good morning. it is 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. we begin this morning with the latest developments following tuesday's tragic bridge collapse in baltimore. there is now a recovery mission under way to find the bodies of the six missing construction workers who are now presumed dead. the six workers include people from honduras, mexico, guatemala, and el salvador. this morning, maryland's governor, wes moore, addressed the loss of those six individuals. >> we had a chance to speak with their families and pray with them, for their families. they just reminded me of who they were as people. they were fathers. they were sons. they were husbands. they were people who their families relied on. >> joining us now from baltimore, nbc's tom llamas and tom costello. tom llamas, we're learning new details about those victims who are still missing and presumed dead. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: so, jose, i had an interesting conversation, interview with the head of the fbi dive team that is assisting the other agencies in this area on the river, trying to figure up what is at the bottom of the river right now. what they told us is that the situation is so dangerous right now, essentially what those divers are seeing underwater, and they're seeing sonar and remote operated vehicles, rovs, think of an underwater drone, to give them back pictures of what is on the ground right now. they're talking about chunks of the bridge, they think they have located some vehicles. there is also a working theory that some of the missing construction workers may have been trapped inside of their vehicles, so they're trying to see where these vehicles are. once the situation is safe and as you can see the conditions behind us right now, it is raining, it is windy, it is not safe. the water is even darker inside the river, they'll launch dive teams once they feel it is safe and that the dive equipment won't be breached by some of the bridge debris. they're saying this is one of the largest debris fields underwater they have seen in a long time. they are taking all measures to make sure their teams are safe, but they made promises to the families of those loved ones that they're going to try to find and recover these bodies. all of this as we're getting new information from the ntsb as well and hopefully more information on why exactly that ship lost power and then those riverboat pilots -- the river pilots lost control that led to the crash and the collision, jose. >> and, tom costello, meanwhile, the ntsb chief told you they have now recovered the voice data recorder? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. so, think of this as like a plane's black box, only the black box for a ship. it is a modern version of these voyage data recorders, and so i asked the ntsb chief jennifer homendy what they're hoping to glean from that black box. here is the conversation. you recovered the so-called black box for ships. what does that tell you? >> it tells us quite a bit. it is one of the newer voyage data recorders which provides a greater number of parameters, everything from, you know, positioning the ships, speed of the ship, what might have been occurring at the time with respect to power, operation. >> reporter: yeah, that's critical right there. propulsion. might the black boxes provide any details on data about whether and how and when the ship lost power. there is this theory, the ntsb chief said, they are looking into this theory that perhaps the ship itself had contaminated fuel that may have led to the ship losing power, and then, of course, its ability to navigate and slamming into that structure that holds up the bridge. by the way, the engineering experts across the board have reiterated to us that given the speed, roughly 9.2 miles per hour at the time, and given the incredible weight of that ship, that it was going to do incredible and substantial damage to the support network of that bridge when it hit the bridge. >> yeah, i mean, this is a humongous ship. tom llamas, what do we know about the status of the ship's crew and where are they this morning? >> reporter: well, we know they're all okay. that according to several companies we have talked to right now. we also know that the ntsb boarded that ship overnight. we also understand there is going to be longer interviews today with some of those crew members to sort of figure out what happened when they were here in the port of baltimore, when they first started to notice some problems. we also know that the river pilots that were at the helm of the ship, both the pilot and his apprentice, the association that represents them, they're going to be in contact with the ntsb as well. but, jose, we have to be very honest here and transparent, it is going to take a long time to get a lot of answers and sadly the families of the people who lost their lives on that bridge, those six construction workers as you mentioned from countries like mexico and el salvador and honduras who are working that overnight shift and never came back home, it may be a very long time until their remains are recovered and this is why, this is what that fbi dive master told me. what is a sort of reasonable timeline on whether you think maybe some of these families will get some relief? >> it really depends on, you know, if they're in vehicles, whether the vehicles fell, if debris fell on top of them. we don't know that. so, like i said, probably a week searching. >> reporter: so you can see, jose, it is going to be a long time of pain and misery for the families who are still demanding answers and still asking those questions of why, how this happened, and how they weren't able to escape in time. jose? >> yeah, so many questions and as you say, that pain is nonstop. tom costello, what are officials saying about the impact of the collapse for local commuters there? >> reporter: well, for the both not only the port traffic, there are ships that are stuck in the