>> put national guard on the border. >> so a lot to look at. but basically mexico has become such crucial part of immigration to the united states no matter who is in the white house. mexico is a key part of this. and the other thing i'm hearing, over 270,000 interdictions in a month. >> and it was about 100,000 last year. >> and that is so much higher than what we're seeing here. if mexico doesn't get the funding or they decide to stop, the u.s. border will look vastly different. >> great piece of reporting. thank you very much. that wraps up the hour for me. you can reach me on social media. and watch clips from our show on youtube, nbc.com/jdb. thank you for the privilege of your time. andrea mitchell picks it up right now. right now on andrea mitchell reports, joe biden and donald trump are ready to throw out the old rules for presidential

debates. mr. trump accepting president biden's proposal to square off as early as next month and again in september. one-on-one without robert f. kennedy jr. or other third party candidates according to the current rules in a studio without a live audience by passing the presidential debate commission that has run every general election debate since 1988. in new york today the trump legal team gets another chance tomorrow to cross-examine michael cohen as the trial could wrap up sooner than expected. also the white house taking hits from all sides as it prepares to send $1 billion in weapons to israel after withholding heavy bombs that could have been used in rafah. plus russian forces pushing deeper into eastern ukraine prompting president zelenskyy to cancel foreign trips and stay close to home. and moments from now, president biden honoring fallen police officers at an annual memorial event on capitol hill. we'll bring it to you live.

good day. big news on the political front. donald trump has accepted a challenge today from president biden to debate on june 27th in atlanta. earliest general election debate in memory before the candidates have even been nominated at their conventions. president biden and donald trump have also just agreed to a second debate on september 10. both hosted by news organizations, not the presidential debate commission. something that has not happened since 1988. as proposed by president biden, the debates will be in a studio without a live audience that has become a distraction. cheer leading sections from both sides. and the rules being set would exclude third party candidates from qualifying. the trump campaign has counteroffered monthly debates, not just those two that the biden campaign proposed.

on "morning joe" this morning michael tyler was asked why they don't want to take part in the traditional debates sponsored by the commission on presidential debates. >> they have been treating these he debates more like spectacles rather than substantive conversations between the two candidates. we also saw in 2020 an inability to force the candidates to adhere to the rules. you had donald trump repeatedly breaking the rules. you had him skipping out on debates. so in 2024, we want to make sure we can do it in a manner where the rules are enforceable and the american people have an opportunity to hear from the candidates before they cast their ballots. >> joining me now is chuck todd, jack hin alamini and also robert gibbs and also brendan buck.

so chuck, president biden, donald trump both agreed to debate on june 27. what do you make of the debate pitch? certainly seems that the in-dumb content is acting more like a challenger. >> you don't do this if you are ahead obviously. this to me, there are a lot of people in and around biden world wondering do they accept that they are losing, do they realize this isn't working, that they need to take some more risks. this is a risk. this is answering some of the critics, you know, look, i wrote a column today that he doesn't take enough risks. they need to do something different because they are not speaking to 60% of the country. they know how to speak to about 40% of the country but we're very fragmented now. and the only way to truly break through the fragmentation is big events. so i think that they are smart to do this because they need to change the direction of the

campaign. this campaign as it is going now is losing. you have to change the trajectory. you need something different to happen. this is different. the eagerness with which trump accepted, i think the biden campaign is lucky because the biden campaign really needs it right now. >> robert gibbs, go big. conventions have not been as big as they have used to be. so going big in this debate in the studio reaching a big audience. >> it is. and i think that there will be a huge audience for this first debate. for both really. biden was always going to have to debate. i think it is smart do this now. i'm a little less in the camp that chuck is in with losing. i do agree with risks. i think it is important that they got a format that is not a

carnival. it is one-on-one. third party candidates aren't going to qualify based on the rules. and it is in a studio one-on-one and with a moderator. the moderator will have a tough job, but adding 100 people or 200 people would have become a spectacle and much harder for quite frankly i think joe biden to break through. this will give him a big audience, he will be able to lay out a message, he will have the complete attention to chuck's point of the voting public in the united states. my one caveat is anybody getting an incumbent ready for for a debate, watch the first in the re-election, watch the debate with obama, u.s. presidents are not used to somebody standing so close and disagreeing. they need to get ready for that because it is certainly coming. and if you watch bush and obama, they did poorly in the first two debates largely because they were off balance.

