>> released likely tomorrow. two things on a i think, that are important to keep in mind as we anticipate what takes place tomorrow, is the timing of all of this so far over the last two releases, the last two weekends, the timing happened midday, sometime local time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. that is overnight for you guys in the east. the other thing to keep in mind is looking at the scenes from yesterday, and the kind of congestion that took place in gaza, hoping this time the exchange of the hostages will in fact be a lot smoother than they were yesterday. ana. >> okay. yasmin vossoughian. thank you. those families remain in our thoughts and minds until this all happens and beyond. that does it for us this week. thanks for joining us. i'm ana cabrera reporting from new york. jose picks it up right now. >> good morning. >> 11 a.m. eastern, 8 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart. >> we begin this. >> hour with new.

>> details about wednesday's. >> devastating collision. >> between a u.s. army helicopter. >> and a commercial jet headed. >> for reagan national airport in arlington. >> two black. >> boxes from. >> that. >> commercial jet have since. >> been recovered. >> and are now in the hands. of investigators. >> this as we. >> get a clearer. >> look at this horrific incident. >> caught on camera. take a look. >> at that. >> this video, which first aired on. >> cnn. >> vy moment that. >> blackhawk chopper slammed. >> into the jet. >> both plunging into. >> the. >> potomac river, killing. >> all 67. >> people aboard. >> both aircraft. 41 bodies have. >> since been recovered. >> from that wreckage. >> and we're. >> learning new details. >> about the lives lost in this heartbreaking tragedy. nbc's tom llamas has more. >> reporter officials. >> say the helicopter. involved in. >> wednesday night's crash. >> was on a routine training flight. >> with three. >> experienced crew. >> members, including crew chief ryan o'hara. a young. >> father also. >> on board. >> an instructor. >> pilot. >> with about 1000. >> flight hours. >> among those killed on the.

american flight, multiple children, their parents and coaches returning from a figure skating camp in kansas. >> there's just no words to describe how how awful it is. >> the plane's captain, identified. >> as. >> 34 year old. jonathan campos. his copilot. >> sam lilly. >> 28 years old and engaged to be married. >> he was very. >> just a very. >> kind soul. >> also on the flight. young mother wendy. >> jo schaefer and civil. >> rights attorney and former miss kansas contestant kay duggins. hammad raza was at the airport to pick up his wife, azra, who was returning from a business trip. >> i always. pick her up. >> from departures. >> had dinner, waiting at home. >> so many families grieving. while the investigation continues. >> thanks, tom, for that report. and joining us now, nbc's tom costello. courtney, qb john cox, a 30 year veteran with u.s. airways and an msnbc aviation analyst. and ronald bazman. >> a retired.

>> faa air traffic controller. so, tom. >> just in the last couple of. >> minutes, we're learning. >> there have been. some new restrictions. >> placed on helicopters. >> around dca. >> yeah, we've got several restrictions right now in and around reagan airport. the faa is essentially limiting. to set this up. you have to understand that out there over the river, the helicopters operate in essentially four tracks, right? track one, two, three, four. they're limiting operations on one of those tracks now to just police and medevac activity. and there could be a couple reasons for that. clearly. one of them is there's a tremendous amount of activity out on the river right now where they continue to search for the remaining victims and for the debris. and as a result, there is already a lot of that kind of police and fire and coast guard activity on the water. and that also includes chopper activity. then in addition, i will just tell you right now that there is tremendous sensitivity here at the airport, among airport officials and also just in the

greater d.c. area, about the volume of helicopter traffic on a typical day. we're talking 100, give or take, your normal helicopter activities in and around reagan airport. and as we've said for the last couple of days, reagan airport is very complicated airspace already. that's one reason for it. and then you've got, you know, the busiest runway in america, which coincidentally, is runway one. that has nothing to do with how busy it is. but all of that combines to make very busy airspace. so that's the that's the news of the morning as it relates to slowing down helicopter activity out there over the potomac. i will also tell you the other development that is making news this morning is that the focus on the helicopter helicopter itself, with president trump this morning on truth social saying that that chopper was clearly too high, that it was well above its 200 foot limit, and that is consistent with some of the reporting that we've also received. and an investigation of source now confirms to me that, in fact, yes, they do

