and they need to know if they do that again there'll be consequences. >> reporter: peter alexander, nbc news, the white house. >> let's bring in two members of our state of the union team. savannah guthrie and chuck todd. chuck will have a narrow calendar with the mid term elections to get it done. >> the big challenge is how does he make tonight seem special. we hear from this president all the time. so unlike previous state of the unions where this is an opportunity, in some ways this is just another night. so he almost needs to realize that going in and realize this is a night at best he can maybe just whip up his supporters. >> savannah, presidents typically do a speech, they hop on air force one with the next day and sell it, how will the president sell his plans? >> the white house says he will sell it, but as i understand it, there are no travel plans on the books right now. for him, if he has a good night and the state of the union gives him a potential to have a good night, for him, it's state out of your own way, don't tweet the next day and start another firestorm. he think i

nbc's peter alexander joins us from the white house. eli stokols, white house reporter for the "wall street journal" is here. catty kay washington correspondent for bbc world news america joins us. with us at the table bill crystal founder and writer of the weekly standard. the obama administration, now an msnbc analyst is also here. peter alexander, let me start with you and tell you what surprised me today in my conversations with folks in and around this white house. more people are mad at john kelly for describing donald trump as uninformed, and donald trump for being uninformed. >> i was hearing the idea they were surprised not just at this episode, but they were sort of surprised with john kelly himself who is sort of viewed as the discipline guy, the process, the procedure guy. i think one of the things we've learned about john kelly more broadly over the course of a series of episodes now is that while the conventional wisdom is that he was the sort of more moderating calming force for this impulsive president, john kelly actual

lester. >> peter alexander inside the white house tonight, thanks. >>> the new jobs report is out. the u.s. added 148,000 jobs in december falling short of economists' expectations. the unemployment rate remains steady at 4.1%, the lowest level in 17 years. and year over year wages grew about 2.5%. >>> speaking of jobs and the economy, with the trump administration this week rolling back obama-era rules that allow legal marijuana to thrive, nerves are sure to be rattled in california towns that are now banking on recreational cannabis to dig them out of tough times. nbc's jacob soboroff visited one of them. >> reporter: in 2001, the town of desert hot springs went bankrupt. it's been struggling ever since and now hopes to revive its fortunes with cannabis. >> we have over 200 parcels that are zoned for cannabis. >> reporter: she runs a consulting group for cannabis businesses there. one of them is this facility that costs $7 million to build but the upside is almost priceless. >> 8,064,000 cannabis. every year out of this one building? >> your lips to god's ears. >> devil hot sprin

peter alexander, thank you. >>> the latest on another major story we've been following. authorities fear the death toll will rise again as search teams race to find seven people still missing in the flooding and mud slides in southern california. now officials have identified the 17 people confirmed dead in this disaster. four of them are children. nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer is on the ground and in the air again for us tonight. >> turn around! the flash flood's right there. >> reporter: this is the moment -- >> get out of here! go! >> reporter: the force of nature arrived. >> oh, my god, mom! >> people think of water like a river. you wouldn't last two seconds. it's a blender of huge 50-foot logs and 5 foot by 5 foot boulders grinding. >> reporter: somehow this man and his family escaped what so many others could not outrun. >> i don't know how anyone could survive this. >> reporter: after searching for his mom, josie, hayden gower learned her body was recovered overnight. diane brewer lost her best friend. >> i never could imagine such a scene. >> r

our peter alexander has much more. >> reporter: tonight, explosive new claims from steve bannon insisting that controversial 2016 trump tower meeting between the president's son and a group of russians was treasonous and unpatriotic, noting trump jr., jared kushner and paul manafort, all in attendance, should have called the fbi immediately. did the president's son, donald trump jr., commit treason? >> i think that's a ridiculous accusation. >> reporter: bannon, who didn't join the campaign for another two months, asserts there's zero chance trump junior didn't introduce his russian guest to his father. they're going to crack don junior like an egg on national tv, bannon warns. the white house has said the president first learned about the meeting a year later. trump today fuming. >> i think furious, disgusted would probably certainly fit when you make such outrageous claims and completely false claims against the president, his administration and his family. >> reporter: the president unloading in an extraordinary blistering statement. steve bannon has nothing to do with me or my preside

