momentum from wednesday night's debate to try to break his strong hold on the gop race nbc's gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: the general election campaign appears to be under way. >> trump says the constitution gave him, quote, the right to do whatever he wants as president >> reporter: sharpening his rhetoric against gop frontrunner donald trump and his support hers outside phoenix president biden framed the 2024 race in stark terms. something dangerous happening in america now. there's an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs in our democracy the maga movement. >> reporter: this was his fourth speech hammering former president trump as a danger to democracy since the capitol attack on january 6. but the latest nbc news poll shows voters are evenly split on whether republicans or democrats would bet would better protect democracy and also a dead heat between the president and donald trump >> crooked joe is siding with the left-wing crazies who will destroy automobile manufacturing and will destroy our country itself >> reporter: while in california, seven republica

here's gabe gutierrez. ♪ >> reporter: kicking off a month-long college tour across eight states, viceresident kamala harris courting young voters in virginia and today in north carolina >> when you vote, you have the ability to determine the future of our country >> reporter: the biden administration focusing on issues such as abortion rights, gun safety, and climate change as it prepares for a grueling general election fight according to a recent nbc news poll, just 41% of registered voters, ages 18 to 34, had a favorable view of the president. just 35% had a positive view of the vice president still, young voters do say they'd vote for president biden over gop front-runner donald trump by a wide margin >> biden or trump? >> biden >> biden >> reporter: but with more than three-fourths of americans thinking there should be a maximum age limit for elected officials, the issue is looming large in this campaign >> i think it is a concern because, you know, we don't want to be, like, you know, voting for him, and then he may not actually, like, be able to serve the full term. >> reporter:

lester >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> we'll take a turn now to the supreme court. a new financial disclosure today from justice clarence thomas, revealing he accepted three trips from a billionaire friend who is a large republican donor laura jarrett joins us now. laura, justice thomas putting out the new disclosure, also taking aim at some of his critics. >> reporter: yes, lester this was long-awaited, as justice thomas today officially d disclosed several pry vault jet rides he accepted from that conservative mega-donor harlan crow last year. their friendship has been under heavy scrutiny, after reports about all the luxury trips thomas hadn't does closed for years. now, his property sales to crow also now detailed for the first time now, thomas' lawyer says any errors in reporting were just inadvertent mistakes, as the disclosure rules were recently clarified. at least one of those rides from last year thomas says he took was because of security risks after that draft opinion leaked, the one overturning roe versus wade he said he never took any gifts from anyone

gabe gutierrez, nbc news >>> we head to washington now two more members of the far right proud boys were sentenced today for their roles in the january 6th attack dominic pezzola, who was caught on camera smashing a capitol window with a stolen riot shield, received ten years, and ethan nordean, the group's seattle leader, received 18 years tying the longest sentence for the attack. >>> sticking in washington, we turn to the key republican now questioning if gop senate leader mitch mcconnell is fit to serve after that alarming moment when he appeared to freeze at an event. ali vitali with the late details >> reporter: tonight, republicans taking on their own. >> the senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country. i mean, you know, mitch mcconnell has done some great things, and he deserves credit, but you have to know when to leave. >> reporter: that scathing new shot from presidential contender nikki haley after senator mitch mcconnell froze for more than 30 seconds wednesday at an event in kentucky. >> all right, i'm sorry, you all, we're going to need a minute >> reporter:

lester. >> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you for that. >>> in just 60 seconds, the video sparkingrage. a school worker appearing to hit a 3-year-old with special needs. >>> and the wild horses in the west. why they are at the center of controversy tonight. but a little metamucil everyday can help. metamucil's psyllium fiber gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down and also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic. lighten everyday the metamucil way. feel less sluggish & weighed down after just 14 days. sign up for the 2 week challenge at metamucil.com dude, what're you doing? i'm protecting my car. that's too much work. weathertech is so much easier... laser-measured floorliners up here, seat protector and cargoliner back there... nice! out here, side window deflectors... and mud flaps... and the bumpstep, to keep the bumper dent-free. cool! it's the best protection for your vehicle, new or pre-owned. great. but where do i---? order. weathertech.com. sfx: bubblewrap bubble pop