>> and brendan, get in here on this because we've seen that pattern. this president possibly not as agle as he used to be, donald trump not a good debater. arguably he lost all the debates to hillary clinton but it didn't made a difference because the debates didn't seem to matter. >> that's right. and chuck is right, there is a lot of risk here. but really with any debate and especially this one, down side risk i think is much more significant than the up side. there will be a lot of people looking at joe biden to see whether he can handle this. i will say the expectations are probably on his side. republicans especially are absolutely convinced that joe biden is going to melt under those lights. and the same thing they thought during the state of the union that didn't really play out. but it is notable that donald trump is hoping that there is a crowd. he wants a lot of people to be there for these. i will be very surprised if there is not a bit of drama

around the process or the rules i should say for these debates. we all very quickly seem to have agreed on things today. but we know donald trump. he will threaten to pull out, he will threaten that there should be changes. i don't think this is the last word on it. and i do think there will be very high stakes for joe biden especially. >> i've done debates. chuck has done debates. the real test is the moderator controlling the debate and this will be a very tough one. and fat checking in real time doing all your home work. it really will depend on the format the moderator and whether they retain control. i have to say it not just because she's my friend and colleague, kristen welker certainly did that in an excellent fashion in the last general election debate and several that preceded it did not work so well.

>> absolutely. with the type of environment the two candidates have established will allow for a sort of more controlled setting to be able to potentially fact check more. but at the same time, i think that this is going to be less about the facts unfortunately and more about sort of physical presence and this test of mental competence that the whole conversation around this campaign has really focused on right now. i think both candidates are eager to stand next to one another and prove -- draw this contrast at least that the biden campaign has been trying to drive home that there shouldn't be questions about biden's mental and physical fitness. and if he is up against trump irl in the flesh, the american people will see that. just like we saw after the state of the union, biden's poll numbers bumped a little bit. i think that they are hoping the

more they get him outside by side by trump they can prove the american public wrong around this narrative that has increasingly coalesced and that republicans have been trying to drive home. >> none of these candidates are known to be very good off teleprompter. >> correct. >> that is an understatement. >> yeah. i mean, that said, in '08, best debater was joe biden. but that is not the same joe biden. the '08 version of him. part of the reason obama took him as a running mate, he was the best performer. >> but there are other things that can happen as well. you know, remember the sign from al gore, al gore -- >> the physical back and forth. but one point about the kennedy that is not there. the today. and interesting aspect of june versus accepts. when you read the cnn rules, they clearly have a couple caveats here. because it is possible kennedy

does poll poor before. but he might not be on enough balance to get to 270 electoral votes. he will be there by the fall. i'm actually one of those -- i'm in the minority. i think if you've ever spent a lot of time watching robert kennedy jr. speak, i think if you were joe biden, you will want them on the debate stage. i think that there will be a point in the fall that they will see that as an asset. i'm sort of in the minority on this, but i think that -- >> let's face it, he has a vocal issue. it is an ailment. >> and i think it is weirdly help bine look less -- any of his issues come across less. i don't think a lot of people realize this about robert kennedy jr. it will be interesting. but i'm not ruling out the possibility that he makes it to the second debate. >> he's already gotten on more ballots than they expected. and robert gibbs, you've helped prepare presidents and candidates for debates just get

back to how hard this will be because those first debates can be failures. early voting starts before september. so that is where this is risky if they don't accept donald trump's monthly debates which would be awfully hard to do with presidential travel which takes place in the summer. >> every debate is a risk, but i also think that there is an up side, right? again, you are not going to have a bigger audience to bring your message forward, to put the other person on the spot. look, i think that there is a lot that will go into getting these candidates prepared. and i mentioned you have to get them used to standing there next to somebody who is that critical that close. presidents are in contentious meetings and they often get advice they don't agree with. you screaming six feet away. so there is that. i think part of the big thing too, you have to plan now for

what is did you want to get out of this debate. what is the message you are trying to drive. and then how are you going to drive it. each of these candidates will presumably do a good number of mock debates to get ready for certain scenarios and plan for it. and see after a 90 minute debate or however long, when they watch the tape, does the message that the president is trying to drive through about what donald trump would bring back to the white house, does that get through or is it the semantics, does it become some sort of carnival. i think that is also why having this in a controlled place gives joe biden the best possible ability to have a good debate. >> and so let me ask something that is an op-ed in today's "washington post." it is three senior former senators, men i covered and admired greatly.

