good tuesday morning. i'm lindsey reiser at msnbc headquarters in new york. right now a tense screen on the world stage. next hour, president biden is set to speak in poland after his surprise visit to ukraine's capital yesterday. while russian president vladimir putin steps into the spotlight for his state of the nation address. earlier we got a hint of what the president could say during a bilateral meeting with poland's president. >> a year later, i would argue nato's stronger than it's ever

been. i told president zelenskyy when we spoke in kyiv yesterday, i can proudly say that our support for ukraine remains unwavering. >> meanwhile, russian president vladimir putin is dialing up his rhetoric against the west, suspending participation in the last nuclear arms treaty with the u.s., even using the word war as he sends a clear message about what russia has long called a special military operation. >> translator: i would like to repeat, they started the war and we used the force in order to stop it. >> complicating questions about the future of this conflict, china's top diplomat is now in moscow this morning. live reports from russia, poland, and ukraine in moments. meanwhile, back here at home, a compounding crisis in ohio, the head of the epa is

back in east palestine today as a clinic is set to open to address the community's health concerns following the derailment of the train with toxic chemicals on board. can they treat the mistrust building in the community? >> not sure whether to believe everyone or not. and they're concerned for third kids, they're afraid to drink the water, they're concerned for bathing their babies. >> plus, big changes could be in big tech's future. for first time ever, the supreme court is hearing arguments about a controversial internet rule that says tech can't be found liable for content posted by users. how this could change the internet as we know it. and we're keeping a very close eye on the courtroom in south carolina, right now, alex murdaugh's son buster is on the stand testifying in his father's double murder trial. details on his testimony ahead. we're going to start with the duelling speeches by russian president vladimir putin and president biden who set to speak in poland next hour after that surprise visit to ukraine

yesterday. nbc's josh letterman is in warsaw, poland, for us and keir simmons in moscow. president biden has been meeting with poland's leader this morning. what are we expecting to hear from president biden and how might the message be different from what we heard in kyiv? >> well, yesterday in kyiv, lindsey, president biden's message was really one of reassurance, focused on the ukrainians. today, we're going to hear a broader message from president biden as he tries to make the case according to white house officials that a year ago there were real questions about the nato alliance, about its staying power, about whether it was going to be able to rise to the challenge posed by russia's war. the white house officials say that biden will argue that those questions about nato have now been answered, it stands stronger than it ever has before. and to lay the ground work for why these nations need to hold together as we enter year two. it was a similar message to one that we heard president biden

preview earlier today as he met with president duda of poland. take a listen. >> truth of the matter is, the united states needs poland and nato as much as nato needs the united states because there is no way in which for our ability to operate anywhere else in the world and our responsibilities extend beyond europe. we have to have security in europe. it is that basic, that simple, that consequential. it is a single most consequential alliance, i would argue maybe the most consequential alliance in history. >> biden's aides say he will also use his speech today at the royal palace gardens, just a few blocks from where i'm standing to once again frame the war in ukraine as part of that existential rift and battle between democracies and autocracies that president biden has spoken about, frankly in the context of the united states politics in terms of the tensions with china and other

nations around the world. it is hard to overstate just how popular president biden here is in poland, a country that is extremely pro-american and where according to a recent pew poll, president's number is at 82%. >> what else is president putin signaling this morning? >> yeah, i think that was president putin lashing out, escalating, certainly will worry many, though russia hasn't been accepting inspections for some time. so, it is the last arms control treaty between russia and the u.s. if they have challenges. for example, china isn't part of it. but at the same time, it is another example of the two sides, if you want to call it

