If it's Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could make a move in a matter of days as the aspiring presidential candidate faces a double dose of political problems.

Donald Trump and Walt Disney.

Plus, accused Pentagon leaker Jack Tashara appears in court while seeking bail as the Justice Department warns that he

still poses a national security risk and could have access to even more classified material

if he's released. And slowdowns and showdowns. New data shows the U.S. economy losing steam

a bit faster than expected.

Why Wall Street thinks that's good news as Washington grapples with a looming debt ceiling crisis.

Happy Thursday and welcome to meet the press now.

I am Chuck Todd reporting from Washington as a closely watched presidential candidacy is taking shape and taking hits before it gets off the ground.

NBC News broke the story last night that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is poised to jump into

this race officially for president as soon as the middle of next month. That's according to multiple

Republican operatives that are familiar with the timeline. DeSantis is acting like an emerging

candidate. He's making moves at home to bolster his conservative credentials and making moves

abroad, trying to build some foreign policy credentials.

He's in Israel today where he addressed our NBC reporting about his 2024 plans during a press conference in Jerusalem.

Take a listen.

I've been focused on this mission that we've been doing.

We're going to end up making it pretty much around the world by the time we're done. And if there's any announcements, you know, those will come at the appropriate time.

But it's not, if anyone's telling you that somehow they know this or they know that, that's just

inaccurate because there's not been any decisions.

But folks, with a presidential announcement reportedly in the planning stages, DeSantis

has been collecting problems,

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