good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. this hour, a mexican governor says officials now know what happened to four americans kidnapped in mexico. two of them found dead. we've got the new developments. also, a passenger on board a united plane caught on tape attacking and trying to stab a flight attendant after he tried to open the emergency door mid flight. what the faa is doing after a series of scares in the sky. the biden administration reconsidering a controversial policy affecting migrant families at the border. the same policy the president ended after taking office. plus, five women denied

abortions sued texas over its near total ban on the procedure. we'll hear from one of them who says she nearly died because of the law. we begin this hour with that breaking news out of mexico concerning those four americans who were shot at and kidnapped in matamoros, mexico. the governor of the state of tamaulipas says two of the four americans have been found dead while one more is injured. the fourth was found unharmed. disturbing video shows part of the kidnapping where you see the assailants dragging people into a white pickup truck. a law enforcement official confirmed. joining us now, nbc's ken dilanian, nbc's peter alexander at the white house, and the former head of the dea's operations. ken, what can you tell us? >> what the governor is saying is these americans have been recovered, two dead, two alive,

one injured. they are in mexican custody and will be transferred to the u.s. this has not been confirmed by u.s. officials, but u.s. officials saying that they were targeted by cartel gunmen in a case of mistaken identity as they crossed the border in that white mini van with north carolina plates. one of the women in the group was seeking a cosmetic procedure, which is much cheaper in mexican. the gunmen may have thought they were haitian people smugglers, which is what i'm told from a person familiar with the matter. stopped the vehicle, began shooting at these americans. we saw in the video that some of them were grievous wounded. we saw armed men in body armor dragging these americans into a white pickup truck. now, we're being told that two of them did not survive, and one is injured but they have been recovered by mexican attorneys, jose. >> peter, what has the white house been saying? >> reporter: we just reached out to the national security council within the last few minutes since we heard from this mexican

governor about the two kidnapped americans having lost their lives now. they are working to provide new details to us, working with their mexican counterparts right now. we have heard from the white house over the course of the last 24 hours, though. karine jean-pierre, the press secretary here, describing these attacks as unacceptable, saying that the president and the thoughts of the white house are with the families of the individuals, that they're going to be providing all the appropriate consular assistance they can. the u.s. and mexico working in tandem on this, trying to coordinate the return of those individuals that, as ken reported now, appear to be in american custody, which is to say they will be in some form coming home. obviously, two of them sadly were killed here. it's worth noting that the fbi has been asking for more information to try to make arrests in this situation. the state department over the last several days reupping what

it calls its do not travel warning. it was already in place, effectively saying that that particular region of mexico is very dangerous. according to the state department's website, it says in simple terms, avoid the area due to kidnapping and crime, organized crime activity, gun battles, armed robberies and kidnapping, as well. so those are the details as it relates to the white house at this moment. we should say this is also a political perilous situation, as well. it's become part of a wider debate right now about safety, not just along the border but in the northern portions of mexico, with some republicans, including tom cotton, the republican from arkansas, criticizing president biden and his administration. effectively saying that their failure to better enforce immigration policies at the border right now are, in part, to blame for the emboldening of the mexican cartels right now,

jose. obviously, the number one priority for this white house at this time is not the politics here, it is trying to get more information about who is responsible for these deaths. >> so, ken, all of the information so far that we are getting come from the mexican officials. the governor of the area and the president of mexico this morning talking about it in his morning press conference. but all of the information so far coming out of official mexican sources. >> well, that's right, jose. although, i have to say, the american law enforcement officials i've been talking to over the last 24 hours have been hinting that they did not think that there was going to be a great outcome here. based on the video that we all saw, they could clearly see that at least two of those americans were grievously wounded. in fact, one looked lifeless. there was a blood trail. they were expecting the worst here. we didn't get clarity on exactly whether there were negotiations