. >>> this is peter alexander at the white house. tonight the mystery over a secret republican memo, the latest partisan flash point. so what's in the memo? only a few lawmakers know for sure. >> transparency is a good thing. sun light is a good thing. let's let the american people see. >> reporter: republicans say the memo, compiled by house intelligence committee head, devin nunez and his staff, details alleged abuse by the fbi and justice department, that the agencies acted inappropriately when requesting surveillance warrants for members of the president's campaign team. evidence republicans say the russia investigation was tainted from the start. but democrats are dismissing the document, one calling it a brainwashing memo that picks and chooses its facts. >> this document they put together is as false, misleading, misrepresenting. >> reporter: why does the memo matter? it is another effort to discredit the russia inquiry. just as special counsel robert mueller is eyeing an interview with president trump. "the new york times" re

peter alexander has much more. >> mr. president, are you a racist? >> reporter: president trump tonight ignoring questions as outrage grows after his vulgar insult calling african nations s-holes while saying the u.s. should accept more people from places like norway. the president today tweeting a vague denial saying his words were tough but saying this was not the language used. democratic senator dick durbin who attended the meeting insisting the president did use that word repeatedly. >> in the course of his comments, said things which were hate filled, vile and racist. i cannot believe that in the history of the white house in that oval office any president has ever spoken the words that i personally heard our president speak yesterday. >> reporter: president trump adding he didn't say anything derogatory about haitians, but durbin says also not true. that mr. trump asked aloud, do we need more haitians? nbc news today reaching out to the six other republicans in the room. one posting a statement without addressing the issue. two staying silent.

nbc's peter alexander with more now and the results. >> reporter: president trump tonight getting a clean bill of health. >> in summary, the president's overall health is excellent. >> reporter: navy doctor ronny jackson, the white house physician, reporting the president is 6'3", 239 pounds, clinically overweight. >> i think a reasonable goal over the next year or so is to lose 10 to 15 pounds. >> reporter: dr. jackson, recommending mr. trump, a proud lover of fast food and dessert, try an diet lower in fast and an exercise regimen. >> he's more exciting about the diet part, but we're going to do both. >> reporter: with questions swirling about president trump's mental fitness, jackson says he had absolutely no concerns about the 71-year-old's cognitive abilities, noting that he got a perfect score on what's called the montreal cognitive assessment. >> that was not driven at all by clinical concerns i had. it was driven by the president's wishes. >> reporter: among the questions asked, identify the animal, and name as many words beginning with f as possible in one minute. dr. jackson rul

lester. >> peter alexander, thank you. >>> maybe it's hit you or someone you know. let's talk about the flu emergency, now going from bad to worse across the country. the outbreak now widespread in 46 states. over 40,000 cases, that's three times more than this time last year. now there's a shortage of all things of i.v. bags making it more difficult to get crucial fluids in dehydrated patients. we send nbc news medical correspondent dr. john torres, an e.r. doc himself, to the front lines at mass general in boston. >> reporter: kyler bachman, once a healthy athlete in pennsylvania, now dead at 21. his mother in shock. >> i just think he ignored it and thought it would go away like most people. >> reporter: in new york, a surge of patients hospitalized at montidies. >> you are coughing as well? >> reporter: across the country, a dire situation as flu tightens its grip in almost every state stretching resources thin. >> i need you to bring some gatorade. >> reporter: at boston's mass general today, many patients who need critical fluids are getting gatorade instead o

i'm peter alexander in for lester. tonight bone-chilling cold temperatures are giving tens of millions of americans little to celebrate this new year's day. an arctic blast that's not just dangerous. it's deadly. parts of 35 states are under wind chill advisories or warnings with record cold stretching from nebraska to new york. there's little relief in sight. tomorrow's temperatures again expected to stay well below average across much of the u.s. we begin tonight with nbc's blake mccoy in chicago. >> reporter: a bitter freeze gripping the country. >> it's unbearable. >> i feel it every second in my bones. >> reporter: now, turning deadly with at least five suspected cold weather deaths, the latest in detroit where a man was found frozen in front of a church. this, as dangerous whiteout conditions caused a massive pile-up in michigan. an indiana woman had to be rescued after her car plunged into an icy pond, trapping her as it sank. overnight, it was the coldest ball drop in a hundred years, just 9 degrees at midnight

nbc's peter alexander has more from washington. >> reporter: the release of that deeply divisive document would be unprecedented, relying on a never before used h aides say the president still hasn't seen the memo but he's expected to green light making it public within days. speaker paul ryan now endorsing the republican effort. >> there may have been malfeasance at the fbi by certain individuals. sunshine is the best disinfectant. >> reporter: democrats argue the memo's misleading, accusing intelligence committee chairman devin nunes of trying to undermine the russia inquiry. >> fundamental problem remains and that is he's a proxy for the white house, you can't run a credible investigation that way. >> reporter: nunes dismissing questions. >> talk to the democrats. >> reporter: even as the cia director warns russia will try to interfere in this fall's mid-terms. the trump administration is not ordering any new sanctions now. instead just ahead of a deadline mandated by congress, publishing a list of russian politicians and oligarchs. those names, treasury aides acknowled acknowledge, la

