ds. whooping cough is highly contagious for people of any age. and it can cause violent uncontrollable coughing fits. ask your doctor or pharmacist about whooping cough vaccination because it's not just for kids. good morning. 10:00 a.m. eastern. 7:00 a.m. pacific. we begin with breaking news. right now, president biden is in route to saudi arabia as he begins his final and controversial leg of his middle east trip. we will have new reporting on what it took to convince the president to travel there. the u.s. secret service erased text messages from the day before and the day of january six on the attack of the capital according to the homeland security inspector

general. in ukraine, 23 civilians including three children were killed and 91 wounded after a russian strike. we will be going to ukraine live. the buffalo supermarket weirton black people were killed in a racist attack is officially reopening as the accused gunman faces new charges. what buffalo residents are saying about the reopening. . we begin in the middle east where president biden is about to begin the second part of his trip to the region. the president is scheduled to arrive in saudi arabia this hour to meet with leaders of saudi arabia and the gulf region. the flight comes hours after a historic decision from saudi arabia to open its airspace to all civilian flights including those to and from israel. before he took off, he met with

the palestinian president and reiterated his commitment to a two state solution to end the israel palestinian conflict and paid tribute to an american journalist who the state department says was killed by an accident likely from gunfire from israel troops in may. >> it is a tremendous loss. i hope that her legacy will inspire more young people to carry on her work reporting the truth and telling stories that her too often overlooked. the president will insist on the accountability of her death. we have more now from saudi arabia. you have been reporting on how it took a lot of effort to get the president to actually visit saudi arabia. >> reporter: that is right. one official telling us that it

was a herculean effort to get this trip off the ground saying president biden was initially very reluctant to make the trip after calling saudi arabia a pariah over the killing of washington post journalist jamal khashoggi. but officials said he warmed to the idea when it was brought up to him that it was not just about saudi arabia but the stability of the of the region,specifically when it comes to the israel integration into the region. one of the things the administration wants is for saudi arabia and israel to normalize ties. and that was the rule change you mentioned. president biden will be the first president to fly from tel aviv to jetta. and after landing, he will meet with the saudi crown prince mu?ammad bin salman. and that will be a closely watched meeting. there is a lot behind-the- scenes about how the president will present himself when he is with the crown prince and in

front of the cameras and whether he smiles or takes hands with the crown prince. we are told officials advised him not to smile but acknowledged that the president will probably do whatever he wants to do regardless of the advice. as for the agenda of the meeting, there is a big question about whether or not the president will talk about the jamal khashoggi murder directly with the crown prince. he has declined to commit to that saying his views on that issue are very well known. and then there is oil. something that americans back home will be watching. it has been a big theme of the visit. and whether or not the president gets anything from the saudis or other gulf states that will be meeting here tomorrow in terms of oil production. the white house is setting expectations low for whether the president get something when it comes to oil production when he is here saying that that is not something americans will feel for quite some time.

>> recently, president biden said he was not going to have a unilateral meeting with the crown prince. that he was going to be meeting him with a group of other leaders. but that has changed as well. there is a unilateral meeting with the crown prince of saudi arabia today. >> reporter: that is right. and as well as other saudi officials with him and other u.s. officials with president biden. but this is the meaning that you will hear about on camera. it is really underscoring how much muhammad bin salman is the de facto leader of saudi arabia and the importance of dealing with him directly. and saying he will recalibrate the u.s. relationship with saudi arabia and tried to do that and it did not work out the way he had hoped.

we saw a number of reasons why they decided to make this trip. chief among them are the gas prices. >> thank you so much. at home, the secret service is being accused of deleting records related to the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol. nbc news has learned the homeland security department inspector general told two congressional committees that the agency informed them that many text messages from january 6th and the day before had been erased as part of a device replacement program. the secret service spokesman responded in a strong statement saying, "the insinuation that the secret service maliciously deleted text messages following a request is false." in fact, the secret service has been cooperating with the inspector general in every respect." with us is nbc news justice correspondent pete williams and the author of "the rise and fall of the secret service."

