>> 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.

>> good morning. >> 11 a.m. eastern, 8 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz balart. >> today marks. >> one month since president donald. >> trump returned. >> to the white house. >> and in just. >> four weeks, the president has already unleashed sweeping changes to us policy. he signed over 100 executive actions, appointed top allies to agencies. >> he. >> has vowed to dismantle. >> as of this morning, the. president's department of government efficiency has reached. >> 18 agencies. >> triggering at least 18 lawsuits, plus, 75,000 workers. >> accepted a buyout offer. >> from the administration as part of its efforts. >> to shrink. >> the government. o half a trillion dollars. an end to corporate invery,s -- inversions, which is the practice of moving company operations overseas for tax purposes. practically every aspect of the u.s. economy was strengthened by this pro-growth legislation. contrary to

at the fbi. >> gabe. >> good morning. the trump administration hit the ground running with these massive. changes to government. how are officials inside the white house feeling about. >> these first. >> four weeks? >> hi there. good morning. well, we expect. >> white house officials. >> to. essentially take a victory lap. >> at their. >> white house press briefing. >> later on. this afternoon. >> and they point. >> to so. >> many things, in their view, that the president has. done promises that he's kept during the campaign. >> chief among. >> them border security. >> white house officials telling. >> me that the administration very proud. >> that the. >> encounters at the southwest border have dropped dramatically also. they point to. >> a slew of dozens. >> of executive. >> orders that. >> he signed in just. >> a few weeks, an unprecedented level. >> of. >> activity. >> they say. and they also point to a recent cbs news. >> poll that showed the. >> majority of americans approve of the job. >> that president. >> trump is doing. but a new

poll. >> from the washington post. >> and ipsos says that 57% of respondents say the president has gone beyond. >> his. >> authority as president. just 40%. >> say. that he's acting within. >> his authority as president. and to that. >> end, jose, you mentioned. >> in your introduction those. lawsuits that have. >> been filed against. >> what the trump administration. >> has been doing. >> we're just learning of a new one that was filed overnight in san francisco, where several labor groups. are filing a. >> lawsuit alleging. >> that. >> the administration has illegally fired temporarily temporary employees as part of its push to overhaul. >> the government. >> the group saying that. >> the office of. >> personnel management. >> which manages. >> the federal. >> civilian workforce, has lacked the authority to fire those civilian employees. >> of course. this comes. >> after that. >> slew of. >> lawsuits that you've already. >> mentioned and something. >> that we do expect to continue, jose, as this administration tries to reshape. >> the federal government. >> yeah. and, julie, as part of

that, reshaping the federal government, is the president's pick to be the head of the fbi. in the senate right now, there's a series of movements. is there anything or anyone in the senate standing in kash patel's way? >> well, we haven't heard, jose, how susan collins. >> or mitch mcconnell. >> plan to vote on his nomination. >> but in. >> a senate. >> where republicans have a four seat majority. >> that might not even matter. the only ones who have been really standing in kash patel's. >> way are democrats. >> they pushed his confirmation hearing in the committee back. by one week. it was a fiery. >> back and forth. >> exchange with not only the top democrat, dick durbin. >> but also the new. >> freshman on the committee, adam schiff, for example, over his apparent firings in the fbi. they said that he apparently perjured himself when he said he had no idea or didn't direct any of the firings at that department or the doj. that was certainly a moment again this morning, as those top democrats held a press conference outside of the fbi. adam schiff calling kash patel a political hack who

would be a yes man for donald trump. that might be a concern for democrats, but nothing really came of this momentum on the republican side of the aisle. to keep kash patel away from the fbi. moderate republicans like thom tillis, for example, have long said that he would be a yes on his nomination. so by all accounts, in the next few hours, we do expect kash patel will be confirmed as trump's fbi director. this is somebody who's been a loyalist to him for several years, an ally. he worked for him during his first administration as well. concerning for democrats, but it does look like he'll make it to that agency, which is the biggest, which is the investigative arm of the doj. jose. >> yeah. i mean, kash patel does appear to be greg, for all intents and purposes, going to pass. what stands out to you? >> well, this is. >> an unorthodox nomination. >> i think. >> to say. >> the. >> least. >> versus the last. several nominated fbi directors since j. >> edgar hoover. >> all of whom, by the way, with, i think, one exception.

>> jim comey received, i. >> think, one no vote. senator rand paul voted no. >> over some. drone question that he. >> wasn't getting answers to. >> but for most. >> of our. >> history, fbi directors have been. >> nominated and confirmed unanimously. >> by the senate. >> it's just been that kind of bipartisan support for nominees. that the. senate examined and found in terms of qualifications, ethics. reputation to be outstanding. most fbi directors. >> have been. >> former senior. >> department of. >> justice officials. >> and or federal judges. >> and so this. >> was an unorthodox nomination, a lot of controversy, a lot of discussion amongst senators as to whether. >> he. truly was the best choice. >> democrats, as you point out. are clearly going to vote no. but it does look like he has has the votes to get to get confirmed. and that will make for a very interesting. situation at the. bureau in. terms of how the workforce agents and others at the fbi will react to this new director.