. >> thanks to peter alexander for that report. i'm not sure about a lot of clarity. >> not much clarity at all. >>> more details are emerging about fbi director andrew mccabe. the "new york times" reporting that according to two people close to mccabe, he felt pressured to leave by fbi direct director christopher wray. when the bureau was investigating both headquarter had headquarter's e-mail use and the trump campaign's connections to russia. the report is expected to address whether mccabe should have recused himself from the clinton investigate because of his wife's failed state senate campaign which received support from clinton allies. a former law enforcement official close to mccabe told the times that wray suggested moved mccabe into about another job, which would have been a demotion. mccabe was removed from the bureau according to reports. director wray's memo said, quote, my conviction to adhering to process is similarly matched to my conviction holing people accountable. i will not be swayed by political or other pres

and they need to know if they do that again there'll be consequences. >> reporter: peter alexander, nbc news, the white house. >> let's bring in two members of our state of the union team. he will have a narrow calendar with the midterm elections. >> the big challenge is how does he make tonight seem special. we hear from this president all the time. so unlike previous state of the unions where this is an opportunity, in some ways this is just another night. so he almost needs to realize that going in and realize this is a night at best he can maybe just whip up his supporters. >> they hop on air force one the next day and sell it, how will the president sell his plans? >> the white house says he will sell it, but as i understand it, there are no travel plans on the books right now. for him, if he has a good night and the state of the union gives him a potential to have a good night, for him, it's state out of your own way, don't tweet the next day and start another firestorm. he think it was five days after the address last year that he made those comments about president obama wire ta

nbc's peter alexander has more. >>> president trump saying he'd refuse to say whether he would agree to a personal interview with robert mueller. >> we'll see what happens. when they i have no collusion and nobody has found any collusion at any level, it seems unlikely that you'd even have an interview. >> reporter: that comment muddying the president's previous comment to sit down with investigators in the russia probe. >> with un100%. >> reporter: the president again attacking his former rival, now 428 days removed from the 2016 election. >> hillary, hillary clinton and hillary my opponent. >> welcome back to the studio. nice to have you. >> reporter: the reality tv star turned president giving the cabinet room a new nickname, and reaffirming his desire to resolve the legal jeopardy facing nearly 800,000 dreamers. >> we want to see something happen with daca. it's been spoken of for years. >> reporter: but later showing no willingness to budge on his top demand. >> we need the wall. we have to have the wall for security purposes. security is number one. so the answer is have to hav

peter alexander has much more. >> mr. president, are you a racist? >> reporter: president trump tonight ignoring questions as outrage grows over his insult calling african nations s-holes while saying the u.s. should accept more people from places like norway. he conceded his words were tough but saying this was not the language used. democratic senator dick durbin insisting the president did use that word repeatedly. >> in the course of his comments, said things which were hate filled, vile and racist. i cannot believe that in the history of the white house in that oval office any president has ever spoken the words that i personally heard our president speak yesterday. >> reporter: president trump adding he didn't say anything derogatory about haitians, but durbin says also not true. he said, do we need more haitians? reaching out to the six other in the room. two staying silent. senators tom cotton and david purdue saying he do not recall trump's remarks. and lindsey graham after confirming the comments to a colleague noting, i said my piece direc

nbc news national correspondent peter alexander has more. >> reporter: do not recuse yourself, that was the message delivered to attorney general jeff sessions by white house counsel don mcgahn and several others last march. a senior white house official telling nbc news that the president tried to convince sessions not to remove himself from running the russia probe. the instructions coming from the president himself, according to "the new york times," orders sessions ignored. >> i have recused myself. >> reporter: sessions' move infuriating president trump who at times erupted in anger telling aides he expected his attorney general to look out for him. like robert kennedy did for jfk and eric holder for president obama. >> i just gives us a sense of how the president sees the job of his top law enforcement official not as someone necessary through to follow the facts but someone to protect him. >> reporter: ultimately sessions' deputy would appoint special counsel robert mueller. the entire episode raising new questions about possible obstruction of justice. >> president trump faces b

we get more from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: the mystery over a secret republican memo, the latest partisan flash point. so, what's in the memo? only a few lawmakers know for sure. >> transparency is a good thing. sunlight is a good thing. let's let the american people see. >> reporter: republicans say the memo compiled by house intelligence committee head devin nunes and his staff details alleged abuses by the fbi and justice department. that the agencies acted inappropriately when requesting surveillance warrants for members of the president's campaign team. evidence republicans say the russia investigation was tainted from the start. but democrats are dismissing the document. one calling it a brain washing memo that picks and chooses its facts. >> this document they put together is false, misleading, misrepresenting. >> reporter: why does the memo matter? it's another effort to discredit the russia inquiry just as special counsel robert mueller is eyeing an interview with president trump. "the new york times" reports the document shows deputy attorney general rod rosenstein, the