gabe gutierrez is in michigan with late details. >> reporter: in a historic visit, a u.s. president on the picket line, throwing his full-throated support behind the striking united auto workers. >> you gave up a lot, and the companies were in trouble. but now they're doing incredibly well, and guess what? you should be doing incredibly well too. >> reporter: president biden and the general motors plant outside detroit, wearing a uaw hat, and standing shoulder to shoulder with union president shawn fain. >> it's about the auto workers who are part of the fabric of the working class of this country. >> reporter: the union has a number of demands, including 40% pay hikes. today the president said he supports bargaining for that. each automaker offering roughly 20% raises. the white house has not been directly involved in the negotiations. >> do you think the president has been as involved as he should have been during this whole process? >> no, i don't. >> reporter: ford worker tamika ellis thinks the president should have come sooner. >> i know he is busy and he has a sched

negotiations with all three automakers continue lester >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> we're following some breaking news right now. let's get these late details. >> lester, good evening from los angeles, where the writers guild of america just announced their strike is over, and writers can go back to work as soon as tomorrow. the agreement with studios and streamers, which is expected to soon be ratified by the union, effectively ends the nearly five-month long strike that shut down hollywood. details of the deal are just starting to come in. they include a pay raise of about 13% compounded over three years. protection around the use of a.i., a big sticking point and larger payouts of streaming residuals. it's a major step in ending the lockout that has crippled hollywood. a senior member of sag-aftra also tells nbc news that the writers deal could lead to movement in the stalled negotiation between the actors union and studios and streamers. they're optimistic that talks could resume as early as this week, in hopes of bringing hollywood back into action by thanksgiving lester, back

gabe gutierrez for us. 's an alternative to epi-pen. dr. natalie azar is here with more. dr. natalie, good morning. >> good morning. >> this is a big deal because a lot of kids don't like those shots. some people are afraid to administer the shot. is it the same medicine? it's just the way it's being delivered. >> yeah, it is. it is basically the equivalent of what you would get in an epi-pen fwhu a nasal spray version. this is important. think about the scope of this, guys. there are over 200,000 anaphylactic reactions every single year in this country. one of the things that people cite a lot is they're not sure how to use the epi pen. they're afraid of the needle, that kind of thing. so what is this? it's, again, the same medicine but in a nasal spray. it is needle free. it's easy to carry and it's easy to use. we think that will facilitate people actually making use of it. >> it will be good for kids. i was wondering in a setting where you absolutely need the epi-pen, sometimes kids might be flailing aro

>> gabe gutierrez joins us now. chief white house correspondent. congratulations. some new reporting about the trip home for these former prisoners. what have you learned? >> reporter: as you said this was a dramatic homecoming here at this army base, early this morning and you saw that video of those family members basically running to catch up with their loved ones who they hadn't seen in several years and this prisoner swap came after years of tense negotiations with iran and according to a source close to one of those relative families the source said that they had wine on the chartered plane ride home. this was one of the best glasses of wine he had ever had because of these last few years of captivity, so difficult and so traumatic. now, we also heard from the brother of one of those prisoners as well on the tarmac right after the reunion. take a listen to what he had to say. >> the nightmare is finally over, i've dreamt about this moment. we haven't had this moment in over eight years. it really is unbelievable. >> reporter: kate, as you know, this swap has

gabe gutierrez is at the nearby plant. gabe, the uaw president called this an historic moment. tell us more about it. >> hi there, chris. yes. the president sean feign calling it an historic moment and standing shoulder to shoulder with president biden who seemed somewhat removed. that changed today. president biden using literally a presidential bull horn to give his full throated support of the uaw. of course, the union demanding among other things a 40% pay increase. president biden at a gm plant not far from here standing shoulder to shoulder with those workers. take a listen at some of what he had to say. >> save the automobile industry back in 2008 and before. made a lot of sacrifices. gave up a lot. and companies were in trouble. but now they're doing incredibly well. and guess what. you should be doing incredibly well, too. >> yeah! >> that is something we've been hearing from the white house the last several days. this idea that the u.s. auto industry, these union members sacrificed during the tough economic times in 2008 and 2009. i was actually covering the uaw at th

