the militias that they sponsor. we are also getting some more details on the timing of the response to those three american soldiers killed in jordan last week and how it unfolded throughout this week. just in a moment, i will talk with deputy director -- for the very latest response from the administration as well as the defense department. but first, we're going to head to the region and nbc news chief international correspondent, -- who's joining us from iraq. welcome, here, so has the region reacting? what can we expect next? >> well alex, i think what we saw last night was not insignificant. that is true. but it was also limited. granted, an escalation by the biden administration. we haven't seen anything like this in recent years, frankly, in this part of the world. but still limited so that the strikes were along the east

syria, iraq border in a trench there that we know has a number of -- militia groups and camped there. now, that's a part of that border that runs through jordan that connects there to tower 22, which of course, the american base for those three, where those three american servicemen and women were killed. we are getting reports here on the ground about another kind of casualties that we have seen. you will know, of course, that there are 125 precision munitions used, according to the biden administration, the one bombers flying through the continental united states that they hit drone facilities, that they hit munitions, but then in terms of the numbers, 26 sites in syria, according to the syrian observatory for human rights, 23 members of iranian- backed militia killed there. and then here in iraq, 16

killed, 36 injured. according to iraqi media, quoting iraqi officials. there is theory by the iraqi government in terms of the statements they are making, claiming that they are not for warned about these strikes and saying that it puts iraq on the edge of a crisis. our own andrea mitchell reporting that reporting from her sources in the biden administration that iraq was warned, but it's just underscores what a difficult judgment this was for the biden administration that the more detailed you tell the government in baghdad, the iraqi government, because of the close relationship to iran, you in fact tell iran what you're planning to do. so, this was clearly a carefully calibrated mission. it has caused a lot of rhetorical anger here. we don't have many reports of strikes on u.s. bases and even

the reports that we do have are not confirmed. so, it's not possible at this stage how much the rhetoric can turn into actual responses by these iranian-backed groups. >> we hear, as though everyone in the region is there assessing the damage, and as you hear the pentagon saying this is a campaign, this is not a one-off which has happened. are you sensing tension in the region? are people there on edge? >> oh yeah, of course. absolutely. i mean, listen, you know, we talk about this danger, this risk that it @sullycnbc knew a wider regional war. it gets increasingly difficult not to describe this as a regional war. just for example, while this operation was taking place, it happened at midnight here locally. it was over within an hour. there were also responses by the u.s. to more attempts, according to the u.s., to

launch missiles from yemen, by the houthis. obviously, another iranian- backed group. then just hours after that operation overnight, reports in syria that the israelis struck a location south of damascus to hit an operative from the iranian revolutionary guard. so, from here, it does look increasingly like when it has been really a shadow war with iran is escalating into an open conflict with iran. now, that of course is exactly what the biden administration is trying to avoid. that is why i think actually these strikes have been limited whilst they are hoping that they are sending a powerful enough message to tehran. they clearly were powerful strikes. but fundamentally, another aspect of these, you know alex, is that the reach of iran, many americans won't have paid attention. the extraordinary reach of iran in their facilities, their proxies in this region, we are really getting a spotlight on that as a result of these

strikes and also has a result of what has not been hit, just an unsustainable, there multiple places inside syria that are run by the iranian revolutionary guard that were not struck, but haven't struck in the past by the israelis. that for example is why the israelis are really worried about the -- has become a proxy of iran. of course, that's right on the israeli border. that question about the iranian strategy to try to push america out of this region and put pressure on israel, i don't think that happened overnight after that or with tell us necessarily that it's going to shift immediately in terms of tehran's strategy. >> definitely critical question to be asking, considering, all right thank you so much, we will hear more from you later on in the show. joining me right now, deputy pentagon press secretary, serena saying. welcome, sabrina, on this very sober saturday. glad to have you here. you just heard that report from keir simmons. so first, here's what i want to

ask. what is the initial assessment of those strikes in the light of day there? it all intended targets get hit? >> thanks, alex, so much for having me today. this is something that our team, the central command, and also with our joints efforts hosting the battle damage assessment. so that is ongoing. we feel confident that we were able to strike the majority of our targets. we believe that we had the intense success. that the mission had. but again, it's something that we are still assessing and hopefully we'll have more to share in the coming days. >> how much can you tell us about who not hit? because we know it is around islamic revolutionary corps any militias, they were among the intended targets. can you confirm whether any iranian forces died or were casualties to some extent in these strikes? >> yeah, i've seen some of those reports about casualties. again, this is something that our team is doing an assessment on to figure out exactly what the casualty numbers will be. i don't have those numbers for you.