that, here russia, there the u.s., becoming further and further apart. i think what was really important about what president putin had to say, he described this as a war with the west. very little of what he said in the speech was about territory. he didn't talk about his aims, his ambitions, taking kyiv, taking more of the donbas, he framed this really as an existential fight for russia so what you have on the one hand and duelling speeches today and president biden's team wouldn't describe it that way, you have duelling speeches, on the one hand, president biden describing this as a fight for democracy against autocracy, on the other hand now you have president putin trying to describe this as a fight for survival for russia. another way he put it was russia has the right to be strong. he describes west as cynical and two-faced, and, you know, that kind of language is widening the gap, making negotiation less

likely and effectively what that means, lindsey, is that things will be decided on the battlefield. will this war be decided in one direction or the other or will it go on as a long conflict that drains resources for the west and certainly resources here in russia? but, again, when you're down to a fight over principles, over how the world should work, how the world should be run, then it is a fight that both sides are completely committed to. >> keir, the chinese foreign minister is also now in russia. what is the consideration there about the role impact china could have when it comes to the war in ukraine? >> i think beijing will be more worried than their rhetoric suggests that they are. they talk about telling america that it doesn't have the right to tell china what to do, if you like. but actually, the reality is that china -- one of china's key priorities is its economy. and it has this very, very important trading relationship with europe as well as, of course, still with america despite the differences between china and america, and china and

europe. so, the problem for china is for beijing, the president xi is, they will be determined to not to see an existential threat to russia, no one in the west thinks that's actually really what's on the cards, but they will be determining if russia can survive and president putin surviving and the problem is how do you ensure president putin survives and then at the same time maintain your economic relationship with the west? that's the -- that's why you're hearing the chinese and chinese's top diplomat in russia talking about trying to come up with a peace deal, a negotiation. problem, again, of course, the west doesn't trust china, certainly not in terms of coming up with some kind of an end to this conflict. >> all right, josh, keir, thank you. want to turn now to erin mclaughlin in kyiv. how are ukrainians processing putin's words this morning, especially following president biden's visit to the country and also with this one-year

anniversary of the war days away? >> reporter: well, ahead of this speech, lindsey, ukrainians i've been speaking to were concerned, they were bracing for some sort of big announcement on the part of president putin that could change battlefield dynamics in a serious way. but listening to that speech, ukrainians tell me that instead they see weakness. there was no big announcement in their view, no big news that changes this war materially. just a short while ago, i sat down with an adviser to president zelenskyy and he told me that there were no surprises today. take a listen. president putin has been speaking for over an hour now. he's still speaking. given how much the russias hyped this speech, is there anything about his speech that has surprised you? >> translator: i'm surprised by something else, why people, representatives of the global

political elite, were treating him serious for 20 years before this invasion. and the treating of him serious played a bad joke on us, it led to this war. today's speech again underlines the irrelevance of today's russia. >> reporter: and he was telling me that he is optimistic about the next six months of this war, especially if ukraine gets all of the weapons they have been asking for. he said they're currently talking to the united states about providing those f-16 fighter jets. he expressed confidence that ultimately the united states will provide those jets, also confidence in victory for this country and in his view victory means or includes all occupied territories of ukraine, including crimea. now, that confidence, again, boosted by the president's visit here to kyiv yesterday, but at the same time, ukrainians are

still dying in this war. earlier today, as president putin was speaking, there was shelling in the southern city of kherson, which is previously occupied by russian forces, killing five civilians. lindsey? >> erin mclaughlin, thank you. i want to dig deeper with clint watts, an msnbc national security analyst and also evelyn farcas, former deputy assistant defense secretary for russia, ukraine and eurasia. secretary blinken is responding to vladimir putin's claim this morning that russia would suspend participation in new start. let's listen. >> the announcement by russia that it is suspending participation in new start is unfortunate and irresponsible. we'll be watching carefully to see what russia actually does. we'll of course make sure that in any event we're postured appropriately for the security of our country and that of our

