Meet the Press NOW — April 16

Introducing the total solutions advantage only from Comcast Business. It's the largest, fastest fiber-powered network for small business, gig speeds with equipment and security included, and a five-year price lock. No one does business like Comcast business. Switch today. Get started for $60 a month for 12 months when you add an advanced solution to a qualifying internet package. Limited time offer. Restrictions apply. New customers only. Requires 300 megabits per second internet, security edge, and additional qualifying service. One-year agreement, paperless billing and auto pay with bank account required.

Taxes and fees extra. Hey everyone, it's me, Morgan Stewart, and I have a new podcast called The Morgan Stewart Show. Join me each week as I talk about pop culture, fashion, my personal life, and just a warning, I'm going to be giving my opinion on everything. I'll also have some really fun guests to join in on the fun. The Morgan Stewart Show is out now. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcast or watch full video on YouTube.

Welcome to meet the press. Now I'm Kristen Welker in Washington, and a new ceasefire agreement announced today by President Trump between Israel and Lebanon is set to take effect in less than an hour as the Trump administration battles rising public skepticism and economic discontent over the war with Iran. Earlier today, President Trump announcing on social media, the leaders of Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire that will go into effect at 5 p.m. Eastern. For weeks, Israel and the Iran-based, militant group Hezbollah and Lebanon have been exchanging heavy fire, killing thousands and displacing more than a million people. The fighting there has continued despite the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire. The contours of the Israel-Lebanon agreement announced today remain unclear, including major questions about whether Lebanon will be able to control Hezbollah, which was not party to the talks. Speaking to reporters while leaving the White House for Las Vegas, where he's expected to deliver remarks celebrating his tax policies, President Trump touted the deal between

the two countries. Take a look. We're going to be meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, as you know, and the president of Lebanon. And I had a great talk with both of them today. They're going to be having a ceasefire, and that'll include Hezbollah. We will have an agreement between Lebanon, and they're going to take care of Hezbollah. But they're going to be working on Hezbollah right now. We'll have a degree between Israel, very importantly, and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the U.S. ceasefire deal with Iran is set to expire in just five days. President Trump today offering mixed messages on whether he's willing to extend that truce.

Are you considering extending the ceasefire with Iran? With Iran? We're doing very well, I can tell you. Maybe it'll happen before that. I'm not sure it needs to be extended. Just so, you know, Iran wants to make a deal. and we're dealing very nicely with them. We've got to have no nuclear weapons.

If we do, that's a big factor. And they're willing to do things today that they weren't willing to do two months ago. Do you have no deal? Would you be willing to extend the ceasefire or will the fighting resume? If there's no deal, fight a resume. For clarity, you're willing to extend the cease fire?

Well, we'll see. I don't know that we'll have to. Ideally, but if I needed to, I would. The president today also brushing aside rising gas prices, which have climbed above $4 a gallon amid the ongoing turmoil in the strait of four moose. How much longer will Americans continue to see these high gas prices? Well, they're not very high.

If you look at what they were supposed to be in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon with the danger that entail, so the gas prices have come down very much over the last three, four days. I know, you know, that's what ABC says. But the fact is that if you look at the stock markets up, everything's done. doing really well. And the big thing we have to do is we have to make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon. It comes as two new polls show a majority of Americans disapprove of the president's handling of the war, which is now in its seventh week. And while the president continues to insist, the war is close to over. A plurality say they believe it will continue for

months. Diving deeper into those numbers, there was surprising agreement across the ideological spectrum that the war could last for months. White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez is in Las Vegas, the head of the president's speech. And NBC News international correspondent Matt Bradley is live in Tel Aviv. Thanks to both of you for starting us off. Gabe, let me start with you. The president traveling to Las Vegas as we speak, he's going to talk about affordability. But it does come amid this pressure, this polling on Iran, showing that people disapprove of his handling of the war.

What are you expecting when he talks today? Do you think he can stay on his economic message? Well, that's a big question. Kristen. Certainly the president has had a lot of things the last several days step on that economic message. The White House has been trying to hit that economic message hard on tax day yesterday, touting the benefits of the so-called one big, beautiful bill, and hitting the idea that policies like no tax on tips are benefiting Americans. They're also saying that some 53 million filers have taken advantage and claimed that at least one of the president's tax cuts

from that signature bill. But he is running across a lot of issues across the country when it comes to gas prices. You played with the president said earlier today here in Nevada. Certainly gas prices, a big concern around $5 a gallon on average here. And we spoke to drivers earlier today. When we got here, there is a lot of concern about how long this war could drag on. But here at this roundtable, Kristen, the president will be here with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking to other business leaders. We did speak outside this venue with Trump supporter who says that she is a business owner,

drove, came to see him from 45 minutes away. And the no tax on tips policy, she says, has been huge for the business that she runs, for bartenders and waitresses that work at her small business. So the president really trying to hit that message hard today. But during when he spoke with reporters earlier today, questions were dominated by the ongoing Iran war as well as the president. talking about his ongoing feud with the Pope. So big question today will be whether he can stay on this message, Christ. It will be a big question.

