behind closed doors on capitol hill, as president biden looks to tamp down a revolt within his party. in just moments, i'll talk to former congressman cedric richmond, co-chair of the biden/harris campaign. do they think they made a strong enough case? plus, after an unprecedented silence, donald trump is weighing in, what he is saying about his opponent's ego. yes, you heard that right. and the former president's shadow looming large over the nato summit happening in washington. why it is not only a big test for the alliance, but for biden too. and devastation from beryl. it could be weeks before some parts of texas get power back on with scorching heat, what are people supposed to do? hi there. it is 7:00 eastern. i'm ana cabrera reporting from new york. today, president biden's duel

role as candidate and commander in chief face pivotal tests. he'll host nato leaders hoping to project strength as americans and the world speculate about his political future and he'll aim to lock down democratic support in congress as he rappels calls to step aside. he's gotten public backing now from key groups and the party's leader in the house. >> i made clear publicly that the day after the debate that i support president joe biden on the democratic ticket. my position has not changed. >> democrats in both chambers meet behind closed doors today to talk about the path ahead for biden. in just minutes, i'll ask the biden campaign co-chair about it. let's discuss with nbc's peter alexander at the white house and ali vitali who has been staking out that democratic meeting that is already under way this morning. let's start there, ali. what is happening so far? any readout from members coming

in or out? >> reporter: you have some uncharacteristically quiet democratic members trickling out of this meeting. my understanding is while some are leaving because they have to go to a ways and means committee markup, some are still in the room. as of five minutes ago, the meeting was in theory still going on and members were at the commentary portion of this family gathering. you got to remember, they're without their phones, they took apple watches, cell phones, other electronic devices at the door. the goal was really to stop the leaks and allow people to have a candid conversation, but i think what is so striking is that in our reporting over the weekend, we know, for example, that ranking members and top democrats had huddled on a phone call where in several of these top members voiced their concerns about biden's ability to continue on as the party's nominee. some of those very same members in walking into this meeting and i'll admit their comments were pretty short, but they did not sound like they were openly doubting or willing to call for the president to step down as

his party's nominee. i think on a highlight that divide that we're hearing from members publicly versus privately, that is one of the questions that we had going into this, is whether or not once you got all democrats in the room -- is the meeting over, guys? did the meeting end? still going? congressman saying the meeting is still going on. that's one of the things we're tracking here, trying to wait for leadership and see if they have any public guidance they want to share that they offered to their colleagues in the room. there has been such a mix of lawmakers on background and off the record telling reporters that they're concerned, will they share that in the room with their colleagues is one question. and once all democrats are together, will there be some kind of moment where they either all come out and say we're going to put this to bed, biden should still be the nominee, or will this griping continue both publicly and privately, ana? >> as we have been following the last several days, we have heard from lawmakers who have called on the president to step aside from the campaign. in the senate, however, it has

been more wait and see, no defections in that chamber. at least not yet. what are you hearing ahead of their meeting? >> reporter: the senate is one of those places we watch closely and we know it is one of the places that president biden himself watches closely having served in that body for so many years and respecting the role that his fellow senators play here. there was conversation and we were able to report about very early efforts from senator mark warner of virginia, trying to talk to his colleagues about concerns that he might have, potentially putting a meeting together for when they all got back in town on monday. that meeting, it seems, never materialized and instead will happen during their usual democratic caucus lunch on the hill. this is a usual meeting place for them. it is not new or noteworthy that these democrats on the house and senate side are huddling together. they do this together weekly, when they're in town. the topic of conversation is all about the standard bearer of their party. there have been no democratic senators willing to come out and say that biden needs to resign his place atop the ticket.

there have been a handful of democratic senators, though, willing to say, ana, they have concerns and they need president biden to show, not just tell, he can do this, he can carry the democratic standard all the way across the country and across the finish line in november against donald trump. >> peter, the stakes are incredibly high today with these hill meetings, and president biden set to host foreign allies, what are the white house expectations? >> reporter: i think the white house for this moment feels good, the campaign apparatus as well that they have sort of fortified this dam, preventing it from being breached right now, the seven democratic house members have come out as ali said, no members of the senate so far are coming out publicly. there were some critical words from senator patty murray of washington, saying among other things we need to see a much more forceful and energetic candidate on the campaign trail going forward to better convince