allies. >> evelyn what does this move signal about where things are heading whether it comes to u.s./russia relations? >> to tell you the truth, i don't see this as changing that much. certainly the fact that they're officially saying they're suspending their participation in the treaty is a deterioration. but it is a stepwise deterioration because they already had essentially denied the verification inspectors from seeing what they were doing. that's what this treaty does. it basically lou sallows people come in and check what either side are doing, so we're not arming secretly and causing instable situation -- unstable situation when it comes to nuclear parity. what he's saying right now is, well, we now indefinitely are not going to allow the verification to continue. it is alarming, but i don't see it as a radically, you know, different step. there are many other things that people were afraid he might

announce today. >> evelyn, keir mentioned this, but yesterday china hit back against u.s. allegations it is providing nonlethal military aid to russia and warning washington to stay out of its relationship with russia. but we know the top diplomat in is in moscow, become the first chinese senior diplomat to visit russia since the invasion. what ways could china become more involved? >> right, lindsey, i was at the munich security conference where this chinese official spoke about the conflict in ukraine, and he talked about his peace plan. interestingly he did make a very constructive comment, which the chinese have made before, which was that no one should use nuclear weapons or threaten to use them. that was very helpful. i think the chinese are very nervous as you and keir and others mentioned earlier they don't want to be brought into this war, they don't want the economic system to collapse, but they are being pressured by the russians to do something to help them. and if they do more, that gets them in danger of u.s. sanctions, which, again, causes

economic problems for them and for the world. >> all right, clint, let's talk about this, you were in munich as well. let's talk about this new aid package that was just announced here. $460 million, more javelin missiles, ammo, bradley fire support team vehicles, you know, how can you explain how that will help or where both sides stand in terms of weaponry? >> what is remarkable is where we're at in this war, instead of it being in multi-pronged invasion, coming in from different countries, we're now looking at this fight here in the east. that's a very different battle than what we saw in the initial days of the war. ukrainians once just dismounted, using antitank weapons, now are in a more traditional conventional defense. separately the russians are suffering their own supply problems as they try to attack from the east to west, taking back the donbas. they're mostly foot soldiers trouncing through minefields, so they need more equipment, they don't have enough tanks to

advance and then there is the issue of artillery and artillery shells. for both sides this has become a multinational affair. on the nato and u.s. side, those weapons that you're talking about, i'm just going to showcase two, but one is the success of the ukrainians has largely been due to two items, the javelin and the stinger. this has held off russian air force in many ways and russian tanks in other ways, they need more missiles and they have been in short supply. add to that the fact they need their own armor now. they cannot advance. that's why the bradley fighting vehicle, u.s. tanks like the abrams, the leopard from germany are extremely important for them over the time. the other thing that is going to be essential for ukraine is air defense. the s-300, they have used this prolifically, they have been using other air defense systems from the europeans, but the problem with all of this is missiles. they have to have the antiaircraft missiles. meanwhile, the russians have been doing strategic targeting of all critical infrastructure inside ukraine, trying to

demobilize and actually undermine ukrainian ability just to survive in terms of their populations. both sides now are reaching out to their respective allies trying to get more materials. on the russian side, it is working with iran and possibly china, like you were talking about, on the u.s. and nato side, it is about bringing in more antiaircraft so they could defend themselves in ukraine. >> okay, clint, we'll be seeing you all this week. evelyn, thank you so much, appreciate it. should social media companies be liable for the content users post? the potentially groundbreaking case before the supreme court this morning. plus, a major development in the double murder trial of disbarred south carolina lawyer alex murdaugh. moments ago, his surviving son taking the stand in his defense, what he's telling jurors. and ahead of the epa is back in ohio today as residents raise more concerns about whether their air and water is dangerous. >> i don't want to live in that fear of wondering are we going to get sick, are we not? nderingg