what is going on here? >> i think we don't know is the simple answer. there is a wide agreement between the dhs inspector general and the secret service, that there was a reset of secret service phones. and in the process, some text messages were lost. but the question is, when did that happen compared to when the ig asked. the ig says that the u.s. secret service deleted the text messages after the ig asked for records of electronic communications of the events around january 6. the secret service says that that is completely wrong and the secret service deleted the text messages and reset the phones and then, almost a month after it did that, that is when the

ig asked for the information. the other thing is, the ig's letter said that many text messages were lost. the statement from the secret service said that that may be true but none of the texts that the ig were seeking were lost. so to some extent, these two statements point passed each other and obviously the members of the generous six committee and the homeland oversight committee are interested in knowing exactly what the facts are. >> you wrote about this issue. you said in your piece that the secret service has had a history of important records disappearing under the cover of night and agency staff members refusing to cooperate when investigators come calling. the secret service said it is cooperating with the probe. has there been any change in recent years on how the agency keeps records? >> no. the problem here is that both sides, the ig and the secret service, could be correct in the representation of what

happened and both of them also could be at fault. let me explain. the secret service began this phone update and had planned it for more than a year before it began in january. it began the work in january before the ig actually made a request for records. so a lot of text messages are essentially disappearing, vanishing. the policy is for the secret service and all federal agencies to maintain and back up these kinds of records because so many of them are ultimately government records that we need to store and preserve. but in practice, nobody holds the secret service agents and officers feet to the fire to actually back up records. and so a lot of records were being lost in january and they continued, i would think, to be lost as more phones were reset

over the next several months. my understanding is up to a third of secret service phones were wiped, if you will, when they were reset, up until the time that the ig requested the record. but more records were likely lost after that period. if you are thinking about the rest of the two thirds of the staff that were having their phones also reset afterwards. so the secret service has a big problem here. they probably lost and failed to maintain records. the ig wants to say that they erased them after the request which is partially true but not entirely true. and the finger-pointing ignores a crucial fact which is that government records are essential evidence to congress and they are likely gone forever. >> and so it is pretty remarkable that this is what is supposed to happen. it is clearly delineated. and yet, as you say, they could

be gone forever. >> i think if we queried a series of other federal agencies with law enforcement agents and ask them about their backup of records, we would find out, they are not doing it so well. the problem with the secret service unfortunately is what you highlighted just now. over their history, they have been extremely obstructionists. one congressional investigator wants to get inside the agency. they want to look at the records. the secret service was the only agency -- and i'm including the cia, odni, and credible national security material. secret service was the only agency that said they didn't have to answer a government watchdog that was trying to figure out the cost of a presidential trip. everybody else, the dod, intelligence community, said

here are the records. the secret service said no. when john f. kennedy was killed, the secret service had been on alert about newer threats and warnings of people trying to kill the president with a high-powered rifle from a tall building. the secret service lost documents when a congressional investigator began asking for them and they essentially said, the secret service said sorry, they were deleted, burned as part of the normal protocol. >> six years ago and a situation that continues to be the same. thank you. >> and pete, i will be taking some time off. this is the last time i get a chance to be with you on the air before you retire. i just want to say what a privilege it is to have worked with you and to have learned from you. you define excellence and extraordinary in every sense of the word. pedro, you know i love you. it has been a privilege.

>> thank you very much. turning to capitol hill where senator joe manchin has dealt another blow to democrats and president biden's domestic agenda. last night, joe manchin said he would not support the tax provisions provisions. according to a democrat briefed on the conversations. joining us as our senior national political reporter. where does this leave the democrats in hopes of passing any significant economic package? >> there is no doubt that this is a devastating blow to what remains of president biden's agenda. the centrist west virginia, joe manchin, and formed democratic leadership yesterday that he is not willing to support major climate funding or tax increases on upper earners or corporations as part of the reconciliation bill that would need to pass in the next month and a half.