We'll be listening very closely. On that ceasefire, the president announced between Israel and Lebanon. He says that he spoke with both sides by phone. What more do we know about those conversations? Well, since the president's announcement, we have heard from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also Lebanese officials who say that, yes, They did agree to this proposed ceasefire. The big question hanging over all of this, though, what would Hezbollah say?

Now, we understand, according to a senior Hezbollah official, that if indeed Israel does stop its attacks on southern Lebanon, that they would consider this. But certainly that over the last several days have been something the Trump administration has been trying to broker this type of ceasefire. Just several days ago, back in Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat down with his race. Israeli and Lebanese leaders for the first time in decades. So certainly this is something the President has been working frantically to achieve over the last day or two. But, Kristen, the conflict in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, of course, is just one of the many issues hanging over the broader peace negotiations. So the President, though, touting that as he heads here to Nevada, where we expect him to speak in the next couple of hours.

All right, Gabe Gutierrez traveling with the president in Las Vegas. Thank you so much, Gabe. We really appreciate it. Let me head over to Matt Bradley now, who's live in Tel Aviv. Matt, what are you hearing from Israeli officials about this ceasefire with Lebanon? Is there optimism that it can hold?

I wouldn't say this is necessarily optimism. The Israelis clearly didn't want this ceasefire to stop their operations in Lebanon. And as part of that, we've seen the far-right fringes of Israeli politics, some of whom are allied with Benjamin Netanyahu, harshly criticizing this deal and the prime minister, saying that basically, you know, the job is being left undone. And it looks to many Israelis like Benjamin Netanyahu is acquiescing to pressure from Donald Trump to end the fighting against Hezbollah. The prime minister just addressed the nation and reassured them that Israel's military activities north of their border in London. Lebanon will now keep Israelis in the north of the country safe from Hezbollah rockets. And the Israelis have been making clear that their job is not yet done, that they plan to disarm Hezbollah, just as they've planned to disarm Hamas, which is still very much a work

in progress. It hasn't even begun. So this is a formidable political challenge ahead of the Israelis and the Lebanese government, who are now presumably, depending on how negotiations go from here, going to be partners with the Israelis in disarming Hezbollah. That is going to be a very delicate diplomatic dance ahead. I spoke with a member of Hezbollah, a senior official. He said that Hezbollah welcomes this deal, that they have always been part of the negotiations, that they gave their assent to this deal, which is the reason why the Lebanese government had approved it. And they also said, and they

will continue to say, that the reason why the Israelis went for the ceasefire was because Hezbollah can claim victory. All right. Matt Bradley, great report. Thank you for bringing us that conversation. We appreciate it. Joining me now on set is the former NATO Secretary General, now Norway's Minister of Finance, Yan Stoltenberg. Minister Stoltenberg, thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it.

Thanks so much for having me. Well, it's wonderful to have you here in person. I want to start off by getting your reaction to this breaking news. President Trump announcing this temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. What is your level of confidence that this can be? actually hold? So first of all, I think we all need to recognize that this is good news, and hopefully it will actually mean that there will be a ceasefire and that the fighting will end, and that will, of course, also end all the killings and the human suffering we have seen,

and hopefully also then be the first step towards some kind of lasting peace arrangements. But of course, there are always uncertainties, so it remains to be seen, but I think we at least now have a possibility we haven't had for a long time. And of course we know Vice President JD Vance was in Pakistan last weekend holding talks with Iran. President Trump floating the idea that there could be more talks in the coming days. What is your understanding about where those talks are heading right now? Well, I believe that talks is the only way to try to end this war, the whole war in the region, in a way where we stop seeing so many people being killed.

This war is first and foremost about all the people who have been lost their lives, the homes destroyed, the people forced to move. But of course, this is also a war that has severe economic consequences. I'm attending the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund, and we see that forecast for growth has gone down, forecast for inflation has increased, and therefore also for the global economy. for the prices we face in our everyday life,

it is important to try to end. And, of course, the talks that are hopefully going on is a way to make that happen. Well, let me ask you about the IMF summit here in Washington, D.C. As you say, growth has gone down. The IMF warned in a report, the disruption to oil markets could slow growth even further, fuel inflation and raise the possibility,

even, Minister Stoltenberg, of a global recession. Do you think that's a possibility, a global recession? Well, according to the IMF, and our best experts there, it is a possibility, but IMF highlights the uncertainty. They have now actually outlined different scenarios, and they're all very much dependent on how long the war will last, how long the strait-the-hormers will be closed. And if it doesn't last so long, then, of course,

the consequences will be much less severe than if it continues. But even if the war ends today and the Strait of Hormus opens tomorrow, there will be some lasting consequences because it has been a very significant reduction in the supply of oil and gas. Prices have already gone up, also on commodities like fertilizers, which will mean increased food prices, and a lot of infrastructure production facilities have been destroyed. So it will take time to rebuild that and to get the flow of. of energy and other commodities up and running again. You talk about the Strait of Hormuz. As you know, President Trump has been very critical of some European countries, some Asian countries calling on Europe and Asia to do more.

