house displaced fire victims. >> i'm sure we will face litigation. but i will do it if we don't get 3,000 units for our people living in hotels. it's not civilized. >> reporter: rebuilding will take years. now that the epa completed the cleanup, the photo map created by a company empowered by a.i. is being used to see details of the disaster zone. >> a road needs to be rebuilt. they can plan that reconstruction inside of the model before they go out and do it. >> reporter: this christmas, the community is clear, they will not turn their backs on each other. >> that's what christmas is all about. loving your neighbor. >> that's what christmas is all about. dana griffin, thank you. right now on msnbc, president biden ordering strikes on an iran-backed militia inside

iraq. a quick response to a chris mag -- christmas morning attack. the israel/hamas war escalates. benjamin netanyahu tells his soldiers, do not stop. doubling down on his prerequisites for peace. the post-christmas rush is happening. big crowds at airports, in the highways and in malls. we will get you up to speed before you leave the house. in 2024, president biden and former president donald trump are poised for a big year leading up to the november election. good day, everyone. we begin with the increasing concern that the israel/hamas war could be creating closer to a broader regional conflict. the u.s. carried out retaliatory christmas day air strikes inside iraq against iranian-backed

militants and iranian state media says israeli air strikes killed a revolutionary guard officer in syria. president biden ordered the u.s. strikes after three u.s. service members were injured from a drone attack, one critically, at an air base in iraq. lloyd austin calling the retaliatory strikes, quote, necessary and proportionate. joining me now from london is ali aruzi. who is the military group? what is the link to iran? >> reporter: as you mentioned, the u.s. military hit iranian-backed militant groups hours after u.s. personnel were injured on an air base. austin said the three sites were used by groups to hit u.s.

forces. they are a group that was founded in 2007. they are mostly based in iraq, but they have a strong presence in syria as well. they are finance and armed by iran and are one of the most prominent groups involved in attacks on u.s. targets in iraq for some time now. they form an umbrella group of militia under iran's patronage. they have been incorporated into the iranian army. they surfaced in places like lebanon and bahrain at tehran's behest. when tehran needs them to go into action, they will crop up in areas in that region where they are needed. these attacks are nothing new. the u.s. has repeatedly targeted sites linked to militant groups in iraq and syria backed by iran in recent years. depending on the political situation, they can ebb and

flow. given what's going on in the region and the tensions, the attacks have dramatically increased. since october 17th alone, there have been over 100 of these attacks by iranian-backed militias. as you mentioned, lloyd austin said that these attacks were necessary and proportionate, authorized by the president. we know in these later attacks by the u.s., some militants were injure and even possibly killed. that seems to be a response to a u.s. personnel being critically injured. usually, they would hit infrastructure where they are hiding ammunition or a depot and not kill any militants. today, obviously, militanted were targeted. they may have been killed. this is in response to the militias stepping up their attacks. the situation is certainly getting more heated, more dramatic.

they have militias to conduct attacks and give them plausible deniability in iran. the smallest miscalculation could lead to much greater dangers in the region. >> ali, a great breakdown as the situation intensifies. thank you. president biden mao back in washington from camp david as israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's top advor comes to waington for meetings at the white house and state department. israel is defying calls for around the globe for a cease-fire while netanyahu is suggesting long-term occupation a non-starter. gaza suffered one of the deadliest stretches of the year, including a massive christmas eve air strike on a refugee camp there. joining me is josh lederman and

retired u.s. army colonel jack jacobs. great to have you with me today. josh, let's start with you. we know netanyahu is laying out his prerequisites for peace. he made a visit into the war zone. how is the defiance sitting with the people of israel? >> reporter: those calls for peace, for a cease-fire, are ringing out from so many corners of the world. in israel, they are not. they are not happening. the israeli public was so shocked by the events of october 7th, that there's broad support here for continuing this war and achieving the objectives of eliminating hamas. frankly, from those here in israel who had previously made up the left wing, who were the most supportive of reaching a peace agreement with the palestinians, they are broadly in support of this war. the one area where that gets a little shaky is when it comes to the hostages, and the disagreement about the best way to bring them home. there are some family supporters