that is when democratic leaders believe it has to get done before the clock runs out. and it is particularly frustrating and even angering to democrats because these are the three components -- or two of the three components that the senator mentioned himself that were put on the table as part of summer negotiations, climate funding and taxes. and they believe they have reversed course. let's take a look at the items that have been removed from the original bill back better agenda. quite an extraordinary list. tax increases, climate funding. now likely zero. the child tax credit payments, universal pre-k, housing funding, medicare and hearing benefits are all gone. the question from what is still on the table or two things. prescription drug pricing. allowing medicare to negotiate the price of medication directly with the pharmaceutical injury -- industry. that is still on the table. joe manchin told me earlier this week he remains committed.

there is a big cliff, where premiums will go up for millions of americans if congress does not take action to continue that enhanced subsidy that was passed on the american rescue plan on a temporary basis. joe manchin said he is willing to do that. those of the two big items that remain and president biden's agenda. for a president who campaigned in 2020 and the hope of an fdr vice presidency, wow. this is a massive blow in hopes of passing with the president wanted in terms of the larger domestic ambitions. we are following new developments out of ukraine where where we are live with the rise in the number of civilians including three children killed in airstrikes. first a new beginning for the grieving city of buffalo. major changes happening in the city.

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the source of the grief and pain is reopening. this area is a food desert and they rely on the store. the community is torn about how it is opened or whether it should be reopened or whether there should be another grocery store. the tension is thick and folks are hurting obviously. i had a chance to speak with a woman yesterday who worked at the store and witnessed the unthinkable and this is what she had to say. >> i have not been able to get past certain things. there is a plan in place and i can envision myself working. now that i know what the store looks like, i can envision it a little better. but my brain hasn't really accepted all of this yet. and until i get some acceptance in their and real healing from this, i can't really see myself in the building working.

>> reporter: real healing, josi. it is clear from everyone i talked to that this community is nowhere near healing. we are not far past the shooting. this community is still reeling with the opening of the store. >> absolutely. what can you tell us about the charges filed against the accused gunman? >> what i can tell you is that typically come within 30 days after someone is charged by a complaint which he was initially charged with in the federal system, you have to be indicted generally speaking. so this is what the process was when we get this indictment handed out by the grand jury. 27 counts in total. a number of them fall under the statutes that were passed as part of the shepherd bird act and they are hate crime charges and it is committing murder in the name of a hate crime.

as we reported and discussed previously, this individual made a number of alleged racist and antiblack statements prior to the shooting. that is why this, according to the alleged statements and what we learn from law enforcement, why he did this. there are also some weapons charges added to it. the important thing for the future here in this case, josi, is that the justice department has a decision to make. they say they are in the process of considering whether or not they bring about the death penalty here. these are death penalty eligible cases. they do have to tell the court prior to trial and sometime before trial, whether or not they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted. and if he is convicted, he will never see the light of day. these are all life imprisonment charges if convicted. that is the sentence for them. so his freedom to walk about is forever limited at this point. >> thank you very much. i want to let you know that we tackled gun violence on this

week's episode of the podcast. victims tell their stories of the physical, mental and emotional cost of surviving a shooting. you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. continuing our conversation as the president of the buffalo city council and the senior pastor of the true bethel baptist church in buffalo. thank you for your time. two months after the shooting, the scars are there and there is no way they can be minimized. how is your community and how are you doing today, two months after the shooting? >> honestly, i paint on a happy face and keep going because of my position in leadership and people need that. but we are still healing. it is not over. the opening of this store obviously rings back feelings.

we are still very much hurt right now. >> you live close to the grocery store. what are the feelings? and what are people feeling? because it is kind of a central part of the community, that store. there is that dichotomy of feelings i'm sure. >> i live a few blocks away from the store. and so my neighbors, many of my neighbors one at the store open. especially seniors. and then there are people who are adamantly against the store opening. so where we have so much unity in the community after the massacre by this white supremacist, we have so much unity and now there is kind of -- whether it is with families or churches or the government,

this discussion of, should open or should it not open? is as hurtful. others are saying is not. i will tell you that the ones who made me really side on the fact that it should be open, were my neighbors and the employees of the store. incredible. >> you and i have spoken a couple of times. every time, i'm enriched by your comments in by your spiritual advice. and i'm wondering, how do you go forward two months and? what you have to say to the folks that are still very troubled and as you say, sometimes within families or churches, there are such differences of opinions based on hurt and fear? what is it you can tell us?