He says that those countries rely more on the Strait of Ramos than the United States. Is that a fair criticism? What do you make of what President Trump has said on that point? Well, I think we all want a straightover, Muz, to be opened. The question is, how do we have? best secure that. And yes, there have been some different views, some different opinions among you some European countries and the United States. But now I think we have to look forward. We welcome any talks, any attempts to try to find a peaceful solution. And the Europeans have

actually now decided also to sit down and discuss among themselves, what can they do, how can they contribute to safe passage and to ensure that we again can have a free flow of energy and other commodities out of the Persian Gulf. Minister Stoltenberg, this is yet another moment where the tensions between the United States and NATO have intensified. I want to play you a little bit of what President Trump had to say today about NATO and get your reaction on the other side.

Take a look. We spend trillions and trillions of dollars on NATO. And when I asked them to get involved in a much smaller situation, which is Harmots and Iran, they weren't there for them. When we asked them to get involved on a very minor skirmish

by comparison to what it could be, they weren't there. So I don't think they'd be there for a large skirmish, and therefore I think they've got themselves a problem. What was your reaction to what President Trump said? Well, I take it seriously when the President of the United States expresses that kind of criticism. At the same time,

I think we need to understand that NATO is the defense of alliance, and NATO is about defending all allies, and the Europeans are doing much more now than just a few years ago. President Trump and other US presidents have criticized Europeans who are not spending enough on defense, and they have been right. But this has now changed. All European allies are investing significantly more in defense. Some European allies like Poland, the Baltic countries, in my own country, Norway. We're actually now spending

a larger share of our economy, our GDP, on defense than the United States. So this has changed. And it's not only about resources, but also about geography. My country, Norway is bordering Russia. Just on the other side of our land border, we see the highest concentration of nuclear weapons in the world, missiles, submarines, bombers. And these weapons are not directed at Norway. They are directed at the United States. But Norway helps the US to monitor, to track the submarines, to share intelligence, and to give you early warning and to tell exactly what the Russians are doing.

this is part of the U.S. homeland defense provided by a NATO ally Norway. And there are many other similar examples. So the U.S. is safer with the strong NATO. And therefore I expect and believe that the U.S. will continue to be committed to NATO. Let me ask you, do you think this would have unraveled differently if President Trump had sought the support of European allies on the front end, particularly as it relates to the Strait of Hormuz and securing it? Well, I think fundamentally we need to do this.

distinguish a bit between NATO as the institution, an alliance, with strict rules of how we make decisions, for NATO to be involved in any operation, be it in Afghanistan, as we were for many years, or in the Balkans, we need unanimity, all how to agree consensus, and therefore it's about sometimes a bit cumbersome way to make decisions. That's one thing, that's NATO as the institution, then of course individual NATO allies, they can participate in different coalition of the willing, as we have seen in many different places in the world. We saw, for instance, in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. So I think if there was a real wish to have NATO allies on board in one way or another, then of course there has to be consultations

on the forehand and to agree actually on how to do this. Very quickly, because I want to move on to Ukraine and also Hungary, but do you think that there has been lasting damage done to the relationship between the United States and NATO in the wake of this war with Iran? It is difficult, and we should not oversee this as a real problem. Having said that, NATO has been too many crises before. We are 32 nations from both sides of the Atlantic, starting with the Suez crisis in 56, or when France actually left the military cooperation, in NATO in the 1960s or the Iraq war, big disagreements between NATO allies. We have always been able to overcome those differences because we are safe,

we are together, and apart. And that's good for Europe, but also good for the United States. Well, let me ask you about Ukraine. Fighting has intensified there, the Russian attacks against Ukraine. Your successor, Mark Routis, said, quote, we cannot lose sight of Ukraine. Are you concerned that that's exactly what's happening? First of all, I told the green, Mark Guta,

and second, I feel responsibility, and we should all feel the responsibility to remind people of the war that goes on in Ukraine. And just the last night, we had one of the biggest attacks with drones, with missiles, with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles on Kiev and other parts of Ukraine. And we need to support Ukraine. The good news is that Russia is not winning this war.

They have actually lost 50% of the territory. They control at the beginning of the war in 22 or the Fulskar invasion. Second, they have over the last year pushed and really launched big offenses. They haven't gained any territory. What they have is they have suffered high casualty rates like 1,000 per day, wounded and killed. And Russia cannot sustain that level for a long time. and therefore, actually, I believe that Ukraine may prevail and that Russia will be forced

to sit down and accept some kind of negotiated solution where Ukraine continues to be a sovereign independent nation in Europe. It's a significant statement that you think Ukraine can prevail. Let me quickly play for you something that Vice President JD Vance said about Ukraine and get your reaction to that. One of the things I'm proudest that we've done in as administration is we've told Europe that if you want to buy weapons, you can, but the United States is not buying weapons and sending them to Ukraine anymore.

of that business. What is your response to hearing that from the vice president? Does it undercut President Trump's argument that he wants to try to end this war and that he's focused on that? First of all, I welcome that the U.S. has done and continues to do a lot to support Ukraine. This administration makes weapon systems available, not least advanced air defense systems, patriots. They also provide information and logistics to help the Ukrainians, which is a good.

great importance. But I would have liked to see that the US continues to provide some financial support because now almost 100% of the payments for the weapons, the financial support Ukraine, is provided by European allies and Canada. And of course, we all have a responsibility. We should do this together. And therefore, I would welcome more support from the United States. Last question. I have to ask you before I let you go, the elections in Hungary, Viktor Orban out of power after 16 years. What are the implications for the EU, for NATO, and quite frankly, the United States as well? So first of all, I think it's important to recognize that it shows that Hungary is a democracy.