port of baltimore, they can't get out. ships that can't get in. because the port is closed. the timeline for reopening the port as tom mentioned, just recovery and getting all that wreckage out of the water, will take a very long time. we may be talking weeks to months before they can reopen the port. as for, you know, putting the bridge back up, we're probably talking years. and the impact therefore on the local community could be quite severe in terms of people whose livelihoods depend on the port, who are supposed to be going to work every day, may not be able to go to work. the trucking companies that may not be dealing with cargo to move. they may be having a substantial impact as well. there could be an impact on the supply chain. but, jose, i also have been hearing from economists and experts on supply chain, you know, logistics saying not nearly the impact that we had during the pandemic and the reason for that is, first of all, during the pandemic, china was essentially closed for business, so there wasn't a lot of stuff coming through the supply chain. second of all, you got multiple ports up and down the east coast that can pick up where the port of baltimore has left off. everything from the new york area, all the way down to norfolk, all the way down to florida. there are options and it, you know, it is not just one particular linchpin if you will, in the port of baltimore, make no mistake about it, though, this is a critical port, for the east coast, and then supplying all the way to the midwest. there could be a real impact. >> there could indeed. tom llamas, tom costello, thank you for being with us this morning. i want to bring in the chief of programs and services at casa, an organization that i know very well. it is an organization that advocates for latino and migrant communities. it is great seeing you. thank you for your time. i know that two of the missing workers were members of casa. tell me about them. >> yeah, absolutely. thank you for the opportunity to highlight the plight of the workers. i think this really underlines the overall story of our immigrant community. it doesn't get told often. yet again we find the immigrant workforce as being in the forefront of really helping this country continue to run and operate properly, right? at the same time, being disproportionately impacted by the struggling investments and the failed investments in our struggling infrastructure, healthcare, housing, just the other month, just in baltimore alone, we also had another tragedy with unfortunately three immigrants lost their lives in a fire in a building that was in very poor condition. so, once again, we see our community being disproportionately impacted by these failings that we have in our investments, in our infrastructure, in really helping these communities continue to contribute to our economy. >> yeah, no doubt about that. even in this, which seems like an accident or an incident that was caused by, you know, not any of the issues that you're bringing up, but that the ship lost power, i mean, who knows what happened here. but the underlying fact, george, is what you bring up. tell me a little bit about who these people are, you've been in contact with families of those impacted. how are they holding up today? >> as you mentioned, we know that at least two members of the deceased were members of our organization. and, you know, still right now we're in the process of assessing their needs, and ensuring that they are connected to the services that they need, connected to their consulates. we understand the consulates of the countries of origin have stepped up and have indicated they will continue to support the families. and that's a process we're in now. to ensure that everything that they're -- all the services, all the assistance that that family is able to receive are, in fact, being delivered. we know, for example, maynor, who you indicated there, is an individual who, you know, had been working on the bridge for a while, and obviously his family was not aware of him being in any kind of danger whatsoever. unfortunately the incidents of that night, now we have a situation where he will no longer be returning to his family. but, again, it underlines the story of our faceless community in many ways. while the highlight really is on this particular family and we're going to make sure that they receive all the services and all the attention they need, again, we have to see this as part of a broader issue and a broader investment that we have to make in our communities. >> yeah, and i'm glad you do that. you mentioned that, and we show the picture of maynor. i understand that it was his birthday coming up next month. just in april. a man with a wife and children and a life made and created at this country, the opportunity -- the country of dreams and opportunities and so many of these people that, george, you so eloquently define as people who are the backbone of our economy, these are people who have been here in many cases for decades, they do the workday after day, not asking for anything in return. and i thank you, george, for being with us this morning. i really appreciate it. >> absolutely. and thank you so much for the support. and, again, our commitment is not just to highlight the tragedy that happened here, but, of course, obviously continue to support the families, continue to support, make sure that our government is responsive to their needs, make sure at all levels, local, federal, state, we're complying with the commitments that are being presented and being offered today, so i think what is most important is, you know, while the tragedy happens today, we need to make sure that the attention and the focus on this tragedy continues throughout over the long-term. >> george, thank you for being with us. appreciate your time. coming up, with just weeks until his first criminal trial, donald trump is now been hit with a new gag order. how his team is fighting back this morning. plus, how the rnc plans to support trump as he faces mounting legal bills. what we just learned from lara trump's first network interview as the rnc co-chair. later, special report on how migrant women who were sexually assaulted on their way to the united states navigated complex system of immigration and abortion laws once they are in the united states. we're back in 60 seconds. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. s you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. . a once—daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief... and reduced fatigue with rinvoq. check. when flares kept trying to slow me down... i got lasting steroid—free remission... with rinvoq. check. and when my doctor saw damage,... rinvoq helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. for both uc and crohn's: rapid symptom relief... lasting steroid—free remission... and visibly reduced damage. check. check. and check. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin; heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. put uc and crohn's in check... and keep them there with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist about rinvoq and learn how abbvie can help you save. former president donald trump is facing new limits on what he can say about the hush money criminal trial against him, which is scheduled to begin on the 15th of april. the judge overseeing the new york case issued a partial gag order, barring trump from making public statements about potential witnesses, court staff or jurors. however, he can still talk about the judge and manhattan district attorney alvin bragg. with us now to talk more about this, nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard and caroline polisi, a defense attorney. the trump campaign reacted to this partial gag order already. what are they saying? >> it is important context that, of course, not only is the district attorney alvin bragg as well as judge merchan not included in this gag order. they have been his top two targets. i want to let you look at part of the trump campaign statement pushing back against the individuals including potential witnesses that donald trump is not able to effectively lash out or try to undermine the credibility of. in part, they write, quote, judge merchan's unconstitutional gag order prevents president trump, the leading candidate for president of the united states, for engaging in core political speech, which is entitled to the highest level of protection under the first amendment. worst of all, the gag order violates civil rights of over 100 million americans who follow president trump and have a first amendment right to receive and listen to his speech. the american voters have a fundamental right to hear the uncensored voice of the leading candidate for the highest office in the land. donald trump was part of this gag order is not -- is simply on his social media post or publicly in front of cameras or on the campaign trail restricted about what he can say about these particular individuals. >> just wondering how unusual is a partial gag order? and in this case, what does a partial gag order really mean? >> yea, well, it is not unusual for president trump or former president trump, i should say. he, as you know, has been placed under gag orders in other of his trials including judge chutkan and judge engoron each placed him under a partial gag order. it is not unconstitutional. i say this often, the first amendment is not an unfettered right and in this context, the court has to balance that right, which is a constitutionally protected right, but can take a back seat in certain instances to in this case the fair administration of justice. and noted it is a partial gag order. he is free to call this a witch-hunt, he's free to go after d.a. bragg and even the judge in this instance, which is why it is narrowly tailored. that's what constitutional scholars look for when deciding whether or not these types of orders will hold up under scrutiny, whether or not they're narrowly tailored to do the job that they are meant to do without going any further. >> caroline, i'm thinking, because it is -- and just rereading what the gag order -- partial gag order includes, he can't make statements about potential witnesses, court staff or jurors. the former president's campaign says that's part of core political speech? >> yeah. exactly. that is debatable, but whether or not it is part of core political speech, again, core political speech can be reined in, can take a back seat in certain instances when there are overriding factors and here that is the safety really of potential witnesses, we know the jurors are going to remain unanimous for their -- anonymous for their safety and security. so, there are concern instances in this country where the first amendment isn't sort of the end all, be all. i think merchan was wise to rely on other judges' rulings in this case and noting the instances in which trump really made dangerous statements. he went after judge engoron's clerk. he recently went after judge merchan's daughter. thereafter merchan came out with this ruling pretty quickly. >> let's remember, witnesses at this trial will include people trump has gone after before. michael cohen, stormy daniels. how does not being able to attack them affect trump's strategy? >> for donald trump, the criminal proceedings are the backbone of his political future. for donald trump, the trial over the course of these weeks and the potential criminal felony convictions that could come from it, from this jury, are going to be paramount. that's where you've seen donald trump over the course of these four indictments, not only attack the judges and the prosecutors overseeing the case, but also attack the witnesses and the individuals who testified to these grand juries to undermine the credibility of individuals like michael cohen and stormy daniel in the minds of the american electorate, because what happens in the courtroom is one