conversation between katy and michael. >> yes. >> i'm chris jansing at msnbc headquarters in new york. a new report from nbc news says trump's legal team is preparing options for a quest they expect is coming. an interview with special counsel robert mueller. plus, bumpy ride. trump flying south with a man who once called the white house an adult day care center. a new report says his schedule is shrinking and spending more time watching television. and oprah 2020? her golden globe speech is getting a lot of attention. one of the people who knows her best says, when it comes to a run for the white house, she could be convinced. we start with that exclusive nbc news report. as the president leaves the white house to make two stops today, nashville, atlanta. talks are under way about a possible interview in the russia

mueller probe. they are discussing a range of options for how the president could respond to their questions. the new report says those options include, quote, written responses to questions in lieu of a formal sitdown. according to three people familiar with the matter. a second person familiar with the president's legal strategy said another possibility being contemplated is an affidavit signed by the president affirming he's innocent of any wrongdoing and denying any collusion. a spokesperson for the special counsel's office has declined comment. joining me now, two nbc news reporters, national security and justice reporter julia ainsley and white house correspondent hallie jackson. when did these talks start and what can you tell us about them? >> reporter: let's stress these are according to folks we've talked to in the course of our reporting, preliminary, ongoing discussions inside the president's legal team regarding what would happen if and when there was to be some kind of a conversation between donald trump and the special counsel's office. so, we know that, for example,

members of the president's legal team sat down with members of the special counsel's staff in late december. so, we know the conversations have been going on for at least, roughly, what, three weeks to a month, if not longer than that. now, when you look at our reporting, you've laid it out sort of as as far as what they're considering, these preliminary options for any interaction here. the president himself was asked about this at camp david over the weekend. the response was rather noncommittal. the president said, yeah, and then went on to elaborate about what he thought about the special counsel investigation as a whole without really or specifically answering the question. that is something, if the president -- by the way, he's on his way right now to nashville. he's heading to joint base andrews. he'll be flying to nashville to give a speech. then on to watch the college football game tonight in georgia. it is, of course, a possibility the president will come back into the press cabin, perhaps, to take questions from a small pool gathered on air force one.

we don't have any expectation that will happen. no expectation it won't happen. we're eager to hear from the president on that. we're also eager to hear from the president's legal team. the president's outside counsel declined to comment initially but a few hours ago i heard from john dowd, the president's outside lawyer who says, the white house does not comment on communications with the osc, the office of the special counsel, out of respect for the osc and its process. adding, the white house is continuing its full cooperation with the osc in order to facilitate the earliest possible resolution. that's interesting. the earliest possible resolution. what i've heard privately and i think you've heard publicly from the president's legal team, they believe, they hope this will wrap up relatively soon. that's obviously something the president is hoping as well. when you listen to his comments about all this, denying what he says is any collusion between his campaign and russia. listen. >> there is no collusion and everybody has said -- and i think you will admit that, there is no collusion between me and

my campaign and the russians. no collusion, no obstruction. >> by the way, folks, just in case you're curious, no, russia did not help me. okay? russia. i call it the russian hoax. one of the great hoaxes. it was a hoax. i mean, you look at the votes, it was 306 to, what, 223 or something? they lost it by a lot. they didn't know what to say, so they made up the whole russia hoax. >> reporter: and, chris, that is obviously a position that has not changed for donald trump in the intervenie inine ining weeke of those sound bites happened. >> julia, how would something like this even work? for example, would robert mueller conduct an interview himself? what do we know about this process should it go forward? >> we know this is not something the special counsel's team is likely to even consider.

