in new jersey with full staffing on memorial day says we must be more competitive. >> working here, for what they do, they should be paid more than some of the other jobs that usually high school kids or early college age kids get. >> reporter: in new york state wages for seasonal life yards have increased to $22 an hour with the state investing $5 million towards incentivizing lifeguard improvement. drones will also be used to aid beach rescues. >> we're responding to similarers in distress, looking for rips and where they may be present. >> reporter: with millions eager to take a summer dive into lakes, pools and oceans, a nationwide call for new recruits to ensure a safe swimming season. >> that does it for us on this memorial day. thank you for watching. jose diaz-balart picks up the coverage right now. good morning on this memorial day.

it is 10:00 a.m. eastern, 7:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. we begin this hour with deadly storms now making their way northeast after leaving behind a trail of destruction across texas, oklahoma, arkansas and kentucky. at least 19 people are dead and dozens more injured. take a look at this. valley view, texas, gas station. officials say as many as 125 people were sheltering when a powerful tornado struck. overnight kentucky governor andy beshear declared a state of emergency as the severe weather threat continues into today for millions of americans. it leaves hundreds of,sands across the region without power. joining us from valley view, texas, is nbc's priscilla thompson. priscilla, good morning. where do things stand now? >> reporter: jose, good morning. right now in the hardest-hit areas there's devastation everywhere. we're here and you can see there's a car with its windows

completely blown out. that car was actually in that gas station parking lot when this tornado bore down. this is where those 125 people the governor says were sheltering as the roof caved in on them. thankfully no injuries and no deaths out of this particular incident. they were all able to walk out of this alive. i spoke to one woman in there with her friend and a baby. she described just being on top of the baby and praying they were going to get through this. she told me she thought she was going to die. that is what we're hearing throughout this area. we went a few miles up the road and talked to folks in a neighborhood where they say some of their neighbors did lose their lives. just to give you a bit of context, it seems like this was a graduation celebration weekend. there were a number of people we talked to who said they were attending graduation parties when they got the alerts on their phone that there was a tornado on the way. a lot of them rushed home and literally as soon as they got home found themselves sheltering

in closets, bathtubs, hallways, wherever they could. i spoke to monica vasquez who sheltered in her closet with her husband and five children ages 3 to 18 years old. she describes feeling their house moving off of its foundation. they came out to find the second floor entirely gone. she said she was scared that she was going to die. now she's worried that her children are going to be traumatized. so it is shock, it is trauma. but it's also people today who are grateful to be alive, especially when you look at the damage and destruction everywhere. we should note it was more than 60 reported tornadoes across a dozen states over the weekend. so it's not just texas. we're talking about arkansas, illinois, oklahoma, ms. sore rir battered by severe weather this holiday weekend. jose. >> priscilla, what's next for valley view?

>> reporter: it is cleanup today. there are non-profit groups who come into town, they're offering food. you see people coming out and offering water and trying to help people at their homes with the garbage bags and the baskets trying to collect and salvage whatever they can before they have to leave. it's really what comes next. for a lot of people, they're not entirely sure. most of the people that i've spoken to did have some kind of insurance, so they're trying to figure out what that will look like. in the meantime, it's figuring out where they'll sleep at night and what they'll be eating, how to get through the next couple days and weeks. the governor issued a disaster declaration for this area. hopefully aid will be funneling in. right now a lot of people very confused about what comes next. jose. >> priscilla thompson in valley view, texas, thank you very much. these stories hitting as millions venture back home today for the close of the memorial day weekend. this year set new travel records. nearly 3 million travelers

screened in a single day across u.s. airports on friday. aaa says more than 38 million americans were expected to hit the road for the holiday weekend. joining us now is nbc's priya vee var. busiest airport in the world, priya. it must be extremely busy today. >> reporter: that's right, jose, as you mentioned, this has been a record-breaking weekend for travel. 44 million americans are going to travel at least 50 miles or moye away from their home. the busiest travel day in the last 20 years. this is the world's business yeflt airport. you can see the lines from early this morning, very long security lines at the tsa checkpoints. as you mentioned, tsa mentioned they screened nearly 3 million people on friday alone which broke a record set originally on the sunday after thanksgiving last year. tsa said this has been an extremely busy travel month with five of the busiest travel days

ever recorded occurring after may 16th. so this is indicative of things to come perhaps. priscilla was just talking about the weather there. so that's caused some delays and cancellations across the board over the last few days. as it stands right now, the number of delays in the united states is that 1,657 so far today and 199 cancellations. so people are crossing their fing rs that those numbers stay down. but we have to kind of keep watching it closely because there are thunderstorms happening, at least here in atlanta and also severe weather happening across the united states, jose. >> priya, thank you very much. memorial day, an important day for all of us in this country, for you, priya, who have served this nation and thank you. i want to bring in nbc meteorologist michelle grossman who has been tracking all the storms and their potential impact on your holiday plans. michelle, it's great to see you.

it's a really difficult day for a lot of folks in this wide swath of weather. >> i know. hi there, jose. always good to see you. yeah, we're looking at millions under the gun for some strong storms. the good news is we're not expecting the impactful storms we had over the weekend, but still could see some storms that will bring some impact. looking at new england through the northeast, all the way to the southeast, the risk for severe storms will bring some really heavy rain, 4-5 inches in some spots. coupled see a few tornadoes as well. as we look further to the west, we're looking at the northern plains into the upper midwest. we could see some showers that could dampen some par raerdz and picnics out there. record highs, temperatures 5-15 degrees above normal for this time of year across the south, into the triple digits for many. if you're spending time outside, find shade, drink lots of water and stay hydrated. in the western part of the nation, bright skies, temperatures pretty comfortable

there as well. the big story will be 71 million at risk for severe weather. that includes new york city, philly, d.c., charleston, even into montgomery where we could see the slowdowns in the air at the airports and also on the roads. winds cold gust to 60 miles per hour. could see large hail, 2 inches or greater. much quieter than it was a few hours ago. it takes a little time for the daytime heating to get the storms reignited. the cold front is moving into humid air. we'll see the storms reignite. we're looking at heavy rain throughout portions of the southeast. atlanta, you had a storm that went through there. we have severe thunderstorm watches in the yellow. we have severe thunderstorm warnings. that means storms are happening right there. we're seeing the lightning, hearing the thunder and seeing that heavy rain. that's where you see the reds, the oranges, the yellows. easy to see where the cold front was on radar where the storms are lined up against it. it's moving into the warm air.

