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. hello, and thank you for being with us. it's 10:00 eastern i'm ana cabrera reporting from new york all eyes on the white house this hour as president biden prepares to welcome the president of south korea, from nuclear submarines to the fallout from that intel leak, the two leaders are already making news. look at all the pomp and circumstance as they prepare if the big arrival. we'll be checking in there in a moment this all comes on the heels of biden's 2024 launch. his team just released its first campaign ad of this election cycle this morning, and we're live in a key swing state getting reaction to biden's bid and a potential biden/trump rematch. parts of the midwest staring down potentially historic flooding as the mississippi river swells to dangerous levels we'll have a live look at emergency preparations underway, a woman whose family is canoeing to work describes the situation. >> we have been told there's a possibility the gas is going to

get shut off it's never happened before, but if they do shut the gas off, obviously we have to move out. and first republic bank in a new freefall, what sent the bank shares diving again, this time by 50% let's start with the breaking news at the white house where president biden is hosting the president of south korea this hour. joining us now nbc news chief white house correspondent kristen welker and michael crowley, "new york times" diplomatic correspondent kristen, let's start with you at the white house. look at all that's laid out behind you we are expecting to see the president any minute now walk us through the important of this visit and what we can expect to unfold. >> reporter: hi, ana, it is to good to be with you as the pomp and pageantry gets underway here on the south lawn as we await these two leaders. this is the first official state visit since president biden welcomed president macron of france last year it's the first time that the u.s. is hosting the leader of

south korea in an official capacity, a state visit, since the clinton administration it really underscores the significance of this relationship, and they are marking a 70-year alliance between the u.s. and south korea, and of course critical issues will be front and center. north korea being at the top of that list with president biden and the president of south korea expected to announce a new deterrence agreement the u.s. poised to send nuclear armed submarines to south korea, essentially a show of force, a show of deterrence against north korea. they are also expected to discuss ukraine, the war in ukraine will be front and center, and it is worth noting that overshadowing the talks were today that president zelenskyy of ukraine spoke with president xi of china today, and we are getting some reaction to that the question could this be a sign that china is positioning itself to be a real mediator in

the talks. this somewhat john kirby had to say to me earlier today, quote, we will let these two leaders speak to the details of their conversation but as we have long said, we believe it is important for president xi to avail himself of president zelenskyy's perspective on russia's illegal invasion of ukraine. now, we've been pressing administration officials around here, could this be a sign that that peace proposal you recall that china put forth several months ago, that that could be a real thing remember, there was a whole lot of skepticism about that peace proposal and concern that it could be legitimizing the parts of ukraine that russia had seized in the east and these officials say, ana, it's just too early to tell at this point. but, again, those are among the issues that will be front and center when president biden welcomes his south korean counterpart here they will have a joint press conference a little bit later on today capped by a state dinner tonight. >> kristen, i have to say, i

don't recall seeing this level of pomp and circumstance at the white house in quite some time is this typical? >> reporter: well, this is the t typical pomp and circumstance you would see with an official state visit, ana, but you're absolutely right i mean, think about what we have seen from recent visits from other foreign leaders. we have seen perhaps a meeting in the oval office followed by that leader coming out to talk to reporters outside of the west wing this is a whole different level, and it underscores how critical this alliance is, how critical this new deterrence agreement is that they are rolling out. they want to send a very firm sign to north korea and to china, quite frankly, as well, that the united states stands with south korea ready to protect south korea in the region and to engage in deterrence, and that show of force, anna. >> let me bring michael crowley

into the conversation here as we continue to monitor the events happening on the ground there at the white house. michael, just your thoughts on what the most important issues will be and what we can expect to be accomplished in this visit with the two leaders meeting in the next hour or so? >> yeah, well, of course these visits are symbolic, but the symbolism is important there are only so many state visits, they are a big production, a lot of pomp and circumstances, a lot of resources. you can't do one every week, so it's a way for the united states government to signal certain relationships that they want to emphasize, that they think are particularly important and the top priority in the near-term for the biden administration right now is the defense of ukraine against russia, but in the bigger, longer picture, it's about china, and it's about asia, and so you're seeing the administration take a lot of steps to try to dem onstrate they're not taking their eye off the ball in asia they're shoring up these relationships. south korea probably our most

