let's power on! power on with the leader in connectivity. powering possibilities. comcast business. power's out. ♪♪ ♪♪ good morning. it is 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. we begin this busy hour with a

clear message from president-elect donald trump about his vision for the future of the justice department. after tapping staunch ally florida congressman matt gaetz to lead the nation's top law enforcement agency, in conversations with nbc news current and former doj officials called gaetz's appointment, quote, insane and unbelievable. another slamming gaetz as, quote, the least qualified person ever nominated for a position in the department of justice after gaetz was a subject of a federal probe for alleged sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. prosecutors closed that case without charges. gaetz has consistently denied the allegation. gaetz said yesterday it will be an honor to serve as trump's attorney general. here is what he said just last year about being attorney general. >> it may be an attorney general matt gaetz down the road or someone of my liking who will be there to actually enforce the law and provide the

accountability. >> i like that. i like that. attorney general matt gaetz. are you kidding me? >> the world is not ready probably, certainly senate confirmation wouldn't be. >> we are getting there. >> a boy can dream. >> joining us now nbc's dasha burns and ryan nobles with us. former federal prosecutor and senior writer at politico and peter baker, chief white house correspondent at "the new york times." dash a, what's the message trump is sending with these choices? >> jose, the message sounds certainly like it's my washington, it's a new washington, and the rule book is out the window. look, matt gaetz is someone who has consistently criticized the very people that he will be working with as attorney general, the very agencies that will now be a part of his day to day. this is someone who has talked with disdain about the three letter agencies, the doj, the

fbi, the atf, the cia. has talked about bringing them, quote, to heel, or just dismantling them all together. the argument that the former president, now president-elect, has been making for years now about a weaponized justice system, matt gaetz has consistently given that argument. he has consistently amplified that argument. he has defended president-elect trump in the wake of january 6th, continued to spread lies about the 2020 election, and now he is someone who is interested in, by his own words, completely remaking and/or potentially dismantling the justice department. and this is a decision that is delighting people like steve bannon, who sort of talked with glee how gaetz would be a blowtorch to the justice department and is concerning career civil servants and even some in the republican party.

>> yeah, ryan, gaetz is a controversial figure within his own party. what are some of them saying? >> i think it's safe to say, jose, there is a degree of skepticism about this appointment even from republicans, including the senate republicans that will be tasked with confirming this pick for donald trump. it really comes at an interesting time. you see senate republicans in particular with a commitment to helping donald trump enact his agenda and displaying a degree of loyalty to him that we have really never seen. the senate in many respects has been filled with more instushlg and mainstream republicans that served as a check or guard rhame to donald trump, particularly in his first administration and eastbound while he was out of office. they were singing a different tune after election. now here they areare confronted with their first real test of loyal toty to donald trump. here is the math, jose. they could end up with 53

members, republican members in the senate. that would mean four republicans would have to break with the white house because j.d. vance would be able to break any ties as vice president. so we're counting the math. are there four republicans who would vote no on a matt gaetz confirmation. there haven't been four that publicly emerged saying they won't, but there is certainly enough of them asking questions about whether or not this is the appropriate pick for such an important position that you certainly have to believe it's an open question. >> and so, ryan, back to the house part, now that gaetz has resigned, what's next for the ethics committee investigation into him? >> well, jose, i believe that this ethics report that the ethics committee has been working on looking into these allegations around matt gaetz could the difference between whether or not he is able to win confirmation or not. and the question is, will it ever see the light of day? gaetz has put himself in a position, he resigned his

position in the house of representatives. that could hamstring the ethics committee from releasing the report. they are going to meet either today or tomorrow to discuss what option options they have. the smith may request the report as part of their confirmation process. we are hearing republican and democratic senators saying they want all the information, and that includes whatever is in the report. listen to what dick durbin, who sits on the judiciary committee, had to say. >> the timing of his resignation and flight with president-elect donald trump suggests he believes that this report is not friendly and favorable. so i want read the report and find out what the investigation behind it brought out. >> and this reminds me a lot of how saga played without a george santos, if you remember, jose, obviously, there were many calls for george santos to step down, but there wasn't that real groundswell of support to formally expel him from the house until the ethics committee released their damning report on