i'm peter alexander in for lester. tonight bone-chilling cold temperatures are giving tense of millions of americans little to celebrate this new year's day. an arctic blast that's not just dangerous. it's deadly. parts of 35 states are under wind chill advisories for warnings with record chill from nebraska to new york. there's little relief in sight. tomorrow's temperatures again expected to stay well below average across much of the u.s. we start with blake mccoy in chicago. >> reporter: a bitter freeze gripping the country. >> it's unbearable. >> i feel it every second in my bones. >> reporter: now, turning deadly with at least five suspected cold weather deaths, the latest in detroit where a man was found frozen in front of a church. this as dangerous whiteout conditions caused a massive pile-up in michigan. an indiana woman had to be rescued after her car plunged into an icy pond trapping her as it sank. overnight it was the coldest ball drop in a hundred years, just 9 degrees at midnight in new york's times squa

>> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. >>> a surprise shakeup report at the cdc, director brenda fitzgerald resigned today amid growing conditions about financial conflicts of interest. fitzgera fitzgerald, a trump appointee, came under fire after she reportedly bought stocks in tobacco and health care companies after she took over at the cdc in july. this comes, of course, as the cdc is overseeing the response of the worst flu season nearly a decade. tonight, this flu emergency is hitting home for many across the country. long lines for the flu shot, pharmacies struggling to keep tamiflu on hand. and schools and churches take bing urgent action to prevent the spread. we get the latest from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: in florida, louisiana, and texas today, the offer of free flu shots brought out families like the belews. >> we know it's more prevalent this year than it has been in the past, and so we just knew it was time. >> reporter: an urgent reason to get vaccinated, cases like 45-year-old hope mccord-mcfarland. >> it's every mother's worst nightmare. >> reporte

our peter alexander now with much more. >> reporter: tonight, explosive new claims from steve bannon insisting that controversial 2016 trump tower meeting between the president's son and a group of russians was treasonous and unpatriotic, noting trump jr., jared kushner and paul manafort, all in attendance, should have called the fbi immediately. did the president's son, donald trump jr., commit treason? >> i think that's a ridiculous accusation. >> reporter: bannon, who didn't join the campaign for another two months, asserts there's zero chance trump jr. didn't introduce his russian guest to his father. they're going to crack don junior like an egg on national tv, bannon warns. the white house has said the president first learned about the meeting a year later. trump today fuming. >> i think furious, disgusted would probably certainly fit when you make such outrageous claims and completely false claims against the president, his administration and his family. >> reporter: the president unloading in an extraordinary blistering statement. steve bannon has nothing to do with me or my

>> peter alexander inside the white house tonight, thanks. >>> the new jobs report is out. the u.s. added 148,000 jobs in december falling short of economists' expectations. the unemployment rate remains steady at 4.1%, the lowest level in 17 years. and year over year wages grew about 2.5%. >>> speaking of jobs and the economy, with the trump administration this week rolling back obama-era rules that allow legal marijuana to thrive, nerves are sure to be rattled in california towns that are now banking on recreational cannabis to dig them out of tough times. nbc's jacob soboroff visited one of them. >> reporter: in 2001, the town of desert hot springs went bankrupt. it's been struggling ever since and hopes to revive its fortunes with cannabis. >> we have over 200 parcels that are zoned for cannabis. >> reporter: this woman runs a consulting group for cannabis businesses there. one of them is this facility that cost $7 million to build but the up side is almost price lis. 8,064,000 of cannabis every year out of this single building? >> your lips to god's ears. it has many projects j

nbc's peter alexander has details for us. >> reporter: president trump tonight refusing to say whether he'd agree to a possible interview with special counsel robert mueller. >> we'll see what happens. i mean, certainly, i'll see what happens. but when they have no collusion and nobody's found any collusion at any level, it seems unlikely that you'd even have an interview. >> reporter: that comment muddying the president's previous commitment to sit down with investigators i >> reporter: the president again today repeatedly attacking his former rival, now 428 days removed from the 2016 election. >> hillary. hillary clinton. hillary, my opponent. welcome back to the studio. nice to have you. >> reporter: the reality tv star turned president earlier giving the cabinet room a new nickname and reaffirming his desire to resolve the legal jeopardy facing nearly 18,000 undocumented immigrants or dreamers. >> we want to see something happen with daca. it's been spoken of for years. >> reporter: but later showing no willingness to budge on his top demand. >> we need the wall. we have to have th

