good morning, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian. we have breaking news of another american hostage in gaza now declared dead. plus the gaza health ministry saying more than 21,000 palestinians have been killed since israel began its strikes on october 7th. we're going to talk to a

spokesperson from the israeli defense forces. new this morning, supreme court could soon tackle trump's eligibility to run for president in colorado. how it could affect the 2024 election across the country. plus, house republicans ramping up their impeachment probe of president biden. what they're now demanding from the white house about biden's son hunter. and new video of the horror of the maui wildfires, what nbc news has learned about what went wrong as the flames destroyed a beloved community. hey, everybody. and good to see you. welcome to our second hour here on msnbc. we're going to begin this hour with breaking news out of the israel-hamas war. a second american hostage in gaza has been declared dead. judy weinstein, a 70-year-old, was fatally injured in the october 7th attack. her husband was also killed. this is happening as israeli

forces are expanding their new battle zone today as they push further into central gaza, where many civilians sought shelter since the start of this war. israel is now saying 153 of its soldiers have been killed since it launched its ground invasion in late october and the death toll in gaza is more than 21,000 according to the hamas-run ministry of health. meanwhile, after a top israeli official travelled to washington this week, secretary of state antony blinken expected to visit israel for the first time since the war began. the state department has not confirmed though the secretary's plans. want to bring in now from jerusalem nbc's jay gray, starting us off. jay, good to talk to you once again. give us the latest on this breaking news we learned in the last 20 minutes or so about the second american hostage now declared dead. >> reporter: yeah, and judy weinstein whose husband gad hagai was confirmed dead last week, they were both

injured during the october 7th attacks at their kibbutz and both taken into gaza. it is still unclear with each of these victims where they passed away. did they die during the attack and were still taken to gaza, or did they die from those wounds in gaza? that's unclear. what we do know is that this couple has now died, ae in their 70s. she was 70 years old. four children. seven grandchildren. and from all accounts, including from those who lived in the kibbutz wit tm and family members, they were very active in their community, she an english teacher and they spent a lot of time outdoors. difficult news obviously for the family. and for the families of the remaining hostages who have over the last couple of weeks really intensified their calls for a stop in the fighting, for release all the hostages, for something to be done. they are now saying over the

last couple of days that they feel like time is running out. for one of those hostages that was released, we are hearing from the first time tonight, a little bit about her experience, a 21-year-old french israeli, maya schem. she was injured during the attacks as well and was part of one of the videos released by hamas during her 54 days in captivity before she was released as part of the exchange for palestinian prisoners. she has talked for the first time with an outlet here in israel, and i want to read to you what she said, some very telling information. she says that during her time in captivity, and i'm quoting here, what i went through was like the holocaust, she said it is important for her to relay the truth about the nature of the people who live in gaza and went on to say they are all complicit, it is like one big hamas family.

so, that's something that we haven't heard from any of the other hostages released to this point. a lot to read into about what she said, yasmin. >> jay gray for us, thank you for that. appreciate it. want to bring in lieutenant colonel peter lerner, idf spokesperson and head of the foreign press branch. thank you for joining us. appreciate it. israel announcing a new phase of this war as it heads into central gaza. where do things stand right now? >> good morning, yasmin. just on the last few words of the report, of the hostages, and this is the reason why we are at war. there are still 129 israelis being held by hamas in gaza. we are moving our operations forward in order to bring the hostages home, every last one of them. and the operations indeed are developing, according to our plan. according to the intelligence which continues to come in every

day, with every position of hamas, every tunnel that we have destroyed, we're finding more intelligence. today we released to the public information, public knowledge, a huge cache of documents and files that hamas had gathered, implying -- and i would say incriminating them as well for their actions, for how they're utilizing the tunnel system, where they're launching the rockets from, where their tunnels go beneath schools, how to have docked, how to hold people hostages, lots of documents that are coming out, and, indeed, we're moving forward against their strongholds, whether they're tunnel systems, positions, throughout the gaza strip. today we have operations still in the north, in the central gaza strip in the areas of burraj and continued operations in hamas' activities of khan younis. >> you speak of the hostages and

