good morning. it is 10:00 a.m. eastern, 7:00

a.m. pacific, i'm josé diaz-balart. right now on msnbc, a michigan newspaper revealing details of never before heard audio of donald trump appearing to pressure officials in one county not to certify the 2020 election results. plus, who else the paper says was on that call. we're also following extreme weather, the storm drenching the west coast and how it could impact holiday travel across the country. also ahead, terror in prague, what more we know about a rare deadly mass shooting at a university in europe. and later, the new calls for a cease fire in the israel-hamas war, including the tense negotiations at the united nations to reach a resolution demanding a new pause in fighting. >> we begin this morning with new reporting about another instance of former president donald trump pressuring local officials to overturn the 2020

election results. the detroit news revealing there is an audio recording of then president donald trump and rnc chair ronna mcdaniel talking to two republican members of the wayne county board of canvassers in november 2020, pressuring them not to certify the results. and according to the paper telling them, quote, we've got to fight for our country. joining us now nbc's ken dilanian and former u.s. attorney, joyce vance. we should note the detroit news says this recording was made by someone present for the conversation but obtained through an intermediary who was not there. nbc news has not heard or verified the recordings. we've also reached out to spokespeople for former president trump and mcdaniel. what have we heard, ken, so far from them, and what can you tell us about this conversation? >> well, jose, they're not denying the substance of the reporting here, and in fact, what the trump campaign is saying is that then president

trump at the time was acting as the president of the united states concerned about fraud in the election, but it's not clear that the reporting about what this tape suggests backs that up because what happened here, if you recall is that joe biden won this county by more than 150,000 votes, and there was a pro forma vote by the wayne county board of canvassers to certify those results, and two republicans balked, and they ended up voting for it, but then they were having second thoughts, and this is when -- according to this reporting, donald trump, and ronna mcdaniel called these two holdouts and urged them to stand fast and ronna mcdaniel said they would provide them lawyers. in the end, they caved and it went on and the votes were certified, but had that been held up, that would have been another example of the system grinding to a halt where there was really no evidence, no credible evidence of fraud, and this could end up being important evidence, jose, in jack smith's federal election

prosecution of mr. trump. >> and this is, ken, information that apparently smith did not have access to until now. >> i think that's not clear, we should always be very cautious what about we think the special counsel does and doesn't have with his vast subpoena power, and with the fbi at his disposal. whether he has it or not, he has it now, and it's very important evidence. >> and joyce, this is just the latest phone call we know where trump was directly involved in efforts to overturn the election. what stands out to you about this reporting? >> so i think one of the intriguing facts here, which is very useful to prosecutors is the fact that here we have the sitting president of the united states making a phone call to two county people who are involved in certifying the election in wayne county in michigan. you know, that's a pretty remarkable level of engagement for donald trump, and it's good evidence for prosecutors to show

how in the loop he was on the details, how engaged he was in the plan to interfere with certifying the election results for joe biden. >> and part of that conversation included mcdaniel saying if you can go home tonight, do not sign it. we will get you attorneys with trump adding we'll take care of it. how significant is that promise, joyce? >> it could be very significant. michigan has a bribery statute, a bribery crime that tracks the federal statute, and in essence, it makes it a crime to offer something of value, a lawyer's services are valuable, in exchange for taking or withholding official action, here failing to certify the vote, so we don't know how or which set of prosecutors are look at this. it's possible that michigan prosecutors could be taking a fresh look in light of this evidence, but it could be quite dangerous for any of the people involved. >> and ken, there are so many

similarities with what happened in the georgia case. they're two now different cases, but there are similarities here. >> absolutely, jose. it's a clear pattern, and as joyce said, then president trump was calling local officials, and as the president of the united states, he had no role in state and local elections. if he was concerned about fraud, his modus operandi should have been to talk to the justice department, which in fact he did and they told him there was tho fraud. his claim that he was acting as the president by calling these state and local officials and pressuring them is suspect, frankly. >> yeah, and ken, now kind of focusing on another legal issue, a source with knowledge of the trump team's plans telling nbc news they will appeal the decision to keep trump off colorado's ballot. walk us through, ken, the trump time line. >> yeah, well, you know, they're

