tv Jose Diaz- Balart Reports MSNBC December 13, 2023 8:00am-9:00am PST
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>> we only have about 30 seconds here, tom, does this mean that investigation into auto pilot and tesla is over. is this the end of it? >> no, you know, the way that the national highway traffic safety administration works, it goes case by case, gathers data and makes recommendations or orders a recall in collaboration with a company as they progress through. but, no, i would not say that its investigation is ongoing watch if you will over these auto pilot functions is in any way over. >> all right, tom costello, thank you for staying on top of it for us. that's going to do it for us today. appreciate you joining me. see you back here tomorrow, same time, same place. until then, i'm ana cabrera reporting from new york. jose diaz-balart picks up our coverage right now. good morning. it is 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific, i'm jose diaz-balart. this morning, hunter biden speaks out on the republican investigation into him at the exact moment he was due to testify before lawmakers.
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>> for six years i have been a target of the unrelenting trump attack machine shouting where's hunter? well, here's my answer, i am here. >> all this just hours before the house is set to vote on launching a formal impeachment inquiry into president biden. meanwhile, for first time today, at the white house, the president is meeting in person with the families of american hostages taken on october 7th as israel wages its war against hamas. and breaking from the supreme court, it will hear a major case over a widely used abortion pill, we'll break down what is at stake. and millions of teslas under a software recall as the company warns of a defect in its auto pilot technology. we begin with breaking news involving president biden and his family. the president's son hunter
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apparently defying a subpoena to appear before the house oversight committee for a closed door deposition, but did appear on capitol hill this morning to repeat his demand for a public hearing and to blast the committee for how it has treated him. the younger biden also reiterating his father was never involved in any of his business dealings. >> let me state as clearly as i can, my father was not financially involved in my business, not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of burisma, not in my partnership with the chinese private businessman, not in my investments at home, nor abroad, and certainly not as an artist. >> this comes hours before the house is scheduled to vote on a resolution authorizing an impeachment inquiry into president biden. house republicans have been investigating whether the president has committed any impeachable offenses related to his family's business dealings. republicans say formalizing the
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inquiry will force the administration to be more responsive to their questions and their subpoenas. with us now to talk more about this, nbc news capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles, and nbc news white house correspondent monica alba. so defying a subpoena from the house oversight committee, he said no to a private meeting. what happens next? >> reporter: well, house republicans are pretty insistent that they're not going to accept his offer of a public hearing and that they issued a subpoena that specifically required him to appear least first behind closed doors and as a result, they are vowing to move quickly to contempt of congress charges against hunter biden. listen to what the house judiciary committee chairman jim jordan said about hunter biden's refusal to appear behind closed doors. >> we're disappointed he didn't show up. he was just across the way at the capitol. you think he could have come here and sat for questions. do it in an open format now, you
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get filibusters, speeches, you get all kinds of things. what we want is the facts and the way you get the facts in every single investigation i've been involved in is you bring people in for an interview, behind closed doors, where you can get those facts. >> reporter: so hunter biden and his legal team believe that if he were to come behind closed doors, that the committee could manipulate or take out of context some of the answers he gives in these questions behind closed doors and that that would give an unfair representation of his testimony. and republicans have countered eventually they'll release the entire transcript that would provide that context. and, you know, chairman jordan is correct that the way that these congressional investigations usually work is that there is a closed door deposition first and then the public hearing second. that's much of how the january 6th select committee conducted their business as well. regardless, hunter's legal team believes this gives them an opportunity to fight this in court, if it comes to that. and it does look as though that
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will be the next step, jose, as republicans are now vowing to move to this contempt of congress charge, which could likely happen sometime in the new year. jose? >> monica, how does the white house view what happened this morning right outside the capitol with hunter biden? >> reporter: i have to tell you, normally they are a little bit hesitant sometimes to weigh in on this, really referring the matter to hunter biden's personal attorneys or to the department of justice. as it continues its investigation. but an administration official is telling nbc news this morning that the view from the white house at least is that those public comments made by hunter biden were, quote, powerful and forceful in terms of really just stating plainly how he views this situation and his willingness, he organizes to answer questions in that open and public forum, which we know is, of course, the subject of this big debate about whether that will ever take place. what is notable also, what we should point out here, is that the president's re-election
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campaign, so his political arm to all of this, is also weighing in, more generally, on this expected impeachment inquiry vote, really calling out what they call former president min pushing for the impeachment inquiry trying to move forward, trying to make this larger political argument that that is why house republicans are continuing to press on this while not being able to provide any direct evidence from any of hunter biden who he himself admits engaged in decisions that were wrong, that he made mistakes on, but that there hasn't been a shred of evidence so far at the white house and the campaign argue that has emerged that links that to president joe biden, even though then he was vice president joe biden at the time of some of these allegations. so they continue to pivot back to that. but it was notable that hunter himself did refer to his father in remarks earlier today,
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speaking specifically to what his mother and father have both done for him as he continues on his path to recovery. listen to how he put it. >> during my battle with addiction, my parents were there for me. they literally saved my life. they held me in ways i will never be able to repay. >> reporter: the president and first lady have continually said throughout this process that they love their son, that they're proud of him, and they support him and really what i'm told by those close to the president is that this is a president who is approaching this as a father first, even though, of course, there are incredible political implications for hunter biden who is facing potentially two criminal trials in 2024 as his father seeks re-election. jose? >> so, ryan, on the impeachment inquiry, do republicans have the votes to push this through?