santos. so it is an open question right now whether any of us will see that ethics report and what role it could play in whether or not matt gaetz becomes the next attorney general. >> peter, i'm wondering, you have written books about trump. what do you think he is thinking behind this justice department choice, and his vision for the future? >> well, i think what we said all along so far is right. anybody had any question as to whether or not he would follow through on some of the talk he made on the campaign trail, going after adversaries, attacking the deep state of trying to upend the system, he answered those questions very resoundingly with this pick. i think he is also testing the senate, the senate republicans. you say you are loyal to me. i will send you somebody that will test just how loyal you really are. and you are already hearing, as we just heard, a number of senate republicans are quite upset about this, distraught about this. they don't want to be on the bad side of the winner of their own

party, presidential election, but on the other hand, you know, if you put him in a secret ballot my guess is very few senate republicans would say that matt gaetz is their choice for attorney general. so are they going to go along with him or exercise independent judgment as a co-equal branch of government? this is a big moment of what the new dynamic in washington is going to be. is it a one-person, you know, government, or are there checks and balances. >> interesting. the president-elect and a lot of his supporters talked for the longest time now about "lawfare," the politicization of the department of justice. what are you hearing from inside that justice department about gaetz as attorney general? >> look, people are apoplectic. this is the same thing that plenty of other peopler hearing. matt gaetz is unfit to serve in this position. he is not remotely qualified and

utterly has the temperament for a position of this responsibility. any senate republican who votes to confirm him will own whatever debacles that unfold. particularly the people who have been at doj quite some time, ben through some of these transitions, they understand there is political turnover. this is probably a bridge too far even for those people. i think the younger prosecutors, people who have been there relatively less time who are to sort of the line attorneys, the attorney general really doesn't affect much of the federal law enforcement's work from day to day at the prosecutor level. but in the highest profile matters, course, like potentially pursuing trump's political adversaries or delivering with the solicitor general, civil rights, on and on, all these things under the jurisdiction of the justice department. the attorney general can exert tremendous influence both on

policy and in personnel. he could fundamentally, i think, change the culture of the department, too. we saw this a little bit under the trump administration sort of of a coarsening of the justice department culture. i wore worry there could be irreparable long-term damage. >> peter you point out, quote, what mr. trump does not do through the justice department, his republican allies in congress may do it on his behalf. what do you mean by it this? >> well, if he goes after his adversaries in multiple different ways, he will keep them off balance. the republican allies like jim jordan, barry loudermilk, who sent a letter to jack smith, the special counsel who has been investigating president-elect donald trump, telling him to preserve his documents, they are saying we will investigate you basically once trump is back and we have a republican house to use with subpoena power. they are going to use that subpoena power, especially specifically in the house probably more than the senate

to, you know, try to unearth documents and details and testimony and put trump's adversaries on the defensive and to portray them as corrupt and to, in effect, payback for what they see happened to president-elect trump during the last four years when they complained about democrats and the justice department and various prosecutors coming after him. >> bringing it back to what you just mentioned about what is qualifications and what are not qualifications for that most important position, there is always a political turnover every time a new administration comes in in a doj, you know. they ask for -- you know, senate confirmed in ebbs confirmed members resign. how do you see the difference? >> gaetz has little experience

working as a lawyer. none as prosecutor. i don't view those as dispositive. i think the job of attorney general, the right way for senators to be looking at this not so much about what is on his resume and which boxes to check but to assess his demeanor and political outlook and the way he has been speaking about the agencies he wants to lead, defunding the fbi and atf and things like that. these are unheard of positions for someone leading the department to actually take. it will depress morale in the department understandably. i don't know we would necessarily see a mass exodus or anything like that. i wouldn't really anticipate that h who knows? i think we would see departures. this is really just in terms of his experience and background, i don't think we have ever seen anyone as unqualified for this position being nominated. >> dash a, ryan, peter, thank you all so much. next, reaction to the gaetz pick from someone who worked on

legislation with gaetz in the past. congressman ro khanna will with us. and republicans clinching the house, the gop have full control of congress. what could that mean going forward? and rumors over health of two astronauts stuck in space much longer than anticipated. now the astronauts are speaking out. we're back in 90 seconds. you are watching jose diaz-balart on msnbc. y floors... but who has the time to clean? that's why i love my swiffer wetjet. it's a quick and easy way to get my floors clean. wetjet absorbs and locks grime deep inside. look at that! swiffer wetjet. a bend with a bump in your erection might be painful, embarassing, difficult to talk about,