believe that that helicopter was above the 200 foot limit and essentially at or close to the same altitude as the incoming passenger jet. why did that happen? we simply don't know. investigative sources tell us they want to get hold of the black box on board the chopper. they have them from the plane. they want it off the chopper to get a real data, fix a feed off of the flight data recorder that will tell them the consistent altitude readings from that chopper, and therefore they can. and that's how they will verify the altitude at the time. and then lastly, the big talk today is about air traffic control staffing jose. we now know that in fact a supervisor had allowed one controller in the tower to leave early. and as a result, there was only one controller. controller handling both helicopter and plane activity, which is acceptable but not optimal. normally they have one controller for each one on choppers, one on planes, but at the time of the crash, one shot, one controller was handling both. so there's an awful lot

that is happening today, a lot multiple threads to this investigation. >> and so. >> tom, clearly. >> the black box at the black hawk is. critical because essentially the flight. >> plan and. >> the path of that american airlines plane. >> is pretty. >> well determined. right. >> but but. >> do all blackhawks have black boxes. >> did this. >> black box we know have a black box? >> yeah. i can't tell you if every black hawk across the entire military has one, but this one did. and we're told that they do expect to recover that black box hopefully today. but that is a priority for them. and also, 41 victims have now been removed from the water. but that means you've now got more than 20 that are still in the water. and as you can tell behind me, it's a rainy, kind of a messy day out here. and imagine being out on the water, out on the river, those dive teams and the two teams that are out there working to recover

victims, it's turned into kind of an even a more miserable job today. >> yeah. >> and, tom, i. >> just saw. >> a plane taking. >> off right behind you. >> when we were speaking. the airport is at. >> full capacity. >> at this hour? >> yeah, it is, but you just raised an important point here. runway three three, which is the runway that this plane was coming in on and is literally right. the crash occurred just at the end of it, out on the river runway one is open. and so when you see, for example, this plane, this united plane that's taxiing, it will eventually take off from runway one. and that is the runway that handles 800 takeoffs and landings every day here at reagan. that makes that single runway the busiest in america. by the way, we've had 70 plus. i'm sure it's more now 70 plus cancellations today. and that is because first of all, the weather. but more importantly, it's because runway three three is closed as they continue their work out there on

the river at the end of the runway. so, john, what are. >> some of the questions. >> you have? >> and when we're listening. >> to. >> all these developments. >> just in the last couple. >> of minutes. >> that tom is. >> bringing. >> us, what are the questions that you. have and what. >> are the. >> things that you think are still the most important ones to be answered? >> well, i think first and foremost, jose, is to get the precise ground track and altitude of the helicopter. there's now there's a growing series of questions about that. so the sooner. >> they. >> can get that absolutely, positively determined, their recording devices on the blackhawk and the sooner we get those and the sooner we can get that track and absolutely determine the altitude. that will help the investigators quite a bit. if there is any way to determine the position of the night vision goggles that were

available to the crew. we don't know if they were using them or not. if there's anything the you know, that we can do to determine that it will help the investigators and otherwise. jose, this is a slow, methodical process of gathering evidence, compiling the evidence, and then analyzing the evidence. and that's what the investigators are going to do. >> and, courtney. >> what more are. >> we learning about the. >> soldiers in that helicopter. >> and their level of experience? >> so according to army. >> officials, all. >> three on board. were experienced pilots. the one was an instructor. >> pilot, the main pilot of this. >> mission. >> who had more. >> than 1000 hours of flight time in a cockpit. the second, the. copilot had about 500 hours, and then the crew chief. >> according to army officials. also very experienced. and it's. not just about their. >> experience on this. >> aircraft. >> on a blackhawk. all of them, according to army officials, were experienced in flying in this area. we have been hearing ever since the time of this collision about how. congested the airspace is.

>> how restrictive the rules are. >> for pilots. >> who fly in. >> this area. >> and that is not just commercial pilots. that is that also applies to military pilots. so the whole point of this mission that they were. on when this this deadly collision occurred was to evaluate their their ability to fly under these conditions. so flying at night, flying on these, again, restrictive and very narrow. >> corridors where. >> they're allowed to be right near reagan national. >> airport. >> that was the whole point of. >> this. >> this entire flight, according to army officials, was testing. >> their. >> proficiency and evaluating. them so that if, in fact, they they were needed for a real world mission, they would be ready. they would know the rules. one of those rules that they were, according to army officials, were aware of, was the restriction about not being allowed to fly higher than 200ft in altitude. that's going to be it already is one of the cornerstones. >> of. >> this investigation. jose. >> yeah. and.

