and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. her uncle's unhappy. join t i'm sensing anpeople takiunderlying issue.vacy it's t-mobile. it started when we tried to get him under a new plan. but they they unexpectedly unraveled their “price lock” guarantee. which has made him, a bit... unruly. you called yourself the “un-carrier”. you sing about “price lock” on those commercials. “the price lock, the price lock...” so, if you could change the price, change the name! it's not a lock, i know a lock. so how can we undo the damage? we could all unsubscribe and switch to xfinity. their connection is unreal. and we could all un-experience this whole session. okay, that's uncalled for. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," a massive search and rescue operation underway in baltimore after that shocking overnight bridge

collapse. maryland's governor declaring a state of emergency after a cargo ship colliding with a major interstate bridge in baltimore sending cars plunging into freezing waters and sending rescue teams into action. >> maryland, we will get through this. because that is the maryland spirit, and that's what maryland is made of. we are maryland tough, and we are baltimore strong. rapid reaction to oral arguments before the supreme court on whether the fda overstepped its authority when it approved the abortion pill mifepristone. the fda says the pill is safe and effective and has been so since it was approved 24 years ago. ahead, analysis on how the justices may be leaning when it comes to the future of the widely used drug. ♪♪ good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell in

washington. we follow the terrible scene unfolding north of here in baltimore. the coast guard and first responders are in rescue mode on the scene of a massive bridge collapse that closed down a major highway. a life line for east coast commerce. at 1:27 a.m., a vessel cargo ship struck the francis scott key structure collapsing the structure. some of the lights on the cargo ship did flicker several times before the collision. it's not known if the ship lost power before impact. a search is underway for at least six people who are not accounted for and believed to be from a repair crew that was on the bridge working to fix potholes at the time of the crash. two people were rescued from the water. one of them is still hospitalized. there's no indication the collision was anything other than accidental, according to authorities. earlier, the governor of maryland speaking about the

tragedy and what is being done right now. >> the preliminary investigation points to an accident. we haven't seen any credible evidence of a terrorist attack. to the victims of this tragedy and their loved ones, all of our hearts are broken. we feel your loss. we are thinking of you. and we will always be thinking of you. the thing we do know is that many of the vehicles were stopping before they got on the bridge, which saved lives in a very, very heroic way. >> joining us from baltimore is ryan nobles who has been on the scene since the wee hours of the morning and all night long. bring us up to speed on the rescue efforts, the moment that led to the bridge collapsing. i understand the tide -- the current was very fast. if the huge ship lost power, it was going at eight knots, that's

pretty fast. >> reporter: yeah. andrea, all things considered, this is just a remarkable set of circumstances. i'm sure all of your viewers have seen the video of just how quickly this bridge collapsed after being struck by that cargo ship. it's hard to wrap your mind around it. it almost feels like a scene out of a movie. this is how quickly this all came together. go back and look at the time line of events. at 1:24, the ship's lights seemed to turn off. then at 1:25, the lights seemed to turn back on. at 1:25:40 black smoke billowed from one of the stacks from the ship. then the ship appears to turn. lights turn off again. the lights turn back on again. at 1:28:43 the ship makes impact with the bridge. at 1:28:49, in six seconds, the entire bridge collapses.

when you look at the sheer devastation and when you see the aftermath -- you can see a little bit of the span of the bridge kind of dip down in the water behind me. it's really hard to wrap your mind around the fact that at this point, it is a search and rescue operation which -- this is not to minimize this at all -- is only in search of six people. this is a bridge that on any given day could have 35,000 vehicles crossing it throughout the course of the day. of course, this did happen in the dead of night. roughly 1:30 in the morning. we are also learning that right before the ship started to have problems or at the moment it started to have problems, it reached out to the shore to let them know that they had lost control of the ship. they actually stopped cars and other vehicles from crossing over the bridge at that point. that likely saved lives. where we are right now is that the search continues for six individuals who were part of the construction team that were

repairing potholes on the bridge. this is a very difficult process. these are icy waters that the search crews are working with. there's been aircraft helicopters and airplanes overhead. they have had boats and rescue crews on the water. they have had dive teams in the water using sonar and other devices to locate victims. they are calling it a search and rescue mission. of course, to be in that icy water for that long period of time, it would be difficult for anyone to survive, which is why many people here are viewing this situation that took place here today as a major tragedy. >> ryan, there were cars loaded on that freighter. you have that. right now, the port is blocked. incoming traffic, there are plenty of other ports up and down the east coast. this was going with a load of cars. that traffic is stopped.