. >> with us now to talk about this tom llamas in eagle pass, texas and gabe gutierrez.re you seeing? >> reporter: we're seeing waves of migrants come through eagle pass. about 15 minutes ago i would say dozens of migrants, mostly adult men, a couple families as well walked through eagle pass. the interesting thing is we're seeing texas highway patrol go up and down the rio grande. just behind me there are some mexican law enforcement officials on that side of the rio grande. nobody is stopping these migrants as they cross over. they're simply walking through any opening they see. the question a lot of people are having is why now, why here? from the migrants we spoke to there were a lot of rumors going around. the biden administration entered that new policy where you have to apply for asylum in a different country. you can't come to the u.s. and apply for asylum. they say the app wasn't working. they grew frustrating. they heard rumors at eagle pass you could jump through. other people telling me they heard rumors they were allowing families in. a mother came from hond

.: joining us now is gabe gutierrez at the white house. gabe, good morning. so this is just happening right now, but these fiver americans have been held in a hotel in iran for a month now. what do we know about what the deal is and how it all came about? >> reporter: this deal had been going on for quite some time, underway for several years. nbc news first reported on these negotiations earlier this year in february. this is the moment that their families have been waiting for, and we're just actually getting a written statement now from president biden just within the last few moments, he says, today five innocent americans who were imprisoned in iran are finally coming home. they will soon be reuniting with their loved one after enduring years of suffering. we are grateful to partners at home and abroad for their tireless efforts to help us achieve this outcome including the governments of qatar, oman, switzerland, and south korea. this is something we've been reporting on for the last several days. we are seeing for the first time those new images of tho

gabe gutierrez is joining us this morning from the white house. , good morning talk to us about this new tps extension. >> reporter: yeah, jose. as you saw there, this is a humanitarian crisis that is affecting people coming to this country, just emotional from that migrant there this change to tps comes as the biden administration faced increasing pressure, from local cities, new york officials who said this influx of migrants of the last several months has devastated their economies and so, yes, the biden administration now announcing that any venezuelan that got here before july 31st will get temporary protected status, that will protect them from deportation and will give them easier access to work. critics of this policy say this could incentivize more venezuelans to come here, that is incentivizing migrants to come to the u.s. and republicans, of course, have been criticizing the biden administration for what they see as lax border policies now leading to this influx the numbers had dropped several months ago they're on the rise, especially i

senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez is in wayne, michigan, maggie vespa 35 miles away in center line, michigan. gabe, start us off. the white house says president biden, the first president in modern history to visit a picket line will be there shortly. talk about why the president wanted to make this trip, which we should note comes ahead of trump's speech to uaw workers just tomorrow. >> reporter: yeah, ana, good morning. the white house is denying that both things had anything to do with one another. they say the president is coming here to show his support for autoworkers. president biden, of course, has been -- considers himself the most pro union president ever. he went to a picket line back in 2019 as a candidate, but, again, as you said, this is very significant because this is his first time as a sitting president, coming here. i want to show you where we're at. we're in wayne, michigan, a ford plant where the workers have actually been out here since this morning for the better part of two weeks and actually i had spoken with this worker here, jr, right? you work

joining us now nbc senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez in tempe, arizona. dowd. so what are we expecting to hear from the president today, gabe? >> reporter: hi there, chris, good afternoon. as you mentioned, the president is expected to pay homage to democracy and bipartisanship here in arizona and also honoring the late john mccain as well. the white house releasing transcripts, excerpts overnight of this speech, and while those excerpts do not show the president naming his likely rival donald trump by name, it does really show him painting the 2024 presidential election in very stark terms. accordinto one of those exce the president is expected to say there iso question that today's republican party is driven and intimidated by maga extremists. their extreme agenda, if carried out, would fundamentally alter the institutions of american democracy as we know it. the president also expected to announce federal funds for the building of a mccain library here in arizona. again, his speech is expected to get underway in aboutt an hour. >>> i wonder matthew, th

