dollars, a record for a single political event. former presidents obama and clinton joined him for the star-studded fund-raiser at radio city music hall. president biden went after former president trump, and made light of trump's age. >> this guy denies there is a global warming, this guy wants to get rid of not only roe v. wade, but which brags about having done, he wants to get rid of the ability of anyone, anywhere in america to ever choose. all the things he's doing are so old. speaking of old -- [ applause ] and, you know, little old and out of shape, but anyway. >> meanwhile, president trump attended the wake for new york city police officer jonathan diller who was shot and killed during a traffic stop earlier this week. in an interview with fox news, trump criticized biden for not calling or showing up. >> i think that politically he can't support the police. i think he's also making a mistake. but i think politically his base won't let him support the police. >> with us now, mike memoli, vaughn hillyard, bazell smikle, director of public policy program at the roosevelt house institute of hunter college and rosy sharon. you were at this record-breaking fund-raiser last night. what was it like? >> i was one of just a very small number of reporters that got to be in the room there last night. it was great. the performances by lizzo, ben platt, queen latifah, brought down the house. a lot of the 5,000 people that really enjoyed them, mindy kaling was very funny. she had some jokes including at the expense of those who have the most expensive tickets saying it is nice that they're supporting somebody who has openly vowed to raise their taxes. but really, the showcase, of course, was, think about it, 45 men have been president of the united states. and there were three of them, on stage, together, talking about what it is like to hold that off. and for the biden team, this was really valuable opportunity to have two people who held the job before him talk about how difficult it is. bill clinton really deconstructing the economic realities here, explaining why so many people maybe aren't feeling what all the data shows, which is that this is a strong economy. former president obama saying it is not enough to just be against donald trump. we have to talk about barack obama's -- about joe biden's outstanding record in office. this is a message i think you're going to be seeing out on the campaign trail and one the biden team needs given how close these polls show this race to be at this point. >> so, mike, who are the people that were there in the audience? >> well, as you know, ticket of $250 got you in the room. a huge audience and that included quite a number of protesters. we have seen this at just about every appearance president biden has been making across the country. and i thought that was really one of the most powerful moments of this event last night was when president obama really turned the tables on those protesters. as they were interrupting his remarks, he said it is not enough to talk, you have to be willing to listen as well. and he really praised how president biden has handled the situation in gaza, which was what they were protesting about, saying that being president, it is a lonely seat, it requires making difficult choices, even if you have the kind of moral clarity that some of those in the room felt they were bringing to the issue. you have to be willing to work with the other side to get things done. it was one that got the rest of the audience to erupt in applause and support of what the president had to say. >> so, vaughn, trump is way behind biden when it comes to fund-raising. how significant is that difference? >> reporter: it is huge. at the turn of the month, the biden campaign had doubled the amount of money that the trump campaign had in their bank account in their coffers here. when you're talking about what that means for a campaign, you're talking about staff, you're talking about campaign offices, you're talking about television ads, you're talking about youtube and other digital ads. money does mean something here. and the trump campaign, a senior official just yesterday conceding that the trump campaign is not going to be able to match dollar to dollar what the biden campaign is effectively fund-raising. of course, we have seen that over the course of the last year and a half, donald trump jumped into this race in november of 2022, but it is also about what the anticipation is to come. there is a major fund-raiser for donald trump at mar-a-lago this next week, where they do, the trump campaign, expects to out opportunity raise what this major $26 million event was for the biden campaign. they're targeting $33 million, some of the heavy billionaire hitters on behalf of donald trump are putting on this fund-raiser together from the likes of woody johnson, harold hamm, the mercer family, steve wynn, and so we're talking about tickets that are over in some cases $800,000. this is a moment where the trump campaign needs to begin to make up some of that financial deficit here because this is a moment in time where the trump campaign says that they're prepared to hire hundreds of staff, but ultimately you got to have the money to last the next seven months and that's what the trump campaign is trying to effectively pull off here in short order. >> you know, it is normal and traditional that when a candidate does a fund-raiser, they aren't really interested in getting publicity over it, because it