>> ron, the other issue is i want to play for you a part of the communication between the atf and the blackhawk pilot that night. let's listen. >> to it. >> this is george has an aircraft in sight. separation. >> you know, as a kind of. >> a civilian. it's kind of. >> hard to understand what. >> was being. >> said there. >> what did you hear there? >> typically, in some. >> of these types. >> of cases, they're. >> going to be asking if the helicopter could identify and provide its own separation between the jet inbound. >> and once they. >> acknowledge that. >> the controller would then go ahead and make sure that they understand that they are responsible for that separation. >> ron, our helicopters. >> and commercial. >> airplanes, both. >> flying near an. >> airport, are they able to

communicate with each other? in other words, if one of the two aircraft sees something or expresses, you know, a last minute communication, who how is that chain of communication established? >> typically. >> communication from aircraft to aircraft. and that includes helicopters would not be the. case because air traffic controllers. >> are, by its mere essence. >> of the. >> job. >> are controlling everything. >> and if all. >> of a sudden. >> they. >> have somebody. >> talking out of. >> turn on. the frequency. >> that could be frequency time essential. >> for the controllers to continue their job. >> now. >> as far as listening for other aircraft. >> if they're. >> both on the. >> same frequency. >> a lot. >> of times. >> they can. >> listen for what's. >> also going on with other. >> aircraft and. >> paint a mental.

>> picture in their head of. how they fit into that and what to expect. >> in the. >> case of. >> military aircraft. >> a lot of times the problem is that they are. >> on uhf. frequencies and. >> air traffic with general aviation and civilian aircraft are operating in vhf frequency. >> band. >> and so one. >> can't necessarily hear the other. >> and then also. >> a lot of times, as they're dealing with different frequencies of. >> the same. band to control workload and. >> who has. >> what management. >> over the frequency. >> at the time, air traffic could actually be. >> transmitting on two differen. >> frequencies. >> listening on two different frequencies. and so then those aircraft would never hear each other. so always the controller is. >> the middle. >> ground of.

>> making sure that. >> they have. >> the plan. >> and the each. >> aircraft has the plan for how this is all going to work. >> you know, john, hearing. >> ron talking about. >> uhf versus vhf, i'm thinking back on, you know, television technology of the 60s and 70s, and i know that it's not at all. that but but with this reality of the communication lagoons that may exist at the time of this crash, one one person at the control tower was focused on both helicopters and planes. it's apparently permitted under current guidelines. >> but is that. >> okay in washington, d.c. airport. >> or any. >> other airport? >> i think it is. and the reason being is the controller tells the helicopter, first ask them, do you see the rj? and when they acknowledge it and they said, okay, pass behind it. that is an

instruction to the helicopter to maintain visual separation from the jet and to for their flight path to pass behind it. so at that point, whether there's one controller or two controllers, it makes no difference. the instruction to the helicopter to see the helicopter, which they acknowledge and then pass behind it, the separation requirement now rests exclusively with the helicopter. so whether there's 1 or 2 controllers in this case is not necessarily relevant to the cause of the accident, but it is something, obviously, that ntsb is going to look at. >> and courtney. >> just kind of rehashing on something you mentioned this military flight, this aircraft, this blackhawk was under something that is pretty routine and pretty routine around the washington, dc area.

>> yeah. >> there are flights. >> like this on a near daily basis, according to military officials. >> so flying near the airport, that is not unusual, especially for helicopters. and just keep in. >> mind the. >> the volume of. >> air traffic. >> there. >> is for. >> the military in this area. >> so right across. >> from national airport, there's a joint base anacostia-bolling. >> just north. >> there is fort myer, which has, you know, has helicopters taking off and landing occasionally. and we also have fort belvoir, where this helicopter flew out of. there's joint base andrews, one of the biggest air bases around the area. so there's a tremendous amount of military air traffic and traffic around here. and that is one of the reasons that these evaluations, this training is, is so critical to the pilots being aware of the rules and the restrictions. and again, i know there's also been questions. >> about why. >> they were flying at night. that is a really important part of this training, being able to fly at night. and one of the reasons that military officials

are so. anxious for the black box of the helicopter that the black hawk to be recovered is so that they. can get. >> some of the details. >> that really will be so critical and so key to this investigation, figuring out exactly how this really unfolded. >> yeah. i mean. >> in all those. >> places that are so near by dca, also, the building is right behind you is just literally almost a stone's throw from from dc to the pentagon. tom costello, courtney kube, john cox and ron bousman. thank you all so very much. up next, we'll speak to the. mayor of. >> wichita. >> kansas, a city. >> shrouded in tragedy. >> plus, the trump administration makes a major change. >> at one government. >> agency. >> pausing commemorations. >> for black. >> history month. >> and later, a contentious week on. the hill. some of trump's most controversial. cabinet nominees, the questions from. >> democrats and republicans. >> does russia get a pass in either your mind or your heart?

