Meet the Press NOW — December 27

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If it's Wednesday, Top White House officials are in Mexico as pressure mounts on President Biden to confront the crisis on the southern border and more and more migrants make their way toward the US. Plus, Israel further expands its ground war into Gaza, new threats today from the Iran-backed Houthi militants, and new exchanges of fire with Hezbollah in the north. And the Michigan Supreme Court rejects an effort to remove former President Trump from the state's primary ballot, just days after Colorado's highest court determine him ineligible to run with the Iowa caucuses less than three weeks away. Hello and welcome to Meet the Press Now, I'm Ryan Nobles in Washington.

And we begin with a world of trouble facing the Dubai administration as we head into 2024. Right now, Secretary of State Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas are in Mexico City, meeting with Mexico's president to discuss an issue plaguing both countries, border security, and the ongoing surge of migrants through Mexico and into the United States. This video was from that meeting that was just about a minute ago. Now, the meeting is taking place as a caravan of roughly 8,000 migrants.

Men, women, and children are heading toward the southern US border. Officials at the border are already completely overwhelmed. In four days, last week, more than 47,000 migrants crossed illegally, which is a record high number. And it's coming at a tenuous time for the president.

At the start of an election year, with nearly seven in 10 Americans disapproving of Biden's handling of immigration, that according to a recent poll. And as a bipartisan group of senators is trying to strike a deal on changes to immigration and border security as part of a larger package that includes funding for Ukraine and Israel. NBC has corresponded Morgan Chesky, has the latest from near the US-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas. Now, we're here in Eagle Pass, and what difference a week makes, because it was on this very spot we stood a week ago and looked into a field of migrant families during a period of time that was breaking records for illegal crossings today.

However, we're experiencing a bit of a lull. However, that may not be lasting long. We do know that there is a migrant caravan that has been spotted in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico. That is about a thousand miles away from where we are.

But the organizers say that there are now 8,000 strong comprised of men, women and children, slowly but surely making their way north. And it was its caravans, groups like that, that certainly helped precipitate this meeting today between Mexico's president and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. That meeting is in Mexico City. Both countries agreeing that something needs to be done sooner than later to handle these record number of migrants we've been seeing.

Among the potential topics of discussion in this meeting, finding a way to incentivize migrants to stay in Mexico longer or potentially permanently once they leave their Central American countries of origin, a potential solution for that, a work fee. So that would allow them to provide for themselves and or their families while they're there instead of rushing to the Rio Grande. Board of Security, another key issue as well. We do know that President Biden has promised additional funding for upwards of more than a thousand Border Patrol officers.

Mexican authorities also say that they are pressed to keep up with the number of migrants with the law enforcement they have on hand. So essentially nothing is off the table from a solution standpoint, if it could potentially help the issue that these two countries are facing simultaneously. And we know that from the migrants we've spoken to who have made that journey here, as dangerous as it's been, as long as it's been. Upwards four or five months in certain instances, they say that it's absolutely worth it to leave the danger of their home countries behind.

That's Morgan Chesky on the Southern border. We're now joined by NBC News, White House correspondent Monica Elba, who is on the White House North Lawn. So Monica, just outline, what is the White House hoping to accomplish in this meeting happening today? Well, the stakes are high, Ryan, but the expectations are fairly low, because let's be honest, there's just not that much that can come out of this meeting that will address this urgent need in the moment.

These are very big issues, these are long-term issues that really haven't been tackled in about the year since President Biden traveled to Mexico City to meet with his Mexican counterpart and with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, for the North American leader summit, where one of the main topics of discussion was stemming the flow of migration that really has become a challenge for the entire Western Hemisphere. It's not just about Mexico and Central America and the Northern Triangle countries. This really is now a larger conversation about people fleeing conflict and poverty and crime in South America, and then taking on that treacherous journey all the way up. And it's really sort of, in some sense, those who make it to the U.S.-Mexico border are almost the lucky ones, because so many don't actually survive that journey, or have the money or resources to continue it.

So when you just think about that context, this is such a complicated and intractable issue, but the White House is effectively saying because there's not much they can do in the moment, they can ask Mexico to step up some enforcement, they can ask for Mexico to potentially do a little bit more on the railroads there in Mexico, which had some disruption last week. They can also effectively try to ask the Mexican President to do more about potentially offering visas to some migrants to stay in Mexico, but he is nearing the end of his term. He doesn't have that much incentive to really do much more while in office potentially. So these meetings are about discussing these big issues, but as you know better than anyone, Ryan, there's this whole other component where Congress would need to step in and do a bit more.

And so the White House can discuss what they would like to see happen. Bottom line, the President has said the system is broken and needs fixing and he's willing to make some changes, but right now they're simply speaking about this without being able to address it as acutely as I think either side wants to be able to, Ryan. Well, let's talk about those negotiations on Capitol Hill. Obviously Republicans want to see something done and something done in what they would describe as significant.