there's a huge economic impact. in terms of the water, it was 45 degrees and the temperature outside was in the 30s. a cold march night. unfortunately, the trucks that cross that bridge, that use it, because they can't go through the tunnel, so there are two tunnels available, if you want to go up i-95, but they are not available to truck traffic. it's the truck traffic going in the middle of the night. >> reporter: yeah. the impact that this is going to have long-term on this region is really hard to calculate at this point. i was driving up here early this morning, in the 4:00 hour. there were signs warning drivers to avoid this area at all cost. that's a message that's up here for likely months to come, maybe even more than a year. the governor did vow to rebuild the bridge but didn't say how long it would take to do so. you have just the traffic impact that's going to have.

potentially tens of thousands of cars a day forced to be diverted in an area that has a huge traffic congestion problem. then, the supply chain issues that are connected to one of the biggest ports in the world being shut down. for an indefinite amount of time. the baltimore harbor brags as to being the number one united states port for the export and import of automobiles. that's a huge impact on the automobile industry. obviously, there's the immediate and rightful concern about the lives that could potentially have been lost here today. but the long-term impacts of this really dramatic accident are going to be felt for a long time to come. >> ryan, that's exactly what the president and his team -- they were meeting today. the president will be speaking at 12:30 we understand. he had a meeting in the oval office. you can see he is with his top advisers. they are -- of course, it's the

search and rescue, making sure it was not terrorism, which the governor announced. all of those indications, that that is not the issue. it's what went wrong, how to prevent it, how long it's going to take to clear the port and to repair the bridge and all of that. the human tragedy and economic impacts. the president and his team have been evaluating that. ryan, when you look at all of this -- you know the area. one of our crew members in the studio, it took him an extra hour to get to work because he lives near that bridge. he always goes over that bridge. he is one of those people -- it's basically 695. it's the beltway around baltimore. it's i-95 that goes through the tunnels where you don't have to go on the beltway that goes around that whole area. now that is going to completely be messed up. what are you hearing from the local community as to how many cars they think the sonar

detected? they have everything mobilized. sonar in the water. what are the resources they might be needing? >> reporter: i mean, at this point, the rescue crews and officials -- they initially thought there would be a search for vehicles in the water. at the last press conference, they felt confident that they had stopped any vehicular traffic from going over the bridge at that time. just anecdotally, when you look at the video, you can see cars traveling over top the bridge in the moments before the container ship smashes into the base of the bridge. from the naked eye, it does appear the traffic does stop right before the ship ends up hitting the bridge. they do feel confident that they escaped this without any actual cars or vehicles falling into the water. but again, it happened at 1:30 in the morning.

i think one of the things that was so scary about this situation in covering it in the early morning hours is they didn't know what they were dealing with. every time we got an update on the search for survivors, it was a lot of we think but not a lot of we know. they felt a lot more confident about the number of survivors and the number of victims in their latest press briefing. i'm sure we will get more updates throughout the day. it's awful on every level. but it could have been so much worse. >> if you could clarify -- because a lot people are asking questions. we heard earlier reports there were cars in the water, that sonar detected them. at the same time, we heard that they had stopped the cars from crossing over the bridge. they had enough warning. can you clarify that at all? >> reporter: yeah. when they initially started briefing us this morning --

there were people asking on social media. there were initial reports of as many as 20 possible victims. that was nothing we reported. those were from other outlets. that turned out to be not as many. they believe there were eight people on the bridge at the time. that's the number they have stuck to as the day has gone on. in their first initial briefing, what they told us was that among the things they were looking for were the possibility of vehicles in the water. that's one of the reasons that they put sonar equipment in the water to see if that would bring back any indication of vehicles. in the subsequent briefings since, including that press conference that the governor was a part of, their indication is they believe that they prevented any vehicles from going into the water. this is an evolving and ongoing situation. there is the possibility that in the next press briefing throughout the course of the search and rescue effort they do end up -- that sonar does end up pinging a vehicle and they end

up discovering a vehicle is in the water. the belief right now is they avoided that part of the tragedy. >> that is good news, if there's any to be gleaned from this terrible story. it feels like it's in our neighborhood. so many of us commute to baltimore for all kinds of reasons. thank you very much. thank you, ryan, for everything you have done all night and continue to. coming next, the supreme court showdown. the abortion pill debate hitting the high court. its future is in question. that's next when "andrea mitchell reports" is back in 60 seconds. stay with us. you are watching msnbc. care of fixing your windshield.e but did you know we can take care of your insurance claim? that means less stress for you. >> woman: thanks. >> tech: my pleasure. have a good one. >> woman: you too. >> tech: schedule today at safelite.com. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ ♪ students... students of any age, from anywhere.