we just mentioned two american hostages now declared dead, the second today. we're also hearing the words of formerly held hostages that are now speaking out as jay gray just talked to us about. many families of the hostages, many family members of the hostages to not feel as if they being prioritized, their home coming is being prioritized. they trupinterrupted a speech b your prime minister last week for that very reason. what do you say to them amidst the next phase of the war that they don't feel like their family members are being prioritized, that they're afraid they'll never come home? >> so, the lifeline, the existence, the families of 240 people, those that have been released, 110 that were released and those that remain in hamas's clutches, they have been torn to pieces. we can't complain to them, we can't come to -- with any raised eyebrows to what they are

saying, and their feelings and how they are feeling. i can say from our perspective, we are utilizing all of our intelligence capabilities, all of our operational capabilities in order to create the operational opportunity to bring home hostages safe and sound. in a parallel effort, there is a diplomatic effort taking place in order to create perhaps the second opportunity to release hostages through diplomacy. we have seen over the last few days many reports of the egyptian attempt, an attempt that hamas turned down. so we are left in a situation where our operations are moving forward with two goals in mind, to bring home the hostages, every last one of them, and also to dismantle and destroy hamas as a governing authority. they can't be allowed to hold the government of gaza ever again. they frankly can't be trusted because when they have that power, they recruit and rally a terrorist army, they recruit and conduct the most brutal attack

against our people in the history of the state of israel. so, yes, there is a huge challenge in that, and, of course, the presence of hostages on the ground obviously influence our conduct, our operations, and our operational activity. >> i want to talk about the civilians and accounting for civilians in gaza as the idf advances there on the ground. john kirby, secretary of state tony blinken as well, the president, president biden said this as well, warning, asking, pleading with israel to account for civilian lives on the ground in gaza, women and children specifically. we have seen high numbers of casualties of both inside gaza. an op-ed from your prime minister saying this, israel does its best to minimize civilian casualties by dropping leaflets and text messages and other means to warn gazans to get out of harm's way. he goes on to say if hamas puts itself in the way of civilians, they will not hesitate, the idf

will not hesitate to go after hamas in those areas. as you're asking people to move from north to south, as you're asking people to move from south to east, or east to west, and they're being bombed, they're being struck in those areas, how do you account for, how do you protect civilian lives inside gaza when we're seeing such incredibly atrocious pictures coming out, images coming out of gaza of children being killed or left without parents? >> yasmin, the images are indeed heart breaking. it is a war that was forced upon us, a surprise war against us. initiated, engaged a strategic plan that hamas devised, and strategic plan that we are responding to now. each and every life lost in this war is a tragedy. it is a tragedy for the families of -- that have lost their loved ones, it is a tragedy for the communities, it is a tragedy for

all of the people of gaza, it is a tragedy nevertheless brought on them by the actions of hamas. we are, as you read out from the prime minister netanyahu's op-ed operating within the realm of laws of armed conflict, in order to minimize the civilian strife and the civilian casualties, instructing people in an unprecedented way to get out of harm's way, while hamas is intentionally trying to exert more civilian casualties. their whole infrastructure, the way they have weaponized the civilian arena in itself is a war crime. the way they have conducted themselves, the way today they are continuing to hide beneath ground, in what i would say is an unprecedented way of urban warfare ever taken in the past. never in the history of warfare is the subterranean operations the main operations. but in this war, this is precisely what hamas has done.

they built a subterranean city of gaza, subterranean cities of gaza, and this is -- and they are intentionally putting civilians in harm's way. so we are operating and trying to minimize that. >> colonel, let me ask you this. and we'll end on this because we are running out of time. i know you're saying in this phase of this war, october 7th is what started it, right, the attack by hamas, the atrocious attack by hamas is what began this phase of this war. at what point are you on the battlefield, are you in governance, are you an israeli soldier and you say is it still worth it? at what point do you see the images of the children, the women being killed, the numbers coming out of the gaza health ministry, you dispute them, right now the gaza health ministry saying 20,000 plus people have died, i know that's in dispute with the idf, and what israel is finding.