with the cartel, what steps the mexican government took to recover these people, whether they were just left somewhere and found by mexican authorities. we're waiting to hear that. we believe we'll hear from u.s. officials today. attorney general merrick garland has a news conference at 11:30. there are other opportunities. we'll hear from american officials about this. they'll have to explain, eventually, what they did to help recover these americans. it's just an awful situation, and it does underscore, asluing lawlessness within parts of mexico that has major u.s. foreign policy implications. there are parts of mexico where americans regularly vacation, where cartel murders are now happening with some regularity. you know, a few years ago, there was a debate inside washington about whether mexico was a failed state because it could not control the level of violence in parts of its country. we may see that debate renewed. we'll see a debate about what the u.s. should be doing about it. what intelligence community and law enforcement support needs to be funneled to this problem, because it is affecting mexicans

and affecting americans, jose. >> thank you very much, ken dilanian, for being with us. mike, i want to pick your brain. this, in many ways, reminds you of things that have happened in your career and in the past. mike, paint the picture of what exactly what happened and why it's happening. >> the thing is that in mexico, you know, we have a very problematic situation with the current administration. jose, this started in 2020 when the dea arrested the ex-cabinet level secretary, the head of defense under the then regime. at the time, they were going to limit the efforts of the dea, fbi and other law enforcement agencies. apart from that, there are

policies, hugs and not gunshots, which means that he really doesn't want to confront these cartels. they're operating with greater impunity, more violent, and they have absolutely no respect for the rule of law. there's large swaths of territory in mexico that are being held by the cartels. not only are they trafficking drugs, but they've infiltrated a lot of, you know, legitimate businesses in mexico. kidnapping has become a cottage industry in that country. the cartel hit men, they don't care about identifying their targets. they've become so brazen that, you know, they shoot first and ask questions later. >> i want to bring in nbc's

morgan chesky. he is in brownsville, texas. morgan, what have you learned about the four americans and why they were there in the first place? >> reporter: yeah. jose, of course, we're awaiting official u.s. confirmation of what the governor of the state of tamaulipas said earlier today. the heartbreaking update, that two of those americans are now dead, two others alive from this kidnapping that took place on friday. jose, just to underscore the proximity here, it was just a stone's throw on the other side of this border bridge into neighboring matamoros that, according to authorities, jose, this van that the four u.s. citizens were in took fire from armed men. then we saw that horrific video and the deadly play by play of them grabbing them, dragging them, placing them in the back of a white pickup truck. that's what launched kind of this -- so many unknowns. where were they taken? how were they doing? there was significant question about their well-being because of video until, unfortunately,

the update from the governor. i can tell you, having spoken to people here in the brownsville community, i think there is a perception outside of this area that crossing the border is a momentous occasion, or to be better explained, it's something that requires a lot of planning. but for the people who live in this community, jose, a driver told me that he'll cross over two, three times a day into neighboring matamoros. despite this travel advisory, this level 4 advisory being put in place by the state department, for a lot of people here, it is a way of life. even though they know it may be particularly dangerous, because family is across the river, because work may be on both sides of the river, they are forced to come into contact with this proximity to violence that has only accelerated because of the presence, according to officials, of the cartel activity there. while a special cartel has not been named in this kidnapping,

in this case, we know matamoros has been home to the gulf cartel for several years now. there will be much more coming out as this investigation deepens here, jose. but i can tell you, it's so interesting when you speak to people here, jose, they were shocked to hear about what took place on friday. but i think most unfortunately of all, nobody was surprised. jose. >> yeah. i mean, and you're so right. brownsville and matamoros, people go from one place to the other on a daily basis. you know, i mean juarez and -- you know, people transit through the border area very regularly. it's just such a tragedy that occurred. mike, let's talk about these cartels. what are the cartels that are controlling matamoros, tamaulipas area, what are they mostly involved in? what about the other areas? >> the thing is, in the

