also this hour, we're looking at a new report detail the wall along the u.s. southern border. and a large wildfire is blazing through the northern part of the state of neemz. teresaleger fernandez will join us with more. and right now, in ukraine, hundreds of civilians and ukrainian fighters remain trapped inside a steel plant in mariupol. the very latest stronghold in the besieged port city. this morning, the mariupol city council said people are still waiting to evacuate after more than 100 people were able to make it out over the weekend. and we're just now getting an inside look, these are the horrors they experienced. matt bradley has the very latest. >> we heard from people who have come here, they mostly come, some, a couple from villages and towns outside mariupol. some from only 40 minutes away from here, and still, their cars are little shrapnel marking, bits, it looks like they have fragments of weapons, and they are carrying signs that say children. and white flags hanging from their mirrors and antenna this. internationally recognized signal, do not shoot, yet we still see bombed-out, burned-out cars, carrying the sign that says children in russian, carrying those white flags, that so clearly has v-been the victims of shooting, bombardment, shrapnel, it is terribly sad and so are the people that we keep saying who are arriving, some of them, you can tell on their faces just signs of horrific desperation. >> matt bradley, thank you. this morning, house speaker nancy pelosi and a group of lawmakers are headed back to the u.s. after meeting with polish president duda in war saw a few hours ago. it comes after they met with ukrainian president zelenskyy, in a show of solidarity, with the ukrainian resistance. and also this week, first lady jill biden will head to romania and slovakia for a five-day trip to meet with refugees of this war. joining us now, is nbc news correspondent erin mclaugh lin in kyiv and in washington, nbc news capitol hill correspondent ali vitali, and barry mccaffrey, retired four star jen and a military analyst. let me start with you, what's the latest in ukraine, erin. >> all eyes on the devastated port city of mariupol, where yet another evacuation attempt was supposed to be under way. at the helm of the united nations as well as the international red cross, they were supposed to move out to one of the besieged city suburbs today to evacuate even more civilians, although there seems to be some sort of delay, and civilians have been waiting there, for hours, unclear why, the reasons for the delay, following yesterday's successful mission in which the u.n. and the red cross were able to facilitate the evacuation of about 100 women and children, from the steel plant, the last ukrainian stronghold inside of the city, and they were not able to evacuate all civilian, some 200 civilians remain trapped in the plant, including 20 children, as well as hundreds of ukrainian fighters, some of those fighters injured. i was speaking to one of the wives of the fighters, they have been appealing to the international community, for help, and this woman 24 years old, and her 24-year-old husband is trapped inside and she is asking for help. take a listen. >> i asked how are you, and the reply that they try to stay strong also. they keep strong, and they believe that, they believe that the whole world will help them, and they believe the extraction, that they could be extracted from this hell, from the mariupol. they are waiting for our help. >> meanwhile, fighting continues across the east and the southern portions of the country. ukrainian military officials telling me that there are signs that russia is amassing even more forces on border to try to strengthen its assault on the donbas region. this, as united nations this morning put out staggering number, 5.5 million ukrainians believed to have left this country, so far, and although, in a sign of optimism, over the weekend, in a 24-hour period, 40,000 ukrainians returned. jose? >> erin mclaughlin in kyiv, thank you very much. general, russia has not really taken complete control of mariupol but it appears close. what's your reading on that? >> well, i think the larger reality is, it's been an utter tragedy for the ukrainians. 20,000 estimated dead, the city destroyed, the remnants of fighters courageously continuing to battle on, hundreds still trapped, it's an utter tragic humanitarian disaster, and having said that, the defenders have bought time for ukraine to receive western military technology, and gained the parity they need to smash the russian army in the east. the ukrainians are a part of this fight for a thousand years, it is remarkable tragic situation, but an indication of the courage and the tenacity of the ukrainian armed forces. >> general, just wondering, because we're listening, erin mclaughlin's piece on the person whose husband is in mariupol, who is in there, as one of the defenders of that steel plant, saying that there is little help that they can be extracted. it seems like a difficult mission to extract fighters in there when there is so much russian forces, and i'm curious, general, when you were saying that, you said the word parity, between ukrainian forces and russian forces, what did you mean by that? >> well, look, i think the defense of mariupol has sucked in a huge number of russian forces in