thing. but donald trump with his own microphone and with his own keyboard has much more control over the proceedings that take place in the public discourse outside of the courtroom. and that is where you have seen him, even in the case of e. jean carroll, for instance, and despite the suggestions that she could sue him again for defamation, continue to call into question her credibility and her story, because for donald trump, the actual financial penalty is minuscule in comparison to the political consequences of allowing the american electorate to view these individuals as credible in his mind and simply not respond or go on the attack to defend himself. >> vaughn hillyard and caroline polisi, thank you so much. appreciate it. up next, a special report at a volunteer network helping vulnerable migrant women navigate abortion bans and a whole lot more. an impactful story that we're going to bring you just after the break. plus, attorneys for the three men convicted of murdering 25-year-old ahmaud arbery in court with a new appeal. we'll take you live outside the courthouse there. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. . deliverer of dance. ok, dave! let's be more than our allergies. zeize the day with zyrtec. 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>> as you can imagine, they are horrified. they're trum tiesed. i spoke to women that had been held by the cartels, some for a week, some for over a month, as they were being sexually abused. i think this is a reflection of a larger problem that we're seeing. there are migrant women stepping into the united states with rape-related pregnanies and trying to navigate this complicated legal antiabortion landscape. and so the question that we this is what does that look like? what does it look like through the eyes of one of those migrants and here's what we found. >> reporter: we're about to talk to a young asylum seeker who was sexually assaulted and then found out she was pregnant when she stepped into texas. the only reason she agreed to talk to us today is because we will not be disclosing her identity or where we are right now. when she left el salvador for the united states, many of her friends cautioned her against it. they knew about the harrowing experiences of women heading north. at what point after entering texas did you find out you were pregnant? >> she found herself in texas, pregnant, alone, and planning an abortion. were you aware of the strict abortion laws that are enforced in texas? >> no. >> what did you learn? >> were you look for clinical help? what did you want? >> the pills she is referring to are a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol. more than 60% of all abortions performed in the united states are done using these pills. but since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade in 2022, 14 republican-led states including texas have banned the medication. she found a group that was able to ship the pills to a friend's house in a nearby state. at 14 weeks pregnant, she found herself packing once more. this time, to carry out a self-managed abortion. weeks after she returned to texas, she managed to obtain more packs of mifeprostol. inspired by her own struggle, she decided to break the law to help women in similar situations. were you aware that what you were doing was illegal? >> are you still thinking about helping other women? >> she says she is no longer providing abortion pills. but on the other side of the border, activists are working day and night to fill the void. >> this is elowyn who is part of an international network helping women obtain mifepristone. since the overturn of roe v. wade in 2022, much of the help is being routed to texas. she asked for her identity to be concealed in order to protect the operation. how big is this network? how many people are part of it? who are they mostly? where are they contacting you from? >> how many packs are you sending each week? >> how do you hide these pills? how do you make sure no one knows what you're mailing? i think many people would ask what is in it for you. you're not doing it for economic reasons. why do you do it? >> back in texas, balentina feels the same way. you risked your life and your status. why? that is the unintended consequences of these antiabortion laws. that it drives people to take matters into their own hands. to rely on the underground networks to ensure that women at the end of the day get the help that they need. >> and just the numbers of people, the doctor in mexico telling you she has 15,000 people. this is something that is a crisis, and that continues to increase, women being sexually abused, being raped, consistently in mexico, on their way to the united states. >> we talk about the humanitarian crisis, jose, that's exactly what we're talking about. you're right. >> paola ramos, tremendous, tremendous work. i thank you for being with us. >> thank you, jose. appreciate it. right after the break, nbc's garrett haake will break down what he learned from the rnc's new co-chair, lara trump. we'll play for you what she said when asked about the 2020 election results and a whole lot more. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. more you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. a vital boost of nine times more hydration* to boost your skin's barrier for quenched, dewy skin that's full of life. neutrogena. hydro boost. ♪♪ ugh! nope! try my old spice you can use it on your pits, chest, and even, your... toes? 