reports. "follow the show online on facebook, twitter, @mitche @mitchellreports. craig melvin is next. craig melvin at msnbc headquarters in new york. meeting of the minds. president trump and secretary of state rex tillerson are lunching right now. it might be a bit awkward considering tillerson called his boss a moron which led to the president proposing an i.q. face-off. no, that is not face news. also accusers speaking out, explosive new accusations of sexual harassment, of sexual assault and now rape. those accusations made against media mogul harvey weinstein, told to the "new yorker" and there is an audiotape of a sting operation involving the nypd. we're going to play that tape for you. and california burning. just moments ago, officials updated us on those fires that are tearing through napa and sonoma counties where more than

27,000 acres have been destroyed so far. california's world-famous wine country is not the only part of the golden state in trouble. all together, some 100,000 acres have been charred as fires rage in eight california counties. more than 100 people are missing right now. neighborhoods are literally being wiped out. and just a few moments, we will take you to the fire zone where thousands are still being evacuated. also happening right now, vice president mike pence is in california. he is getting a briefing on the fire. the response to the fire. we'll get to california again in just a few moments. but we start with politics and a president on the brink of war. and perhaps an i.q. test. a few moments ago, president trump sat for lunch at the white house with two members of his national security team, secretary of defense as well as the man whom nbc first reported had called the president a moron. rex tillerson. even as defense secretary mattis

tells troops, quote, to be ready for war with north korea, the president could not resist another shot at the man charged with diplomatic effort to avert war. president trump had this to say to "forbes" magazine about secretary tillerson's now infamous comment. "i think it's fake news but if he did that, i guess we'll have to compare i.q. tests and i can tell you who is going to win." did the president undercut his secretary of state? h we asked him. >> did you undercut the secretary of state today with the i. q. comment? >> no, i didn't undercut anybody. i don't believe in undercutting people. thank you very much. >> let's start with the white house, with our chief white house correspondent, hallie jackson, who's standing by. hallie j., tell us about this lunch. as well as a new insult lobbed at senator bob corker. >> reporter: all right, let's start with lunch. we know secretary of state rex tillerson was just spotted walking into the grounds here at

the white house. so lunch happening now. we're expecting to get a briefing from sarah huckabee sanders in just about an hour and a half or so. so presumably we'll find out a little bit more about the policy topics the two discussed. imagine north korea would be at the top of the list along with presumably iran with the president based on our reporting set later this week to decertify the iranian nuclear deal, kick it over to congress. that's what all signs are pointing toward. now the big question, though, is will this back and forth come up? the, hey, let's take an i.q. test, will that be brought up? will the president ask secretary tillerson to go ahead and do that with him? highly doubtful, but you would imagine that the interpersonal relationship between the two may be a topic of conversation as well given everything that's come out over the last week. publicly, tillerson has been very vocally loyal and a big backer of his boss, privately, obvio obviously, you hear different kinds of rumblings but increase what this shows, craig, to pull back and put it in big-picture

context here, the president kind of on an island, isolated. we've said those words before in this administration. right now he's burning bridges with not just his own staffers but with folks just down pennsylvania avenue on capitol hill like, of course, bob corker. who told "the new york times" in an interview on the record, by the way, in an sbrinterview tha everybody knew was on the record that the president may be taking this country toward world war iii if he continue this kind of unpredictable behavior. here's what the president had to say in the pool a little bit ago. >> is senator corker right you're putting the u.s. on the path to world war iii? >> we were on the wrong path before. all you have to do is is take a look. if you look over the last 25 years through numerous administrations, we were on a path to a very big problem. a problem like this world has never seen. we're on the right path right now, believe me. >> reporter: so president trump taking questions from reporters including our own kristen welker with that good set of lungs there shouting at him.

och of course this comes on the heels of the tweet earlier today. you mentioned the new nickname, a nickname we heard before, spelled differently. little bob corker according to donald trump tweeting "the failing "new york times" set little bob corker up by recording his conversation, made to sound a feel and that is what i am dealing with. l let me note, not only was bob corker aware he was on the record, talked about being on the record, two of his staffers were on the line also reporting the conversation. this was not a scaramucci moment, craig. >> hallie, does the president have full faith and confidence -- >> reporter: he says he did. he was asked that very question in the last 60 minutes or so, cut he have confidence in our secretary of state? he said yes. >> hallie jackson starting us off from 1600 pennsylvania. than than thanks as always. ned price, msnbc contributor and former spokesperson for the nsc under president obama. kevin baron, executive editor of defense one.

