hello to all of you and welcome back. it is approaching 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm alex witt in for jose diaz-balart. right now, a massive cell phone outage impacting tens of thousands of customers. we're going to bring you details

about where it's happening and when it might be fixed. plus, shock waves after alabama's ruling that frozen embryos are people. the largest healthcare system in alabama now halting ivf procedures as well as one of the state's biggest fertility clinics. i'll speak with one of the doctors from that clinic in moments about what is going on. and later, the tragic story of nex benedict, the unresolved questions about how a 16-year-old student died after a fight in a high school bathroom. their family says they faced bullying over their gender identity. and finally, a trip to the moon, just a few hours away from what could be the first u.s. moon landing in more than half a century. we begin the hour with a ruling in alabama that just had another chain reaction impact for reproductive rights in that state and it is drawing scrutiny nationwide. on friday, the state supreme court ruled frozen embryos are

children, with the same rights and protections. that prompted the university of alabama birmingham health system, which is the largest healthcare system in that state, to stop ivf procedures and nbc news has just learned that a second clinic is pausing care now. would be parents like gabrielle and spencer goydel who were supposed to freeze embryos later on this month, they say they're unclear what this ruling means for them and what their next steps will be. they said ivf is their best chance to start a family and they feel betrayed. >> when we first moved to alabama, we recently relocated, and we really have enjoyed our community and our friends here. and i feel now a little hurt by the warm alabamians i met, i just feel like they're kind of turning their backs on us. >> that's one of the things that hurts so much is we don't want to move. like, we really like it here.

and it's just so frustrating to have this feeling that people in our own community would be against us starting a family. >> so to help put into context for all of you why this story is reverberating nationally, the cdc says in 2021, is more than 97,000 babies were born here in the u.s. using assisted reproductive technologies like inveto fertilization. and, according to the pew research center, 42% of adults say they have used fertility treatments or personally know someone who has. joining us now from alabama, dr. mamie mclean, a physician at alabama fertility specialist, one of the state's largest fertility clinics which just announced that temporary freeze on procedures. doctor, i'm glad to have you here. first of all, was that expected that they were going to have to put a temporary freeze and how disappointing is that for you? >> well, this was a decision that myself and my partners made. we have been wrestling with this decision for four days since we found out.

we didn't take this lightly. but ultimately our legal team and our embryology team said we cannot continue ivf care given the significant legal ramifications. >> and are there specific procedures you can continue with? >> so, yes. fertility care is much more wide and diverse than just ivf. so we can certainly continue with inseminations and surgeries and ovulation induction, but our most successful treatment is being paused. that means less babies will be born in alabama. >> what are your patients saying to you today? >> it is heart breaking. the phone conversations that i've had to have with long time patients who are desperate and ready to become parents, i'm having to tell them that i can't offer their treatment that we have agreed to. they're begging us to continue, they're saying, you know, we'll sign anything, please let us continue with treatments and we're having to tell them no at this time. >> and how critical is timing in

an ivf procedure? >> yeah. the leadup to an ivf procedure can take months. so these are patients where we have -- i have one patient i've been planning since august to do this and i had to call her and tell her that i can't offer her the care that we have planned. >> now, i want to be clear, this applies -- this ruling applies and your concern applies to fertilized eggs, correct, that are considered embryos. so, obviously there is a process that has to happen before that happens. what happens to those eggs that have yet to be fertilized? do they stay there, can they be safely transported elsewhere if a family says we're going to take this out of alabama? >> so, our patients who are in active treatment, meaning already on the medications and ready for an egg retrieval, we are continuing with their care because that's in their best interest. for patients who have not started medication, that's who we're pausing. with regard to moving embryos, we actually don't know the legality of moving embryos