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they scaled back a district court ruling but restricted access to mifepristone, the medication used in a two-pill abortion regimen, rolling back the fda's guidance for its 2016 updates and second guessing the fda's medical advice. it would limit access to the abortion pill, even in states where abortion is legal. every box would need to be pulled and labels updated. a decision in support of abortion opponents could jeopardize every fda approval on all other drugs, potentially extending to certain vaccines and birth control. this is the first major challenge to abortion access since the court's conservative majority overturned roe v. wade two years ago in the dobbs decision. a decision is expected by june at the height of the presidential campaign. with all that, joining us now is

yamiche alcindor, andrew weissmann and dr. patel. yamiche, to you. what are the questions in the court? what are the crowds saying in this first test of an abortion -- certainly, abortion-related procedure since dobbs? >> that's right. this is really the most consequential abortion case to come before the supreme court since this court overturned roe v. wade in 2022. we have been outside all day. there's a large crowd. mostly people who are pro-abortion rights. a large crowd of people saying, my body, my choice, echoing the language that you hear from the fda, which is that the pill is safe. it needs to be accessible to women. we have been talking to people who are against this abortion pill being accessible. let's listen to some of those anti-abortion protesters. >> i think that abortion is not

health care. it's murder. i think that there are thousands of children dying every year. the majority is from pill abortions. i'm here to show there are black women, black and indigenous women, queer people, all types of people who are against abortion. i'm progressive. i'm a democrat. i'm not a republican. i am against abortion. >> you heard it, that person really making it very clear how they stand on this issue of abortion. again, there's a large crowd here underscoring what's at stake here. i've been outside the supreme court for other cases. this is probably one of the largest crowds. we have seen roads closed down. these streets are usually open. today, you see them filled with people. i want to underscore the fact that during the oral arguments, we heard the u.s. solicitor general talk about what she said would be profound harm to women if the fda were to lose this case. it might not only impact women who are dealing and wanting to

deal with mifepristone but the other drugs that the fda approves. she was making the case that the fda needed to have and continue to have authority over regulating drugs and it should not be left to the justices. i want to say that you heard the skepticism from the justices. i was listening for amy coney barrett. she was asking specific questions about the actual harm, ask -- pushing the anti-abortion lawyers groups to really talk about specific issues there. talking about whether there would be ultrasounds needed. making the case that -- bringing up the case there would be no changes when it comes to the medical procedures needed to get this abortion pill if the fda were to lose. making the case this was about the fda having scientific -- leaning on scientific knowledge in their process of approving and expanding the approval of the pill. a raucous day here outside the supreme court. >> indeed. any time that issue is before

the court, it's going to be exactly that way. thank you, yamiche. to andrew, the group of abortion opponents and largely i think the -- miss hawley who was representing them before the court, these are doctors who have religious objections to the procedure. the solicitor general made it clear that there were a lot of hypothetical that would have to take place before they would have to be involved and that they already have, under all the laws, a way of opting out, because of religious objections, from any procedure they want. they have other paths. is that the way you read it? it seemed to me that the standing issue might be the issue on which this turns, not a safety issue involving the fda. with a majority of the justices. >> that's exactly right. i think that the thing that people should keep their eye on is not so much which way this decision is going to come out but what they say about it.

it seems very clear from the oral argument that there currently is a stay that allows mifepristone to be distributed. it seems very clear that at least five if not up to seven or eight even justices are going to say that mifepristone can be sent in the mail and that there isn't standing, that is a legal doctrine these doctors don't have standing to challenge the law, because they can conscientiously object if they have religious believes that would say they can't do it. but the reason i say that there may be a win today with respect to this, but this case is not over if the way that the court rules is on that sort of narrow technical ground, because that removes this from the political issue of the upcoming election, but if this case were to be brought by people who do have

standing later, it can be refashioned and it can be a new challenge depending on how this court rules. this may be something that gives a temporary win to women and, of course, even to men, with respect to this drug, but it may be a temporary win. the language that the court uses in deciding this is going to be critical in knowing how much safety there really is in the court ruling today. >> i would assume that -- it was justice alito -- i heard some of his questioning. it would be justice alito who wrote the dobbs case and driving a lot of this -- he and i guess justice thomas? >> yeah. i think that only people that heard is justice alito. even justice thomas was asking skeptical questions with respect to the potential standing and as you note this idea that doctors can have this conscientious