. >>> this is peter alexander at the white house. tonight the mystery over a secret republican memo, the latest partisan flash point. so what's in the memo? only a few lawmakers know for sure. >> transparency is a good thing. sounds like it is a good thing. let's let the american people see. >> reporter: republicans say the memo, compiled by house intelligence committee hit devin nunez and his staff, details alleged abuse by the fbi and justice department, that the agencies acted inappropriately when requesting surveillance warrants for members of the president's campaign team. they say the russia investigation was tainted from the start. but democrats are dismissing the document, one calling it a brainwashing memo that specks and choose itsunori onodera facts. >> this document they put together is as false, misleading, misrepresenting. >> reporter: why does the memo matter? it is another effort to discredit the russia inquiry. just as special counsel robert mueller is eyeing an interview with president trump. "the new york times" re

nbc's peter alexander has details for us. >> reporter: president trump tonight refusing to say whether he'd agree to a possible interview with special counsel robert mueller. >> we'll see what happens. certainly i'll see what happens. but when they have no collusion and nobody's found any collusion at any level, it seems unlikely that you'd even have an interview. >> reporter: that comment muddying the president's previous commitment to sit down with investigators in the russia probe. >> 100%. >> reporter: the president again today attacking his former rival, now 428 days removed from the to 16 election. >> hillary. hillary clinton. hillary, my opponent. welcome back to the studio. nice to have you. >> reporter: the reality tv star turned president earlier giving the cabinet room a new nickname and reaffirming his desire to resolve the legal jeopardy faced by undocumented immigrants or dreamers. >> we want to see something happen with daca. it's been spoken of for years. >> reporter: but later showing no willingness to budge on his top demand. >> we need to have the wall for security p

nbc's peter alexander has reaction from those in the oval office meeting and new reporting on another inappropriate comment president trump allegedly made last fall during an intelligence briefing. >> president trump ignoring questions as outrage grows after his vulgar insult calling african nations s-holes, while suggesting the u.s. should accept people from more places like norway, the president saying his words were tough but this was not the language used. democratic senator dick durbin, who attended thursday's meeting, insisting the president did use that word, repeatedly. >> in the course of his comments, he said things which were hate filled, vile, and racist. i cannot believe that in the history of the white house, in that oval office, any president has ever spoken the words that i personally heard our president speak yesterday. >> reporter: president trump adding he didn't say anything derogatory about haitians, but durbin says also not true, that mr. trump asked aloud, do we need more haitians. one posted a statement without addressing the issue, two staying silent. tom cott

nbc's peter alexander has more from washington. >> reporter: the release of that deeply divisive document would be unprecedented, relying on a never before used house rule. aides say the president still hasn't seen the memo but he's expected to green light making it public within days. speaker paul ryan now endorsing the republican effort. >> there may have been malfeasance at the fbi by certain individuals. sunshine is the best disinfectant. >> reporter: democrats argue the memo's misleading, accusing intelligence committee chairman devin nunes of trying to undermine the russia inquiry. >> fundamental problem remains and that is he's a proxy for the white house, you can't run a credible investigation that way. >> reporter: nunes dismissing questions. >> talk to the democrats. >> reporter: even as the cia director warns russia will try to interfere in this fall's mid-terms. the trump administration is not ordering any new sanctions now. instead just ahead of a deadline mandated by congress, publishing a list of russian politicians and oligarchs. those names, treasury aides acknowled ackno

peter peter alexander at the white house. >> reporter: he will speak with a deeply divided nation. he is going to try to strike a tone of unity. building a strong, safe and proud america with a long list of priorities on president trump's second year agenda. president trump brands himself a winner. >> it's a lot of fun when you win. >> reporter: to succeed in 2018, the deal maker-in-chief will need to focus on a long list of key policy priorities. the president recently implementing a deal. >> when this group comes back, hopefully with with an agreement, i'm signing it. >> reporter: comments favoring immigrants from norway over haiti derailed progress. >> i am the least racist person, that i can tell you. >> reporter: they face a march deadline to decide the fate of so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers. this is a signature of his campaign. >> don't even think about it. we will build the wall. >> reporter: it remains unclear where he is willing to give. >> a great infrastructure bill. a lot of support from both sides and get it done as quickly as possible. >> reporter: infrastructure is right fo

our peter alexander now with much more. >> reporter: tonight explosive new claims from steve bannon insisting that controversial 2016 trump tower meeting between the president's son and a group of russians was treasonous and unpatriotic, noting trump jr., jared kushner and paul manafort, all in attendance, should have called the fbi immediately. did the president's son, donald trump jr., commit treason? >> i think that's a ridiculous accusation. >> reporter: bannon, who didn't join the campaign for another two months asserts there's zero chance trump jr. didn't introduce his russian guest to his father. they're going to crack don junior like an egg bannon warns. the president first learned about a meeting a year later. trump today fuming. >> i think furious, disgusted would probably certainly fit when you make such outrageous claims and completely false claims against the president, his administration and his family. >> reporter: the president unloading in an extraordinary blistering statement. steve bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency. when he was fired, he not only lost his jo

i'm peter alexander. for all of us at nbc news, we thank you for watching. happy new year and have a good night. you for watching. happy new year and have a good night. >>> starting the new year with a little romance. will the new bachelor ari live up to the kissing bandit nickname? >> it's no secret the last time i was on i did some kissing. >> we unveil the top beauty friends for 20.