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>> well, i think we're past that. i think that's in the past. we learned a lot, certainly we took a lot of notes of the right now we have 23 states that have 7 8 lawsuits in these states to ensure that it is harder to cheat and easier to vote. and every single person whether you're a republican or democrat should want that. we want fairness and transparency in our elections. the past is the past. >> so, i think that's what we are probably going to expect to see from the rest of the party, not necessarily from donald trump himself, going forward, this idea of putting 2020 behind them as best they can, trying to take what they have learned from that, and make it not about the idea of a stolen election, but about making sure their voters believe they can and should vote early and vote by mail, so they don't lose that advantage to democrats again in a second election. what donald trump is willing to say or do about that issue, jose, is a totally separate question on which as we learned time and time again nobody really speaks for him, but him. >> yeah, and michael, just thinking it was many years ago, almost in the way many lives ago, that you were chair of the rnc. how do you see this? >> oh, it is hysterical. i appreciate mr. haake for the interview. the reality of it is he spoke to the co-chair of the rnc, not the chairman of the rnc. that should tell you everything you want to know about what this is, and what it isn't. the co-chairs typically is an unknown factor, they don't run anything. no reporter seeks out the co-chair of the party to ask them questions. but this is different. and it should tell you everything you need to know and the fact that lara is sitting there thinking and trying to get us to believe that when donald trump tells her i need this bill paid, that the rnc is not going to pay it, no matter what the mechanism they set up, that's just not real. the fact is she says, well, that's the past. 2020 is in the past. that's also not true. because donald trump is out here talking about it, which means every republican is going to be talking about it. so, you know, they're trying to do two things at once. trying to, you know, paint this all up as something normal. we're just now just a normal typical political party that is going to go about the business of defeating our political opponents. this is not this party. and this is not this race. it is all driven by what donald trump wants and the moment he wants it. and that's why she's there. and so, stop pretending it is something else other than that. you are in that role because you have no reason to otherwise be the co-chair of the republican national committee, except for the fact that your father-in-law is the former president and the head of the party. otherwise your behind would be sitting back at home. that's the truth of it. so let's not pretend it is something else other than what we see here that is trump's party, she is there to do what trump wants her to do, that this is not going to be anything other than prosecuting that case, whether it is 2020 or 2024. >> and, susan, meanwhile, independent presidential candidate robert f. kennedy jr. announced yesterday that he chose lawyer and entrepreneur nicole shanahan as his running mate this year. he also had this to say about accusations he's playing spoiler in the november election. >> the principle technique is to call me a spoiler. and instill fear in americans that voting for me will give some other terrifying candidate elected. our campaign is a spoiler. i agree with that. it is a spoiler for president biden and for president trump. >> susan, trump reacted in a post on his social media site overnight saying, i love that he's running! so, susan, who is rfk jr. the biggest threat to? >> yeah, i mean, rare issue in which donald trump and joe biden agree, rfk jr. is a bigger threat to biden than to trump. he's less directly and clearly and sharply a threat the way cornell west is or jill stein, their supporters pull from the democratic side of things. but overall, given the validity of donald trump's support and given the need for biden to get every vote he can that is not going to trump, rfk does pose a spoiler role to president biden and that is one reason that the third party candidates tend to fade as you get closer to the election because americans are generally loathe to throw away their vote when push comes to shove. they often come home to their party when the election day gets near, jose. >> and, michael, how serious of a threat is rfk jr. to both the democrats and the republicans? >> he's a threat to both. i think there is some private polling that has rfk jr. hitting that 12 to 13% mark nationally. that's a problem. that's a problem. does that number grow between now and november to reach the ross perot level of 17% and we know what that did to the bush campaign at that time. the same truth is in place for joe biden in this race. he is a bigger threat to joe biden than to donald trump, which is why donald trump loves the fact that he's in the race. he knows what the private polling from his camp is showing. so, yeah, it is a concern for both parties. i think you're going to see and i've already begun to see as garrett can note some pushback by the biden campaign on rfk jr. i think you're going to see more of that. probably less so from the republicans and the rnc, for example, because they think this works for them. that it eats away at the more progressive vote that is already fed up with joe biden to some extent and have a place to go as opposed to the point of going back home to the democratic party if there is a port in the storm that they can stop at before they get there. >> garrett haake, michael steele and susan page, thank you for being with us this morning. after the break, we're going to take you live outside of georgia courtroom where demonstrations are gathering to protest a new appeal from ahmaud arbery's killers. we'll take you to haiti where people are facing a dire humanitarian crisis. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. pickle! yeah, aw! whoo! ♪♪ these guys are intense. we got nothing to worry about. with e*trade from morgan stanley, we're ready for whatever gets served up. dude, you gotta work on your trash talk. i'd rather work on saving for retirement. or college, since you like to get schooled. that's a pretty good burn, right? 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