people who are well. i came to heal the sick. and isn't that the message that christians need to focus on more? >> yeah, and it is one of the things that is so alarming right now is biblical illiteracy, but not where we were warned that biblical illiteracy would show up out in the world, biblical illiteracy among us, people who aren't spending the kind of time with christ in the bible in order to have intuition shaped and formed to say, wait, what are we doing? what are we saying? what kind of people are we becoming? and that's one of the things that has to be turned around because i'm alarmed when i meet people, secular people, say on college campuses, other places, who reject christ, not because they have seen jesus and are not responding to him, but because they think that jesus is whatever they have seen from screaming, angry, fearful

people. and that's really a tragedy. >> exactly. well, russell moore, thank you so much. i hope you have a wonderful easter weekend. that does it for us this morning. katy tur picks up the coverage right now. right now on msnbc, dollar signs. democrats have a record fund-raising night, $26 million for a three-president special. what donald trump is saying to try and spin his money woes. plus, unlike anything they have done before, the biggest crane on the eastern seaboard arrives to start salvaging the remains of the key bridge. also ahead, one year "the wall street journal's" letter to you, the reader, as evan gershkovich marks a year in prison. what the paper wants you to know. an nbc news exclusive. what federal agents found in the homes of sean "diddy" combs.

it is 10:00 a.m. here in new york. good to be with you. i'm katy tur in for ana cabrera. it was the best of times. it was the worst of times. if charles dickens were writing a book about campaign finances, it would be clear who was on what side. democrats had a record night last night, bringing in $26 million on the strength of the party's star power. three presidents, obama, clinton and biden, telling radio city music hall that november isn't about not voting for trump, it is about building on the success of joe biden's first term. quote, it is the positive case for somebody who has done an outstanding job, said obama. on the other side is donald trump, whose campaign coffers are being drained by legal fees, over 5 million last month alone, more than 60 million since the start of last year. joining us now, nbc's vaughn hillyard in california for us, white house correspondent mike memoli, also with us is amy

barnes, senior political correspondent at the hill. the democrats, the best of times, if you will. that's quite a bit of money. >> it is quite a bit of money. the first lady jill biden kicked off the night last night by calling this the fund-raiser to end all fund-raisers. the people who paid a lot of money -- they got their money's worth. donald trump was the punch line often last night. i thought what was so fascinating is you have surrogates in a campaign for a reason. they can say things you can't. they can praise you in a way you won't praise yourself and that's really the role barack obama especially played last night. >> i think it is so interesting, and not to cut you off there, but that what biden's been knocked for is not bringing himself up, not talking positively about the success of his first term in office, and we heard that from as mike said

from a surrogate, from the surrogate in question, president obama. >> yeah, and there is no one better to do that than president obama. i talked to people in the room last night, a few donors who said the vibe was electric. these were people who were feeling a little down recently. they're looking at the economy, they think that people are still down on inflation numbers. they're looking at immigration, they think that the president has bungled that issue a little bit. and so they kind of needed that rush and they got that last night. >> let's play a little bit of what happened last night. >> this guy denies there is a global warming, and this guy wants to get rid of not only roe v. wade, but which is brags about having done, he wants to get rid of the ability of anyone, anywhere in america to ever choose. all the things he's doing are so old. speaking of old -- [ applause ] and, you know, little old and out of shape, but anyway.

>> they're singing to the choir here. do they expect this message is going to translate to people outside of radio city music hall? >> people outside radio city music hall couldn't see it other than the selective clips. we didn't have our cameras in the room. we couldn't really show what happened last night. as you see there, they're in this sort of let's get under donald trump's skin phase of the campaign. they know they can provoke him, get him to make mistakes which is useful for them right now. what was so interesting last night, the role obama played, there were hecklers, interruptions, we have seen this at events all across the country. obama was the one to scold the protesters, to say, listen, presidency is a lonely seat. these are not easy decisions. you can be morally pure, but you have to work with people you disagree with to get things done. and the crowd really erupted. like a cathartic moment for them in the room. >> hillary clinton outraised donald trump in 2016, didn't mean she was going to win.