hugh hewitt is an msnbc host, he's also a political analyst as well. hugh, let me start with you, rex tillerson calls him a moron, the president challenges him to an i.q. test. today the president insists he did not undercut him, that he has full faith and confidence and, again, here's a look here at secretary of state rex tillerson outside the white house. is this a live look, guys? or is this taped from earlier? we're not sure. we can tell you this is secretary of state rex tillerson. hugh, are you buying it, are you buying he has full confidence in his secretary of state? >> no, i'm not. i agree with david ignatius who was telling andrea mitchell in the last hour saying, an degree c andrea, you can't imagine the secretary of state staying on long in his position. the president has talked a ee e asking pompeo to state, asking senator tom cotton to go from

the senate to the cia. i believe that's going to happen sooner or later. you cannot -- this is a cyrus vance, jimmy carter moment. you can't keep two people together who don't like each other and don't respect each other publicly. >> with rex tillerson out of the white house, hugh, what does that mean moving forward? >> i think if director pompeo replaces secretary tillerson, that means an alignment between president trump's foreign poll sane his secretary of state's foreign policy. i don't believe he's an island as was said earl yer. a lot of people support his get tough rhetoric with north korea. point autotout the failure from forward, to obama administration, including bush administration. i don't know, frankly, craig, how can get much worse. the president is right about that. bob corker really thinks we're headed to world war iii, you have is to ask why does he have a hold on so many nominees for the department of state ambassadorial positions? i'm not buying the feigned

panic. i'm just not. >> we assume north korea is a big topic at the lunch that's happening with rex tillerson, matti. mattis says to the army, be ready should military action be ordered. if you're undercutting the secretary of state, are you also undercutting u.s. strategy as it relates to north korea? >> well, you're certainly not making it easier. look, i wouldn't make too much hay about what mattis said. mattis was at the u.s. army's convention, given a question, what can the army do to help tamp down the questions of north korea? his answer was be ready, be ready for any and all options. i'm more concerned about what hugh just said, this potential shift of pompeo to state department, tom cotton to the intelligence community, if you look at it in the intelligence community's perspective, that is a real lessening of the star power of cia. no offense to tom cotton. he's new. he's capable. he's an up and comer in h national security. previous directors were general

petraeus, leon panetta, these are guys who have decades of experience, already were revered in washington, maybe one party or not, but they were capable and known managers of the massive agencies and have credibility in the intelligence community. i think that's a major shift and it just shows how shallow the bench is if someone like tillerson doesn't even last past these ten months, you know, that's a much more, i think, concerning problem for the national security community. >> ned, there's a new set of polls out, and, again, talking about the politics of all of this, this is actually a pretty expansive poll here. this is a morning consult. it shows that president trump's net approval has dropped in all 50 states. ohio, wisconsin, michigan, which won him the election, he's now in negative territory there. some southern states, he's either no longer in positive territory, for instance, in tennessee and mississippi, his net approval down more than 20 points. and, again, we should note that this is a poll that was conducted among roughly 450,000

people over the better part of a half year. the poll says the immediate problem isn't so much -- isn't so much 2018 as it is this reduces the president's influence to secure legislative victories. what do you say to that? >> i don't think the president has done himself any favors, craig. look at the war of words between president trump and senator corker and, you know, it's president trump who is questioning rex tillerson's i.q., but i think we also have to question president trump's i.q. because he seems to have a big problem counting all the way to 51. 51 votes are what is needed to secure passage of some legislation in the senate. without senator corker on his side, the senator who, by the way, is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, president trump is going to have a very difficult time advancing his domestic agenda including tax reform, as well as his key foreign policy initiatives. you know, president trump it sounds like later this week is set to decertify the iran deal sending the deal back to congress. senator corker is going to be a

key vote there, and the more president trump alienates him, the more difficult of a time president trump is going to have moving that forward and moving anything else forward in the -- on capitol hill. >> ned, you mentioned iran. we are expecting -- and actually it's happening as we speak, to a sen extent, another rollback of an obama-era policy, hugh, this thyme a rule regarding coal plants. last week it was the birth control mandate. the dismantling of obamacare continues through executive order by in large. again, iran. how much of this today is about coal? how much of this, hugh, is just about president trump's desire to reverse anything obama? >> well, i always preface comments on the epa by noting my son works there, craig, but i'll say this, the new rule on water of the united states that scott pruitt the administrator is putting forward, rollback of the clean power plan, parts of the republican platform and pretty much every republican on the debate stage agrees with these actions so those are, in fact,