across state lines. we're just all confused and looking for more guidance from the state. >> i have to reiterate, you are a doctor and yet you kind of need a law degree right now. you've been speaking with other doctors in your state, many of whom are in touch with lawyers. how worried are you and your colleagues that you will be sued, you will be fined, you could be jailed if you discard embryos that are not viable or if a family that feels complete leaves behind some fertilized eggs. what happens in either of those scenarios? >> we're incredibly worried. the physicians across the state have been in regular contact with each other. we are worried that to our own personal risk about getting thrown in jail, lawsuits, those things would result in the closure of all fertility clinics in alabama. that would result in fewer babies across the state. that also, i think, would hamper the ability of the state to bring in young doctors, to bring in, you know, incredibly skilled professionals to the state. so ultimately this is a bad

decision for alabama. >> ivf is a very expensive procedure. so how concerned are you that the gap in care and that the options out there are going to widen and that will shut out less privileged families altogether from having kids. >> absolutely. if we can imagine a scenario where we're not practicing modern fertility, the costs will absolutely go up and those will be born by patients and patients alone. >> and we have to remind our viewers that this ruling in alabama, it stems from a case that was filed by patients who were actually pursuing ivf, they wanted consequences when someone removed embryos from storage at a fertility clinic. unfortunately dropped them on the floor, it happened accidentally. the court was what said those embryos deserve the same protections as children. so what is your message after the fact in that particular case to the state supreme court? >> well, that case is incredibly difficult and sad for those couples affected.

embryos are precious and should be protected. but ultimately we do not believe that embryos are children and that couples need to be able to make decisions regarding their own embryos. >> dr. mclean, tough times for you. i'm certainly glad you spent some time with us to help explain things. best of luck. thank you. >> thank you. with us now to talk more about the political repercussions of all of this, we have nbc news correspondent ali vitali from myrtle beach, south carolina, nbc news senior political reporter natasha korecki and riina shaw, political strategist and commentator and former congressional adviser. welcome you to all. ali, you spoke to nikki haley exclusively, who is now trying to clean up the remarks she made to you yesterday on the alabama embryo case. first of all, remind viewers what she told you and how voters are reacting there to all of that and what she is saying now? >> reporter: alex, the big headline out of our sit-down with nikki haley yesterday on

her campaign bus was the fact is that when i asked her about the alabama supreme court ruling, the fact they said that ivf fertilized embryos are considered children, i asked her did she agree. haley said that embryos in her words, to me, are babies, then she went on to say that it was important to have doctors and patients able to have those conversations, but i think that the thing i asked her and the thing that you're watching the doctor who just spoke to grapple with in real time is the ways that laws intersect with and make much more difficult those exact conversations between patients and doctors. listen to part of the conversation i had with nikki haley where i pressed her on the idea of the chilling effect that rules and regulations like this one in alabama could have on ivf treatments going forward. watch. >> do you have concerns about the ways that that could hurt people who are seeking ivf treatment? >> i think that we have to have those conversations. that's incredibly personal. it is incredibly sensitive. and i think that's the conversation the doctor needs to

have with the patient. >> viable embryos and not viable embryos and if the state is saying not viable ones can't be done away with -- >> but those are the things we have to look at, right? you have to be -- this is one where we need to be incredibly respectful and sensitive about it. every woman needs to know with her partner what she's looking at, and then when you look at that, then you make the decision that is best for your family. >> reporter: look, haley experienced having had her son through artificial insemination, she mentioned this to me. she said that in her mind there is a difference between freezing eggs than there is in freezing embryos. and, again, the idea that embryos in her mind are babies. we're watching her try to clarify this saying somehow that she didn't say she backed the alabama supreme court decision, but even in her personal capacity here in that conversation i had with her, it is clear that she is in line with the ruling that they made, but it is another reminder writ

large, i know natasha has another great example of this from her reporting in nevada of the ways that republicans have struggled broadly on the issue of reproductive care. that conversation that you had with the doctor, honestly, it struck me not just for the conversation around ivf, but for sheer confusion that doctors feel on what they can and can't do to help their patients in terms of the broad range of reproductive care stemming from abortion all the way through ivf and fertility treatments. >> yeah. i'm glad you bring up natasha. i'll go there in a second and get the reaction from things in nevada. riina, i want to get your reaction to this, the alabama supreme court's decision and what we heard from the doctor with whom i just spoke. >> i'm deeply troubled. i have multiple family members who graduated from this medical school, including my husband. this isn't just a random healthcare system. this is a deeply respected prestigious healthcare system and for them to take this pause is so major. fearing criminal prosecution and