>> yeah. >> what do you see. >> as the reaction. >> inside the fbi, if kash patel does indeed become the director? >> i think the biggest concern that. >> most folks at the. >> bureau have and at the department of justice generally, in terms of the career people. >> which. >> of course, make up. >> the. >> vast majority. >> of those who work at doj and the fbi. the concern is, is with this myth of the. deep state that has been propagated in an. >> effort to. >> justify this. >> this supposed need. >> to change everything. >> at doj and the fbi because it's broken, it's been politicized, etcetera. that i would submit that is a myth. there's no evidence to support. >> virtually any. >> of the allegations that have been made about. doj and the fbi being. >> partizan or being politicized. >> but of. >> course, if. >> you can't propagate. >> and. >> get people to believe in that myth, it's hard to. >> justify going.

>> in a completely. >> different direction in. >> terms of who ought to be leading the department and the fbi in particular. so let's face it, that. >> effort has been somewhat successful. the votes appear. >> to be there in the senate, although i think behind the scenes republicans. >> do have some. >> concerns, but that doesn't appear to be enough to. >> stop the confirmation at. >> this point. >> greg, just. >> looking into. >> the history. >> of the fbi and i think it's so important what you're what you're outlining about, you know, what is a myth and what is a reality. but but in the fbi's history, and you mentioned him. >> a few times now, i mean, j. >> edgar hoover. certainly was almost quasi independent of the united states government and acted in ways and did things. that one. could very well say. >> were not only. >> unorthodox. >> but highly immoral. >> yeah. and certainly i'm not here to defend j. edgar hoover.

he was the sole reason for so many reforms. >> including the ten. >> year term. for the fbi. director and many other things, wiretapping laws, etcetera. but what's key about the fbi's history and. >> doj's history is. the independence. >> of those. institutions vis a vis the white house. and that. >> has become. >> just part of our system of justice. >> i think americans. >> assume that the department of justice and the fbi are going to act independently, act in a nonpartisan way. in investigating and prosecuting crimes. frankly, that's the only way our. democracy can work. >> and to the extent that that's. >> threatened by recent. >> actions. recent nominations. >> and appointments. i think americans should be concerned. >> congress should. >> be concerned. >> we're not hearing much from. >> congress yet, but i think. >> as time goes on. >> congress will understand. that the independence that has

been taken for granted. >> on the part. >> of doj and the fbi is. >> not. >> something. >> that. >> really can be taken. >> for granted. >> yeah, absolutely. >> okay. >> meanwhile, the president raised eyebrows yesterday when the white house social media account posted this image with the phrase long live the king! after the administration moved to add new york city's congestion pricing. what's this all about? >> look. >> jose. >> the white house officials are basically laughing this. off as a. >> joke. >> yet another. >> joke on social media that is. driving president trump's. >> opponents up. >> a wall. and this comes after remember, during the. >> campaign, he talked about being a dictator on. >> day one. his supporters. >> viewed it as a joke. his opponents, of course, much less so. but this all. >> comes as the administration thinks. >> that it is able. to score these political points on certain issues that are. >> likely to play well. >> for example. >> calling the end of. >> congestion pricing in new york. >> or calling. >> congestion pricing in new

york a slap in the face to working class americans, and they're able to basically thumb their nose at new york authorities. >> in the. >> process, to boot. >> so at this point, the. administration laughing. >> off how this is being received at. >> and julie, meanwhile, the house gop budget resolution is not a done deal yet. do we know why? and what's that looking like? >> no, it's not a done deal, and in large part because there's a very open question if they even have the votes to pass it in the senate. however, even after president trump posted on truth social yesterday, clearly endorsing the house plan, which is that one big, beautiful bill that we keep hearing trump and his allies talk about, which includes immigration, energy, tax cuts, basically everything that trump wants to do over the next year in one package that makes it both easier and harder to get the votes. and speaker johnson's mind, it's easier because he can force his members to vote for things they don't want to vote for in that one bill. but on the senate side,

they are moving ahead, holding a vote tonight, late into the night, leader schumer already promised to make it a painful process for republicans in what's known as a vote a rama up here. essentially, they're going to move forward with their plan, which only really addresses immigration. this is lindsey graham's idea to give the administration immediate relief so they can carry out those mass deportations so they can do what they need to do on the border. the border czar, tom homan, was actually in with senate republicans last week telling them how pressing the need for that funding is. j.d. vance just spoke at cpac this morning, again laying out his vision for the next few months. most americans, i don't think, really care between 1 or 2 bills, but certainly in a process that is extremely political, with republicans in the house having an extremely fragile majority, that is important here. and it is a very open question mark, which road they will ultimately take. but certainly the senate moving ahead while the house remains on recess this week, jose. >> gutierrez. >> julie and greg brower, thank you very much. still ahead, breaking news on wall street. the dow is down more than 500 points. take a look at it. it's

down about 526 points. we'll tell you why. plus, what just happened when president zelensky met with a top u.s. official in kyiv this morning amid the war of words escalating with president trump. we're live in ukraine. plus, hamas releases the bodies of four hostages. take a. >> look. >> at how. >> they did this. >> we're back. >> in 90s. you're watching jose diaz-balart reports on msnbc. >> oh, i. >> hate. >> these things. that's one of the great. >> things about consumer cellular. >> they're 100% us based. >> customer service. >> is also 100% human. you don't. >> have to. oh. >> have to. oh. >> for those 50 and up, g tap into etsy for original and affordable home and style pieces like like lighting under 150 dollars to brighten your vibe. for under 100 dollars, put your best look forward with vintage jackets. or pick up custom shelving for under 50

