>> not at bowling. >> you're breaking up a little. >> are you. >> really ranked number one. >> in coverage? >> yep. >> and plans. >> start at just $20. >> oh, we could afford. >> lessons for linda. >> you're embarrassing yourself. at least my phone works. >> switch to the carrier. ranked number one in network coverage satisfaction call or visit consumer cellular today. >> this is me before santobello and this is after. >> this year. lose stubborn fat permanently with sono bella one visit battery removal i. >> wanted the results of a tummy tuck, but not the downtime. >> i'm so happy. >> i'm loving life. i'm loving my body. i'm loving all my loose fitting clothes. >> my waist is contoured, my. >> belly is. >> flat. >> there's no. boots anymore. >> schedule your free, no obligation consultation call now or go to sono bello.com. >> right now on. anna cabrera. >> reports breaking news on capitol hill. >> president trump's. >> controversial pick for fbi. >> director facing. >> a critical test vote this

morning. the 11th. >> hour effort by senate. >> democrats to hit the brakes on his bid. >> plus confusion, shock, anger. >> the reaction inside. ukraine to president trump's escalating. >> war of words. >> with president zelensky. also ahead d.o.j. at the dod, the potential firings and cuts that could be coming to the pentagon. and funny money. president trump and elon musk claim doge is saving billions. >> but do. >> the receipts. >> add up? >> it's ten. >> eastern, 7. >> a.m. pacific. i'm ana cabrera. >> reporting from new york. great to. >> have you with us. we begin with. breaking news in washington this morning, where. president trump's controversial choice to be the next director of the fbi is facing a critical test vote. >> now. if it. >> goes his way. the senate could vote. >> to confirm. >> kash patel by. >> this afternoon. >> but senate democrats are now launching an 11th hour bid to.

>> stop that. >> from happening. let's get the latest from nbc. sahil kapur on capitol hill and nbc's ken dilanian from the department of justice. sahil, walk us through what to expect this morning and. >> this. >> late bid, apparently by democrats. >> to convince. >> republicans to. >> vote no. >> hey, ana. well, in one hour, the senate is going to hold a key procedural vote on whether to advance the kash patel nomination for fbi director. he needs 50 senators to get confirmed and to move forward on this vote. if he is, if he does pass this vote, then just two hours from that point, there's going to be a final vote to confirm him. again, he needs a simple majority of the chamber both times. that is, republicans have 53 votes. they can afford to lose several, but democrats are pleading with them at the last minute. this is one of the nominations that they've taken a stand on, said, this man is too extreme for this job. take a listen to what senator dick durbin said outside fbi headquarters. he's the top democrat on the judiciary committee. >> we stand outside the building. mr. patel, on one.

>> day. plans to. >> quote, shut down and reopen. >> the next day as a museum. >> of the deep state. that is one of many of the bizarre political statements made by the man. >> who. is asking. >> for ten years as. >> director of the fbi. >> now it is. >> up to a handful of senate. >> republicans as. >> to. >> whether they have the. >> courage to step out. >> and do. >> publicly what they have told these fbi agents they want to do, and that is vote against kash patel. and specifically, democrats need four out of the 53 republicans to vote no, to unify with them, to sink this nomination. that's a heavy lift, as we've seen many trump nominees have arrived at the senate, gotten some skepticism early on from republicans, but that tends to fade away. we can't count to four. republicans are going to vote no at this time. there may be one or there may be two. i spoke just a few minutes ago to senator john cornyn, who's on the committee, a former whip. he predicted that kash patel would get confirmed handily today. >> anna and ken.

>> senate democrats on that judiciary. >> committee. >> like dick durbin, have. >> lodged some. >> serious accusations. >> against patel. remind us why they find him so concerning. >> well, for two reasons, anna. one. >> they say. >> he lacks. >> the qualifications. >> to lead the. >> nation's premier. >> law enforcement agency. >> no person who. >> has ever led the fbi in the post hoover era fits the profile of kash patel. they've either. >> been career. >> fbi agents. >> or held. >> senior positions. managerial positions in the. >> justice department like james comey. >> and. >> christopher wray. >> kash patel. >> was a public defender. he was a. >> line prosecutor. >> he had some political. >> appointed jobs. >> in the trump administration. >> he has nothing. >> in his. resume that suggests that he would be qualified to lead this kind of agency. >> but there. >> are real, deeper. >> concerns are. >> that he would. >> turn the. fbi into a political tool. >> of. >> donald trump. and they also are concerned that he may have lied to them under oath during his confirmation hearing, because they asked him. >> if he was aware of any plans for. >> mass firings. >> he said he wasn't. within hours of that statement, the

acting fbi officials and acting doj officials. >> began. >> to purge. people from the. >> senior ranks of the fbi. >> and senator durbin, who. you heard. >> there, later. >> wrote a letter saying he had. >> information that patel was. >> not only. >> know about this plan, he was. >> in part behind it. >> he was driving the train. >> durbin was. quoting whistle-blowers. >> saying that. >> they that patel's name had been invoked in meetings urging these mass firings. >> but the republicans. >> on the committee. >> were not curious. >> about that. they did not call patel back to ask. >> him further questions. >> under oath. >> and it. >> appears right now. >> that they are. >> prepared to vote for. >> his nomination. >> ken dilanian, sahil kapur, thank you both. we'll keep an. >> eye on the vote. >> and now, turning. >> to the escalating war. >> of. >> words between. >> president trump and ukraine's president zelensky, here's the latest from president trump. after zelensky's comments about trump. >> living. >> in a. >> disinformation bubble. >> a dictator without elections. zelensky better move fast or he's not going to have a country

