like that mask mandate in case until kiddose under five, until everybody has access to a vaccine. because there is that risk somebody still might have the virus, might be able to transmit it. i think airplane cabins are very safe. there's fantastic ventilation. everybody's masking. i would like to see those stay in place until kids under five have the vaccine. >> airlines are pressing really hard. they cried bloody murder after the extension. and the industry says it's arer not fair to keep the mask in place in mass transit, although a lot of us who travel feel more comfortable on all kinds of public transit with the mask. >> i think that's right. and the workers, flight attendants, to parents to young children. i'm hearing directly from that demographic, especially. of course our high-risk individuals, we're all doing our part to cope them safe. the vaccines aren't as effective in that group. it's wise to keep these mandates in place until, and this is down the pipe, until the update clears. >> the fda did authorize the first covid-19 breath test, like a breathalyzer test. how is that going to work? >> anything that's living. and this may seem odd to everybody watching. but a plant or, in this case, a virus, emitts fumes or a scent. we can't smell covid-19 or the virus that causes covid-19 the way we can smell a scent from a plant. but this can pick up the scent, the signature, these fumes that the virus emitts in somebody who's positive, in a breathalyzer test. it's unique, innovative testing that's been worked on for the past few years. many companies are working on it. this could be the way we start to test people if we need to in masks at large gatherings in airports. it's cost effective and performs very well. if you're negative on the test, the chances you're negative are very high. the risk of a false negative is very low with the specific modality, it's good news. >> i guess it's based on the same science as the dogs that were being used to sniff out covid. >> you know, somewhat similarly. dogs can pick up on the fumes that humans cannot. but a similar type of underlying scientific principal. >> thanks for all the scientific advice and wishing you a very healthy, happy holiday weekend. to you and your family. thank you. and shutdown. all abortion providers in kentucky effectively closed for the first time after roe v wade. and that's next. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. ♪ ♪ do your eyes bother you? because after all these emails, my eyes feel like a combo of stressed, dry and sandpaper. strypaper? why do we all put up with this? when there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients like an electrolyte, antioxidant, even your tears' own moisturizer. and no preservatives. these ingredients are true to your eyes' biology. see? bio.true. you're pretty particular about keeping a healthy body. what goes on it... usually. ♪♪ in it... mostly. even what gets near your body. please please please take that outside. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 products. rigorously tested. walgreens pharmacist recommended... and particularly kind to your wallet. ♪♪ this week has seen an all-out assault against reproductive rights, culminating in kentucky. this week it was the first state to pass a law that effectively prevents all legal abortions being performed in clear violation of roe v wade which legalized it a half a century ago. not only banned it after 16 weeks, which is similar to the mississippi law being challenged in the supreme court and makes it impossible to meet additional legal requirements. including a requirement that rape victims seeking abortion would have to provide extensive details about the medical background and the home of their rapist with no form even made yet available to meet that requirement. that and other new regulations forced the immediate closure of the state's only remaining two abortion clinics in louisville. a spokesperson for planned parenthood says there's nothing in place for providers to comply with the law's regulations. two have been filed in federal court, asking a judge to intervene and blocked the law from taking effect at least while the case is being litigated. in governor, the governor signed a law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. that one modelled after the restrictive mississippi law under review by the supreme court. with the decision expected by the end of the term. two days before that in oklahoma, they signed a bill that makes performing an abortion illegal. the director of the aclu, freedom project. boston globe columnist and an attorney as well and our chief correspondent. first, the aclu is representing one of the louisville clinics. what are the latest in your battle trying to get an injunction? >> we filed an emergency temporary restraining order yesterday morning. we're waiting to hear from the court and it could be any day we get abortion services rezumed in kentucky. i want to be clear if you need an abortion in kentucky, contact the order and see if the order has been granted. we're fighting as quickly as we can to get abortion services resumed in kentucky. >> explain some of the extra poison pills, if you will, extra regulations that were written in to make it, in effect, impossible for the providers to fail them legally. >> so, the law is a 72-page labyrinth of very complicated restrictions that cannot be complied with until the state makes the forms and the other infrastructure necessary to comply. so, it's a classic catch 22. the providers can't provide abortions and comply with the law until the state makes those forms and creates those regulations. so, that's why this has shut down abortion temporarily for now because it's impossible to comply