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unlimited lines for $30 each with consumer cellular. >> 14 past the hour. this morning, the u.s. canceled a joint press conference in kyiv with president zelenskyy as the trump administration's policy toward ukraine has upended us ukraine relations. the us special envoy to ukraine, keith kellogg, met with zelenskyy. earlier today in an nbc news exclusive. we've learned how tensions. between both countries escalated behind the scenes before erupting into the public. last night, president again falsely accused zelenskyy of being a, quote, dictator without elections. this morning, white house national security adviser mike wallace said this about how the trump administration sees ukraine right now, why we're getting. >> this pushback. >> and certainly. >> this. >> kind of, as the. >> vice. >> president said, badmouthing in. >> the press. >> for all. >> the administration. >> has done. >> in his first. >> term as well. >> and all the. >> united states has done. >> for ukraine, is. >> just it's unacceptable.

>> they need. >> to tone it. down and, and. >> and take. >> a hard look and. sign that deal. >> joining us now from eastern ukraine is nbc's richard engel. also with us is steven pifer, former us ambassador to ukraine under president clinton. he is also a nonresident senior fellow at the brookings institute. richard, what's. >> this back. >> and forth? the president of the united. >> states more than once. >> calling the president of ukraine a dictator. how is that playing out there? >> well. >> ukrainians don't want to be in this fight. ukrainians don't believe that they started this fight. they don't believe that there is a back and forth. the way it's seen here is that president trump has gone on the offensive, that president trump has decided he's trying to harm zelensky. he's trying to take him down a notch. he's trying to perhaps force him to the negotiating table or force him to be more flexible. and what president zelensky's office believes is that this goes down

to that deal. you were just talking about that that that mineral deal and a senior ukrainian official described the scene to me. he said that the treasury secretary came. president trump's treasury secretary had a letter and wanted the ukrainians to sign it, wanted president zelensky to sign it on the spot that it was non-negotiable. and in this document, ukraine would agree to give up half of this country's rare earth mineral rights and that president zelensky didn't sign it, and that he was told that trump wants him to and that he's not going to like it. and then shortly afterwards, we start seeing these, these insults. and so far, the only thing that president zelensky has said is he thinks that president trump, unfortunately, is caught in this disinformation bubble. and he's put out numerous statements saying that, you know, for example, the 4% figure that president trump quoted, he said that zelensky

has terrible approval ratings. president zelensky believes that number is from russian propaganda that that was handed to the president, or put in the president's mind by the russian side. so now to hear the national security advisor, mike wallace, flipping the script, saying, well, it is really president zelensky who is on the offensive and they've got to stop this badmouthing. when you look at all that the u.s. do for ukraine, people here are somewhat baffled by all of that. and this is not just a simple war of words. this has serious consequences for ukraine. this country is in a very weak position. it is being attacked daily from by russia, where i am in kharkiv. every few hours we hear the air raid sirens going off. there was an attack not far from here overnight. at least two ukrainian civilians were killed. there were more attacks in in kyiv. this country depends on the united states for air defenses. it depends on the united states for support,

financial support for the military weapons, ammunition, of course. so this is from the ukrainians perspective, much more than a war on words. and they don't believe it was a war of words that that they started, and certainly that they do not want to continue or escalate. >> richard engel in kharkiv, thank you so very much, ambassador, just. >> to start. >> our conversation. what's what's your. analysis of what this. >> new reality. >> is between the trump administration and the president. of ukraine? indeed, actually, the trump administration and the entire nation of ukraine. yeah. >> this is. really we've. >> entered bizarre land. you know, first of all, russia started this war. ukraine did not. >> run it, ukraine did not. >> start it. >> and the idea that zelensky is a dictator under ukrainian. >> law. >> you cannot have elections. while there's. >> martial law. >> ukrainians agreed with that. >> back in last year, when the

presidential election was. >> was postponed and. >> a poll just came out saying. >> that 63%. >> of ukrainians. >> now. >> agree you cannot have elections. >> until the war's end. >> what i'm. trying to. >> understand, though, is why. >> the president is attacking zelensky. >> and on what basis? >> where does he get this nonsense? >> well. >> help us understand what you don't understand. and one of the things is i'm just wondering, i mean, you know. >> for example, we have. to look at. >> statements like this morning, vice president vance responded to criticism over the policy that the trump administration has towards ukraine. he wrote in part on x for three years, president trump and i have made two simple arguments. first, the war wouldn't have started if president trump was in office. second, that neither europe nor the biden administration nor the ukrainians had any pathway to victory. this was true three years ago. it was true two years ago. it was true last year, and it's true today. so is there anything we can read into the vice president's comments to try to show some light onto. the