left. got to move. got to move fast. i love ukraine, but zelensky has done a terrible job. his country is shattered and millions and millions of people have unnecessarily died. >> still, this morning, the diplomacy. between the two countries continues on. with u.s. special envoy to ukraine. >> keith kellogg. >> in kyiv. >> and we have. >> some new behind the scenes reporting that these tensions. >> were simmering. >> behind the scenes for the last week before boiling over into the public view. the turning point. >> in the. >> u.s. ukrainian relationship. began at last week's. munich security conference. you'll recall those comments from secretary of defense pete. >> hegseth saying ukraine. >> will not. >> join nato. >> privately. we're told. hegseth stunned the ukrainians when he told them at a meeting with zelensky. >> that the. >> trump administration. >> is. >> considering drawing down many u.s. forces in europe. >> nbc news chief foreign correspondent. >> richard engel is. >> in kharkiv. >> ukraine. >> also with. >> us former. >> adviser to. >> ukrainian president. >> zelensky. >> igor novikov. so, richard, as

this war of words develops, president zelenskyy set to meet with trump's ukraine. >> envoy general. >> kellogg today. what are the expectations for that meeting? >> so i can tell you. >> what the ukrainian government is hoping to achieve. they want to change this narrative. they want to change president trump's mind. they are anxious to take general kellogg as much as they can around the country. they want to show him a different reality than the one that is being put forward by president trump. and they also don't want to. and i've spoken to many ukrainian officials and ukrainian people. they don't want to be in this argument with president trump, and they don't believe they started it. and just a short while ago, mike waltz, trump national security advisor, said on fox news that it is the ukrainians who need to tone down the rhetoric and that zelensky better wise up and sign the minerals deal. and it hasn't been reported very extensively, but we've been talking more

about the comments and president trump calling zelensky a dictator and zelensky saying that president trump seems to be trapped in a disinformation space. but this mineral deal really helped sort of sour relations. and i've spoken to a senior member of zelensky's staff and he said what happened was the treasury secretary came he presented the ukrainian side with a paper. they were told it was not negotiable. they had to sign it quickly. and in this document, ukraine was supposed to sign over 50% of its rare earth mineral rights, and they felt pressured into doing it. they didn't have any details about what they would get in return for this. and zelensky didn't sign it. and he said as much publicly, saying that he didn't feel like he could sell his country down the river. and that certainly didn't help relations here. it seems that president trump, because he's referenced this deal several times now, and he's referenced

how president zelensky is fleecing the united states, fleecing aid that, that, that, that the ukraine owes money for the political and military support that has given this country. so that seems to be very much front of mind in president trump's in president trump's inner circle, and with president trump himself. so president zelensky today is certainly not going on the attack. he's hosting this this envoy. he wants to change the narrative. but according to the national security advisor, it is up to ukraine now because ukraine needs to tone down the rhetoric, not not president trump, who called president zelensky a dictator or who said falsely, that it was ukraine that launched the war against russia. >> richard engel, thank you so much. and we just got those new images. >> in of this meeting. >> underway now between. >> president zelensky. and the u.s. envoy to. >> ukraine, general. >> keith kellogg, there. >> and we're told that any remarks that they were. >> expected to make before.

>> cameras are not. >> going. >> to happen. >> so these images are what we're left with. will, of course, be. >> on. >> top of any readout that comes after. >> this meeting. >> igor, i. mentioned that new. >> nbc news. exclusive reporting about. >> the tensions. >> boiling over between ukraine. >> and the. >> us, including the private comments from the defense secretary. where does all of this leave ukraine this morning? and what's your biggest. concern about your country's lasting security? >> well. >> i'm obviously concerned. >> and at the same time, you. >> know, we're. >> actually witnessing the opposite in ukraine, witnessing a major rally around the flag effect. i mean, people are uniting behind zelenskyy. and ironically, his approval rating in ukraine, despite the fact that a major war has been going on for three years and people are tired, is higher than that of president trump during his first 100 day honeymoon with the american people. >> so and like. >> look. >> i can tell you. >> one thing, you know, quoting zelenskyy, a dictator is. just ridiculous on many fronts. but what blows my mind is the fact

that if he were a dictator, i think president trump would have been in love with him, as we see with putin, for example. >> and we should note. that zelensky recently won his last election. but the dictator comments were connected. to the fact that ukraine hasn't held an election. there was supposed to be. >> one last year. >> i know because of martial law with the ongoing war, that's why. there wasn't an election. can you respond. >> to those who say. >> there. >> should. >> be elections? >> there shouldn't. >> be elections because a it's illegal. and in order to kind of to hold those elections, we need to change ukraine's constitution, which, which is also forbidden. during martial law. and we're fighting major conflict. and even practically, i don't see how those. >> elections can. >> happen because half the country is abroad in different countries, some legally, some illegally. half the country is fighting the war in the trenches. and, you. >> know. >> russia is. >> constantly bombarding our cities and everything with we have rockets, missiles and like drones flying in. so i don't see

how those. elections could possibly happen. and if you ask ukrainian politicians, with the exception. >> of some pro-russian. ones who. >> want that change of government, who. want ukraine to become. >> belarus. >> georgia, for example, with a pro-russian. >> puppet government. >> everyone else in ukrainian politics. >> agrees, and. >> the people overwhelmingly agree. i mean, the latest polls show upwards of 67% of people of ukraine saying. >> like, we shouldn't hold. >> elections until the war is over. >> igor, with president trump, we've learned a lot. >> can be transactional. he argues, in this case that the us. >> keeps giving ukraine billions and. >> billions in aid, but isn't. >> getting anything. >> in return. we know trump and the administration. >> have mentioned. >> ukraine's rare. >> earth minerals. >> as a way to help. >> build a, quote. >> strategic partnership. >> and richard just walked us through. >> some of. >> the background. >> on that. >> should ukraine be willing to make a deal on minerals and natural resources in exchange for all the support provided by the us? >> my personal opinion, yes, we

should make that deal, but how we make that deal and what is actually in that deal? because i've dealt with president trump as president zelensky's advisor during the first term in 2019 and 2020. and i can tell you this, what's missing there. and, you know, tragically, i'm seeing the same thing happen all over again in president trump's second term is the lack of respect for ukraine. i mean, it's in ukraine's interest to make that deal. it's in america's interest to make that deal. but i think what's going. >> on. >> here, putin is wiping, literally wiping the floor with president trump, giving more and more conditions and. >> have having. >> made zero concessions. you know, in the process. >> and i think president. >> trump is because of his lack of respect for president zelensky and for ukraine. he's just venting his anger towards ukraine. and that is stupid because, you know, if china is the major opponent for the united states, that's actually pushing the rest of the world towards china, and, you know, it