the south. russian marines and army, and the forces came out of crimea, they battled for now 60-some-odd days, they have suffered huge casualties, that has given a period of time for ukraine's major army units to re-equip with nato-provided arms. the actual man power right now, many people are estimating there's a one-on-one relationship between ukrainian forces and russian forces. the technology differences has been intense, with the russians having a five to one superiority in the air. but on the ground, some estimates now say the russians emitted 70% of their total combat power, and the ukrainians are fighting them to a standstill. the russians are now bringing in units, mobilizing conscripts, they're desperate for man power and bringing in mercenaries from chechnya and syria. i would be sort of optimistic that in the coming 30 day, the ukrainians can take out more chunks of the russian army in the east. that's the central battle. mariupol will be lost. it will go down in history as a courageous defense. >> alli, tell us a little bit more about the speaker's trip to kyiv. >> this was a trip that was put together quickly and kept secretly until the speaker was on the ground. she is there with a delegation of democrat, leaders of key committees here on the hill, and it comes as the focus here in washington remains on how best to support ukraine in this continued war that russia has brought to its front doorstep. you're seeing there on the screen, some of the head frts committee, jason grow, gregory meek, adam schiff alongside pelosi and ukrainian president zelenskyy, and you heard pelosi on the ground there reiterate the support that the u.s. has for ukraine in this fight, and now the real work will begin, once the house comes back to washington. the senate of course in town this weekend, trying to work on that $33 billion covid aid package that will include not just continued military and humanitarian assistance, but also money towards the reconstruction of ukraine. the battlefront here though in washington on this piece is bipartisan support for the aid package itself, and of course, for ukraine, but where it comes together is in the process. and whether or not they're going to end up linking this particular ukraine aid package with a separate covid relief package. that's all going through the senate this week. speaker pelosi before leaving town said she would be okay with linking those two things and this is the way the legislative process works, jose, even if time is of the essence. >> ali, were the republicans invite god to go on this trip? >> there were republicans who were invited to go on this trip and they declined and you ended up with a ust cler of democrats to go to ukraine along with the speaker. she is the highest ranking u.s. official to go there ps and first lady jill biden is in the region meeting with people about the refugee situation and you heard erin mclaughlin say earlier 5 million refugees out of ukraine so far. we should note that even though this trip was just democrats, republicans have done their own congressional delegation to the region in the last few weeks and while they didn't go together this time, that is not to say there haven't been republicans on the ground there, too. >> ali vitali, general mccaf fy, thank you for being with us. joining us to continue the conversation, is the mayor of the capital kyiv. mayor, it's great to see you, let's talk a little bit about the capital, residents there are being urged to stop driving and use public transportation, and conserve dwindling fuel supplies. how is kyiv doing? >> actually, right now, it is much better, because we have in the last couple of days, people are coming to the hometown, they have moved back, and by the way, the infrastructure along kyiv, it is destroyed, and we have a lot of loss, and it's not so easy life, and we, if you see, we have our problems right now with gasoline in the station, but as things go, we have the products, water, and medical help come to our hometown. and we need the peace, and we need to protect the sky above our head. >> how does that happen, mayor? how do the skies in ukraine become protected by the ukrainians? how does that happen? >> we give our army, our warriors give the best to defend our home country, to defend our cities, the russian forces have already moved back from the city, but we have had the bombings in kyiv, and we have the help there, and the wreckers there, and you can see the pictures, this is just three days ago, or four days ago, the russians destroyed an apartment building, one person was killed and ten were injured. and no one is given a guarantee. and no one is given a safety guarantee for any citizens so far in our hometown. and also our home country. >> mayor, the russians over the weekend, they were saying they didn't want or need zelenskyy to surrender, they just needed him to give the order for the armed forces of ukraine to simply lay down their arms. you have used some colorful language in the past, but how would you describe what the russians are doing in ukraine? >> it's genocide of the ukrainian population. never believe russians. russians always lie. russians always explain not truths. we think the russians will be stopped, the agreements not, everyone knows in the war, the russians, by donetsk, and the nation's support for this regime, and