money isn't always the arnser answer here. president biden hasn't reached out to republicans who haven't endorsed donald trump, republicans who maybe could help democrats, people like the governor of maryland, or the former governor of maryland, and chris christie, who was flirting with the third party ticket. why is that? >> i think you're starting to see them do more of that. you saw president biden say, you know, to nikki haley supporters, for instance, if you want to support me, come over. they're opening that door to people. and they're trying to do that a little bit more if you're reading between the lines. they're making that case to them, like, we are here for you. don't feel obligated to support the former president. so you'll see more of that, i think, coming up. >> sounds like more to voters and less to the individuals. >> exactly, yeah. >> vaughn, let's bring you in and talk about donald trump. finances are not as good of a story on his side of things. talk to me about the sheer amount of money that he's spending not on campaign events, or ads, but legal fees.

>> reporter: right, more than $80 million at this point have been diverted for political causes for his legal bills at this point in time. that is where yesterday a senior official for the campaign conceded that over the next seven months the trump campaign is not going to be able to match the biden campaign dollar for dollar, acknowledging they will in fact be out fund-raised by the biden campaign. but the same campaign official has insisted they will have enough money to win. of course, for donald trump, that is part of this joint fund-raising committee that has been set up in which a part of the -- any donors' donation will go to the save america pac which is the organization that has been going to his legal bills and acknowledging that they are continuing to mount. but next week, there is another major fund-raiser that is going to be at mar-a-lago and the trump campaign is contending they're going to do better than the biden campaign last night. their goal is $33 million.

key long time donors to donald trump, from steve wynn, kelly loeffler, todd rickets, the mercers, linda mcmahon, woody johnson, harold hamm, folks coming down there paying a price of over $800,000 to try to fill donald trump's campaign coffers, because right now, from the last sec filing report, the biden campaign has more than doubled what the trump campaign had, has some cash on hand. you're looking at an image of donald trump yesterday, hours before that fund-raiser in new york city. donald trump was in long island and attended the wake of an officer who was killed while on duty. i want to let you listen to part of what donald trump said on fox earlier this morning about that. >> i think that politically he can't support the police. i think he's also making a mistake. but i think politically his base won't let him support the police. and i support the police. i would say at the highest level

of any president by far, maybe double or triple. >> reporter: of course, more than 100 officers on january 6th were injured when individuals under donald trump's name attacked the u.s. capitol. and, of course, donald trump on the very same day you heard those remarks he was attacking the daughter of the judge in new york city, who is going to be overseeing his case. so there is oftentimes a double standard from the former president when it comes to the justice system and who he attacks versus who he praises. he all but ignored the death of brian sicknick and the four other officers who died by sk in the suicide since the january 6th attack. for donald trump, he has been keen to use crime across the country as his own bludgeon to take on joe biden and the democrats with just seven months until the general election. >> i wonder how the fund-raisers or the donors feel about spending money on donald trump. small to very big donors, when a

lot of that money is being diverted directly to his lawyers' fees. >> reporter: it is a good question. and i think to a great extent it is a part of the cost that comes with supporting donald trump. understanding that his fate on trial is going to be intrinsically tied to his political future and whether a republican is in the white house next year and able to advance the policies of what these major donors, individuals who are willing to front more than $800,000 to support a political figure are looking to advance for their own causes. and so, for them, you know, this is a part of what comes with this. we should note that as part of those contributions only a few thousand dollars are able to actually go to the pac itself. this is more of an implication for the small dollar donors who are giving. and the questions around the extent to which the rnc, which insisted just yesterday they are going to ramp up, begin hiring hundreds of staffers to place around the country, but right