absolutely going to appeal this, and they expect that the supreme court will take it up quickly. it is stayed unless and until the supreme court intervenes , if they don't intervene before january 5th, when they have to start thinking about printing the ballots, that's going to cause a problem in colorado. >> seems fairly likely the supreme court would get involved here. here we have a constitutional issue where state courts have come down on different sides of the question. it's a classic example of where the supreme court needs to weigh in, jose, on this question of whether donald trump was an insurrectionist and, therefore, cannot be on the ballot in the next presidential election. >> and so, joyce, explain to us what effect or not stayed, the fact that it stayed until there is some future. what does that mean, and what does that in actuality mean? >> yeah, stays are always very difficult to understand in how

they apply to these different legal proceedings. here the colorado court has ruled that trump cannot be on colorado's ballots in 2024, but then they stayed their order. that means it won't take effect for a period of time, and here is what we need to know going forward. as of now, even though they've ruled trump can't be on the ballot, he is on the ballot in colorado. that could change if one of two things happens. if the united states supreme court does not agree to hear this case, then the colorado supreme court's order will stand and trump will be off of the ballot. i agree with ken, though, that the supreme court is very likely to hear this matter, and if that's, in fact, the case, then the ultimate outcome, whether trump will be on the ballot will depend upon the supreme court's ruling in this case, which could come quickly or it could come slowly. for practical purposes, trump may remain on the ballot for the primaries, and it may be the

fight is over whether he's on the ballot for the general election. >> and ken, we also have news about one of trump's former lawyers today, rudy giuliani, filing for bankruptcy. we learn from the filing, what are some of the things we're learning from the filing? >> well, we're learning that rudy giuliani has enormous debts including, of course, this $148 million judgment that the judge in the defamation case ordered imposed immediately, and that's what led to the bankruptcy filing. so rudy giuliani's listing between 1 and $10 million in assets, and that may include his $6 million apartment in new york and about $153 million in liabilities, and really up to 500 million because he's being sued in several other cases and he doesn't know what those damages might be. so what this means for ruby freeman and shaye moss is that they're going to have to wait a while to start collecting on this defamation judgment. but what's also interesting to note is that defamation is not necessarily dischargeable in

bankruptcy, a judgment that resulted from willful and malicious acts should stay with mr. giuliani for the rest of his life, whatever the bankruptcy judge decides. the real question will be will he have any money to pay it? he owes other lawyers millions of dollars. he's involved in other lawsuits, so real question whether those georgia election workers ever see any money from rudy giuliani. >> ken dilanian and joyce vance, thank you so very much. we appreciate it. we're expecting lots of new activity in former president trump's legal cases after the four historic indictments against him in 2023. nbc news senior legal correspondent laura jarrett joins with us a look back at this unprecedented year in legal news. laura, unprecedented indeed. >> unprecedented, and the year is not even over yet, jose. think of all of the fits and starts, stops and starts, twists and turns, how many conversations have you and i had and others had about will they or won't they when it comes to some of these prosecutions. jose, this is the year when

those conversations turn from hypothetical to very real. >> we're coming on the air with breaking news set to rattle the 2024 presidential campaign and our country's legal landscape. >> after years of investigations. >> they're not coming after me. they're coming after you. >> reporter: 2022 will go down as the year it all came to a head. >> we have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to even. >> reporter: the 45th president now a criminal defendant, donald trump indicted in multiple jurisdictions. >> an unprecedented moment in history, the fallout far reaching. >> this is a grave day and a serious one for our country. >> reporter: first charged in new york for what prosecutors say he did to get into office originally. mr. trump stands accused of doctoring his company's books and records to cover up an embarrassing story ahead of the 2016 election. >> a manhattan grand jury voting to indict former president

donald trump. >> reporter: then in washington and georgia. >> we look at the facts, we look at the law, and we bring charges. >> reporter: allegations of a sweeping conspiracy to stay in power and steal the 2020 election. >> not about calling the election rigged. it's not about saying that he had actually won. it's about the means that he used to do that. >> reporter: the former president also charged for what the justice department says he did after he finally left the white house. >> the new photos released showing boxes of documents stash ed in a ballroom, even a bathroom at his mar-a-lago home. >> reporter: his arrests and arraignments playing out live, mr. trump treating his court appearances almost as campaign events. the sole mug shot taken in fulton county, another surreal first along a steady stream of attacks. >> the attorney general of this state is a disgrace. >> reporter: against the prosecutors, judges, and witnesses against him. >> i did nothing wrong, and