tamaulipas areas, you have two basic cartels that are warring factions at this point in time. that is the gulf cartel that has been operating probably since about the 1940s. then you have remnants of the setas which, as you know, jose, was the most violent cartel in mexico. they're the ones that started the beheadings and, you know, the horrible, violent issues in mexico. that is the cartel, the northeast cartel. there is a struggle going on there in what they're fighting for, the drug routes going from maamoros into texas, into the united states. normally, they patrol tamaulipas, the tamaulipas area. if they see anybody that's

suspicious, they have absolutely no problem in terms of opening fire. i saw the video, jose, when these individuals were loading the americans into their white pickup truck. one of the things that stood out to me was the fact that they just took their time. they were not in a hurry. they, you know, did not respect the local police. they were in no rush. there were people so desensitized, they were driving through the violent area without any reaction, trying to get by. so that tells me, one, they have no respect for local law enforcement there, or there's collusion on the part of the law enforcement officials in

tamaulipas. we know that corruption exists within the state police and local police in mexico. >> yeah, i was struck by that same thing, mike, at that video. just to think, i mean, what a tragedy, two people dead, one injured. they went in for a medical procedure, and this is how they're treated. i mean, what a tragedy. and that video also, mike, i was struck by just how the autos, the cars that were around there that had just witnessed a shootout or a shooting, there was no urgency. it was just almost like a regular traffic jam that people are almost used to. what a tragedy. mike, peter alexander. >> you know -- >> go ahead, mike. take a look at that. look at the cars. >> yes. one of the things that i would mention is that these cartel gunmen, jose, go to terror schools where they're trained to

become human killing machines. one of the rules that they're taught is that when they kill people, that they should take the bodies with them. because if there's no bodies, you know, they feel that they can't be charged by the mexico government. that is one of the reasons they load up even dead bodies and remove them from the scene. >> what a horrible tragedy. mike vigil, peter alexander, morgan chesky, thank you very much for being with us this morning. up next, terror in the skies. what the faa is doing after a string of dangerous incidents on board planes. later, we'll go live to california where some people are now rationing food and medicine, trapped by feet and feet and feet of snow. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." king the s. ok i did it.

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19 past the hour. another scare in the skies. a united airlines passenger facing federal charges this morning. authorities accused a man of attacking a flight attendant with a broken spoon and trying to open a plane's exit door. part of the incident was captured on video. now, after a string of incidents and close calls, the faa is calling an aviation safety summit for next week. nbc's tom costello joins us with the very latest. tom, what exactly is going on these days? >> reporter: well, i think you have to delineate between this individual on this flight from l.a. to boston, who clearly seemed to have some sort of a psychological issue and tried to attack a flight attendant, stabbing her with that broken off spoon. he was tackled, i should say, by multiple people on board and subdued. that is separate from the other incidents which we've been talking about for several weeks. we've had six cases, six cases

of runway incursions, close calls on runways in which, literally, a plane is approved to land on a runway when another plane is taking off from the same runway. we had another one in sarasota we just learned about. this happened in february. that appears to be according to the ntsb a traffic control problem. is there a common thread? we had other instances, severe turbulence in the air with people injured, one killed. there doesn't seem to be a connected thread, except for the possibility in some cases of complacency, of inattention to detail in the cockpit or in the control tower. for the most part, these are one-off instances. you're looking at video right now of that plane that suffered a mid-air, over cuba, an engine explosion and fire when it ingested one or more birds. clearly, that is nothing that a pilot necessarily could have

done anything to avoid. the crew of that plane, obviously, immediately returned to havana and landed safely. that's going to be the question, right? is there any connected thread through all these instances that the faa and ntsb can drill down on as they now are going to hold this aviation safety summit next week, jose. >> tom costello, i thank you so very much. now to capitol hill, where federal reserve chair jerome powell is testifying before the senate banking committee, giving lawmakers an update on america's monetary policy. but powell is also facing a lot of questions about the state of the economy and the fed's efforts to tame persistently high inflation. tomorrow, he'll face questions from members of the house financial services committee. with us now to talk more about this is cnbc's dominic chu. good to see you. what have we heard from the fed chair so far today? >> so, jose, what it comes down to is fed chair jerome powell is now trying to reinforce this idea, this notion that the