now the trump campaign and the rnc are well behind what the democrats have been able to operationalize over the course of the last year while donald trump and his team were trying to make it through this primary and wade through what is half politics and half legal at this point. >> do we know if donald trump spent any of his own money on his legal fees so far? >> reporter: that's a good question. not at this point in time, we don't have that insight into the actual legal bills. what we're able to do is look at the federal finance campaign reports and that's where you're able to see the dollars in those reports every month go to law firms and there is an extensive list of law firms that have been the beneficiaries of donald trump's political funds that have been allowed through that save america pac to go to them. >> amy talked about this a little bit. and you did as well, the feeling of this campaign, the biden campaign and how they feel their voters are feeling about them right now. what is their sense of the next few months? what is their focus going to be

on? do they feel good about president biden going up against donald trump in november? >> the biden team really does see the campaign playing out in phases, and the voters that really will decide the election, the swing voters, the voters who might stay home, they're waiting to engage with them at the later stage of the campaign. let's face it, neither candidate is popular, people don't like politics now and those are the people that are going to wait a little bit. they're trying -- you see this last night -- get democrats to come home, get them to feel enthusiastic. >> one thing i was told president biden said -- former president obama said privately to president obama the state of the union was great, it electrified the party, seeing you on the road is good, keep it up. i saw julie chavez rodriguez, the campaign manager last night, she said we got to keep this momentum going. >> mike memoli, amy parnes, thank you so much. the biggest crane on the eastern seaboard shows up, but even it is not strong enough to

lift the wreckage of the key bridge. what crews will have to do first. and later, an nbc news exclusive, what the fbi found at sean "diddy" combs' homes. we're back in 60 seconds. diddy". we're back in 60 seconds moderate ulcerative colitis. it wasn't always this calm uc went everywhere i did. wondering when it would pop up next was stressful doing a number on my insides. but then i found out about velsipity a new once-daily pill, not a steroid or biologic, for adults with moderate to severe uc. velsipity can help calm the chaos of uc — it quickly treats flares providing a chance for lasting steroid-free remission. don't take velsipity if you've had a heart attack, chest pain, stroke or ministroke, heart failure in the last 6 months, irregular or abnormal heartbeat. velsipity may cause serious side effects including infections that can be fatal, slow heart rate, liver problems, increased blood pressure, macular edema, certain types of skin cancer, swelling and narrowing of the brain's blood vessels or shortness of breath. tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to be.

if conventional therapy like 5-asas or steroids aren't working for you, ask your gastroenterologist about velsipity. velsipity. help calm the chaos of uc. we just got some sad news into the newsroom. louis gossett jr., the first black man to win a supporting actor oscar award died in santa monica, california, last night. he began his professional acting career on broadway before going to hollywood to make the movie version of "a raisin in the sun." he won the oscar for "an officer and a gentleman" and emmy for his role in "roots." gossett was 87 years old. and the biggest crane on the eastern seaboard is now in baltimore. capable of lifting a thousand tons at a time, and yet even that is not strong enough to get

the wreckage of the key bridge out of the water. joining us now, nbc's tom costello in baltimore. tom, what is this going to take? >> reporter: a lot of them. a lot of cranes. so you're right, the first one that can lift this thousand tons, it has arrived on site, came in last night. we expect at least two more megacranes to come in from the navy, and we just learned that one of the cranes used to lift the miracle on the hudson plane out of the hudson river so many years ago, it is also on the way from new york. to get a firsthand look at what they're up against, we went out on the water with the army corps of engineers and we saw it firsthand. inside the now blocked channel at the port of baltimore, the remnants of the key bridge, poking precariously out of the patapsco river where the army corps of engineers is preparing for the daunting operation to clear it out. >> these edges, sharp edges on the steel, those are razor sharp

and they go all the way to the bottom. we got to be very, very careful and deliberate as we do this work. >> reporter: clearing the channel means getting everything out, down to the sand. because the massive cargo ships that pass through only have inches to spare. you see that piece of steel right there crushing the front, the bow of the ship? that alone weighs 3,000 to 4,000 tons. they got to cut that into pieces to remove it, and that's just for one stretch of the bridge. there is even more danger beneath the surface of the murky water. divers will need lights and cutting torches to cut apart the bridge piece by piece. it is why dive teams had to stop searching for four still missing construction workers. seen on dash cam working on the bridge just hours before the cargo ship collided with it. >> that water is so dark, and the debris is so dense that in most instances our divers cannot see any more than a foot or two in front of them. so much of the operation is