gabe gutierrez is on the scene in wayne, michigan. john nichols is national affairs correspondent at the nation. and cornell belcher is the democratic pollster, founder of brilliant corners research and msnbc political analyst. so, gabe, set the scene for us where you are. >> reporter: hi there, chris. good afternoon. first, i want to talk about something that just happened a few minutes ago. not sure if we have been able to turn the video around. president biden landing here in michigan, on the tarmac, being greeted by uaw president shawn fain. a show of solidarity from the uaw president, which, over the past couple of weeks there had been some questioning about exactly how close the relationship was between the uaw and the white house. the biden administration always saying that president biden does support union workers, but early on in this strike, which is now 12 days old, there was some indication by the white house that they didn't really want to antagonize the big three automakers as you hear the horns in the background, people

let's bring in nbc white house correspondent gabe gutierrez.mething about missiles, right? >> reporter: yeah, ana, good morning. you mentioned the $325 billion -- or million dollar security package that has already been reported on. the president mention that had includes artillery rounds and antitank weapons. we're also just learning according to nbc news citing mee three u.s. officials and a congressional official familiar with the discussions that yesterday president biden informed president zelenskyy that the u.s. does plan to provide a small number of atacms, those long range guided missiles ukraine has been asking for. it's not clear how many atacms they will provide or when they will be delivered or when it will be announced. the officials did say the president made it clear to zelenskyy that will happen at some point in the future. now my colleague courtney kube has been speaking with officials at the pentagon, and they say that there had been some concern about the stockpile of atacms here in the u.s. and also they had also talked abou

joining us from tempe, arizona, senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez.l us about what you saw there today and how this message dove tails with the president's reelection campaign? >> reporter: as you just saw it was an emotional and sobering speech, and he actually went much further than he has before attacking not just trumpism and the maga movement, but donald trump himself. he used his name at least once during this speech, and it was a very powerful setting here, and in doing so in arizona, announcing the federal funding for this mccain library. now, i mentioned it was emotional in the room when president biden talked about his long friendship, decade's long friendship with john mccain, there was an audible reaction in the room. choked up about how john mccain was lost to cancer much like his son beau. he transitioned, going further than he has in speeches on this topic, talking not just about threats to democracy and the extremism of the maga movement but also mentioning donald trump by name, and saying that he believes he's above the constitution.

president biden took his most aggressive swing yet against former president trump and his supporters gabe gutierrez reports tonight from arizona >> reporter: tonight, the general election campaign appears to be under way. >> trump says the constitution gave him, quote, the right to do whatever he wants as president. >> reporter: sharpening his rhetoric against gop front-runner donald trump and his supporters, today, outside phoenix, president biden again framed the 2024 race in stark terms. >> something dangerous happening in america now there's an extremist movement that does not share the basic believes in our democracy. the maga movement. >> reporter: this was his fourth speech hammering former president trump as a danger to democracy since the capitol attack on january 6th. but the latest nbc news poll shows voters are evenly split on whether republicans or democrats would better protect democracy. and also a dead heat, a potential race between biden and trump. with the former president in michigan last night skipping the gop debate, and taking on mr. biden. >> crooked joe is siding with the le

we will start with gabe gutierrez. he's in wayne, michigan, just outside detroit. orning. what are we expecting from the president today? >> reporter: hey, hoda. good morning. president biden is expected to physically join the picket lines here in michigan alongside uaw president, shawn fain. it is a significant moment because the white house says this is the first time a sitting president has visited a picket line in modern times. when asked whether he supports the union's demand of a 32-hour workweek, president biden saying yesterday that these workers deserve to share in the benefits that the industry has seen in recent years. and that he always supports the uaw. this comes just one day before former president trump is planning to skip the gop primary debate and address union workers here instead. the white house is denying that mr. trump's visit to michigan had anything to do -- excuse me, president biden's visit to michigan had anything to do with president trump's -- former president trump's trip and the trump campaign is calling biden's visit a cheap photo op