peter alexander, live for us with true breaking news here in this news hour, peter, walk us through how we got here from donald trump who was saying late in the year, maybe he wouldn't do any interview? >> reporter: yes, this certainly ends months of speculation about what the president would do, he said that he was actually looking forward to it. he said i'm looking forward to it, actually, his words, when asked specifically if he was willing to be interviewed by the special counsel robert mueller. he said i would do it under oath, this all took place within the last hour or so, inside the west wing of the white house, the president walking into a gathering taking place inside the office that belongs to his chief of staff, john kelly. the president was asked specifically about whether a date had been set yet, obvious there's been a lot of questions and up until this moment it's been that there are active discussions between the special counsel of robert mueller and the white house, the attorneys here about whether this interview would actually take place. the president asked about the

nbc news peter alexander has more. >> reporter: inside the west wing -- >> if you don't have the world, you cannot have security. >> reporter: for merely an hour. >> you have created an opportunity here, mr. president. and you need to close the deal. >> reporter: a remarkable televised negotiating session. >> what about a clean daca bill now? >> we don't want to be back here two years later. we have to have security. >> reporter: president trump seemingly taking nearly over controversial position he's had on immigration, even giving democrats what they want, a bill to protect 800,000 undocumented immigrants, so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers, with no strings attached. >> it shouldn't be a auburn bill it should be a bill of love. >> reporter: the president could include a path to citizenship that many of his hard line supporters fiercely oppose. >> you're not so far away from comprehensive immigration reform. if you want to take the further step, i'll take the heat, i don't care. >> reporter: andy border security, including at least some form of the wall that the president made a signatures of hi

nbc's peter alexander has details. >> reporter: the president tonight apparently uncorking another astonishing statement. complaining to lawmakers in the oval office about protections for immigrants. why do we want these people from, quote, all these shithole countries here. a democratic aide familiar with the conversation, he was referring to african nations and haiti. when he said that the u.s. should have more people from norway, whose prime minister he met yesterday. a spokesman not denying the words but saying certain washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries but president trump will always fight for the american people. it comes as lawmakers try to hammer out an immigration deal with time running out for hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants called dreamers. the crass remark punctuating a wild day in washington with president trump fiercely criticizing the controversial foreign surveillance intelligence act or fisa just hours before congress was set to vote. the president resurrecting his unfounded attack on the obama administration claiming this is th

peter alexander, thank you. >>> the latest on another major story we've been following. authorities fear the death toll will rise again as search teams race to find seven people still missing in the flooding and mud slides in southern california. now officials have identified the 17 people confirmed dead in this disaster. four of them are children. nbc news national correspondent miguel almaguer is on the ground and in the air again for us tonight. >> turn around! the flash flood's right there. >> reporter: this is the moment -- >> get out of here! go! >> reporter: the force of nature arrived. >> oh, my god, mom! >> people think of water like a river. you wouldn't last two seconds. it's a blender of huge 50-foot foot by 5 foot boulders grinding. >> reporter: somehow this man and his family escaped what so many others could not outrun. >> i don't know how anyone could survive this. >> reporter: after searching for his mom, josie, hayden gower learned her body was recovered overnight. diane brewer lost her best friend. >> i never could imagine such a scene. >> reporter: fr

. >> nbc national correspondent peter alexander is at the white house. peter, the continuing reaction, the tweets from the president today, fury inside the white house, attempts to try to block the book with legal threats, if not going to court. so all that did was have the publisher publish four days early and it's already jumping off the shelves. we got our copy first thing. what more reaction is there from the white house today? >> reporter: andrea, the point you make, i think, is striking. that's why we understand from the conversations i've had privately here was there is a lot of push toward the president saying, this is not the best course. you're only going to draw more attention to this book. in fact, right now the book is being sold as the book the president doesn't want you to read. cramer books, one of the hot spots to pick up a book even in this area, shortly after midnight this morning they sold out quickly, the 75 books that they had. the white house has been pushing back fiercely today. you hear the president calling this going after the