could end in disaster for americans, for america's foreign policy. so i think. >> the deal should. >> be made. but it's what's in the deal and the respect surrounding that deal that's of crucial importance here. >> that respect. >> piece is. >> interesting because this war of words seems to be. >> you know, each. >> side. >> sort of. >> demanding that respect. >> of each other. we've seen president zelensky push. >> back on trump, but then the trump. administration appears to. >> be digging in. >> vice president. >> j.d. vance. >> now calling. >> zelensky's public. >> disagreements with trump disgraceful. he says. >> it's not something. >> that's. >> going to move the president of. >> the united states. >> in fact, it's going to have the opposite effect. >> and take a. >> listen to. >> these other comments from president. trump and now his national security adviser as well. >> you can't bring a war to an end if you don't talk to both sides. you got to talk. they haven't been talking for three years. >> i don't think. >> anyone should be. >> really. >> i don't. >> know, criticizing the. >> president for. >> trying to. >> drive. >> this to a diplomatic solution. >> why hasn't president zelensky. tried to end this.

>> war for. >> the betterment of. >> his country? >> and we have. to ask ourselves. >> is ukraine's. position improving. >> or not? >> igor. >> what options do you see that president zelensky has at this point? >> well, he i think he has a major asset, one of the best assets, assets ever, you know, to be had by a president that is ukrainian people. and i think like, look, ukraine hasn't given up over the last three years. you know kyiv hasn't fallen. so i don't think at this point trying to kind of appease that will to quickly end the war by just surrendering ukraine to russia. i don't i don't think that's an option for president zelensky. i don't think that's an option for ukrainian people. and we're just going to keep fighting. we're very good at saying no. so i'm all in favor of a diplomatic solution. but there's a difference between a fair, just and lasting peace and surrender. >> igor novikov. >> i really. >> appreciate your.

>> time, your perspective, your insights. >> thanks so much for joining us. coming up, pounding the pentagon. what sources are. >> telling nbc news. >> about doge eyeing sweeping budget. >> cuts at. >> the department. >> of defense? >> plus. >> what the doj. >> told a. judge about why it is looking to drop corruption charges. against new. york city's mayor. we'll talk to a lawyer who was at that hearing. and later, hundreds of. thousands hospitalized by the worst flu season in at least 15 years. why is this year so bad? >> we're back. >> we're back. >> in 90s. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max!

>> join today for just $15. >> for your first year with automatic renewal. >> and your second membership. >> is free and. >> get instant access to discounts. >> on eye. >> care, prescriptions. >> savings on. >> travel. >> dining, and deals from top retailers. >> so many. >> ways. >> to save. >> instant resources, tools and tips to help manage your money, maximize your health, and so much more. member offers find you. >> wherever you are. >> and aarp is the. largest advocacy. >> group for people. >> over 50. >> your voice. >> will. >> be heard. >> i'm nowhere near ready to retire. an aarp has been a tremendous. >> resource for that. >> i love. >> the local retail discounts. >> and we check out the hotels. >> the dining. >> aarp saves us a lot of money. >> join and. >> get an insulated trunk organizer free. plus aarp. >> the magazine. >> the magazine. >> call one oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh!

what is — wow! sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! items in the federal government. is now in doj's sights. we're talking the pentagon. defense spending makes up the biggest share. of the federal. >> budget besides. >> entitlement programs. and now. >> elon musk's task. >> force is on the hunt for places to trim. keep in mind, it has been bipartisan orthodoxy. to increase military spending. year after year. at the same time, defense secretary pete hegseth is writing leadership shakeups. sources telling nbc news that he is poised to fire a slate of generals and flag officers. we're joined now by. nbc news senior white house correspondent. >> garrett haake. >> garrett, what do we know about plans to downsize at dod? >> a lot of things going on here simultaneously, ana, which all have the. net effect of trying to. as you say, downsize and reshape the pentagon. first, the

staffers from dodge are now inside the pentagon, looking through their budgets, looking through where costs are, looking at what headcounts are. as we've seen them do at other. >> agencies. >> they will meet an ideologically willing secretary. >> of defense. >> in pete hegseth, who announced yesterday that he wants senior leadership there at the department of defense to try to find about 8% of their budget. they can cut $50 billion or so to try to redirect into other programs. it's not clear legally if that can be done, but he wants to try to move priorities from one part of the pentagon budget, essentially, to others that he believes are more in line with the trump administration's goals. and on that end, five sources tell us he also intends to fire, perhaps as early as this week, some senior officials, generals, senior officers closely associated with lloyd austin, his predecessor in the biden administration, or who backed priorities that don't align with the trump administration. so a lot of shakeups happening potentially at the pentagon, by the way, as congressional republicans are still pushing to

spend an additional $150 billion with a b on the defense. budget next year. so not in alignment here across the republican party or the government. >> separately. we've heard elon musk sort of throw around. >> ideas like. >> sending checks. >> directly to. >> americans with. >> some of. >> the. >> doge savings. >> and now president trump. >> is apparently on board. >> yeah. look, this is another. kind of indicator. >> of how ad. >> hoc this process has been. the president embracing this concept last night, suggesting that perhaps 20% of the money. saved by doge could be sent back to the american people. another 20% could go directly towards paying. >> down. >> the debt. those aren't decisions that a president can make unilaterally. it would take an act of congress to do so. and by the way, we're not exactly talking about huge pots of money here. even if you take doge at their upper end, estimates of how much money they have found. and saved, you're talking about maybe 30 bucks a person to the american taxpayer. if you take it at the lower. >> end. >> about $2 billion of savings. which some media organizations have done. you're talking about a little over a dollar. so, you