stopping the propaganda war against ukraine, but it doesn't stop, nobody believes the russians can make a war against ukraine, but they did that. they are talking about compromise. i don't know what they talk about. we have to give part of the ukrainian territory to the russians? it is not compromise. we are ready to talk about compromise if the russian soldiers left our country. but i want to say, thanks to our forces, ukrainian forces, because we are remaining strong and working on the russian army, much bigger, much more equipment, but as a former fighter, it's not important how big are you, how strong are you, it is much more important wheel to wheel. it's the main point. because i explain to you, exactly simple points. our soldiers, fighting and defending our families, our children, if the russian soldiers fighting for the money, and the questions, if you are ready to die for the money, or are you ready to die defending your children? there is a simple answer. and that right, they show their big resolve, and destroy the russians, and i believe ukraine wins this senseless war. >> mayor, thank you. thank you very much for being with us this morning. have you very much appreciate it. and we have breaking news out of the supreme court. let's get right to pete williams. pete, what is it? >> this is a defeat for the city of boston. it involved a controversy over flying a religious flag over boston city hall. the supreme court opinion today contains a helpful photograph of city hall in boston. it has three flag poles in front of the building. one flies the city flag. one flies the massachusetts state flag. which you can't see in this photo. it's up there at the top. and one is available for community groups to use to fly various flags to commemorate city events. and the city has largely allowed all comers except for a group called camp constitution which wanted to fly what it called the christian flag, which was a red latin cross on a blue background, against a white field, and the city said no, we can't do that, because that would be a violation of the establishment clause. that would be a government endorsement of religion, so we can't let it fly. and today, the supreme court said that argument doesn't fly. the court's ruling was 9-0. it unanimously said this was a public forum. boston created a public forum, open to all comers, and when it did that, it couldn't discriminate on the basis of viewpoint, and that's what it did when it said no to a christian group. so it's another ruling, this is not a ruling based on freedom of religion, however. this is based on free speech. pretty much consistent with what the supreme court has said in the past. if it was the government speech, if it was strictly boston's expression, then yes, the city could say who gets to fly the flag, and who doesn't. for example, the supreme court has said that the legends, the sayings that go on license plates, that's government speech, and the city can discriminate there, or the state can, but this is not, this is a public forum, the city created a public forum, open to all comers so it couldn't discriminate on the basis of viewpoint, jose. >> this is a 9-0 decision you say. >> exactly. unanimous. >> pete williams, thank you. >> you bet. still ahead, the unexpected and often deadly consequences of former president trump's raising the border wall in part of california. plus, could new mexico brace for worsening condition, as wildfires there explode over the weekend? 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visit findahandspecialist.com today to get started. 22 past the hour. more severe storms are expected tonight in the midwest and southern plains, take a look at this video. potential tornadoes and thunderstorms. incredible drone footage from kansas on friday night, this tornado ripping through part of the state. more than a thousand buildings were damaged. four people suffered minor injuries. tonight's weather is expected to hit oklahoma, north texas, kansas, missouri, and arkansas. and now, to new mexico, where high winds continue to make it extremely difficult to contain huge wildfires in the northern part of the state, those fires are now the largest in the country. hundreds of firefighters are fighting blazes that have burned almost 200,000 acres of land. officials say high winds over the weekend helped one fire double in size. thousands of people have already been evacuated. thousands more have been told to prepare for the possibility they may have to leave their homes. joining us now, new mexico congresswoman teresa leger fernandez who represents the area where those fires are raging. congresswoman, thank you for being with us. what is the situation where you are right now? you have been monitoring these so closely. >> yes, right now, i'm up north, people who have been evacuated from one place, they are needing to be evacuated once again. these are weather events that we have not seen, and we usually do not see in april. and so it's heart breaking. the other thing we need to point out is these are communities, there are 16 communities, that are evacuated. these are communities that have been here for other 200 years. and somebody might lose their home, they're not insured, they also are dependent on the forest around them, and upon the grazing pastures around them, for their livelihoods, so these forests, the