and could be peyronie's disease or pd, a real medical condition that urologists can diagnose and have been treating for more than 8 years with xiaflex®, the only fda-approved nonsurgical treatment for appropriate men with pd. along with daily gentle penile stretching and straightening exercises, xiaflex has been proven to help gradually reduce the bend. don't receive if the treatment area involves your urethra; or if you're allergic to any of the ingredients. may cause serious side effects, including: penile fracture or other serious injury during an erection and severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. seek help if you have any of these symptoms. do not have any sexual activity during and for at least 4 weeks after each treatment cycle. sudden back pain reactions and fainting can happen after treatment. tell your doctor if you have a bleeding condition or take blood thinners as risk of bleeding or bruising at the treatment site is increased. join the tens of thousands of men who've been prescribed xiaflex. make an appointment with a xiaflex-trained urologist. visit bentcarrot.com to find one today.

president-elect trump's choice of florida congressman matt gaetz to be his attorney general is raising quite a few eyebrows on capitol hill, including among senators who will be voting on his confirmation. >> i don't think it's a serious nomination for the attorney general. we need to have a serious attorney general. >> this one was not on my bingo card, i like matt a lot. i know him well. i am confident that if the senate confirms him he would do a good job. >> this feels like a red alert moment for democracy. >> i would describe it as god tier level trolling to just trigger a full-on china syndrome to own the libs in perpetuity. i mean, obviously, it's not serious. >> with us now to talk about this and more, california democratic congressman. it's a pleasure to see you.

thank you for your time. you worked with gaetz over the years. what do you make of this selection? >> where i worked with him have been on issues of war powersers. to the extend in any role, he has the president's ear to say do not have military strikes overseas before coming to congress, that's a good thing. we worked together to make sure john bolton didn't talk donald trump into going into war in iran. we worked together on trying to stop the saudi refueling and war in yemen. in terms of this role, he has to answer questions and have a hearing. is he going to ensure there won't be the politicization of the justice department? does he stand for legalization of marijuana and is that a policy that he would advocate? does he stand for criminal justice reform? what is he going to do to make sure that there is not military intervention overseas without congressional authorization. i think those are the questions that should come up in a hearing.

>> you know, congressman gaetz has been under an investigation by the house ethics committee. as a matter of fact, senator cornyn a couple of minutes ago said that 'would want to see that investigation's report as a process of, you know, going forward with either accepting or not accepting gaetz in his role. but with gaetz resigning, that investigation essentially goes away. do you think that investigators should release that report? >> i do. i think everything should be transparent. that's our democracy, and, you know, matt gaetz is certainly capable of defending himself. but i don't see why he would be opposed to transparency. that's sort of been part of our -- the whole ethos of new members of congress, we want transparency. >> you also sit on the armed services committee. what do you make of president-elect trump's choice of pete hegseth to be the next defense secretary?

>> again, i don't know him. i have seen him on fox news. i never seen him testify in front of the committee. presidents' picks are entitled to going through hearings and having to make the case. what i want to know from him is, is he committed to making sure women can serve with equality in the military armed forces. there have been certain comments about his role about the contributions of minorities in the armed services. where does he stand on that? what is he going to do to modernize our military so we have the best fighting force in the 21st century? and i think that with all of these picks, they are going to have to make the case in front of the senate and convince the senate that they really are up to the job. >> you know, president-elect trump has also picked former hawaii democratic congressman and military vet tulsi gabbard to be the director of national intelligence. when congress she secretly met

with dictator bashar al assad, also blamed the u.s. and nato for russia's invasion of ukraine. what do you think of that choice? >> again, look, i was in college with tulsi gabbard, i criticized her for the meeting with assad. i think she is going to have to explain that, why did she do that. i think she has to explain the concerns about the relationship with putin. most importantly, what is her position going forward when it comes to ukraine? what is her position going forward into making sure that putin doesn't get ukrainian territory. i believe that the president's picks are entitled to hearings and to making the case. then the senators have to look at the facts and all of the evidence and make their decisions. >> congressman, on a needle zero to ten, ten being just absolute warning of apocalypse, where do you stand on these picks in general?