simply feel. >> reporter: on board the damaged dali, new video from the ntsb shows just how entangled portions of the key bridge have become with the ship. investigators back on board thursday to interview crew members, including two local pilots who remain on board with 21 others. they're also examining the equipment and the damaged containers. some of which are leaking hazardous materials inside the boat and into the river. >> this work is very unforgiving. and the planning has to be done in extreme detail. that's the work that is going on today. >> reporter: potentially very dangerous? >> incredibly dangerous. >> reporter: so, the question, of course, that everybody is asking, how long will it take to clear that wreckage out of the port. the army corps of engineers declining to speculate outside engineers are thinking it could be a month or so, even with the best efforts and the best engineers in the business. as for rebuilding the bridge, probably five years or so to

rebuild a bridge. back to you. >> it is insane to think about the herculean task of getting that bridge out of the water and the search for the other bodies that are still down there, just what the governor was saying about how the divers can't seat a foot in front of them because of all of the debris and how dark the water is. it does really make you sit and think about what this is going to take. >> reporter: not only that, not only that, but that wreckage, the twisted metal under the water, it is razor sharp, and these divers can't see. the concern is that razor sharp metal could potentially cut their suit, cut their oxygen, and still pose a risk to other vessels out there. it is potentially a lethal threat. they have got to be very careful. >> can they use rovs to get it up? is that possible? >> reporter: in fact, as we speak right now, they got rovs out there, mapping the entire wreckage, not only on the surface, but down underneath. and they're using radar and sonar and lidar, all of that

technology. but, no, it is too heavy for a drone to pick it up. that's why you got to put divers in the water, cut it all up, with massive chunks, and then lift it up and out. it is just one of the most challenging efforts ever that the army corps of engineers has ever undertaken. >> tom costello, thank you very much. federal agents raided sean "diddy" combs' properties in los angeles and miami on monday. today, nbc news has exclusive details on what they found. here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: federal agents raided diddy's homes in l.a. and miami on monday. the music and fashion mogul has not been charged with any crimes, but a source familiar with the matter tells nbc news the investigation began before this year, multiple witnesses have been interviewed in both california and new york, and one of combs' associates was arrested facing drug charges in florida. drawers up ended, wires left dangling from walls and cushions

pulled off of furniture throughout the house. this video obtained by tmz allegedly shows the inside of sean "diddy" combs' l.a. home after federal agents raided the property this week. a source familiar with the investigation telling nbc news investigators are looking into allegations of statutory rape against combs. according to three sources familiar with the matter, authorities found firearms in both his l.a. home and his property in miami. in a statement, his attorney called the searches a witch-hunt, adding that there was a gross overuse of military level force. the music mogul has not been charged with a crime, but a law enforcement source familiar with the matter tells nbc news combs' associate 25-year-old brendan paul was arrested at opa-locka airport in miami on monday. the same day that the properties were searched. and charged with drug possession, including cocaine. paul's attorney telling nbc news, all issues will be dealt with in court. in a lawsuit, music producer rodney lil' rod jones alleges

paul works as mr. combs' mule and acquires and distributes mr. combs' drugs and guns. combs' attorney calling the accusations meritless. 54-year-old combs is a long time well connected presence in the music and fashion industries. this week, video of some of his past appearances going viral, including a clip of him with then 15-year-old justin bieber. >> 48 hours with diddy. where we're hanging out, what we're doing, we can't really disclose. >> let's just go get some girls. let's go get some girls. >> man after my heart. that's what i'm talking about. >> reporter: in a 2016 interview with howard stern, usher described the lifestyle he saw in the year he spent living with combs in the '90s as a 15-year-old. >> it was pretty wild. >> you're a dad now. would you send your kid to puffy camp? >> hell no. >> reporter: overnight, nbc news reached out to usher and justin bieber for further comment but have not heard back. according to sources, combs was scheduled to depart for a trip

