a huge dance party. but if you happen to walk by, you wouldn't hear anything. this is called a silent disco. it was completely silent with people having headphones. the music was feeding in to their headphones here. look at them go. just incredible. love those dance moves. get on with your bad selves. thanks for joining us. anna cabrera is back at 10:00 a.m. eastern. jose diaz-balart picks up your coverage right now. good morning. it's 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. the battle over the debt ceiling bringing new consequences this morning as the top u.s. agency threatens to lower america's perfect aaa credit rating. we're exactly a week away from the deadline to make a deal. plus, rough rlout. florida governor ron desantis launching his campaign for president after an announcement full of technical problems. this morning, new reporting about who u.s. officials believe was behind a drone attack on the kremlin earlier this month.

and remembering an icon. ♪♪ >> tina turner the queen of rock & roll. ♪♪ and we begin this very busy hour with very latest from washington where time is literally running out for negotiators to reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling. there's just one week until the treasury secretary's estimated deadline to stave off what could be a devastating debt default. top credit agency has now put the country's aaa credit rating on negative watch. pointing to partisanship as hindering a solution. here is what speaker mccarthy had to say just this morning. >> everybody is very professional in these meetings. look, i'm a total optimist. we will get this done, and we will have a better bill because of it.

>> and joining us this morning with more is garrett haake. also with us, cnbc's dominic chu. garrett, mccarthy seems optimistic about a deal. what are you hearing from the democratic side? >> no, that's exactly right, jose. on the fitch part of this specifically, democrats are frustrated. they see this as republicans playing games with the u.s. economy that could have real consequences with that warning being exactly that, a warning of the sort of -- how deep this could go if a deal isn't reached. now on the question of how they feel about what the white house is doing, right now democrats are frankly frustrated. they're shut out of the negotiating process. they're waiting to see what kind of bill lands in their laps, knowing that some democratic votes at least will be necessary to pass it. and i just asked hakeem jeffries, the house democratic

leader about whether or not he believes president biden can hold off some of the worst of this from the democratic perfective. here is what he told me. >> it's clear to me that president biden is continuing to hold the line as it relates to the types of dev stating cuts that republicans are trying to jam down the throats of the american people, including making sure that he stands up for our veterans. it's unacceptable that on the one hand you have republicans pretending as if they would never cut anything that will adversely impact the health, the safety or the well being of veterans and military families, but doing the exact opposite. >> reporter: now in the absence of a particularly aggressive messaging strategy from the white house or senate democrats, house democrats have been trying to ramp up their attacks on what they see as republican hostage taking and this entire issue, trying to humanize the spending cuts that republicans are demanding here. in that case, with leader

jeffrey's whole precedent focussed entirely on what he believes these cuts could do to veteran's programs and the effects they would have on people who have sworn to protect this country. that has become kind of the countermessaging effect here by democrats that republicans want this to be kind of a bland numbers exchange here, purely about budget numbers. democrats are saying, these are real cuts that will hurt real people. and they are hopeful, as you heard from jeffries there that the president will be able to protect house members from having to vote on the worst of those cuts. >> so meanwhile, dominic, we're reporting a top credit agency now put the country's aaa credit rating on negative watch. what does that mean? >> so, what it means, jose, it could be like deja vu all over again. harken back to 2011 as garrett pointed out when the u.s. did have its sovereign debt rated downgraded for the first time ever. you may recall that back then it resulted in the loss of america's prized aaa and standard knocked our country down to aa.

that move showed more than anything that political problems associated with setting fiscal policy in this country could have a tangible downside result. now ultimately, as we all know, the debt ceiling debacle back then along with all of the other ones in u.s. history have been resolved, albeit at the 11th hour, kind of like what's happening now. what's absent, though, in the current scenario as opposed to the one back in 2011, is the market volatility. some will remember that there was a sharp drop in the stock market in the weeks leading up to the resolution of the debt ceiling issue with the debt downgrade itself causing a massive drop. what we are not seeing this time around is that big drop because there hasn't actually been a downgrade. when fitch says it's going to put the u.s. credit rating on watch negative, it's basically a precursor to a possible downgrade. but the markets are at least for now taking things in stride. jose, though, the closer we get to not paying our bills, the more you may see the market starts to get very volatile and