and we know from chuck rosenberg, who is a former chief of staff of jim comey's and also worked as a u.s. prosecutor, he talked to us, spoke just about an hour ago, saying a grand jury could subpoena the president to talk. so, if he was -- wanted to compel him to speak, he could do that through the court system. of course, the lawyers for the president want to keep his communication as minimal as possible. they know he can't plead the fifth because it's very hard politically for him to just say nothing. but they want to be able to control what he says. they're looking at trying to be able to do written responses. at least in the phase of the investigation that robert mueller is conducting before it would go forward to the grand jury. they're trying to minimize that and control the message here. >> we're going to get a lot more on this coming up in a minute. hallie, i want to come back to you because i'm getting my inbox flooded with people -- immigration activists very upset

about the administration's decision not to renew -- not to renew this -- >> reporter: temporary protective status. >> temporary protective status. it's about 200,000 people from el salvador, many of whom have lived in the united states since 2001. >> reporter: since an earthquake there. julia knows as well as she's been reporting on the moves by the department of homeland security. according to senior administration officials who just briefed the press on this change, that group of people from el salvador, as you said, about 200,000 people, will be losing their temporary protected status. essentially, these folks will have until 2019 to either seek permanent residency or force deportation. this stems from the earthquake. the move is not entirely unexpected as the trump administration did something similar with folks from honduras and haiti. lawmakers as well, some coming

out very upset about this, very angry about this. a senior administration official said essentially the country has recovered at this point from those earthquakes now, what, 16, 17 years ago. so, that is essentially the basis of their decision. i expect this to play out for a period of weeks not just with immigration add vee cats and lawmakers but at a time when immigration is -- when it comes to funding for a different program, for d.r.e.a.m.ers, daca, the program that protects about 800,000 people in this country, this is against the back drop of the trump administration's immigration policies. i think you'll see that come to a head over the next couple of weeks here. >> thank you so much, hallie and julia. we appreciate it. i want to bring into the conversation nbc news national correspondent, frank, former assistant of counterintelligence, and ashley parker, white house reporter for "the washington post." good to see both of you. let's talk about the president's lawyers, frank, talking to the

folks over at the special counsel's office. you have particular knowledge about this because you know how special counsel patrick fitzgerald interviewed president george w. bush and vice president cheney throughout that valerie plame investigation. what's your thought? how would you expect the mueller team to be approaching this? >> sure. we do have, as you said, some precedent for this. this is not a case of first impression. in fact, back in 2006, special counsel patrick fitzgerald who was working the scooter libby/valerie plame cia leak case, if you recall, did, indeed, interview president george w. bush and vice president cheney. he did it in the oval office with the president. he did it in the presence of a senior fbi agent. we're likely to see that happen here. on the president's side, the president hired private counsel to be present as well. so, a very small group. but what i see happening here will be slightly different in that clearly the mueller team would want an in-person interview.

they want to be able to look across the table. they want to ask imp proromptu questions. they want to develop a sense of whether candor is taking place or not. and they want to be able to push buttons. robert mueller will have some buttons to push that will be very delicate and sensitive areas for the president. and i see also because of the complexity of the questions in many areas, finances, money laundering, obstruction, russian collusion, it's possible there might actually be different teams of prosecutors and investigators who will pose different questions throughout that long period of time. the patrick fitzgerald interview lasted about an hour. i would expect we're talking about multiple hours here. >> yeah. and i think when clinton gave his testimony, it was about four hours. ashley, it's interesting to use the term pushing buttons. it would seem that donald trump is going to say what he's going to say, right, as we saw in the lester holt interview, two days after the president fired james

comey, the president tied his actions directly to the comey investigation. >> regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey, knowing there was no good time to do it. and, in fact, when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, i said, you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made-up story. it's an excuse by the democrats for having lost an election, that they should have won. >> so, he's not a lawyer, obviously. to the point of pushing buttons, how easy would it be for an experienced prosecutor, who knows everything that he knows and the president and his lawyers don't necessarily know all that, to trip him up? >> that's a great question. and, look, if you just look at the president's staff to begin with, everyone including general john kelly, they come in and they say, my job isn't to control the president. i'm not trying to control the president. i couldn't control the president if i wanted to. that's a particularly acute problem for his lawyers, whose

job is, in fact, to control their client. and that's one of the reasons i think you're seeing written answers in this case, especially for someone as president trump, as you pointed out, does what he wants to do, says what he wants to say, is a safer option. if you look at how he speaks, what was successful in the world of real estate and reality tv, speaking in embellishment and puffery, to use some phrases, is fine there. that may be how you're successful. one thing his lawyers early on tried to impart to him is you cannot lie and you cannot embellish when you are talking to a special counsel. that's certainly going to be a challenge. >> i just want to let people know that what we're watchings on the other side of your screen is joint base andrews. that's the president's motorcade. he would normally take marine one. the weather is not great in the washington, d.c., area, so he's taking the motorcade. he'll be getting on air force one and heading down to

