stopped at the legislative level. and then, what is in the water? in east palestine ohio. weeks after that devastating change real mint and the release of hazardous chemicals. we are going to dig into new reporting that just a thing of the water supply being described by some as a debacle. we begin with ukraine. the war entering its second year. president biden saying the u.s. will continue to do whatever it takes to fight russia's aggression. want to bring in now, lieutenant general and msnbc military analyst. welcome. thanks for joining us on this. let me just ask you first as we just heard of course from that sound i played in that interview on abc news from the president saying, yes of course, we will continue to support ukraine. in the time to come. so long as russia continues to occupy areas of ukraine. however, they do not need

fighter jets as of yet. despite the ask, the continued asks over the last year from president zelenskyy that they in fact do. >> well, what i will tell you is that, no disrespect to the president. my assessment is, if you want the ukrainians to defeat the russians today, then we have to give them all the equipment that they need. that means attack helicopters, air defense, missiles, long-range artillery. and, if you want to go after those rockets that are being fired on the key infrastructure and the people, f-16s are perfect for doing that, they're also perfect for destroying villages sticks have of the russians. they are perfect for destroying the communication centers of

the russians. and so, my assessment is they need the f-16s. the other thing that is key about this conversation is, of course the ukrainians will need training. they are going to need equipment to repair parts for these f-16s. it takes somewhere between 8 to 10 months to train a pilots on flying an f 16. so if we start now, maybe they don't need it, maybe they do in his assessment in the pentagon's assessment. maybe a year from now they may need them. so let's start training them now at least. >> if you will, general's time bar for me. i want to bring in nbc's allie raffa and standing by for us in wilmington delaware with the president. and i want to bring you, ali, into the conversation here now is where johnny about the commitments from the president and some of the worry is going forward as we enter year two of this war in ukraine. what do we know?

>> yeah, yasmin. the latest we know is that over to a new over two billion dollar aid package that was unveiled yesterday, that includes everything from a high tech drone and rockets to new ammunition. but noticeably absent from that package where those f-16 fighter jets that president zelenskyy has repeatedly asked not just the u.s., but also western allies for. remember, president biden committed to sending abrams tanks last month. but he said no when asked whether he would send those fighter jets. in a new interview with abc news, he sort of explaining why that is. he said that up until this point the u.s. has applied ukraine with everything it needs whenever it has needed it. but he says that according to military officials that he speaks with, there is no rationale for supplying those fighter jets as of right now. but yes, when you consider this new phase is wars entering into, this new russian counter offensive that is expected in the spring, and you factor in

some wildcards. wildcards like iran, that the white house confirmed this week is supplying lethal aid to russia. when you factor in china. a country that the u.s. is closely monitoring to see whether china will also do the same and providing lethal aid to russia. you can see how much more weight that question holds of whether the u.s. will eventually agreed to send those fighter jets. the president told abc that as of right now he hasn't seen any evidence of china making such a move. but he says he didn't in this words when bringing up this issue with chinese president xi during a conversation he had with him over the summer. listen to what he had to say. >> and i said, if you are engaged in the same kind of brutality by supporting the brutality that is going on, you may face the same consequences. i don't anticipate. we haven't seen it yet, but i don't anticipate a major initiative on the part of china providing weaponry to russia.

>> those consequences that president biden is referring to are a lengthy list of sanctions that the u.s. has imposed on russia and other countries that are eating its war effort. more of those sanctions of course unveiled yesterday to mark the one year anniversary of this war, yasmin. >> all right, ali. raffa thinks are jumping the honesty for us. i would not a little bit first about the idea of china possibly supplying lethal aid to russia. how that could feasibly change the game. we know iran has been doing this for quite some time. at least i believe over six months at this point. certainly iran have less accountable for the united states when it comes to the united relationship with united states and china does. and the president referencing of course this conversation with xi over the summer. a lot has happened since the summer. how worried should we be about

this prospect? >> well, as you stated, we know iran and by the way, the north korean side providing artillery to the russians. now we are hearing that china may. so you start to see this bifurcation. you're starting to see democracy against a top or. c and so, let's hope that china will come to its senses because there's a lot at stake. if china starts to align with russia, giving them weapons and so forth, then sanctions from the west, given that china is a major trading partner not only to the u.s. but also most of the western countries that are part of nato and the eu, that is going to be a significant blow. not just from china, but also our economy in the european economy. and, so we are going to have to watch this carefully how this plays out. >> you know, general.