everybody knows it. i've never had such support. >> reporter: but with each passing indictment, his poll numbers have grown, his fund-raising numbers through the roof, yet his legal woes have become increasingly complicated with several alleged co-conspirators pleading guilty in georgia and now cooperating with prosecutors. >> if i knew then what i know now, i would have declined to represent donald trump in these post-election challenges. >> reporter: but 2024 could pose the greatest test yet with the political calendar and mr. trump's trial schedule now on a collision course with the first criminal trial against the republican front runner set to begin next spring. but for now, we wait to hear from the supreme court. at any time now, jose, we could hear from the justices as to whether they will agree to special counsel jack smith's request to take up this very important issue of whether, in fact, the former president is immune from prosecution entirely, jose. >> laura jarrett, thank you very much. and laura, look forward to

seeing you as we do every weekend on "the today show." see you tomorrow, right? >> thank you so much, jose. appreciate that. >> thanks. we're back in 60 seconds, more people traveling this holiday than they have in years. we'll take a look at the weather that could spell trouble. plus, terror in prague after a shooting claimed at least 14 lives. what police say this morning about the suspected shooter and what he was capable of. and later an 860-year-old landmark's triumphant moment after being scorched by a fire. you're watching a special two-hour edition of "josé diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. rz

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aaa predicts around 115 million people will be hitting the roads between december 23rd and january 1st. nbc news correspondent shaq brewster is at a rest stop near shk. g chicago. how's it looksothing. >> reporter: it's looking busy. you're starting to see that early rush out there on the roads right now. you mentioned more than 100 million people are expected to hit the roads during this holiday season. according to aaa,y sa that the most congested time will be tomorrow between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., so they say if you're going to do that drive tomorrow, do it either tomorrow morning or tomorrow evening to avoid the biggest part of that rush. i want you to actually listen to what aaa is advising you if you're going on that holiday road trip. >> our best advice is, you know, get an early start on the road, and then while you're driving, don't try and bomb all the way through in one -- you know, just i got to get there.

i got to get there, and not take breaks. try and take a break about every two hours. stop the car, stretch, clear that road fog because it's so easy to kind of zone out and get easily distracted and that's when bad things happen, particularly when you're going 65 or 70 miles an hour. >> reporter: fortunately if you look at much of the weather across the country, it does look like fairly good driving conditions. of course the exception is in the southwest where they're dealing with that heavy rain, and for most drivers across the country, you're dealing with some reprieve in the gas prices. gas prices about $3.12 a gallon, that is the national average. that is pretty on par with what we saw at this point last year. lower than what we saw earlier this year, and of course it depends on where exactly you buy. >> shaq brewster, thank you so very much. good seeing you, my friend. as millions of people hop on planes, trains, and automobiles to get to their christmas

destination, they're checking the skies, airports are already warning passengers to arrive at least two hours early to avoid delays as a winter storm and flooding out west could put a damper on the holiday spirit. meteorologist angie lassman has the holiday forecast. angie. >> good morning, jose, a couple of spots that folks might want to watch out for when it comes to weather and travel. today we do have some rain falling in the middle of the country, mostly impacts folks across the midwest, st. louis, chicago. we'll see some showers throughout the day today. watch for wet roads and maybe some delays from those airports. meanwhile, into the southwest, that's where we're really dealing with difficult weather conditions. we've been seeing the flood risk for the past couple of days stretched across parts of southern california. now moving into parts of the desert southwest. we'll still deal with that flood risk today, so places like los angeles, san diego, and phoenix could see some airport delays as well as some difficulty on the roads. otherwise, unusually mild across the northern tier of the country, the northeast to the