we'll see the chance of rain extending from parts of new england into texas, also looking at the chance for strong storms. we're concerned about flash flooding as well because these storms are tapping into a lot of moisture. that's why we do expect the chance of 4-5 inches. training storms where they sit over the same area. we're saturated in a lot of spots. portland, albany, scranton, philadelphia, d.c. down to roanoke could see some flash flooding. that's particularly dangerous if you're out in the car because it comes quickly. the darker blue is a slight risk, a higher risk, a likelier risk in scranton and philadelphia. this is why. heavy rainfall will fall in some spots. training storms, 5 inches. that's where you're seeing the darker colors. we're looking at the chance for impacts in the air from boston, pockets of heavy rain tonight d.c. to new york city. storms packing gusty winds. again, that could cause power outages. we have some right now from the storms that came in from overnight. also heavy rain.

new york city, philadelphia, d.c., boston could see slowdowns. you have to check with your carrier before you head out today. if you're on the roadways, i-80 new york city through pennsylvania looking at slow travel there, d.c. to boston, same story. especially when the storms come through. 18 million people under heat alerts because we're looking at heat warnings. that is in the pink. san antonio, laredo, houston. we coupled see temperatures into the triple digits for many in texas. jose. >> michelle, just on a personal note, i was very focused on you talking about the northeast. as you know, i live here in miami where it's been -- feels like 100-plus for two weeks now. it's really intense. flying to new york and i'm thinking you're saying the possibility some delays in jfk and other airports today in the afternoon? >> very, very likely. we'll see the storms rolling through. you know how quickly that takes. it's that ripple effect. new york city is so, so busy. philadelphia, d.c., that could

see storms as well. >> michelle, always a pleasure to see you. i thank you. >> you, too. >> take care. coming up, in just 24 hours former president donald trump will be back inside a new york courtroom for his criminal hush money trial. we could hear in closing arguments before this case is in the hands of the jury. dozens killed in rafah. we'll bring you an update on the escalating conflict. police searching for answers after a soap opera star was fatally shot in los angeles during a suspected robbery over the weekend. we're back in 90 seconds. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. you skipped a step. tresemmé silk serum. use before styling for three days of weightlessly smooth hair that frizz can't beat. new tresemmé keratin smooth collection. deep down, i knew something was wrong. since my fatigue and light-headedness would come and go,

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so you'll get a free phone and a smartwatch and a tablet. yep, all 3 on us only at verizon. 12 past the hour. tomorrow lawyers in former president donald trump's hush money case will deliver their closing arguments, each side's opportunity to summarize what they've presented over the last several weeks, and their last chance to convince jurors they've proved their case. with us, nbc news reporter gary grumbach who has been covering the trial from inside the courthouse. extraordinary work. also with us, misty maris, and kristen gibbons, also an msnbc legal analyst. gary, how can we be expecting things to unfold tomorrow?

>> jose, i would look at this as a spark notes of the entire trial. we're not going to learn anything new. it's going to be a nice recap for the jury of the past seven weeks of what happened through every witness of this trial. it's going to start with defense attorney todd blanche. he's going to get up and explain to the jury that he believes the government has not met their burden of proof which is beyond a reasonable doubt that donald trump has committed these 34 counts of falsification of business records. he's going to go through and likely focus on witness michael cohen who has his own financial and untruths that he actually went to prison for separately from this whole case. that's what the defense is going to do. that will take likely several hours throughout the day tomorrow. then joshua steinglass of the prosecution is going to get up and explain wednesday by wednesday and take the jurors step-by-step why we believes they have met their burden of proof. he's going to likely bring up evidence, some of the witness statements, including david pecker who laid out everything

quite nicely as the first witness to take the stand in this trial. that's going to happen. and then the case goes in the hands after some jury instructions on wednesday, the case will be in the hands of the jury starting we believe probably wednesday morning. at that point we'll see what happens in terms of how long it takes the jury to deliberate. jose. >> kristen, if you're the prosecution in this case, what are you going to be focusing on? >> i'm going to be focusing on a couple things. closing argument, this is going to be the courtroom's final act. it's the last opportunity to show the jury how the law that the court will instruct them on is actually in harmony with the actual evidence. you want to aim to leave the jury with that lasting impression and really a clear path to the verdict. so as the prosecution, i'm going to let the jury know this is a

straightforward crime but with a complex narrative. i'll dumb down the narrative so they can later recite it in the deliberation room to the other jurors so they can bring home a guilty verdict. i'm going to show that trump knowingly caused false entries in business records, pointing to invoices from february 17. i'm going to show the plan to label those 35,000 payments to cohen as retainer fees and show there was a deliberate, preplanned scheme to create these false records. i'm going to show that $420,000 which included the $130,000 of hush money, that was double to cover taxes and show how these payments were categorized as legal payments, but they know is not true. i'm point to the company rule they heard from the evidence to show that trump had to sign off when any payment that was more than $10,000, which was one of the reasons that trump had to be involved with the cohen

reimbursement scheme. then i'm going to show that trump did so knowingly and with the intent to commit a crime. i'm going to stress those jury instructions with the requisite intent to prove the falsification of business records. i'm also going to spend some time dismantling the defenses that the jury had just heard. then at the end i'm going to stay with conviction bring home a guilty verdict to all of the charges. >> all right. misty, you're a top defense lawyer, represent donald trump on this show. what are you going to be focus on? >> i'm going to focus solely on michael cohen. there will be a jury instruction that says if you think michael cohen lied about one thing, one material fact, you can scrap his entire testimony. from the defense perspective, if you can get one juror to decide that michael cohen is not a credible witness and scrap his testimony, then the prosecution's case really falls

apart. so i'm going to focus on that from a defense perspective. i'm also going to focus on one thing that came out during michael cohen's testimony that i think is very, very impactful to jurors who live and work in new york city. he stole $60,000 right under the nose of the trump organization. a payment that was part of the $420,000 that is central to this case. i'm going to stay from a defense perspective, if he could steal that, how close was donald trump to actually knowing and accounting for every dollar that came and went out of the organization. so michael cohen's testimony is going to be a primary focus in the closing argument. another piece of that is going to be hush money is not illegal on its face. so from the defense perspective you're going to argue that the hush money payment is not

illegal and, therefore, does not fulfill the prosecution's burden of being a predicate crime. those are going to be the two primary factors the defense is going to focus on. boy, i love that spark notes analogy that gary made, because it's really true. the closing arguments are going to try and tie everything together in a very succinct and impactful way. >> gary, you've covered this trial every single day. what's the thing that has most stood ult to you? >> i think as journalists we get jaded with our access to the courtroom. something entering to me ask who is showing up to the courtroom every day, the everyday americans that are as we speak standing in line waiting to get in tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. there's been dozens and dozens, some retired folks that were in town in new york city, some of them high school students that had the day off from school and were able to watch and see

history in the making. jose. >> so, gary, there are people waiting in line today for tomorrow? this is like -- this is not a taylor swift concert. >> this is no taylor swift. but they were actually in line on sunday morning according to our cameras that were there. >> gary grumbach, misty maris and kristen gibb bobs, thank you so much. tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern, 7:00 a.m. pacific, join my colleague, ana cabrera, and myself for special coverage of former president trump's criminal trial right here on msnbc. after the break, we'll bring you the latest on new israeli attacks in rafah at a tent camp that was supposed to be a safe zone for civilians sheltering from the war. the latest from the high-stakes meeting from u. los angeles lawmakers on taiwan's newly inaugurated administration. we'll talk to nbc's ryan nobles,