to the bahamas, but was in the miami area when authorities executed the searches. it is not clear if he made the trip as planned. back to you. >> stephanie, thank you. next, gagged on monday, he did violate the order on wednesday? what donald trump said about judge merchan's daughter. what is chuck schumer going to do about the impeachment trial for dhs secretary alejandro mayorkas? plus, what the house is still doing with the next impeachment that it is trying to get. that it is trying to get but do you have to wedge it into everything? what? i don't do that. this reminds me of my bike. the wolf was about the size of my new motorcycle. have you seen it, by the way? happy birthday, grandma! really? look how the brushstrokes follow the line of the gas tank. -hey! -hey! brought my plus-one. jamie?

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so, danny, lay out what happened. >> in the gag order, we're talking about judge merchan issued a gag order that really left kind of a carve out for criticism of himself. and a lot of folks are calling that kind of a loophole, but, to me, i think judge merchan did that on purpose, understanding that he is the judge, he may be more subjected to criticism and it may be okay. so, i don't know that it was exactly a loophole. i think judge merchan expected donald trump was going to criticize him, maybe not go after his daughter. i want to say a thing about that, if i had a client and i learned the judge's daughter, and none of this was true, but if that were the case, that might be something you would want to raise to the judge. but, the way to do that is pick up your phone, call your lawyer, say, hey, lawyer, this is what i saw on social media, let the lawyer make a motion and deal with it through the proper channels, not on social media. >> explain what donald trump was saying online that wasn't in fact true. >> so, apparently he saw that an

account that may have been associated with the judge's daughter in the past, but no longer is, according to the courts, posted a picture or the profile picture was a picture of trump behind bars. so, that's what trump was complaining about. apparently the new york courts came out, issued a statement and said, this is not the judge's daughter. so, trump was wrong. but had he been right, that might have been something to complain about. however, not the way he did it. >> that does seem like something he could complain about. charles, what might judge merchan do in response to donald trump going after his daughter? >> well, i think one of the things you're going to see judge merchan do is basically remind him of the gag order. because of the circumstances that danny just explained you're not going to see him bear down too hard on donald trump in this instance. but i do expect that he's likely going to warn him to danny's point that there is a method and a proper process to go through

in terms of raising concerns like this, and it is not to go out on social media and lambaste the judge or his family, per se. i think that's something that you are likely going to see. but in this instance, because of the circumstances, i don't necessarily know that the judge is going to come down too hard on donald trump. >> georgia, there was a hearing yesterday, donald trump is trying to get the georgia rico case thrown out again, this time saying he had free speech rights when he was saying what he was saying about georgia, charles. how did that go? >> not well. i mean, you know, donald trump continued to make this argument around his free speech and what it is that he is basically leaning on around all of these cases, but particularly in georgia, and, again, we're watching this play out in a way that he's sort of recycling the same arguments he's used earlier. and while they have been successful in getting him somewhat of a delay around the consideration and reconsideration of certain

arguments, it does not appear as though these are going to get any real traction. and i think that's another example of what you're seeing. but, again, this is something that donald trump and his attorneys are -- specifically his attorneys, they're obligated to do, they're obligated to make as many arguments in favor of their client as possible, even if the arguments may not necessarily be the strongest, but have a possibility of being able to win because you're a zealous advocate for your client. it is not a surprise to me this is something they are trying to argue yet again, even though it hasn't been successful in the past. they're changing the contours of the argument slightly, but the outcome is likely going to be the same. >> let me just read what georgia prosecutors were saying in response to donald trump's motion. they say it is not that the defendant has been hauled into a courtroom because the prosecution doesn't like what he said, he's being prosecuted for lying to the government. all right, danny, there is still not a trial date in georgia. co-conspirators here.