nashville. trump said in june he is 100% willing to testify under oath. i mean, even if his team and his aides tell him, don't do it, that doesn't mean he won't. hallie pointed this out, he said everybody tells me, i'm not under investigation. yeah he might be willing to go under oath. but let's look at that contrasting it to whether or not he would sign an affidavit. if he's already been on camera so many times denying he's done anything wrong, saying categorically there's no collusion, would an affidavit give them anything they don't already have? >> so, he's really between a rock and a hard place here because if it were a simple affidavit he signed saying there was no collusion, as we've heard here, that's not helpful and could be construed as obstruction. he has to manage this affidavit question. i don't think it's in his benefit to do it. i don't think the mueller team

will accept a statement, everything is proper, signed, president trump. that's not going to cut it. if it's elaborate and responses to specific list of questions, that could be negotiated. my guess is we'll see a hybrid. some questions meriting responses and some in person. that's my prediction. >> we saw stephen miller talking about russia on sunday, including questions about a report miller helped trump draft early, and apparently revealing letter about the firing of james yoem. that letter was never sent. let me play part of what miller had to say. >> did you write a letter outlining reasons to fire comey and list the russia investigation? is that true? >> here's the problem with what you're saying. the file draft of letter -- >> i'm not talking about that. i'm talking about the one comey has -- >> if you want -- if you want to have an answer to your question and not to get hysterical, then i'll answer it. the file draft of the letter has

the same line about the fact that there is a trump/russia investigation that this has nothing to do with. >> ashley, you wonder if that's the best defense that the white house has. what is the feeling as far as you know it in the white house about all of this? >> well, the white house is trying to respond on a number of fronts, including questions that were raised in the briefing last week and in michael wolf's book about the president's stability, in addition to handling the latest news and the great reporting on russia. so, one thing they're trying to do, at least on the book front, which is what i've been more focused on recently, is sort of not address the question of the president's fitness for office, but really focus on trying to draw a wedge as a white house official put it to me today, between the book, the author of the book, and the truth. so, later in that interview, and before in that stephen miller interview, when the mere

question comes up, instead of addressing the questions at hand, he dismisses it as a grotesque work of fiction. not getting to the actual questions being posed and reported in the book but to discredit and disqualify the entire thing. >> i should point out, if you have anything you want to say about this, we just saw bob corker who likened the white house to a playground, getting on the plane and flying to nashville with the president of the united states. so, just when you think you know what's going on, people surprise us, do they not? >> they do. and one thing to add there is one thing the president has done tremendously well and doesn't necessarily get enough credit for is he has co-opted a lot of his critics. if you keep in mind bob corker was incredibly critical of the president, lindsey graham. all of these people -- they may all have their different reasons. there is a sense sometimes you want to stay close to the president, try to have his ear,

influence him, if you think he's irresponsible, you think you can be more responsible. on the part of outreach through the president through golf and flattery and private screenings at camp david, he's done a good job of co-opti ining a lot of h congressional critics. >> thanks to both of you for that. just like the gipper, president trump loves to compare himself to ronald reagan. it comparing his mental stability and the media's coverage of it to reagan's a smart move? and blackout at the golden globes. the fight against sexual harassment and gender inequality takes center stage at the awards slow. the founder of the me too movement twas there and she jois me. will it be president oprah 2020? speculation she could make a run for the white house. >> a new day is on the horizon! it takes a lot of work to run this business.

