Transcripts For KNTV Today 20200203

barack obama, would that be a risky choice >> is that how you see it? a third term for barack obama? why the vice president says hee is the man to beat coronavirus crisis, cases skyrocket around the world including new ones in the united states u.s. borders now closed to almost all foreigners who have recently been to china just ahead, the move to contain the outbreak and why china is accusing the u.s. of spreading fear coming to an end final arguments at the impeachment trial today with all signs pointing to the president's acquittal this week. welcome relief a major medical breakthrough, the first pill approved for children with peanut allergies and spot on. >> safety first. >> the winners and losers in the high-stakes battle of the super bowl commercials plus, we take you inside the high-energy halftime show from shakira and jennifer lopez, that made j.lo's daughter an instant star ♪ let's get loud today, monday, february 3rd, 2020 >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthr guthrie, live from iowa, and hoda kotb, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza >> hi, everybody good morning welcome to "today" on a monday morning from here in iowa and new york the only thing better in the halftime show, was me imagining you dancing in your living room to that halftime show. >> it was weird. it was me and joel i was up and he was on the couch. it was worth every second. we're going to get into that in a little bit >> yes after what seems like years of campaigning, the first contest in the 2020 race is here it's today i'm right here in iowa, where the caucuses start tonight i got to sit down with vice president biden on the trail we'll have that exclusive interview coming up in a few moments. we're here in des moines we're here with voters a great crowd up and early with us this morning here, at a coffee shop, and architectural antiques is it heaven no it's iowa. we'll have more of that in a moment we're going tostai first ta about the incredible game. what a super bowl. i stayed up, too >> i was upstairs brushing my teeth. and joel said, come on down because it will be a thriller. if you stayed up, it was worth it the kansas city chiefs rallied late in the fourth quarter to claim the franchise's first title in a half century. of course, it was also a big night for the halftime performers, jennifer lopez and shakira. we're going to get to all that we start with kerry sanders in miami. good morning >> reporter: good morning. man, what an incredible night here it was an amazing game, a sensational halftime show. there was something for everyone as you said, in the end, it was all about the kansas city chiefs with their razzle-dazzle young quarterback, a lovable head coach, and a fan base that is still celebrating. overnight in kansas city, die-hard chiefs fans who have been waiting more than a generation for a super bowl, letting loose. >> we're feeling good. >> oh, yeah. >> chiefs are super bowl champions here in miami. >> reporter: and this morning, all-smiles in the kansas city chiefs kingdom >> the best thing about this team is they never lose confidence in me i kept fighting. we found a way to get a win in the end. >> reporter: the chiefs coming from behind, scoring three touchdowns in the final quarter to beat the 49ers. 31-20. >> down by ten, two interceptions. you must have been nervous. >> not at all. not at all >> reporter: before the game started, both teams lining up on their respective 24 yard lines to pay tribute to kobe bryant and the other victims of last sunday's helicopter crash. ♪ and the rockets' red glare >> reporter: and after a stirring national anthem by pop star demi lovato, it was time for football the first touchdown going to kansas city. quarterback patrick mahomes, the game's mvp, running it in. >> mahomes looking, takes it in for the touchdown. >> reporter: the niners tying it up with some acrobatics of their own. >> garoppolo keeps play-action pass is caught touchdown. >> reporter: heading into the halftime show, it was still anyone's game. the halftime show, not only a nod to girl power, but a reflection of the rhythms of miami. >> reporter: shakira got the party rocking on her birthday, with a lively performance, full of latin flavor.shakira got the party rocking on her birthday, with a lively performance, full of latin flavor. then, it was j. lo's turn. jennifer lopez tearing it up a medley of her biggest hits ♪ i'm still jenny from the block ♪ >> reporter: welcoming a superstar along with her talented daulgt talent ed daughter, emme, for a fast-paced production. >> mahomes, pass behind, and picked >> reporter: with the niners leading by ten heading into the fourth quarter, kansas city exploded for 21 straight points and never looked back. running back damien williams' 38 yard touchdown run sealing the win. >> into the end zone >> reporter: waves of red and gold confetti falling on a supersized night to remember, for a proud franchise celebrating a moment they'll never forget >> this story is unbelievable for me, for this team. what a blast to be a part of this >> reporter: and in that confetti that rained down, some of the slips of paper had messages on it this was printed before the game from the kansas city chiefs, attitude, heart and pride, that's who we are. that's who the kansas city chiefs are and shoutout to andy reid, the head