♪♪ here at home and overseas, pressure is building on president biden to do more to stop the escalating crisis in the middle east. after the deadliest day of fighting there so far. overnight, israel launching a series of punishing air strikes targeting hamas which has fired more than 3,000 rockets towards israel. as we speak, more than 200 palestinians including dozens of children killed in the week-long conflict. we're live at the white house. we're following breaking news as we speak from the supreme court. justices agree to hear a major case on abortion rights. a case for mississippi intended to directly challenge roe v. wade. we're also waiting for big decisions that could come in the next 25 minutes or so. we're live with the latest on all of it. we're also live in a different courtroom, down in atlanta, that's where the associate of

embattled matt gaetz is about to enter a guilty plea as part of a federal sex trafficking investigation. what it could mean for the congressman. i'm here with chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in tel aviv. and mike memoli. richard, let me start with you. >> so it does not seem to be slowing down, there was an intense night of israeli strikes on to the gaza strip, all throughout the gaza strip. north, center and the south. people who live there told us it was among the heaviest bombardments they've ever seen in all of the recent wars between israel and hamas in the gaza strip. so intense bombings there. the most deadliest incident took place when israel struck a road, it says, that it is trying to destroy hamas tunnels and

infrastructure. that is what israel says is the point of this. to take away hamas' ability to launch rockets that fall indiscriminately on israeli systems. many of those rockets are enter l intercepted by its other than dome system. some do make it through. but as israel destroyed this road in gaza city it says to take out a hamas structure underneath, three apartment buildings collapsed that were full of people. this was over the weekend. and the apartment buildings went down. dozens of people were killed. more than 40 people were killed, according to palestinian health officials. and not far away, we spoke to a girl, she went to the scene, and she's just a 10-year-old girl. and she said that this is what palestinians are suffering through all the time. and she just doesn't understand when will it will stop, how it will stop and she's looking for

help from the united states. from anywhere she can get it. >> i want to cry. i want to let out my anger out of my body because they're killing people that they don't deserve to die. they're just living their own self. they couldn't kill them. we don't deserve this. >> israel says specifically about those three apartment buildings that went down, that the intention was to destroy the hamas complex underneath them. that it had no intention of bringing down the buildings. and that those were accidental casualties. but it blamed hamas for putting its infrastructure in civilian areas. the rockets are still flying from gaza. we just returned to tel aviv from south of the city. and we were at the site of a rocket attack. a rocket came through the iron dome system. the iron dome system is very

effective. it gets about 90% of the rockets that the system deems to be a threat. if a rocket looks like it's going way off course and is going to land in an open field or out to the sea, the system conserves missiles and doesn't fire but of the rocket it tries to hit, it hits 90% of them. but this one did get through. it hit an apartment building. no one was killed or injured in that attack. but it is attacks like these which is why israel says it is continuing its offensive against the gaza strip. >> and more development likely, richard. thank you. let me go to the white house. there is the, frankly, political and diplomatic component of this in washington paper couple of developments, you had a number issue a cease-fire. and you had secretary of state tony blinken stopping short of a cease-fire even though there's real pressure to do something here, to help stop the violence. >> reporter: that's right,

hallie, blinken is somebody 0 keep a close eye on. he was in england speak thanksgiving. and a lot of conversations he's having are with players in the mideast. he is close to the region. the only u.s. leaders on the ground has been the assistant secretary of state, to the extent that the u.s. does exert its pressure there, keep an eye on the secretary of state to see if he heads there soon. as far as the president is concerned, before he headed home to delaware for the weekend he did make a number of calls including to the prime minister bibi netanyahu and as well as the palestinian side. his first direct conversation with the olympian leader, we should know had exchanges via letter prior to that. there is this growing call for him to do more, though. at this point, we saw him return to the white house earlier today. no comments from him just yet. keep an eye on me here on the west wing, he's scheduled to hold a hearing with his national

security chief. and i want to return to secretary blinken because it is the latest we've heard from the administration on this. take a listen to what he had to say about this situation. >> we've been working immensely to bring an end to the conflict. israel has a right to defend itself. there is no excuse for a terrorist group and a country defending its people from attacks. we call on hamas and other groups in gaza to end the rocket attacks immediately. were we're talking a lot about international politics. domestic politics, of course, israel, netanyahu, still the prime minister, and we know a lot of white house officials are suggesting a lot of what we see there may an effort by netanyahu to remain in power. you mentioned, though, the calls on the president here from members of his own party.