voters that joe biden deserves another four years in office right now. yesterday really represented, i think it is a strategy they'll take going forward, a new effort by this white house, with multiple outreaches. first, the president speaking to "morning joe" on msnbc, the letter to lawmakers on capitol hill, conversations calling in to the influential congressional black caucus, speaking to donors as well, where he said among other things the democratic party has spoken, and that the nominee is me. he's not yet the nominee. the presumptive nominee, with convention scheduled to take place in the middle of august next month here. the president also indicating, he said i'm not going anywhere. instead saying that democrats need to cut out all these distractions and this sort of intraparty debate right now and focus on donald trump and the words of president biden, he's the one who needs to be in the bull's eye going forward. and the president is going to have a chance to try to do that when he speaks not to the nato

event that takes place this afternoon, the opening remarks, but on thursday during that solo news conference. i think that is the day to circle on the calendar. lawmakers have raised it to me, aides have recognized the significance of this moment as well. this is the first solo news conference president biden will do here in washington in exactly 20 months. it was november 9th of 2022, the last time he held an extended solo news conference here in washington. >> the president has often said watch me when asked about the concerns related to his age. we're also learning about some of his past examinations by doctors. there was a white house letter last night from the doctor there at the white house confirming president biden was examined by a neurological specialist for each of his last physical exams. so one each year. lay out what we learned in this letter. >> reporter: this was really trying to answer some questions about his health, especially after that tense white house briefing where karine

jean-pierre said she was not in a position to talk any further about this, dr. kevin cannard, a neurological specialist, this specialization he has being in parkinson's disease, why he had been at the white house eight times in eight months between last summer and this spring. the letter ultimately going out writing in part, dr. cannard was the neurological specialist that examined president biden for each of his annual physicals. his findings have been made public each time i have released the results of the president's annual physical. president biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical. specifically about those eight visits here to the white house, it left a lot of people asking, certainly members of the media and the white house briefing room, where why he had come those eight different times and

when it comes to dr. kevin o'connor, dr. cannard had been here for regular neurological clinics at the white house medical clinic in support of thousands of active duty military staff who are assigned here. left unanswered is whether president biden's name was ever a subject of any conversation with the president's personal doctor when dr. cannard was here, but the hope was clearly to put these questions to bed, to end this conversation, and to be clear dr. cannard or dr. o'connor said that in his previous visits with him during the annual exam there were no findings consistent with parkinson's, ms or a stroke. >> peter alexander, thank you. ali vitali, stay close, keep us posted as people come out of the meeting. now joining us biden/harris campaign co-chair cedric richmond. thank you for being here as we have laid out president biden has shored up some support from key groups there on the hill, from the congressional black caucus to the congressional

hispanic caucus, minority leader jeffries, alexandria ocasio-cortez, members of the squad, chuck schumer and no senators as we mentioned have come out and asked biden to step aside. but at least nine house democrats have asked biden to step aside from the campaign. here's some of their reasoning. >> the input from my constituents has been 10 to 1 in favor of replacing president biden on the ticket. there is a real risk of a republican congress if we can't unite and have a stronger effort. >> mr. president, your legacy is set. we owe you the greatest debt of gratitude. the only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this. >> our constituents are bringing it up, the country is bringing it up, the white house, the

campaign strategy of be quiet, and fall in line, and let's ignore it simply isn't working. >> what is your response to those criticisms? >> well, i don't have a response to them because it is a distraction. the president laid out in his letter yesterday that he was committed to two things. he's committed to finishing this race and he's committed to beating donald trump and making sure that america remains on the bright trajectory that it is on. and so, what i've always learned from my grandmother and mother is that actions speak louder than words, and if you look at the president's actions and accomplishments, they're historic, from reducing child poverty, taking care of seniors, largest investment in climate, first infrastructure bill in decades, that's all action. that's accomplishments. then on the other hand, if you look at donald trump, you see talk is cheap. and so i would just urge my democratic colleagues to stay

focused on the main goal, which is to protect this country from donald trump and ensure that the historic gains and accomplishments of the biden/harris administration continue. >> what is your message to democrats who are worried biden could drag down ballot on key house and senate races? >> well, i don't believe that to be true. and so what i would urge colleagues to do is go out there and knock on doors, make calls, talk to their constituents. i've been elected before. and your constituents vote for you. and members have an obligation to go out and campaign, not only for themselves, but the top of the ticket, but here's the major thing. we as democrats need to talk about what we stand for. and that is rebuilding this middle class, bringing this country together, unifying the party, that's what we stand for. if you look at the other side, they stand for destroying the woman's right to choose, you

