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hey there, everyone. i'm alex witt at nbc world headquarters here in new york city. our top stories this hour, we are awaiting a key meeting that could be critical in helping the crisis on the southern border, as,000 more migrants begin their long journey north. secretary blinken and other officials plan to how old talks with mexico's president. we're look at what's at stake as resources are stretched to the limits. tension in the west bank after a new israeli drone attack kills six palestinians, and increasing threats from settlers put pressure on palestinians, who say they're being pushed out of their homes. back here in the u.s., gun shop owners are noting a new trend. black women buying guns at a

rapid pace. what's behinds the spike in sales? we begin this hour with that critical meeting in mexico city. a u.s. delegation led by secretary blinken arrived in mexico just a few minutes ago. they'll meet with the president lopez obrador, as the administration trying to grapple with the arriving migrants at the border. this comes as mexico's president has said he's willing to help, but wants to see progress in u.s. relations with cuba and venezuela saying the ideal thing is to help poor countries. resources are reaching a breaking appointed. joining us right now, monica alba and marisa teresa kumar.

ladies, good to see you both. monica, can you lay out the stakes for us? what specifics are these leaders expected to discuss. >> reporter: the stakes are certainly high. the fact that last week president biden did speak with president obrador, and what came out of the phone call was the decision to send some of his top aides really in terms of secretary blinken and all of the world's issues he's dealing with. this is up there in terms of his time and importance and dedication that he is going to mexico today for the importance talks. the biden administration agrees that enough is not really being done to address the problems at the u.s./mexico border. this is something the president himself has said the system is a broken and more needs to be fixed.

they were hoping a border funding and policy deal that could have come into shape, but we know that got punted into later january. according to a national security council person, they're calling for robust discussion and conversations that they said they officials to have with mexico's president, who, by the way, he's nearing the end of his term. there's been a sense that not enough has been done in terms of mexico's enforcement, so perhaps this allows for the possibility that mexico can step up its help here, but really that's what the u.s. needs. they have to lean on mexico in order to address this. but in terms of what actually comes out of them, that's an entirely different challenge here.

>> do we node the specifics they will will ask for help? a authority they could put in place? do we know what the biden administration specifically wants? >> reporter: again, because they don't have the deal that they were hoping for, there's only so much that can be done unlaterally outside of that. the white house position has been that the president has done almost anything he can to address this, so they're addressing the root causes as a challenge in the entire western hemisphere. not something that's just limited to the northern triangle or the countries that are south of mexico, appeared people, of course, are on treacherous journeys fleeing a lot of violence. and that is, of course, why they're trying to come to the u.s., but on the table, we know

there could be chains to the asylum policy, for instance, but something that could be discussed is control of the railways. in the last couple weeks there had been disruption to that, and that's one of the way that migrants do make that horrendous journey we know that the railways are back on track there could be a conversation about how better to address that or what more could be done. that's why it's an intrackable. joining us from the southern border is morgan chesky. morgan, are you seeing the record-breaking numbers we have seen over the last week?

>> reporter: not record breaking, but a steady extreme has been rolling into eagle past since we arrived before dawn this morning. they have been able to be processed and taken away from the location relatively quickly. that's a far cry from what we witnessed last week when we were here. this entire field was filled with thousands of migrant families behind me. in those instances, it took hours, if not days. that was the week with the record-breaking days where 12,000 crossed illegally. not here at eagle pass, the entire boarder, mind you, but still the numbers continue to go up. that's what's causing such a sense of concern that we've seen them go to the mexico, and try to figure out a solution. we have spoken to migrants here in eagle pass. they're destined for city like

some will stay with friends, some with family, everyone waiting before they have to return for an asylum hearing. the government accountability office sense there's such a backlog of asylum cases, that they have tripled since 2017. that could mean some of these people could be waiting year before they have a chance to find out their fate. also to washington where the bipartisan group is speaking with the white house to see what answers can come in the short term that can alleviate these reportbreaking numbers. i read that some are projected to not give a date until 2021. just counseled the years there.