know, don't go spending it all in one place, at least. >> not yet. >> what can you. >> buy for a dollar. >> these days? >> garrett hake, thanks so much. >> let's discuss. >> now with two msnbc. >> political analyst, democratic strategist basil smikle and republican strategist susan del percio. basel. this idea for doge checks 20% to americans, 20%. >> you know. >> going back. >> into. >> i guess, paying up the deficit. >> we don't. >> know where the 60% that's. >> left is going to end up. >> but is this a workable idea? >> well, he thinks it's a workable idea. and the reason one of the reasons i imagine that he does is because if you remember covid and the stimulus checks, it was an act of congress. >> but he you know, there. >> was a there was a path for him to sort of. >> claim credit. >> for it. he wrote. >> his name on. >> he wrote his name on it. and so for he for donald trump and his ardent supporters, they'll say, my gosh, you know, look. >> what the president. >> did for me. but in reality. >> when you. take all of these. >> cuts, by the way, under

consideration, my. sense is that the net effect for the american voter is that they're going. >> to see. >> their life change substantially. and so even if it's whether it's $1 or $5. it's $5,000. that certainly. makes a difference. but $1, $5, $30. >> that doesn't, to me. add up to. >> a net benefit for americans. overall when they look at what it. took for them to get that checked. >> susan, what about what's happening inside the pentagon in. >> this reporting about. downsizing potentially there? we've heard for years from people like. bernie sanders, progressives, that, you know, there should be ways to. >> maybe cut back. >> some of that. >> defense spending. >> but are. >> republicans going. >> to. >> go along with it. >> if it's. >> coming from. >> president trump. >> and doge? >> they will. >> go along with it because. >> they don't have. >> to make. >> the decision. >> they don't have to. >> take a. >> vote on it. so they have. >> no problem. >> if the. secretary of defense. >> is willing to. >> cut. >> his own budget. >> and that's in. >> fact. >> why you. >> see. >> so many republicans. being so quiet about it. >> because if they did have to.

>> have take a vote on it, that would be. >> a different story. but to. basil's point, when we look at. when you especially, you. >> look. at department. >> of defense. >> people's lives. >> are affected. >> when they. >> do get. >> $100, check back. and that. does resonate. >> but people's lives. >> are also. affected when. >> all. >> of a sudden. >> they find out we're not as. >> strong military. >> as we thought we were. >> we were. >> and when they're. >> in towns that has military. bases and people are being. >> let go. >> because let's not forget. >> it's just not a. >> base that closes. >> for example. >> it's the deli. >> it's the dry. >> cleaner. >> it's all the businesses around that. so elected officials, democrats. especially if they. >> really want to show. >> the effects of. >> potential cuts, they have to. >> go back to their districts. >> and make. >> it clear. >> now, the thing about the cutting. >> generals and. others in. >> leadership. >> the problem there is. >> what they're. >> putting it. >> on. >> is that. >> a lot of these. >> folks follow. >> the policies. >> by the previous administration. >> they were following. >> their orders. >> these are people in.

>> the. >> chain of command. >> they follow. >> the chief executive officer. so when. >> the or. >> the president, i. should say. >> when. >> the president. >> says it's. time to do this, his the military follows. >> and as. >> long. >> as it's legal. >> commander in chief. >> exactly. >> so it shouldn't be surprising. >> but again. >> hegseth is has showing once again, he has no command of what. the department does. department of defense does. >> he's just. >> carrying out donald trump's. >> i mean, we were. >> talking about how it's hard to kind. >> of keep up with all the actions that are happening. >> and we know doge has been in tons. >> of different departments. >> they've, you know. >> been responsible. >> behind firings and. >> layoffs of hundreds, thousands, maybe tens of thousands of employees. >> again, it's hard to fully wrap your head around. >> but consider this when we hear from president trump what he says they've accomplished. >> in doge. >> savings through. >> these actions so far. >> watch. in less than a single month, the department of government efficiency has already saved over 55. this is

just a short period of time. $55 billion. and we're just getting started. that's nothing compared to the numbers that you're talking about, right? >> we don't know where he got that. >> $55 billion number. >> partly because doge has. posted some inaccurate. >> savings on its website. >> regardless. >> that sum is. >> very far from the goal of $1. >> trillion in savings. and take a look at. >> this chart, because up until. >> this. >> point. >> the. >> areas that they're focusing on make up less than a quarter of the budget. that orange part there on the chart. trump says he'll balance the budget, but his proposed. >> tax cuts would. >> put the us another 5 trillion. >> in the hole. >> so the only way. >> you're going to reach. >> that goal. >> is by significantly carving into these other slices. social security, medicare, military spending. susan, something's got to give. >> not really. >> with. >> donald trump. >> that's the. >> point. >> is that he. >> so we've seen him. >> operate with. >> his own set. >> of facts. >> and right. >> now. republicans are. >> are not.

>> holding him accountable. >> for it. >> and independents. >> are starting to give a little bit in some. >> of the polling. >> but at the end of the day. >> they are people are seeing something being done in washington. >> they know. >> it may not be. >> everything that they need. they know it may be a little unconstitutional. >> but they. >> see movement, right? >> for the last. >> ten. >> 15 years. nothing could get done. so right now they're behind it. but the. fact of the matter is, is donald trump all he needs is a little something. >> so he said. >> he'll cut. >> social security by. >> $100 million, which we know is. >> absolutely nothing. >> in. >> the budget. but that's a big number to people. >> and that's a savings. and that will resonate. in fact, donald trump has been winning the pr battle when it comes. >> to the doge. >> savings and. >> democrats have. been caught flat footed. >> i think they're moving their message to an economic one. >> like eggs are. >> still $12. >> yeah, $12. >> a dozen. >> but the. >> facts are the facts. >> are the facts. >> regardless of. >> the message. >> not in. >> trump land. >> you know, i don't know that the democrats have been left left foot. i mean, they're