sort of wise men of the republican party putting out a call to go back to basics, go back to republican principles. you know, military strength. is there any room in the republican party for that kind of call? >> what is really interesting about that, i think it ties in directly to the debate, this is the first time donald trump will be talking to people outside of his little bubble in a long time and there are a lot of republicans out there who don't like the direction that donald trump has taken the party and this could be an opportunity for them on to win some of those people back. i'm just sceptical that he has any interest in those kinds of things. he will be doing american carnage, he will be railing against joe biden on immigration. but this is not also without risk for donald trump as well. you know, we talked about -- robert talked about any incumbent president sort of

being in that bubble. donald trump keeps himself in a pretty big bubble as well. he is not used to people calling him out. so interesting to see how he reacts to that as well. >> thanks to all of you on our breaking news on the political front today. and coming up next hour, senior spokesperson for the biden/harris campaign. and nearing the end, michael cohen expected back on the stand tomorrow. could closing arguments be close behind. g arguments be close behind

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welcome back. jury deliberations may not be far off in the new york criminal trial of former president. with no court today, the defense will pick up cross-examination of the state's final witness tomorrow. and the defense says it could rest without calling a single witness. that is an indication that donald trump will not take the stand despite what he has said in the past. joining me now, catherine christian and also greg bowers. so welcome both. from the transcript, it sure sounds like judge merchan really chewed out todd blanche over the way that he started his cross-examination.

talk to me about that. the transcript was very revealing about that side bar as he opened the cross. >> i won't repeat the quote michael cohen said about mr. blanche. >> please don't. >> but i wanted to start off with a bang and everyone has a different style. if he had said michael cohen said that about donald trump, it would one thing. but he personalized it. isn't it true that you said this about me. so it was clearly an inappropriate question and the objection should have been as it was sustained. so he wanted to start off with a bang. he did. but you start off with the first question being sustained and the objection, not a good way to start. >> did he start off with such a bang that he shot himself in the foot? >> it depends on the jury's perspective. jurors aren't experts on cross-examination, but they kind of know an effective one when they see one. but it is sort of trial tactics

101 to remember cross-examination is not about you as the lawyer, it is really about the witness trying to get admissions from the witness, trying to undermine the witness' credibility. so i'm not sure it helped. not a great way to start. clearly did not impress the judge. probably did not impress the jury either. >> and you are not surprised that donald trump is not expected to testify. >> no. that would be -- it is a dicey proposition with any criminal defendant inially case. and in this case very dicey proposition. he will claim that he doesn't need to because the government didn't prove its case. the jury will decide that. but i will not be surprised if he does not testify. >> and catherine, now that you've seen the architecture, the arguments and the open as well as the key witnesses and the way they have handled it, how did the prosecution do in proving the main point, which is that there was fraud, you know,

on these documents, not that stormily daniels is a great human being or not a great human being or that michael cohen uses profanity, but that they were false documents. >> they have done a great job proving that the documents were false. these clearly were not legal expenses. michael cohen frankly really wasn't acting as an attorney for donald trump. these were reimbursements. they have clearly proven that the payment was made to miss daniels in order to make sure that people voting gn know about it. so it was part of the campaign. now the question is were they able to have this jury believe beyond a reasonable doubt that donald trump knew these were false entries, he directed it and it was done with the intent to defraud or conceal another crime. that is the question. i think michael cohen, the prosecution did a good job of

corroboraing most of what has come out of his mouth. because he isn't someone who you could say a trustworthy. most of their witnesses said that. so they won't wrap their arms around him in their summation, they will talk about all of the other evidence that points to donald trump's guilt. >> do you think that the defense resets as they approach the cross? they have had 24 hours. they have seen all the criticism and they probably have heard a good lot of it from the defendant himself. >> right. and i'm not sure there is really time to do that or a real opportunity. a lot of the defense strategy i think is being driven by the client's own preferences in terms of how the case should be tried as opposed to what is probably best for his defense ironically enough. and as much as the defense has tried to make this case about michael cohen and his credibility, i think the prosecution has established that it has more than enough evidence to corroborate what cohen is saying even if the jury doesn't