forest fires are destroying over 200 years of living on the land, in these communities. >> so important, congresswoman, that you mentioned the 16 communities there that are in danger and affected, and thinking about so many communities through there, that are in the danger zone. how much worse could things potentially get? >> well, they are worried that it will come into las vegas itself. into those villages, wiping those towns out. the home i grew up with, it is on an evacuation notice. and like i said, we just, we are just experiencing winds like we've never seen before, and they anticipate that these winds will continue for several more days, and perhaps two weeks. so this fire is just, it's a hungry enraged entity that is just eating everything in its path. >> congresswoman, at least 16 communities affected, tell us, i know that they're just historic areas that so depend on the land, and these are people who many of them don't have insurance, and as you're saying, these are such vital areas, of our country, congresswoman. >> and i think we need to remember, it is one of the most beautiful counties. i represent a beautiful and beautifully diverse district. with, you know, i fight with some of thigh colleagues about my district is the most beautiful. and this is one of those incredible beautiful places. as i've said, inhabited, it was part of spain, this part of the country, right, and then part of mexico, and now part of the united states, and they are ranchers, they are farmers, they love their land, they have been stewards of their land for generations, and we are losing inter-generational homes, where, you know, the grandpa in is one house, the children and then the grandchildren and have all built on these lands, that are being eaten with the flames of this fire. >> so many roots, so many memories, so much history, for so many generations. congresswoman teresa leger fernandez, thank you for being with us in these very difficult times. all the best to you and all the folks in new mexico. still ahead the intense man hunt currently under way for an escaped prisoner and the guard that was supposed to be taking care of him. they have both disappeared? were they in on this? we'll talk about this next. you're watching jose diaz balart reports. xt you're watching jose diaz balart reports. ♪ i'm defeated ♪ ♪ feel mistreated ♪ ♪ i'm so angry, i'm singing a song ♪ ♪ cause i'm paying so much ♪ ♪ for home internet and that's just wrong! ♪ ♪ i've got t-mobile home internet! ♪ feel happy ♪ great ♪ very happy! ♪ good for you ♪ look how much money i'm saving right now ♪ wait, really? ♪ there's no hidden fees, ♪ ♪ no price hikes, one cord ♪ ♪ bro, wow ♪ introducing t-mobile 5g home internet. just $50 bucks a month. it's that simple. ♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 31 past the hour. in alabama, we're expecting more information in the next hour about the man hunt for an escaped inmate and a missing corrections officer. gabe guiterrez joins us with the latest. gabe, what is going on? >> jose, good morning. there are still many unanswered questions about whether this inmate may have had inside help and the u.s. marshal service is now offering a $10,000 reward for any information that helps crack this case. >> these are newly released images from an alabama jail, showing 6'9", 200 pound capital murder suspect casey white before he vanished friday. this morning, there's a growing man hunt and mounting questions about whether a corrections officer may have helped him escape. >> there's just no way really other than she assisted him. >> according to authority, the officer vicky white had said she was transporting the implement casey white, no relation, from jail to the courthouse, for a mental health evaluation. she also said she planned to go to a medical appointment after dropping him off. both claims were not true, investigators say. especially stunning because vicky white had been named employee of the year four times. she violated policy, the sheriff says, because two sworn deputies were supposed to be with a dangerous prisoner while he was transported. >> the fact that she violated policy, which is something she had never done, she has an unblemished record. >> vicky white is 56 years old, and a widow with no children. she has been with the department 17 years. but the sheriff says that the day before she went missing, she submitted her retirement papers. the investigators found her patrol car abandoned at this shopping center. >> all indications are that she assisted him escape. the question we're trying to answer, and we may not be able to answer this until we get her back safely, is did she do that willingly, or was someone from outside threatening her. >> casey white was serving time for a crime spree that included a home invasion and carnaling. in 2020, white was also charged with two counts of capital murder. after confessing to the 2015 stabbing of connie ridgway. white later pleaded not guilty and tried to escape the same jail he left friday. now, his son hopes he will be brought to justice. >> he's confessed and how did he get out. >> regardless how he got out, authorities believe the inmate could now be armed and the officer's service handgun and be very dangerous. so jose, we're expecting more information at a news conference in alabama in the next hour. jose? >> gabe