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we've obtained from the defense intelligence agency, where they are explaining to their workforce that in keeping with the trump administration's new dei requirements, a pause on dei related programs. they are ending all observations of what they call special emphasis events and holidays. so not just martin luther king day, but juneteenth, black history month, women's equality day, national hispanic heritage month, national disability employment awareness month, and others. and we understand that this is happening across the federal government right now. they're also ending so-called employee affinity groups like here at the justice department where i am. there were groups designed to promote women's empowerment and gay and lesbian empowerment, that they've all been disbanded and told that they cannot be active anymore within the employee roles. and again, this is the name in the name of the trump administration's policy of ending all dei related

initiatives and observations. as you can imagine, jose, it's gotten a lot of federal employees very concerned and upset. probably some others support it, but it's a very controversial move that we're reporting to you now. >> ken dilanian, thank you very much. and joining me this morning is derrick johnson, president and ceo of the naacp. i thank you, derrick, for being with us this morning. i'm just wondering your initial reaction to this. >> well, another example of this administration using the tools of race and othering to distract and distort from the dismal start of this administration, we should be focused on trying to recover the remains of individuals who were killed in the crash, consulting their families, and figuring out how to prevent such accidents from happening again. but as opposed to focusing on what's important to the american people, what's important for the safety of those who fly, they use something like this on this day to distort and distract. and it's unfortunate that we are in

this posture as a nation. >> and i'm just wondering, because and i haven't been able to see the exact wording of this memo that ken dilanian is breaking for us this morning, but the and we have a copy of it there, but it's just it seems so broad. right? it seems so complete in its repudiation of not only, you know, affinity groups, etc, but even celebrating martin luther king jr. day. hispanic heritage month i mean, it seems like it's so broad and yet so general. >> well, here's an example. you use something that's extreme to distract the focus on what should be the priority or what's important, so that you can have the nation looking over there while at the same time in the opposite directions. you're doing things such as reducing the function of federal government, outsourcing those

functions, and privatizing those functions so you can maximize profit. you're doing things such as cutting corners, causing accidents in the sky, and not ensuring that our food is safe. and so as as a community, african-american community, as an american community, we must not be distracted and stay focused on what's really taking place here. the accident yesterday was preventable. what do you think about the last two weeks? the head of faa, the head of the coast guard and a key committee were all disbanded by this administration, not because of race or gender, but because of a sinister strategy to privatize government and distract the american people. and we should not fall prey to that. >> it's interesting because i think it's important that i want you to kind of explain that, because there are those who were saying that this accident could have been preventable for other reasons and consequences, and you're saying that it could have

been prevented? why? >> well, no, it's not. >> what i'm saying. >> it's what experts have said, that if you don't have anyone in at the helm to ensure we have individuals who are in charge, who understand the technical functions of ensuring that passengers are safe, our military is safe. and all those people who support these activities are in place. then you have these type of disasters. so it's not what i'm saying, that if you remove the head of faa, you don't replace him. if you disband a select committee and you don't replace him, if you remove the head of the coast guard and you seek to not fund certain functions in a time where we have already have a critical shortage of air traffic controllers, you're not solving anything. you're causing more problems. >> derrick johnson, i thank you very much for being with us. i very much appreciate your time. >> thank you.

>> and turning back now to the tragedy in the air today, communities across the country, around the world are mourning the 67 lives lost after an american airlines plane collided with a us army helicopter, killing all on board both aircraft. on thursday, a prayer service was held in the city hall at wichita, kansas, the flight's origin. as the community tries to come to grips with the tragedy impacting their city. joining us now, the mayor of wichita, kansas, lily wu. mayor, thank you for being with us today. how would you describe how your community is doing today? >> well, thank you for the opportunity to share what is happening here, jose. here in wichita right now, our hearts are broken. i have said this from the get go that this is truly a tragedy. we are the air capital of the world and we just. >> got done celebrating the us. >> figure skating championships

being held here in our community. so our community is hurting. >> because i know. >> that there were athletes and family members. who were part. >> of the. >> individuals who were on that flight. we have community members who. >> were born and raised right here. >> in wichita, who. whose families have now identified. and it is just a really heavy time. >> in the city of wichita. in kansas. >> and in. >> the nation. >> you know, what have you heard? what's the latest on the investigation? have you are you satisfied with the cooperation, communication between local, state and federal officials? >> i actually am very. grateful that there is that line of communication between local, state and federal. we had the governor of kansas, laura kelly, here. he she just back to topeka today, yesterday. and immediately after the incident, we had congressman estes. we had senator moran, senator marshall, all of them have. been communicating with our office. i