Victoruban lost election, and he declared that very early on that election eve that, well, I lost the congregate to the other candidate. That's a good thing in regards to what we think about the policies of Viktor Orban, it's democracy. The second, of course, the new prime minister is much more positive. to cooperation within the European Union, and he's more positive to supporting Ukraine. So he, as far as we understand, will not block the support from the European Union to Ukraine, and that is of great importance for Ukraine, but also for all of us, because if Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine, it will not only be a tragedy for the Ukrainians. It will make the whole world more dangerous, because then we see that authoritarian powers,

like Russia can use force to get what they want, and that's not good for any of us. Minister Stoltenberg, thank you so very much for being here in person. We really appreciate your insights. Thank you. Thank you. Good to see you coming up. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to meet the press in an exclusive interview about his first 100 days in office and his promise to bring down costs.

Plus, if it's Thursday, we've got Steve Kornacki breaking down where voters are voting today and what the results could tell us about the midterms. That's all ahead. Stay with us right here on Meet the Press now.

Pilots know that weather factors, like storms, turbulence and icing, can turn routine flight into a challenge. But what if you had satellite delivered weather data giving you the full picture of what's around you? With Sirius XM Aviation, get coast-to-coast high-resolution weather info, all without altitude limitations or line-of-sight restrictions. Fly confidently knowing you have the best information available to make decisions in flight. Visit SiriusXM.com slash aviation to learn more. With the Vivgard-Hitrullo, F-Gar-Tygamad Alpha, and Hyalaranidase QVC, pre-filled syringe, self-injection is in your hands. It's your treatment routine. You set the time and same day each week.

Take the pre-filled syringe with you on vacation. Or have it handy for cozy staycations. For more information, visit live vividly.com. That's L-I-V-Y-V-Y-I-D-L-Y.com. Brought to you by Argenics. I'm pretty confident talking into a mic. Hey, I'm doing it right now. But home projects?

I second-guess everything. Is that noise normal? Is that water damage? Who do I even call? That's where Thumbtack comes in. Just upload a photo or voice note, and it uses AI-powered search to match you with the right top-rated local pro. So instead of guessing, you get clarity and can hire with confidence. For your next home project, try Thumbtack.

Hire the Wright Pro today. Welcome back. We've got a first look now at my exclusive interview with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. I spoke to the mayor as he marks his first 100 days in office. And as the war against Iran collides with his ambitious campaign promises to lower costs for New Yorkers, here's some of our conversation. You and President Trump arguably both won on similar messages of affordability. New York City already had one of the highest energy rates in the country. Now the war with Iran has triggered the worst oil disruption in U.S. history. Is there anything that you can or will do as mayor to help alleviate some of the high costs that New Yorkers are bearing right now due to the war in Iran? We are looking to deliver relief to New Yorkers, frankly, even from before this war, because while this war has exacerbated a cost of living crisis, that is a crisis that existed from even before the time I was running for mayor.

And it's reflected in the fact that we are the most expensive city in the United States of America. But I think your question also gets back to the fact that this is a war to not just be opposed on political grounds, on moral grounds, but even just on economic grounds. We are speaking about a federal administration that has spent upwards of $28 billion, killing thousands of people all the way over in the Middle East at a same time as we're being told that this money cannot be found to invest in working class Americans across this country. And I wish that the words of Tupac from the 90s weren't still prescient, but they continue to be true for too many, which is that we always have money for war and not to feed the poor.

And you can watch much more of our conversations. this Sunday on Meet the Press. Joining me now is our panel, Sabrina Rodriguez, politics reporter at the Wall Street Journal, Herbie Ziskin, White House Principal Deputy Communications Director during the Biden administration, and Stephen Hayes, editor and CEO of the dispatch, and an NBC news contributor.

Thanks to all of you for being here. Sabrina, I want to start with you, your reaction to what you heard from Zohran Mamdani. And again, he and President Trump shared that message of affordability. Zohran Mamdani has made sweeping promises to bring down costs in New York. But on this piece of it, gas prices specifically, which has been impacted by the Iran war, you heard him there very passionate about the fact that he opposes the war.

100%. I mean, I think one of the interesting points that he made there is this is something that predates the war. This is a conversation we've been having for years now, frankly. Not even we talk a lot about last year's election and how so much of the focus in it was the affordability crisis in this country. But really, this is something we've been talking about for years. It's something that President Trump himself campaigned on in 2024. And I think it's something that in the lead-up to the midterms, we're going to be talking about more and more what the implications of this war are on gas prices, on the prices of Americans just trying to live day-to-day.