this is a question i asked early on in the conflict. and it is a question i want to ask now yet again because it seems like it is not inside which is where is the off ramp to this thing? it certainly seems like byron putin, he has a history of sticking to his guns, nope and intended. in conflicts and invasions like this. and they are ongoing for years and years. >> yeah. so, putin is pretty defiant. and so, there are two options. number one, negotiations. so both will have to come to the negotiating table. and there is going to have to be a mediator. and somewhere there is going to have to be a point where both of them agree on whatever the final outcomes are. so that is option one. the second option is there needs to be a clear winner. and as you can see across the country right now there is this

tip for tat for fighting and we are not getting anywhere. so, we stick with the fighting option than you and i will be having this same conversation next year. >> yeah, let's hope. not retired lieutenant general steph tweety, we thank you as always, sir. and in an exclusive new interview with nbc news, former vice president mike pence is talking with our own ali batali at the heart of this conversation is the war in ukraine and whether he will run for president again. a run for president, i should say, against his boss former president donald trump. i want to bring in any batali who standing by for us. ali, let's talk about this. first and foremost, of course it's his on ukraine. because there was some worry that especially the right-wing republican party was not interested in supplying more aid to ukraine. how does his stance on this

contrast with them? >> look,, yasmin that we're still. exist and that is part of the reason why the former vice president came to austin to do that kind of a speech. she spoke first with a roomful of students and other folks at the university of austin texas. but then, moved over to talk with me about what he is seeing within his own party, even from his own former boss, donald trump. but targeting others in the field as well including current florida governor ron desantis. as someone else who is mulling a presidential bid. i want to play for you a pretty striking part of our conversation on this issue of foreign policy in ukraine. watch. >> the right approach to this moment in history, with renewed russian aggression, in eastern europe needs to be strength. american strength and calling on our allies to continue to meet their obligations for a common defense. >> so would you say rhonda sentences characterization is wrong? >> i would say anyone that thinks that vladimir putin will stop at ukraine's wrong.

>> so you hear him there being unequivocal saying anyone who says that putin would stop with ukraine's wrong. but also, targeting ron desantis who had downplayed rushes power in this moment. and as we enter this geopolitical fight, not just with russia but also china. pence trying to assert himself in the foreign policy lane and use the fact that he was a former vice president to sort of bolster any potential presidential bid that could be coming. >> talk about the potential. what do he saying? >> yeah. and he had some news for us there too. when i asked him about this run that he has been teasing or at least publicly saying he is considering, he told me for the first time yesterday that this is something that he is going to have a decision on by for his family by spring. technically spring starts in just a few weeks. so our years are finally tuned on that as we watch this field start to come together now, yasmin. but pence is also starting to draw some fascinating contrast with his former boss when it comes to leadership style.

this is something that, when i was covering the trump campaign that later became the trump pence campaign in 2015 and 2016, one of the things that we would often talk about was just how stylistically these two politicians were so different. and now pence is gonna have to walk this tightrope of showing that he is a different kind of leader than trump. he used words like, a return to respect. civility, different kind of leader in our conversation yesterday. that is him trying to drop contrast in terms of style. but in terms of substance, this is where it is going to be really fascinating to watch how he maneuvers here strategically. because i asked him, okay. if you are running for president or at least thinking about, that means you think that you could do a better or at least different job than your former boss. what is one policy difference? and he didn't delineate any. so ukraine might be one of those points, but domestically it is going to be interesting to watch the way that he runs on their record, without running alongside trump. >> did you challenge him at all, ali, on how he plans to get the trump base behind him amidst at all to take votes away from his