look at project 2025, which is an utter disaster, i wish people would look at, if you look at the supreme court and how important that is. so that's why i say we need to stay focused on what is at stake here, what is at risk, and the best person positioned to beat donald trump is the person who beat him last time and that's the biden/harris ticket. >> we're hearing from democratic lawmakers and others who are allies of the president question whether he is the best person to beat donald trump. president biden has said, pushing him out of the 2024 race would disenfranchise democratic voters who have picked him in the primary. give you that. but some democrats say there are still alternatives that give voters a voice, a new op-ed by james carville, a veteran of democratic campaigns, bill clinton's writes biden won't win and proposes that the democrats hold a sort of mini priary with four historic town halls and that would happen before the convention to explore potential

other nominees and other options. all because of what was seen on that debate stage just a couple of weeks ago. what do you say to that? >> i'll again say that the debate stage was words. the debate stage is performance. i would say look at actions and accomplishments. and president biden has been able to do things that no other democratic president has been able to do. so, we have to look at what he's able to do, not just words. and, look -- >> isn't it connected when they see him perform, as you call it performance, that is action as well and how he's able to articulate his policies for the future, not just what he's accomplished in the past. and there is a post debate cbs poll that shows the share of voters who think biden does have the cognitive health to be president actually dropped from 35% to 27% after that debate. this was before his abc interview, before the morning joe interview yesterday, but can

the american people be sure president biden won't have more mental lapses like what we saw at the debate? >> well, it was a bad debate performance. and it is the same thing that happened to president obama. he had a bad debate performance going into his re-election. and it has been consistent with other president also. so, i would once again say look at his accomplishments, what he's been able to do as president, and then we need to stop giving the other guy a pass. we're here talking about a debate performance. we're not talking about a twice impeached president. both times it was for his own political gain. he withheld money from ukraine so they would investigate his political opponent. he tried to lead an insurrection and stop the peaceful transfer of power so that he could remain in office. he was just convicted of 34 felony counts for lying to the american people so he could win the election over hillary

clinton. so, the more we talk about this, the less we're talking about the threat, clear and present danger of president -- former president donald trump. and so, you have a person of great accomplishments, great character, and on the other side you have a habitual liar who places himself in front of the american people and i don't want us to distract from that conversation because of a few people. and, look, i'm not dismissing any concerns. but the president has answered them. the president has been out there on the campaign trail since then, with rallies of philadelphia, rallies in wisconsin, going to church in philadelphia, doing interviews. the president is out there, he is addressing those concerns, he's showing his vigor, he's showing his determination, and we should support that and keep going forward. >> you laid out the contrast. why is this race so close, though? this is a historic opportunity.

how do you explain why president biden hasn't been able to pull away or even lead against trump? >> because for the past three and a half years since he's been president, you were right to talk about the challenges that we face when he took office, 54% of schools closed. so many people unemployed. and the president has done incredible job bringing us out of the disastrous covid response from trump. the american people have been busy working. they have been busy meeting the challenges, and so now is the time to talk about those accomplishments and now i see people actually focusing on the choice. since the debate, people have really started to pay attention to this race and they started to pay attention to the president's accomplishments. i think he will see movement very soon.

i feel it on the streets. the people i talk to. and i think now they see what is at risk, what has been accomplished, and i think you'll see some movement. >> finally, quickly if you will, given the ongoing concerns about his age, and the renewed concerns about his cognitive health, why not take a cognitive test like people like adam schiff and nancy pelosi, friends and allies of the president, have suggested? >> i think the letter says he takes one every year and i think -- i'm quite sure the letter said he passed every cognitive test that he was given at his annual physical. so, again, we're talking about president biden and a test and he leads this country every day. we're not talking about the danger and the habitual liar some people could say lunatic on the other side. and so, i don't want us to continue to focus on president biden. we have seen his accomplishments. he never tried to lead an

insurrection, overthrow the government of the united states and wasn't impeached. >> i hear you. thank you so much. thank you very much, cedric richmond, for joining us and answering those questions. we appreciate you. up next, what donald trump is saying about president biden's battle for political survival. plus, how the gop platform has changed on abortion and same sex marriage just ahead of the republican national convention. also, here is a question, can you trust proof nato? how the military alliance's summit in d.c. could be critical for its future. and beryl's aftermath, why people in the path of destruction may not be out of the woods yet. we're back in just 90 seconds. e. we're back in just 90 seconds. from when i was born. from one generation to the next, to the next, we don't stop. i always wanted to know why i'm the way i am. my curiosity led me to ancestry. it breaks down like everything genetically.