is a situation where you go and you essentially ask for money, but this was a special night. talking about the unusual nature of three presidents together, more than $26 million in one event alone. what does this do to inject enthusiasm into the campaign? >> well, i think it injects a lot of enthusiasm in the campaign because you have joe biden standing with the last two democratic presidents who are still extremely popular in the party. for a very long time, you know, bill clinton who was my first presidential vote, you know, he's -- not only a standard bearer of democratic politics for a long time, but he loves to be in the weeds, to talk about the complexity of the policies and, you know, the earlier reporting about breaking down why some americans don't feel as confident about the economy as the numbers might suggest. but also understanding how to get into the party infrastructure and build that party from the grassroots up. and i remember several months ago, the presidential foundation, the museums of past presidents signed a joint letter to talk about the importance of democracy and the dangers that it faces in this moment in time. so in many ways the past is speaking for us. and i think the symbolism of that, but also the reality of these two very popular presidents joining joe biden on the stage does inject not just the enthusiasm about this moment in time, it gives joe biden a significant money boost, and it also, i think, sets and resets the democratic party as the party of values and the way that republicans used to say they were. which is an interesting turn and flip, but i think it is something that the democrats are going to be embracing in the cycle. >> i mean, trump's issue is that a lot of money he's raising has to go towards his legal bills. does this become a crisis for the trump campaign? >> well, it may be a problem for him, clearly. by the way, i should just say i'm no longer with the ethics and policy center. i'm at the bulwark.com, where you can find me. >> thank you for that. sorry about that. >> no worries. i would also just like to focus on the fact that trump counterprogram by going to the wake for a police officer in new york city, trying to revive the idea he is the law and orbit candidate as opposed to this terrible crime infested country under joe biden. and there are three things to say about that at least. the first is crime spiked in 2020 when trump was president. and it has been coming down consistently since then. the second is that trump sicked a violent mob on the capitol to commit crimes and to commit assaults against police officers at his bidding. and, third, the so-called law and order candidate is the only human who has ever been indicted for crimes, 91 counts, to be a candidate for president of the united states. so this law and order thing is really kind of a joke coming from trump. >> and, you know, mike mentioned the protests that were carried out inside radio city. there were some also outside radio city. what do you make of how democrats are handling the protests and the issue of the united states policy toward israel and its policy of how israel is handling the war in gaza? >> you know, two things. i think what barack obama said in response to the protests, look, we have a big party, we don't want a party that has a singular voice, singular narrative, that's what you get on the other side. and that suggests their values, but it really talks a lot about democratic values that we're willing to have these conversations and these tough conversations, quite frankly. i do believe that these protests have signaled a larger movement among a lot of voters, particularly a lot of young voters. we see also that that -- these protests and these conversations, particularly a lot of those votes we have seen for this uncommitted candidate in michigan, wisconsin, has actually impacted the administration's language and view and position with respect to the war between israel and hamas. so, you know, it is reminiscent to some extent of -- when i was a young voter and i was protesting apartheid in south africa, these protests worked that voice does work and it does move the needle. and to what -- owing to what former president barack obama said, that's the democratic party of today, that is willing to entertain these different and diverse voices. >> yeah, and, mona, politico is out with a new piece asking why biden has not been reaching out to prominent republicans opposed to trump yet. my question is are there any republicans out there, you think, mona, that are already not, if they're disillusioned of trump, thinking of voting for biden. are there any significant group of republicans out there that still could be persuaded to go with the president? >> well, absolutely. what you saw in the republican primary was that even though trump was running as effectively as an incumbent, there was still a significant portion around 35 to 40% of republicans who made the effort to show up at the polls, even though it was no contest, to vote for someone else. they are registering their dissatisfaction. now, it is incumbent on the biden people, to seems to me, to get them from saying i disapprove of trump to i will vote for biden. and biden is going to need every single one of them if he is going to counteract the problems that he has with the progressives on the -- in the democratic base who are dissatisfied with him because of gaza. >> mike memoli, vaughn hillyard, bazell smikle and mona charen, thank you for being with us. appreciate it. coming up, we're going to take you live to baltimore where cleanup efforts are now under way after that dramatic bridge collapse. what the wife of one of the survivors told us about the horrifying moments of the accident. plus, speaker mike johnson says he'll hand over articles of impeachment against a top biden official to the senate next month. what we know about the upcoming trial. and a special report, the sexual abuse that so many migrant women face as they make the dangerous journey to the united states. stay tuned. it is a really important story. 