gabe gutierrez has the details >> reporter: in a historic visit, a u.s. president on the picket line throwing full-throated support behind the united auto workers. >> gave up a lot and the companies were in trouble. now they're doing incredibly well, and guess what you should be doing incredibly well, too. >> reporter: president biden at a general motors plant outside detroit wearing a uaw plant, standing shoulder to shoulder with shawn fain. >> it's about the auto workers who are part of the fabric of the working class of this country. >> reporter: the union has a demand that includes 40% pay hikes. the white house has not been directly involved in the negotiations do you think the president has been as involved as he should have been during this whole process? >> no, i don't >> reporter: forl forld workerd alice thinks he should have come sooner >> this is huge in how it affects the economy, he should have been more involved. >> reporter: former president trump is expected here to court blue collar workers as he skips the gop primary debate the trump ca

nbc's senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez joins us with more. are we expecting? >> hey, there, savannah, good morning. ukrainian president zelenskyy will be here at the white house later today alongside president biden who's expected to announce more security aid as part of a p previously passed package. he'll also head to the pentagon and capitol hill whereby zelenskyy will meet with lawmakers. he's trying to convince some republicans who were skeptical of passing the $24 billion in new aid that the white house is asking for. but we're already seeing pushback this morning. a new republican letter from 23 house members and six senators rejecting that proposal. meanwhile, overnight, russia launched major attacks, striking at least five cities across ukraine. it comes after zelenskyy called the invasion a criminal and unprovoked aggression at the u.n. security council, savannah. >> meanwhile, big story, especially here in new york. the biden administration has decided to implement some new rules for hundreds of thousands of migrants who have seen

gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> hospice care is supposed to provide terminally ill patients with a pain-freeotentially hurting patients. you are watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. . we need to scale with customer demand... ...in real time. (jen) so we partner with verizon to take our operations to the next level. (marquis) with a custom private 5g network. (ella) with verizon business, we get more control of production, efficiencies, and greater agility. (marquis) so our customers get what they want, when they want it. (jen) it's not just a network. it's enterprise intelligence. (vo) learn more. it's your vision, it's your verizon. have fun, sis! ♪♪ can't stop adding stuff to your cart? get the bank of america customized cash rewards card, choose the online shopping category and earn 3% cash back. even when things seem quieter, the urge to protect means staying on the lookout to help keep others from harm. at pfizer, we're driven by this impulse. and we keep innovating. whatever comes next, we will respond fiercely. like family. this season's updated covid-19 shots are now availab

joining us, gabe gutierrez and maggie vespa. >> reporter: from a soggy michigan where the president,as we said, is expected toland in a short time, and the president, of course, saying that he wants to veer pro union. he considers himself the most pro union president ever. yesterday he was asked if he supported the uwa's demands in the strike, and he said he always supports the uwa. and the president is not trying to antagonize the auto companies, but over the last few days, he has thrown his support increasingly behind the uaw. clearly the trump campaign says it's aggressive in courting rank and file auto workers, and he called it a photo-op on the part of president biden, and arguing the push for electric vehicles could cost union jobs, and the white house is trying to stress the president is behind these workers, and for some it might be a tough sale. some workers on the picket line this morning, we spoke to one this morning and said she wished the president would have showed up sooner. >> how are workers on the ground reacting to the high-profile visits? >> workers tell us regard