lawsuits, no doctor in america should have to practice this way. and what i see here, alex, is very simple, a group of thee cro theecrats who want to legislate over women's bodies, they don't believe in the separation of church and state and this is antiamerican because it does everything but strengthen the american family unit, which is something i and many republican young women came up in the party being told that we are policies do that, our policies help women, help families, and they also keep unelected bureaucrats out of the patient and doctor exam room. right now, what you're seeing the supreme court do is essentially try to govern on the basis of public opinion, not on the interpretation of certain laws. and so i think this is a very, very dangerous moment, not just for our nation's physicians, but for american women in general, because the world is looking at us. ivf is something that is so deeply personal. my generation of millennial

women, of child bearing age, i myself have three children, we cannot believe this is where we are when we talk about the fertility journeys that we have, they are deeply emotional, psychological, and not to mention economically take a great toll when you're talking about embryos and that whole process. i really think the republican party will pay for this. >> i think you're probably right on that one. let's move to natasha who may have a window into that. she has an exclusive and deeply personal interview with nevada republican senate candidate sam brown and his wife, amy. we're talking about an abortion that amy had several years ago. what did they tell you? >> right. it is deeply personal and it is also deeply complicated, alex. what we had was amy brown, the wife of a senate candidate in nevada, telling us she had an abortion and this was first time she came to the media and told her story. it was very emotional. and sam brown who is running for that seat, and a self-described

conservative, talks about where he stands on the issues. let's take a listen. >> i think when i made my choice i was under the impression that i was choosing freedom. but i did not receive freedom. i received a five-year sentence to living with regret and shame. and just having my life wrecked. >> i would not support a federal abortion ban. and, you know, as someone who is striving to represent nevada in the u.s. senate, nevadans need to know, voters need to know here that i'm not in a position to, nor i do want to do anything that changes our existing law. our existing nevada law is also not at risk of being changed. >> we should note the two of

them met while sam brown was recovering in a burn unit. she was his dietitian and she says he actually helped her recover from that abortion, which happened before they met. but there was some political reality here. sam brown is coming out, trying to soften himself, right? this is a messaging issue that republicans have across the board. the political reality in nevada, it is a battleground state, it is -- it is incredibly popular. abortion is incredibly popular in nevada. nevada is one of the swing states that will help determine the balance of the u.s. senate next year. he is trying to unseat jacky rosen, and it is going to be tough. and abortion is going to play center issue in that race, alex. >> yeah, yeah. so, rina, your comments about your frustration and the ties you personally have frankly to the university of alabama and the state of alabama there, how does all of this play out in

nevada, in a state that is a serious swing state when you have a republican candidate who is saying what he just said with regard to abortion. >> well, i think it remains yet to be seen because what we do see is a great deal of surprises coast to coast. when you see abortion land up on the ballot, in a ballot measure, for example, republicans do not farewell. and so i think this could have waited, but, again, we're talking about the deep south here, and alabama legislators know that public opinion somewhat is on their side here. but this, to me, alex, is a step too far. it is too far out of step with what younger republican women need, and, fine, they may be antiabortion, and i'm antiabortion for myself, but i am for choice for other women. and when you look at how kind of freedom really is talked about in the republican party anymore, it is not talked about in the way we talked about it in 2008, around the time where the affordable care act was passed.