southeast looks good to go, no delays expected there. if you're heading out tomorrow, though, another busy day, places like salt lake city, phoenix, those are the spots i would watch for. we'll see heavy snow and potentially gusty winds across parts of the rockies, the midwest might see lighter showers and maybe a bit of fog, not looking at widespread delays for detroit and chicago, but a couple could be out there. houston to phoenix, though, it's the rain that you'll have to watch for. looking ahead to sunday, christmas eve, those last minute travelers or maybe you're just getting on the road heading to family and friends' homes, kansas city, denver, could see some delays there, wet roads basically from the gulf coast into the midwest. a little bit of snow that we'll have to deal with for parts of the northern plains, denver, could be dealing with a bit of snow as you get out there. meanwhile, your saturday forecast looks like temperatures mid-40s to low 50s from washington, d.c.. great across parts of florida for saturday and sunday really, temperatures into the 70s. we'll keep it mild across the east, but temperatures will start to dip down into those 30s across parts of the northern plains.

meanwhile, it's the wet roads that you'll have to deal with across the gulf coast into the great lakes and the midwest, and maybe even a little snow as we gear up for christmas day across parts of the plains. it will mostly be rain, though, that we'll have to deal with from the great lakes to the gulf coast and even into portions of the southeast. but the west looks great for christmas day. low 40s across parts of arizona, and denver will hit 36 degrees with plenty of sunshine. jose, back over to you. >> angie, thanks, thanks so much. appreciate it. next, a rare mass shooting in europe. new details this morning about the attack in prague that left at least 14 dead. plus, we'll speak to a senior adviser to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, r how israel believes the war is going as it faces growing pressure to establish a cease fire. cease fire israel believes the war is g

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left at least 14 dead and dozens injured. it's the worst mass shooting in the czech republic's history. this morning police say they worked overnight to identify all 14 people killed and warned the death toll could rise. let's bring in nbc news foreign correspondent ali arouzi. he is in prague this morning. ali, what's the latest there? >> reporter: good morning, jose. people here are still deeply disturbed by yesterday's killing spree. look, this is by and large a very peaceful country, and mass shootings are very rare. last night president biden said his heart is with the families and the victims and that u.s. officials are in touch with czech authorities and have offered to help in any way they can. pandemonium in prague after a gunman shot dead 14 people and injured at least 25 others in the deadliest attack of its kind in modern czech history. as the rampage progressed to the

university, some panic stricken people jumped to safety from one of the building's ledges several stories up. university staff and students told to barricade doors and hunker down in rooms. >> in the middle of the exam, we started hearing gunshots and screaming. while we were walking out, all i could see is the floor was covered with blood, eventually we were able to lock the door and make a barricade. >> police today releasing this body cam footage as they entered the university in prague's historic center telling people to run as they searched the building. they say the 24-year-old gunman killed himself adding there's no indication that he had any accomplices or was connected to a terrorist organization. authorities also found a large number of weapons and ammunition in the faculty building. last night the police chief saying they don't know the motive yet and that the gunman was a high performance student inspired by another heinous act

elsewhere in the world. the first victim has been named by the university as lanka helkova. the university issued this statement saying the level of violence that occurred today at charles university is absolutely new and completely shocking, adding let's stand together in these difficult times. today in prague, a day of mourning declared, black flags fly over the city's iconic concert and exhibition hall. the czech prime minister and the u.s. ambassador amongst those paying tribute to the victims today. >> president biden earlier today expressed his sympathies, and we stand here with the czech republic and to provide any support needed. >> reporter: so jose, police here say that he killed his father before going on that mass shooting. they also believe that he was connected to a murder in the forest near prague where two

people were killed, one of them an infant, and just before we came on air, jose, the police released a statement saying that there were ballistic tests connecting a weapon he had in his apartment to that crime scene in the forest where a father and his 2 or 3-month-old child were killed, jose. >> ali arouzi, thank you very much. i want to bring in former fbi special agent and an nbc news national security analyst clint watts. good to see you. so many questions here, and i'm just thinking what ali was just report ago second ago that there was apparently what sounds like a second weapon found in the shooter's home that could be possibly tied to another shooting in the forest, including a little baby, and i'm just thinking, you know, officials in the czech republic aren't accustomed to these kinds of things. do police there have any background in handling these types of investigations? >> their investigators are very good. in fact, i was in prague back in