of the hostages who think maybe israel scaling back the war would be more effective to bringing them home, striking a deal, as opposed to trying to put military pressure on hamas tory to get the hostages back, which is what prime minister netanyahu says is the strategy. the prime minister, as you pointed out, in his visit to gaza yesterday in his comments in "the wall street journal" making clear he has no intention of considering pulling back at this point. we heard from israel's military chief of staff in the last hour or so. he is saying that this war is going to continue for many months. >> colonel, there's more than 100 attacks against u.s. assets and personnel in the region since the star of the war. should we be worried this is the start of a larger u.s. involvement in the conflict? >> it's always a worry. ali had a good point when he said that iran is going to stop short of getting directly involved because it doesn't want

the united states directly involved with iran. as a result, iran will continue to use proxies in the region to attack american and allied interests. the united states in the hopes it will not widen the war is going to continue to attack them in a piecemeal fashion. however, at some point, there's liable to be a call for greater action inside the united states if the attacks by the proxies on americans and american interests become more deadly. there's always a danger of an expansion of the conflict. >> ryan nobles is at the white house. we know the israeli prime minister's top advisor is in washington today. is there a plan for him to meet personally with the president? >> reporter: not at the moment. the former israeli ambassador to the united states and now serves as one of benjamin netanyahu top

deputies will meet with two high level advisors to the president in the form o anthony blinken and jake sullivan. the united states is the biggest supporter for israel. there has been a concern by many leaders of the united states, including blinken and the president himself who expressed concern about the civilian casualties in gaza. the question is, will that come up as part of the discussions today? what actions is israel doing to limit the casualties and perhaps dial down the level of conflict

right now? there doesn't appear to be an appetite from the netanyahu administration in terms of dialing things down. it could be something that we could see more forcefully pressed upon by the biden administration in the days and weeks ahead. >> we know you will keep us posted on those meetings and that trip to washington later. josh, ryan, colonel, thank you so much. joining me now is bob kitchen, the vice president of emergencies at the international rescue committee. good to have you with us. you oversee the irc response inside gaza. we know another refugee camp was struck this weekend. we know that the situation there is so dire. what do you see is the biggest humanitarian need for the people who are quite literally caught in the crossfire? >> it feels like we are reaching a tipping point here. 100% of the population in gaza now has been declared the most severe form of food insecurity.

500,000 of which are now tipping towards famine. many, many people are on the road. we heard from staff this morning driving on the roads seeing thousands of people flooding further south, having told to evacuate out of areas that are seeing attacks. but they are moving to areas further south that are also being bombed. it feels as though with now 1.7 million people displaced, all of which are food insecure, we are really going into a tipping point. >> so hard to fathom people who are actually starving in the streets. we know palestinian officials want the u.n. to officially declare there's famine in gaza right now. we saw how watered down the latest security council resolution was. how would that change the situation? would it matter? >> well, it would bring a very specific message that the impact of the offensive in gaza is

having concrete affects on humanitarian need. that number of people declared in famine would be the largest the world has right now, 500,000. it's the largest i have seen. what's more pressing though than a declaration of famine is a cease-fire. this is the only way we can provide the scale of humanitarian assistance that's needed is if the fighting stops, if the attacks stop, if we can have safe access to deliver scaled aid. the u.n. security council resolution stopped short of where it needed to land, which was a full cease-fire. that's really disappointing. >> there's so much from a humanitarian perspective to consider. you have the safety, the hunger, the dehydration, but we can't ignore the mental health tour. you are back from ukraine where you did focus on the mental impact of the war. what did you see? >> i traveled around the front line from the east down to the

south, kherson. winter has arrived. i was walking around in a foot snow. russia increasedhe scale of its attacks against urban areas, focused on hitting the energy infrastructure to make the winter more difficult for civilians. what we are seeing is that men are coming back from the front line, and the mental health toll, post-traumatic stress disorder is real. it's having an impact in families as men are unable to deal with what they have seen and experienced. it's during into domestic violence and violence against women. it's a really serious situation within a broader war that's affecting millions. >> incredible perspective. thank you. holiday rush. we will check the forecast, shopping malls and the post-christmas travel situation. that's next when we are back in 60 seconds only on msnbc. tighte!