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>> reporter: i think it would be unlikely at this point, jose, if they bring something like this to the floor if they didn't have the votes. we heard have a lot of moderate republicans who represent districts that were won by president biden in 2020 who initially expressed some reluctance to move forward with the impeachment inquiry, who now say that they're prepared to vote for it. and so, the expectation is that it will be largely along party line vote tonight, but it will be enough to get the impeachment inquiry formalized. and this gives these investigators a little bit more heft when it comes to their subpoena of documents, by requesting interviews, particularly interviews like the one that they're trying to collect with hunter biden. if any of that is potentially challenged in court, to have this formalization by the full house gives them a little bit more weight when they make that argument. but it also sets up a degree of political risk for republicans as well, because now once you formalize an impeachment inquiry, the next step would be actual articles of impeachment and while there have been some
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republicans who were reluctant before saying they're willing to allow the investigation to move forward, there are still many that say that they do not believe the evidence warrants articles of impeachment quite yet. if the investigations are unable to uncover that very specific evidence and articles of impeachment never manifest itself, it could end up backfiring for them politically as they head into this election year with president biden seeking re-election, jose. >> ryan nobles and monica alba, thank you, both, so very much. happening right now as well for the first time since the october 7th massacre, president biden is meeting privately in person with family members of those american hostages taken in hamas' surprise attack. this comes as we're getting news from gaza that the bodies of two hostages were recovered in an operation by the idf. they are now 135 hostages believed still being held by hamas. 19 of whom are believed to be dead. and for the battleground, we
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have new video, the idf says it shows an israeli reservist firing on that they claim are two hamas fighters before he's hit by a grenade. the idf edited the footage and nbc news has been unable to verify the claims. in the biggest split since the start of the war, president biden shared his most vocal criticism of israel over the number of civilian casualties in gaza and israel's plans for what happens when hamas is removed from power. joining us now nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander at the white house and nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel from jerusalem. so, peter, what more can you tell us about the president's meeting right now? >> reporter: jose, we know that meeting is taking place as we speak behind closed doors. cameras are not being invited in the room. this is a private event, wasn't even on the public schedule for the president, but we are hearing from officials here that it is likely we would hear from some of those family members of the americans believed to be held hostage in gaza right now
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at the conclusion of their visit. a total of eight americans on that list of those unaccounted for at this time. among those in attendance, viva siegel, she was a hostage herself, as part of the temporary cease-fire after 51 days in captivity, held by hamas, she is here today to meet with the president as part of this visit on behalf of her husband keith siegel who remains a hostage. the two of them lived on one of the kibbutz near gaza, kfar oz. they will try to get another cease-fire, even if temporary right now, to help secure the release of their loved ones at this time. we have heard many of these families speak publicly to try to keep their stories in the headlines and this, jose, will be the first time they get to deliver their message face to face with the president after having met with him virtually in
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the past. >> and this meeting is happening right now. so the president also shared his starkest criticism of israel's plans. what did he have to say? >> he was speaking at an off camera event, and it showed a real rift between president biden and prime minister netanyahu. not the first rift that existed between the two. before this war, president biden did not invite netanyahu to the white house as past presidents have done, instead meeting him for the first time along the sidelines of the united nations. the president yesterday saying of the netanyahu government that it must change and specifically he said as you noted in the introduction of this conversation that israel right now was at risk or beginning to lose support from the global community because as the president described it, the indiscriminate bombing that is taking place right now. the president will be pressed on