objection, so there isn't a harm to them. that, again, just to be clear, that would save the decision today. but it doesn't mean that there can't be different people with more standing raising this issue later. the wording of the decision is going to be really critical to see, because i'm very cynical about what the court is doing now, understanding that -- they understand how much dobbs is a voter issue in light of what they did and that if they were to rule that there is standing and to preclude mifepristone at this stage, i think, essentially, the supreme court would be front and center even more than it is in the election. how the court goes about deciding this is going to be critical to watch. >> of course, there's the medical issue to be discussed, which is the most important to all these women. dr. patel, a new study shows the use of the abortion pill more

than quadrupled after the dobbs decision just about two years ago. of the 28,000 additional doses, it shows women are finding ways around state laws, that it's more than mainstream, more than people previously believed. what about the medical impact of it? has anyone established any issue with the safety of this medication that was approved by the fda 24 years ago? >> andrea, i think it was true, as andrew pointed out there was little commentary about the fda neglecting their duty in establishing safety standards, which as you stated, 24 years and standing. there's so many safety parameters in place that came up in the question. it's not as if the fda removed any of the safety monitoring standards that i am held to if i prescribe this. what i'm more concerned about on the medical sign is the unintended consequences that somebody will try to construct an argument, these seven doctors that they cited in the alliance

for hippocratic medicine, none of them prescribe mifepristone. but we will likely see cases where someone will say, i did prescribe it and there was this undue harm. they will stitch together an argument. while i see today as a step forward for at least choice and hopefully the right decision around safety efficacy, a drug we have been using for several decades, i'm very concerned that we will see two steps backwards as people refine their argument. ultimately, it's ironic, we are talking about a real emergency with this bridge collapsing, people's lives at stake, that unfolds. we are sitting here having a group of judges and lawyer -- no offense to the lawyers on the panel -- who are trying to tell us how to practice medicine. there's something wrong about that in 2024. this case brings it to a head. >> thanks to you, dr. patel. thanks to andrew weissmann. joining us is the president

of planned parenthood. you were in the courtroom. from all reports, those of our correspondents and legal experts in the courtroom as well, the majority -- a clear majority and perhaps a super majority of the court of the justices were skeptical of the argument that these doctors who have concerns about prescribing this, don't have other options to opt out. >> hello, andrea. i think that's the same assessment i walked away with. i saw a super majority of justices, including the liberal justices and conservative justices, really struggling to find standing in this question, to really understand how the case had gotten before them. i think that really speaks to the fact that, this is the second time within two years that we are now facing a

question as to whether or not reproductive freedom should be available to people needing access to basic health care. to come up with hypothetical situations -- at one point justice kagan said, it's like we are trying to find the most random probability that all of the intersections of these things would happen so a doctor would have to prescribe a prescription or be a part of an elective abortion procedure in a way that violated their objection, when, in fact, there were protections already from the government. the sg made that very clear. i think it was an interesting opportunity to sit and listen to them grapple with the fact that there was no standing in this case, that mifepristone is safe and effective. i think the government made very clear that the role of the fda to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the medication had been done over the last 20

years. multiple studies, 5 million patients. i think that the opposition to mifepristone from the hm did not hold. it was very interesting to be in a courtroom with that level of skepticism, given this is the court that gave us the overturns of roe. >> do you have concerned, andrew, from a legal standpoint, you may not have heard him as you were getting ready to go on the air, was saying his concern is that they could rule -- they would rule on standing and say that this group of doctors did not have standing to bring this case, but could re-visit this on medical grounds or fda regulatory grounds down the road waiting until after the election cycle in the next term. if another group of people who did have standing brought a case in one of those, shall we call it, red districts? >> yes. look, of course, we know anything is possible.

i certainly won't read the tea leaves of what the actual opinion could be, however narrow. i think the government made clear it would be a very highly hypothetical moment for them to actually find standing, to find a doctor who was not allowed to object from a conscience standpoint, when those protections are clear and exist. there are many mechanisms in place that do so. i found it particularly interesting that the questions that kept coming back to the plaintiffs' attorney around -- the role and charge of the fda is to determine whether a medication is safe and effective. taking away that regulatory

ability to understand the impact would also include a significant disruption within the pharmaceutical industry. i think standing was one piece of that. but also really understanding the fact that the impact to the industry as well as the impact to patients seeking access, i think were very clearly argued today by the government. >> thank you so much, from planned parenthood. joining us now is amy klobuchar of minnesota. about this case, it may be that the court rules that they don't have standing, a narrow ruling. this is still going to be an issue because the groups could very likely look for someone -- not these doctors who had a way of opting out, but some patient who might pass the test of standing. so the issue of mifepristone could likely come back again before the court. abortion and ivf and these other procedures.