want to believe everything cohen is saying. and look, criminal trials often include witnesses, even star witnesses, who have a lot of baggage, a lot of credibility issues. michael cohen is no exception. but i think there is enough other evidence to allow a jury to say okay, michael cohen has this issue and that issue, but on the whole it all makes sense to us, it all fits together. >> greg, thank you for being here. great to see you. catherine, thank you as always. probably see you tomorrow in new york when the trial resumes. meanwhile on capitol hill, honoring officers. any moment president biden making remarks. you see him at the podium there. national peace officers memorial service on capitol hill. >> -- director of the fbi, secret service, alcohol tobacco and firearms, u.s. marshal service and capitol police for their leadership. we're also joined by my good friend wade carpenter and also

president of the firefighters union. and thank you members of congress who are here today. two weeks ago i was in charlotte, north carolina. spent some time with the families of the eight brave police officers who were shot in the line of duty. tragically four of them were killed. they were husbands, fathers, heros, and all of you who served and for your families left behind, you live a simple truth. every time you put on that shield and walk out of the house, your family wonders if that call will come or if they will get the terrible call somewhere during the day or night. we honor over 200 heroic women and men from all across the law enforcement community who made the ultimate sacrifice.

for all the families of our fallen officers. i know in the navy, wife, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, it brings it all back as you got that news just ten minutes ago. that black hole in the middle of your chest, it is like losing part of your soul. i know. when my son beau spent a year in iraq and came home with glioblastoma and was going to die. and he did. i know what it is like. i have a feeling that you all know as well who have lost in the past. you know i found out there is only one thing, at least for me when i got the call that my wife and daughter were dead, when i got the call my son was about to die, i know only one thing that

helped. family. if you have family, hold on to each other. because it is hard to believe when the thought your husband or wife or is son or daughter will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye. it takes a long time, but it will come. my wish for you is that it comes sooner than later. there is a line from the english poet john milton, he said they also serve will only stand in wait. every family of an officer stands and waits. i admire your courage in being here. and i hope you take comfort in the knowledge that their sacrifice will they ever be forgotten and that it is extended family of the women and men as sem extended family of the women and men asbled here today that

will always be there for you. other police officers will always be there for you. throughout my career, i've unfortunately spoken at too many funerals, too many police officers, historic brave public servants who kept us safe. being a police officer is not just what you do, it is who you are. like those i grew up with some scranton, you always run toward danger as others run away from it. most of you even when you were kids you did it. you run toward the cries of help knowing that you can be part of the help. it is part of your dna to serve, protect, defend. you represent the very best of america that is the steel spine of this country. in phone i convened a group of police chiefs at the white house to talk about the hard work you

are doing to make our chunn it i safer. being a cop is one hell of a lot harder than it has ever been. we expect everything of you. we expect everyone, drug counselors you are supposed to be, probably protecting people who are overdosing, social workers, guardians. that is why since day one of my presidency, i've been working to make sure you have the tools you need to protect, partners you need in the community to help. i signed the american rescue plan to provide $350 billion to states and cities that they could use to keep communities safe. retain and hire more police officers. expand benefits for disabled first responders. places like detroit, toledo, kansas city, houston, put more

cops on the beat. one of the largest federal investments ever made. also signed the most sweeping gun law in 30 years to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals while strengthening background checks. cracking down on illegal gun sales. reining in ghost guns. the plan to ivest $37 billion in safety, to solve crimes faster. i'm grateful for the partnership of jim and the other law enforcement officers that we worked together on my executive order on policing. my safer america plan also makes investments to support programs to tackle the root causes of crime, to ensure that you have the psychologists and social workers responding to crises

alongside you. police officers deal with unbelievable stress. every time you respond to a call, execute a warrant, conduct a traffic stop, there is a tremendous risk. fear of ambush, anxiety of not knowing what is behind that door, the trauma. so we're laser focused on providing you with the mental health and wellness resources you need and deserve. that is why i also signed extended benefits for families of officers who tragically died by suicide honoring capitol police officers who defended the capitol on january 6. we remember all our law enforcements who defend this capitol and our democracy on that terrible day. and congress should also pass the honor and fallen heros act that extends benefits to first

responders for about posing toxic substances and die of cancer. so many of you carry the physical and visible wounds of your service. we can never thank you enough for your courage, your service and your sacrifice. you risk your lives every day for the safety of the people you don't even know. that is why each and every one of you is a hero. it is no accident that violent crime at a near record 50 year low because of the extraordinary effort of all of you and your community. the historic steps taken to support you. to stop the flow of illegal guns, to hold gun traffickers accountable for crime. it matters. and it matters a lot. i of on say there is no greater responsibility of government than ensuring the safety of the american people and those who sacrifice to protect us all.