cohesive actions taken by any regulatory rollback conservative who believes that president obama overreached with his executive orders and with his regulatory framework. the clean power plan is about goal but it's also about constitutional rule and the rule of law. that regulation was in excess of the rule of law. the circuit courts of the united states. think administrator pruitt is doing the right thing. it's a win/win for everyone on my side of the political aisle. >> ned, to the larger point, though, in terms of whether we think any of this is personal. >> well, craig, i think almost all of it is personal. you look at what president trump has done in terms of the paris climate agreement, in terms of the iran deal, in terms of tpp, you name it when it comes to signature foreign policy and domestic achievements of the obama administration, and president trump has made a concerted point to dismantle those just about as soon as he can, or at least to try to

dismantle them. he has had difficulty in some areas. and, in fact, there was reporting, craig, when president trump first visited europe, and european leaders came away from their meetings with president trump believing that it was president obama's legacy in particular, that president trump was most interested in dismantling. anything that carried president obama's name, or that was negotiated, finalized or culminated in the obama administration, that is what president trump had his sights on according to these european leaders and, frankly, it sounds -- i think we can certainly believe it. >> kevin, before we go, you had an interesting reporting in "defense one" about generals and admirals and other high-ranking defense department officials now being encouraged to talk to folks like me and you, is that right? >> that's right. secretary mattis on friday was meeting at the pentagon with the combatant commanders, highest level of commanders in the military and other senior leaders and told them, it's time to start talking.

and what happened was there was a belief in the top staff of the pentagon that the commanders and their staff thought they were supposed to keep quiet. because they were watching mattis and mattis doesn't come on tv, but he does talk to reporters behind the scenes. mattis said, no, no, you need to keep talking, stay in your lanes, though, but also because of this budget coming up, continuing resolution which the pentagon, every pentagon in the last ten years, however long this has gone on, has said would be horrible for future readiness. i think also what it shows is he wants the national security leaders to be out there talking because really, they're the guys that kind of tamp down a lot of the hype that we get caught up on when we're trying to make hay out of what, you know, president trump's tweet means and what's going to happen with this lunch today, for example. and it made me think of the last thought i'll have, what would secretary robert gates think? robert gates was the guy who helped put tillerson in that job. gates once rejected the director of national intelligence job because he thought it had no power. if you didn't have power in washington, why take that job? he wasn't going to do that. he knows how to play this game

in town. if you're undercut and don't have power, you not going to do it. that's the guy who put tillerson in that job. if that means anything, i think we might be short for his life span as secretary of state. >> that's a good spot to leave it, kevin, thank you, ned, thank you. hugh, we did not get to the president's obsession with the nfl. we'll save that for next time. more women coming out now to the "new yorker" accusing harvey weinstein of sexually harassing or assaulting them. we'll have the new revelations for you and play for you an audiotape sting involving the filmmaker. also, powerful wildfires are ravaging northern and southern california right now. our own steve patterson is live in the fire zone in california's wine country. steve? >> reporter: state of emergency here in napa. thousands of people without power. thousands of people evacuated. thousands of structures burned. we'll give you a live look at the devastation and what firefighters are now cautioning. that's coming up next. everything i did circled around that cigarette.

when i started taking the chantix that urge just slowly diminished and it was a great and empowering feeling. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. some people had changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, or suicidal thoughts or actions with chantix. serious side effects may include seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking or allergic and skin reactions which can be life-threatening. stop chantix and get help right away if you have any of these. tell your healthcare provider if you've had depression or other mental health problems. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. the most common side effect is nausea. i don't even think about cigarettes anymore. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. many insurance plans cover chantix for a low or $0 copay.

we are the tv doctors of america, and we may not know much about medicine, but we know a lot about drama. we also know that you can avoid drama by getting an annual check-up. so go, know, and take control of your health. it could save your life. cigna. together, all the way.