may, met with several folks there. i was quite impressed with them and their intelligence officers are very good as well. so i imagine they do have the capacity to do it. it's just the frequency, as you mentioned, jose, they just don't encounter this in the czech republic or really across europe at all. this kind of a mass shooting is very uncommon, and it's something new for them in terms of what they're encountering. >> yeah, and the information they have released. they haven't released his name yet, at least publicly, obviously, but they did say that, you know, he was a high performance student. what are the things that you're hearing from that and what we're not hearing, what does that tell us? >> yeah, jose, just looking at some of the sources i saw online today and in some of the, you know, names that were floated and kind of what the inspiration might be. i would note that we, i think, in the u.s. have thought, oh, maybe, they were inspired, this individual was inspired by awful

terrorist attacks that we've seen here in our own country. i think that's probably not the case. i think what we'll find is based on some of the russian language sources, czech language sources, we're going to find that this person was inspired by several mass shootings that have happened actually in europe and russia more recently. so i think the point of this is we think it's localized to the united states, and we have no doubt an overwhelming number of them and more than anybody else per capita, but these shootings are spreading around the world, and you are seeing other shootings in places as far away as europe and even inside russia. >> yeah, and clint the fact that he apparently had large amounts of ammunition and at least, you know, two weapons including what some say, you know, the rifle that he was using at that university may have had like a scope, et cetera. it just seems as though this high performing student had access to weapons that normally you wouldn't see in europe. >> that's right, jose. it's just very uncommon. you might remember over the last

decade that a couple of things have happened. one, we would think this was an isis style attack, if it were ten years ago. paris, brussels, we saw these shooting rampages unfold. that took months f not years of infiltration, bringing weapons through ammunition. the other one was andres breivik in norway, that took a lot of planning and coordination. this is different. this seems to suggest that he was able to maybe even get weapons illegally, this individual, and that the stockpiling of ammunition went on for a long time. that may in part because in places like europe, they don't have what we call serious activity reports or sars where they would report something like ammunition being built up. or if someone were to go to a firearms store and accumulate large amounts of ammunition, that might trigger law enforcement suspicion. i wonder if that will change now in europe. >> yeah, and i'm just thinking what happened at the bat clan in paris, those individuals had

access to an infrastructure or a communications with other groups and with other people. if this person acted alone, it seemed like he had access to a lot of things. >> definitely had access to a lot of things. i just think it speaks to a very different nature of this attack, not what you'd see in europe. usually large scale attack when is they do happen, very infrequently they're tied to terrorist groups. this is far more similar. a troubling turn of events and maybe a warring sign for europe. >> clint watts, thank you so very much, appreciate it. and turning now to the israel-hamas war. we're keeping eyes on the u.n. security council where we're expecting a vote on a cease fire resolution after being pushed back a couple of days, and the humanitarian crisis in gaza remains grim. the gaza ministry of health, hamas controlled ministry of health now saying more than 20,000 people have died since the beginning of the war, and

one in four people are now starving in the region, according to the u.n. i want to bring in nbc news correspondent jay gray. jay, thank you. what can we expect from today's vote at the u.n.? >> reporter: well, jose, after four delays in this vote and disagreements over language in the original draft, it does appear if the vote takes place today that the u.s. will support a measure calling for more humanitarian aid for gaza. this comes only after wording in the original text was removed calling for a cease fire. as you know and the viewers know, the u.s. has vetoed multiple u.n. security council votes because they say israel has the right to defend itself and refusing to agree to those proposals because of cease fire wording in them. this time they've watered it down. it appears the u.s. will be a yes vote. >> jay gray, thank you so very much from tel aviv this morning

for us. i want to bring in senior adviser to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, ambassador mark regev. ambassador, always appreciate your time. how is israel perceiving, first of all, what is going to happen or may happen today at the united nations, but also just with the general state of the war? >> so we were always opposed, as was the united states and others to calls for a unilateral cease fire because that would just leave hamas in power. that's a lifeline for the hamas terror regime, and that's to get them off the hook. the people who committed the most brutal crimes against humanity on october 7th, the beheadings, the burning of people alive, the machine gunning of civilians, the rapes, all that they would get off scot-free because the u.n. would say we had to stop our campaign to take apart their terror machine and to remove them from power. that's why we opposed those