again, as i mentioned, this is something that is ongoing. but we believe we had extreme success in targeting the 85 targets that we hit yesterday. but again, this is something that the team's continuing to look at and as mentioned, as here had mentioned in his report, this is a multi pronged strategy. this was our first response late yesterday and we will continue to hold those forces, whether it be irgc back militias or their affiliate groups responsible for the attacks on u.s. forces. and of course, for the death of our three service members that we had earlier this week in jordan. >> any sense, sabrina, on how iran might respond beyond that statement that they put out that the u.s. media, quote, strategic mistake? have we seen increased iran proxy activity since the strikes? has that escalated? >> you know, i won't get into our own intelligence assessments. we have seen continued attacks from these irgc back proxy groups since october 17. we've responded in kind.

yesterday, you saw a huge show of force by the united states military in our strikes in both iraq and syria. but i can't predict the future and how iran will respond. but i can tell you that whatever they do, i remember these irgc back groups to either in iraq or syria, anywhere else in the world, the united states military will always respond and hold those forces accountable. >> so, the expectation that the administration has set for this whole military response is a series of strikes over days, perhaps weeks, since the initial strike, serena. has anything changed that calculation? for example, what early success, whatever that measure may be, would that cause a shorter timeframe? >> look, i think you saw the president and secretary speak very firmly to this. this is a multi pronged strategy. we are not changing our approach here and i will just leave it at that. >> okay, what is the current timeframe? can you give us a sense? is it already all mapped out? i mean, i'm not sure how much you can speak to that, but i'm going to ask.

>> yeah, no, i appreciate the question. as i'm sure you can appreciate, we're certainly not going to telegraph our punches from here. we're not going to give a timeline of when we expect to strike. all i can tell you is that the president and the secretary have been very firm that we are going to hold those groups accountable for their attacks on u.s. forces, both in iraq and syria, and we're going to hold those people accountable who were right behind the attack on our forces that unfortunately led to the death of three of our service members. so, i'm not going to get ahead of anything or preview anything right now, as i'm sure you can appreciate. but just know that, you know, the u.s. military is working hard around the clock to hold those people accountable. >> so, obviously, these strike targets are meticulously selected. they are based on the very best u.s. intelligence. but sabrina, is there any fear something could be hit that might create unintended consequences or can you assure the american public this will not and in a broader war? >> well, we've been very clear from the beginning, we don't

seek a wider war. we. don't seek regional conflict. we're not seeking war with iran but what we are going to do and what we will continue to do is hold those groups who are attacking u.s. forces who are in iraq and syria to defeat i.s.i.s., they are part of that mission to defeat i.s.i.s. and as we know, ten years ago, i.s.i.s. was a major terrorist force that was across the region and has been pared back in the capabilities. that is why they're in iraq and syria. so, any outside groups that threaten our mission there, we are absolutely going to hold them responsible, including when they attack our forces, whether it be iraq, syria, or in jordan. >> we know that a spokesperson from the iranian foreign ministry put out their response. has there been any official response from iran to these strikes that's been made directly to the administration? >> again, i'm not going to get into details about private correspondence between the administration or any other countries. what i can say is we have been very public in our messaging, very public in how we intend to

hold these groups accountable. so, i will just have to leave it at that. >> let's focus state side on all of this because how speaker mike johnson, along with some republican colleagues, has criticize the administration's actions saying in a statement, the tragic deaths of three u.s. troops and jordan perpetrated by iran-backed militias demand that a clear and forceful response, unfortunately, administration waited weekend telegraphed to the world, including iran, the nature of our response. sabrina, what is your reaction to the telegraphing part of his criticism? why take that telegraphing approach? is there geopolitical reason to do so? >> i think the american people deserve to know what our strategy is and how we're going to hold people accountable. again, we didn't get into details. we didn't get into specific timelines. we said that we would hold these forces, these groups accountable. at a time and place for our choosing. it we left at that. that's exactly what you saw last night. you saw an incredible -- force, you saw over 125 precision guided munitions dropped across these facilities that we know