important partner in asia after japan, and, you know, this is in part about showing the american presence and strength in that region to counter chinese power. i would also say that, you know, under any other circumstances, if we didn't have these other major pressing issues like ukraine and china, we would be talking about the progress of north korea's nuclear weapons program and missile weapons program as a real crisis >> the vice president by the way walking out now, looks like secretary of state with her. just wanted to call everybody's attention to what's happening on the screen please continue, michael. >> yeah, of course, we have the secretary of state there just further elevating the importance of this, some important diplomacy going to be carried out. but north korea is a big problem. the biden administration doesn't really have any kind of a policy that's making progress like many administrations before it, so no one has a real answer, but part of what you can do is hug the south koreans closer last word quickly, ukraine is on the agenda, even for an asian

country like this. as you may recall, those leaked documents that came out weeks ago discussed u.s. surveillance, which was a little embarrassing, of deliberations within south korea about whether to send artillery shells to either the u.s. or poland knowing that they might wind up in ukraine, which would violate south korean policy, so a little bit of awkwardness under the surface here sorry we were spying on you guys, and also, a discussion about what exactly south korea is going to do potentially to help the ukrainians. >> and actually, we have some sound from the south korean leader talking to lester holt about the intel leaks. can we play that real quick, guys >> do friends spy on friends >> translator: generally i don't think so but in reality it is something not strictly prohibited in state affairs. however, what i still want to emphasize is that it is not a thing to impact in any way the trust between our countries. >> were you surprised at all by

that answer, michael >> no, not really. you know, what else is he going to say for south korea, look, i think they kind of know we're doing this we've known for years since other laeks eaks in the past including edward snowden's leak of nsa documents that we're spying on all friends and allies people know it, kind of the cost of doing business with the united states. at the same time, for south korea this relationship is too important to really fracture it or get into a fight over this. there might be some displeasure expressed behind the scenes, but it's more important that they have a good relationship with the united states than for them to vent publicly about it. they have, i should just add, denied the substance of when those documents said, those deliberations about ukraine, they say that it was, i believe, fabricated or altered. you know, i don't know what the truth is, but it -- a lot of the other stuff in those documents seems to be credible so you know, take it for what

you will. >> and kristen, we've seen a lot of the different members of the president's administration, cabinet show up to greet the south korean president, president yoon, who by the way is the first south korean president to visit the u.s. in over a decade, in fact he's the first indo-pacific leader to visit during the biden administration really underscoring the importance of that alliance and the regional alliance in countering china, and that being a priority for this administration. we saw defense secretary lloyd austin there, janet yellen, treasury secretary, along with of course the vice president who we see there and antony blinken, the secretary of state can you walk us through what's happening right now is and what we anticipate seeing as we continue to stay with these pic pictures >> reporter: i should correct myself the last time a u.s. president welcomed the south korean leader was during the obama administration, apologies for my slip of the tongue there what we are seeing is what you

would anticipate prior to the two leaders walking out, which is the top dignitaries greeting each other the show of force, the show of unity between these two countries before president biden and president yoon take the podium, before we hear remarks from both of them, in which you can expect to hear both leaders reaffirm this 70-year alliance, and we will undoubtedly talk about some of the themes we're discussing today north korea, china, countering a rise in china and the u.s. wanting to have its footprint and firm presence in the region as well as discussing the ongoing war in ukraine now, of course, south korea has slapped sanctions against russia and taken other measures the question is what more can be done so this is really setting the stage before these two leaders come out, and this is the type

of symbolism you would anticipate seeing before we hear from the two leaders themselves, ana. >> okay, michael crowley, i want you to stay close, and kristen you stay with me we're going to pivot for just a moment, continue again to monitor this we will take our viewers right back to the action as things continue to unfold when we see president biden, when we see president yoon, but i do want to pivot to 2024 for a moment because of course president biden just announced his re-election campaign yesterday we have along with kristen joining us nbc news correspondent dasha burns in bucks county, pennsylvania, and alencia johnson, political strategist and former senior adviser to biden's 2020 campaign kristen, quickly, because i know president biden, his campaign released its first 2024 ad this morning. what was the message >> reporter: they did, you're absolutely right, ana. this is going to be shown in six different battleground states, and the message builds on the announcement that we saw in that video that was released tuesday