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statements like the one when wolf made about how we all think about the president are ridiculous on his face. >> was he unstable when he passed the tax reform? >> the media made similar claims about ronald reagan and george bush. what they have in common is they are republican presidents. >> president trump's allies have been out in full force defending the president's mental

stability, after speculation from a book "fire and fury." in a series of tweets over the weekend, the president compared news coverage of him to ronald reaganing writing the democrats and their lap dogs are taking out the old ronald reagan playbook and screaming mental instability and intelligence. i've had to put up with fake news from the first day i've been running for president. now i have to put up with a fake book written by a totally discredited author. ronald reagan had the same problem and handled it well. so will i. i want to bring in callan from "the washington post." you have a piece out saying trump's ill-advised claim. what do you think they have wrong here? >> i think the comparison to reagan could apply but i don't think he should want it to apply. saying there's equivalence here,

he's sort of opening the door to the idea that maybe there is some problem with his mental health. keep in mind when the press in the 1980s was writing about president reagan, the question wasn't whether he was stable or intelligence but in his 70s perhaps he was losing hi memory and whether that might impair his effectiveness as president. as it turned out in 1994 he was diagnosed with alzheimer's disease. his son, ron reagan, said he felt as though his father was experiencing symptoms of that disease, at least early signs of the disease, while in office. in other words, those questions reporters were asking in the '80s were at least somewhat vindicated by a later diagnosis. if the president wants to cast the questions about his own mental health as fake news, i don't think reagan is the most useful historical comparison. >> there is also a big change, right, in the way media -- in the way that media approaches both coverage of the white

house, the number of media that's out there and also social media and the way the president has been so combative fighting against the media. >> i think the president could make a stronger argument than the one he did. he could say the way i'm being covered now is more speculative, more reckless in some quarters than of reagan's. i went back over the weekend and spent time reading through old clips of reagan coverage from the '80s and it was pretty careful, i would say. there were plenty of observations of him seeming to be confused or having trouble recalling things in moments. the big example was the debate of his 1984 re-election campaign in which he seemed to grow confused toward the end of that debate. even at that point, a lot of outlets were printing op-eds from mental health experts who said, look, even if he is experiencing a little memory

loss in his 70s, that doesn't mean he can't govern effect tifrly. i think that the president could say maybe there's a different standard being applied to him. as he often does, he takes his argument to the extreme and says, no, it's all fake. >> thank you. it's an interesting and very well well-researched article. i want to bring in presidential historian and msnbc contributor jon meacham. i'm curious. what did you think when you heard the president's self-comparison to ronald reagan and mental health? >> i thought it was a reach. i spent a lot of years reading every word and listening to the tape-recorded diary of reagan's vice president, george h.w. bush, who was the person who was most in the line of fire, if, in fact, the president was becoming less able to execute his duties in that period. never found a single allu schla

about diminished capacity. second-term presidents who begin to run for re-election, often have a bad first debate. "the wall street journal" wrote a pretty significant story about whether what was then known as the age issue. this is back when 75 meant something, 73. >> 75 is the new 55, right? >> as we get older, it seems less and less significant, doesn't it? >> it does. >> it's funny how that works. so, i think the reagan analogy is smart of trump. he has done something -- >> so politically smart? >> yeah. in his intuitive way, he's defended himself with the 35%, 38% of the bait by invoking the saint of the republican party, ronald reagan. they did it to reagan, they're

trying to do it to me. that's a clear attempt to put these questions to rest. >> health questions are always fair game. there's already questions about the president getting his physical and us seeing the results of the physical. obviously, presidents have had health problems over the years. mental health, beyond ronald reagan, is questioning mental health something that's happened a loss? >> not a lot. less than you would think given -- i think it's amazing presidents aren't crazier when you think about what they have to go through. >> we always said anyone running for president would have to be crazy. that's just those of us -- >> now it seems to be a job requirement. historically the 25th amendment, what we're talking about here, is trying to judge presidential disability and incapacity grew out of a couple of things. woodrow wilson's stroke during the ratification of the league of nations. he had about a year and a half,

almost, of convalescence where he was very weak. president roosevelt in the hours of world war ii was clearly sick and died in april of 1945, just as the allied armies were closing in on berlin and the nuclear age was about to begin. we didn't know it was about to begin, but it would within a couple of months. president eisenhower had two significant health episodes. that is back when 65 was pretty significant. he had a heart attack and a stroke. so, the congress and the american bar association got together in the late '50s, mid-'60s, and put together a mechanism by which people could judge this level of capacity and, perhaps, respond to it. >> i want to talk a little more about that because the author of "fire and fury," michael wolff, talked to a lot of people in the white house about the 25th amendment. let me just play for you a little bit of an interview when he's talking about this. >> it's not unreasonable to say