fighting back and they're fighting back both in dc and in communities. what i do think is the case is that the answers won't come from. >> dc, right? >> they do come. i think they will come locally. and you're starting to see a lot of democrats really push back locally and try to organize locally around a lot of these issues. and so when you think about. >> to susan's point, when. >> you zoom out from all of this, right, the zoom out effect is that the majority of americans have no idea the myriad of programs and agencies that that make sure that their lives run smoothly every day. they don't have to think about it. but when you. >> make all of these cuts and you close. >> these agencies. >> they will have. >> to start thinking about it, because. >> it will start to affect. >> their day to day lives. and that's when i think democrats and independents, and some of them republicans, maybe will be able to stop and say, this is why. >> you have to change. >> your life and point to donald trump and elon musk for that. >> michael and susan del percio, good to see you guys. >> thank you so much. >> we have some. >> breaking news. >> just in. >> this is on capitol hill. just moments ago, the senate help committee. >> voting along party. >> lines to move. linda

mcmahon's nomination as education. >> secretary out. >> of committee. so that means she. >> will now. face a full. >> vote in. >> the. senate on her future. >> don't forget. >> this is a. >> department that president trump. >> has said. >> he wants. >> to. >> shut down. >> we'll keep you posted. up next, here in ana cabrera reports, a federal judge weighs the future of the mayor adams corruption case. an attorney who was there for that hearing joins us. >> on the new. >> d.o.j. rationale for dropping. >> all the charges. >> plus heartbreak. >> as the bodies of the youngest israeli hostages held by hamas are returned to israel. i'll are returned to israel. i'll have a live report from [gasp!] beak's up! we're trapped by dishes. don't worry. they've got new dawn powersuds. it traps, locks and... removes 99% of grease. so it doesn't get passed from dish... to dish. cleaned and stacked. like ducks in a row. new dawn powersuds.

daily pill to drink less or to daily pill to drink less or to quit drinking altogether. ♪♪ with fastsigns, create factory grade visual solutions to perfect your process. ♪♪ fastsigns. make your statement™. take your business from launch to legendary with shopify. sell more with the world's best converting checkout. turn analytics into opportunities so you can scale further faster. take your business to a whole new level. switch to shopify. start your free trial today. terrible surprise. >> we changed. >> your rate. >> we wouldn't get. >> to. >> talk to a person. >> and then all of a sudden it disconnects. >> now, with consumer cellular. no problems. >> better customer service. >> they tell me exactly. >> what i'm. >> paying and why. >> i'm paying for it. it's

within. >> a. >> dollar of being half of my old bill with verizon. >> i was. >> paying. >> about 150 a. >> month with consumer cellular. >> i'm paying. >> about half that. >> okay, this is doable. this is affordable. >> i'm getting the exact same coverage for half the price. that's a beautiful thing. >> done deal. i got. >> to keep my phone. i got to keep. >> my number. >> switching over. >> took about. >> 20 minutes. >> that's it. >> it's month. >> to month. >> very simple. >> it's been amazing. i was now. >> a. >> consumer cellular customer. >> and i've been. >> bragging to my friends. >> about it to. >> call (800) 918-5789 to switch and. >> save up to half with. >> consumer cellular. plus, new customers can save $25 when they switch today. the first time i experienced vertigo, the room was spinning like i was in a clothes dryer. then i started taking lipo balance support. its ingredients are clinically shown ingredients are clinically shown to help reduce dizziness and ♪♪ vicks vapostick provides soothing non-medicated vicks vapors. easy to apply for the whole family.

vicks vapostick. and try new vaposhower max for steamy vicks vapors. dude, i really need a new phone. check out my new samsung galaxy s25 ultra. it's got galaxy ai. imagine this thing running on our superfast xfinity mobile network. and i also heard that it can do multiple things

with a single command. —with google gemini. let me try it. add recipes with overripe bananas to my “dessert ideas” note. that's what you chose to ask it? i had other things planned. ask how to get up to one thousand dollars off the new samsung galaxy s25 ultra with xfinity mobile. choose spot customizable pet plans you both will love. >> welcome back. right now, the legal fate of new york city. >> mayor eric. >> adams is officially in the hands of a federal judge, who will. decide whether he will approve. >> the doj's. >> move to. dismiss corruption charges against the mayor. the acting deputy attorney general, emil bove, doubling down in court. that there. >> had. >> been no quid. pro quo with

the trump administration. and underscoring his department's belief that proceeding. >> with the case. >> would interfere with national security and immigration issues. joining us now. msnbc legal correspondent lisa rubin and christie greenberg. >> a former. >> s.d.n.y prosecutor. >> who was at that. >> hearing yesterday. >> so, lisa, first. >> talk to us about what's. next and the potential. >> options the judge might be weighing here. >> so judge ho said yesterday, sort of infamously from the bench, that he was not going to shoot from the hip, that he was going to take his time in making a decision. but he started the hearing on a yesterday and saying that the options for him are sort of limited. and that's because the rule under which the government made their motion to dismiss this case generally doesn't give a court. discretion to say. no when the government wants to drop a prosecution. however, there is only one supreme court case that's ever dealt with this. and in a footnote, it very infamously says that the rule has been held to permit a court. and i'm reading now from the supreme court decision, rinaldi to deny a government dismissal motion to which the defendant has

consented. and we know eric adams has. consented to this motion. if the motion is prompted by and here's the key phrase, considerations clearly contrary to the public interest. and yesterday, emil bove, who is the acting. deputy attorney general, told the court that one of the leading considerations. >> has. >> nothing to do with adams himself. it's really to vindicate the. president's core executive powers to. see that his immigration priorities are fulfilled. that may strike judge dale ho as an improper consideration. at the same time, is it my expectation he's going to grant the motion? yes. will he likely do so? and a strongly worded opinion that's also probable. >> christy. >> you were there. your key takeaways from yesterday's hearing? >> well, it was striking to me that he tried to pretend like this was all normal. he said prosecutorial discretion is exercised all the time. there's nothing exotic here other than the fact that there are a lot of people in the court today. i