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millions of travelers are hitting the roads and taking to the skies on this day after christmas. all in all, it's been mostly smooth sailing so far. just a few hiccups. foggy weather around chicago did force southwest to cancel nearly 400 flights sunday and on christmas day. but that was a big improvement from the nightmare last christmas when southwest canceled more than 1,500 flights. >> they did a great job compared to last year. >> blizzard conditions across the plains are making for treacherous driving today. in nebraska yesterday, dangerous whiteout conditions and icy roads had semi trucks sliding off the highway. michelle grossman has the latest. >> we watch this large storm system bringing snow, even blizzard conditions in some spots. where you see pink, that's

freezing rain. a lot of rain from the great lakes all the way down through parts of the mid-atlantic into the southeast. some will be heavy at times. where you see brighter colors, red, orange, yellow, that's where we see heaviest rain. we could see flash flooding. that will make for dangerous travel. on the back side of this, the cold side, we are looking at blowing snow. blizzard conditions. winds up to 55 miles per hour. there's the ice, freezing rain that's going to create slippery travel. winter alerts, winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings. we are looking at south dakota, nebraska, kansas, even into colorado where we are looking at snow, two to four inches, some spots up to eight. some spots have seen over a foot of snow. here is the setup. the big area of low pressure, that cold front moving to the north and east. it's bringing that snow and wind today. that's going to taper off later tonight into the early parts of wednesday. that rain moving off to the

east. today, mid-atlantic, southeast, could be heavy at times. we go throughout tomorrow, this is a slow moving system. they move out faster typically. wednesday, the low pressure system sliding up the east coast. it will bring a steady and soaking rain to portions of the northeast and new england. going to impact travel. possible delays in the air in minneapolis, cleveland, d.c., charlotte. the system slides to the east. major airport in the east, boston and new york city, philadelphia, d.c., charlotte, we are looking at persistent rain. we saw fog this morning. on the roadways, rain slows us down. continue to watch that. how much rain? could be quite a bit. northeast is really saturated from the storms we had last week. any storms could bring flooding to the streams and also the creeks. >> michelle, thank you. the day after christmas, of course, kicks off the season of the holiday returns at retailers nationwide. shoppers lined up at a mall in the chicago area earlier to

return gifts and take advantage of the continued sales. >> it's a hoodie. >> you got that for christmas? >> i got that for christmas. i need a bigger size. i like a baggy hoodie. >> shaquille brewster joins us from oakbrooke mall in the chicago area where he has been speaking with shoppers. what are they saying? what are you seeing? >> reporter: just because christmas is over does not mean the holiday sales have ended. that's what shoppers continue to tell me as they come out. sometimes lined up outside of the store first thing in the morning. for some people, it's exchanging for a new size or different color. others are using gift cards they were gifted yesterday or during the holiday season. for some, they want to continue this holiday spending that they have been doing. we saw a new number that holiday sales are up 3% since last year. that's new numbers from

mastercard. listen to what we have heard from shoppers this morning. >> i hate returning things, which is why it took me a month. >> reporter: why? >> today is the last day i can get my money back. the purchase is more fun than the return. i feel bad i bought too much. reporter: if you are one of the people who are looking to get out to a mall, head out to return your items, one thing to keep in mind is they have extended the return windows. we have a screen herfor you. look at january 13 for stores like best buy. stores like target, january 24th. then january 31st for amazon, macy's, walmart. one thi to keep in mind is some retailers are chgi. there are fees associated w returns. tips to avoid thos fs. make sure you watch out for the restocking fees for some electronics. if you want to avoid some of the mailing fees and shipping fees