And I think it's, again, we were talking late last year about how this was something that the White House wanted to focus more on. We see the President in Las Vegas talking about it. But it's going to be hard to reckon that if we see gas prices continue to go up or see this war linger on. Yeah, Herbie, pick up on that point. Here you have Zohran Mamdani quoting Tupac to make this point, and frankly to make it relatable. And the fact that he says, here we're funding a war and not the poor, is that the message that you think Democrats should be arguing the point of Iran? And we've heard a lot about the War Powers Act, but this is a very specific message to the economy. Absolutely.

And what's interesting about the mayor, you know, he's doing meat the press. He's also eating Taco Bell talking about enforcement action. He's doing a Mark Carney B announcement on universal childcare. He really understands the medium, and he's transferred it from the campaign to governing as mayor. This is absolutely the message. You know, this war started, and here we are several weeks later. And what do we have to show for it? $4 gas prices, the lowest consumer price index in the history of the University of Michigan survey.

The president's posting photos about himself as Jesus. and affordability is a central issue. And, you know, every member of Congress, every Democrat should be talking about this right now. Stephen, take me inside your conversations. How much concern is there about the fact that President Trump was quite clear? He said he wanted this war to be short-term four to six weeks.

He is struggling right now to find an off-ramp. And when he finds that off-ramp will determine when gas prices start to come down. How much concern is there inside the Republican Party, this is going to have a real impact on the midterms? Yeah, I mean, I think there's serious concern, and you're starting to hear more of it in public from Republicans. I think we're on the verge of sort of a breaking point where Republicans are upset that the White House doesn't have a better plan

and it seems to be more ad hoc governance from the president. I don't think he does himself any good. When he goes out repeatedly says, the war is over, we've won the war, we've won the war. And then we see new information on a daily basis about different things that the U.S. United States is doing to try to extract itself from the war, to try to prosecute certain parts of the war, now standing up a blockade. These are mixed messages from the White House that make it

hard for Republicans to rally behind him when they're having questions about what he's doing. And in terms of the public perceptions, it looks like a White House that doesn't know what he's, what it's doing. Let's look at some of the polling that we're getting in. We've got some new numbers this week. As we mentioned earlier, a third of voters in all parties, Sabrina, I think this war could last months longer. And again, the president continues to say he wants it to be over in a matter of days and weeks. But do you think the White House is prepared for the political reality of this? As Stephen is saying that it doesn't look like they have an offer, but at least not yet. I mean, I think for many, it's sinking in that this is not, you can't wish cast that it be over.

I mean, the president can go on truth social. The president can talk to reporters on the phone every day and say we're very close to an end. We're very close to a deal. Regime change has been achieved. You know, we've have this resolved. They want a deal. You can say that all day, but that doesn't, that doesn't change the fact that there is currently no deal. And of course, we know how this all works. Deals can come together quickly. Things can be happening behind the scenes. But the fact of the matter is that this doesn't appear to be over any time soon. And again, when you have the political for ammifications here, when you have already a Republican Party that was bracing for these midter, you add in this war, there's a lot of people that are concerned about what's to come in November.

Yeah, and they get even more concerned inside the Republican Party. I would imagine when they look at these numbers, let's look at the gas prices numbers. 51% say President Trump is a lot to blame for gas prices. 14 say some. 23% say not at all. Stephen, what do you see in these figures? I mean, it's a huge challenge. If we had this conversation three months ago, one of the things that we all would have pointed to that Donald Trump could point to as some measure of success were gas prices. And he touted them regularly, even if other things beef and the price of other things were going up and he was having a difficult time, I think, getting in front of the affordability critiques that he was seeing. But now when you add gas on that, that is one of the most visible

things for voters. You go to the pump, you fill your tank, and you think, gosh, I was paying $60 for this before, and now it's 100. And it's a real problem. And the Republican Party, I think there's a split. You have some Republicans in Congress who just want it over. This was an adventure or an excursion, as he called it. We want this over. Let's see if we can figure out gas prices. But I think there's also many Republicans who understand that if he just declares it over

and pulls up stakes, those gas prices are not likely to come down. And the potential long-term ramifications of not finishing the war that he started are very grave. There's no doubt about that. Herbie, let's look at one more poll on the economy broadly. 57% of voters say that they believe the economy is getting worse. This is an economist, you gov poll. Do Democrats actually have to walk a somewhat fine line on their messaging?

Because do they run the risk of looking like they're cheering for the economy to get worse if they dwell too much on gas prices? Well, I'm having flashbacks when I see those numbers working in President Biden's what it has. It's challenging. It's a great point. And the core responsibility of the president in an inflationary context is to at least show that he is trying to address affordability, trying to lower prices. This president's war in Iran is doing the opposite. The straight of war moves now could open at any point in the future or could close again at any point in the future. That's going to be baked into central bank's interest rates.

Gas prices are up as we're talking about. His tariffs aren't helping on that front. He's not showing a keen interest in this. This is what we tried to do with President Biden every day, show his focus. Trump is not doing that, and I think politically it's going to continue to haunt him. Yeah, Sabrina, I'm going to give you the final word. We're awaiting President Trump's arrival in Las Vegas. This is an event that is supposed to be focused on the economy, his no tax on tips.