we don't want to see at all the kind of thing we saw back in 2011, jose. w. yeah. i mean, jane, you were a member of congress. even way back in the '90s with the democratic president and a republican speaker of the house. things and times are different, time changes everything, but what do you think -- well, how would you put this into perspective, historical perspective? >> well, let's remember that in 1997 an overwhelming bipartisan majority of congress voted to balance the budget, balance the budget. newt gingrich was the speaker of the house and bill clinton was the president of the united states. and we did this. and the budget stayed balance for a few years until 9/11. then let's remember, as you were just talking about, 2011, i was there, too, when our first vote was negative in terms of the steps we had to take, but the second vote was positive. and we saved the country again. let's understand the stakes are bigger than just the u.s. economy. the u.s. -- the u.s.'s ability

to lead in the world, in this very dangerous world, is also on trial and could be downgraded. the fact that president biden had to come back early from the g7 and blew off this meeting with the pacific islanders in guam -- he didn't blow it off, but cancelled his attendance at the meeting and in australia with the quad, which is a great buffer against chinese expansion, shows that we can't walk and chew gum at the same time anymore. kevin mccarthy has almost no room to make a deal. let's understand that. his relationship is at stake. but you know who could help, and i don't know what happened to him, where is mitch mcconnell? the institutionalist who always likes to make a deal and plays the long ball. i still think the save is a bill that passes the senate by over 60 votes and that is called up on the house floor by a discharge petition and then those republicans in dangerous seats can vote for it, otherwise they're going to lose

re-election and kevin will lose his majority that way. and kevin mccarthy and the right wingers can rail against it. that is a deal that could be made any time. i'm just not sure why we haven't heard from mitch mcconnell. >> garrett, why haven't we been hearing more or at all from mitch mcconnell? >> well, mcconnell made it pretty clear from the jump that he's going to support kevin mccarthy on this. procedural what the former congresswoman described isn't possible. the discharge would have to go to the house before it goes to the senate. there's no mechanism the senate could act first and jam the house. at least not in the time frame we're dealing with now. but mcconnell glued himself to mccarthy. mcconnell know he's not popular broadly. he alone can't drive the bus on this. he might still, by the way, be necessary to wrangle votes and make this move quickly when it gets to the senate. remember, the problem in the senate is that any one member could slow the process down. turn something that could be

done in a day into something that takes a week to finish. and we don't have a week. so, mcconnell may yet have a role to play. but it won't be coming up with a legislative solution to this crisis. >> and so, jane, a week is no time and a lot of time in politics. how do you see going for the next seven days? >> well, there is a holiday weekend, but i have to believe people are talking to people. i mean, this is a total lose/lose. let's understand, the country' prestige is at stake. and i don't think, as mccarthy said very relaxed this morning, this will get worked out. this will get worked out. but somebody has to move. so, yes, the procedures in the house are slightly more complicated. but those on the house ruls committee are confident this could happen if a package could be put together and there are ingredients to the package that make a lot of sense. some responsible cuts, something permeating the fossil fuels and

green energy, something about return of unused funds, all of this can be put together. it's not too controversial and get enough votes. so, i think a week is a long time. i think you're right. and i think this will get done, but i'm perennial optimist. otherwise how would i serve in the house for nine terms. >> garrett haake, dominic chew and jane harmony. thank you for being with us this morning. actually, we'll be back in 60 seconds with the first full day of ron desantis' presidential campaign. we'll play for you what iowa voters have to say about his candidacy. ♪♪ you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. p.

as someone living with type 2 diabetes, i want to keep it real and talk about some risks. with type 2 diabetes you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. even at your a1c goal, you're still at risk ...which if ignored could bring you here... ...may put you in one of those... ...or even worse. too much? that's the point. get real about your risks and do something about it. talk to your health care provider about ways to lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. learn more at getrealaboutdiabetes.com 11 past the hour. florida governor ron desantis expected to meet today with donors in miami, one day after officially announcing that he is

a presidential candidate. his campaign rollout did not exactly go as planned, however. there were technical problems during his big presidential announcement on twitter spaces with twitter owner elon musk. twitter says there was an overload of people listening as more than 600,000 people tuned in. once the glitches were resolved, desantis attacked the biden administration over its policies, including the humanitarian crisis at the border. >> biden opened the southern border and allowed massive amounts of drugs to pour into the country. we'll shut down the border, construct a border wall and hold the drug cartels accountable. >> now that desantis is officially in the race, he has his work cut out for him. latest cnn poll of republican primary voters gives donald trump a 27-point lead over desantis. with us now to take closer look at this, nbc's dasha burns in miami and nbc's shaquille brewster in davenport, iowa.