it's an extraordinary situation with the overcrowdsing and all the vast numbers, maria. this has become a central focus, but also the biden campaign. is the administration changing focus to be more intense and how critical it will be heading into a new year? >> thank you so much for the conversation. actually, i'm right now in colombia. what i am hearing from individuals here is a completely different conversation we would have around migration just even two years ago. for most people, they are hearing stories of people crossing safely across the border and getta for temporary asylum. that's word of mouth to say, wait a second, i can make that too. that should give us pause. the people who normally migrate, it's usually more complicated, but hearing success stories of

crossing the border, there seems to be a palatable idea that everybody is welcome without process, but what we are actually seeing is a border crisis. we have to recognize that's not an immigration system. we have to take this moment that the secretary blinken is down there talking to the president of mexico, and speak very clearly of what is a moderate immigration system look like for the understanding. at the same time, recognizing that we are facing a western hem fear problem. so it would involve canada and the rest of the governments in south america. one of the reason we are in this crisis is the united states has basically abandoned the south american foreign policy for the last 45 years. as a result, the issues in latin america, that is normally quite stable, middle-class individuals have fallen into crisis, because there's been signs of neglect.

one of the things that will be heated in the 2024 election is, one, how are you talking about the crisis at the border as a western hemisphere international crisis. and frankly, alex, how is the administration, the campaign talking about the daca individuals that have been in the united states for over 20, 30 years. it's because of the latter, of those individuals that have been undocumented for 20, 30 years, who have provided billions into our economic system, that have american children that now can possibly vote. the reason they got into the game to vote in the first place was to safeguard those individuals that have been our essential workers. >> can i ask you, maria teresa, as you outline the problem, the decades of this problem, how much do you expect would be fruitful out of this discussion today in mexico? >> i would encourage the

administration to think very clearly on how do you have some sort of marshall plan for latin america that involves the primary individuals. it's not just the united states. you have a lot of folks here in colombia, plus the 2 million venezuelans. the more that the president can communicate the crisis, but also we need a modernization to the american people, the american people will understand. >> the points you're making, though, it's not just between two countries, but between two mem spheres of problems. coming together is how it has to be solved. we appreciate you all. thank you. richard engel introduces us

to some of people in the west bank that are fearing they'll be pushed out of their homes. that's back in 60 seconds. homes. that's back in 60 seconds. alone. it worked guys! ♪yeahhhh♪ downy rinse and refresh. (dad) it's our phone bill... we pay for things that we don't need. (mom) that's a bit dramatic. (dad) we must tighten our belts! (mom) a better plan to save is verizon! (vo) that's right! plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon.

we celebrate his birthday at the festival. today, december 27th, hersh has a one-way ticket. he's been dreaming about this plan for a long time. he unfortunately won't be taking off on the trip today, but hoping and praying he'll take off soon. >> friends and family of 23 years old israeli-american hersh, are still clinging to hope, 28 days after he was abducted. earlier today they warned that time is running out. jay gray is in tel aviv for us. jay, the israeli expansion of

the ground war on central gaza refugee camps, that's complicating any possible hostage talks. what are the details for this new phase for israel's offensive? >> reporter: yeah, alex, in fact a lot of people who have been watching this closely say this is the past 24, 48 hours, most violent and deadly. your idea that they have acknowledged that the offensive has moved into targeting some of the refugee camps in central gaza, call those areas a new battle zone, the fighting intense in crowded, urban areas, adding to the chaos for so many who were told to go to those camps, now being told to flee. the u.n. says they're very concerned about the shift? strategy and there's no safe place, a quote from u.n. in gaza

right now. all of that while fighting has intensified, as israel says, seven key spots. the u.s. a part of those strikes. we a told that this regional escalation of american troops have been started more than 100 times, and there's concern nonhere in israel but globally that this could being a very serious problem that this ware could expand at some point. >> thank you very much, jay gray, for that. >> reporter: the tiny palestinian village is in the