but at what point is there ever a point you say, is this still worth it, do we keep going? >> so, you know, the israeli society, i would say, as a broad generalization rallied around this war, precisely because of the sense of threat we all felt on the october 7th attack. no matter where we live, no matter what we were doing on the early hours of that morning, we looked at the television, we looked at our social media, in horror, and my wife, she asked me, peter, are they coming for me too and i live just outside of tel aviv. this is the sense of -- it is not because of october 7th, yasmin. it is to make sure that october 7th never happens again. and we heard even since the war began that hamas promises to conduct october 7th again, given the chance. we as decent people can never let them have that chance. and we need to do everything we can in order to minimize the civilian casualties on the

palestinian side because our war isn't against the palestinian people, it isn't against the people of gaza, our war is against the people who put them in this position, against hamas, against what hamas has done, and make sure that they can never do it again. >> so, what i'm hearing from you, colonel, i want to be clear, and be on the record from what i'm hearing from you is it is worth it for your own security and for the security of the israelis and the people that you have vowed to protect? >> i would say that the tragedy that is transpiring before our eyes, what we are watching in horror, all of us is a reality that we did not wish for. it is a reality we were surprised for. but it is a reality we're determined to make sure will never happen again to the people of israel. that is our obligation as the israeli defense forces. that is our responsibility to the people of israel. but it is also a responsibility when we are conducting ourselves to operate within the realm of the laws of armed conflict, to

make sure that we are upholding our obligations on the battlefield. >> right. >> and to get people out of harm's way. >> lieutenant colonel peter lerner, spokesperson with the idf, thank you, sir, appreciate it. coming up next, a new development in the legal battle over whether donald trump will be allowed on the colorado primary ballot. and a little later on, we'll talk to the mayor of chicago about what he says his city needs to deal with the expanding migrant crisis. we're back in 60 seconds. migrant crisis we're back in 60 seconds when better money habits® content first started coming out, it expanded what i could do for special olympics athletes with developmental needs. thousands of bank of america employees like scott spend countless hours volunteering to teach people how to reach their financial goals. it felt good. it felt like i could take on the whole world. (son) dad. you ok? (dad) felt good. it's our phone bill! we pay for things that we don't need! bloated bundles, the reckless spending! no more...

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jean-pierre talked about complicitness when she said this. >> the president was familiar with what he was going to say. >> ryan, walk us through what this letter said and why they're sending it out now. >> reporter: well, yasmin,comer have done is outland a timeline of events they believe show a level of complicity or coordination between the white house, the president himself and hunter biden as it relates to this answer to a subpoena by the congressional committees that are conducting their impeachment inquiry and their argument is that if the president was suggesting to hunter biden that he shouldn't appear for the subpoena, that is somehow an impeachable offense. there is probably legal scholars that feel differently, but to that end, the two members of this congressional committee, these two chairman are asking for all the communication that

could potentially have taken place by white house officials and members of the biden legal team. this is what they say in part of the letter, they say we must examine whether the president corruptly sought to influence or obstruct the committee's proceedings by preventing, discouraging or dissuading his son from complying with the committees' subpoenas. such conduct would constitute an impeachable offense. they're not saying the conduct reached that level, but the fact that they're implying that perhaps this -- these conversations between the president and his son would then lead to an impeachable offense just shows the committee -- these committees continue to try to find anything they possibly can to tag the president with in their efforts to attempt to impeach him. and this impeachment inquiry is expected to ramp up in the new year. there is a real possibility that these committees will hold hunter biden in contempt of congress for refusing to comply with their subpoenas, which is one of the many things that the president will be dealing with when we return here from the new

year. >> ryan nobles, thank you, ryan, appreciate it. now to the latest in former president trump's legal hurdles. there is a lot of them. overnight the colorado republican party asked the u.s. supreme court to hear the case over whether trump's name can appear on the state's primary ballot. it is the latest development in a slew of challenges the former president's ballot eligibility. setting up the first time the supreme court could actually decide on the clause if it takes up the case. if it takes up the case. want to bring in nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard and joyce vance, msnbc legal analyst. walk us through what happened here. >> reporter: good morning, yasmin. i'll defer the legal nuance to joyce. it is important to note they were in fact party to this lawsuit by those colorado voters. it was not just donald trump. so this appeal from the colorado republican party puts into effect the reality that donald