for those return items, bring it back in person. join some of the loyalty programs. if you join a loyalty program for some, they don't have return shipping fees. tips you can use if you plan to return some items. like i have right here next to the camera ready to do myself. >> i was going to ask if you were taking advantage of the assignment. i will push it off to the last minute. i'm done with the crowds for the time being. shaq, thank you. >> reporter: i heard you. still ahead, trump's troubles. a look at how the former president will try to navigate his legal issues during the quest for a second term. you are watching msnbc.

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the battle over whether donald trump can be on the primary ballot in colorado is expected to intensify. trump's team will file an appeal. joining me now to discuss this is harry litman, former deputy assistance attorney general during the clinton administration, tim miller, a writer for "the bulwark," communication director for jeb bush and eugene scott. appreciate you all being with me

today. harry, as a former u.s. attorney, what are you watching for in this case? where do you think it's heading? >> i'm watching for two things. it's heading with a bullet to the u.s. supreme court. it does well to think of it on the merits on the one hand and the timing on the other. there's, will he win and how will the court try to handle this unprecedented claim? but also, how much time can he eat up? the colorado supreme court did something clever. it stayed its mandate until january 4th. after that, it expires. it forces trump's hand. he would normally have 90 days. he has to move for a stay in the u.s. supreme court by the 4th or before that, otherwise if he doesn't get it from the court, it gets scrubbed off. i think the first question will be the stay. you need five supreme court justices to grant a stay. that will be a very big

indication of where they are going. then after that is the briefing on the merits and will the court -- there are many ways it could go. it does seem like it would be very chaotic to have him on ballot in some states and not others. they will be thinking about how to do that. not have a 5-4 contentious sort of holding at the same time. >> tim, from your vantage point, what are the stakes for trump? how are the other republicans candidates responding? >> the stakes are theoretically existential. it could conceivably disqualify him for the ballot. i find that unlikely, given the supreme court has nine justices, six appointed by republicans. the colorado supreme court was all appointed by democratic governors.

that was a split ruling. i think it's unlikely though not impossible they would uphold the ruling. i think while the stakes for trump are high, i think the signs you are getting out of the trump strategists and trump camp is they think it's good for them. why? well, it continues to allow them to dominate this republican primary field because their opponents are too scared to actually challenge them and to turn this into a positive for their campaign. instead, over and over again, every time he has been indicted, they have all gone out there and basically echoed trump's talking points and said they are coming after him and he is a victim, which is nonsense. they can't gain any ground as long as they are essentially echoing his campaign message. that's why you see the trump team, frankly, unexpectedly happy about this. at least as a short-term thing.

it in the long-term it becomes more of an issue if he becomes the nominee. >> eugene, team trump will likely go full speed ahead on the appeal in colorado in the coming days. how much could the colorado decision impact similar cases in other states? >> it is worth paying attention to. i believe there have been similar filings in at least 16 other states. there have been concerns with many voters, including republicans, which were a part of the group that filed this case in colorado, that the president -- the former president's behavior disqualified him and violated the constitution. people are making those cases elsewhere. i think we will see how far they are able to go based on how the supreme court responds to this case in colorado. >> harry, we know trump's lawyers asked an appeals court to toss his federal election interference case after the supreme court decided not to intervene. we hear this immunity defense, the team arguing presidential

immunity protects him from prosecution. how strong is that argument? how quickly could we see the court's ruling on immunity? >> right. again, those are the two questions. think about the merits but also the timing. i think it's not very strong and there's a lot of indications that the supreme court won't uphold it. how much time can he eat up? i think the court of appeals is going to rule quickly. the final briefing will be done by a week from thursday. the argument will be a week after that. then the question will be -- let's say the court of appeals rejects the claim, as i expect they will. will they do the same trick as we were talking about in colorado? you have 14 days to go to the supreme court, otherwise, immunity is finished. otherwise, he could have -- go to the full court, go to the supreme court, 90 days to do -- it's how aggressive will the