dasha, what can we expect from today's donor meeting? >> reporter: well, look, jose, he did the big thing, the unconventional thing last night. there's a wide mix of reaction to how that went. it's a bit of a rorschach test. if you're a fan of desantis, he broke the internet with the amount of enthusiasm voters have for him. if you're not a fan of desantis or in trump world, you might be having a field day of making memes and making fun of the glitches that happened last night. one of the senior members of team trump when i asked for a reaction simply responded to me with a picture of a glass of wine over at a bar in palm beach. so team trump thinks this was a disaster. team desantis says they broke the internet, but at the end of the day now he is in the race. he is officially in the race. he is a candidate. he's going to have to do the things a candidate does like meet with donors. he's doing that at the four seasons later today where he will be making the case, having

to raise fund so they can expand the ground game. then early next week, starting tuesday, he will hit the trail in those critical early states. he'll be going to iowa, new hampshire and north and south carolina. that is where the work really has to begin. he's been traveling to some of those states as a noncandidate on his book tour, on his tour of touting what he's done here what he calls the florida blueprint. but now the stakes are higher because he is officially in the race. and he's going to have to do the retail politics that voters expect there. he will now have to prove himself in a different kind of way with the backdrop of actually being a candidate. and show the skeptics, the critics that he can make those connections with voters on the ground in those critical states. now all eyes are on how he can execute in those places that are really, really going to matter right now, jose.

>> yeah. shaq, iowa will be no doubt a major test for desantis, as well as other republican candidates. what is desantis facing in iowa? >> reporter: well, he's facing some perceptions that have already been set. yes, governor desantis officially announced his campaign yesterday. he filed the paperwork, released the video, but many people here have been viewing him as a candidate already. his announcement didn't surprise anyone. he's been -- he was here two weeks ago looking and sounding like a presidential candidate. and his component, his chief component, president donald trump has been on the air waves with attack ads against desantis. a gentleman said he plans on supporting trump because of the fact -- because of one of the things he heard in one of those campaign ads. there is some skepticism with ron desantis right now, especially among some republicans who sported president trump in the past. i want you to listen to one of the conversations i had that reflected that. >> not yet. i think he's got a lot to prove

yet. i've seen him do some good things in florida i liked. initially i wasn't liking what he was doing. we'll have yet to see. >> i know what trump can do and seen him already work in office for four years. so not that i want to take away from desantis because i know he's doing great work down where he is in florida and joining in the presidential race and seen other candidates join in the race. i think it's amazing, but for me personally i really have to back trump. >> reporter: now i did speak to some people off camera who said that they plan on supporting desantis or at least prefer him at this point because he doesn't carry the baggage in their words of former president trump. but it gives you a sense of how people have been thinking about this already for some time, jose. >> shaq, people have been thinking about this and there has also been a ton of ads already, right? both in favor of and against desantis? >> reporter: that's exactly right. and you know, conversation that i was mentioning, it was someone who was fishing along here. and he said that he wouldn't want to support desantis because

he thinks desantis will raise his taxes. that is an exact line you hear from a trump super pac ad. the desantis campaign says that's not true and democratic line of attack. it gives you a sense that people have already been seeing this debate that we will likely see for the next months to come. they have been seeing that on their television air waves before any official announcement occurred. >> dasha burns and shaquille brucer, thank you for being with us. with us now to continue our conversation is julienne castro. he is an msnbc political analyst. always a pleasure, my friend, to see you. you know a thing or two about running for president. what do you make of desantis' campaign launch? >> i mean, it was a failure, jose. there's no way to put a pretty face on that launch. there's certain moments in a campaign where you know that more people than usual are watching.

these are big moments. so you want to get it right. he didn't get it right. first of all, i think twitter spaces was not the right venue. who in that base that he's pitching to really gets on twitter spaces regularly? twitter itself still has a negative impression, perception by people in that republican base on top of that the glitches that they suffered adds to this narrative about desantis that he's just not ready for primetime. i think that hurt him. i think it hurt him particularly with potential donors and also potential endorsers. he actually been on a good string in the weeks leading up to this with iowa endorsers. he rolled out, i think, about 37 iowa endorsers, different statewide and also district elected officials. so that was positive. but the launch itself didn't help. now there's still eight months until the iowa caucus. that is more than a life time in politics. but it wasn't a good start yesterday for desantis. >> he is just the latest