trump administration thinking on this? well. here's the question. >> if the trump. >> administration really. >> wanted to. >> proceed in. >> a. >> smart way to. >> broker a. >> settlement between. >> russia. >> and ukraine. >> they could do things. >> but right. >> now. >> they're doing. >> they're making mistakes. >> they should. >> have had. the first conversation, not with putin, with zelensky. ukraine has been an american partner for. many years. >> ukraine is a russia. is an adversary. and trump should have. >> an. >> understanding of. >> where zelensky has. >> flexibility and where. >> he does not. >> before going. >> too far down. >> the path with the russians. >> second, trump should have taken steps to build. >> leverage over putin united states right. now because of the. >> assistance we provided to ukraine. we have. >> lots of. >> leverage with kyiv. >> but trump. >> should be building leverage. >> with putin. >> and he could. do that by tightening sanctions, by working with the g7. >> to seize. >> russian central bank assets.

>> $300 billion. >> and by asking congress to provide continued military. assistance to ukraine. >> that would. make clear. >> to putin. >> that if putin does not. >> move. off of. >> his. >> position, which so far is. >> trying to get. >> a. >> negotiation on ukraine's capitulation. >> not a settlement. >> but if the president is not building that leverage and not confronting. >> putin with the. >> fact that if he does not agree. >> to. >> a. >> settlement, he's going. >> to face. >> increasing costs militarily, economically and politically. >> so the problem right now is. >> there's an. >> effort by the united. >> states to. >> broker a settlement. >> but it's making really amateurish mistakes. >> yeah. and i'm just wondering, ambassador. >> with your. >> experience, was the budapest memorandum, which it was under president clinton. was it a mistake? well. >> i helped. negotiate the budapest memorandum. so let me say, i mean, what the budapest memorandum did was it. eliminated 1900 strategic nuclear warheads that were

designed. >> built, deployed. >> to incinerate american cities. so it was a good thing for american interests. >> but i would also argue that for. >> ukraine, look, the ukrainians themselves. >> in 1992. >> asked the question, could we sustain an independent nuclear deterrent? and they concluded. >> they did. >> not have the. >> financing, they did not have the. >> infrastructure. >> so that, you know. >> they. >> would not. >> have been. >> able to. do it on their own. and had ukraine tried to keep. >> nuclear weapons. and i can understand why. >> people now in ukraine are saying, gee, we wish we'd kept those. weapons had they tried, not only would they have had a hard time sustaining. that nuclear capability, but they would have. >> found that it would have been a huge. >> hindrance to ukraine's effort. >> to develop relations with the west. you would not have had things like. >> a us ukraine partnership or a nato relationship with ukraine. >> ambassador steven. >> pifer, i really appreciate your time. thank you for being with us this morning. thank you. >> today.

>> 502 days after. the october 7th massacre, the remains of four israeli hostages have now been returned home. hamas says that three of the remains. released are from. >> the members. >> of the. >> family, including. >> the two. >> youngest hostages. one of them was. just shy of nine months old. >> his brother was. >> just four years old at the time of the attack. hamas says that this saturday will be releasing six living hostages as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal. no agreement yet on the next phase of the agreement. joining us now from tel aviv is nbc's hala gorani. hala, what's been the reaction. >> there to. >> the. >> return of the remains of. these hostages? and there were. >> such grotesque. >> moments there in gaza for a bit. >> well. >> there was that big stage managed production that hamas. >> has been. >> essentially showing the world. projecting this image. >> of continued.

>> strength inside the gaza strip, that they are capable of organizing these big events. in this case, there were these black clad coffins containing the remains. >> of what we believe. are three. >> members of the family. you mentioned the youngest hostages were 8 or 9 months old when he was abducted alongside his mother and four year old brother. and by the way, i just wanted to let you know that just minutes ago, we were told by the prime minister's office that the remains of the fourth body that was handed back, oded, were identified, and that it is indeed, we are being told. oded, 84 years old, 83 years old when he was abducted. we had spoken last week to. his daughter, sharon sharon, who said that she believed that he was quite frail and that she would have been surprised if he'd been able to survive more than a year in hamas captivity. but today is a very different atmosphere. to

last saturday, for example, when live hostages are being handed back to authorities here. these are obviously the remains of their deceased. and it is kind of placing a lot of urgency as well on authorities and pressure to really go to stage two, because it's becoming quite obvious that every single day that passes puts the lives. >> of. >> those who are still alive in danger. jose. >> hala gorani in tel aviv, thank you so very much. and there's breaking news from capitol hill. let's go right to nbc's. >> julie. >> sirkin on capitol hill. julie, what are we learning? >> well, big news, but certainly not unexpected. mitch mcconnell, who is the longest serving party leader on either side of the aisle, announced today on his 83rd birthday that he will not seek reelection in 2026. now, this was expected, but he makes it official today. and this is notable for so many reasons. of course, he is 83 years old. he's had some health concerns,