trump's name will remain on the ballot in the state of colorado unless the u.s. supreme court agrees to hear this appeal, and then affirms the decision of the colorado supreme court disqualifying donald trump from the ballot in the state that would have far reaching impact beyond the state of colorado. but we're still expecting the legal team for donald trump to file their own appeal in the coming days. but this colorado appeal was actually written by the lawyer for the party, jay sekulow, a former attorney to donald trump himself. and is part of this appeal. he outlines that it is the first amendment rights of the political parties to determine who goes on to their primary ballots by the republican party. but also makes a case that in fact the former president of the united states was not acting as an officer of the united states at the time of the january 6th attack and then also goes on to make the case that in the

situation that the colorado supreme court were not to be overruled by the supreme court, that this would set a precedent that any secretaries of states or state courts around the country at any time would be able to turn to section 3 of the 14th amendment to disqualify a candidate as they please under the idea that somebody engaged in an insurrection writing, rejecting along history of precedent, a state's highest court concluded that individual litigants, state courts and state elections officials in each of the 50 states possess legal authority to enforce section 3 of the 14th amendment to remove presidential candidates. yasmin? >> joyce, big picture here, what does this mean for as we're looking at, i think the former president is still on the ballot in colorado as of now because of the stay. what are we looking at that actually happening going through in march i believe, and/or remaining on the ballot for the general election with this appeal process and awaiting the appeal from the former president as well? >> right, so it is all up to the

courts because the colorado supreme court stayed its decision after they made it. that's why trump is still on the ballot in colorado. the supreme court could perhaps move very quickly and decide the case, which would either establish for all time whether trump stayed on the ballot or was removed from it. or they could even lift the stay and permit colorado's decision to go into effect while they consider the appeal. i think that's unlikely and we'll see trump's name remain on the ballot during the primary. jay sekulow makes this very interesting argument that the party is entitled to put whatever candidate they would like on the ballot, whether or not they're ultimately qualified to assume office and that, of course, would leave open a separate question about whether candidates can be on the ballot in the general election. that's something that the court in michigan that rejected a challenge to trump being on the ballot left open. so i think the short answer is we are going to see a lot of

ongoing litigation, both in appellate courts and in the states in this regard. >> okay. so, with that, you brought up michigan, i'm glad you did. that decision coming down yesterday, deciding opposite of what the colorado supreme court decided. is it inevitable, more likely now, especially because of the decision by michigan, and these appeals that we're seeing in colorado, that this is going to end up in the supreme court? >> i think it is likely that it heads there. but the legal terrain is very messy because states have different laws, they have different procedures for removing a candidate from the ballot, and so as they follow their own law, they might reach different results. for instance, colorado has this provision that requires a candidate to establish their qualifications and that's not the law in michigan. lots of intricate legal issues for the supreme court to sort out, but ultimately it is not workable to have a patchwork quilt of fishy states with

different procedures and different rules about whether or not a candidate can be on the ballot. >> all right, joyce vance, thank you. vaughn hillyard, thank you as well. coming up next, the political pressure the biden administration is facing as a record number of migrants arrive at the u.s. border. you're watching msnbc. migrantse at the u.s. border you're watching msnbc. and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain! narrator: time is running out to give a year-end gift like no other, a gift that can help st. jude children's research hospital save lives. ava: it is my first time having cancer, and it's the very worst. woman: you just have to give.

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we are back, everybody, with new details about talks between the u.s. and mexico about how to deal with the humanitarian crisis of migrants. a u.s. senior administration official telling nbc news they have agreed to increase deportations from the u.s. that mexico will do more to crack down on smuggling and both countries agreed to do more to develop central america. the high stakes meeting coming as they're trying to strike a deal on immigration. i want to bring in former secretary of housing and urban development julian castro and

carlos curbelo, both msnbc political analysts. secretary, let me start with you on this one, if i can. and talk to you about these ongoing negotiations in washington that were happening pretty vigorously before the christmas holiday, they will likely resume come january. amidst that we have a couple of deadlines we have to hit in funding the government. when you think about the meetings that are happening at the border with the president of mexico, secretary of state went down there, along with secretary mayorkas, how much is that going to play into and play for the democrats specifically in these negotiations in washington. >> well, i think it is a very positive development for democrats and for the biden administration because the united states needs mexico's cooperation to be able to better handle migration at the southern border. that's the purpose of these