current narrative, the story that the fed is dealing with about persistently high inflation is not even close to being over, and that the fed will have to act forcefully to keep things more in check on the inflationary front. now, he got out right away during his prepared remarks, early on in the 10:00 a.m. eastern hour, and basically said as much about the fight against inflation. take a listen to what he said in the beginning minutes of his testimony. >> although inflation has been moderating in recent months, the process of getting inflation back down to 2% has a long way to go. it is likely to be bumpy. as i mentioned, the latest economic data have come in stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated. if the totality of the data were to indicate that faster tightening is warranted, we'd be prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes. >> that's the key there, whether

or not the data will support a quicker miss, a more forceful pace of interest rate hikes. jose, he did go on to say that restoring price stability will require restrictive policies for quite some time. reinforcing this idea of higher interest rates for a longer period, and historical records warn against prematurely loosening monetary policy, so kind of stopping things. again, he says they'll stay the course until the job is done. those are some of the highlights early on, jose. >> dominic, just for folks like me that aren't exactly tuned into all of what every single word means, it is pretty clear that the chairman was saying that interest rates will continue to go up, maybe faster or slower depending on how the economy continues to move forward, but they will continue to go up. >> correct. that's exactly what he is trying to say by reinforcing those notions, higher for longer. he also made an illusion and

hinted at the idea that the interest rate level that they stop at, the so-called terminal rate, may need to be higher than some people anticipated in the past. one of the other things, though, wall street isn't going to get exactly what they want out of fed chair jerome powell either today or tomorrow. the reason why i say that, jose, is because many people, investors and traders on wall street are looking for hints about what those policy decisions will be on interest rates. how much will they do it by? how frequently? the problem right now, jose, is the fed doesn't have all the data. later on this week, we're going to get even more jobs data, including the non-foreign payrolls report on friday, which many consider to be the most important economic data release every single month. next week, we have consumer price data coming out, as well as business-level or producer price index coming out. all of that before the fed's interest rate decision in two weeks. fed chair jay powell today is making his comments, but he

still has a lot of economic data they all have to look at, not even yet on the table, before they make their fed rate decision in two weeks. that's the reason why not a lot of fireworks are expected either today or tomorrow in terms of massive policy hints or shifts, jose. >> dominic chu, i thank you very much. good to see you. appreciate it. up next, why biden is considering a controversial border policy that his administration ended. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." hey, man. nice pace! clearly, you're a safe driver. you could save hundreds for safe driving with liberty mutual. they customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need! [sfx: limu squawks] whoo! we gotta go again. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ♪

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mayorkas said, quote, a detention facility is not where a family belongs. the chairman of the caucus saying, quote, we should not return to the failed policies of the past. i want to bring in monica alba. monica, what is the administration considering doing, and why now? >> that's the key word here, jose. this is something the administration is still considering. i'm told no final decision has been made. one of the possibilities here is something that our own julia ainsley confirmed overnight, which is returning to this controversial family detention practice. now, this is something that candidate biden promised to handle with a lot more compassion, so that's why you're seeing already some resistance to this if it does, indeed, take place. i'm also told by one of my sources this morning that there are multiple options here that are being discussed and considered. we do know that the white house and the department of homeland security have been going over several possibilities.