coach really think about this, haase he's been a head coach for decades and now he finally has the ring the super bowl guy >> it was great to watch that moment, them dumping the gatorade on that guy thank you so much, kerry we'll have more on the game throughout the morning, including that halftime performance that saw j.lo's daughter, emme she stole the show of course, we're going to talk about who won the commercial showdown first, we're going to the important state of iowa, where savannah is. hey, savannah. >> the super bowl of politics playing out here in iowa today, hoda the first votes will be cast in the caucuses today the first very votes in the 2020 campaign democratic party officials are expecting record high turnout here one reason, the race is incredibly tight the polls here are just all over the place. there's four candidates. joe biden, bernie sanders, elizabeth warren and pete buttigieg that are viewed as the front-runners. nbc's peter alexander is here with me in des moines. saw you last night you watched the super bowl >> we did. >> this is where the political universe is watching today >> we made it to iowa, the cornfields, the coffee shops and the debates and the dropouts it's finally decision day here in iowa, the hawkeye state first presidential state the candidates have made their appeals. now, it's time for caucus-goers to have the last word. >> reporter: this morning, all eyes on iowa >> let's go forward and create the largest voter turnout in the history of the iowa caucus >> are you ready to win? >> reporter: it is an increasingly shared, urgent priority. >> we all have one goal, and we better come together to meet that goal. we are going to beat donald trump. >> i do have a nickname i want to give him former president. >> reporter: the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll from 11 battleground states where the general election is likely to be decided shows both joe biden and bernie sanders leading president trump, with elizabeth warren and pete buttigieg narrowly trailing. buttigieg hoping to defy expectations. >> it is important for us to succeed here partly, it is the first chance to demonstrate our message is the right message. >> reporter: still, among democrats, divisions remain between progressives, touting a populist platform, and moderates, promoting a message who could lure voters who flipped from obama to trump. >> it is up to us to see if the division defines us. the less 2020 resembles 2016, the better. >> reporter: unlike primaries have voters cast a secret ballot for their candidate, cauckacau s caucus-goers declare they premiered pick if that candidate fails to win enough support, they can choose a different contender, meaning the second choice can be as important as their first even after a year of campaigning, many iowa democrats remain undecided you're still not sure who you are going to vote for, caucus for? >> there is not a perfect candidate. it doesn't feel like a typical election there's a lot of weight on this decision. >> reporter: president trump in an interview with fox news' sean hannity insaulting the democrati leaderboard, including sanders. >> i think he is a communist i think of communism when i think of bernie. >> reporter: mocking michael bloomberg, who is not competing in iowa, for his height. >> now, he wants a box for the debates to stand on. >> reporter: bloomberg's campaign firing back, calling the president a pathological liar who lies about everything his fake hair, his obesity, and his spray on tan >> the president consumed with michael bloomberg, who isn't competing in iowa. the turnout will be key. there is a sense that the sanders campaign has momentum. among those who will not be here today, three of the top democrats. sanders, warren, klobuchar they're going to be in d.c. for the impeachment trial. each of them returning tonight, savann savannah, for what they hope will be their own victory parties. >> peter, thank you so much. out here in iowa, we had a chance to talk to one of the front-runners making his closing arguments here in voters joe biden. we caught up with him in des moines we talked to him during a stop about what he expects to happen tonight, the impeachment trial, and his son's role in that the night before iowa. this is not your first rodeo how do you feel? how is it feeling out there? >> feeling good. a lot of energy out there and enthusiasm and counties all over the country and the state. it feels good. i think it will be close, though the iowan voters are more energized this time than any time i've seen >> you have a bus that says this is the soul of the nation. do you think the democratic race is the soul of the party and what the party stands for? >> i think the party is united in making sure that, one, we want to re-establish what i call the soul of the nation, decency, honor, respect, treating people in a way that is not degrading i think we have big differences on what constitutes health care and what constitutes how we approach climate change, what constitutes education and how we approach it. but we're all in the same field. >> reporter: congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez, a bernie sanders supporter, says if we were in a different country, she'd be in a different party than you it really is a different party now, that you represent something old. they represent the future of the