we've made a lot of progress but there is much more to be done. let me close to the families here today, my wife and i know how hard it is in different ways. but i promise you the day will come again when a memory of your loved one will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye. it may take a couple seasons but it will come. and i hope you always remember one thing that is never fully lost, your love for them and their love for you. god police you all and may god protect law enforcement and may god protect our troops. >> president biden recognizing the men and women who have sacrificed for us all.

mike memoli is joining us. this is standard practice for the frommed to deliver these remarks, but for him it is not a political event but it is personal and there are also political tones here as well especially as a time whens led by donald trump are being criticized for the way they have treated the january 6 officers. >> and including one whose father he knew well at the u.s. capitol on january 6. but this as you say is an annual event that draws on president biden who has considered himself a long time a law and order democrat. think back to his days of the senior member of the judiciary committee seeing the crime bill through in 1994, the issues that presented as a candidate for the democratic nomination just four years ago, highlighting the ways his administration has tried to walk the fine line between supporting law enforcement but

also some of the criminal justice reforms out of the george floyd murder. and we know his long history with grief and the eulogizer in chief. he was in charlotte after the death of several officers there. another anniversary coming up in two weeks as you know the ninth anniversary of the death of beau biden, the president making reference there off the teleprompter it should be noted to his son's passing as we expect him to mark that anniversary privately in the weeks to come. >> and i don't know if the speaker was there, i didn't see the wide shots, but just when the white house, the president was trying to forge an alliance with the speaker and he came through on the supplemental, belatedly some would say, shows up at the trial in new york as,

you know, basically a surrogate to get around the gag order on that lineup of presidential choices and now democrats are saying this is the last time they will bail him out because they took offense at it. will the white house try to keep working with the speaker to try to get things done? >> this president has prided himself to having long relationships this washington, but this is a speaker who he has very little relationship. just a matter of months. so the approach from this white house has been the same approach which biden has always taken, you work with those on the other side of the aisle on issues when you can find common ground but there will be very clear differences from time to time. it will be interesting to hear from the president and his view about what it says about speaker johnson that he did play that role as a campaign surrogate rather than the speaker of the house. there is going to be some governing that still has to be done with the speaker this fall when we get into the next round of funding discussions. and they won't let this week

overshadow the necessities of that moment when it comes. >> that is a good question next time there is a news conference. oh, i forgot, they don't seem to hold news conferences anymore. mike memoli, thank you so much. great to see you. next the biden administration delivering on a billion dollar weapons aid package to israel days after voicing concerns over the looming rafah offensive and withholding weapons. g rafah off withholding weapons. when you smell the amazing scent of gain flings... time stops. (♪♪) and you realize you're in love... steve? with a laundry detergent. (♪♪) gain flings. seriously good scent. you want thicker, stronger, fuller hair? you need expert skincare. new dove scalp + hair therapy serum active skincare ingredients targets the source of beautiful hair. your scalp for visibly thicker, stronger, fuller hair. this homestyle chicken salad wrap from subway this is how you do it.

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the biden administration is moving forward with a plan to send more than a billion dollars in arms to israel telling lawmakers last night officially. the move coming a week after the white house had paused a shipment separately of weapons over concerns of the expanded offensive in rafah, heavy bonds, 2,000 bound buster bunker bombs.

and it also includes hundreds of millions for ammunition and mortar rounds. raf sanchez is joining me now. this is at a time of high tension to say the least between the white house and netanyahu's administration. a lot of anger i'm told in israel, you will know this better than i, over the president's comments to cnn last week about withholding weapons and netanyahu saying at a critical time that they were going into rafah with or without a deal, which many people in washington and the administration feel really sabotaged an agreement that perhaps never would have gotten off the ground anyway because maybe bibi doesn't want to deal what some officials are telling me. what is your take on all of this at a time of, you know, new insurgencies in gaza city and

kahn yunis and other places they thought they had under control? >> reporter: this is a moment of high tension between the white house and the government of netanyahu right now. you have a situation where the president is simultaneously withholding the shipments of some weapons to israel including those massive 2000 pound bombs and then it is sending other weapons like tank shells, like mortar rounds, tactical vehicles. critics would say that this is the white house sending kind of raising questions about how determined it is to enforce president biden's red line that israel should in the go into rafah when they are sending some weapons not others. i think that the president's defenders would say that this is the u.s. striking the balance there, withholding the kinds of weapons that they fear would cause massive casualties in rafah as the 2,000 pound bombs have in other parts of gaza.

