♪♪ good day to you. i'm peter alexander in for andrea mitchell. president biden is a few hours away from landing in italy for a g7 summit with some of america's biggest allies. ukraine presses the west for more aid and pressure mounts on israel and hamas to end the war in gaza. the secretary of state delivering the first comments on the response by hamas to the latest cease-fire proposal saying in qatar, it's time for the haggling to stop. >> hamas proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table. some of the changes are workable. some are not. if one side continues to change its demands, including making demands and insisting on changes for things that it accepted, you have to question whether they are proceeding in good faith or not. i believe the gaps are bridgeable. doesn't mean they will be bridged. >> president biden departed for the g7 summit with world leaders this morning after quickly rearranging his travel to be by his son's side last night. that visit coming hours after hunter biden was convicted of multiple felonies and faces possible jail time months before his second criminal trial will begin this september, as his father's re-election campaign gets into its final push. we begin with mike memoli is in wilmington, delaware, richard engel is in kharkiv, ukraine, and the host of the show, andrea mitchell, she has been traveling with secretary blinken from equip to israel and qatar. she filed this report moments ago. >> here in qatar, it was clear frustration by secretary blinken that 12 days after president biden unveiled the latest proposal, which the u.s. is backing and which they insist that israel has endorsed, that hamas has come back with new proposals, some he said are workable, some are not workable. now they're going to have to narrow the gap. he said, what they really need is an mediate least temporary cease-fire so that the suffering can end in gaza for a while. they can try to negotiate a perp -- permanent cease-fire and the war can end. the response from the u.s. is, we have work do. they will go back to hamas and try to narrow the gaps. the war continues. there's a new threat in the north of israel from hezbollah. at this point, israel is facing the war in gaza, threats from the north, and there's no desired result as blinken heads to join president biden at the g7 in italy, leaving the middle east. >> andrea mitchell moments ago. richard engel is joining us now. you are in eastern ukraine near the russian border. the war a major focus for the g7. biden expected to meet with president zelenskyy for a second time in as many weeks. i was there with them as they met at the d-day commemorations in france. give us a sense if you can about the crucial nature of this timing, given the fact there's so much pressure to advance the ball as it relates to ukraine, because everyone acknowledges this cannot go without any end. >> reporter: there is an impression it seems that people in the united states are spending money on ukraine, that is having no impact. it's just a river that flows to nowhere. here -- i've been in the city for many times over the last two and a half years since the war began. this was a city that about a month ago looked like it potentially could be falling. there was a russian advance. russian troops were closing in. they were raining bombs on kharkiv every day. over the last two weeks, now that american weapons, american support has arrived here, pressure on kharkiv has eased up significantly. the local officials here, military officials say there has been a palpable change in the city. occasionally, there are still attacks. people are coming out again. there's life in the city again. they say that's because the aid which was delayed, held up by congress, is now starting to arrive. also because thelowed to use th american weapons to carry out strikes inside russia, on russian territory. that's shifted the focus. it has not allowed russia to focus all of its attention on carrying out strikes in ukraine, but it has to protect its own bases, radar stations attacked. ukrainians are looking forward the g7. they want to build on what they believe is a little bit of momentum out here in the east. they want more support, more money for reconstruction. they are hoping that the u.s. can be successful in europe, that president biden can personally be successful in convincing the europeans to use some frozen russian assets and to get some of that money to ukraine, potentially $50 billion. it wouldn't come directly from frozen russian assets. the frozen russian assets would be used as collateral for a loan that european nations, g7 nations would be giving to ukraine. there's no consensus on that. a lot of european countries are nervous about that precedent, nervous about using frozen russian money to pay ukraine. they are concerned it breaks long international traditions. it puts the euro and u.s. dollar at risk as reserve currencies and a bridge too far for some countries to go. >> stunning as we hear from you to think that this is the third g7 since this war between russia and ukraine began. i want to get to mike memoli who had been traveling with the president. he was in wilmington when the president arrived there yesterday. that flight after the verdict, an opportunity to visit very publicly with his son hunter. that relationship so close. his last surviving son after the loss of beau. i want to get a take from you, mike, as we talk about this right now. there is clearly a lot on the president's mind as he prepares for this trip overseas right now. not just as it relates to hunter but with the debate coming up later this month as well. this is a very busy period for him. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, peter. we have some new developments in the last hour that speak to this interesting dynamic of the president setting this tone of business as usual but also what occurred yesterday in the courtroom in wilmington impacting the road ahead as well. jake sullivan briefing reporters on the president's jam-packed agenda during this g7 summit. a trip that now we are confirming via the white house press secretary includes family members traveling with him on this trip. we saw one of his granddaughters joining him as they boarded air force 1 earlier today. that g7 summit includes not just meetings with fellow world leaders but another significant world leader in pope francis who is something of a personal counselor to this president. they have a close relationship. the presence of the family with him on the trip is significant. we have heard from the first lady's office today. the first lady is a regular presence at the trial. she is going to embark on a busy campaign schedule over the next three days. signaling they are preparing as a family to keep fighting together through this difficult moment. >> mike memoli traveling there in wilmington, delaware. richard engel in ukraine. i want to go to richard haas. as you join us, i want to start with ukraine. we are hearing from the top deputy to president zelenskyy announcing on social media that the u.s. has agreed to a new security commitment as it relates to ukraine. it appears to be that's just additional money in terms of military aid. i want to ask you about the options that the g7 leaders face as it relates to ukraine. richard detailed the reporting a significant loan that would be offset by interest earned on the hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen russian assets. is that realistic? >> it's realistic. the question is whether it can actually happen. in order to rebuild ukraine, you have a certain assumption about stability. if not a cease-fire, you can't have russia destroying what you are rebuilding. we are not there. i'm not wildly optimistic, even if this gets approved, about it making that much of a difference. the real question, it hangs over the g7, is going to be the scale of the long-term american commitment to providing military aid to ukraine. we had the interruption. the question is, how long does it stay open? how much will flow through? that's the big question. >> of course. the backdrop to that, on the mind of the western leaders, the g7 leaders as they meet with the president, that there is a former president, donald trump, who is waiting in the wings hoping to return to power again. so this is the last opportunity potentially under a biden presidency if the united states decides to vote on donald trump. i heard that from a lot of european allies. that's a real concern. let me ask you about gaza. if hamas is balking again, as we heard from antony blinken, where is there room for movement? what more can the u.s. do in dealing with hamas' leader who recently told the washington street journal, palestinian deaths are necessary sacrifices? >> when people say things, you have to take them at face value. there's little the united states can do to put leverage on hamas. hamas is not going to agree to a peace plan that gives them no future and no role. secretary blinken called it haggling. it's more than that. the entire premise of the biden peace plan is probably unlikely to fly. hamas only wants a permanent cease-fire coupled with an israeli evacuation of all of its military forces from gaza. zero chance any israeli government will sign up to that. i think we are looking at prolonged fighting in gaza. i think the real problem is the prospect of more intense fighting in the north between israel and hezbollah. >> that's a real risk for the israelis, two fronts they have to fight simultaneously. it's a real threat to that country and netanyahu trying to sort through the situation. i want to pull back and ask you the view from beijing right now. china obviously is on the minds of everybody who is meeting in italy this week. is china effectively taking advantage of the u.s. since western allies are focused on ukraine and gaza? there are issues like artificial intelligence that could define the next generation in terms of this west versus east fight and the chinese are heavily investing in that. >> so are we. what we are doing in the middle east and ukraine is not getting in the way of american innovation. europeans aren't doing much in the way of innovation but the united states is. the real place of china in this is the united states and europe aren't on the same page. the united states wants a more restrictive relationship. europeans are not there. what worries me in the backdrop is down the road we could find the united states and europe at cross purposes which could affect what gets to china. there will be those in the united states that will call for sanctions against europe if they don't agree with certain controls on what goes to -- what can go to china. >> so many moving parts at once right now. richard haas, a pleasure to have you and your expertise. i appreciate you. legal hurdles. a look at the sentence hunter biden may face after his conviction and how that might impact his federal tax charges in california. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports." we are back in 90 seconds here on msnbc. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost. nothing dims my light like a migraine. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine. talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. 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(vo) switch to the partner businesses rely on. hunter biden is expected to appeal the guilty verdict in his federal gun case as he looks at potential jail time and a second trial on tax charges this september. the jury disagreed on the verdict with an even 6-6 split, according to one juror who spoke to nbc news, but asked we conceal his identity. that juror, number 10, spoke to ryan nobles about hunter's sentencing. >> honestly, i don't think putting hunter in jail is going to help anybody. i hope that hunter is clean and i hope that his sobriety is going well. >> another female juror tells "usa today" that the trial was a waste of taxpayer dollars. she didn't want to convict because, in her words, hunter needed help. after the verdict, the special counsel argued his team prosecuted without any political pressure. >> no one in this country is above the law. everyone must be accountable for their actions, even this defendant. >> that's the special prosecuor who was appointed by former president trump as a u.s. attorney. joining me is paul charlton. the judge did not set a sentencing date but said -- we should note it happens four months after a verdict like this, which could put it in the middle of the next trial of the urgent period of time where joe biden is running for re-election and hunter biden is in the middle of another trial. how steep could hunter's punishment be and how likely do you think he is to succeed in an appeal? >> the next thing that's going to happen for hunter biden is he is going to have to sit down with a pre-sentence report writer who will create a matrix that will suggest to the judge the appropriate sentence. those who have done this calculation -- it can be complex at times -- say that the recommended sentence under the guidelines could be in excess of one year incarceration. it's important to remember that the guidelines are just that, a recommendation. the judge is free to impose whatever sentence she thinks is reasonable. while your first juror that we heard from in your piece early on said that he didn't think that hunter biden should go to prison, remember that's the same evidence that this judge has heard. what was used as a sword by the prosecution, hunter biden was an addict addict, it's likely to be used as a shield by the defense. tha narcotics warrants mercy. the prosecution, these charges are unusual but are born out of a failed attempt to enter into a plea agreement last june. that failed attempt to enter that means the prosecution felt an obligation to come forward with these unusual charges. they may similarly feel obligated to seek a term of incarceration. i suspect, peter, if we were going to look at the tea leaves, this judge is unlikely to impose a term of formal incarceration. there are lots of ways to restrict somebody's liberty short of putting them in prison. ankle prison, frequent reports to the probation officer, frequent drug tests, weekend incarceration at a halfway house. >> the tax case that goes to trial this september really the potential to expose damaging details as it relates to hunter's business dealings, potentially some ugly details about his family as well. how serious are those charges in the case? >> federal tax cases, here is what i know to be true, jurors don't like complicated tax cases. they don't like too many deductions, complicated tax laws. they like a simple equation. they will convict often on equations that go something like this. the defendant made a lot of money and he didn't pay taxes. here, unfortunately for hunter biden, that's what the prosecution alleges. they say hunter biden earned $1.4 million and failed to pay taxes. if they can prove that, the likelihood of conviction increases. the fact that he now has prior convictions makes a term of incarceration somewhat more likely. it's also the amount that the treasury didn't receive, $1.4 million, that increases the risk of incarceration. this is the time when defense attorneys will typically sit down with the client and say, it's time to go back to the prosecution and re-visit this idea of a plea agreement. >> to be clear, last question as my time is limited, a plea agreement would address only the next case? there's no way to bundle it into one as they had hoped to do given the first is a guilty conviction? >> you can't erase the guilty conviction. but you can ask the judge to consider a reduced sentence or a sentence of probation on the gun charges and work with the central district of california, where the tax charges are going forward, to try to resolve those as well. >> we will be reporting out to see if there's any conversations about that. that's a focus going forward. paul charlton, thanks for your expertise. next here, money matters. how the federal reserve's decision on interest rates could impact your wallet. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports." this is msnbc. or t-e-d, which may need a different doctor. find a t-e-d eye specialist at isitted.com. ♪ you need t-mobile... ♪ ♪ home internet with 5g. ♪ wait! t-mobile has home internet? ♪ what a feeling! ♪ ♪ to have t-mobile now! ♪ i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up, i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. ♪ limu emu... ♪ and doug. 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