have been used to store weapons that have been used to attack u.s. forces in both iraq and syria. we also struck command and control nodes, intelligence facilities, so again, this was a big show of force by the u.s. military last night and we have said, and we will continue to say, we are going to hold those responsible for attacks on our forces in iraq and syria, and in jordan, but we always do it at a time when we feel we will make the most impact. at a time when we feel we have the strongest capability. and it's always at a time in place of our choosing. >> last question being senate armed services committee chair, senator jack reed called the strikes a, quote, strong proportional response. saying the strikes amounted to a, quote, significant blow to iranian proxy forces in both iran and syria. is that how you would describe it? is it a significant blow to these iranian proxies? >> it is absolutely a significant blow to these groups. again, we struck facilities, as you mentioned, at the top, seven different locations, 85

different targets. that means that we took capabilities off the map for that today, they no longer have access to. so, it is a really important and i think we did send an incredibly strong message of force from the u.s. military, our actions, the fact that we use a b one bomber in the strikes last night. so, i think it really does send a message and i completely agree with that statement. >> actually, one more question as i reflect on something that here said about a sense in the region that a regional conflict is already underway. how does u.s. perceive what is going on right now in the region, with the u.s. now directly in the middle of it we? >> well, we acknowledge that tensions are high in the region, but i don't necessarily agree that we are in a wider regional conflict. again, we have seen attacks on our forces in both iraq and syria prior to october 17th. we had attacks on our forces earlier in 2023. so, i think it's important to remember, this is nothing new. yes, we have seen an increase

in cadence from these irgc- backed groups and their attacks on our forces. but we've seen this before and so, we don't seek a wider conflict. we don't seek war with iran. we've been very, very public in our messaging on that. that is not something we want to see. the conflict that is in gaza has been contained to gaza and what's happening in iraq and syria, what's happening in, when it comes to commercial shipping in the red sea, we have to typos to, we have to break that tie and really separate that because we are going to hold those groups accountable for attacking our forces, who've been there for over ten years in the region, and of course, we're going to protect commercial shipping through that red sea area as well. >> okay, deputy pentagon press secretary sabrina singh, very grateful for your time. thank you so much. >> thanks, alex. >> so let's bring in peter baker, msnbc political analyst, chief white house correspondent for the new york times. welcome to you, my friend. we just heard there officially from the administration, the military retaliation. was that a stronger response than someone expected?

hey, peter, turn on your microphone. >> sorry, how is that, better? >> got you, yeah. >> didn't want to get in the middle of your great interview. thank you for that. so, listen, you know, we don't know yet. i think the first thing we should acknowledge is the humility of not knowing everything. we haven't seen the end of their response yet, we haven't seen how extensive it is. you know, the pentagon itself is only now able to do its battle down damage assessment. i think a lot of people expected something along the lines of what we've seen so far. the question is, will it continue for two days? we'll continue for seven days? we'll hit hits targets other than what we've already seen? does it look like they will hit inside iran? looks like that citizen that has been made. the question is, how does it appear to people on the ground? more important than how it appears here. how is it taken by these proxy groups? do they take it as, you know,, a blow that really does change their capacity to wage these attacks and make them think twice about doing them in the future? or does it simply riled him up and make them want to continue

hitting american forces? that's the unknown question. >> since last weekend's attack, peter, the administration is preparing for what officials are calling a multi tiered retaliation. you just heard serena reiterate that, which -- said was that they maintained they have no interest in war with iran. what are you hearing now from the white house and from the pentagon about what is next? i know sabrina talked to us to the extent that she was able to reveal things. she was reveler tory -- had to stop at a certain point. how about you, what are you hearing? >> look, we should expect more strikes in the hours and days to come. we don't know, obviously, the timing and it's not something obviously they want to get out there. but nobody in the region and nobody here in washington imagines that this is the end of it. they understand that there is more to come. so, you know, again, it depends on how many more targets. what kind of targets, how many days of this that go on. if it's one more day, am i seeing less, you know, significant? if it's 70s, obviously, that would be more. i think it's unlikely in the