but they are continuing to give israel the weapons it needs to defend itself. now, prime minister netanyahu was on cnbc a little earlier today. and he was asked about this fundamental disagreement he has with president biden over his plan to go into rafah. take a listen. >> yes, we do have a disagreement on gaza -- rather, on rafah, but we have to do what we have to do. i hope we can see eye to eye with the united states. we're talking to them, but ultimately we'll do what we have to do to protect the life of our nation. >> reporter: and as you know, the u.s. is also pressing israel to come up with a political plan for the future of gaza, something to secure the peace beyond just kind of the whac-a-mole warfare that we're seeing israel fight against hamas. prime minister netanyahu seven months into this war remains totally reluctant to sketch out any details, but today he reiterated in hebrew that he

will not let the palestinian authority to go back into gaza, to be government there. which is an outright defiance of the white house's position. >> the white house position is that that is not a great solution, they are not happy with the lack of reform from the palestinian authority, but they say it is the only solution right now. and there is also criticism we understand from generals from the military in israel that there isn't a day after plan. >> reporter: yeah, that is exactly right. i think this reminds us a little bit of what you saw in iraq and afghanistan. the troops can can go in, they can fight, win on the battle field, but if there isn't a plan to secure the peace afterwards, you have a recipe for a forever war and you are seeing israeli respect for the going back into areas of northern gaza like the refugee camp where they have operated two, three times

already and it is not clear that they can hold the space if they can't come up with some kind of alternative to hamas. >> raf sanchez, thanks so much. and inside the other war next as vladimir putin's forces push forward, we get a compelling first person look at what it meant to defend ukraine. . shop etsy until june 16th and get up to 30% off father's day gifts that go beyond the classic go-to. but if it's another hat he wants, get one that truly fits. order until june 16th for up to 30% off personalized gear, kitchen tools, travel accessories, and other things dads dig. when you want a one-of-a-kind gift to show him he's #1. etsy has it.

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secretary of state antony blinken has now left ukraine by train after a surprise two day visit for the war-torn country where he announced $2 billion more in u.s. aid. this as russia is making significant gains in some cities they're kharkiv in the northeast and also east and other areas that had been under fire launching new attacks prompting president zelenskyy to cancel any trips abroad. zelenskyy thanking the u.s. for its support, but reiterating that his dire need for air defenses, for patriot missiles. they are in very short supply. the administration is setting other nato countries to deliver what they have got to ukraine. secretary blinken even jumping on stage with a local band. ♪♪ >> playing rocking in the free world, maybe wishful thinking.

joining us from ukraine a journalist, author of "i will show you how it was" the story of wartime kyiv. thank you for being with us. i want to ask you about your experiences in the battles embedded with the forces but first your reaction to these advances by russia in the northeast. how concerned are you about kharkiv and about it drawing support from other areas in the east where russia is also trying to advance? >> well, definitely very painful, very surprising move from russians. but at the same time, sadly expected because ukrainian forces have a really bad time in terms of the months' long lags in supplies of foreign aid to the military. it has a really hard time in terms of the lower manpower, and in general the situation with morale is not very good. we have consensus that russians

are using this momentum in many ways, this opportunity before the u.s. assistance in particular comes in, the lack of munitions and other things that are needed for war. and they want to really extend the front line to draw many ukrainian forces from other areas and front lines like the east and southern ukraine which is very crucial for them. and in many ways it is about the goal of showing the russian military making gains, advancing into ukrainian territory liberated two years ago following ukrainian success. so far it is about so many kilometers deep into military n kharkiv, the major multimillion city and one of the strongest forces of ukraine, but nonetheless, it's the symptom of ongoing problems and many flaws with foreign supplies and also