you have that letter from the majority of democratic senators calling for a cease-fire. you also have growing calls from likes of leading progressives like congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez saying in a tweet this weekend says israel is an apartheid state, questioning our ability to exert pressure there. and bernie sanders questioning whether we should be giving the kind of monetary assistance to israel as well. and we keep a close eye on this, hallie. >> mike, thank you. appreciate that. we're going to have more on what's happening in the middle east coming up in the show. we want to get to that breaking news from the supreme court that's happened in last couple minutes. here's the deal. the justices have agreed to take up a major abortion case next term that could test the limits of roe v. wade. it's really the court's first big move to reconsider abortion rights since amy cohen took the

bench. and we begin with pete williams with what else the supreme court has going on. but set up the stakes here what it's all about. >> well, the stakes could not be any here, hallie. again, this is a changed court, throughout the last couple yearly as donald trump has added now appointees to the bench, there have been more and more aggressive laws seeking the right to challenge abortion. many are facing the supreme court as a bid to overturn roe v. wade. this is one the court has decided to take up, on the court's docket going into the next term will be this question of whether the continued rights for reproductive rights for women will be allowed. and the question before the court is whether or not the skull preliability bans on abortion are constitutional.

two cases, roe v. wade and planned parenthood versus casey say that the states can not prohibit or ban abortion before viability, upon the point that the fetus can survive outside of the womb. that's an important distinction going forward. >> melissa, is it fair to say that the court is considering the fact of taking this up at all could be a boost, if you will, to opponents to abortion? >> it's certainly a bid. it's exactly what they've been seeking for the last few years. again, much of this is because of the changed possession of the court. it's not just that justice ruth bader ginsburg who was a stalwart of reproductive rights. >> melissa murray standing by with that breaking news. melissa, thank you.

i want you to stay where you are. we may have more news from the supreme court. we'll update you. and more breaking news, and the question that everybody seems to be asking, right, mask on or mask off? how to go with the details. starbucks, trader joe's, walmart and as of the last couple minutes, target all say mask is optional. cvs, kroger, crunch fitness still have you wearing your mask. >> if you're not wearing a mask, i want to stay away from you. >> it seems like they're forcing it. >> freedom. >> i want to bring you in, outside of leesburg, virginia, you're at a target just this morning as we're coming on the air, changing its guidelines for people masked in stores, right?

>> reporter: yeah, hallie. that's right, it's parking lots like these, that are the hot spots this weekend, as these corporations began to change their own policies after the cdc's updated guidance. target, right over here, one of those places. literally, this morning, employees took the signs off the front doors saying that masks were required inside. over the last hour, i did a little shopping inside. i ran into one woman, liz ale, she was the only person i ran into that didn't have a mac. i introduced myself. she was very kind. she just started laughing. she said it's the first time going inside of anywhere without a mask. she had it in her hand, she saw there was no sign that it was required. she asked an employee, the employee said as of today, as of this morning, it's changed policy. she just laughed and said she looks forward to people's smiles again. but target has joined the likes of costco, a lot of these corporate entities that updated their own policies.

some of them have not. we were down the road over at home depot. one of those companies that is continuing to have its mask requirement. take a listen to a few of the folks that we talked to as they were heading in this morning. are you supportive of people, businesses requiring masks, too? >> i mean, it's their business. they can do what they want if they don't want to enforce the mask mandate, then that's on hem. >> reporter: are you okay with home depot saying please continue to wear a mask? >> i'm okay with that, i'm fully vaccinated. it's up to them. >> it's their choice. don't matter to me. >> reporter: hallie, we should absolutely underscore that essentially these corporations have set up an honor system. because the mask requirement is only lifted for folks who are fully vaccinated. hallie. >> vaughn hillyard live there outside of the target. vaughn, thank you. cal, let me go to you, you're