i was on capitol hill at that time, we always talk about keeping unelected bureaucrats out of a journey like ivf, for example, that is just so complex. now, talking about political realities in nevada, for example, i think there will be a little bit of purple and i do think, again, nevada republicans can look at this for what this is. a step too far. what might work in alabama, might work in other places in the south, probably not even georgia so much anymore, but let us see because i think the republican party is waking up and needs to smell the coffee, the minute you put abortion on the ballot, republicans lose. >> you have to wonder how is it that the expression you said is not what everybody is allowed to do. you are antiabortion, for yourself, but you are pro choice for every other woman. i mean, that's really what doesn't make any sense in all of this, choose for yourself. that having been said, let me ask you quickly, though, about the new reporting on how the allies of donald trump are plotting ways to restrict abortion rights if he were to return to office. this is according to "the new

york times." specific antiabortion plans being proposed by mr. trump's allies are sweeping and legally sophisticated. some of the proposals would rely on enforcing the com stock act, a long dormant law from 1873 to criminalize the shipping of any materials used in an abortion including abortion pills, which account for the majority of abortions in america. what do you make of this? this is just going to add another wrinkle, a whole other layer to have to drive through and drive women away from the republican party. >> republican women better hope that nikki haley fares better than she's doing right now because donald trump will go with the evangelical base of the party, he will go with the people who want to execute these complicated legal maneuvers to restrict the rights of american women. we all know donald trump's complicated history as a private citizen before he came to the white house and gosh knows how many abortions he himself may have been behind.

i don't want to speculate, but we know he has a problem with women. he will get behind this measure and let these, again, very right wing nut jobs go for the jugular when it comes to women's reproductive access and rights. >> well, i do appreciate you clarifying that. there is speculation. we have no indication of anything with regard to donald trump and his past. that having been said, i thank you all, ali vitali, natasha korecki and rina shah. what we know about a sweeping disruption of at&t. we're back in 60 seconds. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." in 60 secs you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports. help you find and unlock opportunities in the market. e*trade from morgan stanley. with powerful, easy-to-use tools, power e*trade makes complex trading easier. react to fast-moving markets with dynamic charting and a futures ladder that lets you place, flatten, or reverse orders so you won't miss an opportunity.

e*trade from morgan stanley. here you go. is there any way to get a better price on this? have you checked singlecare? whenever my customers ask how to get a better price on their meds, i always tell them about singlecare. it's a free app. accepted at major pharmacies nationwide. before i pick up my prescription at the pharmacy, i always check the singlecare price. it's quick, easy, and totally free to use. singlecare can literally beat my insurance copay. you just search for your prescription, and show your coupon in the app to your pharmacist. i just show you the coupon and i get this price? that's right! go to singlecare.com and start saving today. breaking news from overnight, thousands of at&t customers across this country are reporting cell phone outages with some 911 centers saying the issues are preventing emergency calls. at&t says it is working urgently to fix the problem.

customers with verizon and t-mobile have reported outages but they say their networks are working normally. it is customers trying to reach at&t users who may have experienced some problems. nbc business and data correspondent brian cheung is returning to update us on what we know about this story. >> we just got an updated statement from at&t. some of our customers are experiencing wireless service interruptions this morning. our network teams took immediate action and so far three-quarters of our network has been restored. we are working as quickly as possible to restore service to remaining customers. at&t acknowledging it seems to have done something to try to get service back to the thousands at least of users who had issues making phone calls this morning. anecdotes of people's phones going into sos mode and unable to make phone calls and in some cases to 911 emergency services as well. but at&t saying they have gotten at least some of their network back online. one open question is what led to

the outage in the first place. at&t did not respond to requests for comment on what led to the issues. issues and stories of inability to get any sort of phone calls through. 911 services are saying if you are experiencing emergency event, try to use a land line or try to use wi-fi calling to make any sort of emergency phone calls, but do not use the 911 number to test if your phone is working. some phone centers saying they're experiencing that. it is going to clog the lines up, so important psa there, alex. >> super glad you reiterated that from the last hour. very important as well. all of it, in fact. thank you so much. we'll take you live to tel aviv where a top official is cautiously optimistic about a potential hostage deal. and the very latest on the investigation into the death of an lgbtq teen who died a day after being attacked in their high school in the bathroom there. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." m