west bank, where shep herds still tend their flocks. sammi told me since the october 7th massacre, jewish settlers have become far more aggressive in their long campaign to drive palestinians from this land. the idea is to make your life so hard that you will live. >> make the life unlivable, unsustainable, unsafe. >> sammi says the attackers come from a settlement build on occupying palestinian land. the settlement is illegal under international and israeli law. >> they have more and more protection to do what they want. >> reporter: that includes, he says, shooting at palestinians. if you were shot right now, no consequence? >> no consequences. >> reporter: no one would ask? it didn't take long before we

were noticed. a jeep is coming, dressed like an israeli soldier, no nametag or rank. >> reporter: you want us to leave? okay. >> what's the problem? >> stop the camera. get into the car, now. >> okay. get into the car now, leave it. into the car now. into the car now. he needs his i.d. to go. >> get in the car now. okay. >> reporter: what do you think will happen now? >> i don't know. anything can happen. now we will see. >> reporter: we left without further incident. sammi shared with us other videos. appearing to show settlers attacking his neighbors. the israeli government responded in a statement, saying in part, it has vierso tolerance for citizens taking the law into their own hands and that most of the so-called settlers are law-abiding citizens.

>> the vast majority is committed by settlers goes absolutely undocumented, unaccounted for. >> reporter: eliana is a jewish american activist documenting violence in the west bank. does the israeli government support this? >> they're deeply enmeshed and intertwined. >> reporter: the seltzers are not hiding their goal of total control, and believe october 7th was a turning point. daniella weiss is a leader of the movement. >> national independence to arabs in the jewish land, i make it as clear as possible, enough is enough. no patience, no forgiveness, no consideration, out. >> reporter: deliberately expelling an entire people from their homeland is a war crime.

>> because they deliberately killed mire friends. they massacred my friends. this is the way i react. i am full with pain for my people, so i do not have room for other people. >> reporter: richard engel, nbc news in the west bank. powerful piece. holiday rush. next a check of the forecast and airports, as millions try to find the sweet spot for travel this week. you're watching msnbc. this week. you're watching msnbc. people say, you know, when you get older, you know, people lose memory. i didn't want to be that person. i decided to give prevagen a try. my memory became much sharper. i remembered more! i've been taking prevagen for four years now. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. a force to be reckon with. no, not you saquon. hm? you! your business bank account with quickbooks money, now earns 5% apy.

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today holiday travel headaches out on the road as well as the skies, as snowy conditions continue. we're seeing long lines around the airport and some pretty empty roads in the six states under blizzard warnings. only a handful of vehicles on the road, including an atv at this nebraska street. okay. that's kinds of school. let's go to julia jester who's live at reagan airport, and mish grossman is here. how are things in d.c.? it looks rainy, but not icy. >> reporter: yes, alex, the weather is dreary, but thankfully not quite disruptive to the travel here. we've only seen one cancellation and a handful of delays so far.

the rest of the country, not quite as fortunate. there are more than 100 cancellations with american airlines leading that list, followed by jetblue and allegiant. one airport particularly affected is san francisco, with a ground delay due to low ceilings. that's had a big chunk of those delays. here in d.c., we talked to quite a few passengers that have seen the warnings of the holiday rush, but were relieved a bit. here's what they said to say. >> lines haven't been bad, though i found out our flight is delayed by about an hour. >> this year, surprisingly it's not as easy as i thought. >> i feel like generally when you travel for the holidays, you sort of anticipate it's going to be hectic, but then with that anticipation you are you're ready for what happens from

there. >> reporter: so just be prepared, be early. that is the best travelers can do. 2.5 million passengers are expected to be screened by tsa today with friday and monday to be the biggest travel days this week. hopefully things stay smooth here at the airport. alex? >> well, there's still some curbside parking, so it looks like good for now. how long, michelle grossman, will storms continue, or are they going to get worse? >> we saw the east coast for the next couple days. it's not until the weekend before we clear out. down in northern california, we're soggy, too. winter weather advisories are still intact with half a million people under those advisories. we could pick up an inch or two inches, butter better than the past two days.