former boss? >> this is going to be one of those fascinating things that not just pence has to strategize around, but also other people who are running from within that administration. nikki haley is the only other officially announced candidate. we are watching her try to make this argument that it is generational right now so that she doesn't have to go get trump on anything substantive. because, look, if i go out and talk about to voters who are republicans, those who say they are ready to push past the trump era do so by saying that they are ready because they liked the policies, but they don't so much want to keep the persona at the top of. it now, that is not to say that there is not still 20 to 30 of the republican base that will always consistently stay with trump. it is why we are seeing some of these potential challenger stating that they are aware that a wider field, a bigger field could make it easier for trump to keep that 20 or 30% and be able to win the nomination again for people like former maryland governor larry hogan, that is a

consideration for. him it is gonna be interesting to see if that is something that pence is thinking about, that mike pompeo, the former secretary of state is thinking about. these are all names that are going to have to play the strategy game. and it is gonna be really tough for them to do so. >> if they are thinking about this, and then if and they decide not to run because a water field it seems it's better for the former president, then who today then put their support behind, that would also be fascinating to watch. ali vitali for us, as always my, friend it is great to talk to. you think. you let's turn now to east palestine ohio as investigations continue into what exactly led to the adrenal meant of a train carrying toxic chemicals earlier this month. a separate controversy is brewing about how officials are determining the safety of drinking water in areas near the site. as christy angela reports in the have it in, postmasters of the road company in norfolk southern whose train was involved in the accident are themselves overseeing water sampling and testing efforts. this is of course quote, only

help to fuel distrust of the community desperately searching for answers. christy angela join me. now this seems like a real conflict of interest, chris. i gotta. say if you have got norfolk southern doing all of the sampling of the water here, it only benefits them if in fact they can come out and say, well the water is safe. it is clean. get back to normal. >> thanks for having me. yeah, so. the declared my best declaring municipal water safe to drink and east palestine, easy exclusively on sampling done by norfolk southern contractor. i found out that they got preliminary results back from suffolk county testing, but that didn't come into the ohio epa until after, several hours after governor mike dewine's office put out the all clear. in addition to that, there's a lot of concern about how those samples were collected. in the initial lab reports and

in the final reports, there are multiple red flags that the samples were not properly preserved for the epa mess that that are cited in those reports. and that some of the vials had air bubbles in them which, all of this can potentially bias or skew the results. ultimately showing fewer contaminants than what might have been really been. they're so, there have since been. i just saw that the county posted their results a couple of hours ago within the last couple of hours. i didn't have a chance to get through go through as a fine tooth comb. yet parc, you know there is definitely concern about how this process unfolded and what they relied on to you give the all. clear >> so let's talk about the unfolding here. because you talk about this kind of preliminary data. i know from your reporting that ohio officials only have this preliminary data from this

railroad funded water sampling when the governor's office gave the residents of east palestine really the green light. to drink this tap water. i'm just wondering why there wasn't more precaution taken? was it just total ill preparedness? >> i don't have a great answer to you. that eye you know, if they were going to rely on preliminary data. fine. they put out the all clear literally within our, hours before they had the county preliminary data. the county has only released its findings today. more than a week later. a lot of people have been wondering what the holdup has been there. the county said that they would only posters once they had final results which in some ways we. extends i guess the question is, why did they feel so compelled to you say, go ahead instead of just wait to have both sets of sampling. i, mean that is sort of the

whole point of split sampling is so that you don't end up with those sorts of objects. and, since then the state epa in ohio has stepped in and started its own testing of the municipal wells. and i think that the first results of those would be ready within maybe a week, 5 to 7 days. >> i gotta, say in your reporting you also spoke with scientists as well. chemists, ecologist, one of them told you they are not sold on the fact that the drinking water is safe. and if i was living in, town i certainly would not be sold on it. another chemist, an associate person professor at ohio state university says, it just doesn't seem like things were done with care. some real red flags here when you think about the fallout of all of this after this trained real moment and subsequent chemical skill. we appreciate you. thank you chris deangelo. coming up, everybody. how the children of moocher are coping with the aftermath of russia's occupation. we are going to tell you the

story of when ukrainian boy. plus, diversity under attack. students protesting for lorida governor desantis's attempts to dismantle diversity programs at public-ologist and universities. i'm going to speak with the state representative who walked alongside the students about whether they need education bill could actually pass. up, next all eyes on the admiral of texas where a closely watched ruling on abortion bills could block access for millions of women. millions ofom wen (vo) businesses nationwide are switching to verizon business internet. (woman) it's a perfect fit for my small business. (vo) verizon has business internet solutions nationwide. (man) for our not-so-small business too. (vo) get internet that keeps your business ready for anything. from verizon. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete, long-acting hiv treatment you can get every other month. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by my healthcare provider, every other month. it's one less thing to think about while traveling.