joining me now to explain, gabe gutierrez. nbc news correspondent, gray jay, cnbc correspondent covering the auto industry, phil lebeau. all three are in wayne, michigan. we also have peter baker with us. gabe, i'm going to begin with you. >> we're here outside of a plant in wayne, michigan. the president going to a gm plant nearby. i can tell you that union workers who he was speaking with this morning were very grateful to see the president coming to michigan. he's one they hoped he would come here a little sooner. and that really shows the complicated nature of this. you see the video there. sean fayne standing shoulder to shoulder with the president and the president literally with a bull horn talking about solidarity with union workers. this is a shift from just a few days ago and the white house is trying to walk this fine line, trying not to antagonize the auto companies in their negotiations with the uaw but in the last few days after that invitation to come to michigan by fayne, we've noticed a shift and the president'

gabe gutierrez joins us now.to find covid tests when i had it a few weeks ago, what do we know about this decision, what's prompting it. >> we're just hearing about this. white house clearly anticipating another winter surge of covid, announcing a website covid tests.gov will begin taking orders on monday and households will be able to receive up to four tests, the administration's also spending more than $600 million to buy tests from a dozen domestic manufacturers. so covid hospitalizations have been on the rise in the u.s. so they are still very low compared to earlier stretches of the pandemic. but, again, the white house now announcing that it's reviing the program so that anyone in the u.s. can order these covid tests. up to four per household. if you go to that government website. covidtests.gov beginning on monday, very expenexpensive. . the administration spending hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase these tests from several manufacturers. >> gabe the administration spending hundreds of millions,

gabe gutierrez is near the picket line.s a big 48 hours for the president, auto workers and president trump. it's all happening in "andrea mitchell reports." >> reporter: the white house says this is the first time a sitting president has visited a picket line. president biden did it as a candidate in 2019. this is the first time while he is in office. we expect him here in michigan in a short time. as you said, this comes as former president trump is also planning to come to michigan tomorrow. plans to skip the debate and address union workers here in michigan. just today, posting on social media what he sees as -- what he calls what is indefensible from president biden. calling out the administration for the support of electric vehicles. the trump campaign saying that will cost union jobs. certainly, some of the workers we have spoken to here have some concerns about the future of the auto industry when it comes to electric vehicles. former president trump spoke about what he thinks is behind president biden's decision to

nbc's senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez has more in our "sunday focus." >> reporter: iname by the thousands, group after group after group of migrants, streaming into eagle pass, texas, prompting the border town to declare a state of emergency and straining the nation's immigration system again. "i asked the american people for forgiveness for crossing the border," this man says, "but i'm coming from a situation where they threatened to kill my family." a customs and border protection official tells nbc news nearly 9,000 migrants crossed the border illegally, almost a record high. during the last fiscal year, 2022, the border patrol encountered 2.2 million people crossing the border illegally. the numbers went down a bit in the fiscal year ending this month but are still high. among the highest in decades. earlier this summer we visited eagle pass shortly after state troopers had installed razor wire to keep migrants out. we met this group of venezuelans as they crossed the rio grande. are you desperate? "of course," they said. we toured the area from above with the depa

my colleague gabe gutierrez was there. >> in a historic visit by u.s. president on the picket line, biden throwing his full-throated support behind united auto workers. >> you gave up a lot. now, they are doing critically well. guess what, you should be doing incredibly well also. >> president biden and the general motors plant outside detroit with a uaw, standing shoulder to shoulder with union president shawn fain. >> it is about the auto workers who are part of the fabric that they're working across this country. >> the union as a number of demands, including 40% pay hikes. today, the president says he supports bargaining for that. each offering roughly 20% raises. the white house has not been directly involved in the negotiations. >> do you think that the president has been as involved as he should've been during this whole process? >> no, i don't. >> ford worker tomika alice thinks the president should have acted sooner. >> i know he's busy and has a schedule, but i do believe because this is very huge and how it can affect the economy, that he sho