morning when president biden cast his re-election campaign as a fight for american liberties, a fight for the soul of america, he says, in that video take a look at some of what's in this first ad. >> under attack by an extreme movement that seeks to overturn elections, ban books, and eliminate a woman's right to choose joe biden has made defending our basic freedoms the cause of his presidency >> reporter: so there you hear the campaign really trying to frame this as a fight against former president trump who's of course currently the gop front runner and what president biden has dubbed maga republicans, and those themes, i think, are ones that you can expect to hear throughout this campaign banning books, abortion rights, and individual freedoms. those are going to be among the cultural issues, i think, that you hear the president really try to focus on. i had a chance to talk to one of

president biden's top allies, congressman jim clyburn yesterday. and i asked him, look, is this the right strategy to focus on former president trump he defended the strategy, he said, absolutely, he believes it's a winning strategy, ana. >> dasha, i know you've been talking to voters in the key swing state pennsylvania biden won the commonwealth by just over 1% in 2020 warn you before you start, i may need to interrupt if we have to d go to the president greeting president yoon tell us what you're hearing from voters on the heels of president biden's 2024 announcement? >> reporter: ana, good morning from sunrise diner in bucks county, a swing county here on the outcskirts of philadelphia if you've been following our nbc news polling, you won't be surprised to hear that there's not a whole ton of enthusiasm in reaction to the president's re-election bid announcement but i did notice a bit of a change in enthusiasm when it came to older voters versus younger voters older voters a little bit more excited or at the very least a

little bit more realistic about the fact that this is the option there really is no other choice in the democratic party right now. younger voters a lot more frustrated take a listen. >> i think he needs to finish it he started, he had a lot to do when he took over for the previous president i won't even say his name. >> i think we want to move on from the events that transpired pre-2020, and i think by him announcing his re-election, it looks like we're going to have another showdown of 2020 >> okay, i want to take everybody from bucks county, pennsylvania, there to the whit house once again let's listen in and let this moment breathe for a moment as president biden and the first lady welcome their south korean counterparts ♪

♪

as we continue to watch the greetings taking place here at the white house, i want to bring back nbc news chief white house correspondent kristen welker as well as michael crowley, and just walk us through what we're seeing here, kristen, in this moment and what will follow this initial handshake. >> reporter: well, president biden is officially greeting president yoon along with the first lady, and this is the official welcome ceremony getting underway, the pomp and pageantry of this moment, again, aimed at reinforcing the

relationship between these two nations. and again, this is only the second state visit that president biden has had, the last one occurred last year when he welcomed president macron of france, and this is the fourth time that these two leaders have met. we are told that among the items on the top of the agenda for the president of south korea, of course, what we've been discussing, regional security, north korea, but other issues, ana, as well, like the global economy and trade. semiconductor production so expect those to be at the forefront as well. but undoubtedly what is going to loom so large over this official visit will be the war in ukraine, and so when the two leaders have various chances throughout the day to hold talks both in private and then again tonight at the official state dinner, that will really be front and center that looms over all foreign policy as well as, of course, south korea's own regional

security with increasing concerns about threats by north korea, ana. >> and we anticipate that both president biden and president yoon will speak here for a brief moment each of them announcing some just opening remarks we could call it ahead of their private meeting, and we will be taking those remarks live, so everybody just stay with us here michael crowley, as we await those remarks, talk about this moment we were just speaking, you know, with dasha burns and talking about joe biden announcing his re-election campaign talk about how moments like this may matter for biden the candidate in the eyes of voters. >> sure, well, it's -- you know, the rose garden strategy -- i don't know if the president has a clear strategy in that regard so far, although many incumbent presidents do. you sort of run implicitly for re-election from the white house by showing off the fact that you