And the President has said he's willing to make significant compromises on immigration policy. What are those compromises include? He's the one who says he's open to this, and we're really talking about a couple of different areas. One of the main ones would be how you seek asylum in this country.

So there are a couple of things that are on the table still. And we had expected by the end of the year, just a couple of days from now, there could be even a potential framework of what that would look like, but both sides are still really hashing out the details. This was something that obviously, even if they had the ambition of trying to wrap up by the end of the year, we maybe knew better than they did that that was going to be really difficult to accomplish, because really Democrats and Republicans do not agree on how to exactly do that. When it comes to some of these issues related to asylum or parole, for instance, the two sides are still pretty far apart, but both agree that they would like to work on something that does surge some resources and helps remake some of the current policies.

Because the President says it's not just about money, it's not just about personnel, some policy does need to change here, Brian. Okay, a lot to discuss over the next couple of weeks. Monica, thank you for that. Secretary Blinken's trip to Mexico to focus on this other border also comes, as he's also dealing with a delicate diplomacy of the Israel-Hamas War.

Axios reporting that Secretary Blinken is expected to return to the Middle East next week. This is the U.S. pressure Israel to turn to a different phase of war. But Israel says the war against Hamas will go on, quote, for many months.

Today, the Israeli military ordered residents to leave crowded urban refugee camps in a central Gaza area. We're fighting this out, intensifying. But the United Nations says there's really no safe place left for displaced civilians to go with nearly 85 percent of the Gaza population internally displaced. It comes, as Israel says, it is finding more evidence of Hamas infrastructure, including what the IDF says, is the largest Hamas tunnel discovered so far.

It's only a 10-minute walk from the Israel-Gaza border. The Israeli military invited NBC News into northern Gaza for a firsthand look. NBC's Josh Letterman has more. Ever since this war started, Israel has been saying that Hamas moved to build tunnels underneath civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

One of the reasons that it is so difficult for Israel to conduct this war without potentially putting the lives of civilians in danger. And today, we got a firsthand look inside what Israel says is the largest Hamas tunnel discovered during this war so far. It's about 10 feet tall with concrete walls. It's actually able for a car to be driven into it based on the width and the fact that there is a declining slope from the surface of the Earth into this tunnel.

Israel says that this is only about a quarter mile from the Israeli border, but that it extends some two and a half miles into Gaza toward Gaza City. Now, NBC News cannot independently verify what Hamas was using that tunnel for, whether it was used for any military purposes or how recently it was inhabited. But NBC was invited to tour this tunnel by the IDF as they are really working to bolster their claims about how Hamas and their few has jeopardized the safety of their own civilian population. As Israel says that there are hundreds of these types of tunnels throughout the Gaza Strip, the Israeli government now looking for ways to try to destroy these tunnels, even as they say that getting every single one of them is going to be a very difficult task.

But they say it is critical that Israel be able to root out these tunnels if they are going to be able to accomplish their goal of completely eliminating Hamas. All right, Josh, thank you for that reporting. Meanwhile, fears of an expanded regional conflict are growing. Israel says that its Air Force conducted a raid against Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanese territory today as Hezbollah claims it hit an Israeli settlement with rockets.

And another Iran-backed group, Yemen's Houthi militants, are intensifying their rhetoric today saying, quote, they are ready to inflict the harshest blows in defense of Palestinians. NBC's Jay Gray joins me now. He's live in Tel Aviv. So Jay, what's the latest on the ground?

Is Israel pushes further into Gaza? Yeah, and let's start in Gaza around. You're absolutely right. They are expanding their operations on the ground.

They're based basically in central Gaza, just outside of Gaza city where we know that they have expanded their reach into some of the refugee camps there, as you talked about earlier, calling those, and I'm quoting here now, a new battle zone. They say that there are Hamas fighters hiding within these refugee camps and something that they are taking a close look at and moving into. Remember, these are camps that displaced Palestinians were told to move to for safety, and now they're being told to evacuate there and move out. It's created chaos on the ground, especially because they are working through what is another blackout in communications, no internet, no cell phone service.

And so that's adding to the frustration of fear of so many on the ground there. The idea of continues to conduct air raids to the North, saying that they have killed over the last 48 hours, at least one senior leader of Hamas, and that they have targeted at least 100 Hamas structures, including command and control centers. And Jay Israel says that it's conducting a raid or has conducted a raid against Hezbollah in Lebanese territory today. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fires since the war started.

Is there a concern that this is an escalation or just a continuation of things that we've already experienced? Yeah, look, I was along the Lebanon border at the start of the ground invasion, where there was a lot of activity. It did wane for a bit, but over the last two weeks, we've seen it escalate again. So while there's always been some back and forth, I would say that it's definitely intensified over the last couple of weeks.

