Among the angles theyre looking at, reports mateen was a frequent patron of the club that he targeted. Jeh johnson and director comey will brief house members later this afternoon. Im joined by nbc justice correspondent pete williams. Pete, what can you tell us . What is the very latest . I think the main focus, and there are many prongs to this investigation, but one of the most intense right now is focusing on those who were closest to omar mateen. His family members, especially his wife, perhaps to some extent his father. What did they know, if anything, about his plans and did they do anything to help him, did they fail to speak up. Those are key questions that we are told the fbi is drilling down on and has been for the past 24 hours. Its only natural that they would ask these questions, according to the secretary of Homeland Security who talked about this this morning on today. The reality is that when someone selfradicalizes, there is almost always someone else close to that person in a position to see the signs, which is why the efforts weve been making in the department of Homeland Security to build bridges to communities is so critical right now and not vilify american muslims and drive them into the corners. We want to build bridges to these communities and encourage them if you see something, say something. The picture thats emerging of omar mateen is a very complicated one. He professed interest in isis when he made his 911 calls from the nightclub, but he also said he was interested in hezbollah. He claimed to be a member of it. He said he had family members who were in al qaeda. He said he supported other terrorists who werent connected to isis. Thats a very muddled picture. So the fbi director said it seems clear that he was radicalized from the internet but to what extent and in what direction is not a clear, obvious picture this morning. Also his own past, he seemed to be very troubled, angry, sometimes prone to violence. Now all these accounts from people who say they saw him in gay nightclubs in orlando in the months leading up to the shooting. The fbi is looking into those and at this point doesnt know quite what to make of them, jose. Pete williams, thank you very much. Meantime, were less than 30 minutes from a press conference at orlando Regional Medical center. Sarah dallof is there. Sarah, good morning. What are we expecting at this press conference . Reporter good morning, jose. This hospital where the press conference is being held is where the majority of the victims, including the most gravely wounded, were taken after the shooting, both because it is so close to the nightclub just blocks away and also because it is a Level One Trauma Center. In this press conference we are expecting to hear from eight surgeons who jumped into action to save lives as well as two of the patients that they treated. Now, among the 50plus wounded was tony morero. He is recounting the horror of what he saw in that nightclub. He couldnt get out, so he made the decision to lay down and to pretend to be dead. More and more people, i saw how he was blowing up peoples heads. So the only way that i could had a chance to survive was making it seem like i didnt have a head. So i picked up the sofa that was over there and i put my head in it, but apparently he saw that i didnt have much blood so he still shot me in the back. Reporter marrero was shot four times, three times in the back and once in the leg. Today some good news from the hospital. They say he and all of the other patients, including those still in critical condition, are showing signs of improvement and are considered stable right now, jose, the hospital says the prognosis for all right now is good. Back to you. Sarah, just the ruthless nature of this killer and these stories that are emerging, to think that he was in there for three hours and they were in there for three hours with him is just horrible. Reporter yeah, thats exactly right, jose. Three hours of terror in which were learning the s. W. A. T. Team worked to rescue whoever they could reach. And people frantically texted their loved ones from inside that club. Thats something that were hearing from the family members, that these victims last messages were to reach out to their loved ones and tell them what they felt about them and tell them goodbye and how much they loved them. Sarah, thank you very much. We will, of course, bring that press conference to you live when it begins right here on msnbc. But first, a tragedy here in orlando is taking center stage in the president ial race. The two presumed frontrunners offer their contrasting plans for fighting terror here at home. Meantime, a powerful scene here in orlando last night as thousands gathered to remember the 49 victims killed in sundays pulse nightclub attack. Orlando is such a tightknit community. Orlando has been attacked. But as an Lgbt Community, we are so close and such one big family. And when you attack one of us, you attack all of us. With bking. Coms range of properties, bel and key n wing it all the way to jordan and chelseas wedding. Rumble road trip. There she is. Uh oh, oh, oh, oh, what . So here is our road trip itinerary. Whats this . A bunch different places. Nah, bro. We gotta go offscript. Rip to shreds every motel, cabin and teepee, between here and the wedding. Now get out of my seat. Alrit. screams road trip whahhhh hahaha. Road trip try your favorite ranch with a fresh taste so crisp, youll be surprised it doesnt crunch. Hidden valley cucumber ranch. Just one of our deliciouranch flavors. For over 100 yearsing like kraft has,al cheese you learn a lot about peoples tastes. 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We passed several laws in 1938 and 1939 to go after nazis and we made it illegal to help the nazis. Were going to presently have to take similar steps here. Mark murray is in washington, d. C. Mark, good morning. What are the chances of Something Like this actually happening . You know, jose, i dont know about the chances of it happening, but i will say the fact that were even having this conversation shows you that this isnt your normal type of democrat versus republican president ial election, liberal versus conservative, blue versus red. This really goes at the heart of what it really what kind of country the United States is and what it means to be an american. Of course Newt Gingrich, a former historian, was talking about moments in American History where weve had these types of debates before, the 1930s, certainly the 1940s and 1950s after world war ii and the showdown with the soviet union over capitalism versus communism. But it does seem to be that we have actually entered this, and of course the biggest driver was Donald Trumps speech yesterday where he was talking about the ability to close off immigration with nations that actually have proven terrorism against the United States, reiterating once again his temporary muslim ban. And so this entire debate, what Newt Gingrich was talking about in that clip, what donald trump was mentioning in his speech yesterday really goes at the heart of what it actually means to be an american and what the United States is. You know, mark, im just wondering theres a lot of semantics here involved, but is it legal is it currently legal to join a terrorist organization . I dont think its something thats accepted. You know, jose, no. And again, weve seen our Law