peter alexander is at the white house. chris matthews, host of "hardball," he's with us as well. and msnbc contributor robert costa. they are all set up to go with us for the next hour as this vote gets ready. we're going to start with chris matthews, my colleague here. chris, you know capitol hill very well. you've seen consequential votes before. in the next few minutes, we saw on friday night they were nine votes short of having the government reopen. we've just had the democrats and republicans meet. what do you think is going to happen? >> well, you know, it's all about daca. it's about the dreamers. the democrats have committed to these young people. they want them to stay in the country. they want the law to leave them alone and give them a path to citizenship. and the republicans don't agree. you know, i was up at a big football game in philadelphia last night. little bit of conversation there was about politics was about that. i think that it's about choosing sides. the democrats are going to stick to this fight.

peter alexander has the story. a warning, the report contains the offensive language that the president has said to have used. >> reporter: the president tonight apparently uncorking another astonishing statement. complaining to lawmakers in the oval office about protections for immigrants why do we want these people from, quote, all these shithole countries here according to a democratic aide familiar with the conversation, mr. trump was referring to african nations and haiti before suggesting the u.s. should have more people from norway, whose prime minister he met yesterday. a white house spokesman not denying the president's words but saying certain washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries. but president trump will always fight for the american people. it comes as lawmakers try to hammer out an immigration deal, with time running out for hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants called d.r.e.a.m.ers. the crass remark punctuating a wild day in washington with president trump fier

alexander reports. >>> this is peter alexander at the white house. tonight the mystery over a secret republican memo, the latest partisan flash point. so what's in the memo? only a few lawmakers know for sure >> transparency is a good thing. sunlight is a good thing let's let the american people see. >> reporter: republicans say the memo compiled by house intelligence committee head, devin nunez and his staff, details alleged abuse by the fbi and justice department, that the agencies acted inappropriately when requesting surveillance warrants for members of the president's campaign team. evidence republicans say the russia investigation was tainted from the start but democrats are dismissing the document, one calling it a brainwashing memo that picks and chooses its facts. >> this document they put together is as false, misleading, misrepresenting. >> reporter: why does the memo matter it is another effort to discredit the russia inquiry just as special counsel robert mueller is eyeing an interview with president trump "the new york times" reports th

peter alexander has the latest. >> reporter: first the fire, now the fallout. following a broadside by steve bannon. overnight a lawyer for the president blasting bannon for breaching a nondisclosure agreement, sending this cease and desist letter warning, legal action is imminent. bannon saying he still backs his old boss. >> the president is a great man. i support him great in and great out. >> the former top strategist unloiding in an explosive new book. adding fuel to questions about possible collusion between the trump campaign and russian operatives. bannon describing that now infamous trump tower meeting hosted by don jr. has treasonous. >> did donald trump jr. commit treason? >> i think that is a ridiculous accusation. >> reporter: bannon who didn't join the campaign until two months after the meeting going even further. insisting there's zero chance trump jr. didn't introduce the russian guests to his father. the white house adamant the president wasn't aware until 2017. and the russian lawyer who attended tells nbc news she never saw the future presid

joining me now is nbc's peter alexander. garrett haake on capitol hill, and jacob sokeroff. it's always quite a drama when you have all these guidelines for a government shutdown. but when y b >> reporter: not just on the issue of immigration, the president talked about one of these key sweeteners, which is chip for six more years, the president said that chip should be part of a long-term solution not a 30-day or short-term extension. the president wasn't entirely clear that this was in fact a longer term solution for chip more broadly. that is a statement the white house has posted to try to clarify the president's position here, the white house previously said the president liked the cr, politico posting that the president according to one of the press secretaries, rob shaw, that the president supports the resolution in the house, they go on to say that congress needs to do its job and provide more funding with the troops and military with a two-year set of budget caps, but the president wants to ensure our military and national security are funded, he will not let it be

that's the latest from here, louis, back to you. >> our thanks to peter alexander for that report. >>> meanwhile, president trump will hold a roundtable on prison reform a. white house spokesman says it will center on ways to equip non-violent prisoners with the skills and opportunities they would need that would give them a second chance at life. jeff sessions is also scheduled to attend that. >>> a five-year-old shot five times when a gunman shot people inside a church, the community will welcome him home. >> good news in a terrible situation. >> that does it for us. "morning joe" starts right now. >>. welcome back to the studio. nice to have u. yesterday we had a bipartisan meeting, actually it was reported as incredibly good and my performance, you know, some of it called eight performance. i consider it work. but got great reviews other than two networks who were phenomenal for about two hours. then after that they were called by their bosses to say, oh, wait a minute -- and unfortunately a lot of those anchors sent us letters saying that was one of the greatest meetings they've