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. so am i. because i'm at risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. come on. i already got a pneumonia vaccine, but i'm asking about the added protection of prevnar 20®. if you're 19 or older with certain 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million for the city in aid, but we're learning the true cost may be in the billions. and in an nbc news exclusive, we're hearing from the wife of one of the survivors of the collapse, who said the crew was on a break when the ship collided with the bridge. this as the community remembers the six workers who lost their lives in tuesday's accident. joining us now from baltimore, nbc's tom costello. tom, good morning. the men were taking a break when all of a sudden the unthinkable happened. >> reporter: that's right. they were sitting in their cars and their trucks there on top of the bridge, taking a bit of a breather after working on potholes, kind of a frigid cold night on the bridge and suddenly they had no warning, the ship hit the bridge and they all went into the water. and you're speaking about one of those men, his wife says that despite the fact he didn't swim, he was able to get out of his submerged truck and get ashore. he is now in baltimore shock trauma hospital for treatment. as for what is happening right now, we're going to take you out to show you images of some of the cranes now arriving on site. these are massive cranes including the biggest crane on the east coast. however, and this is important here, they -- that big crane can only lift a thousand tons. the piece of bridge that is hanging over and lying on top of the ship, that alone is 4,000 tons. we went out on the water with the army corps of engineers to talk about this massive operation they got to try to cut up pieces of the bridge and then get it pulled off by the cranes and the dangers involved, but they have to get every last piece. take a listen to the commanding general. >> we're going to leave a clean channel. so when the vessels come into the port of baltimore, a vessel like this is drafting 48, 48 1/2 feet. that's 12 to 18 inches between the bottom of the vessel and the bottom of the floor. you can't leave any concrete, any steel, because it is a threat to the vessel. we're going to get it all off the bottom and reopen this channel so it provides for safe navigation. >> reporter: yeah, importantly the twisted metal now is razor sharp. so you can imagine the risk that that would pose to any ships in the future, but also to the divers that have to go down there to cut it up. it is a very delicate operation. ntsb investigators on the ship interviewing the crew, interviewing the pilots, gathering all of what they call perishable evidence, any evidence that may not survive more than a few days because it gets moved, it is impacted by weather, data, whatever. they want to grab that now. the coast guard stabilizing that ship as you mentioned. and that has to happen before the salvage operations begin. but the pieces now for the salvage operation are, in fact, moving to the position here in baltimore and most experts think it will take a month or so to clear all of that massive debris out of the channel. so they can reopen this port. jose? >> tom, seems like it is going to be a very delicate and dangerous operation going forward. thank you, tom. appreciate it. after a quick break, we're going to revealing some of the devastating issues and the details of what is going on and what happens to women as they make the dangerous trek from their country of origin through mexico to the united states to try and get asylum. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. tm you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. it wasn't always this calm uc went everywhere i did. wondering when it would pop up next was stressful doing a number on my insides. but then i found out about velsipity a new once-daily pill, not a steroid or biologic, for adults with moderate to severe uc. velsipity can help calm the chaos of uc — it quickly treats flares providing a chance for lasting steroid-free remission. don't take velsipity if you've had a heart attack, chest pain, stroke or ministroke, heart failure in the last 6 months, irregular or abnormal 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(♪♪) here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. 