mean, that's we're in bizarro world. it is not normal to have the acting deputy attorney general appear in court on any case. it is certainly not normal for him to appear alone in court without any other prosecutors at the table on a case. and it's not normal to have all the prosecutors withdraw from the case. and the u.s. attorney and six other prosecutors resigned because they so strongly disagree with dismissing a criminal case. none of this is normal. he said a number of things at the hearing that were just plain wrong. he said that he does not concede that there was a quid pro quo. that if there was a quid pro quo, if there had been that there would be any issue with that. i mean, that is so plainly wrong. dismissing a righteous criminal case in exchange for political favors is a total abuse of prosecutorial discretion. no further questions were asked about that point, but that that struck me as such a striking point. he also said that the

mayor's presence in the courtroom and not governing was itself a problem. well, if that's the case, then under the trump doj, no politicians, no elected officials will ever be prosecuted. that's just simply not a justification. so a lot of very strange and alarming statements from the judge didn't really follow up or or probe those whatsoever. >> and what. about just the strength of the case, the fact that the doj appears now to be altering its justification. >> for wanting the case dropped. the chief. of staff. >> of ag, pam bondi. >> posting yesterday. >> that the legal theories were too expansive in this case, that there wasn't enough to prove bribery. that is not what aimo bove gave his reasons to drop the case in his original memo. kristy. >> no. >> and he was very clear that the only reasons put before the court for dismissing this were the two reasons that he gave one, that there was an appearance of impropriety from

the former u.s. attorney damian williams. and again, this idea that that the case was interfering with mayor adams ability to govern the city. that's it. he he very clearly said that those were the only two reasons that were before the court. and as lisa said, really the question before the judge is, is this is dismissing this indictment contrary to the public interest. and he said, that really boils down to, do you think my representations were made in bad faith? according to amal? he said, you, as you judge, should take my word for it as an officer of the court, that i'm acting in good faith and that's the end of the inquiry. well, that's simply not so. the judge can conduct a factual inquiry if he wants to. he has prosecutors who are on the record now saying that he was acting in bad faith, that he was essentially taking improper considerations into account. the judge can inquire if he wants to based on how he behaved yesterday on the bench. i doubt he will. >> yeah. lisa. at least seven

prosecutors resigned over this, saying it's my integrity here. i'm not. >> going to follow. >> this order. because of my. >> ethics. >> when it comes to the legal work i do. >> does the. >> judge weigh that when. >> he's taking aim at. >> his word against. >> those others? >> they had a colloquy about that yesterday, and in fact, judge hoe asked, for example, i have your memo here to danielle sassoon. am i allowed to consider that as part of the record in ruling on your motion? and he said, no. the only things that you're allowed. >> to. >> take into consideration. here are the things that i put. >> in front. >> of you in my motion. you can't consider, for example, an amicus submission by former u.s. attorneys. you can't consider the memos i wrote. well, that puts judge ho in a very awkward spot. if emile bove is, in fact, right about the law, which i don't think he is, because that means that judge ho can't be in a position to say, actually, your representations to me were pretextual because i have

memorandum that say exactly the opposite of what you're now saying is your rationale for dismissing this case. okay. we'll be watching for. >> his decision. thank you so much, ladies. >> lisa rubin, kristy greenberg, good to see you both. next here on ana cabrera reports israel in mourning as hamas releases the bodies of four hostages, bodies of four hostages, including with fatigue and light-headedness, i knew something was wrong. then i saw my doctor and found out i have afib, and that means there's about a 5 times greater risk of stroke. symptoms like irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or light-headedness, can come and go. but if you have afib, the risk of stroke is always there. if you have one or more symptoms, get checked out. making that appointment can help you get ahead of stroke risk. this is no time to wait. hate and extremism in the united states are on the rise. in fact, there are more than 1400 hate groups in our country today. groups that vilify others for their race,

religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. and extremist groups that spread dangerous conspiracies and encourage violent acts. this is a dark chapter in our history, but it can be rewritten. since 1971, the southern poverty law center has been fighting has been fighting hate and defending justice and equality in the u.s. but we can't do it without support from people like you. please call now or go online to helpfighthate.org to become a friend of the center. for just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day, you can support the fight for justice. in recent years, hate crimes against black, jewish and lgbtq americans have nearly doubled across the us. this violence has no place in a just society. hate and extremism are dividing us like never before, but together we can protect our communities and continue providing no cost legal help to those impacted by hate violence.

so please call or go to helpfighthate.org and give just $19 a month. when you use your credit card, you'll receive the special fight hate t-shirt to show your standing up for civil rights. the fate of our country is in our hands. we can and will build a more just future. but it won't come without a fight. that's why we need your support today. southern poverty law center staff are in the courts defending freedom and in the halls of power, advocating for change and working hard to prevent recruitment into extremist groups throughout the united states. together, we can push back against this wave of hate and extremism. become a friend of the center today. call or go online to helpfighthate.org right now.

two days. >> it's clinically proven. >> formula penetrates the nail >> formula penetrates the nail for results you can see with hotels and vacation rentals, booking.com has something for everyone. seashells! you got anything more boutique? oui, oui, oui. right this way... now we're talking. what about something more family friendly? oooh! maybe a resort with a waterpark... [water splash] or somewhere less family-friendly? yep! one vegas hotel for the bride to be. what if we hate everything? we have free cancellation. find exactly what you're booking for. booking.com booking.yeah okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪♪)

1-800-403-7539. that's one (800) 403-7539. >> welcome back. >> it's a sad day in israel, where the coffins of four

hostages killed in gaza were returned today, believed to be among them to. >> the two. >> youngest hostages, kefir and ariel, both just nine months and four years old, when they were kidnaped by hamas. now the brothers and their mother are presumed dead, as officials work to verify their identities. their father returned to israel alive just weeks ago. nbc's hala gorani is in tel aviv. for us all, this is just so heart wrenching. how has this development been received there in israel, and what's today like for the hostages families still waiting for their loved ones? >> well, it was a very sad day, as you. >> mentioned, ana. >> we were at hostages square. this is where. >> people usually. >> gather on saturdays for the release of. >> live hostages. >> but today, as. >> you mentioned, the remains. >> of four hostages were handed back to israeli authorities. >> from gaza. the three. >> family members. >> shari and her two. >> children. >> kfir and ariel and kefir.