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25 past the hour. a deadly israeli air strike in rafah trying international condemnation this morning. at least 40 people were killed, dozens injured at a tent camp sunday night where displaced civilians were sheltering in a designated safe zone. israel says it was targeting hamas commanders.

qatar calling the attack a dangerous breach of international laws that could complicate on going mediation efforts for a cease-fire in the gaza strip. nbc's raf sanchez has more from israel. >> reporter: after a weekend of intense talks involving the cia director, an israeli official tells nbc news they believe cease-fire negotiations may restart as early as this week, but for now the fighting rages on in gaza. that is despite an order from the u.n.'s highest court for israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the south of the strip. last night a new and deadly strike in the city of rafah. overnight fire and horror in rafah. an israeli air strikes at a camp for displaced civilians setting tents and cars aflame. fire crews in hamas-run gaza say at least 40 people were killed, many of them women and children, one of the deadliest bombings in rafah of the entire war.

the red kress september society says it happened in a designated safe zone. as a result of the strike and fire innighted several civilians in the area were harmed. the incident is under review. the u.n. ice high ert court has ordered israel to halt the raffa offensive, but has no power to enforce the ruling, saying hostages are being held in raffa. >> we will not stop fighting for their freedom. >> reporter: on sunday hamas fired rockets towards central israel for the first time in four months. with sirens blaring in tel aviv, the idf says the rockets came from raffa. meanwhile, further up the coast new questions about the safety of u.s. service personnel after four small army boats broke their moorings in heavy seas,

washing up in israel and gaza. the ships were delivering aid through an american-built temporary pier. u.s. central command saying no injuries had been reported and the pier remains fully functional. but three u.s. personnel did suffer non-combat injuries last week, the pentagon says, one seriously wounded. jose, you may be able to hear the wind just howling here in southern israel. that's what caused those small boats to bust out of their mooring. if you look behind me, you can actually see this is one of the military vessels that got beached here in israel. there's two more about 20 miles down the coast in gaza, and way off in the distance, a larger military ship that's involved in the recovery effort here. now, u.s. central command was able to get one of these boats off the beach here earlier. they're hoping to get this one free some time today. jose. >> raf sanchez, thank you very much. i want to bring in executive

director at the mccain institute and former deputy assistant secretary at the department of defense, evelyn farkas. i thank you for being with us this morning. this area in rafah was at one point designated as a safe zone. what do you see when you see this? they're saying more than 40 people lost their lives here. >> jose, what i see is that the strategy that the israelis are using to get at the hamas fighters -- and they have to, of course, decimate the hamas fighters so they can't regroup and be a threat to israel, but the means they're using are causing such civilian loss of life and obviously as you're showing on the screen, loss of property, loss of safe refuge and, of course, exacerbating the humanitarian situation all around. so really we need urgently that diplomacy you mentioned at the top of the segment to prevail,

at least to get a cease-fire, to get the hostages out, to get aid in to the people. >> the issue -- and you know better than anybody else -- there has been nothing that has worked so far to get those hostages out rather than israel going in and getting them because there's no proof of life. the international organizations have not been permitted by hamas to see these hostages and see what conditions they are under. it's just so complicated when you have urban warfare in very tightly packed areas. >> that's right. i just don't think at this point this massive invasion is going to work in terms of taking out the hamas fighters. there has to be a way to be more disciplined and to use a pinpointed approach. ultimately they're not going to

be able to take out every last fighter. diplomacy will have to prevail. one of the things i think, jose, that we aren't seeing is enough pressure being placed on hamas and on the gulf states through public opinion. a lot of pressure is rightfully being placed on israel right now because of the humanitarian situation. but there ought to be more pressure "politicsnation"ed also on qatar and egypt and, of course, those hamas terrorists. >> the u.n. on friday ordered israel to halt its operations. the u.s. has remained silent on that issue. what do you make of that? >> i think the u.s. is probably behind the scenes expressing great consternation. again, one of the problems is that the aid is also not getting through. so leaving aside the fact there is not very much sanctuary which is bad enough, the israelis have clamped down. the egyptians for a while were also clamping down on the

ability of trucks to bring aid in. as raf just explained, this maritime approach with the u.s. pier, i think $300 million-plus, it was a great idea in theory. the reality is the way to get food, medicine, fuel into gaza fastest in the largest quantities required is by ground. so they really need to -- they being the israelis, the egyptians, open up more lanes of transit. >> evelyn farkas, thank you so much. always a pleasure. >> thank you, jose. this morning more than 2,000 people are believed to be buried alive by a massive landslide in pop wah new guinea. the figure is about three times the u.n.'s estimate of 670 killed by friday's landslide which happened in the mountainous interior of the south pacific island. the official says the landslide caused major destrushgs and rescue operations have been a

challenge. so far only the remains of six people have been recovered. breaking news out of japan this morning, a missile has been launched from north korea toward a japanese area in the east china sea according to japan's prime minister's office. the coast guard soon confirmed the missile did not pose a threat to japan shortly after the alert. meanwhile, in taiwan, a bipartisan group of u.s. lawmakers is overseas this morning meeting with the new president overnight and showing support for the island state. i want to bring in nbc news capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles who is in taipei, the only u.s. reporter on the ground with the delegation. what are we learning about this missile attack from north korea first? and what's going on in taiwan? >> reporter: jose, first on the new information we're receiving about this potential missile

launch from north korea, the information is limited at this point. all we know is the japanese government has warned its citizens that live in okinawa which is, of course, the southern-most group of islands in japan, only about 600 kilometers from where i'm standing right now in taiwan, to take shelter as a result of this apparent missile launch. as you rightly point out, they've now informed everyone that they do not believe it was any sort of a threat. separately, earlier in the week, the coast guard also sent out a message that north korea warned japan it was planning on launching a rocket that had a spy satellite attached to it, and that that rocket launch could come anywhere between may 27 through june 4. we don't know whether those two things are connected right now. it did appear japan was prepared for something like this to happen. all of this, jose, comes at a time where tensions in this part of the world are at an all-time high. there have been a number of military demonstrations by the

chinese government around taiwan and in the taiwan strait as a result of the inauguration of taiwan's new president. then, of course, here we are in taipei as the first american congressional delegation meets with the new president, a sign of the u.s. connection between the two countries. jose. >> ryan, the fact that taiwan is a vibrant democracy and you have china very close by which continues to increase its threat presence. >> reporter: you're exactly right, jose. it's interesting because there are two sides to look at the decision by this congressional delegation to visit taiwan, especially so early after the new administration was inaugurated. china was very upset by it. they warned the congressional delegation not to come to this island. after the meetings were first released, they accused the united states of being obsessed with taiwan and saying that they