that hasn't been decided. when do you expect judge mcafee to make a ruling on that? >> i expect a trial in georgia will start in 2025. i'm saying that because i have to double down at this point. i've been saying that since 2023 that the georgia case will not go to trial until 2025. for a number of different reasons. number one, you're in state court. state courts have clogged dockets. i assume judge mcafee has much more cases, other cases he has to deal with than your average federal judge. reason number two, the georgia prosecutor elected to charge a number of co-defendants. and when you do that, you saw a couple weeks ago that even in an average hearing, every defendant, their attorney gets to stand up and take a shot at each witness. that adds time. all the motions that they file add time. remember, this was not a trump motion to disqualify the d.a. it was a co-defendant, one that really wasn't very prominent. so when you charge that many co-defendants, that's going to add to the time. thirdly, i look at history.

in a recent somewhat less infamous rico trial in the same courthouse, jury selection took no less than eight months. i'm standing by my 2025 first witness called to the stand in georgia date. >> what was that trial again? it was for -- >> it involved a rapper. i don't remember the name, but somebody who was relatively well known in the public and that's why it took so long to pick a jury. >> i forgot the name too to be fair. >> young thug, ysl. >> charles coleman, thank you very much. danny cevallos, thank you as well. turning to capitol hill, mike johnson says he'll send two articles of impeachment against homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas to the senate on april 10th. nbc's julie tsirkin is with us from capitol hill. so, there will be a trial, julie. what is it going to look like?

>> reporter: there will be a trial unless democratic senators move essentially to table, to dismiss the articles. both of which, of course, as you remember, the house had voted on weeks ago, but they were tied up with government funding so they took this pause to send the articles over to the senate. part of which alleges that mayorkas had not enforced the law at the border. essentially the law that was passed here and held up. speaker johnson in his statement have criticized potentially democrats in the senate moving to quickly table these articles to get rid of them. in order to do that, they need a simple majority, 51 senators, conveniently schumer has a 51-seat majority. in his statement, johnson says to table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be in violation of our constitutional order. and an affront to the american people whom we all serve. weeks ago when we talked to democrats, moderates including joe manchin, he said he would vote to dismiss these. the wild card is kyrsten sinema. we'll see what happens.

>> let's talk about the other house efforts to impeach president biden. what is happening with that? >> reporter: well, republicans know that they have kind of lost the wind in their sails when it comes to this effort. nonetheless, though, comer, the chair of the oversight committee, who held that hearing, a couple of weeks ago, business associates of hunter biden, he said at the end of the hearing that he will invite president biden to testify before the panel. now we have that official invitation. he wants the president to appear on april 16th, conveniently, the day after former president trump's trial in new york is set to begin. so you see republicans trying to have a split screen moment there. in response, though, the white house sort of telling comer and republicans to kick rocks, they said, effectively in a tweet. we do not expect the president to accept this invitation. >> kick rocks, a good phrase. julie tsirkin, thank you very

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as of today, "wall street journal" reporter evan gershkovich has been in a prison for one year in russia, held in pretrial detention on espionage charges. charges the u.s. government says are made up. in place of an a-1 story today,

a part of "the wall street journal's" front page is completely blank as you can see. assigned to readers that gershkovich's byline is still missing. joining us now, nbc chief international correspondent keir simmons and former deputy assistant secretary of state joel rubin. it is quite a bold move for "the wall street journal" to blank out a good section of its a-1. what are they saying to readers about evan? >> well, they tell some heartrending stories about his contact with his family, that he's even been able to at times send flowers to loved ones, that they can exchange letters. we have seen him in court, despite the fact that, for example, our team in moscow this time were not allowed in court to see him, whether he -- for that hearing this week. we have seen him in court and he does appear -- you can't tell necessarily from appearances, but he does appear to be physically strong and you hope mentally strong. listen, he's being kept in