talks with president lopez obrador. the biden administration is hopeful they can get some conseg concessions out of mexico to help stem the flow and to relieve some of the pressure that the administration is feeling from republican politicians that are doing their usual boogie man act about immigration, but also from allies like big city democratic mayors who have gone to the administration and said, look, we need more resources to deal with the number of migrants that are in our cities. so it is a positive development, they're having these talks, hopefully they're going to get some constructive agreements out of it, and the balance is how do they do that, and also hold on to the values that we have with our asylum system and not turn it into something that steven miller and donald trump could be proud of.

>> how much do you think, congressman, as it is proving to be so far, that this will be part of election day. building the border wall, the system is broken and so on and so forth, the things he says repeatedly. how much is at stake here for president biden when it comes to immigration and a re-election? >> that's right, yasmin. i think we know what to expect of the former president. we have been hearing his toxic rhetoric for years now. the question is what do swing voters think about this issue and certainly when you look at the polling this is a weak spot for the biden administration. so it is important for president biden and his team to show progress on this issue. there are many causes that have resulted in the humanitarian crisis and the chaos that we have seen at the southwest border, and it is important to zoom out, which is why these

talks with mexico are important, but politically speaking, the biden administration needs to show that it is taing this seriously, needs to show it understands like many americans at this situation at the border is unsustainable. we can't have thousands and thousands of people coming across the border every day. immigration should be orderly, it should be predictable, and it should be based on our country's needs. so in is an important issue, yasmin, for president biden heading into his re-election and for those swing voters and swing states, he needs to show this situation is getting better, not worse. >> and couple that, secretary, with what we're hearing from local mayors around the country, in which many of these migrants are being bused to by florida governor ron desantis with texas governor greg abbott. i'm having the mayor of chicago on later on in the show. we heard from mayor eric adams as well from new york city, places in which they're being

inundated by the migrants. how much is that going to play into the re-election bid for president biden and the politics surrounding this issue? >> there is no doubt that that puts more pressure on the biden administration and the campaign, because it adds to this perception that there is chaos, and it is overwhelming the system. the thing is that president biden has pushed congress for more resources, for these communities, and also pushed to be able to process migrant asylum claims much more quickly so that they can have an answer and if they don't get asylum, then be on their way. but republicans won't do that. republicans have an interest in the issue of migration and immigration being a black eye for a democratic president because they want to be able to run on this. so, they're going to continue to try and get as much political capital out of the issue of immigration as they can. that's why i think it is so

important that the biden administration takes a sober view on this, and tries to do what it can, with mexico, to make sure that migration is managed effectively, and also holds on to its values with respect to our asylum system and does not try and mirror donald trump and steven miller and become so right wing on immigration in order to chase a mythical voter that i don't think president biden is going to get anyway. that's the political danger i see here. >> julian castro, thank you. and carlos curbelo, thank you as well. coming up next, today is expected to be one of the worst days to be on the road and one of the busiest days for air travel this holiday season. also heavy rains along the east coast could make your journey a real nightmare. what you need to know before you leave home or your destination. we'll be right back. leave home or your destination we'll be right back. so when minds grow, opportunities follow.

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welcome back. if you're traveling today, expect congested highways and crowded airports. it is expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year. plus there is heavy rains that could make it all worse. want to bring in nbc news correspondent marissa parra from a rest stop in pompano beach, florida. and michelle grossman. gray florida to say the least. what are you seeing?