we're still watching that. that's the blue in portions of the middle of the country. it's the east coast we're watching. really heavy rain in some spots. it's going to be very soggy. this is a very slow-moving system. it will stay here tomorrow and friday, and kind of clear out early friday. where you're seeing the brighter colors, reds, oranges, yellows, that's where we're seeing the heavier rain falling, the great lakes, into parts of the northeast and also the carolinas. this continues to be a very large system in size, so we are seeing the extended, as we go through the day. we could pick up a few inches of rain. anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of rain. we're saturated in the northeast. we had recent heavy rainfall, especially in new jersey, any additional rain could cause river rises, and then we're also watching the pacific northwest.

here's some travel impacts through the day. we just heard in san francisco, we had some problems there. this goes along with likely delays in san francisco with the low ceilings, with the front moves onshore. seattle is the same, in the red, we're expecting delays, also likely delays in new york city. next time just tell us what you're watching. you have a lot on your plate. [ laughter ] we have sad news to share. tom smothers, one half of the smothers brothers duo, a television tapele for decades, has passed away. they were known for their folksy bits, yo-yo tricks, and comedy that pushed the limits on key topics. tom smothers was 86 years old. tom smothers was 86 years old. ♪ ♪

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with only 19 days remaining before iowa voters gather for the crucial gop caucus on january 15th, the 2024 race for president is heading into overdrive. vivek ramaswamy has a full slate of events in the hawkeye state today, only one day after his campaign pulled the plug on all tv ad spending. meanwhile, nikki haley is returning to the state for the first time after receiving a

huge endorsement from there. as haley is rising in -- you look at donald trump, he's quietly assembled a pretty strong ground team. >> let's be clear. vivek ramaswamy is essentially running as the trump -- when you look at the latest polling, he's about 5%. as soon as nbc published the report he was cutting off advertising. donald trump said he expects vivek ramaswamy endorsement to come very soon. now, vivek ramaswamy's campaign says they're not going anywhere,

though they already spent $2 million, really the race we'll be talking about the next 19 days is nikki haley and ron desantis. >> in fact, there was such a battle for second, it's an extraordinary thing developing there. >> erin, nikki haley released an ad highlighting the endorsement she got. it's an open primary. could that spell bad news for donald trump? do you think she could overtake him? >> that's the question going into new hampshire. my colleagues at action i don't and we have reported that groups have spent money into converting these, you know, undeclared

voters at this point into turning out for nikki haley. state polls in new hampshire show that, you know, nikki haley is not trailing trump be as wide of a margin as the candidates are in iowa. so i think, you know, with less than a month to go to new hampshire, the question is whether nikki haley's late stage with the backing of the afp action and chris sununu, whether that can transfer into momentum and a strong finish in new hampshire. >> dawn, the fact there is such a difference in polls, how much is nikki haley counticing on democrats -- there's a shift overall for how long? how long could nikki haley carry the wind at her back heading into south carolina?

>> it's such an interesting question. thus far, she's trailing trump in iowa. she's running a very strong sect probably in new hampshire. she's trailing in south carolina. so whether that's going to crazy momentum i think is everybody's game. almost like the battle of the governors in iowa and new hampshire. we'll see who benefits from that,y trump benefits in iowa or desantis benefits or haley benefits in new hampshire. either way, i think independents, undeclared voters in new hampshire will play a very strong role. it can go either way. they can go with democrats or with republicans. that could give hallie some undecided, undeclared momentum going into south carolina. >> yeah. give me a sense of how trump is reacting to the win he got from the michigan supreme court that rejected the efforts to