especially over the last year. he's actually in a wheelchair right now. that's how he gets around the capitol, something he's refused to do. he's a polio survivor and so his balance has always been shaky. but just in terms of the legacy that he's been able to cement here, we've seen during the first month, frankly, of the second trump administration that he voted against key nominees of president trump, including pete hegseth, including tulsi gabbard, the way he votes on kash patel later today in the confirmation vote is still an open question, but mcconnell has really taken a stand against trump, especially when it comes to foreign policy. this is somebody who, over the next year and a half, jose is going to have power as the top republican on the defense subcommittee, on the appropriations committee, that essentially means that he will go face to face with pete hegseth, with the pentagon, with defense spending. this is important for mcconnell, as he is somebody who has cemented his legacy around his foreign policy chops. this is somebody who's the old guard of the republican party that we don't really see

in the new freshman class in terms of his support of ukraine and his continued support of that country, especially as the president has made disparaging comments about president zelensky and certainly mcconnell in private and certainly in public. not a fan of how trump is going about all of this. but this is, of course, a monumental day. it is an official day for mcconnell. he has some bad blood, certainly not secret with trump. he's been ostracized and pushed out essentially of leadership because of that. but he has taken his role behind the scenes quite seriously, as i've already laid out. and we will see in just a few moments when he takes to the floor and gives his floor speech about his decision, what he will have to say there. but it's also important to remember that while mcconnell has taken this role as the trump opposition in chief here, he is not somebody who voted to convict him during his second impeachment trial and perhaps gave way to the second trump term, something of course mcconnell long did not support, but ultimately came around last year and made some amends with

the president and supported him ultimately in his position there. >> jose julie sirkin on capitol hill, thank you very much. and there is breaking news on the economy and the economic front. the dow has fallen. it's fallen more than 500 points after retail giant walmart issued a lackluster forecast, about 581 points down at this hour. nbc's brian chung joins us now. brian, what is this all about? >> yeah, jose, that amounts. >> to just over 1% in terms of a drop on. >> the dow. >> not necessarily anything. >> that's too, you know, unremarkable. >> but it is nonetheless. the case. >> that when we take a look at. >> walmart earnings. >> they're issuing. >> a warning. >> about what the economy looks like. this is obviously one of the largest retailers. >> in the country. >> and they issued. >> earnings this. >> morning that were actually pretty good on both revenue. >> and net income. >> they did beat. the wall street estimates, but it's their. forecast for what the fiscal year ahead is going to look like. that caused. investors to, you know, start to sell off the stock a little bit as walmart shares are now down over 6%, a little bit steeper

when. >> the market. >> actually opened up earlier this morning. >> but the company. >> said that it's only. >> expecting net sales to increase by 3 to. >> 4% in the. >> next fiscal year. >> perhaps below. >> what. wall street economists. >> and what analysts. >> had been expecting. >> for this company. and this is so. significant because obviously walmart is such a bellwether for what the overall u.s. economy looks like, especially given this conversation about this quote unquote, k-shaped economy, where you have lower income people that are continually squeezed by inflation, although there has been improvement on the overall rate of inflation in this country, obviously, high prices still weighing on a lot of americans, as also the egg prices continue to get a lot of attention. but the cfo at walmart did tell our partners over at cnbc that their forecast didn't really reflect. >> any sort of, quote. >> sharp changes, but they did acknowledge that there's a lot of uncertainty. >> in the. >> geopolitical landscape. is the way they describe it likely referring to tariff policies under. >> this administration. >> which could threaten. to raise costs further if american. companies like, for example, walmart. have to front a higher bill. to bring products from other countries into the united

states. it's uncertain as to whether or not that was part of the forecast that they offered out there. but nonetheless, shares of walmart down over 6% and obviously dragging the rest of the stock market marginally down as well. >> with. >> the dow down over 1%. jose. >> brian chang, thank. >> you very much. up next, what we know about the new. executive order ending any federal benefits for undocumented immigrants. plus, we'll talk to a senior attorney from the michigan immigrants rights center that's being ordered to stop helping children who cross the border without their parents. you're watching jose parents. you're watching jose diaz-balart reports on 7 million us businesses rely on tiktok to compete. within a week of posting, i had over $25,000 in sales. i don't have a million dollars to put towards marketing and branding. tiktok was the way and it saved my company. we had a video do really good this week. sales were up 29%. about 80% of my business right now is from tiktok. small businesses thrive on tiktok. tiktok brings in so much