candidate to jump into the race following south carolina senator tim scott earlier in the week. more candidates are expected to join the republican race, even in a large field. i remember that those first debates that i had the privilege of being a comoderator, there's 20 candidates in the democratic primary early on. how hard is it to breakthrough when a field is so large? >> it is very tough. i mean, right now there's trump and there's everybody other than trump. and really these folks other than trump are waiting to see if trump falls somehow, if his criminal trial that was just set for march 25th actually comes to fruition and he gets convicted or something else happens that's going to turn off that republican base. but they are going to be struggling to get the kind of attention that it takes to get momentum, to get the money, to get supporters and build yourself up. you know, we saw that in 2020 when we had at one point up to 24 democrats. they're definitely going to see

it in 2024. and you can tell that in the polling because you have basically trump and then 25 points behind desantis and then behind that a few people in the high single -- couple people in the single high digit. a bunch of people stuck at 2%, 1%. and if you're there, like tim scott and others, it's very tough with the oxygen in the room to get enough to actually get momentum. >> i want to turn to the humanitarian crisis at the border, the border patrol released this video, showing a smuggler dropping a 4-year-old, a 4-year-old child. take a look at the middle of your screen there. he drops a 4-year-old child over a 30-foot section of the border wall near san diego. now, remarkably the child was okay. last night desantis talked extensively about declaring a national emergency at the border on day one, shutting down the border, building the wall, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. is the humanitarian crisis being once again politicized so much

that the human aspect of this is being removed? >> i watched that video, jose. it really is very, very sad. i mean, to look at the child when they drop the child and there's more than one child there in the entire video. but they look back, not knowing where to go. it points to something that i think perhaps democrats and republicans can actually agree on, which is the role of smugglers and holding them accountable and cracking down on those smugglers and trying to eradicate that trade basically. but, of course, it's being politicized. this entire primary season republicans are going to be painting this picture of an invasion of people who are dangerous. here you have a 4-year-old child, someone who is not dangerous, someone who is coming for a better life, basically somebody who is lost and confused and not knowing what to do. it's not their fault.

and we have to remember that they're human beings and treat them with compassion and with humanity. >> julian castro, thank you for being with us. i appreciate it. >> programming note, katy tur will speak with asa hutchinson. we turn now to breaking news out of south carolina. just moments ago, governor henry mcmaster signed the fetal heart beat and protection from abortion act into law. the bill bans abortion after a fetal heart beat has been detected, which is usually around six weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. governor's office said the law went into effect immediately. up next, he plotted a violent insurrection to stop joe biden from becoming president. today, the leader of the oath keepers faces the longest prison sentence in any january 6th

case. plus, exactly three years after george floyd was killed by police, new reporting about an unarmed 11-year-old fighting for his life after he was shot by a police officer. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. so, i got this app from experian. it's got everything i need to help my finances. got my fico® score, raised it instantly, i even found new ways to save. all right here. free. and fast. see all you can do with the free experian app. download it now. ♪ tourists tourists that turn into scientists. tourists taking photos that are analyzed by ai. so researchers can help life underwater flourish. ♪ i have moderate to severe crohn's disease.

so researchers can help life now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up ♪ ♪ i've got symptom relief ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements at 4 weeks. skyrizi is the first and only il-23 inhibitor for crohn's that can deliver both clinical remission and endoscopic improvement. the majority of people on skyrizi achieved long lasting remission at 1 year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save.

♪ma ma ma ma♪ [clears throut] for fast sore throat relief, try vicks vapocool drops with two times more menthol per drop*, and the powerful rush of vicks vapors for fast-acting relief you can feel. vicks vapocool drops. fast relief you can feel. (vo) with verizon, you can now get a private 5g network. so you can do more than connect your business, you can make it even smarter. now ports can know where every piece of cargo is. and where it's going. (dock worker) right on time. (vo) robots can predict breakdowns and order their own replacement parts. (foreman) nice work. (vo) and retailers can get ahead of the fashion trend

of the day with a new line tomorrow. with a verizon private 5g network, you can get more agility and security. giving you more control of your business. we call this enterprise intelligence. from the network america relies on. as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network, with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to 75% a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities™. ♪ ♪ every day, businesses everywhere are asking. is it possible? with comcast business...it is. is it possible to help keep our online platform safe from cyberthreats? so we can better protect our customer data? absolutely.