original resolutions. my understanding is what is on the table now at the security council is calling for humanitarian efforts, for pauses to allow aid to come in. that sort of thing israel has no problem with. we don't see the civilian population of gaza as the target of our operation. we want to support, see humanitarian reach civilians. our enemy is hamas. >> and how successful have you been in precisely attacking and neutralizing and destroying hamas when, you know, there's -- they're in and among 2 million civilians? >> so we've seen over the last week more and more hamas fighters in the northern part of the gaza strip where the operation, as you know, jose, started. we're seeing more and more surrender. this is new. we're beginning to see their military structure break. now, i can't tell you it's the end, but maybe it is as to

paraphrase churchill, the beginning of the end. in the south where we started later, obviously more work is needed there. it's only a matter of time before we have taken apart their military machine, have eliminated their top leadership, their top commanders, those responsible for the october 7th massacre will get them, and if we talk about the leadership, i think we'll get every last one of them. >> and you say it's a matter of time. time is of the essence for all kinds of things. what time are you looking at? >> so obviously we'd prefer to get this done sooner than later. it has to be done properly. anyone who proposes some sort of quick fix, the problem with that is it's a quick fix, and not a real solution. if hamas is allowed to stay alive, we'll be back to square one, and jose you'll be interviewing me again because there's another gaza war. it's hamas who says there can be

no coexistence or peace with israel. it's hamas who says they would do the october 7th massacre again and again and again, their words not mine. so anyone who believes, let's just go for a cease fire now, some quick fix, it's really not a solution at all as long as hamas is in power, we're going to see continued bloodshed down the road. let's finish this once and for all. let's give the people of israel and the peace of gaza an opportunity for a better future, and that's a better future without hamas. >> ambassador, what about the more than 100 hostages that are still being held by hamas or other groups? apparently they haven't haven't been allowed to be seen by the red cross, which as i understand is part of the first agreement to have that cease fire for four days, or the pause for four days. that hasn't happened, but let's talk about those men, women, and children that are still being held by hamas.

>> and we are in fear for them because we know the sort of brutality that hamas is capable of. we saw that when they attacked us and butchered our civilians on october 7th. and we've heard from the hostages that were released in late november, that group of some -- also 100 hostages that was released with the help of president biden and we thank him for his assistance, his input was crucial in helping to get those people out, but the stories that they told upon their release, they were subject to both physical and psychological abuse, and i heard the children's doctor who was dealing with all the children who were released after some 50 days held by hamas, and she said, her words, not mine, they came back as shadows of children and i mean, how hamas treated the 2-year-old, the 4-year-old, the 6-year-old, the 9-year-old, terrible, and we are concerned about the hostages. we will leave no stone left

unturned in an effort to get the hostages out, whether that's through our military operation or through another pause that allows some sort of arrangement for them to be released, but getting the hostages out back home safely, that's one of the major goals of our operation. >> is that pause possible? i mean, i understand that hamas said no to a pause for one week because they want more time. is that possible? and are you working towards it directly today? >>. >> we're working towards it. we want to see hostages out, and we believe hamas aren't going to release hostages because they've suddenly become humanitarians, because they're suddenly observing international humanitarian law. they will release hostages, if i can quote president biden again, he says hamas understands pressure, and the military pressure that we're placing today on hamas as we attack them and as we slowly take apart their military machine, they're more and more desperate for a

time-out, and they can have a pause in the fighting if they agree to release more hostages. it worked in november. it can work now in december too. >> ambassador, i appreciate your time. thank you. >> thanks for having me, jose. next, customs and border protection holding a record number of migrants in custody, more than 25,000 people. would a border visit from the homeland security secretary hoping to accomplish. plus, who is getting a pardon from president biden this holiday? you're watching a special two-hour edition of "josé diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. é diaz-balart reports" on msnbc.