post the out in atlanta. what are you hearing from folks as they try to navigate this guidance? >> reporter: you know, it's interesting, the cdc announcing here in atlanta, people are surprised. it's actually left up to the individual cities, in columbus, savannah, you're still under that mask mandate. here in atlanta, the mayor saying it's up to businesses. she only put a mask mandate in on city buildings, we posted up between a starbucks and publix. a high-opinion place. >> yeah, i'm fully vaccinated, but i think it's too soon to leave the mask completely. and but in close-knit areas, it's important to wear the mask. >> i'm a dental high hygienist,

i'm mindful of that. for me, i won't wear a mask. >> for you? >> for me, i will wear it indoors, i don't know that other people are vaccinated. >> reporter: that last sound bite is key, if you look at the state of georgia there's a high amount of hesitancy. eight of the big centers are shutting down in four days. they're starting days only to get second shots. people will have to find a way to get their first shot if they want it. the atlanta journal constitution reporting that a quarter of people will get a vaccine. they do not want a vaccine. which is why i hear more and more people say they'll probably play it safe and leave their masks on in certain stores, hallie. >> cal, thank you. coming up inside a florida courthouse, the one you're looking at right now, a former associate of matt gaetz is expected to plead guilty to sex trafficking charges. what it could mean to the congressman for live on the action. plus, stunning new report

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we want to take you now to orlando, florida, where a court hearing started as we were coming on the air with joel

greenberg. remember him. it's part of a new plea agreement as congressman gaetz tries to brush off any concerns what this might mean for him. he is not facing any charges. but investigators are looking into whether he and greenberg has sources that they paid for sex. this into the multiple investigation into greenberg behind the court hearing happen right now. important to note here, congress congressman gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. i want to bring kerry sanders and chuck rosenberg. kerry, i understand you were able to be in the courtroom for the top of this thing. you ran out to fill us in. what's the latest? >> i did. joel goldberg seated there identified himself. and investigator leslie hoffman

began to see whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the last 48 hours that would influence him to come to a decision. he said no. then she got straight to it asking him whether he would consent to the plea agreement. this is the plea agreement. he said yes. they're going through each of the specific charges. it led to 33 charges. the one that he ultimately -- well, there are, let's see, six charges that he's pleading to. but the one that has the most attention, of course, is the sex trafficking of a child. it's alleged that joel greenberg, now he's admitting in court, he used a website to get girls to come to parties. at least in one case, an underage girl, 17-year-old who would go to various of these parties and get paid by joel greenberg, sometime with his own money, sometime with the money from the county, he was the seminole county tax collector. all of this now leads to

questions about representative matt gaetz that it appears attended those parties. matt gaetz repeatedly said he had nothing to do with those underage relationships. that if he gave a little bit of money to help them pay for a flight or hotel, that's acceptable. meantime, flying overhead here to add to the circus atmosphere. there's an airplane that sis tiktok matt gaetz. again, matt gaetz denying he's got any involvement in dealing with underage girls or sex. but that's the me agreement. is leading to potentially more information of whether that happened or not, hallie. >> kerry, thank you. i know one of our nbc producers is actually in the courtroom. we'll get update it's second we hear any of that. let me talk to you here, greenberg originally pleaded not guilty. can you talk about the time line and what's next? >> sure. well, what's next for greenberg will be sentencing.

and the judge will probably set that for several months from today. what is next for others remains to be determined. we know from the statement of facts that was filed with the greenberg plea that it mentions other adult men. it doesn't specify who. it doesn't give names, nor should it. those documents should not identify third parties by name unless they've been charged. they're entitled to a presumption of innocence. hence the policy of the department of justice not to name other people in greenberg's plea documents. no surprise there. what we also know, hallie, greenberg has been providing fgs up to this point. if you look at the information filed today there's an almost 60-page document of facts before greenberg can be any witness against others. he comes with a ton of baggage.