>> look, i would be surprised if all of them go through. that never happens with any president. i am more interested in what positions they are going to take. but picks are concerning. the ones that are most concerning to me, some are thomas homan and stephen miller talking about having raids at employers and workplaces where you could just show up to work and have people asking for your papers and your documents. and if we're really going to have mass raids across businesses in this country, that is a scary thought. >> i always appreciate your time. thank you for sharing some of it with us this morning. appreciate it. next, house speaker mike johnson is on track to keep his title next year, but there is dissent in his ranks. what could be ahead? and later, grim new report from human rights watch accusing israel of war crimes.

you're watching jose diaz-balart on msnbc. ching jose diaz-balart on msnbc woah, limu! we're in a parade. everyone customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. customize and sa— (balloon doug pops & deflates) and then i wake up. and you have this dream every night? yeah, every night! hmm... i see. (limu squawks) only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ i'm amy grant, and i want to talk to you from my heart about the heart. i would have been the last person on the list to say this woman has a problem with her heart. so, no, there was nothing about my life that said, you have a ticking time bomb in your chest. but i did. i wound up in the office of a cardiologist because i was there with my husband, and at the tail end of that, the cardiologist looked at me and said, i want to see you.

no one was more surprised than i was to learn i was living with a rare heart condition. he said, amy, this condition, you'll be fine, fine, fine, and then catastrophic. a few months later, i had open heart surgery that saved my life. and i owe it to the research and lifesaving medical breakthroughs developed by the american heart association®. that's why i'm asking you to join me and become a monthly donor to the american heart association®. please call now or go to helpheart.org for only $19 a month, just $0.63 a day. you can help fund the next medical breakthrough. get the next person trained in cpr and get the next hospital certified in high quality cardiovascular care. if this could happen to me, it could happen to anybody. heart disease is america's number one killer. but your support can save your life or the life of someone you love. give $19 a month with your credit card, and we'll send you the special t-shirt

you can wear to show you're part of a community of monthly donors working to help save more lives like mine. i'm grateful for the american heart association®. their research gave me more time to do the things i love with the people i love. so listen to your heart. i'm here today because i did. call the number on your screen or go to help helpheart.org now to become a monthly donor. give this holiday season and your first months gift will be matched. thank you. ♪♪ ♪

let's go boys. the way that i approach work, post fatherhood, has really been trying to understand the generation that we're building devices for. here in the comcast family, we're building an integrated in-home wifi solution for millions of families, like my own. connectivity is a big part of my boys' lives. it brings people together in meaningful ways. ♪ ♪

all aboard! come with me to meet the wizard. why couldn't possibly. this is your moment. i'm coming. if you think that's something to see, wait til you see this. ♪ ♪ you're good. -very good. 24 past the hour. nbc news is projecting republicans will keep control of the house. this means the gop will control the white house and both chambers of congress in january. this comes as senate republicans selected south dakota senator john thune to be the leader succeeding mitch mcconnell.

julie joins us from capitol hill. good morning. what does john thune's selection mean for senate republicans? >> good morning. well, it means at the start of this that john thune, who is a current member of mcconnell's leadership team, will actually know how the floor works, how the process works. they can feel confident they are in capable hands, with somebody like thune who got 29 votes yesterday. this is also somebody that has been working really hard to get in trump's good graces, working really hard to goat on his good side, who has gone to mar-a-lago, who spoke to him several times on the phone. this is something who vowed to put in place every single piece of trump's agenda even fast-rolling those recess appointments potentially that trump wanted, any majority leader candidate to do. he said he prefers regular order. before you ask, we have not seen him to get his reaction on matt gaetz and tulsi gabbard. >> and so meanwhile,

president-elect trump has picked three house republicans to serve in his upcoming administration. that temporarily creates three vacant that will need to be filled through special elections which takes time. what are the repercussions of that? >> reporter: the repercussions are republicans are going to have a tight narrow majority and that they might not be able to get all of those pieces of legislation, this mandate that trump and ps republicans keep saying they have across the finish line. they will end up with maybe 53 seats in the senate. that's a nice cushion in the upper chaim berp. in the house the charges are at 218. that is the threshold to clinch the majority. a lot of seats uncalled. maybe they could add to the number. it's why you hear from speaker mike johnson, from steve scalise, his number two, saying, wait a minute, please, mr. president-elect, stop taking people from our ranks. it's not just matt gaetz. he is the latest of three. we had elise stefanik named as