>> exactly, andrea. you look at the fact that when you listen to that argument, which i did this morning, yes, the judges seemed deeply skeptical about the standing argument, including conservative justices, in their questioning. gorsuch talking about how it was a small lawsuit with national implications, or kagan, my favorite line, who is your person, who is your person who would have standing, and ketanji brown jackson talking about the balance, that you are talking about a small group of doctors who, by the way, have their own protections already written into law, versus the over 60% of women who choose to use this abortion medication when seeking an abortion. so your question, this all came out of dobbs. we wouldn't be having these arguments right now. this came out of dobbs. we used to have protections for the women of this country. that was called roe v. wade. that dobbs decision turned it on

its head. now we are seeing a patchwork. if the judges went the other way on this, it wouldn't just be states where abortion is banned, it would be every state in the country banning a safe and effective drug. this is just the beginning. whether it's the alabama ivf ruling, whether it's these cases out of texas, whether it's the assault on emergency care, we're going to continue to see because of the dobbs decision, and the failure sadly of many republicans to side with us on codifying roe v. wade into law, we are not able to do that right now. that's why this is so important. not just this decision but this election that's coming up. because we would have at built to codify roe v. wade into law if we elect people who stand on side of women making their own health care decisions. >> congress filed a brief in

this. you are a former prosecutor. you have been a lawyer for a long, long time. you know that the supreme court's dobbs decision said it was up to the individual states, leaving it to the states to make decisions. but what you outlined would be if this pill were outlawed, this medication and other medications that are regulated by the fda, nationally would be banned. >> yeah. that's the irony of this. when you look at justice alito's quotes from that time period where he said, we should let the states decide, look at what happened. this is all coming back to this same court that overturned 50 years of precedent with roe v. wade. now, before them is a drug that's been found safe and legal for nearly 25 years, and is safe and legal all over this country. you are exactly right. this is full circle back to the court again, and it's why we must step in, codify roe v. wade

into law, and protect women all across the country with a simple idea that they should be able to make their own health care decisions and not politicians. >> i want to ask you about the bridge collapse. this horrific bridge collapse overnight in baltimore. you have dealt with major infrastructure accidents with a bridge in minnesota. what we know is that officials, the governor says there's no terrorism involved. we have to find out why they -- early reports could be wrong, but reportedly lost power. the visual of this ship, nearly 1,000 feet long, loaded with cars to go to sri lanka, collaping -- this incredible video from the camera on that highway is just remarkable. you know what the impact is going to be on the traffic. 35,000 cars a day. >> exactly.

it was unbelieably tragic. it brought me back to ours. eight blocks from my house. a bridge shouldn't fall down in the middle of america. this is what i know will happen. you saw the governor showing leadership. then you will see the representatives from maryland making sure that there's the funding in place, both federal and state level, to rebuild that bridge as soon as possible. we did the 35w bridge in 13 months, which at that time was a record for an eight-lane highway. then, of course, you are going to have investigation into what happened with this ship and how this horrific thing happened. today, as the governor noted, our focus is on whatever kind of search and rescue must continue but also on those first responders who had the wherewithal to -- when they

heard the mayday to make sure more vehicles didn't go over the bridge. we have to have great respect for what they did. work to do whatever we can to rescue those workers who are still missing, who were doing their jobs on the bridge. then from there will come rebuilding, of course, diverting of traffic. i remember the next day when the 35w bridge collapsed, literally, we had electronic billboards out telling people which buses they should take, how they could get around this. it was such a major artery in our state. my heart and prayers are with the people of maryland. i did appreciate the governor's leadership in getting out there immediately. >> senator amy klobuchar, thank you, as always. great to see you. the search for answers next. more on the overnight bridge collapse in baltimore, what we know, the impact of the tragedy. plus, we are expecting president biden at any moment on the massive bridge collapse. the white house, of course, studying the ramifications. that's the roosevelt room, a