remove him? >> right. there was a question whether other supreme courts would join colorado supreme court. michigan supreme court affirmed by not taking up the appeal, that he in fact will remain on the primary ballots, though one of the justices suggested in his dissent they could bring it up for the general election. we're waiting to see if the supreme court will hear the appeal out of the colorado. we expect the trump team to actually file the appeal, but for donald trump's take, he says, quote, the michigan supreme court has denied the desperate attempt to take the leading candidates, me, off the ballot in the great state of michigan. if the supreme court were to affirm colorado's decision, it would throw this republican race into the air, and my boss, just on which the camera here, she's going to be the one helping to

coordinate or team here, also the political and the legal coverage. we're awaiting the appeals all at the same time. any one of these days is when we have a number of hearings. this will be a complicated january and february for donald trump and frankly our coverage. >> a shoutout to emily there. buckle up for that. erin, we have trump who fund raised off, of course praising some michigan decision, as dawn was telling us. he sees this as a net positive. what are you hearing? >> trump is using his various legal battles as kind of essentially campaign tactic, at least in the rep primary. he has built his campaign on grievances, cast himself as the

victim of political motivated prosecutors. i think this will appeal to primary voters. for trump it's all about getting voters come out for him. he's making sure the voters who do support him come out and turn out and don't get complacent. i think his strategy has been to focus on these legal challenges. we have seen no indication that his strategy would change going into the general election. we have seen his focus on the legal troubles has not changed his base at all. >> you know, this morning, though, donna, trump called joe biden a threat to democracy. he shared a world cloud all very prominent there. what is he up to? do you think he might turn off moderates with his themes of

autocracy and revenge? >> i don't think for one day he's worried about turning off moderates. his concern is solidifying the base, running on the revenge, animosity and anger. he's benefited from that, because his opponents have let him have a free pass. they defended him in the face of all these attacks. without anything else. trump uses it for fund-raising. >> it's extraordinary. i thank you all. sisters in arms, next, a closer look at the rising gun sales among black women, and why so many now feel they need to own a firearm. you're watching msnbc. a firearm. you're watching msnbc. plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon.

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it felt good. it felt like i could take on the whole world. gun shop owners are noticing a trend in a rise in black women ampling themselves and learning how to shoot. we tried to understand why. >> smith & wesson. >> reporter: when francis and gene davis opened a gun club in camden, new jersey, they discovered an unsuspected and untapped targeted demographic -- black women. have you been surprised at the number of ladies that want to buy a gun? >> when i started, i was shocked

myself. >> black women in particular exploded through the pandemic year. in a 2021 survey. 87 percent reported a spike in sales in the first half of that year. anubis is a growing number of clubs founded by and forblack women, sisters in arms filling a void among gun groups that are often dominated by white men. >> it was initially about defense, but now i love it. it's a brotherhood, a sisterhood, a fellowship. >> reporter: the club is an affiliate of the association believed to be the largest advocacy organization for black owners in american. >> the first time i actually handled a weapon or a firearm, i actual le felt very empowered.

>> reporter: at the group's first in-person convention in atlanta, women came from all over the country to break stigmas. >> we're moms, sisters, daughters. >> one of the misconceptions is black people are anti-gun. our history has shown, particularly in the south. >> reporter: but the history is complicated. as white people in power tried to control black resistance. now, more black people say they're arming themselves amid a rise in hate crimes against black people and anti-black rhetoric, as well as the high-profile killings of black people. >> it changed our attitudes, made us want to protect ourself. >> francis and gene davis saying they're feeling a long ignored niche, performing a critical

service. >> we're building a community with the gun club, it defeats the negativity with black people own firearms. thank you for that story. one of the your favorite apple items could be back on the shelves after a ruling this morning. that's next on msnbc. a ruling t morning. that's next on msnbc (vo) that's right! plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon. my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. narrator: time is running out to give a year-end gift like no other, a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. ava: it is my first time having cancer, and it's the very worst. woman: you just have to give.