also had a phone call from transportation secretary duffy. again. the investigation needs to be had. but right now the focus in the city of wichita is on the families who have been impacted. the individuals who have friends that were on that flight. and my complete focus will be on that first and foremost, especially as the names of those individuals are coming out. my heart really is with them, and i ask that this entire nation really prays for families. these are individuals who were someone's daughter or someone's son, and they have a legacy that we need to honor. >> i couldn't agree with you more. it's so important that we never forget that we celebrate the lives of so many people, that each and every one of those lives was making their own private legacy of service to our

country and to the to the world. and, you know, you told me just at the beginning of our conversation that your city has called the air capital of the world. tell me more why. and also just it's also, it seems, the capital of, of so many different sports and, and enthusiasm and energy and yes, happiness. >> jose. >> this community is one where i grew up in since i was eight years old. as an immigrant from guatemala. this community is such a culturally diverse community and one that helps one another. the unity in this community is exemplary, and what i love about the air capital of the world is the skilled manufacturing air, air, air, capital workforce that really continues to not only focus on aviation, but focus on other diverse industries. and what you saw yesterday during our community wide prayer is just how beautiful this community is. they're focusing on unity and

hope, and they're focusing their energy towards helping one another. people of all different faiths came together to do a community wide prayer, and i think that that is what our nation needs most healing. we can set aside differences and really focus on the individuals. our lives are very precious, and i think in this time of tragedy, we need to come together to help family members move forward with some hope, but also use our words and our actions for good in our community. we started up website called ict-together.org so people can donate and help family members who are suffering right now. so again, i am hoping that people will use their words and their actions to be helpful. >> mayor lily, i can't thank you enough for being with us this morning. very much appreciate it. >> thank you. jose. >> still ahead, young. >> athletes. >> parents. >> coaches among members of the

skating world killed in that mid-air collision in dc. how that part of the community is coping. plus senate republicans faced with a critical choice, they're going to have to confirm three of trump's most controversial nominees. our top takeaways from this week's hearings. you're watching jose diaz-balart reports on msnbc. >> legal cable. and, doug. >> you'll be back. emus can't. >> help people customize. >> and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. >> you're just a flightless bird. >> no, he's a dreamer, frank. >> and doug. >> well. i'll be. that bird really did it. >> only pay for what you need. >> liberty. >> liberty. >> liberty, liberty. land! >> why are you screaming?

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of more. get started at worthy com. >> 31 past the hour. president trump has a new cabinet member this morning. interior secretary doug burgum is the eighth person to be confirmed by the senate since the president took office 11 days ago. this comes as three of the president's more controversial picks director of national intelligence nominee tulsi gabbard, fbi director nominee kash patel and health and human services secretary nominee robert f kennedy jr face questions from senators. >> those who. >> oppose my nomination imply that i am loyal to something or

someone other than god, my own conscience and the constitution of the united states. >> if confirmed as the next fbi director, i will remain focused on the fbi's core mission that is, to investigate fully wherever there is a constitutional, factual basis to do so. >> those reports, and many in the hearing yesterday have claimed that i'm anti-vaccine and anti industry. well i'm neither. i'm pro safety. i'm pro good science. >> well that's now nbc news chief capitol hill correspondent ryan nobles washington post white house reporter jacqueline alemany brendan buck, former press secretary to former house speaker boehner and ryan, and former north dakota democratic senator heidi heitkamp. she is now director of the university of chicago institute of politics. so, ryan, some pretty spirited back and forth between the nominees and the senators. where do things stand today?

>> well, i think. >> right now. >> it seems as though. >> kash. >> patel is. >> in route to being confirmed by the senate. >> there did not seem to be much. >> if any. >> republican skepticism over his pick. the other two. >> though, i think are a live ball. >> both robert. >> f kennedy. jr certainly has at least a small group of. >> senators that seem very. >> concerned about. >> his stance and. >> controversial past. >> statements on a wide range of issues. >> and tulsi gabbard, his pick as. >> the director of. >> national intelligence. >> seemed to. get as many. >> tough questions from republicans yesterday as. she did from democrats. and as republicans left that hearing yesterday, they raised a. >> lot of concerns about whether. >> or not her nomination. >> has what it takes. >> to get. >> over the finish line. >> the robert f kennedy jr one is the one where we're probably. >> get some. >> crystallization on this over the weekend. bill cassidy, who is the chair of. >> the health. >> education, labor. >> and pensions committee. >> he also sits on the. >> finance committee. >> which will report. >> out the kennedy. >> nomination, said yesterday that he is. struggling with the nomination, that he's very. specifically concerned about.