22 past the hour. this morning, we're taking a closer look at what many migrant women face on their way to the united states. earlier this week at this hour we saw the first part of a special report on a sexual abuse and rape against migrants in mexico. today, we have part two. i want you to know parts of the story you're about to see are disturbing, but this is a reality that has been affecting so many women for so long, but now it has gotten to a critical point. joining us now msnbc contributor paola ramos. what did you learn? >> well, jose what these women told me, which is the same thing that was also confirmed by immigration activists, lawyers, ngos and migrants themselves is that there is a disturbing and very concrete rise in the rate of sexual violence against migrant women on the mexican side of the border. we know cartel violence has been a norm in these mexican border towns. the difference now seems to be the way that the cartels are very explicitly weaponizing sexual violence against migrant women as another form of extortion and torture. so what we're about to see and to your point these are very difficult images, but they do show the way that this type of very vicious violence has consequences, jose, on both sides of the border. take a look. ♪♪ so we just crossed from brownsville, texas, over to -- right now we're in one of most dangerous places in mexico, more than anything because of the cartel violence that is taking place here. every single person we talked to on the ground is telling us that the rate of sexual violence against migrants is escalating, uncreasing, getting worse by the day. so we're on our way to a refugee shelter to understand the impact that it is having on the migrants that are crossing from these border towns into the united states. maria, her husband and two children say they had to leave guatemala last year after receiving death threats from the same gang that had already killed nearly half of her family. >> reporter: they traveled north, hoping to be near the u.s. border as they waited for their official immigration appointments, a crucial part of seeking asylum. they had no idea the worst part of their journey would take place just feet away from texas. >> reporter: many of the migrants in the shelter have endured similar situations. >> reporter: what is happening to these women might not be a coincidence. cartels developed a systemic organized method to kidnap and collect ransoms on their way to immigration appointments. >> reporter: doctors without borders has seen this crisis up close. from october to december of 2023, they recorded a 70% increase in consultations for sexual violence compared to the prior three months. the first two months of 2024 they have already seen nearly 70 cases. i just got back from talking to three asylum seekers and at least two of them have been sexually assaulted. is that what you guys are seeing on the ground too? >> yeah. it is true. when we have the consultations, they tell us their stories which are quite traumatizing. >> reporter: it is creating a new crisis for many migrants, unwanted pregnancies. do you offer pregnancy tests? >> it is part of the protocol that we follow. it is part -- it is the first medical treatment. >> reporter: and does doctors without borders also offer access to abortions or abortion pills? is that something that is part of the work you do? >> we are very concerned all over the world where we operate. we are very concerned about unwanted pregnancies. we try to ensure that services are being offered to the women and also to ensure that they -- we ourselves adhere to the laws and norms of the country. >> reporter: what many migrants don't know is that once they cross that border, a line that represents security, dreams and opportunities, they're walking into the realities of post roe america. >> reporter: i want to note we did reach out to cvp and did not receive a response from them. but here's the thing. the longer that migrants wait on the mexican side of the border, the more exposed they are to the cartels, jose. >> and it is so infuriaing and so sad at the same time, and we, who have been covering this for so many years know that it has been a reality, but it is now gotten to this horrendous point and mexico is pretty much, i mean, any migrant that does the crossing ask them and they'll say mexico is the most dangerous and difficult part. for women, it includes probably rape. how and would you explain why so many are still willing to make that journey? >> let's think of one of the many women we saw on the screen, maria, for instance, if maria stayed in guatemala, her hometown, it is very likely that she would be dead by now. it is very likely that she would be killed by the very same gangs that killed her own sister. so, people have to understand that. migrants go north because many times they have no other option. they go north because of the most human principle that we can all relate to. which is that instinct to survive, that instinct to protect your family, that instinct to go towards the north because there are more opportunities and i do believe that people can understand that. that is a human and universal principle. there is no other option. >> i'm wondering when will the focus be on how mexico permits this to happen, day after day after day. paola ramos, extraordinary work as always. thank you. >> thank you, jose. coming um, we'll bring you the latest from capitol hill, where the senate could soon prepare to hold an impeachment trial against a key member of president biden's cabinet. plus, today marks one year since "wall street journal" reporter evan gershkovich was arrested in moscow. what president biden is saying this morning about the efforts to secure his release. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. r. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. ? 