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you hoped to pick up the latest apple watch before the new year. a u.s. appeals court has temporarily stopped an import ban on the apple watch 9 and ultra 2 amid a patent dispute with a medical monitoring company, which is accusing apple of hiring away its employees then stealing its medical monitoring technology. steve kovach is joining me to give us an update on this. this is a major victory for apple. whether it's temporary or not, we'll see. where the high-end watches b back on shelves? >> they're not on sale yet. this is a temporary order, just the self-imposed ban apple put in last week. so it's unclear are they going to sell it for a few days or not. i've asked the company if it's going to be a temporary lift of sales or not. but this is going to be a long, drawn out legal battle. at the end of the day, the various authorities throughout

the united states have, including the biden administration, have determined that apple did in fact violate these patents around the blood oxygen sensor. that affected the latest and greatest watches. those just went on sale back in september. so right now, still not on sale. if you got an apple gift card or something for christmas, you can't redeem it yet at least here in the united states. the big question is how does this play out. does apple have to play a licensing fee to the company or can they find some other kind of workaround such as a software update to get around this patent issue. but for now, no apple watches for sale in the united states. you're going to have to go to canada or something i think. >> the se, that's the one you can still buy. >> that's right. the apple watch se. it's kind of a stripped down version of the apple watch. doesn't have the blood oxygen sensor at the heart of this dispute. a lot of people buy them for

their kids to track them. apple wants you buying the most expensive watches so this is a hit for them. >> thank you so much for that. so for hollywood, 2023 was the year of the blockbuster and the christmas holiday weekend continued that trend with the color purple smashing expectations and breaking box office records bringing in $18 million on monday. it was the biggest christmas day opening in 14 years. look who's smiling about that? chloe is joining us from just outside that big fancy amc theatre on the upper west side i'm thinking maybe? unless you're at the other one. i'm glad you're here. >> i'm here on the upper west side and i'm not the only one who's smiling. steven spielberg, oprah, if you go on her instagram page, i think even she was surprised by the oprah effect and the fact that this movie, the color purple, had the highest christmas day opening like you

said since 2009 and warner brothers also clearly smiling because this was a warner brothers movie and they also grabbed the other two top spots with aqua man and wonka. spielberg and oprah worked on the original movie which oprah starred in in 1985, really putting her career on the map and they teamed up together again. also audiences who love fantasia from american idol. if you're wondering was it just christmas day that audiences turned out? no. 2023 saw higher north american box office numbers than 2022. about a billion dollars more. but you're still not seeing the numbers of people going to the movies that you saw before the pandemic, which was more like $11 billion. a lot of that has to do with streaming. there's so many options to watch

and when a blockbuster like a barbie or oppenheimer hits the theatres, it's not that much time until you can watch it from your couch and stream it at home. also, i've been pointing out today that going to the movies, it's a luxury for families these days with the way the economy has been looking and with inflation. if i wanted to take my kids and husband to the movies tonight at the amc behind me, it's going to cost upwards of $100. granted, you are in new york city, but it's more economical and feasible for families to watch movies at home. you're also seeing less movies hit theatres. this year, we saw about 88 movies hit theatres. last year, it was over 100. so again with the pandemic and the hollywood strikes and a lot of movies set for 2023 openings being pushed to next year like doom 2, that's another reason you're not seeing massive numbers at the box office. but it was barbie. it was oppenheimer. clearly, the color purple and

taylor swift and beyonce with their concert films that really helped push the box office to where it is at the close of 2023. >> can you give me one movie you're really looking forward to for 2024? >> all right. it's mean girls 2 and that's because i don't want to show my age right now, but the original mean girls came out when i was in high school. i love it so much and now all new audiences will get to know this comedy classic. >> just saw a trailer for that yesterday when i was watching ferrari, which was pretty good, too. all right, thank you so much for that. and a big thanks to all of you for joining us during this holiday week. we'll see you back here at noon tomorrow. richard lui picks up our coverage now. >> and good to be with you. could the southern border be reaching a breaking point with a record number of migrants arriving every day, u.s. and mexican officials are trying to hash out a plan to tighten security and get a handle on the situation, but