We know that Israel has said to point blank. And I'm quoting again here, everyone who acts against us is a potential target. There's concern about the front growing to several different areas, not only here in Israel, but globally as well. And let's not forget Ryan, there have been some American targets as a result of this regional escalation.

American troops across the region have been targeted more than 100 times since mid-October. And really, there's no expectation at this point the attacks will ease anytime soon. Of course, not only Israel, but the US forces in the region walk a tight rope right now, because they don't want to see this escalate into another front in this war. All right, Jay Gray, live from Tel Aviv, Jay, thank you for that report.

And nearly three months into the Israel Hamas war, the fighting in Gaza is further inflaming long simmering tensions in the West Bank, where Israeli settler violence against Palestinian civilians has escalated, and BC's Richard Engel has more. The tiny Palestinian village of Atwani is in the West Bank, where shepherds still tend their flocks in scenes unchanged for centuries. Sami Hurani, whose family has lived here for generations, told me since Hamas' October 7th massacre, Jewish settlers have become far more aggressive in their long campaign to drive Palestinians from this land. And the idea is just to make your life so hard that you'll leave, to make the life unlivable, unsustainable, unsafe, just at some point it will flow away from here.

Sami says the attackers come from Chavat Mahon, a Jewish settlement built on occupied Palestinian land. The settlement is illegal under international and Israeli law. Now they have more and more authority and more and more protection to do what they want. That includes, he says, shooting at Palestinians.

So if you were shot right now, there'll be no consequences. It didn't take long before we were noticed. There's a jeep coming toward us now. He was dressed like an Israeli soldier, but had no name tag or rank.

What do you think is going to happen now? Do you don't know anything can happen? Now we will see. We left without further incident.

Sami shared with us other videos, appearing to show settlers attacking his neighbors. The Israeli government responded in a statement saying in part it has zero tolerance for citizens taking the law into their own hands and that most of the so-called settlers are law-abiding citizens. The vast majority of violence that's committed by settlers goes absolutely undocumented, unaccounted for. Eliana Boswell is a Jewish American activist documenting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Does the Israeli government support this movement? Absolutely. I think it's essential to understand that the settler movement and the Israeli government are deeply enmeshed and intertwined. The settlers are not hiding their goal of full Jewish control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and believe October 7th was a turning point.

Daniella Weiss is a leader of the settler movement. We are not going to give sovereignty, national independence to Arabs in the Jewish land. I make it as clear as possible. Enough is enough.

No patience, no forgiveness, no consideration, out. Deliberately expelling an entire people from their homeland. Because they deliberately killed my friends. They massacred my friends and this is the way I react.

I'm full with pain for my people so I do not have room for other people. Richard Engel, NBC News in the West Bank. Coming up, the UN now says Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. I'll talk to a UNICEF aid worker about how to address the massive and complex humanitarian crisis.

But first, New Year restitution, former President Trump seemingly boasting that revenge and dictatorship are the words voters most associate with him. That's where he's next. You're watching me the press now. Last summer, the coolest place in the house was in your freezer.

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Conditions apply. See website for details. Welcome back. In a victory for former President Trump, Michigan's Supreme Court today, rejected an effort to remove him from the state's 2024 primary ballot.

Michigan's High Court declined to hear the challenge instead of holding a lower court ruling that said it is up to political parties and individual candidates to decide who appears on the ballot. Today's ruling is in stark contrast with the decision by Colorado's Supreme Court exactly one week ago, which blocks Trump from appearing on the primary ballot and comes as dozens of other states are also considering cases challenging Trump's eligibility. Trump is about to appeal the Colorado decision, likely putting the question of his eligibility before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Joining me now is NBC News correspondent von Hilliard. So, von, how is Trump reacting to this Michigan ruling? Of course, as one could anticipate, Ryan, he is acknowledging what he is declaring to be a victory, suggesting that the Michigan Supreme Court is not taking the step to disqualify him from the ballot because he says that he is the leading Republican presidential candidate, which he is, and he is using this to contrast their decision with that of the Colorado Supreme Court. We should note, of course, Ryan, the Michigan Supreme Court didn't actually rule.

They just didn't take up the appeal from the litigants in Michigan who were appealing the decision of the lower courts in Michigan. But ultimately, this is going to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court we could expect. The Trump legal team I'm told is expected to file their appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling in these coming days.

And then at that point, we should expect in the months ahead, the U.S. Supreme Court to make the determination of whether Donald Trump is disqualified under the disqualification clause of the 14th Amendment. And that ruling would have impact not just in Colorado, but across the country here. And so there are other state courts, including Michigan, that are going to hear these types of appeals and these types of lawsuits, but already the Colorado Supreme Court's decision and itself and the Supreme Court in D.C.

is taking up of it, as we expect, is going to really be the decider ultimately of this case. Yeah, maybe expand on that a little bit because obviously there are decisions that still need to be made. But this is in the midst of a campaign that's already underway. I mean, what do all these challenges to Trump's electability and these conflicting rulings ultimately mean for the election itself?