vice president mike pence is in california right now, he's getting a briefing on the wildfires that are devastating that state. just a few moments ago, the vice president issued a disaster declaration for a large swath of california. as those deadly wildfires continue to tear through california communities, from north to south. at least 11 people are dead so far. that is a number that's expected

to rise. another 100 are missing. at least 20,000 have have been evacuated. flames have decimated entire neighborhoods. take a look at this map. this is what's ravaging california right now, at least a dozen fires are burning across eight california counties. 100,000 acres have been charred so far. for perspective, that's roughly the size of charleston, south carolina. the destruction is especially pronounced in california's legendary wine country. and that is where we find steve patterson. he is in napa, california. steve, what are you seeing there? >> reporter: craig, at least a dozen of those fires, as you mentioned, burning, maybe more like 15. you know what the most troubling thing about this, there was just a recent news conference about an hour ago. what they said is this, they're not focused on containing these fires at this point. most of them are burning out of control, 0% containment. what they're working on right

now is to just make sure people are safe. in other words, pushing the fires out of areas in which the fires haven't already burned which is a hard thing to do. when you're talking about the situation that we're in right now. shelters are full. their hospitals had to be evacuated. schools are shut down. mandatory evacuations are in place. they're telling people do not come back to your homes, it doesn't matter if it looks like everything around you is burned out because there still could be smoldering and burning and hot spots and then the winds could carry that fire back into these neighborhoods. as we've been hearing, there are 11 people who are died. at least two of them right here in napa. we heard that it was an elderly couple not too far from where i am now. and 99 years old and 100 years old. they were together in that fire. they unfortunately, after celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary, suffered that fire and died. their daughter said that it was a good thing that both of them died together instead of one

dying and the other one survi surviving. they were that close. now it's a situation in which, again, firefighters just hoping to keep the edge of the fire from spreading to areas in which they haven't burned. but as you can see, you can see what happened to areas where the fire has touched. this appears to be a home, it appears to be a bedroom followeded followed by maybe a laundry room, followed by maybe a bathroom, followed by maybe a living room where the chimney is. about the only thing that is still standing. this is the level of devastation we're talking about. it's throughout multiple counties surrounding this wine country where the fire has spread, encroached on and torn down so many homes just like the one behind me. craig? >> the irony that the only thing left standing there amid the ashes and rubble is a chimney. steve, any idea, any indication so far from officials what may have started one or more of these fires? >> reporter: again, it is too

tough to say at this point because they are so focused on the immediate danger that the investigation faces, even the containment face. something that usually happens alongside with the fire fight is they try to get a hold on what's happening but they're so focused on just keeping the flames back at this point that they have probably no idea what caused this fire. not to mention the santa ana winds that spread these things for miles and miles. and they spread so fast and charred so much so quickly that it's hard to get a hold on that, not to mention this as well, cell phone towers are down. so this is completely useless where we are right now. >> wow. >> reporter: communication is very poor which is another thing that is hampering efforts for firefighters as we speak. craig? >> steve patterson in napa, california. steve, thank you for that. nbc's gadi schwartz is about 400 miles south of steve's location. gadi is in anaheim, california. >> reporter: hey, craig, yeah, crews are making some pretty significant progress out here on this fire.

see it burning up on the ridge right there. they've been dropping fire retardant over there to contain it. but this is the topography, this is what firefighters are dealindea dealing. you can see how steep it is right here. in fact, look at this tree. this tree was basically frozen in time from when the flames and wind pushed its direction. that's why it's facing this way. the way it is facing is over here. that is a home that's been completely destroyed. i want to take you around this corner right now if you don't mind. this is a neighborhood down here that was spared from these flames. look at this. these are all homes that are okay because of the efforts of firefighters, but up on this ridge right here, this home is destroyed. that home is destroyed. there are three homes up here just on this stretch, alone, that have been wiped out by this fire. and this neighborhood saw some significant damage. there's three other homes that were also wiped out. when we were here yesterday, we saw firefighters up on the roofs of these other homes that they were able to save. they were inside of those roofs in the attics trying to put out

embers that have gotten in there. there are more homes here that were saved than homes that were actually lost. but this is somebody's yard here. these are their belongings. they were decorating for halloween. and many of them were not able to get their things out. we talked to some neighbors who said that the people who lived here did not know that this fire was coming. they were off somewhere else and so they have lost everything. but this is just a reminder of what can happen every day here in southern california. craig, back to. you. >> my goodness. gadi schwartz in anaheim, california. we're keeping a very close eye on the situation there. meanwhile, bombshell developments in the harvey weinstein scandal. new accusers now including some of the biggest names in hollywood. gwyneth wapaltrow, angelina jol. according to "the new york times." also new accusations of rape and assault detailed in the "new

yorker" magazine and an audiotape of an nypd sting operation involving weinstein. we're going to play that tape for you in its entirety, next. (avo) when you have type 2 diabetes, you manage your a1c, but you also have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. non-insulin victoza® lowers a1c, and now reduces cardiovascular risk. victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill. (avo) and for people with type 2 diabetes treating cardiovascular disease, victoza® is now approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. and while it isn't for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. (avo) victoza® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients.