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...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. we're less than a week out from the republican national convention, with the calendar ticking down to the big gathering in milwaukee, speculation is growing about who donald trump will pick as his vp. amid that speculation, trump will rally today in doral, florida, this evening with a senator on his rumored vp contender list. florida's own marco rubio. and nbc's vaughn hillyard is joining us here in the studio to discuss this. also with us, republican strategist and msnbc political analyst rick tyler, a former communications director for ted cruz. so, vaughn, start us off here, what can we expect from this rally tonight? a vp announcement to come? >> john allen says marco rubio,

the florida senator will be joining him at that rally tonight. he could be very well be one of those vp finalists. we're still looking at north dakota governor doug burgum, potentially jd vance, a second rally that is planned for outside of pittsburgh, pennsylvania, this upcoming saturday. that is right before the milwaukee convention starts on monday. i want to let you listen to donald trump in a conversation, a taped conversation with sean hannity last night about the state of his decision-making process. take a listen. >> i haven't made final decision. but i have some ideas as to where we're going, and a little bit, you know, we wanted to see what they're doing to be honest because might make a difference, i don't know. i would love to do it during the convention. i think it would be a very interesting buildup and important for the convention, it would make it even more exciting. >> that is a shift because it was only just a few days ago was suggesting publicly that he had already made the decision in his mind, but now leaving open the door to wait to see what the state of biden's candidacy looks

like. >> and the changes to the rnc platform, as we head into the convention next week. >> right, the last time the republican party adopted a platform was in 2016, before their convention in cleveland. and just yesterday it was a proposed platform that was passed by the platform committee that would be voted on by the full rnc delegation in milwaukee next week. but this platform, the proposed platform received the backing of donald trump just yesterday. and there is two notable parts of this, number one, a call for the largest deportation program in american history, also the call to have individuals who brought prosecutions against perceived political enemies to go and be targeted and investigated themselves. of course, then, though, there is notably on abortion there is a -- you could say a little bit watered down policy platform as opposed to 2016 when in the gop's platform they called for what they referred to as a human life amendment to be added to the u.s. constitution. essentially a federal abortion

ban. this platform is proposed and said this should be a decision left to the states. and on same sex marriage, in 2016, that platform from the gop, there is a reference to being a marriage between being one man and one woman. this go around it is only a reference to the sanctity of marriage, so a little bit watered down version of same sex marriage reference too. >> vaughn, thank you very much for that reporting. this new platform kind of steering the party away from traditional gop issues. that may not play well with more middle of the road voters on abortion, on same sex marriage. can voters trust that what is in this platform will be binding? will republicans stick to it? >> well, look, it remains to be seen. there wasn't a platform of 2020 significantly and there wasn't 2016, but without a pro life and pro marriage platform in the republican party, i don't see where the party survives. it is going to split. there is just too many pro-life

republicans, i would find it very hard to believe they would adopt the republican party which tells you this is not the republican party anymore, would adopt a platform that is not firmly in the pro-life camp and acknowledges marriage between one man and one woman, which is what the 2016 platform said in this platform would not have that. and, remember, evangelicals all over the country, their churches have election day sermons that the largest ones, cavalry chapel churches and pastors will get up there and what are they going to explain, you're going to vote for donald trump who represents the party that is no longer pro-life? i find that really hard to believe that people would do that. and any leader in the pro-life movement, clearly it pays more to be pro-trump than pro-life is going to go out there and advocate for a president who is not going to wholeheartedly back a platform that is pro-life and

pro-marriage. i find that extraordinary and it represents a huge weakness in the party. people keep talking about, you know, joe biden resigning, which i think he should, but i also think donald trump should resign because he's a convicted felon and it would be great if we had both of them resign and just start this mess all over again. >> trump was on fox last night, and was asked about president biden's insistence that he's going to stay in the race. and here's how trump sees it. >> looks to me like he may very well stay in. he's got an ego and he doesn't want to quit. he doesn't want to do that. just looks to me like that's what he wants. nobody wants to give that up that way. he's going to feel badly about himself for a long time. it is hard to give it up that way. >> rick, your reaction to these comments from trump on biden's ego? >> well, look, biden has been in office since he's been 29 years old, he's now 81.