>> it is the respect of one another. the respect of those grieving. the respect of those who want the store open. the respect of those who feel in the middle. at the end of the day, if we learn how to respect one another and not allow a shooter to come into our community and to actually separate us -- there is a big controversy here about what we even call this side of town. we have always called it the east side of my lifetime. now people are saying we should call it east buffalo. that is separating the community. should the store opened or stay closed? that is separating the community. i said you can call it whatever you want. have an opinion on whether they should open or not. but let us not start to go down a path of disrespect and division based on decisions made

-- since we don't have a referendum on whether the store should open, the respect and the love should continue and not allow us to be separated. we are separated all over the country. we are bipartisan. this. that. black, white. at the end of the day, we are all people and if we learn to respect, i believe that love and unity will be returned. >> division and separation and misunderstanding and not understanding. it is exactly what evil wants. >> absolutely. i'm a believer in the bible and the pastor. it is all the way from the beginning and preparation for my sermons on sunday. i'm talking about how bloodied and gory the bible really is from genesis to revelations. but it always has a healing mechanism, a purpose mechanism. and if we can understand that, that there have been murders

and homicides from the beginning of our written time, those of us who believe in the bible. and there has also been an avenue for healing and change for the better. i am thankful for what the corporation did coming in and rebuilding the store. some say it should have been done a long time ago. but we are here now so we have a better stork. we have millions of dollars coming in from the federal government to deal with our neighborhoods. we have counseling we have never seen on this level. i have a group of national counselors in the back of my church right now meeting. we never would have saw that. and so out of this tragedy. out of the lives that were tragically taken, a community can be rebuilt and may be replicated across the united states, the rebuilding without there needing to be another massacre.

>> rejection of hate and incorporation 24/7 in every way and every form possible. thank you for your time this morning. next time we will go live to ukraine with the urgent new alert issued by the u.s. embassy in kyiv. embassy in kyiv.w what to do. learning that my daughter had a heart attack really shook me. it brings home how important it is to aspirin helps reduce the chance hold on to the people we love of another heart attack by 31%. your heart isn't just yours. aspirin is not appropriate for everyone, so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. - i'm norm. - i'm szasz. [norm] and we live in columbia, missouri. we do consulting, but we also write. [szasz] we take care of ourselves constantly; it's important.

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33 minutes after the hour. 23 people are dead including three children after a russian cruise missile struck a ukrainian city thursday according to ukrainian authorities. take a look at this video. it shows people near the attack literally knocked off their feet. and running for cover in the moments after. the city that was hit is southwest of the eastern front where most of the intense fighting is taking place. meanwhile, the u.s. embassy is issuing a security alert urging u.s. citizens not to enter the country and leave ukraine immediately if safe to do so. we have more. it is day after day after grief

and destruction. >> it feels like it never stops and in a lot of days, it never does. russia claims they were targeting a house of officers of the garrison. with video shows us that many civilians that were impacted and victims of the attack, and it is still an active investigation. what we know right now is 80 people are hospitalized in eight people are missing and 23 are dead. and among them, three children, a 7-year-old, eight-year-old and a four-year-old. the regional governor of the area has identified the four- year-old as a little girl named louisa. the horrific video from the scene showing a child lying in the street next to a stroller. i cannot stop looking at her little shoes here. they are so tiny. they remind me of my niece's and they are belco

straps because she is too little to tie her shoes. shortly before the video, there was a video of her walking alongside her daughter. the daughter looking up and nodding her head. also a christmas video that the ukrainian first lady posted about because she says she remembered her from a christmas event she attended earlier in the year. i cannot stop thinking about the shoes. with these photos and the instagram video of her in the moments before the attack are the images of the little girl. we should remember that a life and an entire future was stolen and what crime could a 4-year- old possibly commit. josi. at least three young children have been killed after a mudslide slammed into an elementary school in colombia. officials say heavy rain triggered the slide in the rural mountains of the northwest province yesterday. at least 20 children were at recess in the cafeteria when it

hit. it buried the school. dozens of villagers helped rescuers go through the mud looking for victims. next, we are live on capitol hill where members of the house are getting ready to vote on two bills aimed at protecting of abortion access. k and test positive - don't wait - ask your healthcare provider right away if an authorized oral treatment is right for you. if an authorized oral treatment and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of lsurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price.