are the president. you're the commander in chief generally as agreed upon leader of the so-called free world. ask and that imagery is very powerful surrounded by american flags and the image of the white house. so doesn't hurt a president for running for re-election. that relates to another quick point i want to get in think about the contrast here from the trump presidency. there was a lot of anxiety in south korea about the way president trump was talking about whether we need to have tens of thousands of u.s. troops based in south korea, whether south korea should be paying more money for the privilege of being defended by the united states that was -- that caused deep, deep alarm in south korea and other parts of tasia so i think president biden has restored a sense of ease and calm to this relationship. however, south korea, like all american allies right now or at least a great many of them, has got to be very anxious about what this next election is going to bring and could you have a

return of president trump and a return of this conversation about whether america needs to dramatically change its troop presence around the world and start asking allies to carry much more of their own weight in a way that breaks from post-cold war or post-world war ii american policies around the world. so the context of this election is, i think, very much on the mind of the south korean leadership and leadership across asia and around the world right now. >>of course, president yoon is new to his role leading the south korean people. he was a prosecutor just elected in the last year or so, relatively young, 62 years old, known to be more conservative than his predecessor, but it's interesting because at least one foreign policy expert has said he shares a key value with americans, and that is his focus on freedom and democracy as a core theme of his foreign

policy michael, what do we know about any kind of relationship president biden and president yoon may have formed prior to this visit >> well, i think that it's -- you know, it's a new look, prest biden has been on the world stage for decades, and he goes way back you think about a leader like israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. president biden has known him, i think, since the 1980s that's a pretty deep, personal relationship, even if it's a sometimes tense one where they disagree he's got those people around the world that he can call and ask people about their grandkids, remind them about tough times you went through 30 years ago with the united states he doesn't have that here, so he might not be entirely in his comfort zone but look, i don't think it's, you know, a decisive thing his relationship with netanyahu certainly hasn't made dealing with israel particularly easy in this presidency, like wise

president erdogan in turkey who biden has known for a long time. that is a very troubled relationship this is not one of the deep close relationships that the president has. part of the work here will be trying to get it to a -- you know, a more familiar place, but right now it's, you know, more on the superficial side. >> let's just watch a moment and listen in again. i understand that this is called review of the troops, what's happening right now as we see president biden and president yoon walking alongside a member of the military. let's just watch ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> let's bring back kristen welker who's on the ground there in this moment can you provide some context for us about what this is, this review of the troops, kristen? >> reporter: well, this is one of the traditional and symbolic traditions that you see when you

have an official state visit, and so, again, ana, this is sort of the lead up to these joint remarks that we are going to hear from these two leaders. and it's a part of the pomp and pageantry that happens when there is an official state visit. by the way, whether it is a u.s. president hosting a foreign leader, and typically we see this as well when a u.s. president is hosted by a foreign leader overseas. and so that is what is happening right now. and i should tell you, ana, what you can't see out of camera shot behind me on the south lawn hundreds of people gathered both from the u.s., from south korea as well, to witness this scene unfold and i was thinking about the conversation you were just having with michael crowley about the relationship between these two leaders. he has only been in office for a year, but during that year that the president of south korea has been in office, he and president biden have had the chance on

four separate occasions to hold either formal or informal meetings so this official visit is going to build on that, ana, and it is notable that, again, the themes for south korea will be talking ab about the global economy, talking about trade, and most important arguably talking about the strength of this relationship between these two leaders. and when you think of this against the backdrop of what we are discussing, president biden having launched his re-election campaign just yesterday, this is what we can expect to see from president biden moving forward over the next several months it is not going to be -- it will be a while before we see the president on the campaign trail. instead, what we are expecting to see from him is this. the president essentially carrying out the duties of commander in chief and an official state visit perhaps more than anything, the

optics of it, the pomp and pageantry of it underscores that he currently is the occupant of the oval office and carrying out all of the duties that that entails. and so again, ana, here we are on the south lawn waiting for these two leaders to speak and to address the critical issues that we expect them to flesh out through the day, from the global economy, to the war in ukraine and china, and of course north korea as well. >> and we all have the opportunity here to experience what a state visit entails with the many ceremonial parts and components of that state visit playing out right before us and just before these two leaders give their remarks before meeting in private to have what they're calling a bit of a summit, where we anticipate there may be some announcements to come following that in terms of collaboration between the two countries. as we await those remarks that appear to be coming from president biden here momentarily, i just do wonder