lower end than in the higher end. and then the question will be, you know, what iran wants to do about it. you're still taking, still hearing signals from iran that they don't want to escalate. they're not looking for report. remember, the attack a week ago on the americans that killed those three american soldiers was not fundamentally different than the kinds of attacks that have been happening along since october 7th. therefore was it happened again -- sense that it penetrated on the air defenses that they had their. there was some confusion, apparently, over an american drone and it wasn't -- for the enemy drone was not shot down. so, they had more success than they had typically had. it doesn't necessarily mean they were trying to escalate in the way that would draw the united states into a wider war. they would pay a big price if they did. >> but let's take a look at the difference in answers, if you will, or assessment between keir simmons and sabrina singh. keir simmons is suggesting that regional war is already underway at least in the minds of those on the ground --

middle east. serena saying this is not what the administration is doing. we've heard that from the president himself. so, where do you think the truth lies? and how much danger does it pose if those on the ground over there i think we are in a regional war right now? >> yeah, -- it's in the pentagon's interest i supposed to say we're not, all reality is that of course we are. i mean, we're literally at war with enemies in multiple countries. in syria, iraq, yemen, and all -- believe, of course, in iran. and it may have been low rate were up until now, but it has been a war. the question is, how high great does it become, right? president biden has been very clear, he does want it to be all out, full-fledged kind of war where you have to engage in a more significant way. so, far, it's been relatively low-key compared to, say, the u.s. war in iraq, obviously. that doesn't mean it isn't a war and people have now died and people obviously on the other side are dying, and weapons are being fought.

you know, shot back and forth at each other almost every day. -- i think that's obviously, you know, with a danger to american forces as long as they are there. the question is whether or not iran can be, you know, compelled to stop. >> well, which begs the question. i mean, how much can the u.s. control what's going on over there? if you have iranian-backed proxies or iran itself, should it go against what it said on its word? i mean, how much is that going to bring on the likelihood of a greater or, something that the u.s. cannot stop on its own accord? >> yeah i mean look, obviously, it's a guesswork, right? the biden administration trying to find that sweet spot in the middle that they see that they want to see between doing enough to be seriously, you know, inflicting damage on these proxies and making a point that they should stop, but not going so far as to draw iran in. they drew the line, it seems, in terms of hitting targets inside iran. you heard a lot of critics to claim on republican say that they should be hitting targets inside iran, only doing that

would make the point strongly enough to tehran to stop these militias from doing what they have been doing. and we don't know, of course, exactly how much control iran has over the day today, you know, operations of these forces. we do know they provide training and weaponry, supplies and resources to presumably have the ability to call them off if they want. a seven-day pause in the israel, hamas war back in november for the hostage release saw all these other proxy groups also stop their attacks in that seven days. that's not central coordinations at the very least, you know? -- you know, shared understanding of how things should -- >> okay, peter baker, thank you so much, my friend. appreciate you. well, the u.s. military strikes are the top of the region. what are countries they're seeing in response? especially iran? no mystery outcome expected today in south carolina, but there is a big question, what's on the mind of voters? you will hear when we won back in 60 seconds.

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breaking news to share out of delaware. president biden making a hometown stop at campaign headquarters to rally staff today and lay out the stakes of this election. >> this is not just a campaign, this is more of a mission. that cannot, you cannot, you cannot lose this campaign for the good of the country. and we've seen that from the bottom of my heart. it's not about me, it's -- goes about the country and i think everybody knows it, i think people -- going to dawn on people. >> biden's comments come in south carolina democratic voters are heading to the polls today over the first in the nation primary and our team of nbc news journalist covering that primary for the cities across the state. as i welcome you both, we're going to begin with nbc's gabe gutierrez and columbia, south carolina. so gabe, how the turnout been so far? what are you hearing from folks who are voting there? >> hi there, alex. good afternoon. as you can see behind me, it's

not very busy at this point. -- election officials out about with 4900 voters have cast their ballots so far with this today. that compares to about a 58, or about the same, which actually voted early. now, the question will be, how will -- at the end of the day compared to 2020? as you mentioned in 2020, it was a much more competitive -- joe biden was going up against bernie sanders and others there. so, it doesn't seem to be as much excitement among democrats here in south carolina today. but i spoke with one of them a little earlier about this issue. take a listen to what barbara had to say. >> there is some concern about enthusiasm among democrats come november. do you think enough democrats are excited to vote for joe biden? >> probably not. i mean, clearly there are very few people here today. that is an indication, yeah. >> is that a problem? >> i hope it'll change between

now in november. >> certainly, barbara was a big supporter of president biden. not surprised she says she was here this morning and for her, she gives the biden administration credit for student debt relief and also what she sees as an improving economy. but alex, we were on the campus of south carolina state university yesterday and speaking with young black voters. that is the demographic the biden administration has really been trying to get out to the pollers and really trying to build excitement here, as it heads into the rest of the election year. vice president kamala harris was here in south carolina yesterday, her nighttime visiting south carolina since she took office. but there are concerns that that young demographic, young black voters, if they don't turn out to the polls later on this year, the november election, not just here but in other battleground states, that could pose problems for the biden campaign. alex? >> like we said, we don't want complacency. okay, thank you very much dave gutierrez for that.