Right, Donald Trump is also fundraising off of this, Ryan, suggesting that the likes of these courts around the country are trying to nullify the votes of the Republican electorate on January 15th is the Iowa caucus. Eight days later, they're in Hampshire primary. Then the first week of February, you've got Nevada. And then on February 23rd, you've got South Carolina voting here.

And there is no timetable that the U.S. Supreme Court has to make this determination. But the longer they wait and under the circumstance in which the U.S. Supreme Court affirms Colorado's decision and were to disqualify Donald Trump from the ballot, there's the reality that a great share of the Republican elected around the country would have already voted in their primaries and caucuses to choose the nominee.

And right now, purpling, Donald Trump has a commanding lead in every state here. And so there is much concern not just for Donald Trump, but also the Republican party that if in fact the U.S. Supreme Court were to somehow disqualify him from the ballot, what could that mean for Republicans who voted around the country? Of course, July is the Republican National Convention.

And there is a lot on the line and ultimately determining if you're Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley, do you decide to wait around in this race a little bit longer? Under the pretense that perhaps Donald Trump is disqualified? There's a lot of political decisions that are going to be made that are running perpendicular to the legal decisions that are coming out of the courts. Okay, Von Hill here, thank you so much for that report.

And even as multiple courts weigh this question of Trump's eligibility, his base remains strongly behind him and the former president continues to be the far and away front runner to be the next Republican presidential nominee. My colleague Garrett Hake takes a look at the challenges facing Republicans heading in to 2024. The strength of Donald Trump's hold on the Republican party is one of the first questions 2024 may answer. The GOP presidential field, which peaked with more than a dozen active candidates in 2023, ends the year with just five credible campaigns remaining.

And polling shows the Republican race remains Donald Trump's to lose. So we're leading with 51% while Ron DeSantis is at less than 19 and Haley is at 60. What happened to the Haley surge? The early states gauntlet of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina likely to win other fields still further before what could be a decisive super Tuesday on March 5th.

Trump's biggest roadblock on the path to the convention and nomination in July may not be another candidate at all, but his legal challenges, including 91 criminal charges spread across four cases and a civil fraud trial set to conclude in January, which has already bogged him down in New York. He's denied all charges. I should be right now in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. I should be sitting in the courthouse.

January could prove a pivotal month on Capitol Hill, too, with the first of two government funding deadlines, which could lead to a partial shutdown, even as negotiators resume work on a stall bill to send aid to Israel and Ukraine, an overhaul immigration policy negotiations will continue in earnest until we get there. All while House Republicans impeach me inquiry aims to pick up steam. We expect to depose the president's son, and then we will be more than happy to have a public hearing with him. The House will face those challenges with a majority somehow even slimmer than the one they began with in 2023, when they struggled for days to elect Kevin McCarthy, a speaker, in an historic 15 ballots.

He will have the vote with McCarthy, who made history a second time when he was ousted from the speakership by eight rogue Republicans in October, retiring from Congress in December. I would do it all again. And New York's George Santos, who practically rewrote the definition of congressional scandal, if I leave, they win expelled in disgrace and facing federal prosecution. And while new House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to learn on the job, top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell will likely remain the subject of speculation over how long he'll hold onto his leadership post after a March concussion contributed to two frightening freezes for the 81 year old.

All right, I'm sorry. You already met whoever's in charge. The party's key issues in 2024 seem set addressing border security and the economy uniting them. I think we need to prove in 2024 that we have the policies and the will and the ability to make those differences and finding consensus on abortion.

And yes, Trump among the issues that divide the party's old guard from the new. The focus has to be just completely right now on making sure we don't return to the White House. What do we learn about Republicans in 2024 that we're going to win? That's what you all learn.

There's going to be some issues, it's going to be disagreements, but guess what? Disagreements in every household in America. Jerry Hake, NBC News, Washington. Now, let's bring on our panel to talk more about this.

Robert Gibbs, of course, a former White House press secretary to President Obama and NBC News political analyst and Rich Lowry, the editor of the National Review. So Rich, as you saw, Gary's piece there, is it as easy as Byron Donald's is making it out to be? The Republicans are going to just win, baby. As Al Davis used to say, and all their problems will go away, or is it going to be really hard for them to govern in 2024, especially with Donald Trump and all of his issues looming large?

Well, I think in Congress, they just want to dance the ball much in terms of their spending agenda, which is because they have a narrow majority in the house. It's gotten a little narrower. They don't have control of the Senate. They don't have control of the White House.