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procedural process continues there at the floor of the senate after this procedural vote concludes, we are told that senator kentucky senator mitch mcconnell will be addressing the senate floor. we will, of course, monitor all of this for you as this continues. but overnight in a trump immigration crackdown, a federal appeals court in california blocked the president's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, setting the stage for the case to reach the u.s. supreme court. that ruling came as the president signed an executive order that stops taxpayer money from being used to help undocumented immigrants. meantime, the trump administration has told organizations that provide federally funded legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children to stop that service. with us now is nbc news homeland security correspondent julia ainsley. julia. good morning. so what's next for the

president's executive order limiting birthright citizenship? >> well. >> it keeps. >> facing block. >> after block. >> in. >> this case, jose. >> the ninth. >> circuit court. >> of appeals, which. >> has historically. >> been a. >> more. >> liberal bench, has said that they will not take. >> up. >> the trump. >> they will not agree with what the. >> trump. administration is. asking them. >> to do, which is to put. >> back. >> in place this executive. >> order that. would ban birthright citizenship. >> for anyone born in this country, unless their parents. >> were legally and. >> permanently allowed. >> to be. >> here. >> at least one of those parents. >> they won't put that back. >> in place that it. >> needs to. remain with that temporary. >> restraining order, that. >> preliminary injunction put. >> in. place by the judge. in seattle. >> we know a number of other. >> district level judges. >> have done that as well, including right near here in maryland. >> i have to say. >> jose. >> what this. >> means, and we've. >> said this. >> time. >> and time again. >> on this case. >> is it's looking. >> more likely. >> to go to the. >> supreme court, and this even opens. >> the door even. >> wider for that to happen. >> more quickly. because the trump administration could. >> make an emergency. appeal to the supreme.

>> court so we could. >> end up. >> hearing sooner. >> rather than. >> later from the nation's. >> highest court on whether or not this incredibly. >> historically changing. >> executive order. >> on who gets to. >> be. >> a citizen. >> when they're born in this. >> country could be decided, jose. >> yeah. and then meanwhile, and, you know, you just filed a story recently about legal organizations told to stop federally funded work for unaccompanied migrant children, also through an executive order. what impact is this having? >> yeah. >> they. >> got to stop. >> work order. >> we knew. >> jose early on that that. >> meant they. >> were. ending the. >> know your. >> rights. >> presentations for. immigrants when they come in. >> and they're held. >> in detention. >> so many of them might not even. >> know that. they could. >> access a lawyer. >> although it's not given. >> to. >> adults freely. >> but historically. >> what has. >> happened is federal funding. >> has gone out to legal. >> aid. >> organizations to provide. >> legal counsel for. >> children. >> especially when we started. >> seeing an influx of. >> unaccompanied children coming across the border. >> in 2014. >> there were. >> children. >> toddlers with. teddy bears in. >> front of judges. >> in immigration courts. >> across this country.

>> jose. >> and so federal. >> funds went to nonprofits to allow lawyers to represent those children. now, what i'm told by a source. >> familiar is that. >> yes, children. >> can still. >> have lawyers, but. >> if they're. not federally. >> funded, those. >> groups are. >> at a significant disadvantage. and without. >> those know your. >> rights presentations. >> and other ways. >> that historically been. >> funded. >> it's hard. >> to see. >> how those lawyers and those. children are going. >> to. >> get connected. so it's something to watch for. if we see. >> more toddlers. >> with teddy bears in those courtrooms. >> indeed, julia. >> so what does the law say about immigrants being granted or guaranteed a lawyer? >> well, they're. >> not it's. >> not the. >> same way as if an american citizen. were facing a criminal. >> charge in a u.s. court. >> they are not guaranteed. free legal counsel. >> all that. >> happened is. >> that these. >> lawyers were. getting some. >> federal funding. >> to be able. >> to go. >> out. >> and provide some representation. >> but i've spoken. >> to immigration. >> lawyers who. >> are always. >> at their max.

>> and they. >> cannot get to everyone. and whether or not. >> someone has a. >> lawyer in their. >> case, not only can. >> help them make. >> their case for asylum, jose, but historically it means that those immigrants. >> are much more. >> likely 99%. >> likely to show. >> up for their asylum case. >> so in a. >> way, it helps. >> the system. >> because as. >> immigrants are more likely. >> to check. >> in and go back. >> in front of a judge. >> rather than abscond without a decision. >> in their case. >> yeah. and then just think of it if what we're talking about is children. but julia ainsley, thank you so very much. really appreciate it. and with us now on senior managing attorney of the michigan immigrant rights center, which provides legal assistance to unaccompanied migrant children in the u.s, or one of several organizations impacted by the trump administration's stop work order. ana, raquel, thank you so much for being with us. so what exactly is the michigan immigrant rights center and what does it do? >> yeah. >> thank you so much for having. >> us to speak about. >> this really. horrendous stop work order. >> and so. >> michigan immigrant. >> rights center is a legal services. organization that

provides legal services to. >> children and other noncitizens who have suffered. >> abuse. trafficking and persecution. >> and we. >> receive some of this federal funding and serve over 800 children at. >> this. >> moment and more, hundreds more every year through know your rights presentations, legal services to help protect them from abuses within the systems and represent them before the adversarial immigration system, where they are facing. hearings and need to. present themselves. >> on their. >> own if we were not there to accompany them. and so this stop work order has affected us, as well as many other nonprofit organizations. about 26,000 children across the country are now do not have funding for legal services that they were otherwise receiving. and so for many organizations, that may mean they close their doors pretty immediately. for us, we have a very small reserve that we are using to try to do the most we can for these children as long as we can, but without federal funding, it is just not possible to sustain this work on