let's go to nbc's tremaine lee used her joining us from north charleston. coming, i know you're in a county where in 2020, the voter turnout was the second highest in the state. so, how about today? what's the atmosphere like? >> i will tell you what, alex. throughout the day, there have been different waves of voters coming in. nothing extraordinary or mind- blowing, but kind of steady trickle in this community. as gabe mentioned how important the black vote is to south carolina, but also to the biden administration. i've spent weeks talking with black voters, black male voters about the enthusiasm or lack thereof. there's been a little bit of a concern among certain demographics. here today, almost to a person i spoke with, a black voter saying that not only they're excited, they're motivated because the stakes are just too high. take a listen. >> there's been a lot made about the excitement, or lack thereof, excitement among black voters. do you get a sense that black voters in your community, your family, are less excited to vote, especially for joe biden this time around? >> no, no.

didn't discuss that with me and i don't feel that, you know? i think it's just more of people just putting that out like that, trying to discourage black voters, you know? to not vote democrat. and no, i don't feel like that is the issue. >> i'm very excited about what joe biden has done and what he will continue to do. he is someone that i feel like would be the best candidate to represent the democratic party, so yes, i can only speak for myself. >> alex, for those who are plugged in and paying attention to what's going on, they feel that it's their duty and in, the excitement. but on the other side, those who haven't been plugged in, we haven't been reached like, again, black male voters who feel that the party and the biden administration has reached out directly to them, a lot of those narratives, a lot of those kudos, those good things have simply gone over their heads or under the radar. alex? >> yeah, which is why we have the special coming up. i want to thank you for this report, you can see a lot more of you, jermaine, all of you can watch him on the msnbc

special, black men in america, the road to 2024. truman is going to join civil rights attorney charles coleman junior for a view of america through the eyes of an overlooked voting bloc there. it will be tomorrow night for you, nine pm eastern on msnbc as well as streaming on peacock. so, you may never have heard of dripping springs texas, but now it's part of the border story. so is this. >> the stand up and fight for what's right. -- shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat could mean something more serious, called attr-cm a rare, underdiagnosed disease that worsens over time. sound like you? call your cardiologist and ask about attr-cm. i'm jonathan lawson,

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three american soldiers killed in jordan. a senior white house official confirms iraq was warned that the airstrikes beforehand, despite what iraq is claiming. u.s. also launched separate strikes on houthis in yemen and nbc's courtney kube was on board the uss eisenhower in the red sea one early nearly, rather, a dozen fighter jets took off. >> their mission, to stop multiple incoming drones fired by houthi rebels in yemen. they were supported by each -- rulers protecting the fighter jets from houthi air defenses. now, defense officials stress that these actions were not part of the larger retaliatory actions that the u.s. has been talking about all week. >> so, joining me right now with initial reaction to the u.s. ranks as nbc's matt bradley joining us from tel aviv, israel. matt, how are the actors in the region responding to the airstrikes? what's the tenor of things on the way right now? >> well, the tenor is one of protest and one that is kind of predictable. we've been hearing from the

iraqis, that was last night saying that this was a violation of iraqi national sovereignty. we heard from the syrians today saying that this was a strategic, or excuse me, from the iranians saying this was a strategic stake by the americans. hamas said that this was fueling conflict in the middle east. you know, one of the big things we've been hearing is the -- between america and iraq because this is a country that's sort of straddles between the u.s., which is essentially an ally, it was the united states that put the current iraqi government in power when they invaded back in 2003, but they also share a lot of power with iran. there are iranian-backed parties in the iraqi parliament and empower. so, this is a situation we're seeing a country that's divided and that could swing either way. they were varied -- the other night or last night and they we protested and said they received a warning. nbc news has confirmed that there was a warning that was given by the united states.