So, wasn't anything that Kim McCarthy did wrong or lack a will on his part? It was just a score election of forces, which still apply, even though you have a new speaker now. And obviously, the big event is Donald Trump probably has 80, 90% chance of winning a denomination. And then 2024, which is less than a week away now, will be the wildest, one of the wildest electoral rides in American political history and this contention over whether it'll actually appear on the ballot.

It's kind of amazing that that is a question, but it's just a prelude of what's to come. So Robert, let's talk about what's happening on the Democratic side. Obviously, a president Biden dealing with two hot wars. He's trying to get a deal on immigration policy.

How much is he going to be able to get done in 2024, especially because he has to deal with those Republicans in Congress? And is his record right now strong enough to run on for reelection? Well, I think Rich is right. The Congress isn't in danger of doing a lot in 2024.

I think the biggest hurdle is going to be that spending deal to see what else can get put into it, what kind of immigration deal, what kind of funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, etc. I do think the president has a remarkably strong record to run on, investment in the economy, investment in manufacturing. I think you'll see a lot of ribbon cuttings around roads and bridges and new factories that are bringing jobs back into America. Obviously, I think both the likely Democratic and likely Republican nominee have some issues with their polling and issues with their political strength.

And I think the thing we're all going to have to get used to, as you mentioned, in that setup piece, the decisiveness of the early March primaries probably mean we have one of, if not the longest general election in recent. Yeah, longest general election with two historically unpopular candidates. That sounds exciting for many Americans. But to that point, Robert, what should the Biden message be?

He's tried to say, binomics and democracy versus autocracy. That doesn't really seem to have resonated with the American people. Is this an issue of most Americans not paying that close enough attention? Or at some point, will this message start to seep through and we'll see his poll numbers turn around?

Well, look, I think a lot of the polling right now reflects not necessarily the contest and the campaign that are coming, but on the popularity of the current incumbent. Look, I'm reminded in December of 2011, Barack Obama in a swing state poll in USA Today was down five points to Mitt Romney and get this even three points to Newt Gingrich. So I think 2024 is really going to be it's the campaign proving ground. And I think the winner of this race in 2024 is whoever conducts the best campaign, whoever's doing what they need to do.

And I think for the president, he needs to put a choice out there and compare his policies and his vision with that of Donald Trump. And I think the more frequently he does that, the more likely more voters are going to pay attention. And more of them are going to begin their own minds to make that important choice. So rich on the other side, Republicans have one agenda that they seem to be coalescing around at least in the House.

And that is moving forward with this impeachment inquiry into President Biden. They have such a slow majority. So that means basically every Republican has to be on board if they actually move to articles of impeachment. If they don't actually take that step, if this investigation just lingers on without any kind of resolution, who's that better for the president or for the Republicans challenging him?

Well, at this point, they don't go through with it and impeach him. It'll be an embarrassment to the House and it'll be a win for Joe Biden. I just don't think this is what voters are going to ultimately decide on. It's going to be the big issues, economy, foreign affairs, the border.

And I remember well that the polling that Robert mentioned when Obama was down, you know, very early on is very excited about it, Robert, you're probably less thrilled at that era. But Joe Biden is not Barack Obama. I mean, Barack Obama is a once a generation political talent, even at the top of his game, Joe Biden wasn't that. And he's not at the top of his game anymore.

And the most concerning, I think, figure for Dempress has to be how poorly he's lining up against a Donald Trump on the economy. And he's losing my double digits on the economy. There's a Wall Street Journal poll the other day asking whose policies have helped or hurt you? Double digit answer Trump helped us double digit Biden's policies have hurt us.

And Robert's absolutely right. That has to be reversed. So maybe the river cut it rhythm cutings. I'm not sure if Trump's leading my double digits on the economy, he'd be confined to rikers and still potentially win the election.

So Robert, let's turn to 2024 and these Michigan Supreme Court rulings that Trump can stay on the ballot there. But it obviously follows the Colorado ruling that blocks him from appearing on the primary ballot. He's probably going to appeal that. Does this road confidence in our election system right now?

I mean, are you worried about how much influence the courts are going to have in the 2024 election? Well, I think we are likely to see the courts decide almost all of these ballot measures or ballot access issues as it relates to the presidential campaign and Trump's ability to be a candidate. I think that's going to go through a lot of back and forth. I think you're going to see a number of states, some rule one way, some maybe rule the other, ultimately decided by the Supreme Court.

But I also think ballot access is going to be a big theme in 2024. We already see in polling that's being conducted, lots of third party candidates. Is Robert Kennedy Jr. going to qualify for the ballot in all these states?

Is Cornell West? Is it no labels candidate? Is a green party candidate? I think we put a lot of these names on polls right now.

We don't know whether they're going to have a real impact on the election because we don't yet know where they're actually going to appear on that ballot. So ballot access, I think, is going to be a recurring theme next year. So, Rich, I don't know if you saw this, but the former president posted a daily mail word cloud to his social media. Seemingly proud of the fact that people associate words like revenge, power, and dictatorship to him.