given this is his second state visit that the u.s. has hosted in his presidency, why south korea? why is this nation such a huge priority to the biden administration to the extent that they have invited this leader from a country who hasn't come to the u.s., a leader that hasn't come to the u.s. in over a decade >> reporter: well, ana, if you talk to any foreign policy expert, if you talk to top officials here, they will say china is one of their key concerns, a rise in china. so again, this is about strengthening this relationship in that context. >> hold your thought for just a moment, let's listen in to president biden. >> welcome to the white house. today, today we celebrate the ironclad alliance, the shared vision of our future and the deep friendship that unites the republic of korea and the united states president yoon, mrs. kim, you

were kind enough to host me in seoul last year, just ten days after your inauguration. and jill and i were honored to be able to return some of your hospitality with your second state visit to this administration >> this year marks the 70th anniversary of the alliance between our two nations.

it's an unbreakable bond forged in bravery and the sacrifice of our people sanctified by the blood of american and korean troops who fought and defended liberty, and i'm proud we are joined today by veterans of the korean war >> those veterans are the reason we can stand here today.

[ applause ] two vibrant innovative democracies we stand as strong, proud, and free because of them. and so many, mr. president, to visit the korean war, veterans memorial with you last night to lay a wreath of remembrance, to fulfill a sacred obligation. >> on september 1, 1950, corporal luther story performed acts of bravery above and beyond all measure defending his

brothers in arms on the puson perimeter in the korean war. the last anyone saw of the corporal he was woundedings fight -- wounded, fighting off the hostile assault to protect his company's withdrawal in 1951 his heroism was recognized with a medal of honor, corporal story's body was never accounted for until now. the republic of korea and the united states worked together to identify corporal story's remains among those buried as a korean war unknown in the national memorial cemetery of the pacific. today we can return him to his family and to his rest with all the honors he deserves because we never forget our heroes [ applause ]

seven decades, our alliance has grown stronger and more capable, and the cooperation between our people, our commitment to one another has grown deeper across every aspect of our partnership. today our economies are on the vanguard of technological development. our nations are power houses of innovation, and our people united still by our democratic values are taking on the challenges of the world, and we're taking them on together. we're standing strong against russia's brutal aggression against ukraine, advancing an indo-pacific region that is free and open, building secure and resilient supply chains, and pioneers the clean energy economy, investing together to

ensure our future will be grounded in the values that we share, which have always, always made us strong

>> mr. president, ours is a future filled with unimaginable opportunity and endless possibility. nothing, nothing is beyond our ability to reach on when our nations and our people stand united we have proven that time and again over the last 70 years as our troops say who still proudly serve together in the rok to this day, we go together. may we continue that refrain of the republic of korea and the united states for all the days ahead. we go together god bless our nations, and god protect our troops

thank you. [ applause ] >> of course you can hear there is the parallel translation happening intermittently between sentences and so we can expect the reverse moving forward here as the south korean president yoon gives his statement so let's continue to listen in >> distinguished guests, the president of the republic of korea. [ app

[ applause ] [ speaking non-english ] >> mr. president, dr. biden, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, last evening my wife and i visited the korean war memorial on the national mall with president biden and dr. biden. >> translator: there i saw the epitaph that reads, our nation

honors her sons and daughters who answer the call to defend the country they never knew and a people they never met. [ speaking non-english ] >> translator: why did they sacrifice their lives for this far away country and people they never met. that was for one noble cause, to defend freedom >> we'll continue to monitor this and just watch as those statements continue, again, both men underscoring the visit coming at a time where we're recognizing the 70th anniversary of this historic alliance, and speaking about the relationship and the importance of the alliance moving forward. i want to go back to our chief white house correspondent kristen welker on the ground there. you have some new reporting,

kristen, on what's to come in the state dinner tonight >> reporter: that's absolutely right, ana, and look, the state dinner is going to optically and symbolically cap what is starting off as a day of powerful optics. again, the mere fact that you have veterans here from the korean war you heard president biden talk about that as a way to underscore this 3070-year alliance they will be holding critical talks throughout the day there's going to be a joint press conference just after noon today, and the visit will conclude with the state dinner ha this is a final way for the biden administration, for the president to personally say that we are welcoming you in this most significant way, and we do have some details about the state dinner, which will be held in the east room we know what's on the menu they are going to be serving maryland crab cake, squash soup, braised short rib and banana split with lemon ice cream bar