the problem is is that cognitive decline, if that's indeed what it is, i do not know, does not get better with time. he's going to be 81. and the way the campaign and the white house is treating him is really, to me, it is just despicable. let's have him do a press conference, do a live interview, do this and that. he's not going to get younger. he's not going to be 78 at the end of all this. he's going to be 81. people are not electing people for joe biden to get through the next press conference, they're electing him to be president for four more years. and that's the issue. i think democrats, some of them are saying it, do realize that they're electing someone for four more years, not just to get through the next press conference. and so they have really got to handle this and i think it has not been handled very well at all. there is a lot of questions still to be answered. i don't know the answers. there is a lot of questions. >> well, we keep asking the questions. rick tyler, thank you.

thank you so much for joining us. up next on "ana cabrera reports," beryl's aftermath. it could take weeks for parts of texas to get power back. how scalding heat could make matters even worse. plus, exchanging power for gold? the closing arguments prosecutors are making in senator bob menendez's corruption trial. making in senator bob menendez's corruption trial vraylar helped give it a lift. adding vraylar to an antidepressant is clinically proven to help relieve overall depression symptoms better than an antidepressant alone. and in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, as these may be life-threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent. high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, weight gain, and high cholesterol may occur. movement dysfunction and restlessness are common side effects.

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this morning, more than 2 million people still don't have power after beryl tore through texas. utility companies are racing to restore service in the middle of a dangerous heat wave. the powerful storm toppling trees and dumping more than a foot of water in some areas, flooding coastal communities. at least seven people in texas and louisiana were killed. the storm now a tropical depression is now moving north with more than 25 million people from arkansas to michigan under flood watches this morning. and nbc's kathy park is live in houston. and, kathy, we see trees down.

what is happening on the ground? >> reporter: ana, good morning to you. the torrential downpours and powerful winds attached to beryl really created a mess across texas. the death toll has now climbed to 7 and this morning, many residents are waking up to a big cleanup ahead. this tree is blocking off the entire roadway. we're told that it fell sometime yesterday afternoon and with so many still without power, it could get downright dangerous, especially with the heat continuing to build. this morning, texas is trying to recover after taking a direct hit from beryl. knocking out power to more than 2 million across a lone star state, a major concern in the midst of a nationwide heat wave. houston under a heat advisory with the heat index today as high as 105. many trying to cope without power cleaning up from the storm, which landed in texas monday morning as a category 1 hurricane, battering the coast

with winds nearing 90 miles per hour. strong enough to destroy property on land and at sea. a destructive storm surge also flooding coastal communities. emergency crews rescuing dozens of people trapped by floodwaters. beryl's powerful winds uprooting and shredding trees, spawning more than a dozen tornadoes in louisiana, arkansas and texas like this one in jasper. >> sounded like a train coming through. and, yeah, we could hear the trees falling. >> reporter: neighborhoods turned into rivers. major highways impassable. do you think the hurricane would be this bad in houston? >> no. i think it is a wake-up call. >> reporter: now that the storm has passed, a spirit of resilience, as neighbors pitch in to clean up. and now as a power issue continues in brutal texas temps, the extreme heat impacting more than 135 million people coast to coast. breaking records across the country, and even causing this bridge in the bronx to get stuck

open after the steel expanded. and back here in houston, this neighborhood along with several others still without power. center point energy says they hope to have roughly a million customers restored by end of day tomorrow. they have 12,000 field resources at the ready. they're working around the clock for these ongoing restoration efforts. but keep in mind, the temps here in houston will stay in the 90s. >> wow. yeah. calm after the storm. but so hot. kathy park, thank you. stay safe. stay cool. that heat already turning deadly on the west coast. oregon officials say they're investigating five possible heat-related deaths from this past weekend. the heat fueling wildfires across california. firefighters continuing to battle the biggest blaze, the lake fire, scorching more than 21,000 acres in santa barbara. and threatening michael jackson's old neverland ranch. that fire only 12% contained. as 2024 tracks to be the hottest