the reason this is so pressing right now is because we anticipate title 42, that public health, trump-era policy, will essentially expire in may once the public health emergency around covid-19 officially lifts. you may remember, we've been talking about this for months, but even the end of last year, it is possible title 42 was set to be lifted. there were many preparations at the border for an anticipated surge. they added a lot of resources. the department of homeland security adding a lot of personnel because they anticipated more migrants would come to the border. that then got tied up in the courts, so now the administration is planning for when they do believe this will actually take place. but i am told by a source familiar with these discussions that even if this family detention program resumes, it would not be for long-term family detention, which is something we saw under the last administration. i am told that this would be more short term, likely a small number of days. there is a court-mandated order that would be for now, that

families can't be held for more than 20 days. the administration would like to see even a number smaller than that, perhaps around a week as they are processed. again, no final decision has been made. this is something the president has talked about wanting to approach very differently than the last administration. of course, critics here are pointing to the fact that if he does resume it, it may be considered quite hypocritical, jose. >> lauren, if family detention restarts, what would that look like for migrants? >> right. so i'm here in downtown el paso on the street now empty that had been filled with migrant families who were seeking asylum and were released by border patrol. ultimately, the last six to eight week, all families moved on to their destinations in the u.s. if the biden administration pursues this policy as it was previously implemented, i imagine some of those families could have been detained at one of the two large family residential centers that ceased

to exist as family residential centers in 2021 in texas. there is a third in pennsylvania. >> lauren, let's kind of do a recap if you would. there was a time when 1,500, 2,000, 3,000 people were crossing into el paso on a daily basis. you're, you know, showing us that, pretty much, the folks living outside, you know, the bus station, et cetera, are no longer there. but what is the reality today? >> so el paso is still seeing an average of about 1,000 apprehensions per day, but as you noted, the numbers have gone down dramatically. the people who are coming are now people who are sneaking over the border, trying to evade border patrol apprehension. folks are not seeking asylum between ports of entry at the level they were previously. people are using the cbp1 app.

what we are seeing is that the app is crashing and, at times, not working. some migrants are getting frustrated and crossing anyway. just across the border, south of where i'm standing, there are hundreds of venezuelan migrants. many people are selling candies in the street, doing any kind of little work they can or begging. we know that the situation is still very dire for many people. >> lauren, the reality is that there where you are, just across the border, just like in matamoros, there are cartel organizations that are in charge of human smuggling, drug smuggling, et cetera, and they are right there taking advantage of this every single day. >> that's right. and that eludes to another policy the biden administration has floated recently, which is, the third country asylum. so folks would have to seek

asylum in a country through which they are passing before they reach the united states. we know from the recent news, we've seen the four americans kidnapped and matamoros, that mexico remains a very dangerous country, especially for migrants and people who are in a state of vulnerability on the move. >> lauren and monica, thank you both for being with us this morning. up next, five women sue the state of texas over its near ban on abortions. one of them tells us her heartbreaking story. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. inner voice (graphic designer): as a new small business owner... ...i've learned that trying to be the “cool” boss... ...is a lot harder when you're actually the “stressed” boss. inner voice (furniture maker): i know everything about my new furniture business. well, everything except... ...the whole “business” part. not anymore. with quickbooks, you can confidently manage your business. new business? no problem. yeah.

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i've been briefed by the fbi, which is working with mexican authorities. senior department officials are working closely with our counterparts at the state department. during this difficult time, i want to offer my deepest sympathies to the families of the americans who were attacked and kidnapped. >> also, president andres manuel lopez of mexico in his daily news conference did confirm these facts, which is just a horrible tragedy occurring there in matamoros, tamaulipas. also this morning, new steps in the national fight about abortion rights. california governor gavin newsom says the state will not be doing business with walgreens after the company said it will not sell abortion pills in 21 states. spokesperson for the governor told nbc news, california is reviewing all relationships between walgreens and the state. walgreens has not yet responded to nbc's request for comment. meanwhile, texas is facing a new