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those comments the next time reporters get a chance to be with him. the description of what is taking place in gaza is indiscriminate bombing obviously demonstrates the president's dissatisfaction with the way that the white house is carrying -- excuse me that israel is carrying out this war so far. but the president publicly at least has said that israel has a right to defend itself, he said among other things about the netanyahu government that they basically are an obstacle to any long-term solution because they don't want, as he describes it, a two-state solution, where you have a palestinian state side by side with israel. jose? >> and, richard, we have reporting that the idf is now pumping sea water into some of the tunnels in gaza? >> reporter: yes. this has been confirmed and my understanding is that this has been happening for some time. the idea is to fill the tunnels with water to flush hamas militants out, to get them to leave those tunnels, so they
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can't launch surprise attacks, they can't pop up in buildings, come out on the streets and attack israeli troops. the tunnels are often described as a subway system, so, they snake underneath the gaza strip, according to israeli officials, about 500 kilometers, 300 miles of tunnels and there are many, many entrances to these tunnels. and often they are in the center of built up urban areas. it is not -- it sounds easier than it is. you have to take water, run pipes, run hoses, excuse me, from the mediterranean sea, pipe them into the tunnels, and it is a sandy area, so these tunnels are lined often with cement to support them, but they're not watertight. so, it is not necessarily, my understanding, a fully efficient process, even though that has
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begun in some areas. >> amazing. 300 miles plus of tunnels in such a small limited area. richard engel and peter alexander, thank you, both, so very much. next, two big announcements from the supreme court with big implications. the court saysments about a maj case about a widely used abortion bill. we'll break down what's at stake. plus, what the court said about the legal fate of defendants arrested at the u.s. capitol on the 6th of january. 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 caramel swirl is always there for the taking. (carolers) ♪ iphone 15 pro, your husband deserves it! ♪ (mom) carolers? to tell me you want a new iphone? a better plan is verizon. (vo) it's your last chance to turn any iphone in any condition into a new iphone 15 pro with titanium and ipad and apple watch se - all on us. only on verizon.
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15 past the hour. we are following breaking developments out of the supreme court this morning. today the nation's highest court announced that it will agree to hear arguments over whether mifepristone, the widely used abortion pill, can remain easily accessible. and the justices announced that they will decide whether a
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rioter arrested in the january 6th attack on the capitol can be charged with obstructing an official proceeding, which could impact former president trump's own legal battles. joining us now, nbc news senior legal correspondent laura jarrett and msnbc legal analyst barbara mcquaid, former u.s. attorney in michigan. what more can you tell us about the supreme court's announcements this morning? >> we have been tracking this abortion pill case for quite some time now. and it is really about all of the ways in which the fda tried to make this pill easier to get, by getting it through the mail, not having to go to your doctor's office and a lower court said all of those ways that the fda tried to make it easier to get are invalid, they're no good. as of right now, access to the pill hasn't changed at all because the supreme court put a stay on everything to maintain the status quo while this case has been working its way through the various courts of appeal and now up to the supreme court and so now, jose, now that they agreed to take the case, they will hear oral arguments as they
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do in most cases, and then sometime within the coming months, likely next spring or summer, they will issue their final ruling on the case. >> so, barbara, what do you read into the court deciding to take this case? >> well, it is difficult to know, jose, because this court has obviously been very hostile to abortion rights. but one of the things that is interesting here is the focus is on standing. and you may recall the time when this case went to the district court, there was a lot of hullabaloo about how these plaintiffs had standing. it is so speculative and yet we saw a district court and court of appeals honor those cases and decided on the merits. so, it could be that the court is simply going to reverse these
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decisions to say those plaintiffs never had standing at all to bring these cases in the first place. >> yeah, i mean, the way you're explaining it and i appreciate your being so clear on this, it does seem as though standing is pretty light here. >> yeah, you know, standing means there is a real genuine caseharmed by a policy, something like this fda approval. the idea that some day in the future i might beharmed versus someone who wants this drug and can't use it, it seems that the standing in this case was very thin and so it may be that that is simply why the court is looking at this. it may be that they want to look at this case on the merits in which case we could see all kinds of changes including one that adds to their interest in up ending the administrative state by overturning a decision of the food and drug