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we're following breaking news at the supreme court. right now and for the first time ever the justices are hearing arguments on a case that centers on the limits of the controversial internet rule known as section 230. that's part of the communications decency act that says tech companies can't be found liable for the content posted by users. at the heart of this case is a lawsuit filed by the family of naomi gonzalez, the only american killed in the 2015 paris attacks, accusing google of complicity in the attacks. what are the details of this case? >> reporter: good morning, lindsey. this could be one of most consequencial cases to come before the supreme court on the issue of internet governance. this could reshape the way the internet functions as we know it. this is focused on section 230 of federal law, the communications decency act. it says that internet platforms

can now be held liable for the information it posted on there if you're a user. it also says those companies can remove content if it violates their laws. this is a family that is suing, gonzalez v. google is the name of the case. this is the family that is saying this young woman who was studying abroad in paris and was killed in an isis terrorist attack, she -- her death -- part of her death should be held liable by google because they say the algorithm that was created by google via youtube that it was recommend are terrorist videos to people. this isn't only about the content that is being generated, it is specifically on the issue of recommending videos on google. if you're watching isis videos, google is saying maybe you want to watch this one next and this one next. section 230, a lot of internet companies want to keep it in tact because it means they can't be sued for the content being posted on there.

arguments are under way. in the beginning few minutes here, we already had justices including clarence thomas asking about how the algorithm work on the internet. we had elena kagan talking about the question of section 230, definitely a big case to watch. and i think it really is in some ways gets at the idea we're looking at whether or not platform can be held liable in 1996 when this was passed it was really the american public saying platforms can't be held liable. now we have twitter and facebook and all sorts of questions whether or not they should have more responsibility. we'll be watching. >> thank you. michael regan is back in east palestine, ohio. he'll hold a press conference with the governors of both ohio and pennsylvania. transportation secretary pete buttigieg is calling on congress and the freight rail industry to take steps to improve accountability and safety. nbc's george solis has more from columbia, ohio, ten miles northwest of east palestine. we know one detail regan will

likely address is the ongoing air quality and water testing. what more are you hearing from people who live there are actually weary testing efforts? >> reporter: a lot of residents remain skeptical. many who remain close to the derailment sites say they have headaches, runny noses, rashes, things they can't explain. the health clinic that is opening up today is supposed to address the health concerns from the residents. a lot of this is anecdotal. right now there is no definitive proof that anything from the derailment site caused anyone to actually get sick. they know the residents have questions. they want to make sure they're seen by the best experts to begin addressing some of the concerns. and you mentioned that the head of the epa is here, they will be doing some demonstrations of how they're monitoring the air and the water alongside the governors of both ohio and pennsylvania. but, again, from here, just the days we have been here, the skepticism grows and residents are demanding more action and accountability. take a listen to one couple i spoke with.

how angry are you guys at how all of this has been handled? >> we're not angry. >> she's not. i'm really angry. >> i was not so angry as i'm getting now. because we're so far out and we still don't have answers. >> reporter: you mentioned u.s. secretary pete buttigieg now weighing in. he's calling on a three-pronged approach, calling on norfolk southern and the entire freight rail industry, the u.s. department of transportation and congress to work together to devise new safety plans to prevent a disaster like this from happening. one thing he noted, he wants congress to enact better rules so u.s. department of transportation can max out more fines for companies found in violation of safety violations rather, saying right now the cap is around $250,000 or so. he says really that's a drop in the bucket for a lot of these companies. >> george solis, thank you. in the last hour, the

murdaugh murder trial got back under way in south carolina with alex murdaugh's defense calling on his surviving son buster to testify. what he just said on the stand. and a big legal victory for alec baldwin. new mexico prosecutors downgrading the involuntary manslaughter charges he faces for the shooting on the set of "rust". what it means for his case next. "rust" what it means for his case next. ”" no matter your purpose, at pnc private bank we will work with you every step of the way to help you achieve it. so let us focus on the how. just tell us - what's your why? [♪♪] so let us focus on the how. if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost® today. joint pain used to keep me out of these moments. but not anymore. blue-emu put me back in the game. it's the powerful relief my joints need.