can we provide health care virtually anywhere? we can help with that. is it possible to use predictive monitoring to address operations issues? we can help with that, too. with global secure networking from comcast business. it's not just possible. it's happening. 26 past the hour. right now the sentencing hearing is under way for stewart rhodes, the founder of the far right group the oath keepers. he was convicted of several counts, including seditious conspiracy tied to the january 6th attack on the capitol. rhodes is the first january 6th defendant to be sentenced for the seditious conspiracy charge. joining us is nbc's ryan riley. ryan, good morning. what's happen so far today? >> reporter: so prosecutors have been making their case for this 25-year sentence for rhodes, laying out his rhetoric ahead of the attack and support for the

attack in the aftermath. rhodes testified during the trial he did not direct any oath keepers to go inside and, in fact, he thought it was a stupid thing for them to go inside the capitol that day, but a lot of his rhetoric celebrated the attack afterwards. he was caught bragging that he -- that they should have brought rifles that day. that was the only thing he would have done in retrospect differently and also talking how he wished they had strung up nancy pelosi on a lamp post on january 6th itself. so, you know, we're expected to hear from rhodes in the near future. he's expected to give some sort of statement here. he compared himself previously to nelson mandela. you expect to basically see him make himself out to be some sort of martyr in connection with january 6th. even if that might not benefit his ultimate sentence, you know, rhodes is in his mid 50s now. a 25-year sentence would be the equivalent of a lifetime sentence essentially and remains to be seen whether the judge will go quite that far. the longest sentence so far was 14 years. there's a pretty high likelihood

that for now at least the sentence that is handed out to stewart rhodes could be one of the record-setting sentences in the january 6th investigation overall. >> nbc's ryan riley, thank you so much much. now to mississippi where an 11-year-old boy was shot by a police officer after he called 911 for help. the boy's family is calling for the officer to be fired and charged. the officer shot murray in the chest when responding to a domestic disturbance call that the child made at the request of his mother. the officer shot him as he came around the corner of the home's hallway unarmed, according to murray's mother and the mississippi bureau of investigation. the 11-year-old boy has been released from the hospital after being treated for a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and lacerated liver, his mother says. the body camera footage has not been released yet, but the indiana police department -- india know la police department suspended the officer, according

to the family attorney. the mississippi bureau of investigation told nbc news that it is currently assessing this critical incident. this comes as we mark three years since george floyd's death. it was may 25th, 2020, when a white police officer kneeled on floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. today the minneapolis city council is expected to vote on a resolution honoring victims of police brutality and their families. and candle light vigil will be held this evening. video of the encounter sparked outrage across the country, prompting demonstrations, calling for police reform. president biden issued a statement reading in part, quote, i urge congress to enact meaningful police reform and send it to my desk. i will sign it. i will continue to do everything in my power to fight for police accountability in congress. with us now to talk more about this, is cedrik alexander, minneapolis community safety commissioner and former public safety director in dekalb county, georgia.

senator, always a pleasure to see you. how do you think police in minneapolis changed in the three years since floyd's death? >> good morning, jose. good seeing you again as well, too. in terms of your question, a lot has changed. we are in a whole new government structure today as a result of that incident. that is certainly partly responsible for the position that i'm in where i oversee all of public safety, police, fire, 911, emergency management, et cetera. so that has certainly offered some opportunities for us here to create some new change. in addition to that, we also are under a court-ordered agreement, with the minnesota department of human services where we have an opportunity now to make some significant agreed upon changes that's going to continue to move this public safety department

forward and move this community forward. and we also are awaiting a consent decree from u.s. justice department as well. but i think most importantly of all is that over the last three years you are beginning to see a city that is still healing and there's still healing to be done. you're seeing a city government that is well in touch with the community. you see a police department today that is well in touch with its community and community well in touch and open to be able to come inside its police department. so there has been certainly significant changes over the last year, over the last three years since the murder and death of george floyd. >> what do you hope to accomplish as community safety commissioner in minneapolis? what are your biggest challenges? and what are your biggest kind of points that you think need to be accomplished? >> well, i have the everyday

challenges, as most chiefs across this country, whether large, small, or mediocre size city. and minneapolis is a wonderful city with a lot of history, a lot of culture, a lot of art. it's a beautiful american city, but of course i'm struggling with all the things any other person in my position and that is, of course, keeping our communities safe. and we have some unique crime fighting efforts that we put in play to help reduce crime. that's our everyday function, keep people safe in this community. but more importantly, here again, to me than anything else, to me and to mayor fry and to all of us here in government, we want to continue to build these relationships in our communities and to make those relationships strong and not just say that we are transparent, we are accountable. we truly are those things, and