with the law that took effect immediately after the legislature over road the governor's are veto. >> and kimberley, just happening in kentucky. we have republican governors around the country, ron desantis, getting out front of the supreme court. this is modeled after the mississippi law, now under review by the supreme court. >> yes and they are moving forward, specifically with the expectation that the u.s. supreme court will is severely curtail, if not over rule roe is v wade in tirely. the are a lot of laws in place. other bans and restrictions in place that would go into effect the moment roe v wade is overerned, if it is to be overturned. and other things like the kentucky law, which basically bans abortion by red tape. or the florida law that is specifically modeled after mississippi, just in case the supreme court somehow rules that okay, we're not overturning roe v wade but 15 weeks is okay. we know many women have no idea they're pregnant or have so little time between finding out they're pregnant and being able to do anything, that finding a provider would bow difficult, if not impossible. so, it is a defacto ban. still, we're seeing states get around trying to keep the laws in place and surviving legal challenges. >> and if the supreme court weakens or overturns roe and all those who watch the oral arguments thought it was seeming very much that might take place. what does it mean for women in this country? you've got 26 states now who are certainly going to follow suit. they've already indicated that. >> already what we have is a patchwork, a mosaic, depending on where you are in the country and immense difficulty for those who live in places with more restrictions to be able to travel out and go to other places when they are seeking that abortion care because that is what we've seen happen. when the texas law -- the texas ban was passed, that was an incredibly restrictive six-week ban. and we've seen in the months after, i think between september and december, something like 5,000 women left the state to neighboring states, trying to seek that same abortion care. and that's what continues to happen in other places. of course, that also limits women's access. it costs money, time and resources that is not something that every woman has equal acis ses to, even if they know in plenty of time that they are pregnant and wish to get a legal and safe abortion. this is in anticipation of the potential supreme court ruling. as you mentioned the oral arguments in december did seem to indicate the justices had a willingness to potentially consider? overturning roe v wade or weakening it in some way. 50 years of protected right of access to legal and, more importantly, safe abortions for women. would be immediately halted. and those trigger laws that kimberley mentioned would immediately go into place. you've noted the republican governors. not just are republican governors but legislatures moving forward, introducing hundreds of restrictions to abortions in the last year. and it doesn't need to be an out-right ban. just needs to be enough layers of restrictions that essentially make it impossible for any clinic or provider to offer that kind of care to women and already we've seen it going into place and with the supreme court's unwillingness to step in on the texas ban, in particular, that's signaling to republicans and conservatives and those who oppose abortion rights that this is the time to act, to move forward. >> it is. it's good to point out in kentucky, for instance, it was a democratic governor who had vetoes the republican legislature's bill and what put the law into place was the override of the veto by the republican legislature, which is in ohio, a judge today did block the premature enforcement of the senate bill for the second time, preserving procedural abortion access to southwest ohio and that was a case that the aclu and others were involved in that. that temporary holding, i guess, injunction, similarly to what people tried to get in kentucky, right? >> exactly. my colleague just argued that this morning and we got a great decision from the bench right in the court room after argument. that preserved access in southwest ohio for now. but i think this idea of pushing abortion out of reach by layers and layers of restriction and all these bans really is the tip of the iceberg. we're in an abortion access crisis in the united states and i fear it's going to get worse when the supreme court decides in jooin. >> thanks for joining us. thanks for all of you. and the price you pay, the cost of food, gas and housing all hitting a four-decade high. will inflation-rising fuel costs hurt chances. g fuel costs hurt chances . clean ingredients... in a buttery brioche roll. made fresh, to leave you... speechless. panera's new chef's chicken sandwiches. $1 delivery fee on our app. i'm greg, i'm 68 years old. i do motivational speaking in addition to the substitute teaching. i honestly feel that that's my calling-- to give back to younger people. i think most adults will start realizing that they don't recall things as quickly as they used to or they don't remember things as vividly as they once did. i've been taking prevagen for about three years now. people say to me periodically, "man, you've got a memory 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bravecto! bravo! it's 5:00 a.m., and i feel like i can do anything. we've been coming here, since 1868. there's a lot of cushy desk jobs out there, but this is my happy place. there are millions of ways to make the most of your land. learn more at deere.com - hiring is step one when it comes to our growth. we can't open a new shop or a new location without the right people in place. i couldn't keep up until