What do you make of that? Yeah, it's another stirring of the pot, like his line on hand, you know, I'm not going to be a dictator except for day one. I don't think the source is interest. I understand why people are freaked out about it.

But you just, you're not going to convince a Republican that the Democrats are truly concerned with preserving democracy, but they're talking about potentially jailing the leading opponent to Joe Biden and trying to exclude him from the ballot, which is a frankly undemocratic, anti-democratic measure. And Robert, we were just a couple of weeks out before Iowa, Vivek, Roman, Swami's campaign, pulling other TV ad spending. There's been questions about whether he's actually in this race for himself or just as a proxy for the former president. What do you make of his decision to pull ad spending this close to the caucuses?

Well, I think it gives you a sense of his political health. I mean, if you're running to be the nominee, you're not pulling your advertising. You're not doing it in a tweet complaining about political consulting and TV ads. Look, I don't think there are many tickets out of Iowa this year.

We're going to have a much smaller field. We're going to have a much smaller field when we get to New Hampshire. We could be down to two people at the end of New Hampshire, which is kind of a stunning thing if you think back to the history of these things. You know, I think the challenge that candidates have that are running opposed to Donald Trump is for a lot of those, the candidates that would drop out their second choice isn't another person that isn't Donald Trump.

It is in fact Donald Trump. So I'm not entirely sure how any of the candidates not named Donald Trump gets all that stronger, quite frankly, all that quickly. And interesting that Donald Trump responded to this news by saying, stay in the race. Don't get out quite yet.

I'm not ready for you to. You can endorse me in a few weeks. Just don't do it quite yet. Robert Gibbs, Rich Lowry, we touch on a lot of topics, guys.

I appreciate you both being here on holiday week. Thanks so much. Happy New Year. And up next, swimming upstream.

We'll talk about the challenges ahead for Biden and the Democrats, with someone who knows the thing or two about winning tough races. Alaska's Democratic Congresswoman Mary Paloda joins me next. You're watching with the president. Welcome back with USA to Ukraine hanging in the balance.

Last week, the White House moved to cut off one of the ways Russia has been funding their war effort. President Biden signed an executive order closing a loophole that allowed Russia to sell seafood in the U.S. by first sending it through other countries. It's a move that Alaska's self-described pro-fish congresswoman, Mary Paloda, has been pushing for it.

And it's one that could help her once again win as a Democrat in a red state. And I'm joined now by the Democratic Congresswoman from Alaska. Thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it.

Pro-fish. I think we can all be in agreement on that. But for a native war, it's going to be a major flashpoint when Congress returns to Washington. I mean, do you believe that there's a compromise to be made that combines border security and foreign aid?

And should there be at this point? You know, I am not very good at making predictions like that. I know we are going to have a very hectic year starting out in 2024. There's so much on the agenda.

We've got two really important deadlines and, of course, a lot going on internationally, which is all tied to the border, as you say. And you were on this program last November. It was right after you'd been elected to office. How would you rate your first full year in office?

I think my team and I have deserved an A. We got willow passed with the help of our senators and a real team effort across Alaska. This executive order that I'm here talking about today, thank you so much for having me, is a huge win for Alaskan fishing families. This is going to really do a lot to provide a tool to close this loophole where Russia is able to poach fish from Alaskan waters and then sell it or have it repackaged in China and then China market it back to the United States.

So this is a huge economic issue when it comes to funding the war in Ukraine. They're basically poaching has gone up tremendously. And we know that this is funding a huge portion of that war. And so it's really hitting a lot of really good points.

So we're very excited about this executive order. Is it something that your constituents will reap the benefits from immediately? How quickly will something like this have an impact? Well, I certainly hope it's quickly.

We've seen the prices go down in wild salmon tremendously because China's wild fish exports, about 30% of them are salmon. And our understanding, some new reporting came out that shows that China's using Uighurs as basically slave labor. And this has really put a glut on the market, a very cheap, wild fish. And it's really for Alaskan fishing families to compete with that.

So we're really hopeful that Alaskan fishing families will make a lot more profit in the coming summer and be able to invest that back in their boats. It's been a tough year for Congress. It's been pretty a lack of production. I guess you could say only 20 bills made it through both chambers in 2023.

Are you hoping that that can change in 2024? I mean, some of your most pressing priorities for Democrats in Congress in 2024? Well, I can really only speak for myself. I don't speak on behalf of the caucus, but I certainly would like to find more areas where, as Americans, we can agree.

I respect all Americans no matter which party they come from or if they're undeclared. So I think that we really need to be focusing on that. I think that the Republican conference, our House majority really needs to get into alignment and get unified or count on bipartisan support in getting these budget bills passed here in the next month or two. We need to keep the lights on.