that we're putting measures in place where we can be able to assess just how well we're doing. there's still work to be done here. there's still a lot of healing to be done. but we are certainly doing a lot more than ever we have in a very long time, particularly over the last three years. and i have to applaud the community for being able to reach back to its police and its public safety. and i have to applaud also the personnel of all of our public safety platforms, including and specifically police, that is connecting as we continue to heal and build a relationship one in which we all can continue to be very, very proud of, jose. >> senator, thank you for being with us this morning. appreciate it. >> thank you for having me as well. earlier this month ukraine denied involvement in that drone attack on the kremlin. remember that, these pictures? well, new reporting suggests

u.s. intelligence officials are saying otherwise. we'll explain. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. t. you had to give your right arm to find great talent. but with upwork, there's highly skilled talent from all over the globe. right at your fingertips. ♪ this is how we work now ♪ power e*trade's award-winning trading app makes trading easier. with its customizable options chain, easy-to-use tools and paper trading to help sharpen your skills, you can stay on top of the market from wherever you are. e*trade from morgan stanley. power e*trade's easy-to-use tools make complex trading less complicated. custom scans help you find new trading opportunities,

while an earnings tool helps you plan your trades and stay on top of the market. e*trade from morgan stanley. every day, more dog people are deciding it's time for a fresh approach to pet food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog. and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food.

from big cities, to small towns, and on main streets across 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.

39 past the hour. this morning ukraine's president zelenskyy made a surprise virtual commencement speech at johns hopkins university which he praised president biden and the american people for their support in the war.

>> president biden, strong, congress and all the american people have the generations before risen to this occasion and are leading the free world to secure freedom in europe. >> meanwhile a new report from the "new york times" says u.s. officials believe a drone attack on the kremlin earlier this month was likely carried out by one of ukraine's special military or intelligence units. the times says preliminary assessment is based in part intercepted communications of russian and ukrainian officials. the report also says u.s. intelligence agencies do not know whether president zelenskyy was aware of this attack. nbc news has not been able to independently verify the times reporting. joining us now from kharkiv is nbc's molly hunter. holly, hi. what's the latest this morning on this? >> reporter: jose, good morning to you. and i've got to say, you just said it, but nbc news has not

confirmed this "new york times" report but that has not stopped us from chasing it here in kyiv and my colleagues, reporters back in the d.c. bureau are working all their sources to try to confirm this as well. we have a response from the ukrainian government, very senior adviser to president volodymyr zelenskyy spoke to reuters and gave a short response. ukraine has nothing to do with a strange and pointless drone attack on the kremlin. original attack actually happened, moscow pointed the fingers directly at kyiv. i want to get to the biggest news out of bakhmut, jose, that city we have been talking about so much last weekend. russia claimed full control as did the wagner mercenary chief yevgeniy prigozhin. his troops were on the front line fighting that battle for russia, the bloodiest battle as we have been talking throughout this war. prigozhin this morning said he was pulling his troops out. what happens next? what does this mean? jose, what we understand from

this is that russian regular troops will now come into bakhmut, to fill those spots. but what does that mean? does that mean they'll be able to hold the defensive line? will they continue to push forward or ukrainian troops still fighting on the outskirts of bakhmut, according to ukrainian military commanders, will they see this as an opportunity? what's so interesting, jose, we'll know in the next week or so, prigozhin says all of his troops will be out by june 1st. the ukrainian commanders long said their main goal in bakhmut is to tie up as many russian resources as possible so they can really plan and organize elsewhere for this pending counteroffensive. the last piece of news from the same senior adviser actually tweeted earlier today about that counteroffensive. i think we have this tweet to put up on screen for you, jose. he talked about it not as a single event and really he suggested that the ukrainian military was already performing counteroffensive activities. it won't be a specific day. suggesting that maybe this

counteroffensive that really has been worked up for the last couple weeks is already under way, jose. >> molly hunter, thanks. great seeing you. coming up, we'll remember the life and legacy of tina turner, the queen of rock & roll. ♪♪ suffering from sinus congestion, especially at night? try vicks sinex for instant relief that lasts up to 12 hours. vicks sinex targets congestion at the source, relieving nasal congestion, and sinus pressure by reducing swelling in the sinuses. try vicks sinex.

the mosquitoes are just all over the backyard. quiet please. (okay.) wow there, that's good. [bulb breaks] okay. got that one. [glass breaks] whoa! (what's going on?) [mosquitoes buzzing] what? i said get a pro. i did get a pro! an orkin pro. [mosquitoes buzzing]

i got you. got mosquitoes? don't call any pro, call the orkin pro. with over 120 years of experience, nobody's better. orkin. the best in pests. thanks for wasting my time.