i found ziprecruiter. ziprecruiter helps us get out there quickly and get us qualified candidates quickly. they sent us applicants that matched what i was looking for. i've hired for every role, entry-level technicians, service advisors, store managers. ziprecruiter helps me find all the right people, even the most difficult jobs to fill. - [announcer] ziprecruiter, ratedthenumber one hiring site. try it for free at ziprecruiter.com with inflation at a 40-year high, the increase of everything is dragging the president's approval numbers to a new low. a new poll shows 35% approve of president biden's handling of the economy. amid concerns of a potential recession next year. traveling to north carolina yesterday, the president blames vladimir putin. >> putin's invasion of ukraine has driven up gas price and food prices all over the world. what people don't know is 70% of the increase in inflation was a consequence of putin's price hike because of the impacts on oil prices. 70%. we need to address these high prices and urgently. >> joining me now is former top economic advisor to president obama, professor austin and "washington post" columnist, eugene robinson. great to see both of you. austin, first, how concerned are you about where we are. you have a solid economy, the job numbers wage increases, but inflation and the prospects of recession. >> yeah. that's a good summary. the strongest part of the economy by far is the job market. it's amazing. the unemployment rate is way down. you've seen strong wage growth, strong a lot of comeback and the weakest part of the economy definitely prices and inflation. you saw some good news and some bad news. we got inflation numbers that were up again but we knew they were going to be up because 11 of the 12 months we already know. the new month that we got was actually lower than what we thought it was going to be. so, maybe they're hoping, fingers crossed in the white house, that it means inflation starts to come down. but with war in ukraine, the president's not wrong that has a big impact on oil and gasoline prices. and so, they're probably just going to have to grit this out in an unpleasant way. >> and you got covid problems in china, which is making the supply chain even more complicated. they're manufacturing sector. eugene, what about the politics of all of this? we're paying more at the grocery store and the gas pump. is blaming russia going to work? last week's poll shows only 9% of voters accepted it was a putin price pump. the cnbc number has more people buying into that. maybe that's just the case of the atrocities and everything, all people are blaming putin for a lot of things in the last couple of weeks. >> right. i think from the biden administration point of view, it's worth a try. it's also largely true in that the rise in oil and gas prices is directly related to the war. at the same time, you can't tell the american people everything is fine except gas and food and everything that's transported around the country by gas and oil, you can't say that. so, on the one hand, you hope that things moderate a bit before the midterms and on the other, as president biden effectively is doing, throw yourself on the mercy of the court. this is a world historical event happening in ukraine. this is a fight for democracy and freedom and there are some costs that are going to have to be born. >> and eugene, we haven't even begun to feel the full impact of food prices because of wheat and other agricultural exports from russia that are now sanctioned and ukraine, the -- you can't harvest in a war zone. >> right. and that impact is going to be felt more in countries, especially a lot of poorer countries around the world that depend on that russian and ukrainian wheat. and won't be able to get it. that's going to be a looming crisis and i hope we're able to address it. but you're right. the worst may not yet be here. >> the challenge for the federal reserve is extraordinary. austin, one of the governors acknowledging this week that the fed can't do it all when it comes to inflation and is a careful balancing act. others have said this could tip into recession. would kind of be nice, i expect for the fed, if they could get confirmed by the united states senate, when the senate comes back in a week and they have now nominated today michael barr, the federal reserve for that and had to withdraw from because she was not going to be confirmed. i suspect you may have worked with him because he was in the clinton and obama white house in the treasury. and the state department. and michigan. the state epidemic, potential and what we expect if confirmed. and partly responsible. >> i work closely with michael barr. i'm a big fan. he's obviously supremely qualify to do the job, which is be the vice chair for supervision. and he's one of the architects of the reregulation of the financial sector coming out of the crisis. they've got to get these fed nominees confirmed. as you highlight, this is a very precarious moment for the economy. and we need the fed at full compliment with all the governors, vice chairs, in there helping us address this. i would say maybe the only less comfortable position, hotter seat, than to be in the white house dealing with the inflation is to be at the fed, when they're dealing with the inflation. because the fed is the point institution, if someone says there's inflation, who's job is it to go stop the inflation? everybody points to the fed. they're geting it from both sides. one side saying you need to have less monetary simulation and cool the economy and the other side saying we're facing supply shocks, wars, we got supply chain disruptions if you raise the rates too much. >> well, thanks to all of you and we wish you a very happy holiday weekend. >> and to you and your family. and delivered safely. the new mission for u.s. combat veterans helping pregnant ukrainians escape the violence. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. your spirit is stronger than your highs and lows. your creativity can outshine any bad day. because you are greater than your bipolar i, and you can help take control of your symptoms - and ask about vraylar. some medicines only treat the lows or highs. once-daily vraylar is proven to treat depressive, acute manic, and mixed episodes of bipolar i in adults. full-spectrum relief for all bipolar i symptoms. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual 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software. visit paycom.com for a free demo. hon? first off, we love each other... i could've waited to tell my doctor my heart was racing just making spaghetti... but i didn't wait. i could've delayed telling my doctor i was short of breath just reading a book... but i didn't wait. they told their doctors. and found out they had... atrial fibrillation. a condition which makes it about five times more likely to have a stroke. if you have one or more of these symptoms irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or lightheadedness, contact your doctor. this is no time to wait. we have breaking news on the war on ukraine. reuters is reporting has now confirmed that the u.s. believes the russian flag ship was indeed hit by two ukrainian missiles. that ship sank that day. russia denied that and said the damage was caused by a fire on board but the fire was from the missiles. today an update on the story of brian stern, a 9/11 first responder whose nonprofit organization project dynamo has now overseen nearly 400 rescue missions since the start of the russian invasion and helping ukrainian surrogate mothers. back with us now is danielle. thanks for being with us. tell us about brian and what he has achieved now in getting these pregnant women out. >> absolutely. thank you so much for having me. i've been keeping in contact with brian as part of my ongoing coverage on the war in ukraine for "today" parents. he was receiving a lot of requests for international couples for them to save their surrogate babies. unfortunately the surrogate mothers themselves were not getting the same level of concern or media attention. he thought what the right thing to do was instead of leaving them in russian occupied towns and war zones in danger was to transport all of them to one safe location where they could stay, they could have access to food, water, shelter, electricity, anything they needed, medical care. that's exactly what he's done. this is an ongoing operation. they've code named it aquarius. so far they've rescued five surrogate mothers at various stages of pregnancy. one was 39 weeks pregnant. they traveled over 1,500 miles to five different towns, sometimes taking multiple trips to get to them. one woman they had to try three separate times because a bridge was lined by russian forces. they've got 29 more surogates on a list and he's going to keep at it until all of them are safe. they are being moved to a safe house that project dynamo operates they call it club dynamo. logistically they can't take the women across the border, there are so many different barriers considering that the surrogate babies haven't been born yet, there are no birth certificates, those kinds of issues have arisen, so this is what brian came up with himself to keep them safe until they give birth. >> such a blessing. so now 25 surrogates, though, still need to be rescued from ukraine. the team doesn't currently have a gynecologist on staff. what can americans watching help to do? >> absolutely. so they don't have a gynecologist. they are lucky enough to secure two medical professionals that come with them. they asked the surrogate agencies to supply a gynecologist to go with them, they refused. and they are 100% just funded back by funds from americans and people around the world who want to help. so if they can and want to, please go to their organization online and can you donate 100% of the proceeds does go to these kinds of operations. >> we'll put that up online as well. thanks so much, danielle. it's always good to see you. bringing us a little ray of sunshine from the war zone. >> and we want to pay tribute to an american hero who meant so much to baseball and to generations of fans. today we celebrate the 75th anniversary of jackie robinson breaking the color barrier and becoming a hall of fame career baseball player despite having to overcome unspeakable abuse from fan, opposing teams and even from some of his own teammates in those early years. jackie robinson's legacy has lived on, especially in baseball where his number, 42, has been retired by all teams and on every day on this date, every team wears number 42. his wife, rachel robinson, now 99 years old, has spent decades leading the foundation to help minority students through scholarship opportunity and leadership training. that does it for us for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." i want to say a very happy passover and happen easter to all of you observing and to our many muslim friends. chuck todd and "mtp daily" starts right after this. p daily" starts right after this. ♪ ♪ we believe there's an innovator in all of us. ♪ ♪ that's why we build technology that makes it possible for every business... and every person... to come to the table and do more incredible things. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for whatchya... line? need. liberty biberty— cut. liberty... are we married to mutual? only pay for 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