central moscow, a chilling place, a history with a kgb there. and really that illustrates -- you know, he's accused of espionage. categorically denied by his loved ones and by "the wall street journal" and by the american government. he is -- he's at the center of president putin's obsession with spying. and with spies, because, of course, he is himself a former kgb officer. and the person that we pretty clearly believe the american -- the russians want to swap for evan and others is himself an fsb officer being held in germany. >> what is the deal from your knowledge, joel, about that potential swap? or that desired swap? >> well, you know, the unjust detention of evan is on its face an attempt to shut down any information coming out of russia, first and foremost. that's why vladimir putin imprisoned him. he was doing real reporting of real people in real russia and there are concerns about the war in ukraine and he was starting

to focus on. the swap i mentioned got complicated when alexei navalny was murdered by vladimir putin and that was one of the potential deals that are being constructed. and this means a trilateral type of agreement, the u.s. working with germany to release this fsb assassin and to have him be traded. so it is a very complicated dynamic now, now that navalny is no longer part of that potential mix. >> brittney griner was traded for a notorious arms dealer who had been in american prisons for quite some time, almost on the verge of getting out. did that incentivize -- we talk about not wanting to incentivize foreign governments to kidnap americans, did that incentiize vladimir putin to take another american? >> you know, i think it is a part of a story to that, but the other part is that quite frankly the pressure right now is being reduced on russia. the lack of support in the united states for additional funding, for ukraine right now, is creating what we're now

seeing, a much more emboldened vladimir putin declaring victory in a faux election, really shutting down a lot of internal dissent after that election. so there are a lot of dynamics at play as well. that trade that had to be made, that was important to get brittney griner out, moving it forward is always important. but i think there is a lot of big picture items as well that are harming this negotiation. >> i think also it is worth saying and from my trips to russia, i can tell you that the revisionist history that president putin talks about, how he reframes history to suit his political objectives, that is believed by a lot of russians, they really do buy into that. and i think, you know, president putin has a lot of support in russia, and this part has to do with state controlled media, the kind of messages that they have been sending to the russian people for a very long time. but the wider challenge here, because your question is about whether or not the u.s. by doing

trades actually makes it more likely there is going to be more trade, there is a wider question here about a huge long-term threat, no matter what happens on the front lines of the war in ukraine, and that long-term threat is to do with the way the russian people are culturally thinking now, to do with the fact that the russian economy is becoming a military economy and what -- when president zelenskyy and others in europe talk about the danger that this can escalate into a wider war, it may not happen the next year, it may not happen in years to come, but president putin right now is looking at potentially 12 more years in power. and even if he did go who replace him in that atmosphere now. that is what we need to be concerned with. the question of whether the u.s. sends money to ukraine is a question of whether the west is prepared to take the risk of what would happen if ukraine -- if the ukrainian front line collapses. it may not happen, but prepared to take that risk. >> that is putting it in really

relevant terms. let me ask you again about just one more time about evan himself. i am struck as you mentioned that he does look well when we see him in court. do we know what he might be experiencing in this pretrial detention and why is it still pretrial detention? >> it is chilling, honestly. he can be held in pretrial detention almost indefinitely. they say we're investigating this. he's not on trial. he's in pretrial detention and these hearings are about basically whether or not he actually -- whether or not he could be released while he waits for some kind of process. now, of course, one of the questions, and i don't know the answers to this, might be whether there needs to be some kind of a hearing before there is any kind of a swap. but nothing is guaranteed. just think about what president putin said just after his election, he claimed, okay, we

may not want to believe it, he claimed he had agreed that alexei navalny be released from prison and days later he died. what does that tell us about the way the russian state works at this stage, that president putin himself claims he wanted him released and yet he didn't survive. >> doesn't sound good. keir simmons, joel rubin, thank you very much. one year since evan gershkovich was taken by the russians and has been in pretrial detention ever since. coming up next, breaking tradition, what easter will look like this year for the royal family. plus, the sonic rodeo courtesy of the new queen bee of country music. don't go anywhere. new queen be music. don't go anywhere. which is why downy does more to make clothes softer, fresher, and better. downy. breathe life into your laundry.