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the dragon warrior is here. vision changes, or eye pain occur. ♪ ♪ hi-ya! it's time for kicking butt and taking names. [ chanting ] violence. violence. no, that's not what i said. today, the white house middle east adviser is expected to meet with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu amid renewed hope over a potential hostage deal. it comes as a member of israel's war cabinet said there were signs of moving forward on a new framework for a deal, but the member reiterated, israel's threat to invade the southern gazan city of rafah if no deal

is reached. and adam smith, who just recently visited israel as part of a congressional visit, addressed his conversation with netanyahu about rafah. >> he certainly said that there was going to be no campaign in rafah before they gave the civilians a chance to get out. okay. he said that. what his definition of that is, versus what the international community would like to see,e t. >> joining us now from tel aviv is nbc's raf sanchez. what more do we know about this new deal that is least being discussed? is it still on the table? >> reporter: well, alex, we know the biden administration is trying to jump start these talks which as you said have been stalled for weeks. brett mcguirk, the top middle east adviser, is in israel today, he just met with prime minister benjamin netanyahu and he came from cairo yesterday where he was meeting with officials from egypt and qatar,

trying to close these very significant gaps that exist between israel and hamas. things are certainly looking a little more optimistic now than they were ten days ago. you'll remember prime minister netanyahu dismissing hamas' demands as delusional, withdrawing his negotiators from cairo, saying basically there is nothing to talk about until hamas shifts its position. we don't know yet the substance of the conversation between mcguirk and the prime minister, but there did seem to be a little bit of movement from the israelis earlier on today. the defense minister who also met with mcguirk said the israeli government is prepared to give israeli negotiators more power to make decisions, which is significant because up until now these negotiators have been on a very tight leash from the prime minister's office, very little latitude to say yes or to say no. mainly just to listen. and this comes after benny gentz said last night there is

promising early signs of possible progress. that is about the most cautious language you can use to express optimism, but it comes as the israeli government is under immense pressure from the families of those 134 hostages here in israel to go back to the negotiating table and to make a deal to bring their loved ones home. alex? >> understandably so. okay. raf sanchez, thank you so much. appreciate that. after the break, republican star witness no more. the fbi informant now says he got info from russian intelligence, so where do republicans go from here with their impeachment inquiry against biden? plus, msnbc spoke to one of the few families in america that were able to secure economic reparations for formerly enslaved family members. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." family me. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin. tide free & gentle is epa safer choice certified. it's got to be tide.

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house republicans are trying to move ahead after the man they had propped up as their star witness in the impeachment investigation of joe biden has turned out to be an alleged prop for the russians. that is what the justice department is now accusing him of, saying ex-fbi informant alexander smirnov was peddling lies from russian intelligence. he was once called a crucial piece of their investigation and now he says this. >> at the end of the day, he

wasn't an important part of the investigation, i didn't even know who he was. all i knew there was a 1023 that alleged bribery. >> president biden's brother james detailed his business dealings when questioned by the house congressional committee. julie tsirkin has more. you have james comer, look, he clearly wants to move ahead, even without credible testimony from an fbi informant. what has been the response to that? >> reporter: well, the response has been tepid. it has been tepid especially among senate republicans, even senate republicans in the house, moderate members, vulnerable members, those retiring and have no skin left in the game, congressman ken buck, for example. here's what he had to say and we'll talk more on the other side. >> we were warned that the credibility of this statement was not known. and yet people, my colleagues, went out and talked to the public about how this was

credible, and how it was damning and how it proved president biden's -- at time, vice president biden's complicity in receiving bribes. it appears to absolutely be false, and to really undercut the nature of the charges. >> reporter: this was really the crux of the house republicans' investigation, this impeachment inquiry into the president. jim jordan just yesterday, though, defending them moving ahead with this investigation, despite smirnov being charged. he said that this, quote, does not fundamentally change what republicans are pursuing here, in trying to connect these dots, they have yet to do so, by the way, but they are trying. >> yeah, can i ask you for any insight if you know about what happened behind closed doors yesterday when the president's brother james biden was interviewed? >> reporter: yeah, alex, this was an eight-hour closed door interview. james biden went into that room telling my colleague ryan nobles that he's prepared to tell the committee, republicans and democrats, quote, the truth. he then told them that in his