From the perspective of his top aides, are they concerned that in these events he's not staying on message enough? And particularly now, given all of the swirl around potential peace talks and what may or may not happen. I mean, we know for a long time now that the Trump's aides and people in the president's orbit know that he will do what he wants to do and that trying to set guardrails or have him stay on message is not something that they may succeed at doing. Of course, I think there's quite a desire to hear him really focus on how he's improving people's lives. But I think, and I think that is ultimately going to be a central question for him to answer leading up to the midterms. That was a central question in 2024. That was a very potent line of attack against President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. where he said, is your life better now than it was four years ago? He's going to be facing if it's better now than it was two years ago. Yeah, great points. All around. Thank you.

Fantastic conversation. Sabrina Herbie and Stephen really appreciate it. Coming up next, we're live in Virginia at the scene of what Virginia's governor is calling a horrific tragedy, a murder, suicide, involving the state's former lieutenant governor and his wife. This is Meet the Press now.

that weather factors, like storms, turbulence, and icing can turn routine flight into a challenge. But what if you had satellite-delivered weather data giving you the full picture of what's around you? With SiriusXM Aviation, get coast-to-coast high-resolution weather info, all without altitude limitations or line-of-sight restrictions. Fly confidently knowing you have the best information available to make decisions in-flight. Visit SiriusXM.com slash aviation to learn more. F-Gar-Higamad Alpha and Hylaranidase QVC, pre-filled syringe, self-injection is in your hands. It's your treatment routine.

You set the time and same day each week. Take the pre-filled syringe with you on vacation. Or have it handy for cozy staycations. For more information, visit live vividly.com. That's L-I-V-Y-V-V-I-D-L-Y dot com. Brought to you by Argenics. avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to.

Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin, or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top-rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews all on the app. Download today. Welcome back. We are following breaking news out of Northern Virginia, where police say the Commonwealth's former lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax,

killed his wife before taking his own life. We should warn viewers that some of the images from the scene are incredibly disturbing. This morning, two gurneys were rolled out of the family's home in Fairfax County where the murder suicide took place. Authorities say the couple's two teenage children were home at the time. Their son called 911 just after midnight. Police also say the couple was in the midst of a very difficult divorce. I don't think it's a secret that there's been a divorce proceedings that have.

been ongoing. From what I understand in this early stage, former lieutenant governor, Fairfax, was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding. That apparently led to this incident last night. Justin Fairfax served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 2018 through 2022 and was considered for a time, a rising star in Democratic politics. But that changed in 2019 when two women accused him of sexual assault tied to incidents in 2000 and 2004. Fairfax denied those allegations. He ran for governor in 2021, but was soundly defeated in the primary.

NBC News Legal Affairs reporter Gary Grumbach joins me now from nearer the Fairfax's home in Annandale, Virginia. Gary, thanks so much for being here. I know this is just a tragic and horrific story. What more have you learned about the ongoing investigation? So it's those documents from that ongoing divorce proceedings that we have sort of diving into here. And there's three, I think, big important points that we've pulled out of these documents. One, in 2022, he went out and purchased a handgun after his term ended as Lieutenant Governor. He said it was for protection because he no longer was afforded the security

that he got when he was part of the Lieutenant Governor's office. We, of course, don't know if that was the same weapon that was used last night, but he did own a handgun. Two, he was supposed to be out of this house behind me by April 30th, by court order. A judge here in Fairfax County Circuit Court had ordered him to leave his ex-wife and to leave his kids in custody of his ex-wife and to move out of the home by the end of the month two weeks from today. And the third big point we have is that this was not when the Fairfax County Police arrived just after midnight, not their first visit to the home. Just back in January, he had called Fairfax County Police and said that he was being abused by his wife, but his wife had set up cameras inside the home because of the ongoing divorce proceedings.

When police checked out the cameras, they found that he actually wasn't telling the truth at all. Now, we don't know exactly what's going to be on those cameras from what happened overnight and whether or not authorities are going to be able to learn what happened and how it happened from those images, Kristen. And horrifically, the couple's two teenage children were in the home at the time, according to authorities. Do we know who's caring for them at this point? So the teenage son of Justin Fairfax and Dr. Fairfax is actually the one who called the authorities just after after midnight and alerted them to the fact that they had found their mother who at the time was bleeding out on the floor of their basement. They found their father upstairs in the bedroom with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. You have to imagine just how horrific this is

for teenage kids. They are now in the care of family, we're told. Kristen. Yeah, our hearts just break for them, Gary. There's no doubt about that. Just remind people who may not be that familiar with him about Justin Fairfax, his rise and fall in Virginia politics? Yeah, I mean, at one point six or seven years ago, he was seen as somebody who could potentially be the next governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He was a rising star in the Democratic Party. That it was when after Ralph Northam was found to have those blackface photos that were found in a yearbook of his, that he was actually considered to be the next person to become governor should Northam have resigned. Of course, he did not do that. And then Fairfax, as he was

getting ready to do that. Some allegations came out from him that were that were sexual misconduct in nature back from 2004 where somebody said he was he forced them to give oral sex. Another person said that they, that he raped them soon after that happened. So some very serious allegations. He did not resign his seat either, but he did leave politics soon after that happened and now we're here today several years later. Krista. Gary Kronbach, thank you so much. We really appreciate reporting on this very somber story. And if you or anyone you know are in crisis or in need of support, you are not alone. Call or text the number on your screen right now.