it's really important going forward if the government is going to make cases against other individuals that they take what they know from the greenberg investigation and corroborate it. >> when you talk about take what they know from the greenberg investigation, you make the point, chuck, this would require by joel greenberg, full cooperation. he doesn't get to cherry pick one or the other. it's got to be an all or nothing situation here? >> it's everything about everyone. whatever the government wants or needs he has to provide it. if he doesn't provide what we call full and complete cooperation that's the language in the plea agreement then he didn't get credit for it. you may remember that the lawyer did not provide full and complete cooperation so he didn't get credit for it. it has to be anything that he knows in any capacity that the government wants it, state, local or federal. >> really quickly, chuck, if,

this is a hypothetical here, if there's information that greenberg has to that could put him under legal jeopardy, acknowledging that the government is not charged with wrongdoing, when would that be? days, weeks, months, longer? >> weeks, months, longer. it's not going to happen immediately. and we know there's more investigation to be done. >> chuck rosen berg with his expert advice, thank you. we've got questions about the agency charged with protecting the president rocked by scandal even recently. coming up, one-on-one with the pulitzer-prize winning author who went inside the secret service. but first, new calls for president biden to do more. next, we'll talk with diplomats that worked with three

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here in washington, pressure is building on president biden to get more involved in the escalation of violence in the middle east as it enters a second week. even for members of his own party, now calling on him to push for immediate cease-fire. watch.

>> right now, we need to focus on a cease-fire so, you're seeing growing calls from congress for the biden administration to play a stronger role. in pushing for that cease-fire. >> i think the administration needs to push harder. on israel. and the palestinian authority to stop the violence, to bring about a cease-fire. and these hostilities. >> we are lucky to be joined by a veteran u.s. diplomat who worked on u.s. peace for more than a decade, ambassador dennis roth, now counselor for the washington institute for politics. ambassador roth, good morning. thanks for being on the show. >> glad to be with you. >> of course. let me pick up where senator murray and others left off. do you think the administration should be doing more to push for a cease-fire here? >> i definitely think there's a value to pushing for a cease-fire. but pushing for a cease-fire is rather than different than actually producing it. the key is what will produce it

at this point. i think the secretary of defense talking to benny gann. and asking what do they think the objectives to be achieved by continuing this. their answer in part would be, look, we don't just want this to end and have hamas resume this again in a month or so. and that's a legitimate issue. on the one hand you got to be pushing this to see what is it that you can actually achieve at this point. at the same time, we should be working with the egyptians who can put pressure on hamas because they boarded them. and also can talk to the israelis. this can be resolved when the israelis send a delegation to cairo and the cairo functions as a go-between between israelis and hamas. at this point, i think hamas is ready for this to end. what you now have is someone

needs to basically broker the outcome. >> and should that entity, brokering the outcome, be the u.s., in your view, should that be the secretary of state? >> no, because we don't deal directly with hamas. there's no way for us to do this directly. and we should recall, again, we don't want this to end in a way where in fact it could resume again. i would like for us to have a plan for what comes afterwards. i would like us to organize the international community and offer what would be a clear reconstructive plan for hamas giving up its rockets. as long as it has its rockets any investment plan can be destroyed the next time they decide to launch them and israel retaliates. basically the needs of gaza and aftermath are great and can become just that much stronger and more profound. >> ambassador, you know this region, you've worked under multiple presidents for both

parties here. can you sit back and put in perspective as you see what's happening the last several weeks, how significant is this escalation in violence? how do you put it in perspective? >> to put this in perspective, in 2014, you had a conflict that went on for 52 days between israel and hamas. what's different now is that hamas' capabilities are significantly greater than they were then, which means they used the period of cease-fires to rebuild. they have -- they have launched about 3,000 rockets into israel. that's why i say, when we look at this now, especially if israel is hit this way, it's going to respond in a very strong fashion. so, we need to be focused once you have the cease-fire what can be done that gives us a higher level of confidence that this can't be repeated again. in the future, and in a sense, avoid the possibility that the next time it will be even worse. that's what we have to be focused on in no small part. >> i am almost out of time,

ambassador, but i want to ask you, if there is one thing that you'd like to see the white house do right now, today, tomorrow, this week, what would it be? >> it would be to say, let's -- once this is done, we're going to organize a very massive project of reconstruction, based on a premise, based on a condition, hamas cannot have rockets. if it cares about the people of gaza, it will support the reconstruction of gaza. >> ambassador dennis ross, we're lucky to have you on the show. thank you very much for your time and being on this morning. appreciate it. turning now to a pair of bombshell reports about bill gates, his behavior at microsoft and his sudden departure at the company. the billionaire is now acknowledge, he had an affair with an employee. but denying that the reason for that relationship is reason he stepped down. here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: hallie, good morning, bill gates stepped down