>> his stance. on vaccines. >> was looking. >> for clarity. >> from kennedy. >> on those. >> vaccination stances. >> and did not get them. >> he's expected to talk to kennedy in the. >> next. 24 to 48 hours. >> to get. >> that clarity that he's. >> looking for. jose. >> if cassidy. >> were to vote. >> against kennedy. >> in committee. >> that would end. >> his nomination prospects. >> he wouldn't. >> even. >> get a vote on the on the floor. now there is a world. >> where maybe cassidy. >> votes for him in committee, but then signals that he'll vote no for him on the floor. and then it would take three other republicans. >> to kill. >> the nomination. but right now, all eyes are on bill cassidy of louisiana to. >> see how. >> he feels about this kennedy nomination and the. >> impact. >> it will have on it going forward. >> jose. jackie. >> how's the white house seeing all of this? >> yeah. >> jose. >> well. >> i. >> have to say. >> ryan's assessment of. >> where these. >> three nominees stand, i believe, is spot on at the moment. and i. >> do know that the. >> white house firmly believes that they're going to be able to get at the end of the day, these three people through, especially kash patel, seems like he's on a

glide path at the moment. and behind closed doors, we know that both teams of rfk and tulsi gabbard have been in constant contact with these lawmakers, the ones especially, who have expressed public skepticism. people like the senator from utah, john curtis, bill cassidy and todd young, those the curtis and young having expressed issues with some of tulsi gabbard's positions, but from the white house and the trump transition and trump campaign's view, rfk and tulsi gabbard are key components of this operation. they there is a feeling that they really delivered the election victory for donald trump by bringing together some disparate constituencies as a result of their their very different and more progressive backgrounds than the traditional maga base. but obviously, you're seeing more traditional conservative movement conservatives

struggling with some of their past positions. but again, we've been told as of this morning that the people who are involved with handling and fielding and getting these confirmations through are in constant contact with these offices. and just. like the way they handled this with. >> pete. >> hegseth, they're hoping that privately they can make some amends and come to a consensus and some agreement on on various issues that have been raised. >> you know, jackie, when you talk about the different groups, i guess, or subgroups that are each one kind of behind or with each one of these prospective nominees, it seems as though and i, you know, want to know your thoughts on it. the rfk jr group is much more deep bench and broad than is the gabbard group. >> i think that's right. i think there is a little bit of overlap. at the end of the day on those on their two shared constituencies. but but i think

you're probably right, jose. i mean, the make america healthy again movement picked up a lot of steam. and it also works to his benefit that he actually was in the race this time around, which which gabbard was not. she was obviously on the campaign trail and out there in a pretty vocal voice. but but kennedy has been working his constituency through his anti-vaccination activism efforts for decades now. this is a pool of followers that have that he's accumulated and built over quite a period of time. and so i think that these anti-vaccine views, this is why you're seeing lawmakers take them so seriously. people like bill cassidy, who did not mince words, saying that he's really been struggling with his nomination. so, you know, like ryan said, we're going to see over the weekend when he comes back to this and maybe after some private conversations with

rfk jr. >> so, brendan, i mean, clearly cassidy's role going forward, especially in the next 48 or 72 hours, is critical for rfk jr. but what do you see as the major obstacles to both tulsi gabbard and rfk jr, when it seems as though kash patel is essentially probably going to get in? >> yeah. >> well, when it comes to rfk. >> cassidy is. >> is. absolutely the game changer. let's keep in mind that cassidy. is up for reelection. he has to win a primary if he wants to stick around, if he wants to run again, frankly, and he doesn't have a whole lot of room at this point to make enemies with the trump base. this is a guy who voted to. impeach donald trump, and now he wants to get reelected in a republican primary. >> louisiana used. >> to have rules where they had what you would call a jungle primary, where you could rely on independents and democrats to get through. louisiana republicans got rid of that.

>> so it would be. >> no small thing for. >> cassidy to vote. >> against one of the highest profile trump nominees. and if he does vote against him, whether it's in. >> committee or. >> on the floor, i think that might seal his fate. it's not. >> hard to. >> see mitch mcconnell coming along with him, obviously, who has. strong views on vaccines as. >> a polio. >> survivor himself. so that's really, i think, just as all eyes were on joni ernst when it came to pete hegseth. all eyes are on. >> cassidy. >> tulsi gabbard has got a much. >> steeper road. >> i think she has. >> no real goodwill. >> built up. she was. >> a longtime democrat. most of the. >> members of that intelligence committee. are pretty hawkish on these issues, and she painted. >> a very different. >> approach to them going forward. so i don't think there's anybody who feels like they. >> pay a. >> real. big price. nobody really wants. >> to. >> vote against the trump nominee. but if you're if you're going to pick one where you're not paying a huge price, it's probably gabbard and would not surprise me if there's several of them who don't think. >> that she's right. >> for this role. >> yeah. >> senator, how are you seeing it? what set of eyes are you