behalf of children. >> so let's let's if you would help us understand and focus, if you would, on the people that you serve and who are they and what is it that they are going through? and now after this stop work order, does it mean that when you explain to us what they have to go through, that they are going to essentially not have access. to someone who can help them through what they have to go through? >> yeah. >> so these are children that have come to this country without an adult or guardian with them at that time. so they're unaccompanied, they're vulnerable. they range in. age from itty bitty babies to teenagers. we've been gone to court with children as young as ten months old, particularly during the family separation crisis. they are initially within the federal custodial

system. they are alone in there and have rights that should be honored, but need advice and information about making sure they make use of those rights and they are receiving those, and then they are going to court, which is an adversarial system. and the immigration court is not easy to navigate. >> for anybody. >> much less a child. and as already discussed, we or those individuals are not entitled to free representation in immigration court. and so if this funding is not there, merck and other organizations cannot accompany children in the long term in these hearings. and so where they would be entitled to, they should be entitled under our law to due process to be able to access the court and make their case for protection from the abuses that they have faced. there are many opportunities for them to seek those, but without a lawyer, it's practically impossible for

anybody, much less a child. and as the earlier reporter mentioned, these kids come to court with teddy bears. we use a court set of dolls to try to explain to these children what it. what it looks like to go to immigration court and these and that. that's the picture of the courts that we use so that these children who may not have a concept. >> of. >> a legal system, much less this particular element of the law, begin to understand who's in that room, what we would do on their behalf. and so a child who needs a doll set to begin to understand it cannot even begin to navigate their own case and explain that to the judge and, and all of the nuances of the law. and so without our representation and that of other organizations, they would be left to return to very difficult situations and would not have due process guaranteed under the law. >> and ana. >> just to give us an idea how much federal funding does your

organization receive and do you have any recourse? >> so about 80% of our funding is this funding that was stopped with the stop work order. and so we are hopeful or we are wishing that the congress would act and would take measures to restore this funding and have oversight over the stop work order, because these children are entitled to representation under the law or under some legal services. under the trafficking victims protection reauthorization act. and the stop work order undermines that. and so we are hopeful that congress would step in. >> cal devereaux, thank you very much. really appreciate it. thank you. up next, a measles outbreak in texas growing by the day. we'll talk to one of the doctors treating pediatric patients. you're watching that senate floor right now where the clerk: mr. booker, no. senate floor right now where the clerk: mr. booker, no. mr. blumenthal, no.

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hill. julie, the procedural vote for kash patel as the fbi head of the fbi. how's that going? >> well, it's still going. it's still open. and so far, the only no vote on the republican side of the aisle is susan collins. though i will note that mitch mcconnell, who just announced that he will not seek an eighth term. this is somebody who's been in the senate for seven, six year terms, who also was the longest serving party leader on either side of the aisle. he has not yet cast his vote for kash patel. but if we've seen if what we've seen from the last few weeks, he voted against pete hegseth, he voted against tulsi gabbard. he's really been taking a stand, one of the only republicans to do so against trump, not trump's nominee. some of the more controversial ones who are seen as loyalists and

who are seen as not those who typically lead these agencies, as you mentioned, of course, with kash patel atop the fbi, other fbi directors have received near-unanimous votes, including chris wray, who had a lot of support on both sides of the aisle, and kash patel's case. certainly, we are not seeing that democrats all expected to vote against him. but in the senate, as we've discussed, republicans have a four seat majority with jd vance able to break a tie. it does not look like kash patel will face major hurdles today, and in the next few hours, we expect a final confirmation vote to take place. and also, we're watching mitch mcconnell's floor speech on the floor, talking more about his decision to retire here. jose. >> julie sirkin on capitol hill, thank you very much. and now to texas, where a measles outbreak is growing across the northwestern part of the state. officials reporting 58 new cases over the past three weeks, mainly in school age children who have not been vaccinated. 13 have been hospitalized, and they suspect up to 300 more people

are infected but have not yet been tested. joining us now is doctor laura johnson, chief medical officer of covenant health in lubbock, texas. doctor, thank you so much for being with us this morning. you've been treating measles patients. what are you seeing at your hospital? >> yes. >> we've had many patients admitted. mostly they're. requiring admission. >> for respiratory issues. so needing supplemental. >> oxygen. >> sometimes high. >> flow oxygen. and we've had a number of patients. >> we've been taking care of over these past several weeks. >> and who is getting infected? >> sure. >> all the patients that we. >> have. >> taken care. >> of have been unvaccinated. >> measles is highly contagious. >> and the. >> best way to control the spread. >> of measles is. >> through vaccination. so when there. are susceptible patients. >> who are potentially. >> exposed. >> it's very easy. >> for that. >> infection to occur.