ambassador to the u.n., mike waltz to the nsa. trump making these appointments in rapid-fire fashion. it's not likely he will listen to anybody on the hill and do what he wants. a stark warning from republicans who want to get his agenda through. >> thank you. up next, trump wants matt gaetz as the next attorney general. why steve bannon says trump is, quote, going to hit the justice department with a blowtorch. plus, we will check back in with one of the -- the father of one of the american israeli hostages who just met yesterday with president biden. the president told him about efforts to rescue those still missing. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. t of dinner with ben and kate it's them... hi, oh you have to cancel! downy ultra soft is not only luxuriously soft and fresh, it breathes life into your laundry. hi, my name is damian clark. if you have both medicare and medicaid, i have some really

encouraging news that you'll definitely want to hear. depending on the plans available in your area, you may be eligible to get extra benefits with a humana medicare advantage dual-eligible special needs plan. most plans include the humana healthy options allowance. a monthly allowance to help pay for eligible groceries, utilities, rent, and over-the-counter items. the healthy options allowance is loaded onto a prepaid card each month. and whatever you don't spend, carries over from each month. plus, your doctor, hospital and pharmacy may already be part of our large humana networks. so, call the number on your screen now, and ask about a humana medicare advantage dual-eligible special needs plan. and remember, annual enrollment ends on december 7th. humana. a more human way to healthcare.

you founded your kayak company because you love the ocean. not spreadsheets... you need to hire.

i need indeed. indeed you do. our matching platform lets you spend less time searching and more time connecting with candidates. visit indeed.com/hire my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. ♪ i've got places to go and i'm feeling free. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me.♪ and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and with skyrizi, many were in remission at 12 weeks, at 1 year, and even at 2 years. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu-like symptoms or vaccines. liver problems leading to hospitalization may occur when treated for crohn's. now's the time to take control of your crohn's.

♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ask your doctor about skyrizi, the #1 prescribed biologic in crohn's disease.

32 past the hour. today president-elect trump's latest cabinet picks are sending shockwaves through much of washington. in the past 24 hours, trump tapped matt gaetz for attorney general, tulsi gabbard as the director of national intelligence. former trump white house strategist steve bannon told nbc news, quote, president trump is going to hit the justice department with a blowtorch and matt gaetz is that torch. join us now symone sanders- sanders-townsend. she previously served as chief spokesperson for vice president harris. always thrilling to see you. also with us former republican congressman charlie dent. charlie, in the wake of trump tapping him for a.g., gaetz

resigned from congress. punchbowl reports, quote, gaetz's sudden resignation comes two to days before the house ethics committee was set to vote on releasing what was described as a highly damaging report about the fourth term lawmaker. you served as the chair of the ethics committee. what's your reaction to all of this. >> yeah, my reaction is pretty simple, that gaetz resigned hoping that the committee would not release that report. ordinarily what happens, jose, is that when a member of congress resigns, the ethics committee loses all jurisdiction over the investigation. but in this case it sounds like the investigation was, in fact, completed, and so they had the report ready to go. they were going to vote to adopt the report, which i am sure was damaging, likely to announce some type of of a sanction, a reprimand, a censure, possibly expulsion. then they would vote to release the report to the public. the question is, since the

investigation is probably complete, will the committee actually release the report? i believe there is precedent that this has been done in the past. they could release the report of a member who is now resigned. that happened in the case of senator johnensen, i believe, several years ago. and so i'm curious to see what the committee will do, how they will react. i suspect they will still have their scheduled meeting tomorrow. >> and, charlie, how does that committee meeting or that report commission work as far as, for us to understand it, what work has already been done in this case? how does it work? >> well, the committee, it meets quietly, secretly. they don't do things publicly. so there was an investigative subcommittee set up on matt gaetz. they investigated, obviously, they do very thorough professional investigations. they have done their work, apparently. again, they are not saying this publicly. and they completed it. and they are going to issue this report. by the way, the ethics committee

did something extraordinary in this matter. several months ago, you may remember the committee released a statement about an ongoing investigation of matt gaetz stating specifically what they were investigating and not investigating. they never do that. ever. but matt gaetz had been speaking publicly about the committee. i think the committee decided to set the record straight. so the committee ordinarily doesn't issue press statements, but they will issue a public report. that's the big question right now, will they release the report now that matt gaetz has resigned because it sounds like that investigation was completed before he announce his resignation yesterday. >> and so, senator john fetterman referred to trump tapping gaetz, god, god tier level trolling. how do you see this? >> i think the senators should get onboard with the new world washington, d.c., order. i think they love to believe