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right now, in a south carolina courtroom, buster murdaugh, the surviving son of alex murdaugh is on the stand for the defense in his father's double murder trial. alex murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and other son. the state rested friday, but not before presenting a vehicle gps evidence they say contradicts murdaugh's timeline of events the night of the murders. ellison barber is following what has been happening in the courtroom this morning. talk to us about what we have been hearing from buster. >> it has been interesting to see him on the stand, somebody who has been in court every single day. when you are there in the area, he's very recognizable because he has such bright red hair. he usually comes in shortly before the trial starts every morning. so he is on the stand right now and what we have heard so far is the defense trying to establish his father, the defendant, as a loving dad, they asked him about

how he coached little league, things that they just did in their normal life. another topic that they have started to focus on with buster is discussing the types of weapons they had at the hunting lodge, which is where these murders took place. the prosecution and investigators since the trial started have said they never recovered any of the murder weapons, they have said that they believe maggie murdaugh, particularly, she was shot and killed by a family weapon because of the cartridges they found around her body. they have been asking him specifically about the type of weapon that those cartridges were allegedly found around her body and what we have heard buster say today is that his brother, paul murdaugh, the late paul murdaugh, oftentimes left weapons, that weapon, which he and his brother both had, around the hunting lodge, and that it wasn't uncommon, he says, for those sorts of weapons to go missing. the big question for me as he continues to stay on the stand and ultimately when the prosecution is able to cross-examine him is what he has to say about that snapchat

video. that has been the biggest piece of evidence -- >> there have been a couple of snapchat videos. you're talking the one at the dog kennel. >> the one at the dog kennel, multiple witnesses know alex murdaugh well took the stand and said i hear his voice in the back of that. that disrupts the timeline where he says i wasn't at the kennels until i was there and found their bodies and called 911. it was a snapchat video paul sent a friend and you have five or six witnesses so far testifying they hear alex murdaugh's voice as well. the question i think will be whether or not buster murdaugh, when he's presumably asked about that snapchat video, by the defense or the prosecution and cross, whether or not he says he recognizes his father's voice in that video. >> why would that be so crucial? we have five or six people who know him well? >> so much of the case has been circumstantial evidence that since there isn't a concrete murder weapon, the snapchat video and the data from cell phone and also the data you have followed so closely in the days

and weeks that this has happened with the car, all of that has been a key part of it. sometimes he has hard to keep track of. the most concrete bit of evidence they have to say he was there, he was at the scene of the crime, is that video where they say you hear alex murdaugh and i think for a jury, i'm not a lawyer, but for a jury it will be incredibly compelling if his son says i hear him too after they already heard five, six people who knew him well say the same thing. >> okay. ellison barber, thank you. i know you'll be watching this all day. a legal win for alec baldwin. prosecutors dropped the fire arms enhancement charge against the actor. miguel almaguer has more. >> reporter: that gun enhancement charge would have added a five year minimum to alec baldwin's sentence if he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. now the maximum time he could face is 18 months.

a legal victory for alec baldwin ahead of his first court appearance. the district attorney dropping a firearm enhancement charge after the actor's attorneys argued prosecutors couldn't use a version of a law that wasn't on the books at the time of the shooting. the move lessens the prison time he could face if convicted. the d.a.'s office saying, it wants to avoid further litigious distraction by mr. baldwin and his attorneys, adding the prosecution's priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big city attorneys. >> no prosecutor ever drops charges because the defense is litigious. prosecutors only drop charges if they believe they can't prove them. >> reporter: the gun charge against armorer hannah gutierrez reed was also dropped. her attorney writing it was the right call, ethically and on the merits. but both the actor and the