50-year business dealings, he has never shared any of that with the president, with his brother. he said he's kept his personal relationship with his brother very separate from any of his business involvements. republicans came out of that saying that they do have some kind of evidence behind the scenes, but nothing potentially that they can make stick. no red herring, if you will, that implicates the president for any business dealings that his brother, his son hunter biden, who we'll hear from next week in a closed door testimony, may have had. still, though, republicans in this inquiry are pushing forward, they promised a lot and they have yet to deliver on any of it. >> you're right. as always. julie tsirkin, thank you so much. coming up next, the family of a nonbinary student at an oklahoma high school says they plan to release video from inside that school where they say the teen was attacked just one day before their death. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." ir death you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports. puffs plus lotion is gentle on sensitive skin and locks in moisture to provide soothing relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. america's #1 lotion tissue.

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♪ ♪ that's how you business differently. we're following this breaking news. alexei navalny's mother says she has now seen his body. this comes six days after russian prison officials announced the death of vladimir putin's main opposition figure and his mother said she was initially denied access to his body, so we're going to be joined right now from london by nbc's josh lederman with the latest on this. what have we learned, where she has seen his body, did she give any update on its condition, what do you know? >> reporter: it was in the morgue that alexei navalny's mother was able to see that

body, according to new video she posted on social media that has some really chilling claims in it, alex. she says that while she was allowed to see the body, she was denied any ability to bring lawyers with her. and she also says that at the morgue, she was blackmailed, told that she needs to have aleei navalny's body buried in secret, the suggestion here is that authorities don't want to have any ability for navalny's supporters to be able to go and pay tribute to him. we know that hundreds of people in russia had been detained since his arrest. since his death, trying to pay tribute to him according to rights groups. in perhaps the most chilling claim that his mother is now making, she says that she was told during that visit to the morgue that if she does not agree to a secret burial, that they will, quote, do something with the body. she tells this video, according to the english subtitles we're

working to match with the original russian translation, that she was told by investigators that time is not on her side, because the corpse of her son alexei navalny is now decomposing, alex. this is some of the first information that we're getting about the state of the body and the state of the investigation into his death. alexei navalny's press secretary just posted on social media saying that investigators have now claimed to them that the cause of death was natural, something that, of course, navalny's supporters and his allies insist is simply not the case and cannot be the case given that video from just the day before his death of him in prison looking fairly healthy. and we're also hearing from his anticorruption fund, that organization that he started, they are really decrying this effort according to them to try to blackmail and pressure navalny's mother. they say that this is a mockery of corpses, they're calling it medieval and lamenting the fact she was not able to bring

lawyers with her to that visit to the morgue. they think this is a clear attempt by president putin's government and the kremlin to try to silence not only his mother, but also his supporters. >> well, listen, of course vladimir putin would not want the location of where he's buried to be a place for him to be martyred day after day after day by his supporters. that makes sense. before i let you go, quickly, was she able to describe anything about the condition of his body? she says it is decomposing, but bruising, anything, could she describe that or was there fear of trouble for her if she did? >> reporter: she has not in this part -- this video that has been posted on social media. now, whether she has some of that information, doesn't want to disclose it due to the respect for the memory of her son or other reasons is not totally clear. but at this point really she is emphasizing the fact that she feels she is being blackmailed by russian authorities to have a secret burial for her son, that would deny his supporters a chance to pay their try buttes

tributes to him. >> josh lederman, thank you so much. there is growing demand for answers in the death of a nonbinary teenager after a fight at a school in oklahoma. it happened in owasso, oklahoma. nex benedict was pronounced one dead after their family says they were attacked in a school bathroom. the cause of death has yet to be determined. their family says the teen had been bullied over their gender identity. nbc's steven romo is following this story for us and joins us now. steven, it is a tragedy. can you tell us any more what we know about what happened? >> yes, certainly a tragedy, alex. two weeks ago nex was in what is described as a fight in a bathroom at the school in owasso, where they attended. the school nurse determined no ambulance was needed but the family called police which the police department says the school did not do.