>> was just about nine months old when he, along with his older brother and mother, were abducted and the father, yarden, who. >> was released. >> a couple of weeks ago. what you're seeing there are images of sort of this very stage managed ceremony that. hamas put on inside of the gaza strip in khan yunis, so the remains were taken to a forensic facility. they are being tested to ascertain with 100% certainty that, indeed, they are the remains of ariel and shiri, as well as the body of oded. now this is one of the oldest hostages. >> who was taken. >> on october 7th from kibbutz nir oz in. >> his mid 80s. we in fact had. >> spoken to his daughter last week and she told us that she's. holding out. >> hope, but that she felt like. >> you know, he wouldn't. >> have. been able. >> to survive more than a year in captivity in. hamas captivity. and those are t four pictures of. the deceased. >> hostages who. >> were handed back now on

saturday, ana, we expect six live hostages. these will be the six last hostages, live hostages in phase one. after that, it will be phase two. this is meant to be a more permanent cease fire and the release of more live hostages. those will be men, military men. if indeed stage two goes ahead. >> ana gorani, thank. >> you. >> for bringing us. that update again. >> those faces. >> just really tell. >> a painful story. >> now to. >> a quick. >> update on pope francis. >> the 88 year old pontiff remains. >> hospitalized with pneumonia in both lungs. >> the vatican says he did. >> have a restful night. he got out. >> of bed. >> he had breakfast. >> in. >> an arm chair and. >> is. >> continuing some work activities. >> italy's prime minister, giorgia meloni, who met with the pope yesterday, said. she found him, quote, alert. adding that he had not lost his sense of humor. next here. >> on. >> anna cabrera reports winter wrath, snow and ice taking aim at millions in the mid-atlantic,

with officials urging people to avoid travel and one of the worst flu seasons in over. >> 15 years is hitting. >> the us. >> what's going on? >> skating for over 45 years. >> has taken a toll on my body. >> i take. >> qunol turmeric. >> because it helps with healthy. >> joints and inflammation support. why qunol? it has. >> superior absorption. >> compared. >> to. >> to. >> regular turmeric. (vo) if you're only maxing out a 401k, you can add a robinhood ira with a 3% contribution boost. (nasa pilot vo) roger that. (vo) robinhood gold gives you an instant 3% match on your annual ira contributions. ♪ until this week, my dad did not know where he was from. it means the world to share ancestry® with my dad. so nigeria, this is where it all started. so they've broken it down by regions, by journeys, and by parent. man, this is deep. this is my way of saying thank you to him. got eyelid itching, crusties and swelling

that won't go away? it could be... demodex blepharitis! and we're demodex mites. we're very common and super irritating to your eyelids... but we love making ourselves comfortable here! oh, yeah...steam time! if demodex mites are partying it up on your eyelids... it's time to eliminate the root of the problem with xdemvy. with one drop in each eye twice a day... you can kill the mites in just six weeks. xdemvy is the first and only fda-approved treatment that kills the mites that cause demodex blepharitis, a common eyelid disease. avoid touching the tip of the bottle to your eye or other surfaces to minimize contamination. wait 15 minutes before inserting contact lenses. in clinical trials, the most common side effects were stinging and burning in one out of ten patients. party's over folks.... it's not you, it's demodex mites. talk to your eye doctor today. home. it's where we do the things we love with the people we love.

celebrating, sharing—living. so why should aging mean we have to leave that in the past? what if we lived tomorrow in the same place as we did yesterday? what if we stayed home instead? with help, we can. home instead. for a better what's next. the promise of america is freedom, equality, but right now, those pillars of our democracy are fragile and our rights are under attack. reproductive rights, voting rights, the right to make your own choices and to have your voice heard. we must act now to restore and protect these freedoms for us and for the future, and we can't do it without you. we are the american civil liberties union.

will you join us? call or go online to my aclu.org to become a guardian of liberty today. your gift of just $19 a month, only $0.63 a day, will help ensure that together we can continue to fight for free speech, liberty and justice. your support is more urgently needed than ever. reproductive rights are on the line and we are looking at going backwards. we have got to be here. we've got to be strong to protect those rights. so please join the aclu now. call or go to my aclu.org and become an aclu guardian of liberty for just $19 a month. when you use your credit card, you'll receive this special we the people t-shirt member card magazine and more to show you're part of a movement to protect the rights of all people.

for over 100 years, the aclu has fought for everyone to have a voice and equal justice. and we will never stop because we the people, means all of us. so please call or go online to my aclu.org to become a guardian of liberty today. >> economy. >> perhaps they need to. >> call it. >> something else. >> this morning. surf. >> sand and snow. >> virginia beach getting hit with ten plus inches of snow overnight as a winter storm system takes aim at the mid-atlantic, it's poised to go

down as a top ten snow event for the region, and it has been an endless parade of winter storms across the country. with 42 million people still under winter alerts. now from eastern kentucky to. the maryland coast. nbc's gary grumbach is in virginia beach. >> gary. >> not quite a. beach day, at least that. >> we would. >> think of. >> in going to the beach has that area doing. it's not one place that gets much snow. usually. >> no. these folks. >> here are not. >> used. >> to this kind of snow. this storm has moved out now and it's brought with it cold and some serious wind as well, but not before dumping more than ten inches. >> of snow. >> i want. >> to show you what the virginia. >> beach boardwalk looks like right now. it is not. >> a beach. >> day by any means, but it is absolutely. >> a snow day. >> for folks in. >> businesses and schools. here in. >> the hampton roads area. folks are officials are asking. >> folks to stay. >> off the roads. >> right. that is the safest thing you can do. virginia state police. >> tells me they've. >> had. >> more than 200. >> crashes in. >> the area since this started.