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>> reporter: that's exactly right. even as we're seeing the house oversight committee led by chairman james comer seem to back away from the fact that they're going to have enough to ultimately move on further impeaching the president of the united states, moving towards an impeachment in an official capacity, we're watching comer sort of throw out a hail mary in the final weeks of these investigations saying that he wants biden to come forward and actually testify before the house. the date that comer is throwing out is april 16th. of course, he's saying that it is because of involvements that biden allegedly had in his son hunter's business dealings. but there is no concrete evidence that even the house republicans' best witnesses have actually come forward with during the time of these investigations over the course of the last few weeks and months. by way of the white house response, they literally sent an lol in response to comer saying that biden should come testify. chief spokesperson in the effort ian sams on the white house side saying that it is not likely it is ever going to happen that biden comes and testifies in front of this inquiry that republicans have mounted the entire they have held control of this house chamber, jose. >> ali vitali on capitol hill, thank you so very much. after the break, how "the wall street journal" is honoring reporter evan gershkovich who has now been detained in a russian prison for one year. the latest on the efforts to bring him home. plus, in haiti, the u.n. now says gangs are using sexual violence to brutalize and control innocent civilians. an inside look at the country on the brink of collapse next. e con the brink of collapse next and retirement savings. presentation looks great. thanks! thanks! voya provides tools that help you make the right investment and benefit choices so you can reach today's financial goals. that one! and look forward, to a more confident future. that is one dynamic duo. voya, well planned, well invested, well protected. ♪♪ with fastsigns, signage that gets you noticed turns hot lots into homes. ♪♪ fastsigns. make your statement. skin-carving next level hydration? 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(♪♪) that's how you business differently. intuit quickbooks. 44 past the hour. today marks one year since "wall street journal" reporter everyone gershkovich was arrested in russia. gershkovich was on a reporting trip in eastern russia when he was detained on espionage charges. the journal and the u.s. government have all vehemently denied the charges. this morning, the journal, i have it here, left much of their front page blank in honor of all the stories evan would have written over the past year. the headline reading, quote, his story should be here. a year in a russian prison, a year of stolen stories, stolen joy, stolen memories, the crime. joining us now are keir simmons and richard stengel, msnbc political analyst. keir, what do we know about evan's condition and where his case stands this morning? >> well, the u.s. ambassador has been able to have some access to him in the prison in moscow, former kgb prison, now an fsb prison. we're told because of that that he's holding up well. certainly we have seen him in court on a number of occasions. and he does look as if physically he's in decent shape. and you can't tell from images how he's doing mentally, of course, but it appears he is looking mentally strong. in terms of where his case goes, he's in pretrial detention. so, he's not even on trial. he can be held that way honestly pretty much indefinitely while the russian authorities claim that they're still investigating some of these hearings have been about whether he can be released while that process takes place and, again, and again that has been refused. >> following the death of navalny, we learned there were negotiations about a potential prisoner swap that could have released evidence as well as another american paul whelan. what do you think are the chances that any potential deal could be carried out going forward? >> well, jose, let's just get it straight. he's a political prisoner. he's being held as a hostage in effect for some kind of trade, he's a pawn in the international relations between russia and the united states. there is actually no basis for why he's charged. i mean, part of what happened when miss griner was released, we traded away some of the people that vladimir putin might want to trade for other hostages he cynically captured. the u.s. doesn't really have anyone at the moment of the stature in putin's eyes to trade for evan. there has been some discussion that germans hold a russian hit man who assassinated a german citizen on german soil, they thought we could do a three-way trade for evan involving this person, but once navalny was killed by the russian regime, the germans became less interested in trading the russian prisoner they have. >> and this journal published a piece this morning, the journal published a piece on evan saying, quote, evan lost is it 12 months of normal existence as a kinetic and kursious 32-year-old, a year. what do you think the past year has been like for his family and his friends? >> incredibly challenging. also we should add to that, you know, his colleagues in the world of journalism really, really painful and difficult. and, of course, he has been able to exchange letters with people. and the journal has -- andrea mitchell has some, you know, really moving reporting today about, for example, that he was able to arrange flowers to be sent to loved ones. so, i think