this is just trolling. there are a lot of theories out there floating around that matt gaetz isn't donald trump's real pick, he has another pick and this is just to gather everyone's attention. why would we believe that? donald trump has been very clear. he wants retribution. he said, i will be the retribution for the people. that's what he said repeatedly on the campaign trail. he talked about the deep state. he talked about the weaponization of government throughout his time on the campaign trail. so now the president-elect is making good on his promises just like with the announcement of thomas homan as the, quote, unquote, border czar. he is making good on his promises here with matt gaetz. and so i think what senator fetterman and others have said, other senators, democratic senators and even folks like murkowski, lisa murkowski, who said this is unbelievable, not serious, it's very serious. it's happening. and i know nbc news

independently hasn't confirmed this, robert costa and other reporters are tweeting and i have talked to a number of people on the hill, frankly, who say that a president gets their picks and that they actually expect the process to go forward. now, the question on the table is, if senators play ball with donald trump as it relates to recess appointments. so people understand, a recess appointment means that in ten days while the senate is out that the president of the united states can say, can unilaterally appoint someone to a position. senator thune, who is now head of the senate republicans, said he wants to go through the process that's always been there. lindsey graham said that. they are not saying they are not going along with recess appointments. a recess appointment is not a final right. the senate has to come back and confirm that person. but if they don't confirm him, they will just be acting.

there are many acting leaders of departments in the trump administration. there is acting leaders of the department to the biden administration now. julie has been the acting secretary of labor. so i know people love to believe this is like high level 3d chess game. this is what donald trump wants. i am going to hold america's hand when i say, get ready, folks, okay? i don't think there is any high-level trolling, any games going on here. this is the new washington, d.c., world order and i am wondering how democrats and republicans are going to react to it. >> and, charlie, i know you served in congress at the same time tulsi gabbard did, who was a democrat at the time. what do you think of her being picked to oversee our national security apparatus? >> i know tulsi. we were friendly when we were members. i am actually surprised by this announcement. in fact, it was just as i was completing my time as chairman of the ethics committee in january of 2017 she had called me about wanting to go to syria.

and she needed my approval to go, because i had been the chairman of the ethics committee, except my term as committee chairman ended the day before. i said i am not in a position any longer to approve or disapprove of this travel to syria. i think she was going to meet with assad. i said to her as your friend, i am not so sure there this is a good idea. so i was surprised. she has ties with the syrians that many have questioned and she also said things favorable to the russians. so i am surprised that this nomination was made for this position. if they wanted to use tulsi gabbard, i thought they might put her somewhere else. i am mystified by this nomination. >> i want to is ask you, on the -- >> on the gaetz matter, that report, now that he has been nominated as -- to be attorney general, i am sure the senate is going to demand that the house provide that report to them as

part of their inquiry into his nomination. they are going to want to see all this information. so the senate is going to put pressure on the house in the gaetz matter. >> back to the issue of tulsi gabbard, when she talked to you about this upcoming trip to syria, you know, there are members of congress that go on that sometimes could be seen as controversial. we have forever going to cuba to meet with dictatorship there. we have them going all kinds of places. but this specific request and issue of going to see the syrian dictator, what -- how is that different? >> yeah, well, just remember you just used the term codel. those are taxpayer funded congressional travel. with tulsi gabbard, many members do, there is nothing wrong with this, they are allowed to do privately sponsored travel. in order to go to a country paid

for by non-governmental sources, that must be approved by the ethics committee. and that's why she came to me. that's completely legitimate. by the way, my day job i run the congressional program and we sponsor congressional travel. it's legitimate. so the point i'm trying to make, that's why she needed approval to do a taxpayer funded trip overseas, you know, goes through the congress, the committees sponsoring the trip and the speaker of the house has to sign off on them. >> thank you both so much. appreciate it. families of americans being held hostage by hamas met once again with president biden. check back in. what he wants to see in the future. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. d. you can compare medicare plans side by side for free. so we invited people to give ehealth a try and discover