the subway series is getting an upgrade! the new #19 the pickleball club. who knew the subway series could get even better? me, i knew. maybe you should host a commercial then. sure, okay. subway series just keeps getting better. from prom dresses

to workouts subway series and new adventures you hope the more you give the less they'll miss. but even if your teen was vaccinated against meningitis in the past they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. although uncommon, up to 1 in 5 survivors of meningitis will have long term consequences. now as you're thinking about all the vaccines your teen might need make sure you ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. show summer who's boss with wayfair's memorial day clearance. shop all the top grills and outdoor essentials, up to 30% off. with smokin' fast shipping. and get wayfair deals so epic, it'll feel like you're getting away with something. yes! so take summer into your own hands - and get extra outdoorsy with wayfair's memorial day clearance. may 22 through may 30. ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need ♪

♪♪ ♪ you're simply the best, better than all the rest ♪ the world is remembering trailblazing musician tina turner, often hailed as the queen of rock & roll after she died at her home in switzerland. she was 83 years old. tributes from fans and fellow stars alike are pouring in as the world reflects on turner's iconic career that spanned 60 years. born to a family of sharecroppers in tennessee, she ascended to stardom alongside her then husband ike turner. she lunched her comeback in the 1980s as a solo artist releasing hit after hit after hit and breaking barriers for future generations of artists. joining us now with more is danielle smith, former editor in chief of vibe magazine, also the

author of shine bright, a very personal history of black women in pop. thank you, danielle, for being with us this morning. i'm just thinking, what are your thoughts on how history will look back on the life and the legacy of tina turner? >> she's a towering presence in heels or not. just a towering, cultural presence. 12 grammys, kennedy center honors, just one -- two of the most successful global tours in the history of live music, and more importantly than any of that, i think, really is the fact that her prodigee is beyonce knowles carter. her prodigee is janet jackson. anyone sicking with any kind of ferocity and grace owes a huge debt to tina turner.

>> yeah, i love ferocity and grace mixed with such extraordinary talent, a voice that was unlike any other with such passion in her voice but also a trailblazer in so many ways. the first woman -- first black artist ever to appear on the cover of "rolling stone." her life story is one of just relentless, positivism and relentless desire to just succeed on her own terms. >> she was very serious about her peace. she became a buddhist, i believe in the late '70s. she always'70s. she always talked about just how much buddhism brought her so much peace and kept her on track, even as things were going, you know, not so well for her. people think a lot of times that

the transition from her being a part of ike turner's band to becoming the tina turner that we know and love so much today was a smooth ride. it wasn't. people weren't clamoring, necessarily, for tina the solo artist. let me tell you something. she was intentional, and she did what she wanted to do. >> yeah. i'm thinking, in this world where autotune and people telling you how to dance and how to move, she's the antithesis of that. she's this unique, raw passion, a voice and a personality that could fill a room. what a difference, right, in how she is and was and how much of the world is now? >> i mean, things can seem, i think, right now a little bit more uniform maybe than they used to be. i like to see the kids out there having a good time. but tina turner is a woman of her era. she's a rock and roll soul girl.

she loved to move her body, sing loud and wild and to just be in service to her fans and in service to music and culture. as i said, just a towering presence in american culture. >> danielle smith, it's great seeing you. >> thank you so much for having me. up next, as we head into memorial day weekend, a look at why some pools and beaches across the country may have to close for the summer. you are watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. you can make it even smarter. now ports can know where every piece of cargo is. and where it's going. (dock worker) right on time. (vo) robots can predict breakdowns and order their own replacement parts. (foreman) nice work. (vo) and retailers can get ahead of the fashion trend of the day with a new line tomorrow. with a verizon private 5g network, you can get more agility and security. giving you more control of your business. we call this enterprise intelligence.

from the network america relies on. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ what do we always say, son? liberty mutual customizes your car insurance... so you only pay for what you need. that's my boy. now you get out there, and you make us proud, huh? ♪ bye, uncle limu. ♪ stay off the freeways! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ oh booking.com, ♪ i'm going to somewhere, anywhere. ♪ ♪ a beach house, a treehouse, ♪ ♪ honestly i don't care ♪ find the perfect vacation rental for you booking.com, booking. yeah. (bridget) with thyroid eye disease i hid from the camera. booking. and i wanted to hide from the world. for years, i thought my t.e.d. was beyond help...