for dessert. notably, though, ana, chef ed lee who was raised by korean immigrants will be among the chefs. he was actually on top chef as well, who will help prepare that meal, and he spoke to reporters very movingly about what this means to him, about the significance of this for him to be personally involved in paying tribute to south korea and to this alliance more broadly as and so that will be the end of this day that, again, will be filled with pomp and circumstance, but also policy as well again, president biden set to announce that the u.s. is poised to send nuclear armed submarines to south korea, a show of deterrence, a show of strength against north korea and, again, against a rising china the question is that move purely symbolic the administration says it is quite significant, so look for that announcement when the two leaders hold their joint press conference later today. >> and that also coming just after the two countries held those joint military exercises,

which were among the most robust we've seen in quite some time. michael crowley, head of that state dinner which by the way, the menu does sound quite delicious. what will you be listening for, hoping to ask at the press conference, the joint press conference following their summit today >> well, you know, one thing will be what the south korean leader has to say about the war in ukraine you know, it's been -- for the biden administration, they have been trying to keep their global coalition together to hang in for the long-term against russia south korea has been supporting in some ways what the u.s. defense and defense by many countries of ukraine, at the same time, it is not providing ukraine with weapons as we know from this leaked documents has been wringing its hands about whether to send ammunition, artillery shells that could be used in ukraine.

south korea, i think, is a country where president biden wants to shore up support for the defense of ukraine and possibly even win some increased support. i also think that the question of u.s. power and nuclear weapons is going to be very important here my colleague david sanger has a story on the "new york times" website now saying that there is an agreement that will be discussed today that will give south korea more of a say in the potential use of strategic -- or in the strategic planning for positioning and i guess potentially using nuclear weapons in a conflict with north korea. that's changing a little bit our doctrine and how we approach that i think the details are still to be fleshed out, but it makes clear that nuclear skweapons an deterrence against north korea are a big part of this process and then of course china generally is going to be huge by important. i think we're going to be hearing more about it are from both leaders.

>> the two men finished their remarks. they are heading in to have their meeting. i appreciate both of you so much for sticking with me throughout that early ceremony here, kristen welker and michael crowley, thank you both. up next, kevin mccarthy's first big test as house speaker. can he get fellow republicans in line with a potential debt default just weeks away? and parts of the midwest under water facing the worst flooding in decades. we're live in iowa with a look at this slow motion disaster strs the us, you'll find pnc bank. helping businesses both large and small, communities and the people who live and work there grow and thrive. we're proud to call these places home too. they're where we put down roots, and where together, we work to help move everyone's financial goals forward. pnc bank.

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moments ago we heard from house republicans on capitol hill as kevin mccarthy faces his first big test as speaker of the house. mccarthy's attempting to get his party in line with a debt default looming in just a matter of weeks, which means he has to unite nearly all 222 republicans behind his plan to hike the debt ceiling and cut spending he's already making concessions we've learned, concessions that were voted on by the house rules committee in the wee hours of the morning just after 2:00 a.m. and so now we could see a vote in the house sometime today. let's get right to nbc news capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles tracking every move for us and former republican congressman carlos curbelo of florida with us as well. ryan, first, tell us about these concessions mccarthy made and where efforts to unite republicans stand now? >> reporter: yeah, that's right,

ana, late last night as you -- or i guess early this morning as you rightly point out, the rules committee did make two adjustments to this bill, one that took back some cuts that were going to be made to a biofuels credit, particularly ethanol, which is something that the iowa delegation was very much opposed to, and it also changed the work requirements for some social programs making those work requirements a bit steeper. now, republicans claim that this isn't a substantive change to the bill, that it's just a technical change, which i think is a very difficult argument to make but nonetheless, they are feeling pretty bullish about their chances of passing this bill that's because while there are some differences about kind of the technicalities of this legislation, they are united in using this as leverage to prevent the biden spending from the white biden spending from the white house. listen to what steve scalise, the second ranking republican, had to say a few minutes ago. >> joe biden maxed out the nation's credit card and now at this moment, where