this is a dangerous situation and one that it looks like the united states is trying to navigate. it looked as though it was some sort of warning in that is possible that some of those irgc commanders, some of those foot soldiers for the iranian revolutionary guard corps, which is essentially the group within iran that controls all of its proxies when hezbollah with lebanon, iraq, and syria, and they have a lot of contacts, of course, and they do support the houthis in yemen. as you mentioned. it looks as though they may have had time or enough warning at least to withdraw from their bases. so, that might come up as some criticism from the right wing in the united states, but it looks as though a lot of the actual iranian targets were hit. -- we 40 people were killed, according to sources both in syria and iraq. so, this was the kind of protests that i think the united states was particularly

expecting. so, whether or not there's actually action, whether another is retaliation for this retaliation, that's something we're going to have to wait and see about, alex. >> okay, matt bradley, we appreciate you being there live, keeping the -- things on the ground there. we certainly will be come back to you on all of this, but for all of you coming up next, we're going to take you to the -- border where it's unfolding right now. right now. with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source. voltaren, the joy of movement.

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you want to see who we are as americans? i'm peter dixon and in kenya... we built a hospital that provides maternal care. as a marine... we fought against the taliban and their crimes against women. and in hillary clinton's state department... we took on gender-based violence in the congo. now extremists are banning abortion and contraception right here at home. so, i'm running for congress to help stop them. for your family... and mine. i approved this message because this is who we are. two leading candidates for senate. two very different visions for california. steve garvey, the leading republican, is too conservative for california. he voted for trump twice

and supported republicans for years, including far right conservatives. adam schiff, the leading democrat, defended democracy against trump and the insurrectionists. he helped build affordable housing, lower drug costs, and bring good jobs back home. the choice is clear. i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message. more breaking news now. some dramatic developments as a convoy of over 100 vehicles is rolling into texas for a rally right near the u.s., mexico border. so, the crowd is growing as members of this convoy call on the u.s. government for stricter border security. nbc's priscilla thompson is in kimono, where it's right near eagle pass border crossing. to you, priscilla. what's going on there today? >> yeah, alex, so this is one of three events that is taking place. one in arizona, when

california, and one here in texas. i want to actually give you a look at what we are seeing here right now. there were ship leaders on the stage singing, there are people praying up front, there are hundreds of people who have turned out as part of this, quote, take our border back convoy. and you know, i know there were some talk online about potentially calls for civil war and violence, but i have to tell you, that is not what we're seeing here. the organizers here are saying that that is not what they want. in fact, they're -- people not to go to the border. we're actually about 30 minutes from eagle pass, which is sort of the epicenter of these immigration issues over the past several months. i want to just play for you some of what we are hearing. we heard sarah palin speaking at a rally a few days ago near austin, texas. i also had an opportunity to speak with some attendees -- today about what was driving them to come out and what they want to see happen. i want to play some of those conversations. >> so, for you all to be

standing up and saying, you know what? enough is enough. we're not going to take it anymore. we're going to take our country back. you are texans, you're the epicenter of this. thank you so much for being the activists, for being hardworking, independent, patriotic americans that you are. >> i will tell you right now. what we're seeing down here, not -- right now. we're looking to -- stand at this border, to close this border. we're tired of them taking all of our benefits that we've received, which right now, we're on social security. it gets really tough to make it. we're giving all that up, but more importantly, not for us, but for the kids and the grandkids that are coming up. >> the next generation. >> yeah, what are they going to have? >> we don't know what's in it yet, but it is bipartisan. so, i've been asking folks, do you think that will make a difference? i've heard from a lot of folks who say, they don't trust it. they don't trust politicians and they don't believe that it's actually going to be effective. i did ask, is trump's

opposition to this bill in forming your decision-making? some folks said no, it's not at all. they just don't trust that politicians will be able to deliver on this. there are some people who would like to see the border closed completely, but i've also spoken to other people who have a more nuanced approach and feel like they're just needs to be solutions to create a more efficient process. alex? >> okay, priscilla thompson, quemado, texas, thank you for that. the official news came yesterday, may have been lost in the blur, but it's a big, new developments in the legal case against donald trump. don. s with ubrelvy, there's another option. one dose works fast to eliminate migraine pain treat it anytime, anywhere. without worrying where you are or if it's too late. do not take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. allergic reactions to ubrelvy can happen. most common side effects were nausea and sleepiness. migraine pain relief starts with u. ask about ubrelvy. learn how abbvie