courts be willing to be to push him back on trying to delay? the merits i think he will lose on. the question is, how much time can he eat up in losing? >> tim, we know mr. trump has a full agenda with court appearances in the new year. the federal election case, just one of the trials that will get underway. how much could the trials impact the day-to-day campaign operation, especially if he is forced to appear in court for stretches at a time? >> i think it could become a big issue for him come late spring and summer. a lot of this is about the timing of what happens with the court dates, when they fall. it hasn't been a problem for him yet. part of the reason is because, like i said earlier, his primary opponents haven't made it a problem for him. being in court has been like campaigning for him. a big part of his campaign is that he is a victim and wants retribution against the elites out to get him. that changes in the general election. you try to reach a new set of

voters, not republican primary voters. if could become an advantage for biden. this is unprecedented. if trump ends up being in court for extended periods in the lead-up to the convention, for example, or at other times when he should be out on campaign trail. >> eugene, we hear the word unprecedented over and over. with good reason. talk about how and why this unprecedented case is so different. >> well, it's so different because we literally just have never been in this position. there's nothing comparable to it. having a president having to make the case that he actually is eligible to be in office and he did not break -- violate the constitution. he is having to make this case not just to courts but to ters. so many individuals who backed trump say they don't want to go back to the former president if

nothing more than they don't want to deal with someone who has these legal problems and is unrepentant and could find himself in a similar situation. >> harry, tim, eugene, thank you all for your insight and perspective today. greatly appreciate it. new year, new challenges. a closer look at how president biden will approach 2024 with his lowest rating since he took the office. you are watching msnbc. in 1984, a patient named stacy arrived, and it began her family's touching story that is still going on today. vicki: childhood cancer, it's just hard. stacey passed on christmas day of 1986. there is no pain like losing a child, but saint jude gave us more years to love on her each day.

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president biden is gearing up for his re-election bid in 2024 while facing big challenges at home and abroad. mike memoli breaks down what's to come. >> reporter: for president joe biden, 2023 began with democrats wondering, will he run? as the calendar turns to 2024, they are now asking, can he win? he started the year with political momentum. >> he and the democrats have defied history. >> reporter: republicans took control of the house but democrats won key senate and governor races in the midterms, running on abortion rights and protecting democracy. in april, biden made it official. >> when i ran for president four years ago, i said we were in the battle for the soul of america. we still are.

>> reporter: the months ahead took a toll, with republicans seizing on inflation and record border crossings, trigger showdowns over the debt ceiling and immigration policy. >> everybody town is a border town. >> reporter: the supreme court striking down plans for student debt relief. ukraine's fight against russia stalled. war erupted between israel and hamas. >> you are not alone. >> reporter: now the president's approval ratings are at an all time lows. some polls show donald trump ahead in a likely rematch. >> 2024 is our final battle. >> reporter: 2024 presents fresh challenges. not one but two budget deadlines loom that could trigger government shutdowns. >> on this vote, 221-212. >> reporter: house republicans long focused on hunter biden's business deals teeing up an impeachment trial.