this is 25th amendment kind of stuff. this is -- >> i mean any -- >> anybody in the west wing say that to you? >> all the time. >> they would bring up the 25th amendment? >> yes. actually, they would say, we're not in the -- sort of in the mid-period. we're not at a 25th amendment level yet. >> so, as you know, a lot of people think if the president is going to be removed prematurely from the office, it will be impeachment or only if democrats take control in 2018. let me ask you about the specific purpose and the real limitations of the 25th amendment. >> well, it's crazy advise and consent, the old cold war novel scenario. what we're talking about is section 4 of the 25th amendment. it's not about temporarily transferring power if you're going under anesthesia or something like that, which has happened -- reagan did it in '85, george w. bush did it a couple of times. this is an apocalyptic section.

it was drafted by burch. if the vice president and majority of the cabinet decides the president is incapable of executing the powers and duties of his office, they write a letter, send it to congress and the vice president can become the acting president. the president then can appeal that, take power back, and then there's what i think of as the great, mysterious four days. the first group has -- the vice president and cabinet has four days to decide if they really want to press the case. if they do, at that point the vice president becomes the acting president and then it goes to congress. and two-thirds of each house has to vote on whether or not the president is incapacitated or not. it's a very complicated, carefully drawn in its ambiguity. inability is not defined, by design. but it's largely about, if you

read the debates, congressional debates about it, what they were thinking is there could be a moment where hypothetically a president in the nuclear age would be unstable mentally and those closest to him would be those in the best position to decide whether or not he needed power. it was not about an unpopular decision or even laziness. that's in the literature about this. or incompetence. those are more political and more about impeachment. this is a very specific mechanism by which those closest to the president have the courage of their convictions and in their best judgment believe history should be made and the president should be removed, at least temporarily, they would have to do that. it was an enormous weight on the vice president and a majority of the cabinet. >> jon meacham, always great talking to you. thanks so much. by the way, the author of "fire and fury," michael wolff, will be on with katy tur in the next

hour and on "the last word," tomorrow at 10:00, "hardball" tomorrow at 7:00. hollywood stands up against sexual harassment at the first big award show. is oprah the answer? her impassioned acceptance speech ignites speculation she might make a run for president. we'll talk about that next. they came out of nowhere, sir! how many of 'em? we don't know. dozens. all right! let's teach these freaks some manners! good luck out there, captain! thanks! but i don't need luck, i have skills... i don't have my keys. (on intercom) all hands. we are looking for the captain's keys again. they are on a silver carabiner. oh, this is bad. as long as people misplace their keys, you can count on geico saving folks money.

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starts with a conversation. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today. i want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon! [ applause ] and when that new day finally dawns -- it will be because of a lot of magnificent women and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say, me too again! >> yeah, she had them on their feet. that speech by oprah winfrey during last night's golden globes is spurring speculations

about a presidential run. while accepting the cecil b. demille lifetime achievement award, winfrey praised those who came forward with me too stories. black gown was a story of solidarity, and many red pins that read, time's up. several actresses brought prominent leaders. th tarana burke, it's good to see you again. it's a big deal to go to something like that, but what an extraordinary thing to see for you someone who for years, who has been behind this movement, can you even put into words what it meant to you last night? >> it's really difficult. i mean, last night was something i could have never imagined 10 or 12 years ago when we started doing this work. >> i mean, and then there's that

rallying cry from oprah winfrey. i mean, first of all, just on its face, an incredible speech. >> yes. >> but how did you feel when you heard her talking about what you started? >> you know, when i started doing this work several years -- in 2006, there weren't very many black women who spoke publicly about sexual violence or their experience with sexual violence so gabrielle union and oprah winfrey were two of the main people we used. it was such a full-circle moment to hear her say those words because i've used her example as what the trajectory of healing could look like for girls who look like us so many times, so it really just -- it moved me so deeply. >> and then right after oprah gave that speech, natalie portman gets up as one of the presenters for best director. here's what she said. >> and here are the all-male nominees.