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president biden's domestic challenges will be under an international spotlight today as the summit marking nato's 75th anniversary kicks off in washington. the president is set to give a speech this evening amid intense scrutiny over his age and capacity to remain in power with the war in ukraine intensifying and with the looming shadow of donald trump, who could return to power after previously declaring nato as obsolete. let's go to nbc news white house correspondent aaron gilchrist, who is at the site of the summit. aaron, what are the white house expectations for the summit and

what is at stake personally for president biden? >> well, ana, president biden has spoken often about the need he believes to shore up relationships, alliances with global partners and allies around the world. you'll hear him speak about that tonight here whether he speaks behind me, which is the location where the north atlantic treaty was originally signed 75 years ago. the goal then was to create a military body, a security collective, if you will, to keep europe safe from the soviet union. the mission has not changed dramatically today as this effort to really shore up ukraine's ability to fight against russia is going to be a key element of the meetings that will happen here over the next several days. we do expect, according to a senior administration official, that there will be an announcement about military support, additional new steps being taken to shore up military support by way of training and materials for ukraine in its fight against russia. that is something that president

biden, we know, when he was at the g-7 summit signed a security bilateral security agreement with ukraine. there were 20 nations that signed such agreements with ukraine. the idea we understand from the senior administration official is to build a bridge for ukraine to nato membership. it will not get an offer of membership at this meeting, but the idea is that if countries around the world can help ukraine build up its military presence, that at some point in the future, when there is agreement among the 32 nato nations, ukraine would be able to come into nato and fit in perfectly from the military perspective. that's what we expect to see be a key part of the conversations that happen here during the nato summit this week in d.c. >> aaron gilchrist, thank you for setting the table for us. joining us now, "new york times" diplomatic correspondent michael crowley. the white house wanted to build confidence in this international alliance. but president biden is now coming off one of the most shaky periods of his re-election

campaign. what is the mood or your sense of the mood of -- among foreign leaders who are visiting? >> thanks. i think much like political professionals and millions of americans, these foreign leaders came to washington ready for a very substantive conversation which they will have, but they're going to be watching president biden himself personally very closely, had he's physical condition, his mental acuity. i think they, like so many americans, are also wondering, you know, what happened in that debate and is it a sign of a bigger problem or not? and they are going to be sizing him up just as everyone else will be? >> one point president biden made to underscore how effective he's been as president was his work with nato. here's what he told abc's george stephanopoulos. >> the question on so many people's minds right now is can you serve effectively for the next four years? >> george, i'm the guy that put

nato together. the future. no one thought i could expand it. i'm the guy that shut putin down. no one thought it could happen. i'm the guy that put together a south pacific initiative. i'm the guy that got 50 nations out -- not only in europe, outside of europe as well, to help ukraine. >> so, michael, just how strong is the nato alliance right now and does president biden deserve credit? >> yeah, look, the alliance is at one of its strongest points since the cold war. and vladimir putin's aggression has given the alliance a renewed sense of mission. you may remember ten or so years ago, people were saying nato needs to find a new mission and maybe has to do more in the middle east. that's all out the window. it has gone back to basics, standing up to russia. there is a lot of celebration about that and justified sense of accomplishment. but however there is a huge amount of uncertainty looming, particularly given the

possibility that donald trump will succeed joe biden and donald trump has been very critical of nato and very critical at times of western support for ukraine. so those are big question marks. >> yeah. he's been critical, he's made comments about russia doing whatever it wants in the recent debate. trump shrugged when biden asked him if he would pull out of the alliance. there has been some talk of trump-proofing the alliance in case he's re-elected. what could that look like? >> yeah. there is talk particularly when it comes to ukraine as your correspondent said in the intro, there are some efforts to increase interoperability with ukraine's military and nato militaries, western countries have been funding ukraine as much as they possibly can, trying to get some long-term projects going like building up ukraine's defense industrial base and europe's defense industrial base, but honestly, there is not that much you can do if you have an american president who is hostile to the alliance. congress has tried to assert

itself to say president biden can't withdraw america from the alliance, that may be difficult, but he can do a lot to disrupt it, throw it off track, and create chaos that would really sabotage nato's mission and cause big problems for ukraine. >> michael crowley, thank you for your insights and reporting. appreciate you joining us. up next on "ana cabrera reports," putting power, quote, up for sale. what else we're hearing in closing arguments in the corruption trial of senator bob menendez. plus, the scary moment during takeoff for one united flight. united flight throughout the day when you can take 1 prilosec. for easier heartburn relief, one beats ten. prilosec otc. one pill. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