armorer, who each say they're innocent, are still facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter for their alleged role in the accidental shooting death of halyna hutchins. on friday, both are expected to be in court virtually for their first appearance. could you believe alec baldwin should go to prison? >> our focus is to get justice halyna hutchins and to let everybody know that just because you're an a-list actor, you're not going to be above the law. >> reporter: the legal win comes as baldwin and his wife hilaria celebrated the night they met with similar instagram posts, hilaria writing, in it with you, alec, we're here, never alone. baldwin writing in spanish, i love you, my life, and thank you for our children. with alec baldwin and hannah gutierrez reed expected to appear virtually an on friday, it is unclear if they'll enter a plea after the first hearing. the first preliminary hearing could be as early as may. back to you. >> our thanks to miguel almaguer

for that reporting. police have made an arrest in the murder of popular los angeles bishop david o'connell. the suspect has been identified as the husband of the bishop's housekeeper. police say they got a tip about him acting irrationally, making comments about the bishop owing him money. they say he had done work at the bishop's home. the 69-year-old bishop was found shot to death at his home on saturday, he had served as a priest and bishop in l.a. county for more than 45 years. and was remembered by the local archdiocese as a, quote, peacemaker with a heart for the poor. up next, how jimmy carter's hometown is rallying around the former president as he receives hospice care. we're live from plains, georgia, ahead. and wisconsin voters heading to the polls today for a massive off year election. why the winner could have the major impact on everything from election rules to abortion rights. >> this is from pro-life perspective the most impactful election that we have had in

decades. >> the future of reproductive freedom hangs in the balance. r freedom hangs in the balance

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try gain odor defense. be gone, smelly everything! a somber vigil this morning in georgia for the man affectionately known as mr. jimmy, the 39th president of the united states. former president jimmy carter has been surrounded by family since entering hospice care at his home over the weekend. joining me from plains, georgia, nbc news senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell and political reporter for the atlanta journal constitution craig blustein. how is the hometown rallying around carter during this final chapter? >> reporter: well, as you know, the carter center announced he made this decision on saturday and really this is a private period, where the former president is at home, not far from where we are, joined by family and loved ones, and they are providing additional updates on his health at this point.

people in this community have seen him through many hard times over the years in terms of his health. he's been in the hospital on recent occasions and made this decision to forgo medical intervention, but hospice care, of course, does include comfort care and treating symptoms and things like that. but they are not providing details about what is happening inside the home, and we certainly respect that. here in the community, we have been meeting people who have known former president carter all their lives. we also met people who have taken time to make a side trip on their own vacations or to make a special drive to come here to plains, because this is a place where you can learn about jimmy carter and all of his phases of public life and you can certainly feel the jimmy carter experience from the kitchy political memorabilia available here to meeting people who know him personally to being part of his community. this is a time where people are talking amongst themselves about parts of his life and his

contributions, the way he's affected this community. really putting it on the map. the peanut farming that was part of the carter family business to his political life. so, we're watching all of that, and we have been struck by how many people have been moved to want to talk about jimmy carter and what he means to them now. >> greg, you wrote about the activity in plains following the news of all of this. you write, tourists visited the rustic boyhood farm, and general stor. visitors wished to celebrate the former president in his final days, even as long time residents wondered what will become of a town whose best known export is its former president? and "the washington post" also noted carter could have gone anywhere, post presidency. he chose his hometown and you paint such an idyllic picture. >> to the people of plains, jimmy carter is more than a former president. he's a neighbor.

he's a friend. they call him mr. jimmy. they see him at the ice cream parlor getting peanut butter soft serve, the local diner grabbing chicken and dumplings. he sits on local community boards, they used to see him jogging down the main drag, splash in the public cool, catching a show at the historic theater in nearby americas, he could have lived anywhere and he chose to live in plains because this is his home. >> how unique is it that we're in a moment where carter's decision to be transparent about choosing hospice has given his hometown and the country a chance to memorialize him while he's still with us? >> that is so unique. you have the sort of very public memorialization of a former president who set all sorts of records for longevity and folks here in plains and elsewhere knew it is inevitable. it is still hard to say good-bye and that's what we're seeing right now this very long, very painful good-bye. >> kelly o'donnell and greg