how easy it can be to find your medicare match. this is pretty amazing. i can go on a vacation with this money. i have quite a few prescriptions. that's why people call us. we're going to compare plans, and i'm gonna try to get you as much bang for your buck as possible. that's great. this one here covers all your prescriptions, your doctors as well. oh, wonderful. i have a hard time with this. that's okay, that's what i'm here for. based on our conversation today, i would highly recommend this plan. you're so helpful. you know, you don't know. i'm excited for you, sir. again, my name is sham. and if you have any other questions, give me a ring. thank you very much. oh, my god, that was super easy. uhhh! see how your medicare plan stacks up with the big changes for 2025. just call this number or get started at ehealth.com. compare plans that cover your doctor's prescriptions, pharmacy and budget, and compare plans from the nation's top insurance companies. they pay us to help you. how much do you think you'll be able to save using ehealth? at least $300 a month. would you say you found your medicare match?

yes i did. what sham did she explain to me exactly what i needed to know? well, i have a surprise for you. sham, come on out. oh my goodness. it's a pleasure to meet you today, sir. what does it feel like to be face to face? you helped me out quite a bit. call to meet your advisor. they're paid the same. no matter which medicare advantage plan you choose. ask them about ehealth, live advice or get started on your own at ehealth.com. either way, it's always a free service. see if you could get more for less with ehealth, like these folks did. the savings are unbelievable. i could see the costs side by side. ehealth is wonderful. $1,200 savings in my pocket. i was really pleasantly surprised with that. (♪♪) (♪♪) ehealth. your medicare matchmaker. some days, you can feel like a spectator in your own life with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more. botox® prevents headaches in adults

with chronic migraine before they start. and treatment is 4 times a year. in a survey, 91% of users wish they'd started sooner. so why wait? talk to your doctor. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. chronic migraine may still keep you from being there. why wait? talk to your doctor about botox®. and get in the picture. learn how abbvie can help you save. . 45 past the hour. in washington, the family

members of american hostages held by hamas met with lawmakers and president biden yesterday. joining us now, father of idf soldier, dual u.s. citizen, one of the seven u.s. hostages still being held by hamas. you attended those meetings yesterday in washington. so grateful for your time. what were the meetings like for you yesterday? >> you know, jose, i think the first time we speck was after 50 days. then 100, 200, and now it's 405. and i think that was kind of like the feeling in oval office that the president was gracious enough to meet us again for the fourth time in the last year. he, himself, said it's okay for you guys to be mad at me because we have a mission to achieve to get the u.s. citizens out. that did not happen.

he had previously in the day, his meeting with the president-elect, and i am positive that they could have talked about hundreds of different items. it was important for president biden to share with us that they talked about the hostages with president-elect trump, urging him to get into the topic as soon as possible. and his team as well, and to work with their counterparts that are in the current administration, and find a way to end this tragedy for the seven u.s. citizens as well as the 101 hostages that are being held today by hamas. and we anticipate or hope that our request to meet the new administration officials will happen soon, and we will be able to find ways to continue to find

way to get a deal because we cannot, we must not wait until january 20th to restart this dialogue. >> yeah. ruby, 405 days. i know that for you and for so many others, it's not 405 days. it's infinite number of minutes, and even greater infinite number of seconds. how do you keep going forward, ruby? >> it's difficult. like you see a functional human being in front of you and say, well, had guy can keep on going for to while. i would like to share a family tragedy. my father-in-law, acclaimed jet fighter in the idf, led a quartet in the 1967 war, 1973 war. he celebrated his 80th birthday

in december, and he passed away two weeks ago. and he died of sorrow, jose. like, people are not surviving. and we, as a family, we, you know, find very difficult to continue onwards. and i think president biden, he has that equity, that emotional equity that he is connected to us and his team, and we hope to believe president-elect trump will feel the same about this and understand. it's impossible to-fathom the numbers that we have today. you go back to the iran hostage crisis. that was 444 days. we are coming up to that number. and we just need a way to work bipartisan and show that the united states is united and wanting to end this and putting pressure on all the players, including israel, to find way to get a deal and let this tragedy end.