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41 minutes past the hour. abortion rights at the forefront in washington this morning at the house things that to vote on two new bills. want to secure abortion rights and the other to protect out-of- state travel for reproductive care. democrats tried to pass a similar bill last night but republicans blocked it. this as the indiana attorney general said he is investigating the doctor who, in his state, performed an abortion on a 10-year-old assault victim from ohio. >> we have a law professor from the university of michigan

and msnbc legal analyst. what is behind these bills being voted on today? >> this is the house reiterating its stance in hopes of protecting roe v wade protection. that is one of the things they will be voting on, the basic principles of how to access abortion care at a federal level. and then a second piece of legislation that would protect women and childbearing people who would have to travel across state lines to access the abortion care. there is an interesting debate around that. we do think both of the pieces of legislation will pass the house because of the democratic majority. they do run into that usual stonewall in the senate. we watched that play out yesterday. as it pertains, the conversation around protections and state lines, there are republicans that came out immediately and talked about this is abortion terrorism. but also saying states should not be able to limit people's ability to travel across state

lines because it can be a slippery slope to travel across state lines to access other things and not just medical care in the case of abortion. there is a bit of nuance there. senate republicans specifically not fully in lockstep around the idea of travel limitations. nonetheless, what the hell says today should largely be considered a messaging bill. they are trying to signal that they want to protect women's ability to access care even though the senate realities are such that the votes are actually going nowhere in terms of becoming a law. >> there is no future plans. not a lot of avenues for the house to deal with this issue. or in any way that could possibly bring some agreement. >> that has always been the reality. even back in april and may. the house passed the women's

health protection act which again they will pass today which is the basic codification of the productions offered by roe versus wade. effectively reaffirming at the federal level, a woman's right to access abortion care. that is something that has already passed the house and has already failed in the senate because they do not have the ability to make it a bipartisan vote in the fashion that it will avoid a filibuster in the senate and nor do they have the ability, despite the fact that the democrats have the majority technically and nor do they have the ability for all 50 democrats to get on board with the rules change that would allow them to do advisable majority. that is why the federal government broadly has been so hamstrung on this. the thing i have been struck by an reporting on this reality is that there is so much anger and one thing for action among democrats. does not that many avenues for them to actually do it except for telling people to vote in november. >> thank you so much. if the bills don't pass and it is expected they will pass in the house but can't go anywhere

else, what does it mean for people who travel out-of-state for abortion? >> at the moment, there is no prohibition on that. we know several states are working on legislation to prohibit that. right now, there is a constitutional right that permits travel. brett kavanaugh, in his concurring opinion, said there would be no prohibition on travel to obtain an abortion. but that wright comes from the same origin that the right to an abortion came from. the idea of due process that there are some rights so fundamental that even though they are not spelled out in the constitution, the rights are preserved under the ninth amendment that says even rights that are not enumerated are still protected. and so if that goes away, as justice clarence thomas suggested, it is time to end substantive due process and the right to travel can also go away. they will say the right to travel does not exist. although that is the status quo. i have no confidence that this court would protect and uphold

the right to travel. >> the right to travel is as many would say, a slippery slope if you are starting to curtail people's ability or rights to travel. >> yeah. that could be where some sanity prevails here. when you have justices thinking about other things to the extent economic interest prevail over extreme christian views. and estate could make it illegal to travel in las vegas if gambling is prohibited in your state. prohibited to leave the state to go buy fireworks in another state. there are number of things that could cause economic harm in certain states that could give pause to republican lawmakers and even conservative justices. >> thank you so very much for