lawsuit over its near total ban on abortion. the suit comes from five women and two ob-gyns represented by the center for reproductive rights. they say the ban made doctors fearful to provide potentially life-saving care and are asking for clarity on exceptions to the ban. yamiche alcindor joins us. you spoke to one of the woman represented in the lawsuit. what'd she tell you. >> good morning, jose. the center for reproductive rights is telling me, the group is telling me it filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against texas on behalf of the woen, including the one i spoke to. the group tells me they want texas doctors to have more discretion to intervene during medical complications. we spoke to one couple who was part of the lawsuit. they told me they were left traumatized by the experience. amanda and her husband, josh, said doctors told amanda at 18 weeks, right before 18 weeks,

that her baby would not survive because of medical complications, but she was told she had to wait to get sicker because she couldn't get the medically necessary abortion yet because of the laws in texas. doctors were saying, there's no way your baby is going to survive, but you have to get sicker. listen to what she told me. >> take me into what it was like to wait. >> i just existed. in sorry, in fear. i was really, really scared. >> this isn't something that you do with any other kind of medical issue, is you have to ask, am i sick enough to get treatment? it was just -- it was infuriating. >> reporter: three days after the diagnosis, amanda's health deteriorated. doctors performed an abortion, but serious infection led to sepsis, and amanda spent three days in the icu. >> because of the law, i nearly died. nothing about this is pro life. >> amanda and josh told me the medical complications that nearly killed her because she

was forced to wait for that medically-necessary abortion, it also damaged her uterus. it'll now be harder for her to conceive. on the other side of this, you have people who are supporters of abortion bans, who say that they think the law is clear enough. they believe, in fact, that this was really a miscommunication and the doctors of amanda misinterpreting the law. the center for reproductive rights said that's not the case. they hope they can win this lawsuit and that, also, it can be a blueprint for getting clarity in other states that have nearly total abortion bans, jose. >> yamiche, thank you so very much. everything, it seems, has a political overtone to it. let's talk a little bit more about this and other political headlines with nbc news senior political editor mark murray and susan page, washington bureau chief for "usa today." good seeing you both. susan, abortion was one of the top issues that drove people to the polls last november. what do we know about what kind of a role it may play going

toward the 2024 campaign? >> jose, this is not an issue that's going away. 40 states are now considering -- state legislatures in 40 states are considering abortion law. some of them would expand or secure abortion protections, but most of them aim at limiting or banning abortions. they tend to go after doctors, as that texas law did. it is creating a situation where you're going to have these very human stories put forward by advocates of access to abortion. we know that that is largely in line with public opinion. that's what helped democrats in the last election. democrats, including those in the white house, think it can help them again in the next one, jose. >> mark, on another kind of bigger, political issue, as well, florida governor and potential republican presidential candidate ron desantis is giving his state of the state address as we speak this morning. what could this address and this year's florida legislature

session tell us about a potential desantis presidential campaign? >> yeah, jose, ron desantis has been a very busy person this past week, out with a new book, giving a speech at the reagan presidential library on sunday, and now speaking today with his state of the state address. it really kicks off florida's legislative session. and you're seeing that governor ron desantis is trying to rack up some legislative wins ahead of what we all believe is a likely presidential bid. on his plate are things such as allowing floridans to carry permit-less weapons, to expand school vouchers, to make it easier to sue media companies for defamation. on the topic of abortion, jose, there is legislation that could end up banning abortion as early as six weeks. you know, obviously, this is before any kind of presidential

announcement from ron desantis. certainly an ambitious legislative agenda for him. >> mark, you wrote in the nbc news political units first read newsletter today that if he were to run, desantis would run smack dab in the middle of the trump lane. what does that mean? >> jose, on a lot of these conservative policies, and i'd throw in education where one of the proposals that desantis is looking at would be to eliminate universities with diversity and equity requirements, that going into a lot of these hard core social issues, cultural issues is the trump lane of the republican party. ron desantis, i don't think, is casting himself as somebody who is a trump alternative. trying to return back to a kindler, gentler republican party that we might have seen a decade or two ago. but he is -- he seems to be, when you look at the legislate