>> ruby, please transmit our sadness and our sorrow to your family. and i stay, i will stay with ruby these words of -- that he, your father-in-law, died of sorrow. how many tears have been shed? how much sorrow has been exerted? thank you, ruby, for being here. >> i would like to add another sentence. if you recall, last time we talked about the freshry department. we have been continuing on that path. the international financial network is still intact. and hamas as well as other terrorist organizations get money from those entities, from that network, and that must be stopped. and i would plead you and the other networks to consider to

continue to ask that question. international network, how do we kill it, neutralize it, stop these killings from happening. at the end, money is required. we need to cut off the monies coming up. >> thank you very much for being with us. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. >> we'll be right back with the money i saved i thought i'd get a wax figure of myself. cool right? look at this craftmanship. i mean they even got my nostrils right. it's just nice to know that years after i'm gone this guy will be standing the test of ti... he's melting! oh jeez... nooo... oh gaa... only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ incoming dishes. —ahhh! —duck! dawn powerwash flies through 99% of grease and grime in half the time. yeah, it absorbs grease five times faster. even replaces multiple cleaning products. ooh, those suds got game.

dawn powerwash. the better grease getter.

your record label is taking off. but so is your sound engineer. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. our advanced matching helps find talented candidates, so you can connect with them fast. visit indeed.com/hire drop everything and get some magic of your own during the xfinity black friday sale. xfinity internet customers, our best deals of the year are back! switch to xfinity mobile and get your choice of a free 5g phone, plus your next unlimited line free for a year. get amazing savings and connect to wifi speeds up to a gig on the go with xfinity mobile. fly don't walk to get our best deals of the year. connect to the world of wicked this holiday,

only in theaters november 22nd. nasa is trying to shut down

rumors about the health of the astronauts currently stuck on the international space station. nbc news correspondent emilie ikeda is following the story. good morning. what is going on up there? >> well, jose, i think a lot of people want to know because ever since we learned the astronauts were stranded in space, their trip-much longer than anticipated going from roughly a tweak to a matter of months, everyone's really been invested in their well being. now we hear from the international space station both suni williams and barry wilmore saying they are doing fine. nasa trying to end the concerns over the health of two astronauts stranded in space now more than 150 days longer than planned. >> i think there is some rumors around outside there that i am losing weight. >> reporter: images of suni williams and barry wilmore prompting questions about weight loss and status of their health. she says she weighs the same at launch.

explaining how zero gravity can impact their appearance in space. >> i think things shift around quite a bit. you probably heard of a fluid shift where folks in space, their heads look a little bit bigger because the fluid evens along the body. >> reporter: nasa says crew health is monitored by dedicated flight surgeons on earth and they have an individual diet and fitness regime to ensure they remain healthy. >> we will get on the treadmill here. >> reporter: including run, biking and lifting. will more, a former football star for tennessee tech telling his alma matteder. >> we work out two and a half hours day. it's great to stay in shape. >> reporter: mike massimino says exercise in pace is important to make up for the lack of physical stress on the body while experiencing weightlessness. >> floating from one space to the other. there is no load we saul forces on your body or muscles or

bones. and we need that stuff to remain healthy. when you come back to earth. >> reporter: the return to earth has been significantly delayed after helium leaks and thruster issues emerged on boeing's starliner back in june. they were only expected stay in space for rough lay week, but now will fly home in a different capsule with the spacex crew 9 mission in february. but this morning the space agency reassuring its astronauts onboard the international space station right now are in good health. so, what are these astronauts doing with all of this extra time? nasa says that they are helping with analysis of that problem plagued starliner, keeping up maintenance on the international space u space station and conducting research. we saw from suni williams, part of it that research is looking at how the impact of weightlessness in space, what kind of impact that has on the body could provide important intel here on earth and future trips maybe to mars.

jose. >> emilie ikeda, thank you so much. appreciate that. meanwhile, it's kind of related. yesterday on capitol hill former pentagon officials insisted we are not alone. the house oversight committee held a pact hearing on ufos, now known as unidentified as anomalous phenomenon. hours they drilled down on what the government may or may not know about extra actress ruls. >> do you believe just for the record that the federal government, any part of the federal government is knowingly concealing evidence about uaps from the public? >> yes, sir. >> 100%. >> yes. >> yes. >> thank you. i also want to go down the line. i know many of you have said this, but for the record again briefly, what do you believe uaps could be or are?

>> strong evidence that they are non-human higher intelligence. >> i echo my colleague's comments, sir. >> genuinely do not know. >> don't know, but we must find out. >> non-human higher intelligence. this is the second major hearing on uaps in this congressional term. the pentagon's official position is that -- official, i should say. the pentagon's official position is that there is no evidence that these sightings or ufos are anything but just unidentified. that wraps up