That's 988 or go to 988 Lifeline.org for help. And we'll be right back. Welcome back as the Trump administration navigates its relationship with Israel as an ally and partner in the Iran War. On Capitol Hill, Democratic divisions over Israel are once again on display with more than three quarters of the Senate Democratic caucus voting in favor of blocking arms sales to Israel. It was mostly a symbolic vote, but it shows just how much the party's sentiments on Israel have shifted. A recent NBC news poll showed a 22-point increase in negative views toward Israel among Democrats in just the last three years. Joining me now from Capitol Hill as NBC's

Melanie Zanona. Mel, thanks for being here. So how much is the Iran war influencing this shift in Democrats willing to vote for this resolution? Well, we first started to see the shift inside the Democratic Party, really after the October 7th war in Hamas, and particularly Democrats were critical over Israel's treatment of Gaza. But no doubt, this war in Iran has really intensified that shift inside the Democratic Party. Senator Bernie Sanders, he's actually introduced six versions of this resolution ever since November 24. That first resolution he introduced at that time, 18 Democrats voted yes. Now, flash forward to today, You had 40 Democrats who voted yes on one of those resolutions today. And notably, Kristen, that includes many 28 presidential candidates like Mark Kelly of Arizona. I want you to take a listen to him explaining why he changed his position. What caused you to shift your vote? You have been voting against those resolutions.

You're at a different place. I'm always going to stand with Israel and its right to defend itself. They are only Democrats. partner in the region. They're one of our strongest allies. That's going to continue, and I'm always going to be backing Israel. You know, in this case, on these two specific things at this moment, I decided that, you know, to, you know, cast my vote, you know, in a way that I think is in, it's the right thing to do at this time. And Kelly is certainly from more of the centrist, moderate wing of the party. So just a remarkable example of this sea change inside

the Democratic Party. It truly is, Mel. And of course, Democratic divisions over Israel have been brewing long before the Iran war began. How big of an issue do you think it will be in the primaries that certainly did factor in in 2024? Oh, we're already seeing it play out in a number of primaries all across their country. There were several candidates who decided to jump into races, to challenge current Democrats over their position and support for Israel. And one way to race we're watching very, very closely is the Michigan Senate race. This is a key battleground. You have three different candidates. You have Haley Stevens, who's backed by APAC, a pro-Israel group. You have Abdul El-Sayed, who's actually a huge champion of Palestine. And then you have Mallory McRour,

who's positioning yourself somewhere in the middle. But certainly, the issue of both Israel and Palestine has become a central theme in that critical primary. All right. Well, it's one of the races we're watching quite closely. Val, thank you so much for being here. And if it's Thursday, voters are voting somewhere. Today, that's New Jersey's 11th congressional district, where a Democrat, Ana Lilliam Mejia, is facing Republican Joe Hathaway in the special election to fill now Governor Mikie Sherrill's seat. And joining me now at the big board is NBC News chief data analyst, Steve Kornacki. Steve, great to see you. I know you're gearing up for a big night. What are you going to be watching for? Yeah, Kristen, interesting. Coming off that

conversation you were just having there about the change in the Democratic Party when it comes to Israel. One of the candidates who embodies that is in this special election that's being held tonight in the 11th Congressional District of New Jersey. This is to replace Mikie Sherrill. Of course, she was in Congress. She was elected governor. This was her seat. This is the special election. In the February Democratic primary, Anna Lillia Mejia, she's a progressive candidate endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She has been a very staunch critic of Israel. She won a crowded Democratic primary with 30% of the vote. This is a district that has a fairly sizable Jewish population.

So it sets up an interesting test here of whether now, in a general election here, does she underperform at all tonight for a Democrat in this district? She's running against Joe Hathaway. He's from the Morris County portion of the district. This is largely Essex County, Morris County, sort of New York City suburbs, bedroom communities here. This is a district that Donald Trump lost, but he only lost it by nine points in 2020.

So I think in a politically neutral environment with the Democrats going pretty far to the left with their candidate. And given some of the demographics of this district and the politics of Israel, you might wonder here, you know, are the Democrats really kind of testing? Are they pushing the limits in a district like this? Does it open the door for a candidate like Hathaway? Certainly we'll see. But the other thing, Christian, that this is coming up against is what we've been seeing in other special elections is at least in special elections, we're not in a neutral political environment right now. I've been calling this graphic up, and I will one more time. These are all the special elections for Congress we've seen since Trump came back to the White House.

And in every single one of them, the Democratic candidates have been doing double digits better than their party did in the 2024 presidential election here. Anywhere from 13 points better, that was in this race in Tennessee. That was the low end to what we just saw last week in Georgia. That was a 25 point improvement there for the Democrats. That's been the net improvement over 2024. So I show you this district in New Jersey where they're voting tonight. Remember, Kamala Harris won it by nine points. These have been the Democratic improvements in every district so far.