I mean, it's a very low bar that we're setting for ourselves right now in terms of forward progress. We're really just trying to get these basic budget bills passed. And do you think you have optimism that you've got a very short window of time to at least get a group of these budget bills passed before another potential shutdown? Basically, as soon as you get back, you've got only a few legislative days.

I mean, how do you feel about the progress of talks on most Republicans and Democrats to come up with a bipartisan spending bill? Well, I think that deadlines are a healthy thing for Congress. I think that it is very hard to get any traction or forward movement or compromise or consensus unless there is a very firm deadline. So the closer we get to these deadlines, I think the more serious everybody's going to be about finding consensus and compromise.

And I am optimistic. I have to be optimistic. All right, let's talk about politics in 2024. Last year, you told our Christian Welker that it was yet to be determined whether or not Joe Biden was the best candidate to represent the Democratic Party.

It seems pretty clear he's going to be the nominee now. Where do you stand today? Is Joe Biden the right person to represent your party in 2024? You know, it's funny.

I hear a lot of people asking me about his age. And as a native person, I really have a tremendous amount of respect for elders. I think that Joe Biden's mental acuity is very, very on. He's one of the smartest, sharpest people I've met in DC.

And as a native person, I think age is a good thing. Wisdom and experience are a good thing. I think he leads with love and compassion. And I appreciate that in a leader.

So I can take that to say that you do have confidence in him as the Democratic nominee then? Well, you know, and again, I need to stay in my own lane and think about the things on my plate. I like to stick to my own knitting. But you know, we'll I'm just as eager to find out as you are.

All right. So let's talk about your own race then. You already have two Republican challengers right now, one of them, the current lieutenant governor and the individual you beat in the last election as well. Speaker Johnson's already backed your opponent, the lieutenant governor Dahlstrom in that race in the effort to flip your seat.

Obviously, the margins are so tight right now between Republicans and Democrats. What's your message to voters to keep a Democrat in office, especially in a state like Alaska, where there are a lot of Republicans? I think that we've shown in this last term that there's such an advantage to having a bipartisan delegation. We've shown that with passing willow through this administration.

And that really was a Joe Biden decision. The president was the singular person to make that decision on that project. And and it is going forward. And it's going to be billions of dollars for Alaskans.

But I remain committed to fish, family and freedom. And I will be running on those again. Fish, family and freedom. All right, Congressman, thank you so much for being here.

We appreciate it. Have a very happy new year. And I'll see you when you get back to the Capitol. Thank you so much.

Thank you Ryan. Coming up, meet the Iowa voter making it her mission to meet every presidential candidate and doing it in style. You're watching meet the press now. Welcome back as we count down the days to the Iowa caucuses.

It's not just that candidates crisscrossing the state courting voters and we see campaign embed Alex Tabith spoke to one Iowan who takes his responsibility as a first in the nation voter very seriously. But he isn't afraid to have a little fun at the same time. If politics is a sport, Mark Horver is a long time season ticket holder. I have a total of 39 signed baseballs by various candidates.

His collection ranges from the very well known like President Biden. Did we have, you know, by economics himself, Joe Biden? This one I got at Iowa City, think was his first stop in Iowa. He declared he was running in 2020 to the nearly completely unknown, like 2024 long shot Ryan Binkley.

I was the only guy to see him. So I did kind of feel bad. Corvers collection of baseball signed by presidential candidates is almost a grand slam with a notable exception of former President Donald Trump with the Secret Service. They list, you know, mile long list of things that you can't bring in, of course, your baseballs are on that list.

Iowa born in bread. Corvers hobby began in the 2000s. It's close to caucus time here in Iowa. The signature was from an after high school football practice, George Bush spoke in my high school.

These days he doesn't wait for candidates to come to him after working with graveyard shift at the local casino. My hours are 1145 to 745. He drives hundreds of miles to meet presidential hopefuls. Oh, I know Ron DeSantis has an event in Coralville, Iowa.

And then after that, maybe sleep for a couple hours and then go to the Vex event here in town. It's a grind. And does it all well dressed to the nines? So Mark, you are the best dressed men in any room in Iowa.

Why do you dress like this for the political events? The mantra that I try and live by is, you know, the world's already negative as is. Why I do it. When if I put a smile on their face just by me addressing the way I do, then you know, hey, I did my good deed for the day.

Corvers baseball collection is like his voting record by partisan. His caucus for Rick Santorum and Elizabeth Warren. What I really loved about Elizabeth Warren was it didn't matter if she had a hundred people at her event or over a thousand. She stayed.

Corver voted for Obama and Trump. So I vote for why I think it's the best person for the job regardless of party. And he believes this is all part of performing his civic duty. I believe so strongly in that if you don't vote, you don't have a valid reason to complain.

And being an Iowan. Yeah, I've come to learn like, what are you true gift? We haven't in Iowa. I'm not exactly sure how or why they came to be, but I'm glad it came to be.