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we are waiting comments by president biden. any moment he will walk into the roosevelt room to talk about the bridge collapse. he had meetings on it this morning. we will bring it to you as soon as it begins. search and rescue efforts are underway, 12 hours after the

francis scott key bridge collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship overnight. the coast guard searching for six people who were part of a construction crew fixing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed. back with us now -- i think we will go to ryan nobles, our correspondent. and tim taylor is joining us. he is the ceo of a group that specializes in underwater robotic and technology used in maritime rescue. tim, fill us in on what procedure they were using. what are they trying to find? this is a rescue right now. they were trying to find bodies, obviously. >> ultimately -- thanks for having me on. this is a horrible situation here. ultimately, you need to picture what's down there because it's wreckage. there's potential cars. you need to know what you are looking for. sonar paints that picture with

sound. rescuers will take that data and probably in this case it's more recovery than rescue with the temperature of the water and circumstances they are in right now. >> given the size of this ship, the water had to be very deep at that point. it was very cold overnight. what do you know about the current and the depth of the water there in terms of the challenges? >> my understanding -- i'm not -- the channels can be deep in the channel but shallow outside them. i think the depth of the water is less important than getting to them sooner. i think that's the big case. not to change the subject on you, but what i wonder, usually in situations like this -- these

ships are escorted outside via tugboats. the tugboats can control and stop the ships and move them in tight quarters. a ship of this size has to maintain a certain steerage way, a certain speed to keep that -- to be able to steer. they are going down current, they have to maintain a high steerage rate. as soon as they lose power, they would just turn sideways and exactly what happened. my question is more kind of the after the fact now is how did this -- what's the protocol for this harbor to let a ship go on its own way before it crosses under a bridge, which is a very delicate thing if you ram a ship into it sideways, as everybody has learned. >> you raise a good point. i want to point out that we are waiting for the president. but let me bring in ryan nobles.

we understand there were two pilots on board. the protocols that i read overnight, you would know better being there, the requirement was for a pilot but not for a tugboat. >> right. >> were they using the tugboats? >> i don't know. >> let me ask ryan. do you know if they were used in that channel? >> reporter: that's a great question. that's not something that anybody has brought up in any of the briefings we have had so far today. it's clear from that video that there's not a tugboat anywhere in sight. no one has mentioned the idea that a tugboat wouldn't have been a part of this process. they have talked about the pilots and the fact that they called back to the shore when they thought they were having an issue. at this point, no one addressed the lack of a tugboat being a part of this ship leaving the port. >> it raises -- tim is raising an interesting question.

i have seen tugboats in new york harbor. i have been -- covered stories around baltimore harbor. i have never seen this operation. tim, you think that's unusual? >> it is unusual. ships steer when they are at sea. when they are in tight quarters, it's a huge mass. it's designed to go in a straight line one way. they will have thrusters they can dock with. typically, it's in tight quarters if they lose control, from years of me doing this work, always -- you look for something failing at this points. you try to stay three steps ahead of it. basically, tugboats are historically how that's done in tight harbor situations. they are very, very slow moving. but they can move that ship in

seconds where the ship can't maneuver on its own in any particular efficient manner when in tight quarters. tugboats are standard operating procedure everywhere. >> with the current -- the fact the current was moving so quickly and the level of the tide, would that have any impact on navigating at 1:30 this morning? >> yeah. think of it this way. if you are with -- you are driving your boat with a current in order to maintain steerage, in order to be able to -- you have to go faster than the current. the ship will have to increase speed so it will go faster than the current so it will be able to steer. otherwise, it's drifting with the current. if you go into the current, it's easier. slower because you are against the current, but you have more steerage control. >> i will interrupt you both. the president is at the podium. here is the president speaking about the bridge collapse. >> good afternoon.

before i leave for north carolina, which i'm going to do in a few minutes, i want to talk about the terrible incident and accident that happened in baltimore this morning. at 1:30, a container ship struck the francis scott key bridge, which i have been over many times commuting from delaware. been at baltimore harbor many times. the bridge collapsed sending several people and vehicles into the water, into the river. multiple u.s. coast guard units, which are stationed nearby, thank god, were deployed along with local emergency personnel. the coast guard is leading the response at the port where representatives from the federal highway administration, the fbi, the department of transportation, the army corps of engineers, as well as maryland officials and baltimore police and fire are all working together to coordinate an emergency response. officials at the scene estimate eight people were unaccounted for still. not still, were unaccounted.