they believe and clearly he is getting strength from that, from that communication. so that's just a small kind of positive note, but you can only imagine what it must be like for his parents and for his loved ones and for those colleagues, you know, who knew him well, who know him well, to have to go through this and not know where the end of this is. and, of course, at the same time, also, we should mention, had a chilling effect on journalism on the capability to report from russia. we at nbc news still report from russia, but it is very, very challenging because of what has happened to evan and to others particularly as well, russian journalists, reporting on their own country. >> yeah, and you are so courageous and just extraordinary as everything you do, but going into russia and reporting is exemplary. rick, president biden released a statement saying, quote, as i told evan's parents, i will never give up hope either. we will continue working every day to secure his release. i'm wondering if gershkovich? whelan is there, another russian american person who gave a small contribution to a ukrainian charity is in the hands of the russians. is there anything you think that the world or we could be doing differently? >> well, we could be as cynical and transactional as the russians and imprison a russian citizen working here. we're not going to do that. i thought biden's statement was powerful. a u.s. head of state saying that. it's powerful that it's addressed to the parents. as you know, evan's parents escaped from russia. they came here to live a free life. it's a tragic irony that their son is now imprisoned in the country they left. the other implicit thing in biden's statement is if you want a more authoritarian world like that, you know who to vote for in november. that's what he is saying, too. >> thank you very much, in the middle of the first segment there, is this. i want you to see it as i thank the two gentlemen for being with us. we will keep telling evan's story until he can his own. up next, rare access to one of the most brutal gang leaders in all of haiti, as the u.n. warns of skyrocketing violence in a country on the brink of collapse. you are watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. n. this thing? 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that's kinda my thing. 55 past the hour. the u.n. is warning of a cataclysmic situation in haiti where 1.4 million people are a step away from famine. deaths by gangs have more than skyrocketed. more than 1,500 people killed this year according to the u.n. gangs continue to recruit children and use sexual violence to punish and control people. that's the backdrop of what is happening today in haiti, a country just 700 miles from the u.s., where the people have been subjected to so much pain, so much suffering for so long. stewart ramsay got access to the gang leader who is the face of them. it's a better way of understanding what's happening in haiti and why. >> he is not responsible for all the violence, but be under no doubt, he is at the center of it. his fighters are never far away. it is all your territory. it was an open road when i was last here. >> yeah. >> he is referred to here as barbecue. he is the head of one of the most powerful gangs in port-au-prince. he brought haiti to its knees. he took us through the roadblocks of buses they put in place to stop police raids on his territory. that territory now extends over one of the city's main roads, an economic highway he controls in its entirety. barbecue sees himself as a revolutionary for the people. he rails against corrupt politicians and oligarchs. he dismisses all the efforts underway to form a transitional council that will govern haiti. for the first time, he told sky news he would consider a cease-fire and talks if his people are represented. this is significant. >> inside his territory, despite the poverty, lives are relatively peaceful and organized. unlike in much of port-au-prince, barbecue gets brought in. usually it's chaos. people wait here knowing there are enough supplies for the community. this is a source of barbecue's strength. to the outside world, he may be a gangster. here, he is a robin hood. we are in the heart of his gangland territory. the atmosphere here is different. it's more chill, more relaxed. there's aid distribution. it's not chaotic. what the sense you get from this is that people feel safe inside here. the battlefield is outside the barricades, which is over there. here, this is much more like a normal town. the road barbecue controls is all but deserted. signs of battle, the burnt out cars and deserted buildings are the visual signs of uprooted families who have been forced to flee in their tens of thousands. he says he is trying to reign the more violent gangs in. is it a revolution or just gangland violence? it's almost impossible to know. that wraps up the hour for me. i'm jose diaz-balart. you can reach me on social media and watch clips from our show on youtube. thank you for the privilege of your time. "andrea mitchell reports" starts right now. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," a tale of two campaigns. president biden brings in a monster haul for his re-election campaign from a star-studded radio city fund-raiser with presidents obama and clinton. while former president trump strengthens his grip over the republican party ahead of another wave of campaign rallies and court appearances. this hour, the latest on the fight foret