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administration. but i also think that messing with approval by the food and drug administration is risky because there is the research and development that goes into getting that fda approval. and so i think it could really cause chaos to say that courts can overrule the learned opinion of the fda. >> and, laura, regarding the january 6th case, more than 300 people charged with obstructing an official proceeding. what could this mean for his election interference trial? >> this is one that the former president's attorneys are going to be keeping their eye on very closely because it is the same charge that jack smith, the special counsel, who is prosecuting the election interference case against donald trump, it is one of the same charges that he has used against him. they want to see what exactly contours the supreme court might put on it, a lot of the low ert cour courts trying to figure out how to interpret the statute. some of the people that you're showing on your screen there
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were charged with trying to stop that vote count on january 6th. that was the obstruction of the official proceeding, but you have do it corruptly. the question is what does a prosecutor need to show corrupt intent? what does that look like? and the court has been grappling where that. that's what the supreme court is going to be looking at here. if they decide, the lower court has been getting it wrong, that doesn't mean jack smith's case goes away, but it has an effect on what he would need to prove against trump. that's why it matters. >> and, barbara, the u.s. appeals court in manhattan rejected trump's request for immunity in the e. jean carroll defamation suit. where does that leave trump? >> it means he's going forward to trial. it is interesting, jose, in this case, because the reason for the rejection is not on the merits, it is on the timeliness. they said he waited three years before asserting the immunity defense. the trial court said that was too long and he waved the right and now the court of appeals has
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affirmed that decision, which means the case can go to trial. i think the argument was on some flimsy legal ground anyway on the merits that when you defame someone about sexual assault, that is somehow within the scope of the president's duties. but either way, he brought the defense too late and the case will proceed to trial. >> laura jarrett and barbara mcquaid, thank you both so very much. appreciate it. coming up, republicans stand their ground in their demand for border reform as critically needed aid for two us allies hangs in the balance. we'll ask congresswoman teresa legar fernandez about where negotiations stand. and later, rudy giuliani back in court today for his civil trial related to false claims he made about two election workers. will he be taking the stand? you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports. don't let symptoms define you. emerge as you. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 4 months... ...and the majority stayed clearer, at 5 years.
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> 26 past the hour. congress and the biden administration still searching for a deal on bordeurity in exchange for aid to ukraine, israel and taiwan. cbs news reports the biden administration indicatedo lawmakers that it would be willing to support a new authority to expel migrants without asylum screenings as well as a dramatic expansion of immigration detention and deportation, according to four people familiar with the matter. joining us now is nbc news homeland security correspondent julia ainsley. good morning.
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alejandro mayorkas was on capitol hill yesterday meeting with senators involved in the talks. do we know what his role in this process? >> what i learned from a source at dhs is secretary mayorkas is just involved in providing technical assistance, as they work through what they might put in this broader package at the border, he's there to be able to be the voice of dhs to say, here's how this would work on the ground, and that's important because what we're learning now is that a lot of these proposals really aren't very operationally sound. they could be mandates that are unfunded if they don't produce a lot more funding and a lot more physical infrastructure to detain migrants and work with mexico to take them back. he's up there to provide that role, but dhs has been very clear, mayorkas himself is not doing any of the negotiations, and for the most part, the biden administration wants republicans and democrats to come to a resolution to come to an agreement on this bill before they weigh in. >> and so, julia, has the white house had anything to say about this new reporting?