nex was sent home. the next day they were rushed back to the hospital where they died. just 16 years old. we're still waiting on a cause of death from the medical examiner, but yesterday owasso police said preliminary findings show nex did not die from trauma. that, of course, is raising a lot of questions. we know authorities have said they will release video from inside the school, but they have not said when. and meanwhile, alex, we're hearing from the family in some heart breaking statements where they apologize for not understanding and not using their child's chosen name and pronouns, it is just a heart wrenching situation. >> and, you know, steven, this is all happening while oklahoma, other states as well, they're passing more laws aimed at the lgbtq community. >> yeah. certainly. we cannot ignore the context in which this is happening. oklahoma has 54 bills in front of it right now, more than any

other state in the country, anti-lgbtq selection proposals right now. meanwhile, they have passed so many already, including targeting the trans community, requiring students to use the bathroom of their birth gender, banning gender transition care for minors, prohibiting gender neutral markers on birth certificates. but advocates say this actually goes far beyond the laws. here is more of what the human rights campaign had to say. >> it is not just nex's story. it is a story of what is happening because of so much hate that is targeted toward the trans and nonbinary community in this country. it is not just the bills. it is this culture of violent rhetoric and actions that are really traumatizing our community. >> and it is this context that this community is now left to be in and to grapple with the loss of this 16-year-old after these bullying allegations and there are just so many more questions that remain as to what exactly

happened here, alex. >> yeah. okay. thank you for staying on it, steven romo, appreciate it. coming up, msnbc spoke to one of the few families in the nation that secured reparations for formerly enslaved family members. we're going to have that story for you next. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." for you next you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports. i told myself i was ok with my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help.

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it's happening. get started for $49 a month. plus, ask how to get up to a $800 prepaid card with a qualifying internet package. don't wait, call and switch today! this black history month we are taking a closer look at the debate around reparations, to make amends to the black community for the many ways slavery and white supremacy impacted them. yesterday, black lawmakers in california introduced a package of reparation legislation detailing how the state should offer a level of compensation to black californians. my colleague and friend, tremain lee is here. tell us this story. >> we hear about a fight for reparations. americans will be shocked to know the government did pay reparations once in the past. it was intended for white enslavers. >> interesting.

>> by the passage of time is one family's extraordinary legacy.

>> he purchased -- 90% of black people in this country were still enslaved. >> he overcame so many obstacles to purchase his family and then to find a resource to get reparations. >> the family line since has been marked by black excellence,

scholars, doctors, activists, clergy, even a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom. >> this is a remarkable legacy he left for us. who knows what we would have looked like as a family if he wasn't able to get this accomplished. >> as they reflect on his remarkable reparations story, his descendents wonder, what could have been if all black people had gotten reparations after slavery. is this reparations? >> the reparations was not just about money. it was about building a family legacy that continues until now. >> wow. >> i wish people could see during watching this, i had so many questions for you. the fact is they got the money. this family went on to prosper in fantastic ways. >> which was the entire point of what could have been if you made black people whole. coming out of enslavement, black people had to start from

scratch. he got this money when 90% of the black population were still enslaved. we are talking about some relatives donated land for the first hbcu, doctors. this creates this pathway to the middle class that was hoped for and wished for by so many people. that's what the reparations fight is all about. >> this was the first time that they were able to see the documents. how long have they known? >> ten years. they got word because gabriel was a co-founder of the oldest black catholic church in washington, d.c. this news about your great great grandfather you might not know. he was one of five other black people who did just this. >> reiterate this. he purchased his family members. >> that's right. >> purchasing them out of slavery. but he did not report it. why is that? >> if you were to report your folks as free people, they could be kidnapped, sold back into slavery. by keeping them your property --

by the letter of the law, they were slaves, they gave them some protection. he is by letter of law sadly their slave owner. >> what a story. wow. >> the greatest story never told. no one knows this story. >> we do now. we are grateful to you. thank you for that. all of you can learn more about this story by turning to -- tuning in to his special podcast. you can listen now and you can hear new episodes every thursday. we are hours away of what could be the first u.s. moon landing in more than half a century. a private company will deliver a mission. if the mission succeeds, it will be the first private company to land on the moon after previous attempts have failed. that's going to wrap it up for me. andrea mitchell picks up with more right now.