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it's official. what was supposed to be the first criminal trial against donald trump ahead of the 2024 election is now delayed. judge tanya chutkan drop to the march 4th trial date, a historic date against the former president for plotting to overturn the 2020 election. it has been long suspected that trump's claim of presidential immunity for prosecution could delay the trial and now it has,

with some potentially serious repercussions. joining me now, former federal prosecutor, chrissy greenberg. kristie, welcome. judge chutkan, the trial against donald trump, look, it can move forward until there is a decision on the question of trump's immunity. but how consequential is this delay? >> very consequential. look, we all know that donald trump is using the court system here to delay this trial until after the election, in the hopes that if he wins, he can make this case, go away, and avoid accountability. so far, it's working. but donald trump's immunity argument can and should be easily disposed of. so, what is going on here? well, one theory is that one of these judges, judge henderson, she actually had dissented and not wanted the appeal to be expedited. so, it's possible now as she writes her decision whether she's concurring or in the majority, she's taking her sweet time. another option is that maybe the judges here are divided about the applicable legal standard here, but the bottom line is time is of the essence.

we need to put this in perspective in u.s. v. nixon. it was 16 days from oral argument to a decision. today would be day 25. so, they really need to move this week. the appeals court needs to really affirmed this decision and preempt the rules that would apply in terms of further review here. so, it's just really vital. fordham across, for the voters to know whether or not this president is convicted of breaking the law to try and stay in office. i think democracy really hangs in the balance here. >> yeah and as we said, this election to different, cases one of four criminal cases against donald trump. as we take a look at the calendar together right now, the new york hush money case is scheduled for march 25. that's first. is that what you are expecting to happen? how are the courts going to negotiate dates for these criminal trials ahead of the election? >> so, february 15th is a key day in the new york's hush money case. that's when the judge is going to convene the parties and talk about scheduling and determine, is there any actual conflict

with the march 25th date? so, you would really need a mandate from the d.c. court of appeals before february 15th, so judge check-in could figure out if she can get this trial back on the counter. i'm not confident that will happen. i think we could see this newer case going first. >> so, to your earlier point, let's take a listen to trump's former lawyer, ty cobb, and what he thinks a hypothetical president elect trump would do if the january 6th case with still underway by the inauguration. take a listen to this. >> at that point, he will have the ability to order as justice department to dismiss the appeal and, you know, this case will be as though it never existed. he's not going to pardon himself. it's sad to see journalist and insisting that's a possibility because a, it was never a possibility. and be, it's unnecessary. because all he has to do is direct the justice department to dismiss the appeals. but yeah, i think he's not going to be incarcerated in

advance of inauguration, should he win. >> can i ask you quickly the likelihood of trump being incarcerated at any point? what do you think? >> well, in stages, i think before any conviction, no, i don't think so if that were to happen, it would have happened already. he would have to do something to violate the terms of his pre trial release and any of these cases for that to happen. it would need to be pretty extreme. after a conviction, i mean, look, in the d.c. case, in the florida classified documents case, these are incredibly serious charges and each of them carries significant potential prison sentences. so, could he face jail time? absolutely. >> okay, christie greenberg, thank you so much for your time. we look forward to seeing you again. meantime for all of you, there's one thing that is clear in south carolina today. it is what is not so clear that we're going to talk about next. former dnc chair howard dean joins me. joins me.

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we're giving you a live look at beautiful myrtle beach, south carolina, where voting in the first democratic primary is well underway. congressman dean phillips and marianne wilson, they joined president biden, williamson, we should say, on the ballot. but the president is expected to win overwhelmingly when the votes are tallied later on this evening. joining me right now, howard dean. former democratic national committee chairman and former governor of vermont, and actually pratt oats, nbc tank contributor, political commentator, and former republican. so, welcome to you both. look, south carolina is a significant development today but is against this backdrop of everything else that's going on the middle east right now. so, howard, what's your assessment of the presidents response? >> the presidents response to the middle east or the primary? >> well, let's talk about the middle east first because that's the breaking news. >> yeah, i think he's doing a terrific job. this is why the president needs to get reelected. can you imagine how trump would deal with something like this? he wouldn't have a clue what he