>> i have been the target of the trump machine. >> reporter: as he faces federal indictment on gun and tax charges, a special counsel continues to probe whether the president mishandled classified documents. while biden struggles to maintain support for ukraine, he is struggling with relations with china. >> i emphasize the united states does not seek conflict. >> reporter: biden's support for israel will test his political coalition at home. >> under biden i think we have made grave mistakes that have led to the death of almost 20,000 people. >> reporter: biden's 2024 kicks off with a rare challenge and potential third party challengers who could complicate his path. his pitch relies on a recovering economy. >> that's bidenomics. >> reporter: selling accomplishments like the infrastructure law. >> a record to run on.

most importantly, we are transforming this country. >> reporter: framing the election as an existential choice. >> there's an extremist movement that does not share the believes in our democracy. the maga movement. >> reporter: voters will keep a close eye on the 81 incumbent with ever misstep adding to worry. the president's age putting a bigger spotlight on vice president kamala harris, who figures to be a big part of the re-election fight. >> so many of our hard-won freedoms are under attack. this is a moment for us to stand and fight. >> reporter: part of her focus, young voters, women and minority groups that aren't sold on biden. biden's first run for senate came in 1972. in 2024, it's his fourth run for the oval office. after more than five decades of setback and comebacks, his last campaign may be his toughest yet.

>> a lot to digest in terms of the challenges. joining me is eugene daniels, an msnbc political analyst. as mike detailed, the year is ending on a rough note for the president in terms approval ratings and polling. how does he overcome this? aside from those, what are some of the other big concerns for biden heading into 2024? >> mike laid it out. the biggest thing this administration and the campaign are dealing with is trying to convince people they shouldn't feel badly about an economy where the macroeconomics are in the president's favor. they talk about better unemployment. they talk about more jobs coming to the united states. they talk about low gas prices, lower prices, inflation is cooling down. people don't feel that. part of that is because the prices are unlikely to go much

further down because companies like money. that's something they will have to deal with. they have to convince people that another four years means they will go further than they did in the last four. you look at the folks that vice president kamala harris is looking at talking to the most, young voters, voters of color. you have to convince them the things you didn't do or weren't able to do, student loans, voting rights, civil rights, law enforcement changes, those kinds of things that you are going to do it again. voters often don't want to hear about the filibuster. they don't want to hear about the court stopping something. they think and believe the president should continue to fight no matter what. they have to deal with all of those things all the while dealing with the day to day of what the administration has to go through funding fights, wars and all of that. >> you make a great point. you have to, even as you tout your plan, you have to

acknowledge how people are feeling. as you mentioned, the president has been pushing bidenomics for months. both the white house and the biden campaign are struggling to gain any traction, even as some of the economic numbers, as you mentioned, are looking up. do they stay the course on this? is it time to shift the strategy? >> i think they are probably going to stay the course. they usually make a decision and stick with it. they add things to the stew, as it were. but they stick with it. one thing democrats continue to tell us and tell the white house is to stop using bidenomics, stop using that word. most voters don't understand what you are trying to tell them. figure out other ways to explain that. voters are very much in the mind set of, what have you done for me lately? because democrats lost the house in 2022, there's unlikely to be a lot of domestic policy agenda

moving through the house, the senate and getting to president biden's desk. that's another challenge that they are going to have. what are the things you have done for us? they have been trying to nibble around the edges. the thing that you will continue to hear and see is them contrasting themselves with donald trump. trying to make this a choice selection like in 2020. >> right. we know trump's base is not going anywhere. eugene daniels, thank being here. a forecast for your bottom line and a look at the role big tech might be playing. ttom line and a look at the role big tech might be playing.

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now to good news for the economy. 2023 is ending on a high note as markets soar and prices fall. a lot remains uncertain in the new year. christine romains explains. >> reporter: instead of the lump of coal many americans expected, some christmas cheer. prices actually fell in november from october, that hasn't happened in three years. and the persistent gloom about the economy that gripped many americans this year may have broken at least a bit, consumer confidence now the highest in months. >> we asked consumers what do you think about interest rates for next year. they believe that they will be lower. the mortgage rate is falling, and certainly for anyone looking to buy a home, that's really great news. and finally, we believe that

consumers are much happier about the fact that inflation is not as intense as it used to be. >> reporter: that survey found consumers expectations for a recession in the next 12 months the lowest it has been all year what is your letter grade for the u.s. economy? >> a solid b. i would even give it a b plus. >> reporter: on main street, mortgage rates have been falling after topping 8% in october, now well below 7%. prices have been falling on some critical holiday spending items. airfares, car rentals, gasoline, toys, tvs and sporting goods. president biden touting that wages are now growing faster than inflation. on wall street, all three major indexes are up dramatically for the year. still, the national mood has been fragile, home affordability is the worst in a generation, and inflation, though improving, has left a deep scar on americans' psyche. >> people don't have short memories. they remember losing their jobs in 2020. they remember how hard it was to find new ground.