from microsoft now there's reports about his behavior while he was there. there's troubling allegations the company tells nbc news that in 2019 it was made aware that gates sought to initiate an intimate relationship with an employee in 2000. saying there was an affair almost 20 years ago ago which ended ammicably, bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. gates abruptly left the board last year, announcing at the time he was stepping down, quote, to dedicate his time to philanthropic priorities. it cites in "the new york times" that multiple people gates pursued women that worked for him and microsoft and the gates foundation. of course, melinda and bill gates just announced their divorce. nbc news did reach out to both but have not received comment.

>> we want to taurn to breaking news here in washington. the supreme court agreeing to take up that big abortion case. we told you at the top of the show. it involves a mississippi law to ban abortions after 15 weeks. now, let's go to pete williams monitoring all things supreme court related this morning. pete, good morning to you. we know it's my understanding that the justices have been talking about this case, specifically, since like september, right? so it's been something that's been part of the conversation for months? >> yeah. eight months. and i -- i think i counted last week, 17 times they discussed this case. and the 18th is the one that was the breakthrough. this is the gestational age act that was passed by mississippi in 2018 which restricts most abortions with very few exceptions after 15 weeks. and the question was, what is viability. that's really what the issue is in the case. the lower courts said, we know what you're up to here, you're really trying to attack roe v.

wade. and they said mississippi can't enforce the law. mississippi appealed an now the supreme court has agreed to hear the case. so what has changed. and clearly what has changed is this a more conservative supreme court, 6-3 conservatives with the trumpal pointes. clearly, the abortion opponents hope that new conservative lineup will give them a win. this case will be argued in the fall, hallie. but you're right, it is a big surprise, given it has sat is there so long. >> pete, you talked about the case is not heard until the fall so there's a while before they decision comes down on this. >> yes. >> do you have any sense, given the confirmation hearing we've seen for new justices on the bench. the issue of precedence obviously comes up. do you have any sense where these former justices, i'm thinking, for instance, justice amy coney barrett might end up on this? >> well, she was clearly the big hope for abortion opponents

because of they are writing about abortion and her earlier statement about catholic faith making a difference. >> pete williams live for you in the washington newsroom. pete, good to see you. i know next week after we expect more cases. coming up inside the secret service. the new reporting, painting a picture of boys club among those who protect the president in an agency stretched too thin. and later, the very well-known oscar winner who is considering a run for texas governor. what he's doing now to put the wheels in motion. ur doctor about xeljanz, a pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when a certain medicine did not help enough. xeljanz is the first and only fda-approved pill for moderate to severe uc. it can reduce symptoms in as early as two weeks, improve the appearance of the intestinal lining, and provide lasting steroid-free remission. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections.

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new reporting this morning, shining a spotlight on an agency expected to be among the world's best prepared for virtually unlimited, president of the united states, more than $2 billion in their annual budget and thousands of staffers. but a blistering new book on the secret service paints a picture of a hidden boys club culture

and controversies ranging from sex scandals to security oversights. all part of my one-on-one with pulitzer prize winning reporter carol linick. >> reporter: a secret service scandal in 2012 rocking the agency. >> the biggest scandal in secret service agency. >> reporter: agents found partying some with prostitutes before a trip to cartagena. wheels up, rings off. >> it came on international trip as perks a time to blow off steam. >> reporter: when carol linick started zigging, they discovered it went deeper. >> they were worried that the service load was stretched too thin and that the president was going to get shot on their watch. >> reporter: when john f. kennedy was assassinated in mean 63, it was a gut punch that forced them to reassess and rebuild. and progress that showed from