bluestein, thank you so much. a pair of lawmakers announcing major moves. rhode island democrat congressman david cicilline just announced this morning he's retiring after seven terms in the house. he's stepping down effective june 1st to leave the rhode island foundation as president and ceo. and in a statement, he said serving the people of rhode island has been the honor of his lifetime. also this morning, democratic congressman barbara lee announced her plans to run for dianne feinstein's soon to be vacated california senate seat. this makes three house democrats running for the seat in the 2024 election including adam schiff and katie porter. it is election day in wisconsin. and what might be the most politically consequencial vote of the year, one you likely haven't heard of if you don't live in the state. voters in the very crucial swing state are casting ballots in the primary for an open seat on wisconsin's supreme court. the race between two

conservative and two liberal justices could be a chance for progressives to flip a conservative court, which has tipped the scales on some pretty high profile issues. shaquille brewster joins me now from racine, wisconsin. why is this vote so important for the state and nationwide? >> reporter: wisconsin's conservative court has been at the center of some really controversial rulings over past couple of years. striking down covid restrictions early into the pandemic, choosing legislative maps that favored republicans, even blocking the use of drop boxes for ballots. so democrats see this as a rare opportunity to flip this court and remove what has been a major hurdle. in america's perpetual battleground state is what could be the most consequential election of 2023. wisconsin's fight for control of the state supreme court making national headlines and prompting historic spending.

>> madison liberals are trying to take over the wisconsin supreme court. >> the person elected this spring will create a majority that will rule on everything that is important in public policy in wisconsin. >> reporter: just like the midterms, a focus on abortion access. this court will determine its fate. >> this is from pro-life perspective the most impactful election that we have had in decades. >> the future of reproductive freedom hangs in the balance of one person's election. >> reporter: both sides, wisconsin right to life and planned parenthood, running massive voter engagement operations. >> we have been involved in supreme court races in the past. the goal is to be much more involved in this supreme court race. >> reporter: from in person events and door knocking, to text messaging and digital outreach, groups going beyond

november's efforts. >> to my knowledge, we have never done a prom registering folks to vote in the way we are now. >> reporter: two conservatives and two liberals competing in february's primary. the top two overall finishers will advance to the general election in april. >> the race will affect certainly policy immediately in wisconsin. >> reporter: the winner will set the ideological balance of the currently conservative court through at least 2024, a potential flip would allow the court to revisit recent conservative wins that block the use of ballot drop boxes and protected gerrymandered legislative maps. >> abortion policies, election policies, the rights of unions, the power of the governor, educational issues, all of those things are ending up before the supreme court in recent years and are going to come up very quickly again. just in terms of what policies are on the ground this court will have an immediate effect. >> reporter: and, lindsey, it is important to note that the top two overall candidates will move on to the general election in

april. so while it is unlikely, it is possible that the two liberals or two conservative candidates advance tonight, so we may know by the end of the night the ideological balance of this court for years to come. >> shaq, curious, do court races usually get this political? >> reporter: no, they don't. that's something that even the candidates, when i had a conversation and interviews with them, even the candidates mentioned that usually doesn't get this political. yes, these are races that are technically nonpartisan, but do get the backing of the wisconsin republican party and the candidates get the backing of the wisconsin democratic party, but for it to become this political, to hear candidates talking about their positions on -- values on things like abortion that is relatively unusual, but it is another sign of the clear stakes here. everyone acknowledges there is a conservative court right now and everyone understands that democrats have an opportunity to flip it. >> all right, shaquille brewster, thank you. still to come, more devastation along the

turkey/syria border, just two weeks after more than 44,000 people were killed and a massive earthquake. another quake has hit the region. the latest on the recovery efforts next. region the latest on the recovery efforts next (cecily) what's up, einstein? (einstein) my network has gone kaput! (cecily) oh, you tried to save a buck on it? (einstein) i got what i paid for. not so smart. (cecily) well, there is a smarter way to save. (einstein) oh?! (cecily) switch to verizon. you'll get a new 5g phone, on them. (vo) yup, get the new samsung galaxy s23+, a watch and a tablet, on us. that's a value of up to $1900