Alex Abbott, Washington, Iowa. And I almost were that same exact suit today. That would have been embarrassing for the thing I didn't. Still to come.

New details on the challenges and dangers of helping Gaza's most vulnerable citizens. You're watching Meet the Press Now. Welcome back. The United Nations has named a coordinator to preside over humanitarian aid being sent to Gaza.

Sigrid Kog, a Dutch politician will oversee relief shipments beginning next month. Her appointment comes less than a week after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to increase aid to Gaza. It also comes as the UN warns that about a quarter of Gaza's total population is facing starvation right now. And joining me now with more on the humanitarian situation is UNICEF spokesperson Joe English.

Joe, thanks for being here. I want to really focus on the children in Gaza, which I know is a focus of yours as well. There's obviously a lot of ongoing fighting, but your agency also warns that water and sanitation are at the point of collapse and that all children under the age of five are at high risk of preventable death. Do you really have any resources to even to continue to operate in Gaza right now?

For the moment, the reality is that we are not able to reach every child and every family in need. You know, we work in conflicts all around the world. We have been doing this in more than 70 years, and so we know how to reach children and families in the most desperate circumstances. But the reality is that while it's falling, and whilst the situation in Gaza is now, it's almost impossible.

So we are getting them with providing critical supplies. But as you say, every single child under the age of five, that is hard to wrap your head around. I've been doing this in more than 10 years. And even for me, the numbers, the precautions that we are talking about knock you sideways.

You know, just imagine right now being a parent and desperately trying to find, say, can also be a child, trying to find food for your child, trying to ensure that your child is protected from air strikes and from active fighting. And doing all of this after 75 more, 78, almost 80 days of fighting, you know, it is just exhausting for parents. And that is what they are telling us that fighting needs to stop their needs to be a humanitarian force. And one of the challenges that you're facing when it comes to addressing the needs of children specifically, what are, what is a kid waking up in Gaza having to deal with on a day-to-day basis?

I mean, many children are not sleeping through the night. You know, that is the personality, children are exhausted. They are traumatized. They are shocked.

You know, our colleagues tell us that when they go into any of these camps, you know, where you would expect, there's a huge number of children in Gaza. One of them, you know, I'm 50% of the population. There's kids, and it's expected to be loud, chaotic. You know, all of those fun but exhausting things that you, you know, you have when you've got largely to children, but children are too scared, too tired, too hungry, to even cry, many of them.

You know, it is a deathly, badly silenced. And so when I think about what UNICEF usually provides in crisis, water protection, nutrition services, education, psychosocial support, all of these children need absolutely every single one of them. But we can't begin to deliver at the scale that's necessary until there is a cause and a fighting. So let's say the fighting ended today.

I assume that it's not just snapping your fingers and all these problems go away. What would the recovery process look like? Honestly, I was out in Syria in Turkey at the start of the year, when there was a devastating earthquake that hit. And that is effectively what we would be looking at.

It would be an emergency response. It would be like there was a sudden catastrophic event because the number of people who were in need, the number of people who would be forced from their homes, effectively it is an area of land that's being decimated by these attacks. And so we need to be getting them. We need to be making sure that children have access to vaccines.

They have access to safe water because while thousands and thousands of children have been killed in the fighting, we know that if there's something like cholera that takes hold or out of waterborne diseases or any kind of acute respiratory illness, as the weather gets colder, this could take so many, so many vulnerable young lives. And so it's staggering. But this is what UNICEF does. This is what UN does.

What we need to have to safe conditions, the funding, we need to be allowed to do the work that we do elsewhere in the world day and day out. And the UN did pass a resolution calling for more aid. I assume that helps. But is it really all just difficult to get anything done until the fighting stops?

The resolution was an important first step. You know, it is thankful that we're all in agreement that more needs to be done in terms of monetary energy. Anyone can see the images and not think that that is the case. And now it's a case of turning those words into actions.

And that means scaling up the humanitarian support going in. It means allowing commercial trucks to go in. You know, there is so much need. And at this point of year, there is nowhere where for a child right now.

All right. Well, John English, we appreciate so much the work that you're doing. We appreciate you being with us. And that does it for us this hour.

I'll be back tomorrow with more meet the press now. But NBC News now coverage continues with Aaron McLachlan, who's in for Hallie Jackson right now. Hey, it's Kate Snow, NBC News anchor, and host of The Drink. This month, Demi Lovato is my guest.

The global superstar tells me that she is the happiest she's ever been right now. But getting there, it wasn't simple. Demi opens up about starting in Hollywood Young, and why she now thinks she may have started too soon. She talks about recovery, her new marriage, and the deeply personal reason behind her new cookbook.

The drink is always about the journey to the top. And this was an honest conversation about what that takes. Hope you'll listen and follow The Drink Wherever You Get Your Podcast.