have a taiwan problem. but for the american delegation's perspective, the chairman, mike mccaul of the foreign affairs committee, they believe this sends a message to china that the united states has taiwan's back and it will create a level of deterrence to prevent china from taking that step of an actual invasion and an attempted unification. listen to what chairman mccaul told me earlier today? >> putin, president xi, the ayatollah and kim jong un as well, all aligning for the same purpose. they put their sights on eastern europe. they're lighting up the middle east with israel. chairman xi wants the pacific. i think to retreat from the world and ignore that this is not happening and not lead like ronald reagan did, reagan would be appalled at this isolationist argument. >> reporter: what chairman

mccaul told me there, that was a message he was sending to american politicians, particularly members of the republican party of which he is a member, that the isolationist movement among republicans in washington and in the united states is not a good idea in terms of the safety of the broader world. he also including, in addition to xi, the situation in iran, vladimir putin, he also talked about kim jong un in north korea. it also comes at a time where this missile launch happens, with kim jong un once again reminding the world of north korea's capabilities and its willingness to take action if necessary. jose. >> ryian nobles in taipei, thank you so much. appreciate it. coming up, former president donald trump met with boos and engineers at the libertarian national convention. we'll bring you reaction to that next. next >> the libertarian party should nominate trump for president of

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42 past the hour. with closing arguments set to begin tomorrow in donald trump's criminal hush money trial, the former president spent the holiday weekend back on the campaign trail. saturday he pitched himself to libertarian voters at the party's national convention. he didn't receive the reception he's used to at rallies, getting

some boos from the crowd. >> the libertarian party should nominate trump for president of the united states! whoa. [ booing ]. >> that's nice. that's nice. only if you want to win. only if you want to win. maybe you don't want to win. maybe you don't want to win. thank you. only do that if you want to win. if you want to lose, don't do that. keep getting your 3% every four years. >> joining us now is victoria soto, msnbc contributor, dean at the university of arkansas and rick tyler, former spokesman for republican senator ted cruz's presidential campaign. rick, what's your reaction to trump's outreach to libertarians and the reception he got?

>> it didn't work, did it? he actually did more harm than good. the local republican parties invited people to go so that reaction would not be apparent. i even got an invitation from republicans. i would have been booing with the libertarians because, look, libertarians -- i'm not a libertarian and i don't really follow their philosophy, but they know what they believe and they know trump is not aligned with them. i wish the republican party remembered what it believed and knows that trump has no governing philosophy. he's a populist, has no governing philosophy, and the republican party has decided to follow this snake oil salesman. the libertarian, good for them, are not going to do it. >> victoria, meanwhile politico reports some republican lawmakers are suggesting trump pick a center right vp like his primary rival nikki haley who endorsed the former president last week, said at least she was

going to vote for him. would that be enough to convince skeptical republicans and independents you think? >> i think it may be able to pull over some folks on the fence. let's go back to some of the key cultural issues, abortion and immigration. i think if that second choice, that vp pick can stop him, the very harsh line that's been developing on not just abortion rights but contraception rights and ivf, then that could make a marginal difference. given the rancor between nikki haley and donald trump, it seems like a long struch. ultimately he tried that with pence. it didn't seem to work out too well. i think he'll go with someone he's a little bit more comfortable with. >> rick, "the washington post" meanwhile reports this morning that trump is telling donors behind closed doors that he will crush pro-palestinian protests on college campuses, saying he

would throw student protesters out of the country. what do you think that message is that playing to? >> nobody. people who don't understand or haven't read the constitution. i don't agree with -- i call them pro-hamas protesters. they have a right to protest. they don't have a right to destroy property or occupy private property. as long as they're peaceful, we can do that. we can't deport people -- we have a judicial system for that, which is why he got booed at the libertarian conference last night. >> victoria, it's part of i guess trump's overall immigration statements/policies/changes. immigration means different things to different people. but the issue of immigration is, victoria, how important for the november election? >> it's very important. it's very important because we

haven't had any sort of solution in over three decades and the can keeps getting kicked down the road. we keep seeing the numbers surging at the border. the devil is in the details, the numbers are asylum and refugee seekers, not as many as we saw a few years ago. the constant flow is not abated and we haven't done anything. the american public is frustrated, republicans and democrats. this is something constantly on the mind of voters, and we know donald trump has always doubled down on this. the question is, these extreme stances of deport them all, take them all back, do really bad things to them like separate the families. that's the question where folks will throw their lot in when it comes to immigration. >> rick, nbc news reporting that once trump's verdict in the hush money trial comes down, the gloves will come up for president biden's campaign.

what do you think that is going to look like? >> if there is a guilty verdict, biden should certainly point it out. president trump would be the first president elected that has a felony conviction. he would be a criminal. biden has every right to point that out. the fact that biden is not a criminal -- as i say to my christian friend, you can go with a guy that goes to church every week with biden or a guy that goes to the golf course with trump. everybody expects trump's behavior to be deplorable. it continues to be deplorable. i don't think much is going to change. >> victoria francesca soto, rick tyler, thank you very much. millions of american families struggling with the surging cost of child care.

for those surging in the military, unconventional hours and frequent moves make finding care even more complicated. what one group of service members told us about this urgent problem next. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. i diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. try killing bugs the worry-free way. not the other way. zevo traps use light to attract and trap flying insects with no odor and no mess. they work continuously, so you don't have to. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. deep down, i knew something was wrong.

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a wreath, and let's just focus in and listen in on this event going on at arlington national cemetery. there you see the different dignitaries from the bush administration -- the biden administration i should say. we see the first gentleman there, and the president is already there. we expect to see him in just moments, along with the secretary of defense, who is there. this of course is -- and there you see him.

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>> live images from arlington national cemetery in virginia. we saw the president, vice president, secretary of defense, and others as they take part in this really important and solemn day of remembrance. allie raffa is with us this morning, white house correspondent. allie, this is a place that is so important, and the president is expected to speak in moments. >> reporter: absolutely, jose. you just saw the president standing alongside vice president harris and the defense secretary lloyd austin as taps played in the background. we expect him to deliver after this a memorial day address where he's expected to ask americans to pray for peace, and in that speech we could expect him to echo much of the theme that we heard him deliver in that commencement address to over a thousand army cadets at

west point over the weekend where he talked about the enormous responsibiliies that u.s. service members take and how vital and critical their role is in protecting democracy and freedom in this country. and of course this is a very solemn day for so many americans, and we know that president biden has an especially personal connection to this day. of course through his late son beau, and we know that the president is expected to mark the ninth anniversary of his son's -- beau's death on thursday, and it's important to note, jose, that this is a president who we've seen for years carry a note card in his suit pocket of the number of u.s. service members who have been killed overseas. this is a president who along with the first lady has taken an especially big focus on gold star families, on military families throughout his years in the white house. so we can expect him to talk about the legislation and the policy that he is trying to