very serious stuff. in terms of the crashes, virginia state police tells me that there was an incident with. >> virginia state police. >> where one officer was. >> helping out. >> a. >> driver who was. >> stuck. >> that that officer. >> got stuck. >> and. >> got hit by another car. >> the officer that came. >> to. >> help also. >> got hit. so some pretty. >> serious incidents. >> folks want. >> to stay off. the roads. >> that's the best idea. >> but folks are out here. >> enjoying the. snow as well. >> we talked. >> to a few of them. >> earlier today. >> good conditions out. >> yeah. >> ever seen it. >> like. >> this before? >> well. >> not since. >> i've. >> moved back. >> at least. we get to see the beach covered in snow. something never seen before. >> we try to get away from. >> the snow and we're. >> now we have the snow. >> so try to take the snow and come here for five inches of snow. >> yeah, yeah. >> it is what it is. >> so some bad news. >> for that cross-country skier. >> but some. >> good news for everybody else. >> perhaps it's going. >> to be 60 degrees. >> here next week. >> i like the cross-country skis. keep the car at home, break out those skis gary grumbach.

>> thank you. >> up next, here on. >> ana cabrera reports the trump administration. >> working to rehire bird flu officials they say were. accidentally fired. what the government overhaul could mean government overhaul could mean for public if you're living with diabetes, i'll tell you the same thing i tell my patients. getting on dexcom g7 is one of the easiest ways to take better control of your diabetes and help protect yourself from the long-term health problems it can cause. this small wearable... replaces fingersticks, lowers a1c, and it's covered by medicare. not managing your diabetes really affects... your health for the future. the older you get, the more complications you're gonna see. i knew i couldn't ignore my diabetes anymore because it was causing my eyesight to go bad. before the dexcom g7, doctor's appointments were not something i looked forward to. for my patients, getting on dexcom g7 is the biggest eye opener they've ever had. when i got dexcom g7, i couldn't believe how easy it was.

this small wearable sends my glucose numbers right to my phone or my receiver. with just a glance i can see if i'm going high, low, or steady. so, i can quickly get my glucose under control and better protect myself from complications. my a1c is down to 5.8. call now to get started on the most accurate and most recommended cgm brand! you'll also get a free discussion guide for your next doctor's visit. dexcom g7 has changed my life for the better. now, i'm a superstar. my a1c is 5.7. my a1c has never been lower. i go swimming, i ride my exercise bike, and i play with my grandkids. i finally have my life back. my wife used to worry about me having diabetes before my dexcom g7. but now, she doesn't worry as much, because she knows. it gives me a lot of peace of mind. i want him to be around forever. ♪♪

no other cgm system is more affordable for medicare patients. don't miss out you may be entitled to this valuable benefit. call the number on your screen now to talk to a real person.

first order. when you sign up to be a new vip only at fabletics. com. >> does it. >> seem like. everyone you know is sick right now? you're not alone. this flu season is the worst. >> america has seen in. >> at least. 15 years, with. >> an estimated. >> 29 million cases. across the country, according to the centers for disease control and prevention. health care workers are feeling the impact. >> at this. this year is. >> tracking to break hospitalization. >> records. >> with some of the youngest patients hit the hardest. >> i want to bring in doctor derek. >> haas, a former. regional director. >> for. >> the department of health and. >> human services. >> doctor, the worst flu season in more than 15 years. why? what's going on? >> well, i think it's a combination of factors. i think that we are seeing lower vaccination rates, and we've seen in the past we're seeing a more virulent strain of the flu.

we're seeing people not necessarily stay home. or wash their hands owe a mask when they feel sick. so we're seeing higher spread. it's really a combination of factors, but it is real. every day we work in the air, we see so many patients who have the flu who come in to get tested, who need to be admitted. >> to the. >> hospital, and it can be prevented with a flu shot. washing your hands and wearing a mask when you're amongst other people. >> okay. washing hands. flu shots. >> not too late. >> meanwhile. >> there's the measles outbreak we've been covering in texas. >> it appears to be spreading. at least 58. >> new cases have now been reported. >> in recent weeks. at least 13 kids hospitalized. state health officials. >> think this may. be due to lack of vaccination. >> what do people need to know. >> and just how. >> effective is the vaccine? >> so the vaccine. >> for measles is extraordinarily effective. and for everybody out there, every parent, everybody that's not vaccinated, anyone that's a community member. please encourage your friends and family to continue their vaccine schedule that has been recommended for years by the cdc, and that is implemented by your local county department of

health. >> it's really. >> important, as we see this new administration try to infuse, you know, suspicions or concerns or just asking questions about vaccination schedules that we as both parents, physicians and community members understand that vaccines work and that they save lives, and these are preventable deaths, and we cannot have that spread amongst our community. >> i mean, talk about the consequences. >> if you. >> get measles. >> so the consequences of measles can be devastating. of course, you can have runny nose and a cough and you can have a rash, but you can also have infections of your brain. you can have death. you can have pneumonia. i mean, these are really serious complications. and it's most prevalent in children. i mean, think about preventable children's deaths. this is what we're looking down the pike. if we stop vaccinating our children on the schedules that have been recommended forever. >> there's also the growing bird flu threat hitting. >> flocks and egg supply chains. more human cases are popping up. >> the government is trying to now rehire usda employees working on bird flu that were.

accidentally let. >> go by. >> by doge. how critical are. >> those usda employees? >> so they're critical. and what's interesting to realize is that there are health workers in every agency that keep our public health center and protected in our food, in our education systems, in our, you know, infrastructure. it's really important to remember that public health is everywhere. and so when they're, you know, getting rid of workers at the department of agriculture, that affects our ability to contain viruses and keep our food safe. and now they're trying to get those workers back. and it's really important that we remind our elected officials that our public health matters and that these are not expendable employees. >> doctor derek haas. >> as always. >> thank you for joining us. that does it for me this hour. i'll see you. >> back here at noon today. >> for now, i'm ana cabrera, reporting from new york. jose diaz-balart is now.