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>> well, no, at this point they want to say they're waiting to see whether or not this will actually come together. this is really a strategy for the white house because they don't want to spend their political capital by saying yes, we'll go all the way this far, when a deal might fall apart and they'll be left with their words. there is a lot of signalling that goes on now. i wanted to reiterate that a lot of people at dhs are saying that if they aren't careful and all of these conversations happen in a political vacuum and not a operational vacuum, they could be looking at a major crisis and breaking at the border. >> julia ainsley, thank you so very much. and with us now to continue our conversation is new mexico congresswoman teresa legar fernandez. great seeing you. thank you for your time. so the president has said he is willing to make significant
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compromises to get the foreign aid bill through. what do you make of this new reporting on what the white house is apparently willing to support? >> well, we would like to see the white house also engage the congressional hispanic caucus, the latino senators and latino house members in this conversation. because we want to make sure that we are not just, you know, negotiating coins to be given away, but that when we're negotiating something that we include what our communities need. we have comprehensive immigration reform proposals that would help at the border. we need to look at how do we address our workforce modernization act. it is a bipartisan effort. and our communities need that. our business and economy needs that. we need to be included in those discussions so that we can make sure that what we get out of here is acceptable to the latinos in the house and in the senate. >> your colleague told me
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yesterday right here on our show that if the biden administration were to give in to republican demands on border security, it would set a dangerous precedent. how do you view that? >> we need to recognize that immigration reform needs to be done in a manner that is not a pressure cooker. we should not be sort of bargaining chips without being involved in the conversation and looking for solutions that make sense, that aren't just giveaways to the extreme maga part of the party here. >> so, have you or anybody in your office been kept up to speed on what the white house is willing or not willing to do? have you had a meeting with the president on this issue? >> we have not. we have not had a meeting with the president. we will be having a press conference at 3:00 today to call for that involvement of this
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very important portion of the congressional leadership. we're in leadership, we represent 42 members on the democrat side. we need to be involved in these conversations. >> and, congresswoman, turning now to the vote we expect today on the president biden impeachment inquiry, you sit on the rules committee, which approved a resolution yesterday authorizing the inquiry. you're in the minority. but you voted against that. and called it political theater. what did you mean by that? >> republicans are engaged in political vengeance at the behest of the twice impeached, four felony convicted trump, who is mad because he got impeached but remember what it was for. it was for an attack on the capitol, and the capitol police force standing outside this building right now, they know what it means to be beaten and battered as trump tried to
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overturn the election. and what this is about is vengeance for that, because after 11 months of investigation, they have zero evidence that president biden engaged in anything that is near an impeachable offense. there is nothing there other than he's a good father and brother, he fought corruption and he respected the rule of law and the independence of the department of justice. that's what we have. but every single republican who votes for this impeachment inquiry is really a puppet of that twice impeached trump. >> congresswoman teresa legar fernandez, a pleasure to see you, thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you and have a great day. >> you too. up next, the next major fight over abortion rights heads to florida. why some republican voters now say their party has gone too far on that issue. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc.
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37 past the hour. the next big fight over abortion rights happening right here in florida. it is one of nine states where abortion protections could be on the ballot in the 2024 election. in the form of a constitutional amendment. morgan radford joins with us a look at how that fight is shaping up. morgan. >> jose, good to see you this wednesday. at issue here is a
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constitutional amendment that would protect abortion rights up to 24 weeks. now, similar measures have been successful in kansas, ohio, all part of a broader effort to really put abortion rights directly before voters at the state level. but, in order to get this language on the ballot, supporters need to gather almost 900,000 signatures by february 1st. though this is a popular position among democrats, they say they're also getting help from across the political spectrum. take a look. >> thank you for signing. >> reporter: at festivals, farmers markets, the beach, volunteers here in florida are fanning out. >> bringing the petition to pool parties. >> reporter: trying to get one issue on the 2024 ballot, a constitutional amendment that would bar any restrictions on abortion, before viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy, or when necessary to protect the patient's health. >> i don't think there is any doubt that when this thing is on the ballot, that it will pass. >> reporter: anna leads one of
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several groups behind the movement, from right here in her south florida home. a coalition that she says doesn't just include democrats. by her organization's count, of the 1.3 million signatures they have collected thus far, more than 150,000 have come from registered republicans. >> i had one woman say to me, i was in a room full of republican women when we heard that roe v. wade was overturned. and it was like being at a funeral. they had all been through this battle before. they thought it was settled. >> reporter: are you both registered republicans? >> yes. >> reporter: there are voices behind those numbers. carol whitmore was introduced to us by the florida women's freedom coalition. >> to say women can't make this very important decision in their life is atrocious. so you will be surprised and you will hear there are a lot of republicans that support what jamie and i do. >> reporter: her friend jamie carter is unaffiliated with the organization, but signed a petition in favor of the amendment. >> there is a lot of people that
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you wouldn't think would be the pro choice advocates, but they are. and i think it is really just having control of our own bodies. that's -- and the government overreaching right now. >> reporter: what do you think happens if the republican party as a whole doesn't see this issue the way you do? >> i think the national level they're realizing they're not going to win this battle. >> reporter: it is not just women. carlos lacassia and a prominent local businessman are donating time and money to the petition cause, both are registered republicans. why do you think it is important you speak out as men on this issue? >> i expect my privacy rights to be respected by the government. i don't want to be forced to be vaccinated and for that reason i think a woman's right to choose is fundamental and should be defended. >> carlos is right. of course, the right to abortion, i think, is one of those things that the government has got no business being into.