change and introduce because of this cause, especially that a bipartisan law he signed two years ago to provide better health care access to veterans exposed to burn pits while serving overseas. that cause very personal to him because of his son beau, this is a president who we could expect to show a certain level of emotion and a personal connection to this cause. >> he carries a prayer rosary that his son had when he passed. allie, this is going to be a rather -- i mean, an emotional day obviously for so many. it's so important that we recognize what this long weekend is for and about. >> absolutely, as so many americans are out, you know, on beaches enjoying this three-day weekend, this president we can

expect him in this speech to really remind people of the memory of these fallen u.s. service members, and what they are working so hard to protect, really the meaning, the deeper meaning behind memorial day, jose, and that's what we expect him to hit on in this speech, really just a reminder of what they are fighting so hard for. that's another thing he hit on during that commencement speech, really their role in so many places across the globe, on foreign policy challenges across the world, like in ukraine he talked about the critical role that american service members are playing in protecting freedom in ukraine. he also in that speech vowed to not put american boots on the front lines in ukraine. he talked about how u.s. service members are playing such a vital role to fight chinese aggression in the indoindo-pacific, and the also touched on the tensions in the middle east in that speech, talking about u.s. service members and their role in helping get humanitarian aid to palestinians in gaza as well as their role just a few weeks ago when they helped israel

intercept iranian missiles. so the president really trying to get the focus back on how critical the role of the u.s. military is in not just protecting freedom here, but really sering democracy all across the world, jose. >> allie raffa, thank you so very much. of course when the president does speak, we will bring that to you live. we are also following breaking news, after deadly severe weather, the southeastern united states is waking up to the aftermath of several storms that killed at least 20 people injuring dozens more, leaving destruction across texas, oklahoma, arkansas, and kentucky. in texas, residents are left to sift through the wreckage of their homes after the deadliest tornado there since 2015. a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old are among the dead there. the severe weather threat continues today for millions of americans. joining us now nbc's priscilla

thompson in valley view, texas, and priscilla grossman. >> reporter: it is extremely hot here today. the temperatures have ticked back up into the 80s and are only going to continue to go up. it comes as people are still at their homes trying to clean up, trying to salvage what they can after these devastating storms tore through here. we are at the gas station that everyone is talking about where the governor says some 125 people were sheltering whenever the roof caved in on them as that tornado bore down, but thankfully everyone here made it out alive, and we know that that is not the case for those 20 people that you mentioned across the south and the midwest who lost their lives as a result of these severe storms, including seven people here in this county, and we were actually up the road in one of those neighborhoods where neighbors tell us there were people who lost lives. what we understood from them is

a lot of folks were out at graduation parties on saturday when the storm came through. they got these alerts on their phones and tried to get back home or to somewhere safe as quickly as they could. i spoke to one woman, monica vasquez who made it into her home with her husband is and her five kids, they sheltered in a closet. i want to play for you how she described that experience. >> what was going through your mind? >> that i don't want to die. >> and i feel you getting emotional. what's happening right now? >> because that's what i thought, me and my family were going to die. it's not the first time it happened to me. i had a mobile home behind me, it completely burned down. it's my second time starting over. >> are you nervous? are you scared? >> i'm in shock right now. >> what do you think will happen next? do you know where you're going to stay or? >> we don't know. we don't know what to do.

>> reporter: and that's what we've heard from a number of people, even people who have insurance like she does. they don't know what they're going to do right now in these next couple of days that are coming. they're trying to see if there's going to be aid coming, how quickly they can get any sort of insurance help to figure out where they're going to stay and how they're going to begin to put their lives back together. and i should tell you the entire second story of monica's roof is gone. her house was moved off of its foundation several feet with them inside of it, and next door is her mother. they sheltered inside their home. the their home also destroyed today, so you're talking about families and whole communities that have been devastated here and are trying to figure out what comes next. >> your heart breaks for monica velazquez, her family and so many others who have been affected by this. priscilla thompson, thank you so much. >> michelle, if you would, give us the forecast of what that system that was so dangerous and

devastating in through texas, where has it moved on to, and then what can we expect for the millions of people that are heading home today? >> yeah, hi there, jose. we're going to expect slow travel, and that's moved off to the east. the good news is it's not as powerful as what we saw over the weekend, but still will be impactful as we go throughout this memorial day. look at how many millions are at risk. 71 million people at risk. we're talking about the northeast, mid-atlantic, southeast, parts of the great lakes, new england as well, and we could see winds gusting over 60 miles per hour. that's enough to bring down trees. it's enough to bring down power lines, so power outages. also hail up to 2 inches. that causes damage on its own. a few tornados are possible. can't rule that ou. that's not the primary threat. you could see 4 inches, 5 inches in spots. great lakes through the northeast, mid-atlantic down to the carolinas, into the southeast, a huge real estate, a

huge swath of the east coast looking at the chance for severe storms, including big cities like new york city, philadelphia, d.c., wilmington, charleston, into montgomery, alabama. this is what it looks like on radar. we're slowing down in terms of the rainfall and storms right now. that's going to reignite later. much better than even it was an hour or two hours ago. still seeing some storms. down in the southeast we have a severe thunderstorm watch. that's in the yellow box. through 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, we'll probably add onto that as we go throughout the afternoon and evening hours. you notice these darker colors, that's where we're seeing heavier downpours. we're dealing with really humid air. when that cold front comes through, it's going to bring the chance for heavy downpours. also looking at that lightning into portions of virginia and the carolinas. this will be the theme throughout the day. you need to remain weather aware. we want to be outside today, picnics, parades, celebrations. we need to be careful as we head throughout the day. we are talking about the chance of rain all the way from new england to texas, jose.

>> michelle, grossman, thank you so very much. we're going to bring you the president's remarks at arlington national cemetery as the nation marks memorial day. also coming up after a short break, what we can expect this week in donald trump's criminal trial in new york. will the jury conviction him? plus, immigration concerns, another failed border bill on capitol hill. we'll be speaking with congressman robert garcia to get his take as the elections are just months away. we're back in 90 seconds. you're watching "josé diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. r. when you've got type 2 diabetes like me, you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack or worse death. even when meeting your a1c goal. discomfort can help you act. i'm not trying to scare you. i'm empowering you... to get real with your health care provider. talk to them about lowering your risk of stroke, heart attack or death.