but then i asked my doctor about tepezza. (vo) tepezza is the only medicine that treats t.e.d. at the source not just the symptoms. in a clinical study more than 8 out of 10 patients taking tepezza had less eye bulging. tepezza is an infusion. patients taking tepezza may have infusion reactions. tell your doctor right away if you experience high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, shortness of breath or muscle pain. before getting tepezza, tell your doctor if you have diabetes, ibd, or are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant. tepezza may raise blood sugar even if you don't have diabetes and may worsen ibd such as crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. now, i'm ready to be seen again. visit mytepezza.com to find a ted eye specialist and to see bridget's before and after photos. want a worry-free way to kill bugs? zevo traps use light to attract and trap flying insects with no odor and no mess. they work continuously, so you don't have to. zevo. people-friendly.

bug-deadly. when i was his age, we had to be inside to watch live sports. zevo. people-friendly. but with xfinity, we get the fastest mobile service and can stream down the street or around the block! hey, can you be less sister, more car? all right, let's get this over with. switch to xfinity mobile and get the best price for 2 lines of unlimited. just $30 a line per month. i should get paid more for this. you get paid when you win. from xfinity. home of the 10g network.

55 past the hour. with summer around the corner, many pools and beaches are struggling to find lifeguards they need to stay open and keep people safe. sam brock has more from hollywood, florida. sam? >> reporter: the pandemic first put a spotlight on the heightened problem of lifeguard shortages, which was acute last year, when a third of all the national public pools didn't have enough people to staff them or potentially be open. this year, that figure is up to 50%. the pool where i am right now in many ways is a microcosm of what so many communities are dealing with. they don't have staff to operate at full capacity and are having to scale back as a result. with the unofficial start of summer set to make a big splash this memorial day weekend, pools and beaches across the country are grasping for a life line

amid a major lifeguard shortage. >> we are in a crisis when it comes to lifeguarding in america. >> reporter: half of the nation's more than 300,000 public pools will have to either reduce hours or close all together because of inadequate staffing. like this community pool. how many pools would you be operating if you had full staffing? >> we would try to operate three pools. >> reporter: but you have one? >> we only have one pool to operate. >> reporter: this aquatic supervisor tells me they have just ten of the 20 employees that they need. >> we will have to cut back on some of the things we can offer the local community. right now, we are cutting back on swim lessons. >> reporter: those visiting beaches in south florida aren't wild about the prospect of swimming at their own risk. >> mother nature has a mind of its own. you have to be aware. >> reporter: the shortage threatening summer fun coast to coast. the city of seattle announcing it is closing three beaches and

two pools because they are nearly 80 lifeguards short to operate. in new york city, the call is out. >> lifeguards are not here. we cannot open up. >> reporter: out of 1,400 needed, they have just over a third, or 500 on the payroll. >> we have been working since last september doing a lot in terms of recruitment to bring in more lifeguards. >> reporter: new york state even sweetening the job listing with a $1,000 bonus. ♪♪ lifeguarding used to be a cool and popular summer gig boosted by "baywatch" now. now they are finding pays with higher pay and no recertification. >> it takes a lot to be a lifeguard. you have to do medical training. you have to be a strong swimmer, be in great shape. >> reporter: some suggest it's time to rethink the role as a crucial emergency service. >> we are looking at lifeguards as part-time employees. but they provide an essential

job. >> reporter: a recruiting rush that can have life or death consequences. >> we have had eight drownings in our community. it was without lifeguards. >> reporter: in new york city, they raised the pay from $16 an hour to $21. that was not enough to deal with the massive deficit. right now, experts are saying if you want to be safe, do not go swimming at a beach where there's no lifeguard. sam brock, nbc news. >> thank you so very much. before we go, touching moments as uvalde remembering the lives and legacies of the 19 children and 2 adults killed one year ago. more than 1,000 people participated in an evening candlelight vigil last night. the surviving students and

teachers led the lighting of hundreds of candles. that wraps up the hour for me. you can reach me on twitter and instagram. you can catch highlights from today's show online. thank you for the privilege of your time. andrea mitchell picks up with more news right now. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," a major credit rating agency puts the u.s. on notice of a potential downgrade while debt ceiling negotiations continue while rank and file lawmakers are leaving town today with members on speed dial in case a deal is reached. >> i have had discussions with the president about this. we have gone around and around. he knows where we are. we know where our differences are. we will continue to be at the table to try to solve this problem. this hour, ron desantis stumbles out of the gate with a twitter audio event plagued by technical glitches.