stop taking victoza® and get medical help right away if you get symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. so, stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. tell your doctor your medical history. gallbladder problems have happened in some people. tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. ask your doctor about victoza®. start here. at fidelity, we let you know where you stand, so when it comes to your retirement plan, you'll always be absolutely...clear. it's your retirement. know where you stand.

you'll always be absolutely...clear. hi, i'm the internet! you knoarmless bowling.lt? ahhhhhhhh! you know what's easy? building your website with godaddy. get your domain today and get a free trial of gocentral. build a better website in under an hour.

a new devastating bombshell in the harvey weinstein scandal. the "new yorker" just published the accounts of 13 women who allege harvey weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them. that story says that the incidents took place over a period from the 1990s up until 2015. the "new yorker at " also relea an audio recording of an nypd sting operation in 2015 in which an italian model confronts wi weinstein for allegedly groping her. a quick warning before we play this for you, you may find the content disturbing. >> i'm telling you right now -- >> what do we have is to do here? >> nothing, i'm going to take a shower, you sit there and have a drink. >> i don't drink. can i stay on the bar? >> no, you must -- >> no. >> please? >> no, i don't want to.

>> i'm not doing anything with you. >> i know. i don't want to. i'm sorry. i cannot. no, yesterday was a kind of aggressive -- >> i need to know a person -- >> i won't do a thing. please. i swear i don't. just sit with me. don't embarrass me in the hotel. i'm here all the time. sit with me. >> no, i don't want to. >> please sit there. please. one minute. i ask you. >> i can't. >> go to the bathroom. >> please, i don't want to do something i don't want to do. >> come here. listen to me. >> i want to go downstairs. >> i'm not going to do 234anyth. you'll never see me again after this. if you embarrass. me in this hotel room -- >> i'm not embarrassing you. i don't feel uncomfortable. >> please, i'm not going to do anything, i swear on my children. please. on everything. i'm a famous guy. >> i'm very uncomfortable right now. >> please come in now in one minute. if you want to leave when the guy comes -- >> you touched my breast. >> oh, please, i'm sorry, come on, i'm used to that. >> you're used to that? >> yes. >> now, but i'm not used to

that. >> i won't do it again. come on. sit here for a minute. please? >> no, i don't want to. >> if you do this now, you will embarrass me. now go. never call me again. okay? i'm sorry. nice -- i promise you i won't do anything. >> i know, but yesterday was too much for me. >> i will never do another thing to you. five minutes. don't ruin your friendship with me for five minutes. >> i know. it's kind of like -- it's too much for me. >> please, you're making a big scene here. >> no, i want -- >> okay. bye. thank you. >> a spokesperson for harvey weinstein today issued the following statement in regard to the "new yorker" revelations. it reads in full, "any allegations of nonconsensual sex are unequivocally denied by mr. weinstein. mr. weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. mr. weinstein obviously can't

speak to anonymous allegations but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, mr. weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual. mr. weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. mr. weinstein is hoping if he makes enough progress, he'll be given a second chance." thole wo tho elite are publicly denouncing weinstein, fired yesterday over allegations of sexual harassment from multiple women. i want to bring in david, media reporter for npr, msnbc legal analyst danny iscevallos. and gabe sherman, for "vanity fair," wrote the "vanity fair" piece we've been talking about, also an msnbc contributor. gabe, let me start with you. you've been following this story quickly. surprised? >> no, sadly. this fits the pattern of the