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now to the humanitarian crisis on the southern border. we have disturbing new video this morning that highlights the dangers people face when making the journey to the united states. i want to warn you, this is very difficult to watch. it shows three men trapped in a

muddy section of the rio grande. there you see it right behind that tree there. they're two brothers and then another young man. they're trying to get clear of anvegetation. when one of the men tries to hold onto the others, apparently he couldn't swim, he ends up pulling them all under the water. that man and one of the other brothers died. that heartbreaking scene comes as a number of people continue to arrive at the southern border reaching daily records every single day this week. there's news today that the white house is sending the secretaries of state and homeland security to mexico for the next couple of days to discuss the challenges at the border. nbc homeland security correspondent julia ainsley joins us now. also with us, julie tsirkin on capitol hill. and julie, this video that we

showed just parts of moments ago, two young people die. people who had made this incredibly difficult journey, maybe even months in the making finally getting to the border and losing their life right there. these are young people with hopes, with dreams, aspirations, everything is so difficult for them, and you know, we talked numbers and statistics, but it all boils down to people and this is -- the worst part of all of this, i don't know if there is a worst part, but this is not a one-off. >> yeah, for the people who you see on that video, think about all the people who didn't even make it to that point. people who died going to the deron gap between colombia and panama. think about the people who were kidnapped, raped, extorted by gangs and carteling in mexico. the stories that we hear, jose, you've been down there, identify been down there, there's really no way to tell this story

without talking to those people and getting their input. when you think about all the policies that the u.s. can do to try to make things harder at the border, to use a stick approach rather than a carrot. it's hard to imagine there's anything u.s. policy would allow that would be harder than what these people have gone through. i think it's that desperation and especially as we see increasing political turmoil around the world, the effects of climate change. there are people in guatemala who can't live off the land their families lived off for generations. as those people turn to more increasing desperation, these numbers are going to get higher. look at the desperation there as well. look at the desperation as these people are sent to u.s. cities like chicago, l.a., denver, new york, and they don't know where to go from there. it's a really tough situation, and one where we don't see an end in sight right now. >> yeah, and few times do people move the focus over to the root cause of this and what's been going on in cuba for 63 plus

years and nicaragua and venezuela, more than 7 million people have left that country since the beginning of the chavez maduro dictatorship, and you know, haiti and it's just, julie, meanwhile house speaker mike johnson is now asking the white house to take executive action to address this crisis. what specific things is he asking for? >> reporter: speaker johnson acknowledged that bipartisan talks are still happening in the senate. you'll notice this building behind me is empty, but certainly negotiators are meeting virtually including today to try and see if they can come to some kind of deal that would be palatable, not only for democrats but also for republicans, but speaker johnson here perhaps laying out the marker for what his conference would be comfortable with, and i have to tell you, jose, a lot of these policies, a lot of these proposals that he wants the president to take executive action on are policies that were in place under the former administration, under president trump, they are policies like

ending catch and release, like reinstating the remain in mexico policy, essentially having migrants stay in mexico as they are awting their hearings to be processed here in the u.s. he wants the constction of the border wall to be resumed essentially stopping access along the u.s. southern mexico border. yo s some of those on your screen it's needless to say that most of these policies are ones in which the president would not put back into place using executive action. they're ones that hispanic lawmakers that progressives, that immigrant advocates find cruel, unimaginably cruel and untenable, but nonetheless, johnson here laying out what his conference would be able to accept as these negotiations are continuing in the senate, and it's not clear that he will accept or put something on the floor that doesn't rise to that level or go as far to the right as things he's laying out here. >> julie ainsley and julie

tsirkin, thank you very much. we're folew from the white house this morning ere president biden has just issued a sweeping pardon for thousands of people cvied of riana possession or use in d.c. and on federal lands. he also commuted the sentences of 11 people serving time for nonviolent drug charges including some who are serving life sentences for crimes the white house says would be eligible for significantly lower sentences if they were charged today. nbc's aaron gilchrist joins us now from the white house. aaron, good morning. so what specifically is included in this? >> so jose, you laid it out there nicely. there are two pieces to what the president has done today, the first, as you mentioned, is granting clemency, commuting the sentences of 11 people. you showed the names on the screen. these are all people who were convicted of nonviolent drug offenses according to the white house, and these are all people whose sentences ranged anywhere from 15 years in prison to life in prison, and the president has said that he's commuting these sentences as he's actually done