Enforcement certainly rout out any type of planned activities, any type of involvement in terrorism. Youre right, these laws are already on the books. But what weve seen is just this kind of reaction to the unfortunate and tragic events that happened in orlando. Of course there is, as weve been getting more information, there is now kind of a legitimate question on was this more motivated by terrorism, by an allegiance to isis, or was there something more involved. Were going to find out more and more information as the reporting and days go on. Mark murray in washington, d. C. , thank you very much, appreciate your time. We are just beginning to learn about the stories of those lost in the tragedy. Each one meant the world to those who loved them. Their loss is unimaginable. That includes 34yearold edward sotomayor. One friend describes him as, quote, one of the greatest guys ive ever met. Joining me now is edwards cousin, david sotomayor. David, thanks for being with me. Thanks for having me. You describe edward as an angel, one of your best friends. Tell me a little bit about just how special he was. He was amazing. He was amazing. For those that didnt get to meet him. The tens of thousands of people that did get to meet him can agree that he was a warmhearted spirit. Hes one of those who whenever you are down, he would bring you up. Those memories of my cousin is what gets me out of bed to come out and make sure i send that message out to my community and let them know to stay strong, stay positive and just continue forward. You cant let this bring us down. Tell me a little bit about those memories that you have and that you will always treasure. Tell me some of those moments that you will forever treasure. Well, one of the things is that he was i was able to meet him and he began to work and we would do cruises together but he wasnt involved too much with the drag scene but he knew everything about us. He was just always there. He would wear his silly top hat and just always be there, knew what we needed and just always supported the Lgbt Community and all of us and just made sure that we were good. Thats why im saying like honestly im here to just tell you that his spirit would want us to stay strong. Its been too long, too many decades that weve been bullied, weve been pushed down, kicked to the curb but we still rise. We rise from the ashes like a phoenix and we will continue to stand tall in pride. And this is not going to take away our pride. Edward loved to travel the world. Friends say he was keenly aware of the dangers facing gay travelers but he never let fear stop his adventures. I know you talked a little bit about that, but talk to me about that sense of fearlessness in a sometimes fearful world. He he would just he was always there. He just made sure that we were taken care of and he always wanted to make sure that we were strong and stood strong and be that positive role model that we were. Im telling you, i just wish he was still around because he had so much more to give and so much to offer and so many people needed to meet this person. Ive been talking to so many people that i would have not even imagined have met him and told me so many Great Stories about him that its just its so overwhelming and im just im just sad. Just sad. David, ive spoken to so many people here that lost loved ones and its just how do you process this . How do you go forward when how do you process this, you know . Well, i think i havent had a moment to actually really process it. Unfortunately i woke up and found out through social media, through my fans, and since then ive just been making sure that i go out there and make a voice and let people know that we need to stand together and stand strong. When i fly out tomorrow to orlando ill have some time to process it all, but as of right now i just need to know that he would want me to be strong and be out there and spreading the word to everybody that we are together. You have a family. And we are strong. We go through so many other things and we will get through this and we will make this work. A perfect way of saying it, david, thank you very much. I want to underline what you just said. Thank you for your time. Well be right back. Thank you. It takes a lot of work. To run this business. But i really love it. Im on the move all day long. And sometimes, i just dont eat the way i should. So i drink boost® to get the nutriothat im missing. Boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintainuscle. All with a great taste. I dont plan on slowing down any time soon. Stay strong. Stay active with boost®. 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Her plan is to disarm lawabiding americans, abolishing the second amendment, and leaving only the bad guys and terrorists with guns. She wants to take away americans guns and then admit the very people who want to slaughter us. For her part, clinton did not mention trump during her speech, something we are told was by design. Later today she has a private oneonone with Bernie Sanders as the primary season officially comes to an end. More or both of those things in a moment. This morning trump is catching some flak for something he said monday when he appeared to connect president obama to the Orlando Attack. Were led by a man that are either is, is not tough, not smart, or hes got Something Else in mind. And the Something Else in mind, you know, people cant believe it. People cannot they cannot believe that president obama is acting the way he acts and cant even mention the words radical islamic terrorism. Theres something going on. Its inconceivable. Theres something going on. Our Political Team has this all covered for us this morning. Nbcs katy tur is following the trump campaign. Katy, good morning. Is he really suggesting that president obama had something to do with this attack or with shielding terrorists . Something is going on. What is he implying here . That seems to be what he is implying and he said that multiple times yesterday in interviews in the morning and also repeated it again on fox news later last night and has said that multiple times in the past as well, suggesting that president obama is sympathizing with terrorists, that he cant stop terror because he doesnt want to. This is not the first time, jose, that weve heard him bring conspiracy theories into his platform, into his campaign rallies, his campaign speeches. Remember, he talked about ted cruzs dad, rafael cruz, maybe being linked to the assassination of president kennedy. He talked about general pershing dipping bullets in pigs blood and killing terrorists. Thats long been associated with an email chain conspiracy theory. And on president obama himself hes talked about his birtherism over and over again. Not necessarily this campaign, certainly before saying he was born in kenya and suggesting that hes a muslim, not a christian. So the subject of his attacks politically have certainly seemed to focus on president obama a number of times in the past. This is just the latest iteration. I dont even know what to say on that one, but i want to play for you a bit of what trump said on immigration in that speech. Lets listen to that. When im elected, i will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, europe or our allies. Until we fully understand how to end these threats. Can a president of the United States do that, katy . Well, yes, he can. The federal