would do he, would do something dumb. biden understands the nuances of this. he understands how careful he has to be and he understands that he does have to respond. so, there is no comparison between biden's capability to be president and trump's, you know, trump is a really a buffoon. he's got a hold on about half the country because he's convinced that somehow, he's the one to fix all the stuff. that's not true and he's dishonest, and you know, he's just qualified to be president. i think biden is hitting just exactly the right note of retaliating without escalating. that's what we need to do. >> look, actually, it's not just donald trump. there are a number of republicans who are not only slamming president biden for taking a week to launch these retaliatory attacks, using gop lawmakers criticizing the response for not being severe enough. to establish some sort of -- presence. how tough of a line is that for republicans to take when it comes to an operation of this magnitude? and by the way, any of them are

offering anything in terms of what they would do in this situation. that doesn't create world war iii. >> regardless of the situation, right? whether it's international or domestic, this is what republicans love to do. especially in election years. they play politics. they don't come up with solutions, they play politics. and this is exactly what this is. they want to take any hint the kind of democrats including biden to show they give -- especially on foreign policy which, you know, the point that was just made. if donald trump were in office, which we have seen, he acts erotically and -- his hand on any nuclear codes is a pure threat for this country, which is exactly why biden's stability is much needed at this time. and republicans know this, which is exactly why they point to attacks rather than solutions because their front runner in this gop primary is someone who acts erotically. so, that's exactly why they point to this. they can't come up with any

solutions and they know they can't get any bipartisan support because they're so extreme in so many ways, when it comes to foreign policy. >> okay, let's turn back to the primary today because it's the first year that south carolina's kicking off the democratic presidential race. it's thanks to the president to urge that the dnc to rearrange that primary calendar, howard. are you surprised the president is putting so much effort into a red state that he is unlikely to win in november? >> no, on the face of it, it looks very surprising but it's very, very smart. donald trump, i mean, joe biden has seen some erosion among black men, which i think is actually kind of more something to write about then it is actually happening when you actually look at the records of it to. if you're black in america, you may not get a great deal under joe biden, but it will be a whole lot better than what you'll get under the republican party. let's not forget who got rid of

racial parts of college admissions who, let's not forget who's fighting allowing race to be a factor induction to the armed forces, especially the military academies. let's not forget who's harmed health care for poor people and black people, and brown people. it's the republicans. so, it's a smart thing to do. what he's really doing here, he's going to win. what he's really doing here is focusing on a substantial black population, which matters, and i think biden gets tremendous credit for switching the primary twisty that looks much more like america than, say, new hampshire or iowa. >> and look, there is some good news for the biden campaign this week. is coming in a new -- poll, it shows the president is taking a now six point lead over donald trump and it's thanks to female voters. 15% of women saying they will support biden. that's a 5% increase from december. trump support dropped among women from 41 down to 36%. take a listen to what the president had to say about these new numbers at his campaign headquarters today. here it is.

we may not -- i'm sorry about that. but look, how do you actually interpret the sudden shift among women? is that the biden campaign -- abortion rights on the campaign trail? is it response perhaps to the way donald trump treated e. jean carroll during his defamation trial? what do you think it is? >> well, i think as we get closer to a general election, women in america for a trump presidency because we saw what happened when trump was president. when they were completely marginalized, you saw it from own, you know, women in his administration and you see it now in how he's treating nikki haley, what his administration -- that's what we would get under trump and women do fear going back to how things used to be. not -- under trump effect that roe has been overturned, you see abortion rights on the ballot and that's exactly why joe biden will win with women and that's why he's continuing

to prevail, trump is continuing to trail with biden because biden is the answer if you want a president who supports women. >> but quickly, howard, this spike, how firm is it? is it wise to assume these women are not going to jump back on the trump bandwagon? >> i think it's very wise. i personally think this poll is a bit of an outlier. i think it's closer than this, but i do think actually is absolutely right. as we get closer and closer to the election, winner of this country are going to be more and more alarmed. this is going to be the big issue. the two big issues are, one, trump's instability when it comes to foreign policy, which is a life and death issue. two, how he treats women. we've seen very well in the last week or so how he treats women. and say, thank you. the precarious nature of military strikes. the u.s. assesses its attacks in the light of day. former white house insider and financial expert tells us how it if donald trump can pay