in the past during his administration because of reforms to laws around d offenses and the reality he says that each of these people would haveeen receiving shorter sentences they been convicted of a crime more recently, and the president says this is an eouphold the of redemption and rehabilitation, that is why he is shortening these sentences. some people will be released from prison next year. others will serve significantly less than life in prison, if you will. the other piece of this action today by the president is this really a blanket pardon for certain marijuana offenses as it relates to d.c. law and federal law. we're talking about the simple possession of marijuana, attempted simple possession of marijuana, and use of marijuana, and this is what the president has described as a full, complete, and unconditional pardon for all of these offenses so we can expect to see the doj and other agencies, prosecution offices looking at cases now across the country and releasing

some of these people who have been convicted of these sorts of crimes as a result of the president's pardon today, jose. >> aaron gilchrist in washington, thank you so very much. next, after a fire scorched the roof of the 860 notre dame cathedral in paris, a triumphant moment of resilience for one of the world's most recognizable landmarks. you're watching a special two-hour edition of "josé diaz-balart reports" on msnbc.

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52 past the hour. now to hopeful news just in time for christmas. the efforts to restore the iconic notre dame cathedral are almost finished, four years after a fire almost destroyed the landmark known as the heart of paris. nbc's keir simmons got a behind the scenes look in paris. keir? >> reporter: hey there, good day to you. we all remember folks standing on the banks of the seine here watching the notre date kath dram on fire, well, wait until you see it now.

despite the frankly high winds, we got the chance to climb up notre dame, all the way up the spire there for some very french good news. the inferno, back in april 2019, was devastating. tearing through the interior of the church, consuming 800 years of history in minutes. four years on, to see how far the restoration has come, going 300 feet straight up to a tiny exposed platform, with spectacular views of paris. >> bonjour. >> reporter: meet philip jost, overseeing this mammoth project. this is the spire that went crashing down? >> exactly. >> reporter: we all watched it, all around the world. >> all around the world. >> oh, my gosh, it just fell inside the church. >> it is a very important moment when now the spire is rebuilt. >> reporter: and this is the golden rooster? >> it is fantastic. we're very happy to have done

that. >> reporter: the original rooster weather vane was thought lost, but miraculously survived, buried in the ash. just last weekend, this new rooster was blessed and placed gently on its perch. it contains holy relics, pieces of what is said to be the crown of thorns. >> it is a very, very emotional moment and symbolic moment. >> reporter: it is the phoenix from the ashes. >> exactly. >> reporter: or a rooster from the ashes. now, philippe and i descend into the heart of notre dame. there was a hole in the ceiling. >> a big hole in the ceiling. >> reporter: now it is being rebuilt better, with advanced fire protection, while expert carpenters use medieval tools, slotting roof timbers together like a giant puzzle. a lot of people have given a lot for this. including many people donating from the u.s. >> $30 million. >> reporter: $30 million.

donations that are hoping to rebuild more of the cathedral's wonders. the village colors of priceless masterpieces brought back to life. ancient stone cleaned and these statues rescued from the fire have been lovingly revived. new gargoyles are being sculpted and will soon take their place, high on the walls of this, the most famous cathedral in the world. and for those of us who celebrate notre dame will be ready to visit for christmas next year. christmas mass inside notre dame cathedral in 2024. how about that? it won't be ready for the olympics, but that scaffolding, which is itself an engineering feat, will be gone for the games in the summer, which is kind of a shame, because you get a great view of the opening ceremony from up there. >> you do indeed. keir simmons in paris, thanks so much. a lot more coming up in our second hour of "jose diaz-balart

reports," including the year in war. plus, hopes for peace this holiday season. and some joy. an inside look at the people who keep our skies safe, so santa can fly this christmas. we're back after a short break. don't go anywhere. christmas we're back after a short break don't go anywhere. y condition. ♪ ♪ get iphone 15 pro and ipad and apple watch - all on them! ♪ (mom) please forgive him. (carolers) ♪ it's all good - just a little awkward. ♪ (soloist) think we'll wrap this up. (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. that's up to $1700 in value. only on verizon. new emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? [sfx: video game] emergen-c crystals. liberty mutual customized my car insurance and i saved hundreds. with the money i saved, i started a dog walking business. oh.

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good morning. it is 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. new reporting this morning that former president donald trump was allegedly ct