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pick your pepto. 12 past the hour. later this week, a jury of seven men and five women will start deliberating whether donald trump could become the first former president to be convicted of a crime. tomorrow the defense and the prosecution are expected to deliver their closing arguments. after that the jury will receive their instructions, and then they will deliberate trump's fate. with us now to talk more about this, nbc news correspondent dasha burns. glenn kirschner a former federal prosecutor and host of the justice matters podcast, and sam stein, "politico" deputy managing editor for politics. glen and sam are msnbc contributors. glen, why will the jury instructions be so crucial in this case? >> well, you know, jose, the jury instructions are designed to sort of channel the jurors' deliberations. the jurors get to decide what the facts are. they get to decide the credibility of the witnesses. but once they decide those

facts, it is the judge's instructions of law that they have to apply those facts to to see if donald trump is guilty or if they believe that perhaps the prosecutors failed to prove donald trump's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. i'll tell you, lawyers will pore over and obsess over the instructions of law because both parties will propose often competing instructions and judge merchan had to decide which ones to give, and he has done that. and now i think what you're going to see in the defense closing arguments, jose, is basically a reasonable doubt argument where they haven't presented a unified alternate theory to the prosecution's theory of the case. so they're probably going to argue that you should disbelieve everybody. you should disbelieve every piece of physical evidence, and they'll argue that the government has failed to prove donald trump's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. that is an appropriate argument,

but it is not necessarily a winning argument when you can't provide the jury an alternate theory of the case. >> sam, how would the trump campaign use this verdict, whatever it is, in messaging? >> well, very different messages for different verdicts, right? if he is found guilty, the message will be this is a corruption of the system of justice. this is a case brought by my general election opponent deliberately to upend my presidential campaign. he'll be going back to the wall of victim hood we see time and time again, and quite effectively quite frankly. if there is a hung jury or an outright acquittal, you can expect trump to say complete exoneration. he will say the system of justice worked, and that despite the best efforts of his opponent, in this case joe biden, he has emerged victorious. those are the two expectations for how he plays it. obviously a lot more

complication ifs he does get a guilty verdict in the end. >> how is the trump campaign preparing? >> to sam's point, the messaging is a big factor. we don't know which way this is going to go. we just received a fund-raising email from the trump team asking for a million responses by midnight to the question would you vote for me if i'm arrested? of course that arraignment process has already happened, but the sentiment is will you stand by me no matter what, because we have seen in polling some voters start to change their minds if there is a conviction in this case. so they're trying to dispel that narrative. the other piece of this here, jose, is the physical practical element of campaigning, right? his staff has been preparing for this trial to be over to get more of his time, to get him out on the road, to deliver this message, whatever it is, whether it's i've been convicted and this is completely unfair or i've been vindicated.

they are planning to go pedal to the metal and make up for the time he's been spending in the courtroom. >> glenn and everyone is expecting that the defense will go right after cohen. you wrote in a piece for nbc news, quote, in many ways michael cohen was nearly a perfect cooperating witness. what'd you mean by that? >> jose, cooperating witnesses by their very nature are people who committed crimes, often with the bigger criminal fish against whom they are testifying, and then they flip. they decide to sort of, you know, turn over a new leaf and try to make right what they did so very wrong initially, and that's what michael cohen did, and he withstood more than 20 hours of cross examination by all accounts without losing his cool, without lashing out, without getting angry. answering in a very straightforward factual way, and importantly he took responsibility for his own crimes, and it's only when a cooperator is fully prepared to take responsibility for their own creams can prosecutors

present them credibly to the jury when they begin testifying about the crimes of others. because he was in this conspiracy as alleged by the prosecutors with donald trump, he's an insider to that secret agreement, and he was perfectly positioned to testify about not only his own crimes that he said were committed for the benefit of and at the direction of donald trump, but about donald trump's crimes as well. so in many ways, he's the stereotypical cooperating witnesses that prosecutors use to convict defendants, bigger criminal fish every day of the week in jurisdictions all around the country. >> sam, we've seen some republicans including house speaker mike johnson show their support for trump by attending the trial. do you think that regardless of how it turns out, this is going to have an impact on republicans, for example, house republicans going forward? >> well, i think we need to draw

a distinction. the elected republicans, i think we know where things stand. there are only a handful who are going to say they're fed up with this, they don't want to do this. they already have to a large degree. most of them, though, i think will rally behind trump regardless of the verdict. that said, i think the distinction here is with the voting populous. this trial, as much as we obsess over it, hasn't broken through, and i think for the voting populous, it could be a big difference. >> sam stein and glenn kirschner, dasha burns, thank you very much. i want to go right to arlington national cemetery, secretary of defense austin is speaking. let's go to that. >> defense of our country including the battle served and fought alongside me. we got through, they didn't, and that pain will never go away. i could tell their stories for

hour after hour, but for today, i hope that the story of one fallen american hero may stand for so many more. so on this memorial day my thoughts are with the family of u.s. army staff sergeant stevon booker of apollo, pennsylvania. staff sergeant booker was a tank commander in the third infantry division during operation iraqi freedom in 2003. his company commander once said sergeant booker looked, acted and sounded like the abrams tank that he commanded. he embodied the power and the pride of the united states army. and during the race towards baghdad, sergeant booker's unit came under fire. he rushed to protect his teammates and his platoon's flank. in the heat of the fight, he

even fired back with his own personal weapon lying exposed on top of his tank turret for mile after mile. staff sergeant booker was one of the first americans killed in the iraq war, and i know firsthand how tough the fighting was that day. it's only fitting that the army has named its newest combat vehicle the m-10 booker. that honors staff sergeant booker and private robert booker of nebraska who was posthumously awarded the medal of honor for his stunning heroism in tunisia in 1943 during world war ii. america's security depends on the bravery of people like staff sergeant booker and private booker. and on the courage and character

of our service members. and it depends on the stamina and strength of their families and loved ones. we know how much our troops and their families do every day in so many unsung ways, and we know the dangers. defending our republic carries risk, and that goes beyond the dangers of combat. by necessity, u.s. military training is hard and challenging. our operations worldwide can put our troops in harm's way, and we still lose too many of our service members and veterans to suicide. so our troops and their families don't just sacrifice during wartime. our military families know the long deployments and the painful absences. they know the pride that never fades and the worry that never

leaves, so to our blue star and gold star families, you make our national defense possible. our arms and technical -- and technology are the envy of the world. but in the end, america's greatest strategic asset will always be our people, so let us always remember our fallen heroes. let us always strive to defend the democracy for which they fought and died. they did their duty, and we must too. ladies and gentlemen, our commander in chief has always stood up for our troops, our military families, and our veterans. it is my honor to introduce the president of the united states. [ applause ]

>> thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you. please be seated. 160 years ago this month in the midst of the civil war, the first american soldier was laid to rest at these hallowed grounds. private william christman, a farm worker from pennsylvania had enlisted just seven weeks before. there was no formal ceremony to consecrate this new sanctuary, no fanfare. it came at a turning point in the war as fighting shifted east, the casualties quickly mounted, and the bloody grinding campaign. over the next year, william would be joined in death as he

was in life by his brother in arms in his final resting place. these hills around us would be transformed from a former slave plantation into a national shrine for those american heroes who died for freedom, who died for us. my fellow americans, jill, vice president harris, the second gentleman emhoff, secretary austin, general brown, most importantly the veterans and service members' families and survivors. we gather at this sacred place, at this solemn moment to remember, to honor, honor the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of women and men who have given their lives for this nation. each one literally a chain in a link -- a link in a chain of honor stretching back to our founding days. each one bound by common

commitment, not to a place, no to a person, not to a president, but to an idea unlike any idea in human history. the idea of the united states of america. today we bear witness to the price they paid. every white stone across these hills and every military cemetery and churchyard across america, a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother a spouse, a neighbor, an american. to everyone who has lost and loved someone in the service of our country, to everyone who a loved one is still missing or unaccounted, i know how hard it can be, to reopen the black hole in the middle of your chest. bringing you back to the exact moment you got that phone call, heard that knock on the door or held the hand of the last breath

that was taken. i know it hurts. the hurt is still real, still raw. this week marks nine years since i lost my son beau. our losses are not the same. he didn't perish in the battlefield, he was a cancer victim from a consequence of being in the army in iraq for a year next to a burn pit. major in the army national guard living and working like too many besides that toxic burn pit. and as it is for so many of you, the pain of his loss is with me every day as it is with you. still sharp, still clear, but so is the pride i feel in service as if i can still hear him saying it's my duty, dad. it's my duty. duty, that was the code my son lived by and the creed all of you live by. the creed that generations of service members have followed into battle, on the grounds

around us by fallen heroes from every major conflict in history. to defend our independence, to preserve our union, to defeat fascism, build powerful alliances, fords and fires of two world wars. members of the greatest generation who 80 years ago next week took to the beaches of normandy and liberated a continent and literally saved the world. others who stood against communism in korea and vietnam and not far from here in section 60, a thousand, 7,054 women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan and iraq who signed up to defeat terrorists, protect our homeland after 9/11. decade after decade, tour after tour, these warriors fought for our freedom and the freedom of others. because freedom has never been guaranteed. every generation has to earn it,

fight for it, dercht it in battle between autocracy and democracy. between the greed of a few and the rights of many. it matters. our democracy is more than just a system of government. it's the very soul of america. it's how we've been able to constantly adapt through the centuries. it's why we've always emerged from every challenge stronger than when we went in. it's how we come together as one nation united, and just as our fallen heroes have kept the ultimate faith with our country and our democracy, we must keep faith with them. i've long said we have many obligations as a nation. we only have one truly sacred obligation. to prepare those we send to the battle, to prepare to take care of them and their families when they come home and when they don't. since i took office, i've signed over 30 bipartisan laws

supporting servicemen, veterans and their families and caregivers and survivors. last year the va delivered more benefits and processed more claims than ever in our history, and the pack act which i was proud to have signed has already guaranteed 1 million claims helping veterans expose the toxic materials during their service. 1 million. for too long after fighting for our nation these veterans had to fight to get the right health care, to get the benefits they had earned, not anymore. our nation came together to ensure the burden is no longer on them to prove their illness was service related, whether it was agent orange or toxic waste to ensure they protected them, they just have to protect the united states because it's assumed that their death was a consequence of the exposure. on this day we came together again to reflect, to remember,

but above all, to recommit to the future they fought for, a future grounded infreedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality. not just for some but for all. america is the only country in the world founded on an idea, an idea that all people are created equal, deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives. we've never fully lived up to that, but we've never ever ever walked away from it. every generation our fallen heroes have brought us closer. today we're not just fortunate heirs of their legacy. we have a responsibility to be the keepers of their mission, that truest memorial of their lives. the actions we take every day to ensure our democracy endures, the very idea of america endures. ladies and gentlemen, 160 years ago the first american soldier was laid to rest on these

hallowed grounds. there were no big ceremonies, no big speeches, no family members to mourn their loss. just a quiet grief of the rolling green hills surrounding them. today we join that grief with gratitude. gratitude to our fallen heroes. gratitude to the families left behind, and gratitude to the brave souls who continue to uphold the flame of liberty all across our country and around the world. because of them all of them that we stand here today. we will never forget that. we will never, ever, ever stop working to make a more perfect union, which they lived and which they died for. that was their promise. that's our promise. our promise today to them. that's our promise always. god bless the fallen. may god bless their families and

may god protect our troops. thank you. [ applause ] >> president biden there on remembrance day, an important day for all of us to underline what it is that this day represents on this memorial day.

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38 past the hour, immigration top concern for many voters as they prepare to the head to the polls this november. just last week the senate tried

and failed to pass the bipartisan border security bill again. congressional members had this to say about its failure. >> we're sick over the fact that our republican colleagues in congress continue to vote against bipartisan border security that would give us the opportunity to actually give the president the resources and the authorities to make this a permanent change to get the numbers under control on a permanent basis. >> first of all, if you're negotiating in good faith, would you rub your negotiating partner's nose in failure like that saying we're playing chess, they're playing checkers? >> joining us now, democratic california congressman robert garcia, he is a member of the house oversight committee and the homeland security committee. it's always a pleasure to see you. i thank you so much for being with us this morning. that was the senate once again trying to pass this immigration bill. it failed there. how would you have voted it had it come to the house? >> well, i mean, first, look, i

appreciate the senate's efforts and certainly the democrats in the senate aren't trying to put a comprehensive bill that looks at security at the border. i appreciate that. i think unfortunately many of us in the hispanic caucus on the house side are concerned that the bill does not include real immigration reform. i think you have to have both. i think a lot of what's in there as it relates to border security, supporting border patrol agents, technology. those are the right things. the president supports those. it's also true that we have 11 million people in this country with no pathway to citizen ship. it's also true we need to strengthen our asylum laws. we have dreamers who are looking at their futures not knowing what could be next for them. we believe that that package could have been a lot stronger. it could have been broader and certainly something that a lot of us are working o as real comprehensive immigration reform, which we also know president biden supports. on his first day in office, president biden introduce add comprehensive immigration reform package, and that's what we'd like to see in front of the congress.