agenda, it is going after the trump voter. i find that fascinating, jose. >> susan, does it look to you as though desantis is pretty much on the way to running for the presidency? >> oh, yeah. he's running. there's virtually no question about that. he's offering, as mark was saying, trumpism without trump. for republican voters who like trump's policies and thought his presidency was a positive thing, desantis is saying to them, i'll offer the same policies but without some of the noise. one of the biggest advantages he has, veto-proof majorities in the florida state legislature. the next 60 days, we can expect the state legislature to enact desantis' agenda, allowing him to go to voters saying, i can deliver these cultural war policies i'm laying out for you. jose. >> there are some reports that trump is considering a woman as his running mate in 2024.

kari lake won the cpac vp straw poll. is that something he's been considering? >> well, we know he is considering that. we know that he thinks that might help him with some of the problems he's had with some woman voters, including suburban women voters who might be a little more moderate. although, some of the women he seems to be considering for that role do not really fit in the more moderate suburban category. kari lake would be one of them. she's the only compelling figure on the stage. the only election she ran for she did lose last year. >> susan page and mark murray, i thank you, both, for being with us this morning. upstate -- i should say, up next, a state of emergency in southern california after record snow. how emergency teams are trying to dig out people trapped in their homes. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." senegal 38%,

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the foreign minister blamed the u.s. for a rise in tensions following the shooting down of china's surveillance balloon and the united states' support of taiwan, which china considers part of its territory. the sister of kim jong-un said they are ready to take action against the united states. it follows joint drills between the u.s. and south korea on monday, which included at least one u.s. nuclear capable bomber. they will hold their largest joint field exercises in five years later this month. the white house announced president biden and first lady jill biden will hold south korea's president and first lady for a state visit next month. at home, emergency crews in southern california are racing to rescue people still trapped in their homes after a monster storm pummelled the san bernardino mountains. now it's a race against time.

millions brace for another storm that could bring in as much as three feet. others are cut off from food and medicine. some are calling for help, including a local veterinarian. >> the roads are terrible. the snow pack is so high. there's so many damaged vehicles. this is not a joke. someone needs to come in here and help us and declare this on a federal level, not just a state level. >> joining us now with more is dana griffin in crestline. what can you tell us when the situation? people are asking for help. it doesn't seem like they are getting enough. >> reporter: good morning. that's the big frustration. a lot of residents we have talked to coming down to the distribution to try to get food and necessities, they feel like they have been left behind. they feel like their local government isn't doing enough to be proactive.

we have spoken to san bernardino county officials. they say they have made what they are considering great progress, major progress is the wort words they use. there's 85% of roads throughout the county here in san bernardino that have been cleared. a lot of residents say, you are not considering the roads in the higher elevations that are just too dangerous for us to get to. we haven't seen the scope of this. many are concerned about residents that may be elderly or not physically fit who cannot leave their homes. some of the other residents have been coming down. i talked to people who came down to get groceries and items not only for themselves but their neighbors. a volunteer i spoke with yesterday, he was frustrated. it took so much effort just to get supplies. he paid thousands of dollars for them. they closed highway 18. that highway has since reopened yesterday afternoon. listen to just how frustrated he is about the conditions here.

>> you get up here. the world is upside down. you don't know unless you are here, talking to these people. we got grown men crying because they haven't eaten in three days. they are trying to let their kids eat. 1,200 people showed up yesterday. there's not enough food. there's not enough food. the grocery store is condemned. it's unbelievable that there is not all hands on deck. >> reporter: that grocery store is the only grocery store in town. i spoke with the owner moments ago. he says they believe the building -- the outside walls are structurally sound. it could take 12 months for them to get back up and running. the impacts will be felt even after the snowmelts. >> thank you very much. that wraps up the hour for me. you can reach me on twitter and instagram.

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right now on "andrea mitchell reports," two americans dead after a case of mistaken identity leads to a kidnapping in a dangerous part of mexico. we will have details from