allegations we learned about days ago in "the new york times" expose. what's so stunning about the "new yorker" piece and audio recording, especially, it fits with all my reporting last year on roger ailes about this predator type personality of how they try to lure women into sexual encounters that the power dynamic is completely out of proportion and hear in the audio the way harvey keeps pressing and she's resisting and he's pressing. that to me was striking just to hear the doom tecument tear evi of how the encounters happened. that's what i found not surprising but chilling to listen to. >> there's a tape out there, danny. what does that tell you, that this was part of some sort of nypd sting? >> a tape made in a state where it was one party, as long as she conse consented, it was legal, this is really damning evidence. if it's accompanied with testimony that there was

physical contact, what happens here, this is really tremendous evidence. all of us walk around with the digital ability to create this evidence on our phone but this is devastating evidence in criminal and civil cases because it's believable. once you believe the voice on that tape is a defendant, then he's pretty much made the case against himself. >> david, "the new york times" now reporting, again, this came out a short time ago, agagwynet paltrow, angelina jolie, are coming forward claiming harvey weinstein harassed or assaulted them in some way. your take, is this something we're probably going to see more of the next few days, more women coming forward? >> i'm guessing you will, almost doesn't matter at this point. a multitude of women speaking in their own voices by name directly given accounts and being supported by others. gwyneth paltrow's case, brad

pitt, then her boyfriend, confirms he did confront harvey weinstein said never touch her again, never approach her again for something that happened two decades ago. there are a series of women stepping forward who are prominent like gwyneth paltrow. i think it's meaningful because they're giving their voice and support to women who don't have is stature, who don't have wealth, who don't have lawyers behind them but making similar allegations. >> it hollywood actresses at all concerned about the scores of other young women that would come behind them? >> angelina jolie i think in today's "the new york times" article posted a few hours ago talks about that and said she basically decided not to work with him anymore and said she warned other women not to work with him. that is different than publicly coming out and condemning somebody and getting perhaps in some sort of legal battle or in some ways burning bridges with other people who have to do business with miramax initially or the weinstein company of late. it's interesting these prominent women, themselves, didn't feel they had the ability to do that until the climate changed and of course we're in the era of roger ailes, era of bill crosby, era

of president trump allegations coming out. people now perhaps see there's a mass of consciousness on that this allows them to speak in ways they may not have felt comfortable before. >> harvey weinstein, of course, a well-known democratic donor. hundreds of thousands of dollars to candidates and causes associated with the left over the years. hillary clinton had been noticeably silent until a few moments ago. a statement from the former democratic nominee for president of the united states, "i was shocked and appalled by the revelations about harvey weinstein. the behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior." again, that statement coming from hillary clinton. just a few moments ago. again, gabe, it's hard to believe that a slew of folks did not know what was going on for

decades. >> well, clearly people did know that there were allegations of harvey's behavior with women. it was an open secret in hollywood and in media circles and, you know, i was at an event months back right after president obama left office in it which he gave a speech, the first pen i was really struck by this, the first person he went over to greet on the rope line was harvey weinstein and president obama's daughter, malia, interned for him and i, as a reporter, sort of knowing the rumors and the gossip was shocked knowing what's out there that president obama would legitimize harvey weinstein in that way. i think that is partly why women felt so scared to come forward because the most powerful people in the country from actors to journalists to politicians were all surrounding themselves around harvey and a woman would say to themselves why would i come forward and face all of that public pressure? >> you know, it's striking, you think about the question why wasn't this reported earlier? people have known about this,

open secret, angelina jolie said she's been warning other women, people joked about it on "30 rock" a few years ago, one of the characters said i turned down harvey weinstein three out of five times he tried approach me for sex. it's a punch line basically at that point. an inside joke. at the same time, there are standards at places like "the new york times" which has proven time and again to wibe willing go after, liberal and supportive. at the same time, clearly willing to do very, very damning reporting including three accusations of rape against harvey weinstein. you think about why wasn't it out there? it wasn't out there because they weren't able to get it on the record, able to get documentary evidence, able to get audio recordings, reports, able to get women by name. one more thing i'd say, think about the role that gawker used to play in the news ecosystem here. it's gone now. sued out of existence. many people cheered that. there were reasons to criticize it as i often did. but it would put the sort of twilight news out there, not quite confirmed, not quite ready for what we think of as

scrupulous news organizations to public but it was beyond rumor. and they talked about harvey weinstein and raised those very questions. >> danny, really quickly, the likelihood that harvey weinstein faces any sort of criminal charge from any of this? >> if you listen just to that tape, i don't see a crime on that tape, alone. the essence of that tape boils down to come here, come here, come here, come here. if there's some other fact involved, then potentially it might be part of a case, but just on that tape, i a lolone, don't see anything at -- always statue of limitation issues. >> he does confirm on the tape he made an unwanted attempt the previous night she references and basically seems to confirm it. >> confirms he touched her breast. >> he does. he confirms he did touch it. he would likely argue, i would argue on his behalf simply because he responded that way doesn't mean it wasn't some level of consent involved. >> we should -- >> although it's damning, that is really still quite a bit away from criminal charges. >> civil charges, lighter burden. >> glad you said that.