guiterrez in new york. and by the way, i want to say, it's good to see you back, and i want to congratulate you for your extraordinary coverage of the ukraine war. you took an extraordinary job and i want to thank you for that. >> i appreciate that, jose. good to be back, thank you. and now to the grim toll from the desperate measures the migrants are taking to reach the united states. and a new study from the journal of the american medical association says there has been a huge increase in the number of people who have been injured, climbing over the border wall in the san diego area, since it was raised to 30 feet, and it used to be 20 feet, back in 2019. the study also found that the number of people killed while climbing over the barrier rose from zero to 16 during that period. with us now to talk about this, "washington post" reporter who covers immigration enforcement, he wrote about the study and it is a pleasure to see you. why what are migrants who have been injured saying about what this is doing, what is what happening there? >> well, i can tell you, while i was in san diego last week, i spoke to one young cuban man, a dentist, who had arrived in tijuana, and was rushed to the border wall, where he said a smuggler appeared with a ladder, and in very short time, he was, people were going up over the ladder, and it wasn't a clear way to get down, they were told to just slide down the other side, and as a mexican patrol car approached, the adults that were, they were waiting, started rushing over, and he said, once he got up to the top, he was basically knocked off. he ended up falling, and breaking his lower left leg, and when we spoke to him, he was recovering at the uc san diego health trauma ward. which has been receiving patients on a daily basis pretty much from border wall injuries. >> and so, nick, the smuggler, the coyotes, and these organizations, they are sending people to this area, even though this wall is much more dangerous than it was, why specifically do you think it's this area of the wall, and is it solely because it went from 20 to 30 feet? >> well, people, as you know, you know, the number of people being taken into custody by the border patrol is at record levels, so people are crossing all across the border right now. but what we're seeing in an area like this in san diego, where during the trump administration, the government built pretty much the most formidable border wall system as they call it, anywhere along the border, with two parallel barriers, one 18 feet and one 30 feet, and you know, if we compare the number of people being taken into custody, crossing now, it's four, versus a few years ago before the wall was built, it is four or five times higher and this barrier is not actually stopping people and instead what smugglers are doing is taking migrants up using makeshift ladders and in some cases using ropes to help them get down the other side, but often times just telling them to slide down the other side, as if it were like a fire pole, and that's when a lot of these injuries, and deaths are occurring, because people are up there at 30 feet, and they're climbing into the middle of the night, and they're falling backwards, sustaining neck and head injuries, and you know, anything you can imagine in terms of the kind of devastating trauma that physicians are seeing. >> if you just step back and you start thinking of the level of desperation and the need that people have to come to the united states and request asylum which is not possible right now due to title 42, but you talked to a human dentist, someone who decided to risk it all, 62 years of dictatorship there and people from virtually all parts making that dangerous journey. >> that's right. i also spoke to cameroonian asylum seeker who had journeyed for several months, had arrived, fleeing government persecution, arrived to brazil, made his way up through the gap in panama, hiking through the jungle, robbed multiple time, and he got, he got to the border wall and climbed it along with others in his group, and one of the men he was with fell and broke his leg. and this particular asylum seeker was able to escape with just some scratches. and then spent several weeks in u.s. immigration jail until he was just released. but you're right, i mean people from all over the world are arriving. and many of them are climbing and many of them don't know what they're getting into. they're going to the border wall, up to the border wall, escorted by some kind of smuggling organization and it's not like they're picking out the way they will climb or the ladder they will use or the spot they're going to go over, they're doing what they're told and if they're with a smuggling organization, which is essentially an arm of the mexican cartels, they're not in some position to say no, they just have to do what they're told and if those smugglers are not, you know, taking safety precautions, which in many cases they are obviously not, then they are really at risk of suffering a serious injury or worse. >> men, women and children, nick, thank you, your extraordinary reporting, so glad that i have an opportunity to highlight, thanks for being with us. >> thank you, jose. appreciate it. any time. >> thanks. the gop's future can be redefined in ohio. with tomorrow's crucial senate primary. we're live in the buckeye state next. you're watching jose diaz balart reports. yoreu' watching jose diaz balart reports. 