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in texas, any day now we expect a federal judge to issue an order on a lawsuit looking to overturn the fda's approval of -- the first of two drugs used in medication abortion. on friday, vice president kamala harris held a meeting on reproductive health care access. >> but there are now partisan and political attacks attempting to question the legitimacy of a group of scientists and doctors who have studied the significance of this drug. there is now an attempt by politicians to remove it from the ability of doctors to prescribe and the ability of people to receive. this is not just an attack on women's fundamental freedoms. it is an attack on the very foundation of our public health

system. >> so, the vice president went on to say that the president is committed to protecting every woman's right to make decisions about her own body. harris did not publicly lay out how the administration plans to respond. joining us now is rachel o'leary carmona. she is executive director of the women's march. rachel, thank you for joining us on this. if in fact this medication is banned, what is that going to mean for women? >> i mean, it would be catastrophic for women across the country. in particular, the women who are already most impacted by the insufficient access to abortion care and reproductive health care in communities across the country. communities of color, poor, communities rural communities. i tell you, i was in a abortion clinic in new mexico less than a year ago. i traveled with 20 or so women from texas. to new mexico to seek out abortions at the time. the majority of these women, they were black and brown women. the majority of them to commit the press don't as their medical abortion drug.

i watched one woman actually take it. and so when you think about the women as you talk about it that are going to be affected, what other options will they then have? >> well, there is a protocol that doesn't require math oppress don't but it is less effective and it is less effective at managing pain. and it is less effective at terminating pregnancies, which is what is kind of at the central quarter here. there are a lot of reasons to terminate a pregnancy, both a decision about when and how to have a family, but also in instances that the mother's health or, as one of our staffers testified, in the case of miscarriages. and so this is really as vice president harris said, a strike at our fundamental public health structure, not just out. women >> so then the question is, what can be done if this happens?

. well, i think that people power needs to be exerted here. we have to be in the streets, and we have to make our voices heard. we know that this is a result of a compromise judiciary. one where president let's put activists on the. bench 11 down in courts like in amarillo. but also in the supreme court. so i think we also have to be, however eye on -- and say this is an attack on women. it's an attack on our bodies. but it is also an attack on democracy yourself. and we can't unlike the two. we have to be careful about both. we have to build people power and electoral power to make sure that we win. >> when you talk with the help of vulnerable women, i have to read this for. folks because it is astounding. the commonwealth and which is an independent research organization focused on health policy, released this report finding that states with more abortion restrictions have higher maternal and infant

mortality rates. what do you make of this? >> i mean, i think that tracks. we already know that maternal health, maternal mortality tracks very consistently along racial demographics. we know that black maternal mortality is in a crisis in this country and has been for a long time. we know that wealth is, and white and whiteness is a determiner of whether you're gonna have a healthy pregnancy. and what your chances are to have a crisis dealt with when you're having a child. i think that, and i also think that there are other instances involved. as a former domestic worker, our ability to take time off to work away from harsh chemicals, to have the kind of health care that you need. all of these things are inextricably linked and that is why we cannot separate race from class, from economic justice, and from protecting our democracy when we talk about protecting abortion rights. >> by the way, that number 62%. maternal death, rate 62% higher

than they were in states where abortion is mores got ali accessible. rachel o'leary, thank you so much. we appreciate. it, coming up, everybody gripping voices from ukraine. how one woman's harrowing messages to today.com reporter kept her connected to survivors of the war. >> last night i heard an aircraft so close. that i was really scared. i had no time to go anywhere it was the most scary moment from the beginning of this war. beginning of this war. beginning of this war. a man, his tractor and his family. these are the upshaws. though, he goes by shaw. which stands for skilled hands at work. because whether he's cutting hair, mowing grass, moving earth, or even roasting marshmallows.