we should note for viewers and listeners who perhaps have not been following the story closely, no charges is been filed against harvey weinstein. thank you. thank you, all, for your time. i appreciate that. taming trump. the president reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with his chief of staff. john kelly's attempts to manage him and his messaging. the hardest worki ining journal in new york city, gabe sherman, is actually behind this story as well. he'll stick around and take us behind the scenes after the break. thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. the secret is an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. the name to remember. parts a and b and want more coverage,

guess what? you could apply for a medicare supplement insurance plan whenever you want. no enrollment window. no waiting to apply. that means now may be a great time to shop for an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. medicare doesn't cover everything. and like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, these help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. so don't wait. call now to request your free decision guide. it could help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that works for you. these types of plans have no networks, so you get to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. rates are competitive, and they're the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. remember - these plans let you apply all year round. so call today. because now's the perfect time to learn more. go long.

new reports today on a widening rift in the white house between president trump and his chief of staff, general john kelly. "vanity fair" reporting today the president has grown frustrated with kelly in recent weeks. and what he sees as kelly's high-handedness. gabe sherman is with us, special kcorrespondent for "vanity fair" he wrote that piece. also an msnbc contributor. what are your sources telling you about the tension between the president and general kelly? >> yeah, i mean, this is a relationship that was set up to be fraught from the start, but in the wake of actually nbc's report on moron-gate, tillerson fiasco in recent days, this is something kelly has been trying to contain the crisis inside the white house. trump sees that as trying to rein him in. anyone who tries to -- destined to clash with trump. one of the details i found really surprising is that john kelly is worried about what happens when trump goes to mar-a-lago later this month. he's going to be returning to palm beach for the winter white

house. as the fall season progresses. and kelly's whole thing is keeping trump away from unofficial policy advisers, but as we know, trump loves to hold court and mingle at mar-a-lago. kelly is trying to keep trump out of the dining room at mar-a-lago, trying to keep a guy out of his own dining room is going to be very difficult. >> if not general kelly, then who? >> i think that's the question. i think trump even knows the answer to that question because there's talk if generally kelly leaving the position, the rails come off and trump does not want general kelly to leave. he knows as much as he's frustrated with him, sources at the white house tell me, he knows he can't lose him. >> there are nine departures, nine over the last ten months. among them, michael flynn, of course, out as national security adviser, tom price who resigned last week. here's a list on the screen for our viewers at home. spicer, priebus, bannon, gorka,

scaramucci. scaramucci was barely there for three, four day. >> blink and you miss it. >> what does this tell us about the working environment inside 1600 pennsylvania? >> chaos is the only word that comes to mind. the free-wheeling style is the way trump liked to run his real estate business but does not work when trying to manage the world's most powerful government. the transition trump is trying to make from campaigning to governing is not an easy one. i talked to sources close to the white house that say there's a lot of possibility that rex tillerson may ultimately decide to leave if trump does follow through to pull out of the iran deal. we have not seen the end according to my sources of the high level departures. >> gabe sherman, whatever you're working on today, come back and talk to us tomorrow. the white house set to roll back the obama-era policy to curb greenhouse emissions from power plants but is the administration flat-out lying to the public when it says coal is back? h sarah: every year we take a girl's trip.

remember nashville? both: kimchi bbq! amazing honky-tonk! i can't believe you got us tickets! i did. i didn't pay for anything. (sigh) you never do. send me what i owe. i've got it. i mean, you did find money to buy those boots. (alert beep) are you serious? is that why you don't like them? those boots could make a unicorn cry. yeah! tears of joy. (groan) pay back a friend day is october 17th. get the bank of america mobile banking app today.

with flavors you'll love.re like new savory grilled mediterranean shrimp. and new sweet and spicy nashville hot shrimp. plus our classics like garlic shrimp scampi. try as much as you want however you want 'em, but don't wait, it ends soon.