the attempted assassination of ronald reagan. >> the money hasn't kept up, and staff hasn't kept up. >> reporter: in the obama era, a report is a staircase was unguarded while michelle obama stayed. and then president trump saying how are they going to protect me and my family if they can't run down the street. and how the biden administration wanted a new set of agents protecting the new president. a statement that the white house flatly denies. >> in their personal social media pages they were posting their concern that biden's election was legitimate. and telling people that rye yerts were patriots. >> reporter: in a statement the

secret service saying we are expected to behave in a nonpartisan matter. and a secret service person says they're a wear of an upcoming book which rehashes challenges that the agency overcame. adding the agency's skilled worker force is dedicated to the successful execution of its critical protected and missions. the director has said that the agency is hiring more people. and they focused on a more secure fence preventing people to jump over like what happened in 2017. >> nobody is paying enough attention. nobody. not congress. not the department of homeland security. not the white house and not the american people. >> reporter: are you sounding the alarm with this? >> absolutely, i'm sounding the alarm bell. >> just this month, the secret service director testified to lawmakers a couple weeks ago on capitol hill, actually, praising

the resiliency of the agency, pointing to morale and incredible heroism as well. not just what you saw in the piece, the split second actions in the early '80s for agents on the assassination attempt of president reagan. but on 9/11, describing how agents at the white house refused to leave their post, describing not knowing whether or not that building is the next. coming up, the two recent killings of two women in puerto rico. next up, we're talking with one activist who says she has not seen something like this in more than a decade after the break. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. if you printed out directions to get here today, you're in the right place. my seminars are a great tool to help young homeowners who are turning into their parents. now, remember, they're not programs.

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today on this international day of transphobia, homophobia and biphobia, we're going to puerto rico. april was the de leeiest month in puerto rico ever according to one civil rights coalition. an increase from last year by 62%. this is disproportionately affecting transgender women of color. 44 transgender people were kill in the in the u.s. in its territory last year. the deadliest, there's that word again, for puerto rico accounted for six of those. only one brought on hate crime charges. joining me is the executive director of the true self

foundation. and maria deleone. thank you for being with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you, hallie, for having us. >> let me start with you, you have puerto rico's governor declaring basically a state of emergency over widespread gender violence. what is it like from the ground? what are you seeing? >> well, here from the ground, we started seeing how they started mobilizing all of the different organizations to take part in this meeting, once it was declared but we haven't seen any concrete action in reforming any institutions that have been complicit throughout the years with allowing gender bias to continue. that includes the police, with the system with one of the latest killings related to not being able to grant a restraining order and they did end up killing them. i feel it's in need, faster,

stronger, than what this current state of emergency that the governor has declared has enacted so far. >> and same question to you, joanna, and if you can talk to, i believe, $7 million has just been approved for this state of emergency that's been declared for combatting this gender violence. is that enough? is that a step in the right direction? >> it's nice that the executive branch has acknowledged that this is an epidemic, that this is a crisis that we are in. it needs to be followed by action. and we also need the legislative branchs to stop playing games with our lives. just last week, we from two anti-trans legislative measures here in puerto rico, one that attacked the health needs of transgender youth. and the other that would prohibit -- and we've seen, with transviolence increase all across the united states. as at the same time, we've seen

over 100 trans-bills being pushed through the state or legislature. this is fomenting that culture. real life deadly repercussions for us. all of the people murdered, not one reached my age. i'm only 34. we have serious issues. you mentioned the justice department. i would like to use this opportunity to ask the justice department, the civil rights division to open an investigation into the murder of alexa. her murder -- they recorded they are death. they were so brave that they published it online and still over a year later, we haven't seen justice. >> i'm wondering if you can pull that thread that joanna talks about, the idea of bills that we have covered here on this show as well across the country that

oppose the expansion of trans rights and whether you see a link to the violence that is being put upon the trans community. >> yeah. i do see a link. these bills, similarly to the ones in the united states, are linked to the ongoing decivilization we have been going through as we become more visible. they have come out to attack us. fundamentalists and conservative groups have come out stronger against our basic rights and trying to use the defense of defending our children or females in sports to try to use this to validate to try to pass the bills. they have yet to pass. but the fact that they are being brought up now in puerto rican

congress rings a lot of alarm bells and worries me in how the public is perceiving the trans people that are currently among the most in danger on this island for violence and how we have yet to be attended properly. >> joanna, do you have any reason to feel optimistic? what are you anticipated, for example, in puerto rico when you look at the government's approach to trying to change this? do you feel hopeful? >> i feel hopeful when i see young people. when i see young people rising up. i was trans in a time where we didn't have social media. our ability to connect as trans people was very limited. now we are truly awakening to how numerous we are as a people and how diverse our collective really is. sexual orientation, gender identity exists on a spectrum. it has always been that way.