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also, coping with the tragedy of the war. nbc's erin mclaughlin first met young lad after the liberation of bucha. now, she reunited with him and filed this? >> in the war-torn city approach, a six year old lad lag earn is back in school. now that it has partially reopened, after being bombed during the russian invasion. at midday, his dad picks him up. but, vlad doesn't want to leave. he loves to learn that much. >> this little boy has become too familiar with heartbreak. last, year vlad survived the russian invasion and occupation of bucha. with his half brother and his dad. but, his 34 year old mom did not. they say marina noem as died of stress and starvation. hiding from the bombs in the families basement. they were forced to bury her in back of their apartment block. every day, if the bombings allowed, lad would visit his

mom's makeshift grave. >> we were in bucha last april, shortly after the russian retreat. vlad's dad had marina's body exhumed from their backyard. then, laid to rest in the city's cemetery. vlad told us he remembered what happened to her and how ukrainian soldiers safe them from the russians. ukraine's strong, he says. >> you are very strong. >> ten months later, we need flat on his walk home from school. >> how are you doing? >> how a school? >> he recognizes. you >> with russian missile still a persistent threat, vlad's dad tells us he is worried the war has his boys growing up too soon. he's says, they are doing their best to cope with the loss of marina. >> what was marina like? >> she was a very beloved person. >> it is difficult. i miss her.

he says,. that tells me he is a day away from his seventh birthday. they share a video created to mark last year's celebration. >> they had no way of knowing that birthday it would be their last with marina. but vlad says, he remembers. erin mclaughlin, nbc news, bucha, ukraine. >> my gosh. that is an emotionally heartbreaking story. our thanks to erin, for that. and, another story we want to tell you about. for the 3 million plus residents of the capital city of kyiv, at the start of the word today.com reporter daniel moore establish contact with a less, a woman from kyiv, whose mothers cancer treatment prevented her from leaving the city. larissa sent daniel voicemails every single day for the first several weeks of the war which gave an incredibly personal account of what living through

war is really like. >> this morning it was really loud, but i'm okay. the shelling, they are shelling civilians. they're shelling kindergartens. i can't even believe that that a human can do that to another human. i don't want to be a refugee. i didn't do anything that. >> and, danielle is joining us now. talk to me about first how you got in contact with larissa, and also how she trusted to give you this information. i'm sure it was in a way cathartic for her to be speaking with the outside world. >> it was, i actually spur first talk to lure us as part of another piece that i did read women, daughters who are going to kind of caregiving roles people going to the frontlines to fight. after last week with her asked if it helps we can stay in contact. and as you, that i think it was cathartic. every morning, to three,

o'clock i would wake up there would be a voice mail from her which was a huge relief. and then there were days when there wasn't. and that was something that was kind of new for me as a reporter of waiting to hear from her and sometimes even texting and saying, hey are you okay? and she would say, oh yes. her signature, hates me, i am. okay and like after a couple of weeks i was kind of clinging to that as the war continued. >> and what was it like for her as the weeks ticked on? i mean, vladimir putin's ultimate goal at that time, at that stage of the war was to overtake the capital city which he was not able to do. >> right. as her voice we continued, fear very quickly changed to anger. you can hear it in her voice, how angry she, was how sad she. what she told me every life that i heard that was being taken, every ukrainian that was killing, it felt like a piece of me was dying as well. my soul was being taken. also, because there when. nation there when. people so, there was a lot of anger in those first few months

as the war continued and as she saw, of shelling of civilians, of kindergartens as you mentioned. families. >> i mean, you see that piece that air and. it is just so incredibly heartbreaking. and that is just one of so many people that have gone through something so similar. of children who have gone through something similar. what is it like for her now when year later? is there a realization that they're in a way now living with this war and no end in sight? >> clarissa struggled for a really long time about whether to leave or to go. she said she didn't want to be a refugee. she did think today thing. wrong eventuality, she actually did it leave. so she is in switzerland right now with her mother. as you, mentioned. cantilever moment at her back. there she wants to go back home. but the war is continuing. and while some might argue that americans have moved on, she certainly has. and the government thankfully year has. and she is waiting for the day that she. >> it is her mom able to get the cancer treatment that she needs? >> yes, thankfully. as the russians have been pushed more to that used, they