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>> reporter: nationally they're not alone. recent gallup polls show just 24% of republicans believe abortion should be illegal in all cases. but in a state where republican governor ron desantis won re-election by nearly 20 percentage points, then signed legislation that would ban most abortions after six weeks, political experts we spoke to said the measure is not guaranteed. >> you're going to get a substantial support across party lines for this kind of amendment. we have seen that in states that are more republican than florida is. the big caveat, though, especially here in florida, is that the threshold for constitutional amendment in florida is 60%. that's a difficult threshold on any issue, let alone one that can be quite as divisive as the abortion issue. >> this is something that a lot of people don't talk about. they know how they're going to vote. and when you get behind that booth and do your thing, we're going to speak up for ourselves. >> reporter: we reached out to the republican party of florida multiple times via phone and by email and they have yet to
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respond to our request for comment. but a brief has been filed with the state supreme court urging it to keep the question from appearing on the ballot, regardless of how many signatures are collected. as for the six-week abortion ban, it is still on hold pending a state supreme court decision on florida's current 15-week ban, which went into effect back in 2022. no matter the outcome, if this ballot measure were to pass in 2024, then both laws would be automatically invalidated. jose? >> morgan radford, thank you so very much. great seeing you. next, tesla announced a software defect affecting the auto pilot feature in 2 million of its cars. what the company is doing about it. and remembering a beloved actor. a look back at andre braugher's life and legacy. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. a. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc.
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right now, all over the country, kids at shriners hospitals for children® are able to go home and be with their families for the holidays. and it's only possible because of the monthly support of people just like you. thanks to a generous donor. every dollar you give can help twice as many kids like me and have double the impact. with your gift of just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day, we'll send you this adorable love to the rescue® blanket as a thank you. and a reminder of the care you'll be providing so kids can be with their families. christmas eve will find me. where the love light gleams. it only takes a moment to call the number on your screen. or you can visit loveshriners.org right now on your phone or computer. thanks to a generous donor,
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your gift will go twice as far and help more kids like me. because every child just wants to be home for the holidays and your gift makes that possible. your call is the best gift of all. your gift will be my favorite christmas present this year. thank you for giving. please call the number on your screen or go online right now with your monthly gift. and when you do, your gift will have two times the impact. way back in 1982 we took care of about forty kids and had to turn away over two hundred and fifty. and when you do, it's the emotion of that moment that said man that just isn't fair, and i think it was at that moment that operation smile was born. every three minutes a child is born with a cleft condition. thousands are waiting for the cleft surgery and care your support gives. they need you. give joy and a new smile. scan the code or go online to give today.
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47 past the hour. right now rudy giuliani back in court for the third day of his civil defamation trial. and he could take the stand as early as this afternoon. giuliani already found liable for defaming two georgia election workers after he falsely accused them of fraud tied to the 2020 election. yesterday, shaye moss, one of the workers, testified that giuliani's attacks upended her life, saying, quote, i'm just a whole new stressed out person. moss and her mother, the other plaintiff, ruby freeman, are
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seeking as much as $43 million in damages from giuliani. now to another sign that inflation appears to be easing. the government says wholesale prices were unchanged in november. this comes as we wait for the federal reserve to make an announcement this afternoon on what it plans to do about interest rates. at least in the near term. cnbc's dominic chu joins us this morning. dom, good seeing you. what are we likely to hear from the fed today? >> what the fed, the foregone conclusion right now, jose, is that you're not going to get any change on interest rates. that's a given. the markets have already priced that in. the huge deal will come later on this afternoon during the press conference with fed chairman jerome powell in which he'll answer questions from reporters about the state of the u.s. economy. the other big deal that is going to happen this time around and then happens four times a year, every quarter, march, june, september, and december, is the fed's policymakers release their summary of economic projections, the so-called sep.
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you may also hear them refer to as the dot plots. that's when all of the members of the fed's interest rate policy setting committee go out there and make predictions about things like u.s. economic growth, inflation, unemployment, other big key data points. what that does do is provide some kind of a glimpse or insight into what the fed policymakers think the economy could look like in the coming months, and what that could lead to is some more speculation about what the fed could do with interest rates. now, right now, with the economic projections the way they are, traders are currently pricing in what could be around a 40% chance of an interest rate cut happening sometime in march with possibly more interest rate cuts cuts later in the year. what the fed is going to have to thread the needle on is making sure the u.s. economy still stays relatively healthy while telling people that inflation still remains a problem and that they still need to be vigilant about it.