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this morning fresh devastation on the turkey/syria border. a major 6.3 magnitude aftershock rocked the region just two wabgz weeks after a pair of earthquakes killed over 30,000 people. meggen fitzgerald is following this for us. what are you learning? >> reporter: good to be with you. we are talking about a devastating situation made worse because of the earthquake that hit last night. keep in mind it hit in southern turkey, the place hardest hit by the first earthquake three weeks ago. we know hundreds are injured and buildings collapsed and trapping people beneath, and search and

rescue crews are working to rescue those people, and that's a familiar scene we have been watching play out in the last weeks, and they are trying to recover bodies. we are looking at a death toll that is closing in at 45,000. we know that number will continue to rise with thousands of people injured. 1.5 million people are living in tents with no homes or anywhere to go and those with homes are concerned about the structural integrity. we are hearing from the national center for earthquakes, and they said they should expect there will be more earthquakes and aftershocks to come because of the energy buildup from the massive quake two weeks ago, that 7.8 magnitude quake. at one point, 1.7 million

refugees in this area of turkey now where nowhere to go. you have the european union health agency warning of outbreaks and diseases that we could be seeing in the coming weeks. this is certainly a story that will be playing out for a long time, a devastating situation we will continue to keep an eye on. >> crisis after crisis. thank you. nbc news confirmed grit knee griner resigned to the phoenix mercury for one year. the signing is expected sometime today. she only missed one season because he was in prison in russia for ten months. looking forward to seeing her back on the court. and airline fees can add up, and a new policy at one of the biggest airlines means it got a

whole lot easier for you and your family to sit together. >> it's a travel hassle familiar to any family traveling with kids. either shell out the extra cash for seat selections up front or try and wing it at the gate. now united airlines is rolling out a new seating policy to make the skies a bit friendlier, allowing accompanying parents and adults to sit next to children younger than 12 without paying extra. >> it takes away the question of what am i going to do with my kids on the flight. >> it's unveiling new technology that will open more seats on its flights to keep automatically children next to an adult in their party. no extra fee. >> it's not uncommon to see seat

selection as much as $50, $60, $70 per person. a family of four it could run well over $200 just to reserve your seats. >> it sreul be available to families purchasing regular tickets or basic economy tickets. the move comes as regulators, lawmakers and the white house have taken sharp aim at so-called junk fees. >> baggage fees are bad enough. airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage. >> families sometimes buy seats together that cost more. experts say unite's new boarding tool should remove some of the boarding stress for families. >> it's going to be better for airline gate agents that don't have to try and play musical

chairs. >> thanks to nbc's tom costello for that reporting. that does it for me. i will be back here at 10:00 a.m. eastern. "josé diaz-balart reports" is next. so clothes look newer, longer. feel the difference with downy. big pharma has been unfairly charging people hundreds of dollars, making record profits. not anymore. we capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on medicare. next on behind the series... let me tell you about the greatest roster ever assembled. the monster, the outlaw... and you can't forget about the boss. sometimes- you just want to eat your heroes. the subway series. the greatest menu of all time. (vo) when you love the environment, you work to protect it. the subway series. the subaru solterra electric suv.

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good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern. 8:00 a.m. pacific. i am josé diaz-balart. right now president biden is in poland where he will give a highly anticipated speech this morning. the remarks coming after russia's vladimir putin gave his own address and suspended moscow's participation in the only remaining treaty with the u.s. we will bring you the president's speech when it begins. this morning the head of the epa is back in ohio as a new clinic opened to residents raising health concerns after that train derailed earlier this month. an nbc news exclusive report details the biden administration's new rule