>> and so doctor, tell us a little bit more about measles. what are the symptoms. and you say it's easily transmitted. how easily. >> yeah it's. >> it's. >> one of. >> the more. >> contagious viruses. >> that we deal with. >> and it. >> is an airborne. >> virus. meaning it's spread in. >> the air. >> and can remain in the environment for. about two hours. >> after someone who. >> had a contagious. >> case. >> of measles was in the space. so the. symptoms that. >> we see. >> are fever. >> and then. some respiratory symptoms. >> red eyes, very. >> congested stuffy nose and cough. and then a rash that tends. >> to start on the. >> face and then spreads. throughout the body. >> those are. >> the classic. >> symptoms that we. >> associate with this. >> so doctor. >> you're saying that. >> this this. >> thing can be floating around the air for up to two hours. so is it because someone coughs? is it because. and so what can we

as parents do? i mean, there are so many issues we can do. one main one. but tell us what? how this thing stays there for two hours and how do you get rid of it? and then what can we do to protect our kids? >> yeah, absolutely. >> you know. >> the. most important thing is immunization. >> so if your child is. >> up to. >> date on their. >> immunizations. >> that's the. >> most important thing. >> we can do. >> in terms. of both preventing. >> the illness for. yourself or. >> your kids, but. then also in. >> terms of. reducing the outbreak and the. >> spread here. >> in west texas. and additionally, you know, it is a. >> respiratory season. >> in general. >> cold and flu and. >> all. >> of. >> those kinds of things. >> and so. >> you know, good handwashing and being mindful of those things is a good additional step to take. but the reason measles is such. >> a. >> problem is because. >> it is so. >> contagious. >> because it is very easy to be. spread from person to person. now we're. >> public health authorities. >> are working.

>> very hard. >> on tracing. >> potential contacts and exposures. when we do identify a case. >> and so being. >> you know, being. >> mindful of that, if. >> you. >> do have someone reach out saying. >> that you were. >> exposed to measles, then you'll. >> be given advice. >> as. >> to next steps. doctor. >> thank you very much for being with us this morning. appreciate it. >> absolutely. >> thank you. >> up next, we're expecting republican senator mitch mcconnell to speak on the senate floor any minute now after his office announced he would not seek reelection next year. you're watching jose diaz balart you're watching jose diaz balart reports on msnbc. 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.

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>> i was now. >> a consumer cellular. >> customer. >> and i've been bragging. >> to my. >> friends about. >> it. >> mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kentucky. mr. mcconnell: i've never liked calling too much attention to today's date, february 20. but i figured my birthday would be as good a day as any to share with our colleagues a decision i made last year. during my time in the senate, i've only really answered to two constituencies. the republican conference and the people of kentucky. over the years the first group trusted me to coordinate cam campaigns, to count votes, to

steer committees, to take the majority and on nine occasions to lead our conference. serving as a republican leader was a rare and, yes, rather specific childhood dream. and just about a year ago, i thanked my colleagues for their confidence which allowed me to fulfill it. to the distinguished members of this body, i've had the privilege to lead and i remain deeply, deeply grateful. today, however, it's appropriate for me to speak about an even deeper allegiance and even longer standing gratitude. seven times fellow kentuckyians have sent me to the senate.

every day in between i've been humbled by the trust they placed in me to do their business right here. representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a li lifetime. i will not seek this honor an eighth time. my current term in the senate will be my last. i've been a student of history my entire life. i can't remember the last time that i didn't have a stack of biographies or political memoirs on my nightstands. -- nightstand. i know how tempting it can be to read history with a sense of determineism.

assuming that somehow notorious failures were inevitable, that crowning triumphs were predestined. in either case, that lives and careers follow ed orderly paths. this of course isn't how things work. and i never had to look further than my own life to recognize it. i've never lost sight of the fact that without my mother's devoted care, a childhood encounter with polio could have turned out a lot worse. that unless my father had taken a job in the bluegrass state, my interest in politics might have run a course somewhere else.

if it weren't for an 11th-hour outside the box idea on the campaign trail, my senate career would have been over before it began. or that if not for the people of ken kentucky, time and again agreeing that leadership delivers and elected me to send back here, it would have been someone else from somewhere else taking that seat at the table where i've had a chance to work, strategize, fight, and win. i grew up reading about the greatness of henry clay. but there were times when the prospect of etching my name into his desk in this chamber felt

like more of a long shot than making it to the major leagues. i got a front row seat to the greatness of senator john sherman cooper of kentucky as a summer intern in his office. but at so many moments in my early career, the idea of following in his footsteps felt more distant than the moon. so the only appropriate thing to take away today apart from my healthy dose of pride is my immense gratitude for the opportunity to take part in the consequential business of the senate and the nation. gratitude to the people i repr

represent, kentucky's families and farmers and miners and servicemembers and small business owners, gratitude to loyal friends, dedicated volunteers, and talented staff who helped me serve much better. gratitude to this institution that has repaid my devotion so generously over the years and to so many colleagues who have become great friends. gratitude for my family's sup support. and in particular, my ultimate teammate and confidant of the last 32 years, elaine's leadership and wise counsel in her own right have made her the most