have been able to get more supplies compared to the beginning of the war. so, her mom. and she even shared with me, her mom and dad are doing. great the only people are person i guess that she is really beholden to is that cats. they just get the cat whatever the cat wants. i have been. told >> daniel kathy moore, thank you as always. appreciate. it up next everybody. awhile a walkout by florida college students protesting desantis's sweeping attempts to target transgender students in diversity programs. i'm going to speak to one state representative who was at the walkout. where the fight goes next. walkout. where the fight goes next. >> we want to first thought. we want freedom of education. these things are really important to us and we are not gonna back down until we have them. down until we hav them them maybe it's perfecting that special place that you want to keep in the family... ...or passing down the family business... ...or giving back to the places that inspire you. no matter your purpose, at pnc private bank,

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we wanted, thank you so much are joining us. we appreciate it. i guess first and foremost i want to know what students were saying to you as you were at these protests. and their expectations in making sure the governor will not be able to pull this off. >> thank so much for having me. i am a proud graduate of orange county public schools and at the university of central florida. i'm actually not getting my phd and public administration, so i have a deep sense of commitment and respect to public education, which is the ultimate equalizer in society. students are demanding protection of their academic freedom, of their diversity programs and organizations, and other medical information as governor render santa's attempts to perpetuate indoctrination of his conservative ideology and his far-right agenda into our schools. >> do you think about like this is going to get past, especially considering a republican majority legislature in florida? >> it is incredibly concerning. this proposal that is coming

from the governor's office would ban certain programs, integrate his ideology to our curriculum, go after tenure, and abolish any type of conversation or programs around diversity and inclusion. i'm very concerned with republicans majority that this has. but it is important to note that these positions are extreme. even among the everyday republican voter. and, it threatens our accreditation as universities, and it can also push out that ot and students. indeed, we are already seeing professors not want to work in florida, candidates pulling out applications from applying to florida universities. so if our time to attract the best and the brightest, there are economic consequences where they are not going to want to come to florida. it is going to impact our long term pipeline. so i'm hopeful that some of these can pull pushback this. bill >> the privacy and how the emotional state, as well. of the students that are being targeted. desantis requesting the information as we mentioned at the top, of these chants

students. who sought out care at florida's public universities. and a lot of them have complied. university of florida, florida state university, central florida, a&m. florida a&m university, florida national university. the university of north load as well. how worried are you about this if they are not pushing back. >> i'm incredibly worried. this information is so invasive insidious, and it isn't part of an attack that governor desantis has launched on the transgender community alongside all marginalized people. whether he is attacking lgbtq plus folks were teaching black history or also going after our undocumented dreamers as he is also committed to eliminating their instate tuition. is important to stress that every culture wars class war. so what desantis is trying to do is basically broaden the division between the haves and have-nots. and not allow for those of us who don't have means, to be able to critically think, to become leaders, and to ask tough questions in our

classroom settings. and so, students are not just concerned, they are fighting back. as you, saw the statewide lot walkouts. >> you've got a real ally in the students in florida it seems. as they are in fact fighting back. how do you utilize them in the best way possible? >> well, i am proud to say that part of these walk outs were actually born out of an organizing boot camp that i hosted in central florida few weeks ago with another boot camp that we are hosting on march 26 in tallahassee. so we are focused on, not just energizing young people but helping young people understand the systems of power so that they can express themselves in a way that will have an impact. which is why you see if students go before the board of trustees yesterday and you we continue to see students come to tallahassee to advocate for themselves in their futures. >> for the state representative ana asked bonnie. we thank you. it was great to talk to you today. >> coming up, everybody. elegant side the latest developments from the alex murdaugh trial after he took