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[whines] only pay for what you need. ♪liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪ this is what real food looks like fresh real meat and veggies. the food dogs where built to eat. the farmer's dog is changing the way we feed our pets. visit tryfarmersdog.com to see your dogs personalized meal plan. 42 past the hour. voters across ohio will head to the polls tomorrow to cast their ballot in tuesday's primary election and what may be an early test for the future of the republican party. joining us now, from dublin, ohio, nbc news correspondent jesse kirsch, good morning, what's the latest on the ground there? >> hey, good morning, jose. well, we're waiting for jd vance to show up here for an event early this afternoon. he is currently in first place in the latest fox news poll but is leading within the margin of error and that is significant for a couple of reasons. first off he is surging after getting former president donald trump's endorsement but he hasn't been able to completely shake josh mandell who has styled himself as a pro-trump candidate even though he zs doesn't have the former president's endorsement he has forged on with policy positions and continued to brand himself as pro-trump and he has texas senator ted cruz's borisment. despite all of the big wigs who have staked their claims in this race and all of the ads and all of big endorsements, we do not have a clear look at how this is going to play out, because according to that latest fox news polling, there is also about 25% of the gop voting group undecided at this point. 25% of those voters undecided, virtually unchanged from before those endorsements. we've been asking voters what they're looking for, here's what one told nus delaware -- told us in delaware county. >> he's kind of a wild card. i mean i don't -- yeah, exactly, that being the point. >> trump is the wildcard. >> and just because he's got, you've got famous people in your corner doesn't mean that that's good for you, though. i have to make a decision on my own. i don't need to go with what other people are endorsing or don't have endorsed them. >> and that's something we've heard from people who are fans of former president trump, and those who are not. they're looking for policy positions. not endorsements. >> jesse kirsch, thank you so much. and right now the selection of a special grand jury is under way in the investigation of former president trump. the grand jury will examine whether trump and other people illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in georgia. joining us now from atlanta, nbc news correspondent blayne alexander. what more can you tell us about how this process is expected to unfold. >> reporter: well, jose, this represents a significant step forward, the process just started about 20 minutes ago or so, they've got 200 people that they're working to get through 200 summons and ultimately going to 23 special grand jurors with three alternates. it's our understanding that this process will likely wrap up today. you're not going to see that extensive questioning like you might see when you're seating a trial jury, but this is something that is going to continue for quite some time and the panel itself can meet for as long as one year and they will be focused only on this one case. now, this is significant, jose, because again, while they can't approve an indictment, they do have subpoena power, and that is certainly key, because they can compel witnesses and those who may not otherwise come down voluntarily, to come down and testify under oath. and we have talked about those they want to hear from, it is the secretary of state, here in georgia, brad raffensperger, and remember, he was the one on the receiving end of that now infamous telephone call from president trump, back in january of 2021, and imploring him to find enough votes to overturn the election in georgia. he is likely going to be a key witness. other people who are here on the ballot, other elected officials, also that they're going to want to hear from, and again, this is under way, and they're expecting it to wrap sometime today. >> blayne alexander, thank you very much. up next, a southern loss of country star naomi judd, the result of mental health issues according to her family. we will talk to her doctor about the signs you need to be looking for when a loved one is struggling. you're watching "jon-benet ramsey reports." watching "jon-t ramsey reports." has mod eczema, e-to-se or atopic dermatitis under control? 