looking at this from? >> i at first. >> i want. >> to say something about. >> bill cassidy. >> bill cassidy was a doctor who spent a lot of time with people in his state who were underprivileged. he's a principled man. he's a good man. and, you know, i think that. >> when you. >> kind of put everything in a political lens, it's really unfair to someone like bill. and so what i'm struck by, because i've watched these. is all of them really have memory problems. you know, when you go through and people say, i didn't say that, or why are you bringing. >> that up? >> i mean, i think in a, in a real world where we aren't in lockstep, where there isn't a maga kind of destination for all of these candidates, where where you're either with them or against them, these people would probably not have been even nominated, much less be in this spot. and so it's a matter of whether they you're going to see some republicans kind of grow a spine and say, it's a bridge too

far. i want to say this about kennedy because i think it's important. kennedy is pro-choice. he has engaged in litigation, which the wall street journal pointed out is not exactly kind of the way forward to win the hearts and minds of conservatives. and i think when you look at his record, his record on big pharma and big, big farms is just really not something that conservatives like. and so there may be a bigger hurdle for him than what you guys have been talking about. >> ryan nobles, jackie alemany, brendan buck and senator heidi heitkamp. thank you. up next, we're going to go to the rio grande valley and talk to sister norma pimentel, who's been helping migrants in the area for more than two decades. how they're dealing with today's reality. you're watching jose diaz-balart reports on msnbc. >> lumify. >> it's kind of amazing. >> wow. >> lumify eye drops dramatically

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this morning, new developments in president trump's immigration crackdown. here's defense secretary pete hegseth earlier today discussing the administration's plan to hold migrants at guantanamo bay. >> we could have. >> hardened criminals. >> hardened gang members. >> with violent criminal. >> pasts in transit. if that is. >> the. >> case, we're preparing. >> options for the actual detention facilities. >> the detention facilities. with that are basically supermax. prisons there at guantanamo bay. >> guantanamo bay is a perfect

transit point to. temporarily house the worst of the worst until we move them. back to their. home countries. >> it comes as new reporting from nbc news finds some immigrants are worried routine check ins with ice could lead to their deportation. and this week, trump's immigration agenda also igniting concerns. in another space, the catholic church. the washington post reporting the newest chapter in the dispute came after president trump said immigration enforcement officials could now enter once protected areas, such as churches and schools, to detain people. joining us now, sister norma pimentel, executive director of the catholic charities of the rio grande valley. sister, it's always a pleasure seeing you. you've been serving the rgv area for 21 years. i've been down there with you probably for as many years as you've been there to see how you deal with the ebb and flow of migration. how are things today? sister. >> hello, jose. >> it's good. >> to see you again. >> and yes, things have changed.

>> somewhat. >> as we all know. >> you know. >> the number of people. >> that. >> are actually. >> entering the country. >> has has completely, almost completely. >> almost stopped. you know. >> even with the previous. >> administration, the numbers had been. very low for. >> for several months. >> now, you know that. >> the previous. administration has put. >> great restrictions and. >> and deportation. >> proceedings for many folks who entered between ports of entry, you know, and, and kind of encourage. >> people to do. >> it properly, orderly, through. the port of entry. and, and that. >> is not the. >> case anymore. so we're seeing, you know, we. >> meet every week. >> with border patrol just to. >> keep us updated. >> and, and numbers are extremely. >> low as. >> far almost to. >> the single digits that. >> we're seeing. >> on a daily basis. >> that are being. processed or that are brought to us. >> either by ice. >> or by border patrol, you know. and so that's how we see things today, you know. and for sure, i think that that, you

know, as. >> far as respect. >> to our, our churches, thank god that is. >> not happening here. >> in the rio. >> grande valley. >> we have not seen that. border patrol has committed themselves that they would not. >> do that. they would respect. >> those spaces. and so i'm very pleased to hear that from our, our, our partners that we work with very closely. and so the only concern that i see, jose, is, like. many people from the from the valley, they are stating that they're being stopped and asked for their proof of their citizenship, you know, and so that's concerning, you know, people that we know, our neighbors, our friends, people, coworkers that are not very worried that this is starting to happen, you know. >> yeah. and when we were hearing secretary of defense talk about, you know, establishing guantanamo bay in cuba, the us naval base there for the just the criminals of criminals. but but if you're getting stopped in harlingen or mcallen or anywhere just because