>> so on this specific border bill, had it come to the house, you would be a what? yes or a no? >> i would have voted no. i think you'd have a large chunk and probably majority of the hispanic caucus voting no as well. what we want to see is a comprehensive bill that includes also immigration provisions like supporting dreamers, like supporting our daca recipients, and that's something that the bill did not include. i applaud folks like senator alex padilla who speaks to a lot of our concerns as well. >> i'm so glad you mentioned this. there are differences between the humanitarian crisis at the border and how that has played out across our country, and then you have, as you mentioned, you have 11, 12 million people who have been here, many for decades with u.s. born children many of them who have been participating in and who in very real ways have been vetted by being here, by participating, by being a part of this economy, and you

have also dreamers, people who are brought here not through their own choice but through their parents, know no other country but the united states, that is not even being mentioned. i'm glad you are. why is that, congressman, not part of any equation? >> i mean, well, first, i think donald trump is a big part of it. i'm an immigrant myself. i am a product of a strong immigration system that uplifts and supports people in this country. i didn't become a u.s. citizen until i was in my early 20s. came here as a young child. i worked hard, my family worked hard, went to college, did what we could to contribute back. and now i'm in the u.s. congress. every single young person should have the same opportunity that was given to me to contribute and to give back to this country. i love this country. patriotic american, and most immigrants just want to give back to this country. i think that's absolutely the

right approach. we have to actually have a real conversation about real immigration reform. let's not forget that this wasn't actually taken on, the last time was, what, the 1980s, it was ronald reagan that signed the last real immigration reform bill in this country, a republican. so we've gone so far from that, and unfortunately, it's donald trump that has been to blame for attacking immigrants, saying that we're poisoning the blood of this country, calling us rapists and murderers, talking about separating us, talking about deporting us if somehow he gets reelected. i think those are issues that are serious. vast majority of americans want to see immigration reform that's common sense. that supports working people, that provides a pathway to people that are contributing back to this country. that's all that we're asking for. >> yeah, i mean, and i think it's important especially on this memorial day to kind of step back for a second and congressman, i'm so glad that you mentioned your reality

because, you know, a 5-year-old peruvian child who arrived here and saw his mother and his family make every sacrifice you can imagine to be here in this country and to participate and to become part of the thread of american society and culture and to see that that little boy is now a member of congress tells you so much about the greatness of this country and how important it is that everyone is listened to. >> i think that's exactly right. i tell people also like the day that i became a u.s. citizen was the proudest day of my life. the day i raised my right hand and pledged an oath to this country. that changed opportunities for me and so many young people want that same shot. that's what this country is about. it's a country built so much on immigrants' labor, on our

support, and our love of being true patriots. so i'm hopeful that we can get to a place in this country where we can have real immigration reform. i think the president i know supports that. we're going to continue to push every single day until it happens, and there's a pathway for the 11 million plus people here in this country. >> yeah, you know, the last comprehensive immigration reform as you said correctly was signed by president reagan in 1986. congressman robert garcia, it is always a pleasure to see you. i thank you so much for being with us on this memorial day. up next, the latest on what we know about the missionaries killed in haiti and the growing humanitarian crisis there as gangs and police continue to face off. we'll talk to a journalist who has followed the situation in haiti very closely. you're watching "josé diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. ée diaz-balart reports" on msnbc.

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attack on the missionaries? >> well, what we know is that they were the victims of two separate gang attacks. the first attack happened as they were leaving church on thursday night. davie was, the husband, he was tied up. the gangs went in. they looted the property then another gang showed up according to a -- who's been in haiti over 26 years. they said they were coming to help and somehow mayhem broke out, shots rang out. the house was set on fire. davie and natalie were actually in davie's parents' house trying to call the dad to tell him what was happening. they were using star link internet. the haitian politician have launched an investigation. that particular area where the orphanage is located, they're

surrounded by three different groups we know of. >> that's what happened to missionaries and it's a tragedy. a horrible tragedy. the haitian people have been suffering extraordinarily for the longest time. i mean, we can go back in history. we can go to the 2010 earthquake, but we should also look at this latest, the killing of the president. but the suffering of the haitian people right now is at just really a dangerous levels. >> it is. the gangs control more than 80% of port-au-prince, the capital. you have millions of people who are struggling to eat. over 5 million. you have at least a million looking at famine. more than 30 hospitals have been looted, vandalized, burned. today, if you suffer from a chronic illness like kidney

disease, you really cannot get a dialysis treatment. we're seeing cholera come back. when haiti was just months away from eradicating that. it's really a horrible situation. people are not able to go out. if they do, they don't know if they're going to make it back home alive. yes, the killing of these missionaries is bringing attention to this, haitians are dying every day. they are being killing by gangs every day. >> what is the solution or is there a solution? you're reporting that the police deployment from kenya is facing delays. what is going on there and what is the midterm or is there a midterm solution? >> ironically, this killing happened on the same day that the kenyans were expected to land in haiti but that money is being blocked. at least 40 million of the 100 million that the state department has pledged is being

blocked by republicans and the gop who do not believe in this mission. the options today are what are they? close the u.n. for another peace keeping mission. do nothing. american troops, which president biden said a few days ago, that's not going to happen. or you get a third country and kenya is a country. no one silver bullet. you need to create something to the haitians can create a plan to rescue this country. >> thank you so much. really appreciate it. up next, horrible news out of los angeles as an actor from general hospital was shot and killed in a robbery attempt. what we know after the break. you're watching jose diaz-balart reports on msnbc. z-iabalart reports on msnbc urn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. - so this is pickleball? - pickle!

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56 past the hour. an investigation underway this morning after actor johnny wagner known for his role in general hospital was fatally shot in los angeles during a suspected robbery. nbc news correspondent morgan chesky has more. >> this is a stunning loss that is leading a lot of friends and family members still very much in shock and police trying to track down a group of men they say are responsible for shooting and killing the 37-year-old actor. police say that he walked up on this group as they were trying to steal parts from his car and that's when one of the suspects responded by opening fire.

in los angeles, a young hollywood actor's life has been cut short. 37-year-old johnny wactor was shot saturday morning. he was killed after approaching three men attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his car. he was known for his role as brando on general hospital appearing in 164 episodes. his mother, scarlet, saying he was chasing his dreams. >> he lived life to the fullest. he was a light in a dark room and he will be very missed. >> she told nbc he was leaving his job at a bar later than usual when he approached his car with a co-worker wondering if he was being towed. his death comes amid a crime surge in major cities. in new york, an actor was

violently attacked last month while at the same time, women in the city were being attacked. zpl i was just walking and a man came up and hit me in the face. >> now in los angeles, his colleagues paying tribute after the shocking crime. general hospital posting, he was truly one of the kind. his tv wife writing my heart is so utterly broken. johnny was the absolute best. and his manager telling nbc he pursued his dreams and achieved them all the while remaining a good human being, caring for others. now, his family looking for answers. >> i hope they will catch whoever did it. i hope there will be some kind of justice for johnny. >> right now, police are stressing this is very much an ongoing investigation. they were only aware the group of men got into a vehicle and fled into an unknown direction. they're calling on the help of

the public for anything that can help them. >> you can reach me on social media at jd balart and watch clips on youtube at msnbc.com/jdb. thank you for the privilege of your time. chris jansing picks up with more news right now. happy memorial day, everyone. i'm chris jansing in new york. thank you for joining us on this holiday. this hour, at least 21 people are dead after a string of tornados ripped through texas, oklahoma, and arkansas. where the threat of extreme weather remains for tens of millions of americans today. plus, we're less than 24 hours away from the beginning of the end of the trial for the history books. what to expect from closing arguments as donald trump's trial moves towards completion. also ahead, an