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(laughs) flexible cancellation. kayak. search one and done. better hearing leads to a better life. flexible cancellation. and that better life... ...starts at miracle-ear. it all begins with the most innovative technology... ...like the new miracle-earmini™. available exclusively at miracle-ear. so small, no one will see it. but you'll notice the difference. and now, miracle-ear is offering a 30-day risk-free trial. you can experience better hearing with no obligation. call 1-800-miracle right now and experience a better life. 49 past the hour. naomi judd was inducted in the country music hall of fame one day after ler death was announced. >> her daughters acknowledged the induction. >> my mom, we loved you so much. and she appreciated your love for her and i'm sorry she couldn't hang on until today. >> while no cause of death has been given, on saturday, the judge wrote on twitter -- the judds wrote on twitter, that they lost their money, due to mental illness, for years, she has been open about her struggles with mental health. joining us now is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at nyu medical center. doctor, thanks for being with us. i'm just wondering, this is such a devastating reality. what can people who are struggling with mental illness do to find help? >> it's a great question. the first thing is asking for it. it seems so obvious but so many people struggle silently and they blame themselves and think something must be wrong with me, and if you are lucky enough to have insurance, look on the back of the card and call and spend ten or 15 minutes with a few different people and see if it's a fit. therapy can be life changing and lifesaving. >> naomi judd was candid about her struggle, and are we doing enough as a country? >> we are doing more for awareness and access to treatment is lagging behind. we have such a shortage. a lot of people have shortages in that area, and telehealth is here to stay and available to people even if you are living in a remote part of the country. we are talking about a 30% depression rate. absolutely there's more conversations being had and people need to utilize the treatment, which is what the problem is. >> why are mental health issues on the rise right now? >> you know, we are looking upon layer upon layer of stress and the duration of the pandemic, and when it started we thought it would be two weeks and now we are 2 1/2 years later. there's a lot of financial and inflation problems going on, and a war in ukraine, and we're not feeling safe or certain and we are starting to lose our hope, and if you are feeling hopeless that's a sign it might be time to get help. >> and help is available. thank you so much for being with us. if you or somebody you know needs help, you can contact the suicide prevention line. take a look at the number. 1-800-273-talk. and just for a second -- [ speaking spanish ] up next, new analysis suggests in desperation russia may turn to using nuclear or chemical weapons in ukraine. we'll talk about that, next. you're watching josé diaz-balart reports. reports.e, including the caps. they're collected and separated from other plastics, so they can be turned back into material that we use to make new bottles. that completes the circle and reduces plastic waste. please help us get every bottle back. do your eyes bother you? 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>> good to be with you, josé. yeah, it's a bit of a split screen reality to be honest with you. while your viewers are familiar with the bombardment in the east, and i was out on the countryside on the weekend and it was interesting to see internally displaced people trying to make their way through the 66th or 67th day of the war. things are getting expensive for them here, inflation and the gas shortage and they are finding it tough to stay away from home this long, and it's difficult to get work and that sort of thing, and we will see what happens. all of them tell me they want to go home as soon as possible. >> and last name, bosoqu. i apologize if i did not say it right. and you are talking about them paying for basic things like an apartment? >> yeah, it's because of the huge wave of people that came in the war, and where i am now probably 2 million people displaced and living in dorm tories. i got a briefing on a project not far from here, and they are turning dormitories into places for them. >> you mentioned a report that indicates russia could turn to a nuclear weapon in an act of desperation? >> absolutely chilling. it's by oxford analytica, they are mostly right most of the time. they say in the absence of some things they could turn to chemical weapons or nuclear weapons, and this could be a way to force peace talks, and this is chilling as well is they could deliberately strike a chemical plant, for example, and there's one that could cause massive problems in terms of, you know, not only the deathly cloud and also killing saw zillions. when you feel they reached the bottom of humanity, they just go further and it's really chilling to have this possibility on our doorstep. >> thank you so much for being with me. i very much appreciate your time. that wraps up the hour for me. i am josé diaz-balart. you can reach me on twitter and instagram. thank you for the privilege of your time. andrea mitchell picks up with more news right now. good morning. i am andrea mitchell in washington. this morning in ukraine more than 100 civilians have finally been evacuated from the steel plant in the bombarded city of mariupol. according to ukraine's military police. there are conflicting reports on where they are being taken and the ability to evacuate more people as shelling did resume overnight. nbc's erin m mccloughan. >> i was afraid to stick my nose out. >> also right now, speaker nancy pelosi and top house democrats meeting with poland's president. it follows a meeting with ukraine's president zelenskyy in kyiv. the speaker made this major declaration for support for ukraine's fight. >>