you're driving, it seems as though there's a huge difference between that. i'm just wondering, sister, what is it that catholic charities and i'm kind of asking, obviously not for myself, because i just know so well how much you and catholic charities does for people. but what does catholic charities and what does the area that you represent? do? >> you know, jose. >> catholic charities. >> is the charitable arm of the catholic church. so what we. do is reach out to the community and work with the partners and everyone to come together as one, you know, no somos you know, we come together to help one another, to make sure that if we see somebody in distress, somebody in need, somebody vulnerable, we can come together, respond to that reality. we see somebody hungry. we try to make sure that we care for that person. and so, so our response to the immigrants that we saw in that community, that's what exactly what the church

did, you know, reach out with others to make sure that these families were protected, were safe, could eat. you know, you know, we should never deny food or or safe space for somebody who needs to rest, to need to see a doctor and things like that. so the church has always been present here in the valley for all our families locally, and also for any anyone who has we find in our community that needs help. and, and it's something beautiful that especially my bishop, bishop flores, you know, he always says, you know, the people of the valley. so gente de un gran corazon and the truth, to tell you the truth, you know. listen, i. por eso es por eso podemos usar porque we're here to make sure we're here for one another, you know. and so i'm very appreciative for the great support we get from the community and from everyone, and even for the past couple of years from the federal government that says we want to help. we want to make sure that your response, humanitarian response is there. and so i'm very grateful for that. and if

that's if that's possible, that's good, because if somebody is hurting, it is our responsibility to do something about it to make sure that they're safe, that they're cared for, that they can eat, they can rest, you know, and that they're they're not taking advantage of by those that want to hurt them. you know. >> sister pimentel, it's always a pleasure to see you. i join in my deep admiration, carino, for the rgv area. it is a unique and wonderful place, and i thank you for being a part of that community. >> thank you jesus. >> thank you. >> adios. >> adios. this morning we're learning more about the victims of the crash of american eagle flight 542 and a black hawk helicopter. of the 67 victims, six were part of a norwood, massachusetts, skating club. joining us now is nbc's sam brock at that club in norwood, massachusetts. sam, the skating community is so tight knit. what are you hearing from people there at the club?

>> sure. so. >> jose, you're talking about a community here of 1100 people who are members of the club. 850 active members. which means they're out there on the rink 6 to 7 days a week, in some cases for 7 or 8 or nine hours. there is inextricably close bond between everybody who is interacting on this regular basis, dedicating so much. and so when you talk about someone like max namoff, 23 years old, who just lost both of his parents, who are coaches and world champions, regina hahn, her father, who lost his daughter and his wife. these families are in pain and this whole community is in deep pain. the ripple effect of this. >> week's dc. >> plane tragedy can be seen in flowers, portraits and empty ice at the skating club of boston, which learned six of their own lost their lives. this tight knit sport now uniting in grief. >> it's a. >> tragic loss for. >> all of us. >> it's just it's terrible. >> that fateful flight to dc from kansas, coming just days

after the u.s. championships in wichita. followed immediately by a developmental camp for the sport's best and brightest. >> my heart is. >> with. >> all the families affected, and that's the part i have no words for. >> among those on board members of multiple skating clubs, including coach alexandr kirsanov. 12 year old athlete brielle beyer and her mother justina, and the half dozen deeply connected to the skating club of boston, including young skater gina hahn. >> i would get a smile on my face seeing her. >> smiling. >> and she was smiling a lot. >> and spencer lane, who had only been competing for a few years. >> the amount. >> that he has. >> achieved in those three four. >> years is. >> absolutely remarkable. >> also lost in the tragedy, their mothers, john and christine lane and figure skating coaches vadim naumov and zhenya shishkova coaches naumov and shishkova, who were married, won the 1994 world championship as a pair and competed in two winter olympics. >> very nice. >> her son max just competed at

nationals. >> his parents were his coaches as well as his parents. >> this has split parents from kids and vice versa. >> yeah, it's fractured the community. >> in an emotional press conference. leaders and alumni of the club trying to come to grips with the tragedy, whose impact will be felt far beyond the rink, including former olympic medalist nancy kerrigan. >> even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up and move forward. it's not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together. >> and for many at the skating club of boston, wednesday's crash bringing back painful memories. more than six decades after competitors from the same club died in a plane crash while traveling to the 1961 world championships. >> i want to thank sam brock for that report. next hour, we'll ask congresswoman sharice davids from kansas how the d.c. crash has impacted her community and what congress can do to prevent these tragedies. you're watching

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