>> so, i'm going to ask you the same question after last night that i asked you when you sat on this set several weeks ago, tarana, which is, do you have the sense the me too movement has produced a true see change? is there a conscious awareness across the country that is both permanent and sustainable? >> i think even more so than when i was in your studio several weeks ago. i feel that more strongly. i think what's happening, it's not just bolstered by the workwomen in hollywood are doing, it's bolstered by what i see across the country. it's small movements. that's how me too started, a small, local movement, and i'm seeing people do small grassroots work around everything from prevention and interrupting sexual violence to sexual harassment. people are so emboldened and excited to jump in with both feet to do this work. those doing this work are receiving so much more support than we've received in previous years. there's a real change happening.

>> one of the people who has very clearly been behind women and behind change, not for years but for decades, is oprah winfrey. >> absolutely. >> we're getting a few mixed signals from shher. she's said she's not interested in running for president. gayle, as has said, said never, never. stedman, her long-time partner coming out emphatically telling "the l.a. times," it's up to people, she would absolutely do it. other reports people close to her say she would consider it. what do you think, is america ready for the first black female president? >> america needs a black female president. we need to trust black women and put them in leadership. oprah is the answer for so many things. so, i mean, i don't know. i'm not opposed to it. i think she is phenomenal and she's so smart and she's so thoughtful and compassionate. and i think we need that in this country right now. we need smart leadership and oprah is the epitome of that.

>> what a night you had. what a night for the movement. we should also mention, millions of dollars raised for a legal defense fund. a lot of things moving forward. tarana burke, come back and see us when you're in new york. congratulations. >> thank you. unfriendly skies? one sparring partners, now travel buddies. president trump is on his way to tennessee with none other than the one he called little bob corker. what brought them together? to . and at our factory in boston, 1,200 workers are starting their day building on over a hundred years of heritage, craftsmanship and innovation. today we're bringing you america's number one shave at lower prices every day. putting money back in the pockets of millions of americans. as one of those workers, i'm proud to bring you gillette quality for less, because nobody can beat the men and women of gillette. gillette - the best a man can get.

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as president trump heads to nashville, he's taking an unexpected travel buddy with him. none other than tennessee senator bob corker, the same republican, yes, who labeled the white house an adult day care center and openly questioned the president's competence last year. >> the president has not yet -- has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful. >> now, the president, not surprisingly, struck back on twitter calling him a lightweight, even mocking him as little bob corker who wouldn't be able to get elected dog catcher in tennessee. how did this all happen? ann guerin is "the washington post" white house correspondent. have the two put their spat behind them? >> well, at least on some matters they have.

enough to secure an air force one ride today, which clearly -- i mean, i only did the white house feel confident and comfortable extending it, but corker felt comfortable in accepting it. they are headed to his home state, so it makes some sense. first stop is nashville, then on to the big game in georgia. >> but how do you go from saying what he said, and the president who we know is famously thin-skinned, to them looking like old chums? >> well, i don't know -- i don't think they're old chums. i think they have made some accommodations on a couple of important fronts. the most important is the tax bill. remember, corker did a turn-about on that just before christmas. he had been an opponent on a couple of matters of principle and execution. he changed his mind and supported it. that made the white house very happy. and they also have apparently

bonded over what they both say is some misreporting about things they said. so, we certainly know the president -- that that gets under the president's skin and once in a while, apparently, it gets under bob corker's, too. >> as we know, this isn't the only time the president's critics are suddenly on good terms with him. senator graham once called president trump a coock, unfit, and this morning this is what he said on "the view." >> i said he was a xenophobic, bigot. i ran out of things to say. he won. guess what? he's our president. >> you're calling him a xenophobic religious bigot. >> i did that during the campaign. >> is he still all those things? >> in my view, he's my president and he's doing a really good job on multiple fronts. >> what do you make of these turn-abouts? >> i think there's a big difference between what lindsey graham is doing and what bob