because of patriarchy, this is happening. there were state legislatures that held measures to prohibit trans people from using the bathrooms, according to their gender identity. it's funny how now that's not a topic of issue. now we are focusing on athletes. this is -- has been a pattern that conservatives have used to fund-raise and to gain votes from people who hate us. we see right through it. there's more people who love in this world than hate. dr. king said, when evil men plot, we must plan. we are planning, organizing and we're going to push back against the legislative measures. we're going to win. >> thank you so much to both of you for being with us on the show talking about this important topic. we should direct you to our

twitter account for this show. we will put on information about their organizations which have really helpful resources if you find yourself in a dangerous or difficult situation. coming up on this show, back to politics. born and raised in texas before making it big in hollywood, this native son is considering running for governor. what our sources are saying. why the biggest union of registered nurses is furious with the cdc's new relaxed guidance on masks for vaccinated americans. that's coming up. r vaccinated americans. that's coming up i just stuff everything in. you have to wash on cold, because it saves energy. the secret is, tide pods work no matter how you wash. so, everyone is right. it's got to be tide. hooh. that spin class was brutal. well you can try using the buick's massaging seat. oohh yeah, that's nice. can i use apple carplay to put some music on? sure, it's wireless. pick something we all like. ok. hold on. what's your buick's wi-fi password? “buickenvision2021.”

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will you run for governor of texas? it's a simple answer, yes or hell yes. which one is it? >> i have no plans to do that right now. >> i would consider it, that stands? >> whatever leadership role i can be most useful in -- i don't know that's politics. right now i don't see it as politics. i will drink to that. >> that was matthew mcconaughey in november. but now it sounds like he might be going from all right, all right, all right, to he might, he might, he might. the biggest movie star of the lone star is weighing whether to jump in on the race to take on two-term incumbent governor greg abbott. the pundits seem skeptical with some saying they doubt mcconaughey will sacrifice his

status as a beloved cultural icon for the dirty business of politics. i will bring in meredith mcgraw. number one, really? is this serious? do you get the sense he is really going to do this? what would his platform even be? >> those are two really good questions, hallie. matthew mcconaughey said he is seriously considering a run for governor. he said that publically. there's a difference between talking about it during an interview and trying to learn about it and listen and make calls to influential people around the state to take their temperature about whether or not they might support him. that's what we have heard he is doing. there was a poll that came out four weeks ago that had him leading ahead of greg abbott. that's just an informal political poll. after that poll is when he

started making calls, we were told, including to one very deep pocketed political donor based out of houston. right now, it does seem like he is still just mulling a potential run, seeing where things could take him. it does seem like a change in tune from what we are hearing. now still, the political pundits in texas, political strategists, they doubt he will actually jump into the race. he is a beloved figure in the state. he is a beloved figure at his alma mater, ut. when you make your position known on political issues, that sort of changes how the public sees you. that's something mcconaughey hasn't done. he hasn't taken any strong political stances or signalled what his political leanings might be. i talked to over a dozen people for this story, and no one seems to be able to put him in a box right now. >> ten seconds left.

do we know what party he would run in? >> we don't. the democratic chair in texas, he said he would welcome him to run on that ticket. republicans in texas have said they have heard from him, too. >> meredith mcgraw, thank you very much for your reporting as we cover all things in the political sphere this hour. thank you for watching. more with craig melvin coming up right now. ♪♪ good monday morning. craig melvin here. we are following several breaking stories. it's a busy monday morning. breaking news in just the last hour from the supreme court that could have major implications on this country's abortion laws. growing confusion over the cdc's new mask guidelines for fully vaccinated americans. the country's largest nurses union slamming the decision to say they can largely go maskless. in the last hour, one of the