nbc's gabe gutierrez is following this story for us. what a homecoming they got. right after the plane touched down, families waiting for them. tell us what happened there, gabe. >> reporter: hi, there. it was a dramatic reunion, as you said, five americans arriving here in virginia just this morning, and we have video of their reunion with their family members, and the family members went up to them, some carrying small u.s. flags, and it was a warm embrace. some said freedom as they were reunited with their loved ones. this comes after years of tense negotiations with iran. i spoke with a source close to one of the prisoners who said that on the plane ride here, they had lamb and wine on the plane, and one of the prisoners wasn't a fan of the wine or wouldn't have been in his previous life, but he said this was just so amazing because he had been in captivity for so many years. the brother of another one of the prisoners spoke on the tarmac a short time after they were reunited. >> we're so grateful to be together after eight years. it's unbelievable. almost eigh

white house correspondent gabe gutierrez was just outside the base when the americans got back. >> reporter, finally touching down on u.s. soil, stepping off their plane here at fort belvoir army base in virginia and embracing relatives after a harrowing journey. >> i just can't believe it. >> reporter: prisoner siamak namazi's brother speaking after their reunion. >> we've been apart for eight years and finally we're together and it's just completely unbelievable. >> reporter: the prisoners first boarded a charter plane in tehran. hours later landed in doha. some of them seen smiling. three of them all dual iranian american citizens sharing an embrace. they walked into the terminal. >> i spoke to them after they landed in doha. i can tell you that it was, for them, for me, an emotional conversation. >> reporter: siamak namazi, who the u.s. says was arrested on false espionage charges writing for almost eight years i have been dreaming of this day. adding he can't wait to get to an apple store. i am dying to find out what gadgets now exist. >> he's missed eight years of his life. he wants t

nbc new senior white house corresponden gabe gutierrez is following both stories for us at the whitese. good morning. >> reporter: it is a busy week for the president. tomorrow he's scheduled to address the united nations general assembly in new york on thursday, he's expected to meet with ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy here at the white house. all this as he brushes off this impeachment inquiry. president biden this weekend dismissing congressional republicans who are investigating his family's business dealings. >> what is your response to republicans open an impeachment inquiry into you >> lots of luck. >> reporter: the president instead focussing on this week's united nation's general assembly in new york, a packed agenda escalating tensions with china and russia's war with ukraine. laurened -- launched early last year >> russia violated the core tenets of the united nations charter. >> the u.s. is warning china against helping russia as growing tensions are likely to be a flash point for the u.s. presidential race. >> would you send the u.s. military into taiwan if pres

nbc news senior white house correspondent gabe gutierrez has the latest. >> reporter: overnight, fiveng and sharing an embrace. the other two americans have asked for privacy and have not been identified. >> i spoke to them after they landed in doha. i can tell you that it was, for them, for me, an emotional conversation. >> reporter: siamak namazi writing for almost eight years i have been dreaming of this day, adding he can't wait to get to an apple store. i am dying to find out what gadgets now exist. >> he's missed eight years. he wants to get married and have kids. >> reporter: still, the swap is controversial. the biden administration also unlocking $6 billion in iranian money frozen by u.s. sanctions. the white house says iran can only use it for things like food and medicine, with u.s. officials approving each transaction. but iran's president told lester holt last week -- >> translator: we will decide, the islamic republic of iran will decide to spend it wherever we need it. >> reporter: republicans arguing the money was essentially a ransom. >> unfortunately, the deal that s

as gabe gutierrez reports, the campaign is being shaped by everything from his son's legal troubles toion ] >> -- impeachment inquiry into you? [ inaudible ] >> reporter: the president instead focusing on this week's united nations general assembly in new york, the packed agenda on escalating tensions with china and russia's war on ukraine. >> russia has shamelessly violated the core tenants of the united nations charter. >> reporter: the u.s. is warning china against helping russia as growing tensions between the two nations are likely to be a flash point in the u.s. presidential race. >> would you send the u.s. military into taiwan if president xi were to invade? >> i won't say. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview with kristen welker, gop frontrunner, former president trump, may have also complicated his legal defense. he now says it was his decision to spread the false claim that the 2020 election was rigged and to try to overturn the election results. legal experts say that could undercut any defense strategy blaming his lawyers. >> you called your outside lawyers. you said they