>> reporter: people came here for sunny beaches. i expect they're not too happy right now. this weather is not helping anything. whether it is low clouds in other parts of the country or maybe some icy conditions or rain like what we're seeing right here, certainly not helping, whether it is on the roads or whether it is in the air. we know there is almost 600 delays according to flight aware. the misery map. we know that south florida, between fort lauderdale and miami is leading the delays. we're competing delays at other airports around the country. the number one form of holiday travel is always on the roads. 115 million people expected to take to the roads across the holidays. and so we also know according to aaa this is one of the worst days to travel. especially 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. if you're taking to the roads, leave before that if you can or after that, maybe bring an extra podcast, get some extra strong coffee. but when it comes to other forms

of travel, that's where we're seeing those records being broken and set. miami international airport for instance just saw a record this past weekend, yasmin. whether by the air or the roads, the number one piece of advice, it is a tried and true method here, pack your patience, because it is going to potentially be a long one where you're watching from. >> all right, so from there, michelle, to you. i took a run this morning before the show, up here in new york, pouring rain, drenched when i got back and i thought, man, this is not great for the holiday season, nor for the travelers marissa is seeing out there and in the air as well. what are the expectations for today and going forward? >> first, number one, i'm impressed you got out there. i see you out there no matter what the conditions are on your

instagram. we are look weather-wise, we're look rainy in florida as marissa showed us. it is breezy too. that's always tough for the roadways, tough in the airports, also in the northeast we have mainly cleared it out in the northeast and mid-atlantic, new england looking at heavy rain falling right now. it is going to stay time to get out of here. we'll see cold air filter in. we'll see snow in parts of northern maine and problem spots in the midwest. looking at snow that will fall in portions of iowa, illinois. this is on the back side of the system where we're pulling that cold air down from canada. and we could see that snow as far south as tennessee as we go throughout the night tonight. on the west coast, it is dreary too. looking all along the coast from washington, northern california, looking at some coastal showers. we're watching that very, very closely. this is what radar looks like right now. telling the story of what we're seeing at this exact moment. the west, seeing some green showing up on the coast there. as expected from the pacific northwest down to portions of

california. we had a series of fronts that moved on, we're going to see that once again today, getting a break, but we'll see more as we go throughout the afternoon. we'll watch florida very closely with the heavy rain falling and pockets of heavy rain throughout portions of new england. back to you. >> all right, michelle grossman, thank you. marissa parra, thank you as well. new video of the devastating wildfires that tore through the historic community of lahaina in august. what an nbc news documentary found about the human failures that led to the deadly disaster. s that led to the deadly disaster. ) we must tighten our belts! (mom) a better plan to save is verizon! (vo) that's right! plans start at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years. only on verizon. chip gaines: the best presents are the ones that keep giving. joanna gaines: like supporting st. jude children's research hospital.

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welcome back. it has been more than four months since the deadly wildfires that decimated maui and we are now getting a new look inside what residents faced when they tried to escape the flames. here is part of a new nbc documentary that goes through the events that created the deadliest fire in american history. nbc's tom llamas has more. >> reporter: it is the escape from the maui wildfires as we have never seen before. this is what lahaina resident diego rivera saw as he drove through an inferno, with no power or cell service, he had no idea what the situation was. and the smoke, flames and horror lying on the street you see here -- >> somebody's down right here. >> reporter: -- were just the beginning. >> adrenaline kicks in and then i see the crew i'm going to meet

up with and the look on their face is something i will never forget. >> reporter: the new film "in the ashes" re-examines the people and the events that led up to the wildfire that killed at least 100 people and destroyed an american community. >> everybody needs to evacuate! >> reporter: police did try to evacuate residents. >> evacuate! >> reporter: but an apparent breakdown in official communication left many with no warning and almost no way out. >> there was no guidance. we had to make the decision on our own when it was time to go. >> reporter: besides the government response, hawaiian electric, the company powering lahaina, is facing accusations their power lines sparked the blaze. >> i strong believe that hawaiian electric should have a power shutoff program. that would have been appropriate given the winds being over 70 miles an hour, red flag warnings. >> reporter: until last october,

jennifer potter ran the regulatory body that oversees hawaiian electric. did hawaiian electric know their system was vulnerable during these high winds? >> if they try and state that they didn't, that would be sort of an insult. some of those poles are over 40, 50 years old and a lot of them are compromised. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, hawaiian electric says the cause of the lahaina afternoon fire remains undetermined and that while miss potter served on the commission, she did not raise concerns about the utility's procedures for responding to red flag wind warnings and didn't mention the idea of proactively turning off the power. the state's attorney general is investigating the fires and the government's response. the survivors still stuck in limbo with no real answers, are searching for a way forward. >> sleep doesn't come easy anymore. the ptsd is real. it's going to be tough for a while.