corker is doing. i think what bob corker is a transactional matter up on his plate. remember, he's the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. he's very concerned about a deadline that's approaching on the jcpoa, that's the iran nuclear deal. he does not want the president to miss a deadline where he would suspend or continue to suspend sanctions against iran. so, he's trying -- >> keep your friends close and your enemies closer? >> correct. he's trying to work with him. he's trying to work with ben cardin to work out an aarrangement where the whole thing doesn't blow up in his face. that doesn't mean this is where lindsey graham is. i think lindsey graham's admirers and critics are somewhat amazed at what he's displayed and the slobbery and flatte flattery. it's got people speculating, what's going on with lindsey graham who used to be independent-minded, not afraid to call it as he sees it guy. and there's speculation -- he

wants to be secretary of state, whenever rex tillerson goes by the wayside. i think it's a very dramatic, very different ball game what he's doing than bob corker, who's trying to make progress on this iran deal. >> then you have the president heading to atlanta later today, a city he once described as falling apart and crime-infested. how do we think that reception's going to go? >> well, it is the president -- the president of the united states is going to the college championship. i think he'll be received like the president of the united states. certainly, authorities in atlanta have indicated they welcome his arrival. >> at the naacp is planning to protest, they say, in solidarity with football players who have knelt during the national anthem. >> there will be protests outside the stadium, for sure. >> not that there aren't protests wherever the president goes. >> right. these will be specific to things he said about football, which is different. >> yeah. >> the good news is they don't

bring the players out in college football for the national anthem. so, we will not have a face-off over the kneel-offs. and he should be able to go there and enjoy the game. >> does this sort of send a message, jennifer, to this president that why does he need to back off, because, frankly, in his world, people will eventually come around? after all, he is the president of the united states. >> well, that is true to a certain extent. i don't think it removes the very really problems he has with the country at large. it is not a coincidence he's going into deep red america with two very red america teams facing off. amongst his base, he still is very popular. he has 80% or so of the republican party. what's interesting, there's a new gallup poll out today showing the percentage of republicans as a whole in the electorate continues to go down and down. many more independents and a few more democrats. so, that's a large share of a decreasing section of the electorate. so, his problems are not with the core base that he has in

places like -- where the two teams emanate from, georgia, or alabama. it's with the rest of the country. it's with women, with minorities, with college-educated women. i think those problems will i' sure in the long run this one football game is going to change many people's minds. >> jennifer rubin, great talking to both of you, thank you. >> thanks. flu emergency, california pharmacies are out of flu medicine. emergency rooms are packed, and the death toll is rising.

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this year's flu epidemic is already on track to be the worst in years. from october through december, at least 41,719 cases have been reported to the cdc. nearly three times more than last season. at this point last year, 12 states were hit without breaks. most cases are of a particularly dangerous strain known as h3n2. msnbc jacob soberoff joins me now from glendale, california. what are you seeing now, jason?

>> this is one of those packed emergency rooms, as you walk along the hallways, there are people literally out in the hallways on beds, stretchers, whatever you want to call them, because there are too many patients. this is the clinical director here. we're in the nurses station. you've seen more patients this year for sure than last year? >> absolutely we've seen a 30 to 40% increase in patients over the last few weeks. >> the first thing you see when you walk in here, is not only those hand sanitizers but the masks. i was in with flu like symptoms, they hand out masks like this to everybody. explain why it's important to cover your mouth. >> whether it's productive cough or nonproductive cough. flu is spread by droplets that travel flew the air. the reason we put a mask on

people that are could having, is so we can prevent the spread of the flu to any other person. >> i have not gotten the flu shot, i assume i'm a dummy for not doing that. >> we recommend getting a flu shot. those with chronic health conditions. >> jacob, so it's not too late? >> no, it is not too late to get the flu shot. anyway, everybody, go get your flu shot. you may still get it, but get it just in case. and wash your hands. the author of fire and fury will joining katy tur right here. or your digestion... so why wouldn't you take something for the most important part of you... your brain. with an ingredient originally found in jellyfish, prevagen is now the number one selling brain health supplement in drug stores nationwide.

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that's going to do it for me. katy tur joins us now. >> it's 11:00 p.m. in the west, 2:00 p.m. in the east. the assault on the tell all that's rocking the trump administration. the explosive claims inside fire and fury have prompted anger, denials and one mea culpa within the white house. he called himself very smart and a very stable genius. he even made a rare appearance at camp david to fell reporters the me