>> reporter: in the new year, the challenges for many will be student loan payments and holiday credit card bills coming due and the biggest risk, the unexpected that could affect the economy in ways we don't foresee. christine romans, nbc news, new york. so for more on the economy, and what it means for you, let's bring in cnbc's steve kovach. great to have you with us today. a new report showing retail sales are up 3.1% this holiday season is out. so, the big question today, the day after christmas, is who won christmas this year? >> yeah, i look every year at the app store ranks on the apple app store to get a glean into what tack gadgets people are buying. a lot of iphones under the tree. when people activate those phones for first time, they're downloading their favorite apps. in addition to that, it is the accessories apps i look at. the big winner here was meta, sitting at the top of the app store for its meta quest app, the app you use to connect your meta quest virtual reality

headset to your phone, activate it. that was one of the hottest tech christmas gadgets under trees this year. meta has an early lead in virtual reality, but we'll see more from apple, maybe as soon as february. and beyond that, gaming is still a big thing. and actually this is the first year that the latest playstation and xbox consoles were readily available after so many supply chain issues. so we saw those apps bubble up to the top too. i believe it was xbox was like number six or seven and then playstation at number 11. huge boost in sales there for first holiday again. and, of course, you got the alexa app, lots of echoes under trees. >> yes. so many gadgets this morning. cnbc's steve kovach, thank you. >> thank you. the next generation coming up, how young hispanic women could shape the future of the tech workforce. you're watching msnbc. f the tech workforce you're watching msnbc. research hospital save lives. ava: it is my first time having cancer, and it's the very worst.

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now, a closer look at the tech industry and a new push to bring more latinas into the work force, which has the biggest tech companies certainly taking notice. nbc's morgan radford has more. >> reporter: for these high school and middle school students in austin, texas -- >> ready, set, go! >> reporter: -- the gears are turning. so these are robots that you all built? >> yes. >> yes. >> reporter: all thanks to a nonprofit called latinitas who

has after school clubs like this one. hoping to close the ethnic and gender gap in technology. >> do you see a lot of latinas in tech? do you think people expect to see latinas in tech? >> no. >> reporter: why not? >> because they seem more guys instead of girls, especially latinas. >> reporter: even though hispanic workers make up 17% of all employees, just 8% are working in s.t.e.m. fields and only 3% of those workers are hispanic women. >> we're hearing from students who didn't know these careers were possible. >> reporter: students like amillia who attended the camp three years ago. now, she is studying computer science in college and earning a living with a job in information technology. >> somebody has told me i couldn't make it in this field and i remember telling my mom about it. >> reporter: let me back this up. you wanted to do computer science? >> yes. >> reporter: and someone told you --

>> i wasn't able to do it. >> reporter: because -- >> for who i am as a person, and also for being a woman. >> reporter: what did you think when you met other latinas doing coding, doing robotics? >> seeing women like me, it was so inspiring. it made me just want to keep doing computer science. >> reporter: and keep cracking the code to create a tech future for everyone. morgan radford, nbc news, austin. >> our thanks to morgan radford. we have so much to cover in our second hour of "msnbc reports." let's get right to it. this hour on msnbc, border surge. 8,000 migrants including young children are making the trek to the u.s. border as top president biden cabinet officials are set to arrive in mexico, looking for a solution to the crisis. then, retaliation, the u.s. military strikes back with lethal force against an