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international correspondent meagan fitzgerald from london. what is it going to look like? >> reporter: what a difference a year makes. such a stark contrast from what we saw last year. the royal family was buzzing in anticipation of the coronation, and, of course, easter, which is one of their favorite holidays. this year, a different story. as you mentioned, two senior members of the royal family now battling cancer. typically we would have seen the king yesterday at the royal holy thursday service. instead his wife stepped in for him. he did release a video message for easter where he really pressed the importance of friendship, togetherness, and being kind and caring for one another. we do expect to see the king and the queen, though, on easter sunday for service at st. george's chapel. but, of course, we will not be seeing the princess of wales and her family. we, of course, haven't seen them since her announcement just a week ago today, where she said that she is also battling

cancer. she asked for privacy, so we know they were going to be spending a more intimate easter together. the palace had originally said that we will see the princess of wales after easter. of course, that was before the diagnosis that she -- that cancer had been found. so at this point, it is unclear as to when we will see the princess of wales. but she, of course, is asking for privacy as she tries to recover from cancer. >> chemotherapy is tough to go through. so that's understandable. meagan fitzgerald, thank you very much. coming up next, it is cowboy carter day. don't go anywhere. next, it is cy carter day don't go anywhere. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪♪) (vo) verizon business red hot deals with 30 grams are happening now.rotein. check out our best offers. designed just for your business. like free devices and more.

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into her texas roots, not only is she getting help from a few legends, she's also spotlighting a historic influence on the genre. joining us now is nbc's emilie ikeda. you got the great story. >> i do. >> you got the lottery. >> i lucked out, really. i'll say, it has the beehive buzzing this morning. think dolly parton, there is willie nelson, linda martell, she packed this album with so much star power. she said she poured her heart and soul into this album. it is considered a sequel to "renaissance" and transcends any single genre. ♪ this ain't texas ♪ >> reporter: this morning, the beehive is pulling on their glittery boots for the eighth studio album "cowboy carter." fans loving the innovative record. >> this is such a beautiful album. >> reporter: with some of country music's biggest names joining the track list, like pioneer linda martell, willie nelson and the queen of country, dolly parton. >> hey, miss honeybee.

it is dolly p. ♪ jolene, jolene, jolene ♪ >> reporter: one of a few new twists on old favorites. ♪ she's picking up good vibrations ♪ >> reporter: beyonce collaborating with miley cyrus on two most wanted. ♪ i'll be your shotgun rider ♪ ♪ until the day until the day i die ♪ >> reporter: and featuring rising black country artists on the record. >> that night of the super bowl, she dropped those two songs, i was just fingers crossed, you know, oh, maybe this could be an opportunity for me to work with beyonce. ♪ i'm at the mini mart ♪ >> reporter: her dream becoming reality, she is featured on beyonce's cover of the beatles "blackbird." >> i'm just blessed in this moment that she saw me.

>> reporter: ahead of friday's release, beyonce told fans she's reclaiming a genre of music she historically felt unwelcome in. writing in part, the criticisms i face when i first entered the genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. which some see as a reference to backlash she faced after performing at the 2016 cma awards. the houston native highlighting the immense historical impacts black artists had on country music. >> almost a 200 year reclamation she is attempting and succeeding at pulling off. >> reporter: now with "cowboy carter," she looks ready to conquer yet another musical frontier. and if "cowboy carter" debuts at number one on the billboard charts, it would be her eighth straight studio album to do that. something tells me she will do just that. >> your favorite track on this album? >> it is very hard.

that's a difficult question. i'll say right now it is "ya-ya." i'm still going through the 27 track list. >> is that the one with miley cyrus? >> no, that's another good one. i got you covered. >> i'm late to the party. >> you'll have to listen all afternoon. >> emilie ikeda, thank you very much. congratulations on getting to do something fun today. always a treat. that does it for us this hour. ana cabrera will be back at 10:00 eastern on monday and i'll be back at 3:00 p.m. for katy tur reports. jose diaz-balart picks up our coverage right now. and good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific, i'm jose diaz-balart. we begin this hour with the latest on the race for the white house. at this hour, president biden is scheduled to participate in a campaign event in new york city. this one day after his