being with us this morning. turning to a major change to a lifesaving program. beginning tomorrow, the number for the national suicide prevention hotline changes. it is those simple digits you see on your screen. 988. 988. that is all you have to dial. anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 988 any time and they will be connected to a trained counselor who can help. it is free and confidential. and so the folks that honor us and speak spanish [ speaking spanish ]. 988. free and confidential. next, a new government

guideline separating parents and children at the u.s. border. we will talk to an immigration attorney about how this will actually work on the ground. you are watching msnbc. watchi this e sound of better breathing. fasenra is an add-on treatment for asthma driven by eosinophils. it helps prevent asthma attacks, improve breathing, and lower use of oral steroids. fasenra is not a rescue medication or for other eosinophilic conditions. fasenra may cause allergic reactions. get help right away if you have swelling of your face, mouth and tongue, or trouble breathing. don't stop your asthma treatments unless your doctor tells you to. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection or your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. ask your doctor about fasenra.

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customs enforcement issued a new directive yesterday advising agents against unnecessarily separating children from their parents at the border. advocates say 5000 parents were separated from their children at the border under the trump administration. joining us now is marissa lopez from the migrant and refugee services. thank you for being with us. what do you make of the guidelines? >> it is unfortunate we have to tell agents that they shouldn't be separating parents and children, but certainly i think it is a step in the right direction to make sure they understand the importance of that parent child relationship. they will get training on these issues and that there are very specific guidelines laid out for certain circumstances. for example, visitation between parents and children and allowing the parents to participate in proceedings that might affect the custody status

of the child. >> i mean, you said not to unnecessarily infringe on parental rights. what does that mean? there is a lot of room for different shades of definition. >> yes, and i think that is exactly the problem we have had. you know, these guidelines are always designed with a specific intent at a headquarters level but the reality is when they are implemented at a local level, they mean very different things and the outcomes we see are vastly different from what the original intention is. it is going to take quite a bit of training and local accountability to make sure that these policies are enforced the way that they are intended. >> melissa, tell me about your extraordinary work and the service you provide for so many

people. what is the situation like for you now? >> you know, we see separation at the border. though not as frequently as we did a few summers ago. you know, right now the main thing we are seeing is still people struggling to get into the united states to be able to seek asylum, which is the biggest devastation we are dealing with. unfortunately we do see a lot of children across the country unaccompanied because that is the only way they are able to enter the country at this point. this policy is a little bit -- it's not time sensitive because it doesn't apply to the situations we are seeing right now. we are seeing title 42 enforced and it doesn't really affect most of the people we are seeing and encountering right now.

>> it is so interesting because this policy as disjointed as it is right now, what it is doing is actually forcing family separations if children are the only ones that have a chance to ask for and see a better future in this country. you are actually forcing family separations as a policy as that is the reality on the ground today. >> yes, and that is exactly what we have been seeing. we are seeing parents make the incredibly difficult decision allowing their children to enter the united states and enter unaccompanied. they know this is the only way their children will have an opportunity to seek asylum here in the united states. >> you have to hand in those children to organized crime and human smugglers and those are the people that are in charge

because there is no other option. melissa lopez, we thank you so much for joining us this morning. that does it for me. i'm jose diaz-balart and i will be back after the break with more news, including president biden's meeting with saudi arabian officials. we will be right back. ficials. ficials. we will be rightth no regard for your vote. if maga republicans get back in power, your rights, benefits and freedoms will be in danger. democrats will protect your rights. and back.ly way to stop maga republicans is to vote for democrats. ff pac is responsible for the content of this ad. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance maga republicans is to vote for democrats. through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price.

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good morning. it is 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 pacific.

president biden continues his visit to the middle east. live photos of air force one landing in saudi arabia. take a look at that 747. it lands right now. the president will soon be meeting with the king as well as the crown prince, mohammed bin salman al saud . earlier today he met with the palestinian president after spending two days in israel. joining us now from saudi arabia is a senior international correspondent keir simmons. what more can you tell us about the president's visit today? >> reporter: well, it will be controversial. the president has a meeting with king salman and then a meeting with the crown prince and other ministers.