within the military and the ukrainian government systems, we have lots of problems with fortifications on the ground. we have many questions to ukrainian leadership and ukrainian military when it comes to the organization of ukrainian defense. so it's about many, many problems that ukraine is having now and unfortunately this is happening because of many flaws from our side too. >> and there are reports that ukraine, zelenskyy in particular is pressing the u.s. for the ability to shoot into russia to fire long-range weapons into russia and still is facing resistance from the administration so it's like fighting with one hand behind your back. is the administration concerned about escalating? >> it's true that many -- outside of ukraine, from long time ago, it happened that in those areas particularly when it comes to russian areas in the

kharkiv region, it's been months that russia was able to concentrate huge forces and a lot of means to make this advance possible without ukrainian ability to actually strike on this russian infrastructure, russian supplies, russian forces. so it's really -- we have a situation in which we have to simply watch and behold russians forces and they're advancing. it's true that we in ukraine as media represented, as many politicians here and beyond ukraine, we really press this major flaw in the u.s. administration policy towards this war is that ukraine needs to have this ability to strike in advance to prevent major developments and preferences from the russian side. at the same time, i must point out that it's true that it's a major problem, but at the same time, it's one of the problems

that haunts ukraine right now in war. >> in your book, i will show you how it was, you talk about the battles for kyiv two years ago. as you look forward, how deep is the concern that ukraine is going to be forced to make concessions at the bargaining table because russia has been able to make these advances because congress was delaying and stalemated for months? >> you know, one of the reasons why i wrote this book and one of the reasons why i'm kind of glad that this book comes out in this time and day, is that in a situation feels really dark and desperate right now. the morale is not as high as it used to be. prospect for the future is not as bright and hopeful as it used to be. so in many ways my book is about hope that we had during the battle of kyiv when we had

little to nothing aid from the west. when we basically half the world was burying ukraine alive, when we didn't know if tomorrow happens in this way, but at the same time, i want to remind myself and to many other people who kind of lose heart is that everything is possible. no matter how dark the situation is, just like now, there's always something that we can do. there's always something to fight with. we can always talk through our problems. we can always persuade our allays and friends to making another step. from tanks to missiles, air defense to other places. so when it comes to my book and the future, it's about keeping the morale high and doing what should be done, and the fact that, you know, having faith and doing what needs to be done

really works. so it's my answer for the future. let's do what we should because it helped us two years ago, and it keeps helping us right now. >> that's the spirit. that's indeed the spirit that has rallied the world around you. thank you so much, thanks for your book and the book is "i will show you how it was." . and coming up next, a look at that other federal trial, the federal bribery case involving democratic senator bob menendez. they've just seated a jury and they're going to start after the lunch break with opening arguments. (ella) fashion moves fast. setting trends is our business. we need to scale with customer demand... in real time. (jen) so we partner with verizon. their solution for us? a private 5g network. (ella) we now get more control of production, efficiencies, and greater agility. (marquis) with a custom private 5g network. our customers get what they want, when they want it. (jen) now we're even smarter and ready for what's next.

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with two co-defendants accused of paying him bribes. the fact that nadine menendez is not here presents an interesting question because senator menendez in court papers has suggested that part of his defense may be to blame his wife. it's not clear how far down that road he's going to go. we may learn more when opening statements begin this a half hour or so. but a lot of the evidence in this case, andrea, comes from the text messages of nadine menendez, and testimony about what she did. they were her friends, in fact, that were allegedly paying some of the bribes and the gifts to senator menendez, and he may argue that he didn't realize that what was happening was illegal. now, prosecutors believe they have a lot of evidence to contradict that, but that could be an interesting aspect of his defense. another part of his defense is not going to happen. a judge yesterday ruled that the senator could not bring in a psychiatrist who was going to testify that one of the reasons he was hoarding cash and gold bars in his home was because of

his family's history of having their assets confiscated in cuba. the psychiatrist is going to say that traumatized the senator and made him want to grab some cash. so that testimony is not going to come in. it remains to be seen exactly what his defense is, but this is a very significant corruption case. the second indictment for the senator, as you remember the first one ended in a hung jury. >> ken dilanian all over that case. so another trial, another trial in new york city, ken, thanks so much. and that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." follow us on social media @mitchellreports. just go to msnbc.com/andrea. i'll be back in new york tomorrow for the resumption of the trump trial. "chris jansing reports" starts right now. ♪♪ good day, i'm chris jansing live at msnbc headquarters in new york city. this could be