two have been rescued. one without injury. one in critical injury. the search and rescue operation is continuing for those remaining, as we speak. i spoke with the governor this morning as well as the mayor of baltimore and county executive, two united states senators and congressmen. my secretary of transportation is on the scene. i told them, we will send all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency. i mean all the federal resources. we will rebuild that port together. everything so far indicates that this was a terrible accident. at this time, we have no other indication, no other reason to believe there's any intentional act here. personnel on the ship were able to alert the maryland department of transportation that they this lost control of the vessel, as you all know and reported. as a result, local authorities were able to close the bridge to traffic before the bridge was struck, which undoubtedly saved lives. our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible

accident and the families, especially those waiting for news of their loved one right now. i know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime. you don't know. it's terrible. we are incredibly grateful for the brave rescuers who immediately rushed to the scene and to the people of baltimore. we want to say, we are with you, we will stay with you. like the governor said, you are maryland tough, baltimore strong. we will get through this together. we are november leaving. here is what's happening. the search and rescue operation is our top priority. ship traffic in the port of baltimore has been suspended until further notice. we will need to clear that channel before the ship traffic can resume. the army corps of engineers is on the spot and is going to hef lead the effort to clear the channel. the port of baltimore is one of the largest shipping hubs. i have been there a number of times as a senator and as vice president. it handles a record amount of

cargo. it is the top port in america for import and exports of automobiles and light trucks, around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year. we will get it up and running again as soon as possible. 15,000 jobs depend on that port. we will do everything we can to help those workers. the bridge is also critical for travel, not just for baltimore but for the northeast corridor. over 30,000 vehicles cross the francis scott key bridge on a daily basis. it's virtually -- it's one of the most important elements for the economy in the northeast and the quality of life. my transportation secretary elements for the economy in the northeast. and the quality of life. my transportation secretary is there now, as i told governor moore, i directed my team of heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible and we're going to work hand and

hand with the support of maryland to support maryland whenever they ask for. we're going to work with our partners in congress to make sure the state gets the support it needs. it is my intention that federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge. and i expect the congress to support my effort. this is going to take some time. and the people of baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt. you know, we're not leaving until this job gets done. not leaving until then. so i just want to say god bless everybody who -- everyone who was harmed this morning and their families, and may god bless the first responders -- many of whom risked their lives. the reason i'm not going to take a lot of questions, there is remaining issues that are open that we got to determine what is going to happen in terms of the rescue mission and all that. but i'll -- >> do you plan to go to baltimore, sir, and if so, how

quickly? >> i do, and as quickly as i can. >> you said the federal government is going to pay for the repairs. i'm curious this was a ship that appears to be at fault. is there any reason to believe the company behind the ship should be held responsible and then also -- >> that could be but we're not going to wait for that to happen. we're going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and opened. >> what did you make of the decision not to attend this meeting this week? >> i don't want to get into that now. plenty of time to talk about rafah. >> you mentioned the port. about the port -- >> thank you, everyone. thanks, everyone. >> as the president leaves the room, still with us, nbc news correspondent ryan nobles in baltimore, and tim taylor, expert in water rescue, joining us monica alba. monica, i think i heard the president say eight people were not accounted for. we had been told six earlier. i'm presuming he has the latest numbers though. tragically. >> exactly, andrea. we're checking with the white

house on their numbers, which don't match some of the ones given by local officials. but we did hear there from the president that, of course, the u.s. coast guard is responding to this and that is their top priority. any possible search and rescue and recovery is what they want to be focused on at this exact moment because of those individuals who are still unaccounted for. the president there also recounting that luckily some lives were saved, he believes, because of that distress signal that was able to be communicated to the bridge could stop other vehicles from going over at the time that it collapsed. that is something he was very thankful for. but he wanted to really pledge to the community, to the city of baltimore and beyond that the u.s. government is going to support this recovery and rebuilding and he said that the u.s. government is going to pay for the entire cost, those were his words, of the rebuilding of the bridge because he wants to

see it happen as quickly as possible. through the bipartisan infrastructure law, for instance, there are funds that are dedicated to repairs and we have seen that in the last couple of years with some bridge collapses, though on a slightly smaller scale, but that that money did go toward some of the projects to accelerate it. we understand the president is saying that is a component here, but also he is going to need congress to potentially approve a lot more, so that is something that will be coming, but the president did take much of the morning to meet with some of his senior aides, he called of course the key officials there in maryland and he really is pledging complete assistance as this does become a recovery mission, in addition to talking about the actual rebuilding and all that lies ahead, which will take some time, andrea. the president noting there that everybody was able to mobilize as quickly as possible because luckily some of those resources were quite nearby and they were able to jump into action