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jose, a lot of this is going to be very much in the cards, very transparent. the fed press conference will lead to possibly fireworks at the end of the day. >> there's a recall -- an important one -- voluming tesla vehicles. >> yes. we have 2 million vehicles made by tesla. that's pretty much every car they sold over 2022 to as recently as this month. it covers all model s, 3, y, x evs. the issue is whether they do enough to keep drivers engaged in paying attention to driving and on the road when the driver assist or so-call autopilot feature, full self-driving modes, are actually engaged. even when you have turned them on for the autopilot or full self-driving, tesla has become
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known for accidents. in certain situations, when those driver assist features are used, there may be increased risk of collision. some drivers turn them on and sit back and let the car do everything. in response, tesla said it disagrees but will issue a voluntary recall and roll out an over the air software remedy that's going to provide more indicators to keep drivers engaged and on the road. >> thank you so very much. turning now to some sad news this morning. tributes are pouring in after the unexpected loss of andre braugher. he died monday after a brief illness. he was 61 years old. tell us about his legacy. >> he had an incredible legacy, both on screen, but both off screen. he was a wonderful friend, and he was also a dedicated father.
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now his co-stars are paying tribute. >> this is my job. this is what the city of baltimore pays me to do. >> this morning, hollywood paying tribute to beloved actor andre braugher. he gained recognition for his turn many "homicide, life on the street" and "brooklyn 99" passing away at the age of 61. for eight seasons, he played beloved police captain raymond holt, a cop known for his deadpan one liners. >> i have never been more proud of you for anything in your life. >> i solved a lot of cases for you. >> and yet crime has continued. >> his co-stars from the show reacting to the news. terry cruz calling his talent, irreplacement. thank you for your wisdom, your advice, your kindness and your friendship. you shows me what a life well lived looks like. mark evan jackson who played his on-screen husband shaying a
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photo of them writing, o captain, my captain. he was best known for his dramatic rolls, reflected on playing it for laughs in the comedy series on "today "request the in 2019. >> you play the ultimate straight man on the show. rarely cracking a smile. is that in any way, shape, or form, true who who you are? >> i don't think so. i'm a serious dudi pending on what the circumstances are. i feel like all of the incredible comedians are the kites and i'm the string. >> he got his break in the 1989 civil war drama "glory" alongside denzel washington. >> let me tell -- >> shut up. >> get up off me. >> he went on to play his most famous role, detective frank pembleton in "homicide, life on the street." >> don't lie to me again. this is what you did. >> a performance that won him critical acclaim and an emmy in
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1998. >> this is for all the people in baltimore. this is a town i love. we have made it. thank you all. >> he went on to rolls in television, including "men of a certain age" and movies like "she said." he met his wife on the set of "homicide," the couple were married more than 30 years and had three sons. the actor reflecting on his career and prioritizing his family in an interview in 2020 saying, i think it could have spanned more disciplines, directing, producing, all these other different things, but i it would have been at the expense of my own life. he had an incredible life. obviously, so many people are wanting to know what happened. those tributes are continuing to pour in. >> what an artist. thank you very much. appreciate it. that wraps up the hour for me. i'm jose diaz-balart. watch me on social media
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@jdbalart. thank you for the privilege of your time. andrea mitchell picks up with more news after a quick brain. a more news after a quick brain. trying to give a better life to people that don't have the means to do it. si mi papá estuviera vivo, sé que él tuviera orgulloso también de vivir de esta viviendo una vida como la que estamos viviendo ahora. es electricidad aquí es salud. the subway series is taking your favorite to the next level! like the #20. the elite chicken and bacon ranch. built with rotisserie-style chicken and double cheese. i love what i'm seeing here. that's some well-coached chicken. you done, peyton? the subway series just keeps gettin' better.
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right now on "andrea mitchell reports," hunter bietd biden ignoring house republicans' subpoena to be interviewed behind closed doors, denouncing the accusations linking his father to his wrongdoing. speaking publically outside the capitol. >> for six years, i have been the target of the unrelenting trump attack machine shouting, where is hunter. here is my answer. i am here. >> not in a private deposition as ordered by the house subpoena. hunter biden says to prevent them from distorting his answers. will they hold him in contempt. house republicans with
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