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>> it has been a tense two days of testimony at the trial of alec murdaugh icq suspect took the stand in his own defense. nbc's catie beck has more. >> in the hot seat for a second, day allegorical using a blistering cross examination. >> the second that you are confronted with the facts that you can't and i, you immediately come up with a new ally. we isn't that correct? >> i would disagree with that proposition that you are putting out. >> prosecutors hitting harden murdaugh timeline inconsistencies on the night of the murders, and murdaugh pushing back in his own defense. even becoming combative when challenged on his memory of finding his wife's body. >> and you're dang right i remember why i went to her and for what reason. >> because the only thing you are concerned about is

yourself. >> answering some questions with clear certainty, addressing his 20 year addiction to opioids. admitting he had pills in his pocket even as he spoke to investigators the night of the murders. >> so you are taking 60 a day, or something like? that >> there were days when i took more than that. there were days when i took less than that. >> and at other times, appearing unsteady struggling with answers about why, after he returned from the candles to the house close to the time of the murders, his phone was tracking 70 steps a minute as he was placing several phone calls in a row. >> did you got a treadmill? >> no i did gonna try to. no >> walk in place? >> prosecutors ripping the jury murdochs for investigator statements that murdaugh now event admits relies. >> i stayed in the house. >> other than lying to them about going to the kennel, i was cooperative and every aspect of this investigation. >> so you lied about me the most important fact of all, that you are the murder scene

with the victims just minutes before they died. >> in a brief redirect, murdaugh's defense team pointed to phone data showing that maggie's phone, which was thrown by the roadside, was never moving in sync with alex at any point after the murders. murdaugh, again denying he is a killer. >> if i was under the pressure that they are talking about here, i can promise you i would hurt myself before i would hurt one of them. >> we expect to hear several more witnesses on the stand at the beginning of next week. and then closing arguments and the case goes to the jury. keep in mind, this jury has heard a mountain of evidence from over 60 witnesses. so it is tough to say just how long these deliberations will take. >> all right, thanks to nbc's katie back for that report. coming up, on extreme weather, southern california bracing for potentially brutal and rare blizzard conditions. we have got the latest coming

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everybody. the west coast getting walk by winter weather the first time in decades. los angeles experiencing blizzard warnings. san francisco saw its lowest temperatures in over a century. nbc's dana griffin reports. . and historic west coast winter blast. moving winds up to 75 miles per

hour. it is the first blizzard warning ever for the san bernardino county mountains. some cars covered in at least a foot of snow. sunny san diego followed suit with its first blizzard warning in history. the golden state's uncharacteristic weather, creating hazardous whiteout conditions. about 45 miles east of bakersfield, this big rig had to be towed after going over a highway in bank mint. this was the scene friday morning on highway 17 in the santa cruz mountains. >> multiple trees, downed multiple vehicle. stuck >> in venice? he'll pummeled these tennis players. >> there's hail on the courts. >> in napa county, multiple spin outs on highway 29 leaving drivers in disbelief. >> we in the bay area, freeman peak turned into a winter wonderland for hikers. the grapevine freeway that extends from los angeles county to the san joaquin valley, shut down for hours friday because

of dangerous snowy conditions. >> i haven't seen any snow since the late 50s when i was a kid. >> it snowed in hollywood and i made a snowball. and the proof is the hollywood side of the back. >> los angeles county is now bracing for flash flooding after seeing snow in an estimated 2 to 3 inches of rain. multiple vehicles here, submerged on interstate five. heavier snow fell in the sierra as many came out to see the rare winter weather, leaving behind snow myth that will soon melt as this storm moves along. >> our thanks to dina griffin for that report. i want to turn now to a heartwarming story of texas. and it year old was enjoying a life in retirement until january when his rent was raised by several hundred dollars. so mr. james came back into the workforce taking a job as the school janitors to make ends meet. when kids at the school learned about his situation, they took it upon themselves to step up and make a difference. a group of students set up a

gofundme which, get, this has raised over $270,000 from over 8000 donors for mr. james. that is great stuff. so, you ask and i shall deliver. my boys have been in here for the last two hours and they've been great about it. come on, guys. thank you for joining me everybody. that wraps it up for. me i'm yasmin vossoughian. this is our nor, coming our. guys coming as. come on camera. guys, we've got a wrap up. come on, he's a little shy. come up here. we will see you next weekend, saturday and sunday 2 to 4. pm >> symone starts right. now sorry simone. by. same bag as. >> greetings everyone, if you are watching symone. any minute now we are expecting an update from federal and local officials and recovery efforts out of ohio, for a top supreme derailment three weeks ago has residents demanding answers about their health and safety. i asked pete to the judge about his visit to