we got to make it. we have to do it for the people that didn't. >> thanks to tom for that. you can watch it right now on nbcnews.com. chicago's mayor asking for help with the migrants from the southern border. we will ask him what he needs most. order. we will ask him what he needs most the most worthwhile pl ace to put your money when it comes to childhood cancer. subject 2: if it weren't for st. jude, i wouldn't be sitting here today. subject 3: if it weren't for st. jude, a lot of kids wouldn't be with their families every day. interviewer: let's come together to help the children of st. jude fight childhood cancer. visit this website, call this number, or scan the qr code with your $19 monthly donation. join with your debit or credit card right now and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt you can proudly wear to show your support.

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welcome back. there are new restrictions from new york city mayor eric adams as he tries to contain the arrival of thousands of migrants. he is requiring bus companies to give 32 hours advance notice for arrival of migrants from texas. it's a move that chicago has implemented as nearly 15,000 asylum seekers are in shelters in the windy city. yesterday, mayors from new york, chicago and denver held a press conference calling for more aid from the federal government.

i want to bring in the mayor of chicago, brandon johnson, to talk about that. thanks for joining us. walk us through what's happening in your city, the situation. >> thank you for having me. what we are experiencing right now in the city of chicago and frankly the entire country is experiencing, is that you have a very reckless and unruly governor from the state of texas that's literally bussing thousands of families throughout the entire country. since i've been in office, we have had hundreds of buses that have arrived in chicago without any real cooperation or coordination from the state of texas. as a result of that, almost 30,000 migrants seeking asylum have arrived in chicago. since that time, i have stood up 27 shelters, housing 15,000 migrants, all over the city of chicago, educating right now roughly 4,500 children in our chicago public school system,

providing health care services, but also providing mental health care-related services and creating a pathway to sustainability. i'm grateful that we have had a tremendous amount of support from our communities. right now, we have an international global crisis that is being subsidized by local governments. it's not designed to respond to this type of crisis. that's why other mayors across the states are calling on the federal government to provide the type of support as well as infrastructure needed to deal with this crisis. >> mayor, the numbers that are bein housed versus the numbers that have arrived are not lining up. where ere they seeking shelter if they are not able to seek shelter in the housing structure that you have provided? >> yeah, very good question. so far, we have been able to resettle some families.

some arrive here in chicago and they decide to move on because they have relatives or other forms of comfort that's providing them with the support that they need. however, again, we have a governor in texas that's literally dropping people off in the city of chicago, and now in the surrounding communities. some neighborhoods or communities or villages that are well over an hour outside of the city of chicago, the bus drivers are telling them they are in chicago, dropping them off in the middle of nowhere, and leaving these families left on their own. this is unconscionable and frankly, it's dangerous and reckless. now he has gone to the point where he is sending planes, using federal dollars to traffic humans across this country. i don't know if he's violating federal laws or any aviation laws. i think the larger point is that in the city of chicago, we roughly have about 30,000

refugees from ukraine. most folks don't know they are here. the difference is, the federal government provided them with support to provide them with a pathway to embrace and to move within our local economy. why are -- why did we give that support to one set of asylum seekers or refugees and not to another? the situation that we are in right now without real receiver federal support and intervention from our congress, this is something that will ultimately harm local economies. we have reached a breaking point across this country. we need real serious intervention from the federal government now. >> you want serious intervention. have you had communication with the biden administration? >> i have. all of the mayors that i have spoken with have had multiple

conversations with the biden administration. we are grateful for the technical support. we appreciate that. we appreciate the work authorization, expediting work authorization. again, the federal support that came with refugees from ukraine, the question is, why are we not providing that same type of support for migrants to deal with this international crisis? >> got it. it's an important question. mayor johnson, thank you for joining us. that does it for me. alex witt picks things up right now. a very good day to all of you. i'm alex witt in for andrea mitchell live here at msnbc world headquarters in new york city. overseas, israel now mourning the death of an american citizen who was taken hostage by hamas. the 70-year-old, mother of four and grandmother of seven, apparently died on october 7th, although that wasn't made public until just a few hours ago. word of her