joining me now, nbc's peter alexander, live at the white house, and nbc's senior political editor mark murray. peter, to you first, already this morning we're sharing quotes from michael wolf's new book. i'm looking at all this twitter noise saying, why are you guys believing anything steve bannon has to say? it's important to separate things out. steve bannon is very closely tied to president trump's base. steve bannon, who influences breitbart news, and whether or not you like what breitbart has to say, the influence they have and the power they've gained in the last two years with the conservative community is huge. so you two have been going through the pages of this book. what specifically is going through the pages of this book. what specifically is steve bannon saying about that trump tower meeting? >> we know from excerpts we've received, and we obtained a copy of this book that we are going through as we speak right now, that steve bannon refers to that meeting in trump tower in june of 2016 as being been not just treasonous butun patrio unpatri he describes it. there is a pla

i want to head now to the white house and peter alexander. the president's heading to the pentagon today and then to pittsburgh but right now no planned visits to capitol hill and the potential government shutdowns at stake. what do we expect him to do here? >> reporter: the president has been m.i.a. on this effort to avoid a government shutdown. the white house has said publicly that it supports the c.r. but notably today the tweet you just put on have a difference of opinion with house republicans on that children's program. it should be part of a long-term solution not a 30 day or short-term extension. high ranking republican aid telling us within the last hour or so it's not clear the president entirely understand how this works. the chip program is a six year reauthorization as presented by the house bill right now. that's only complicating things. the house rules committee bars any amendments being made to this c.r. being put forward by the house right now to be voted on tonight. one of the challenges facing this white house right now,

i'm peter alexander in fole

peter alexander has more from washington. but our report does include that expletive once so you can hear it complete quote for yourself and it may not be appropriate for some of the younger viewers. >> reporter: the president uncorking another astonishing statement. complaining to law makers about protections for immigrants. why do we want these people from quote all these shit hole countries here. mr. trump was referring to african nations and haiti. before suggesting the u.s.icide have more people from places like norway whose prime minister he met. a white house spokesen sayingng choose to fight for foreign countries but president trump will always fight for tumarecon people. it comes as law makers try to hammer out an immigration deal with time running out fors of t undocumented people called dreamers. just hours before congress was set to vote criticizing the fisa. and saying this may have been used by the previous administration and others. the intelligence community erupting. >> i thought the president's tweets once a

>>> we start with peter alexander starting off with a foggy white house behind him there. peter, walk us through the immigration discussion because the big question here, we know what the president wants. he wants money for the border wall. what is he going to give up to get it? >> that's a big question. this is the bottom line as we prepare for the deal that the republicans thought they had. the president backed off on that entirely. he wants $18 billion on thele with a. a promise he made to his supporters in tennessee yesterday, monday. democrats say that's a non-starter. and the president wants tighter immigration restrictions. an end of chain migration, the visa program. so the biggest changes for those and some of the biggest advocates for changes will be here today. tom cotton of arkansas, among them, david purdue of georgia will be in attendance. all this ignores the issue of dreamers. the white house says it is open to it. it is a top priority for democrats who republicans say are trying to use that fight as leverage with the battle over the spending bill approachi

>> peter alexander inside the briefing room. we will go back to that briefing room any moment to hear from sarah sanders. meanwhile her predecessor sean spicer, also former spokesman for the rnc, joins me now. his new memoir "the briefing" is scheduled for release in july. >> thank you for the plug. preorder on amazon and barnes & noble. >> andrew mccabe is out. do we suspect he was forced out? >> look, i think to jump to any kind of speculation at this point is extremely premature. he was supposed to retire in march as pete and others have already noted, much like the military if you have terminal leave they tell you this is when you back out the vacation days you've accrued. this is when you're eligible. basically what it means you pick your retirement date. you minus the current vacation days you have and that becomes your last day. but for everybody to be running around jumping to narratives and for peter to suggest somehow narratives are swirling, they're not. they're being made up because without any facts for people to st

peter alexander is standing by with more. it wasn't -- doesn't rank among the crazier py eier press confe. real questions and some answers. >> reporter: that's right, ali. the president called on two conservative outlets, the "wa "washington examiner" and fox news. and whether he would sit down under oath with the special counsel, the president deflected. repeating what he said over the course of the last many months. that there is no collusion. om said we'll see in terms of willing ins to sit down with robert mueller. based on the fact there's been no collusion, there would likely not even be the need to sit down for an interview. talking about the question yelled at the president as he walked out. one of the questions yelled to him was, is it robert mueller and his time right now trying to determine whether or not there was ka collusion before you can make that statement? declaratively right now. one of e weres i'd like answers to that didn't get asked today includes specifically on immigration. path to citizenship. the pre