If you get anything in this range, this quickly becomes a blowout tonight. So I think that's the expectation here, certainly, based on all these special elections, is a big Democratic win tonight. The question, given the specific nominee Democrats have here, is will they fall short of that? there some resistance in this district to that? All right. Well, we will, of course, be watching your every move tonight to find out. Steve Kornacki, thank you so much. And you can tune in tonight to watch Steve, break it all down in real time. As the results start coming in, the Kornacki cam kicks off at 745 Eastern on NBCNews.com and YouTube.

Up next, Cubans and humanitarian groups respond to the Cuban president telling me that there are no political prisoners in his country. Keep it right here. I'll meet the press now. for that reaction.

Welcome back. Turning now to reaction to my exclusive interview with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. I pressed him on whether he was willing to release any of the more than 1,200 political prisoners being held in Cuba. He dismissed the idea that Cuba even has

political prisoners. Here's what he told me. All right. This is another issue. in which you can see all of these bias and all these prejudices. They speak about political prisoners in Cuba. There are people in Cuba who are not in favor of the revolution. There are people who do not support the revolution.

And they manifest themselves on a daily basis against a revolution. And they're not in prison. This narrative that has been created, that image that anyone who speaks against a revolution is thrown into jail, that's a big lie, that's a slander. And that's part of that construct in order to vilify and to engage a character assassination of the Cuban Revolution. Politics reporter Hatzelvela from our NBC station in Miami spoke to multiple organizations which document human rights in Cuba.

They all say political prisoners do exist in Cuba, of course. Hatzel also spoke to a mother who knows this firsthand. Alex Marcano's son was one of thousands who back in July of 2021 took to the streets in one of the most historic island-wide protest in Cuba. But she says her son, Angel Belis Marcano, has been in prison five years now, charged with public disorder. He was 26 years old then. Now he's 31.

Political prisoners are being unjustly detained, she says. for simply speaking out against their government. We checked in with three different nonprofit organizations who closely watch human rights in Cuba. All agree Cuba does have political prisoners. In Cuba, we have more than 1,200 political prisoners. Javier La Rondo runs prisoners' defenders, an organization that, among other things,

keeps a list of politically motivated arrest on the island. In March, he says, his organization tracked more than 40 new political prisoners. You're talking about people who are at war with its people and are putting them in incredible danger in committing crimes against humanity. In February, a researcher for Amnesty International set, quote, constant surveillance of homes,

short-term arbitrary detention, and unjustified restrictions on leaving the home are part of a systematic pattern of authoritarian practices. the Cuban state is using to punish and deter any form of dissent. Alain Espinoza is part of the legal team at Cuba Likes, another organization who keeps a close eye on human rights violations in Cuba. He agrees there are likely more than a thousand political prisoners in Cuba and adds that number keeps growing mainly because of the ongoing dire economic conditions,

which he argues forced people to protest. In turn, the Cuban government, he says, turns to violence, restrictions, and arbitrary detentions. Hatzel, from NBC6 Miami, joins me now. Great reporting. Hatsl, thank you so much for being here. So let's drill down on this a little bit more. Do the groups you spoke to object to anything else that they heard from the Cuban president? So, Kristen, first of all, thank you so much for having us.

and great get on this interview. So insightful for us here in South Florida that you were able to sit down with the Cuban president. As for the groups that you're talking about, they do not disagree with what you're saying in terms of what the president said. Remember, these are groups that really focus on human rights in Cuba.

So their expertise is specifically political prisoners. In fact, some brand new numbers from that group prisoners, defenders today, they claim that there's more than 1,200 political prisoners on the island of those. 1,200, 145 are women and 33 are minors. And just in March, Kristen, they believe there are 44 new political prisoners on the island, Kristen. That's significant 44 new political prisoners, certainly.

Is there a sense, Hatzel, among Cubans in South Florida, that Cuba could be on the cusp of real change? Kristen, I have to tell you that covering Cuba for many years, there was a sense. that that change was coming. Remember back in 2021 when we saw those wide, island wide protest in July of 2021, that sense has sort of been renewed now that we see the president talking about Cuba and sort of being next on his agenda. What the anxiety here is in South Florida is not knowing what's going to happen. In fact, the Miami Herald had a poll this morning brand new that shows that almost 80% of Cuban Americans and Cubans here in South Florida do want a U.S. intervention and do not want to, when it comes to regime change, do not want any

Castro if there is some sort of negotiation with the Trump administration, Kristen. Fascinating, fascinating findings and interviews. Hatzelvella, thank you so very much for being here for your great reporting and insights. We appreciate it. You too. We are back tomorrow with more Meet the Press now. There's more ahead on NBC News Now.

Voters know that bad weather, like storms, lightning, and wind, can turn a fun day on the water into a challenge. But what if you had satellite delivered weather data giving you the full picture of what's around you, even when you're offshore and out of cell range? With SiriusXM Marine, get up-to-date weather and fishing. info directly on your boat's display. Plus, you can add SiriusXM entertainment. Visit seriousxm.com slash Marine to learn more.