quickly. >> and, ryan, the president said he was going to move heaven and earth, in my recollection, amy klobuchar was referring to it, the bridge in minnesota, also the bridge in western pennsylvania near pittsburgh, where he was going to the bridge opening, i think, and the day -- or going to announce that it was going to benefit from the infrastructure bill and the bridge collapsed that day while he was there. so, there have been other bridges, picking kentucky as well, key bridges that they already have signaled were part of this initiative. right, ryan? >> reporter: yeah, that's exactly right, andrea. that stood out to me, that he right away made the commitment that the federal government was going to pick up the entire tab for the replacement of this bridge. and to monica's point, there is certainly probably money available in the infrastructure bill to get that process moving, but the president notably said that he was going to ask congress to help foot the bill

and i'm sure it is a multimillion if in the billion dollar project in order to rebuild that bridge and if i can put on my other hat as the congressional correspondent, i can tell you that moving anything through congress has not been an easy process. so, we'll have to see if republicans in congress who may not be indecliclined to help a like maryland which is largely blue in this particular need because we have seen partisan divide over disaster relief in the past, which is unfortunate, but it is how congress operates right now. but the president made -- left no daylight there in that promise. he said they were going to do everything they can and fund it from top to bottom and governor wes moore in his press conference earlier today also made that commitment to rebuild the francis scott key bridge as soon as possible. i thought the other thing that was really important about what the president talked about was the commitment to getting the port reopened and what a monumental task that will be, you know. and i know you're going to talk to tim taylor in a second about the mechanics of this harbor,

but it is a -- basically there is only one path in and out that has been specially designed to allow these massive ships to come into a relatively small space. and that is now all littered with the debris from this bridge. so, that's not something that can be fixed overnight. that's going to require a lot of time and money, and specialty he said the army corps of engineers will be here to help that. but that also has to be very high on their list of priorities to do everything they can to get this port back up and running because as he pointed out, just the volume of traffic that comes in and out of this harbor is an essential part of the american economy. it is not a surprise that the president highlighted that. >> and he was asked as he was talking out if he wants to go to baltimore. he's on his way to north carolina for a very important campaign day today that they had planned with the vice president, to talk about women's health, it was also the anniversary of obama care. so, tim, let's talk about what his next agenda is.

he said he would go to baltimore as soon as he could. clearing that harbor is not going to be an easy task. >> it is not. but it is not as long as everybody thinks it is. clearing that harbor, if anybody that does home repair knows it is a lot easier to break and destroy stuff and haul it away than it is to rebuild it. so rebuilding a bridge is another story. clearing that harbor and bringing in the proper tools to dredge that wreckage and clear the harbor for ships could be done rather quick. and then work around that, you know, moving forward. opening up traffic for commerce for that port is probably the top priority. the bridge is a long-term repair, so that's obviously going to take some time. >> you know, obviously, monica, it is a search and rescue. it is going to be a recovery operation. but there is a political

campaign under way. and as you well know, maryland is a key state. it has been reliably blue, but they have got a senate race there. and they got a very popular former governor larry hogan pulling better than his two democratic potential challengers right now. so, this is a senate seat they could lose. they got a new democratic relatively new democratic governor who is a high profile national figure, wes moore. it is very important for the president to show infrastructure works, that he's in charge, that they can get this done. there was a lot of talk today about reassuring the people of maryland and this is an interstate issue as well, that they're on the job. >> indeed, andrea. the president even spoke about that as a long time commuter, going back and forth from delaware to washington, when he was a senator, so understanding full well what it means to people who are traveling in this area and what it means to people

when you have this kind of a real shock and tragedy that is something that the community feels in a larger scale as well that can absolutely drive how they feel about then how the federal government responds, how quickly it might and how long this might actually take to rebuild, but i think it is a moment where the president would say it is not the time for politics yet, but we all know politics does, of course, come into play. andrea? >> thanks to you, monica. thanks, of course, to ryan nobles valiantly up all night, all morning. tim, thanks to you. i wanted to do a shoutout to wbal, our affiliate in baltimore with all the helicopter coverage, the instant coverage and wrc, our great owned and operated nbc station right here in washington out there all night and those aerials are incredible. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." follow the show on social media at mitchell reports.