he's a nascar champion who's she's a world-class swimmer who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe. here's how xarelto works. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective... ...targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding.

get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you've got to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know. we want to update you now on story we are following closely. the wildfires that are ravaging california. the death toll is now up to 13.

on the left side of the screen thereat is a look at where the fires are. the fires burning. so far 115,000 acres have been scorched. that is larger than charleston, south carolina. and those fires continue burning this afternoon. this morning out on the west coast. epa administrator scott perut fulfilling a big trump campaign promise by formalizing a rule to start withdrawing from the clean power plan. back in 2015 it was president obama who announced that plan to cut power plant emissions across the country. it was a cornerstone of his administration's energy policy, part of his eglalegacy is you w let's bring

mustafa, the real world impact of rolling back clean power plan. >> yes. i mean, this is another example of this administration placing profit over people's lives and the public health impacts are very apparent. we have thousands of folks who will unfortunately die prematurely because of air pollution. 90,000 individuals facing asthma attacks. this shows a real disconnect from the lives of folks across our country and it just doesn't make sense. >> to be clear, again, you worked for the epa for how long and up until what point? >> i worked for five administrations including the last one even though i was there bri briefly. about 24 years at the epa and a little on capitol hill. >> are you familiar with what this administration has said about the health effects of cutting greenhouse gas emissions that previous administrations have overstated that threat. what do you say to that? >> it was probably under estimated to be quite honest

with you y. have worked in vulnerable communities across our country. i know the impacts that happen inside of these communities from greenhouse gases and other types of toxins. so we should be very, very focussed on making sure that we are actually protecting the public health of our citizens and also i'm amazed that they would move forward with this at this time when we have these terrible storms and we know that greenhouse gases help to sort of strengthen the storms. when we talk about harvey and irma and maria and so many others it makes me think there is a real disconnect. >> epa administrator pruitt said the war on coal is over. what will these changes mean for the coal industry moving forward? >> not much actually surprisingly. my colleague at the wall street journal has written about this a lot because of technological advancements and economic factors. a lot of daemps have moved

towards natural gas, more renewables. they say that this is a significant repeal. this will impact industries. but generally companies are still moving towards cleaner energy anyways. however, i would note that there is a trade case president trump will ultimately decide to impose tariffs on solar panels made in china. if he starts imposing these tariffs on renewable energy equipment and renewable energy becomes more expensive that could tilt the scales back towards coal just purely because it would economically discourage companies from moving. >> the reality is despite what happens this is a decision that is likely going to be tied up in the courts of this country for a very long time. is there a possibility that what the president's proposing today never actually even happens? >> yes. folks are definitely going to push back especially when they see injustices happening especially when they see an

administration that is taking away economic opportunities especially in those communities where we should be very focussed in figuring out new ways of having a just transition making sure they get the right types of jobs and helping to position them to be able to compete sort of on a world economy. they are just disconnected from what folks are asking for. i know the challenges that exist there but i know the opportunities that if we stay focussed that we can help them to make real positive change that will last generations to come. >> we'll leave it there. thank you so much for that. always good to have you, as well. white house press secretary sarah huckabee sanders set to take to the podium giving daily briefing to reporters. when it happens we will bring it to you live.

thank you so much. thank you! so we're a go? yes! we got a yes! what does that mean for purchasing? purchase. let's do this. got it. book the flights! hai! si! si! ya! ya! ya! what does that mean for us? we can get stuff. what's it mean for shipping? ship the goods. you're a go! you got the green light. that means go! oh, yeah. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we're gonna hit our launch date! (scream) thank you! goodbye! let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open.

so you can get business done. ibut they never loved me back., it was one complicated relationship. so i came up with o, that's good! a new line of comfort sides with a nutritious twist, we snuck some yummy cauliflower

into our mashed potatoes. but you'll only taste the love. see what i mean? oh yeah! comfort food that loves ya back. o, that's good! ♪o, that's good! o, that's good! ♪

nchlts that's going to do it for this hour of msnbc hour live. >> katy tur is standing by. >> sitting by next to you which means it is a great day at msnbc headquarters. thank you very much. >> 11:00 a.m. out west and 2:00 p.m. in washington, d.c. any minute sarah huckab aby sanders is expected to take questions. escalating feuds that president trump is fighting on two fronts. the first with his own secretary of state. the president gave official response to the nbc