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closing arguments resume today in the bribery trial of new jersey democratic senator bob menendez. the prosecution began to wrap its case yesterday, arguing that menendez, quote, put his power up for sale. they're expected to go for several more hours today, in their closing arguments as they look to tie together evidence from several dozen witnesses and hundreds of documents including emails, text messages, phone records. the defense claims the evidence found in the fbi raid is explainable and not the result of bribery. menendez has pleaded not guilty to all 18 charges. nbc's tom winter has been following this trial the last several weeks and joins us now. we're at the end here, tom. what else are we hearing in these closing arguments so far? >> it is just the united states

attorney paul montelione is delivering that argument and he's saying it wasn't enough that senator robert menendez was a senator from new jersey. it wasn't enough that senator menendez was the senior senator, had the ability to put forward the name for the potential u.s. attorney for new jersey, he says it was menendez that wanted to get paid, that basically wanted to be given all sorts of favors, whether they be the gold bars, whether they be the cash, in exchange for that position and that's really where he's gone to in the heart of the argument, and as you pointed out, with the type of evidence that the jurors have reviewed in the course of this, he's reviewed in the course of this, and he's using that in closing argument saying it was not that senator menendez knew these payments were going on and knew these types of things he was doing

would help his wife, nadine, which we will get to, but he was involved in the process and look at his words and what was happening here, and that's why the jury in his eyes should convict the prosecutor. >> and then the defense will do its closing argument. the senator did not testify in his own defense and essentially his lawyer said the prosecution had not proved anything beyond the reasonable doubt, and how are they explaining the evidence, the gold bars and cash and that sort of thing. >> the senator's press conference was after the charges were announced, and his sister said in 1951 we fled cuba and at that time there was a traumatic incident where the police raided the home and they took things and it was only because they saved cash and an old clock that they were able to hold on, and

so that's the argument they are trying to make. he kept this because that was part of the family tradition, and why he received this money not necessarily from a bank and it was not the checks from the senate in cash but what he got from the codefendants. >> thank you. now to a frightening moment on board an united airlines flight. it happened when the tire fell off during takeoff, and it continued to its destination with 181 people onboard. here's the moment the passengers were told to brace for a bumpy landing. >> brace, brace, brace! >> well, that plane did land safely, and it comes after a string of problems for united including another flight losing

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welcome back. happening today, jury selection in alec baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial. the actor faces up to 18 months in jail over the death on the set of "rust." walk us through what we are watching today. i understand there was a big legal win yesterday for baldwin? >> reporter: yeah, exactly, ana. good to see you. jury selection is expected to start today which means we could see opening statements as early as tomorrow, and that could

slightly change. yesterday a big win for baldwin's defense team, and it's clear after yesterday's hearing as to where both sides are standing and what they plan to present at trial. for the first time actor alec baldwin arriving in court days before his criminal trial is set to begin. the actor facing an involuntary manslaughter charge over the death of cinematographer, halyna hutchins. in a big win for baldwin's defense, the judge ruled the actor's role as a producer on the film could not be brought up to the jury. >> i'm having real difficulty with the state's position that they want to show that as a producer he didn't follow guidelines, and therefore as an actor mr. baldwin did all of

these things wrong resulting in the death of halyna hutchins. >> by excludeing evidence of baldwin as a producer, baldwin is only responsible for what baldwin did when he handled the firearms. >> also excluded by the judge, portions of these videos obtained by investigators showed baldwin rushing crew members on set. but the judge ruled in favor of the prosecution by saying they can show autopsy photos of hutchins and video of moments after the fatal shooting. the stage is nearly set for what is expected to be an eight-day trial, with today's task at hand, selecting a jury of 12. if baldwin is found guilty, he could face up to 18 months in jail. baldwin has not shied away from giving multiple interviews. >> i would never point a gun at anybody and pull the trigger.

never. that was the training i had. >> legal experts say putting the actor turned defendant on the stand now could give prosecutors a chance to turn his own words against him. >> in all likelihood baldwin will not testify. the risks are too great and outweighs in benefits of putting the client on the stand. >> ana, just a few moments ago we saw alec baldwin enter the courtroom with his wife and their youngest child in tow, and the child stayed in the car which appears to be a nanny with them. the question remains, will baldwin take the stand and testify in his own defense? we will hear from the set's armor, but it's unclear if she will plead the fifth. >> thank you. that does it for us. i will see you back here tomorrow, same time, same