the credit card is maxed out, joe biden has gone into hiding, trying to run out the clock and create a debt crisis demanding not that we address the spending problem that maxed out the credit card, but believe it or not, joe biden is demanding that he get another card to go max out. >> now, to be very clear, ana, we still don't know that kevin mccarthy has the votes to pass this legislation there are at least two hard nos, there is at least six or seven other republicans that haven't made it clear whether or not they're going to support this legislation. so there is going to be a lot of biting of nails of republican leaders here if this vote does come to the floor later this afternoon. >> right, congressman, the gop infighting which had republicans burning that midnight oil is a reminder for speaker mccarthy about pains of him governing with this very slim majority how big of a test is this for the speaker?

>> this is a big test and not only because this is a serious issue, the debt ceiling, but also because mccarthy's speakership hangs in the balance. this is the deal that he cut by allowing that motion to vacate the chair. if any faction of the party most likely the more right wing faction gets upset at him or feels betrayed by him at any point, they can file a motion to vacate the chair and the mccarthy speakership will essentially be on hold and there will be another crisis in the house as we saw during the first week so, it appears that for now mccarthy has been able to convince members that this is the best way forward the kinds of conversations that happen behind the scenes kind of go like this, especially with a more centrist members who aren't happy about having to take these kinds of tough votes what the leadership tells him is this bill isn't going to become law, get across the finish line, help us get a strong bargaining

position so we can sit with president biden and try to extract some real concessions. so a lot of house republicans will probably vote for this bill begrudgingly, knowing that they're going to get attacked in november of next year when they're trying to run for re-election in swing districts, but the argument that leadership makes to them is that making the team stronger will ultimately be better for them. >> okay. we will watch. we'll see what happens some of the cuts proposed, you know, are taking away money from food stamps and medicaid and that type of thing that impacts many, many, many americans so, thank you. i appreciate your voice here, former congressman curbelo, ryan nobles, keep us posted. hail the size of baseballs, tornadoes, floods. we're following the extreme weather sweeping the country an update there next

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roughly 19.t25 this is major flood stage. the shell gas station, that gives you perspective of how far the mississippi has come it is supposed to be hundreds of yards that way this is far from over. this is going to be as researchers have been calling it a slow-moving disaster, with water in parts of illinois and iowa not expected to crest until possibly monday, according to our climate team this as we're seeing as you touched on tornadoes in parts of the south, hail, snow in the rockies, really just a crazy mashup of wild weather across the country this week. take a look. this morning, millions up and down the mighty mississippi watching helplessly as the river's swollen banks continue to inch inland forecasters warning some in the region will see their worst floods in 20 years, with river levels in illinois and iowa slated to keep rising until potentially early next week.

multiple governors issuing disaster declarations. >> understand this still can be a dangerous situation. >> reporter: a drone capturing neighborhoods already already underwater, while mcgregor, iowa, is poised to see its highest river levels since 1965. >> this water came up really fast this time >> reporter: in pleasant valley, near davenport, people forced to get around by boat the mississippi river floods largely fueled, scientists say, by 6 to 18 inches of melting snow pack in north dakota and minnesota. a similar story out west, where park officials say by friday they'll close much of the famed yosemite valley through at least may 3rd as melting snow in california's mountain s threaten flooding there too this as hail hammers parts of the south, including central florida, and sweetwater, texas, where a super cell dumping baseball-sized hail destroyed this storm chaser's windshield and with just days until the start of may, snow slamming the

rocky mountains, while a tornado was spotted touching down near denver a severe spring stretch threatening millions for days on end. we just keep seeing new breathtaking clips of video coming in like hour by hour. the video clips that you started with at the top of the segment, we hadn't seen those yet it just keeps hitting new sections of the country. back along the mississippi, we're in davenport, iowa, officials are pleading with people because this is likely to last for several more days to have a kit ready to go, have all the clothes, medications and necessities you might need to leave your home potentially for several days ana? >> better be ready for the worst and hope for the best. thank you so much, maggie vespa for your reporting that will do it for us today reporting from new york. i'm ana cabrera. thank you for being with us. jose diaz-balart picks up our coverage right now good morning it is 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific i'm jose diaz-balart president biden is hosting south