party. >> well, let's look at the last election we won back the house of representatives with 41 people who took back republican seats i went to 24 states. what's happened? what's happened is we won. we won in republican districts we made classic arguments. >> bernie sanders has an overwhelming majority of the young vote voters under 50. >> not under 50. >> yes, under 50 more than you. >> i don't believe that. i think he has a significant number of voters between the ages of 18 and 30. that's true. and a number of the millennials that are a significant number of millennials. but i think i am the only one that has broad support with brown, black, young, old, women, men, working-class folks i don't buy that >> what is your argument to young voters who think, well, joe biden represents a different kind of politics that's been done before? pete buttigieg says it represents an old playbook nominating you is a risky choice >> if this were a third term for barack obama, would he say it is a risky choice >> is that how you see it, third term for barack obama? >> i see it as moving on from where we started one of the reasons i'm running is because of my experience. who is ready on day one to pick up the phone and call any world leader and they know who he is and he knows who they are. >> let's talk about impeachment. the republicans are on track to acquit the president this week you've been talking about being able to work across the aisle. is there anything about how this impeachment trial has unfolded that has shaken your faith on the ability to work with mitch mcconnell and the republicans? >> it hasn't shaken my faith to work with the republicans that are there. you can see the world change with trump gone. >> you think you can work with mitch mcconnell still? >> on certain things, i can work -- my hope is, he won't be majority leader any longer the other thing i think is important is who is going to be able to go in and help democrats win back the senate? >> has it occurred that there is an irony the president has acknowledged wanting to get information about his son, hunter, and his dealings of ukraine. and the process of impeachment has ensured that everyone knows about hunter's dealings with ukraine. >> that's a good thing and no one found anything wrong with his dealings with ukraine, except it sets a bad image >> do you agree that it sets a bad image? >> yeah. and my son said that >> do you think it was wrong for him to take the position, knowing it was really because the company wanted access to you? >> that's not true you're saying things that you don't know what you're talking about. no one said that who said that? >> don't you think it is one of the things where people think, well, that seems kind of sleazy? why would he have that job if not for who his father was >> he's a very bright guy. >> i guess the question i'm kind of asking is -- >> appearance. >> -- was it right >> appearance. >> yeah. he says he regretted having don't it speak for himself. he's a grown man >> are you going to predict a win tomorrow night >> i don't predict wins because i'm superstitious. i think we will do well. several will come out of iowa. we'll have one more primary and one more caucus. at the end, we'll have a clear idea of who, when, and how i feel very good about where i am >> we'll have more coming up from iowa, including rule changes. new stuff in terms of how they're doing the caucuses hoda and craig, it could lead to a more wide open race. the spin will really get going tonight because you're going to learn about various forms of the vote everybody will be spinning it. we'll explain that coming up >> great conversation. >> yeah. >> thank you, savannah >> good to see you, savannah hey, craig >> hey >> the president's acquittal is all but happening. tomorrow, he'll deliver the state of the union address to a divided nation once again. nbc white house correspondent kristen welker is at the capitol with the latest on that. good morning >> reporter: good morning to you. president trump is on the path to an almost certain acquittal how did we get here? it comes after, on friday, the senate voted against calling new witnesses and introducing new evidence later today, both sides will deliver their closing arguments. and then, that final vote is expected on wednesday. that's one day after the state of the union address i've been talking to the president's aides and allies over the weekend, who acknowledge there's some frustration inside the white house about the timing of all of this the fact that the president is going to have to deliver that address against the backdrop of impeachment. during that pre-super bowl interview over the weekend, president trump signaling the show must go on. >> no. i'm going to have it it's going to be done. we're going to talk about the achievements that we've made >> reporter: now, democrats have accused president trump of violating his oath of office for withholding military aid to ukraine for a period in exchange for investigating the bidens president trump, saying he has done nothing wrong notably over the weekend, some republicans feel like the president acted inappropriately. but they don't feel that rises to the level of throwing him out of office. they note, there's an election in nine months craig? >> kristen welker, at the capitol. thank you. nbc news will have live coverage of the impeachment trial, 11:00 a.m. eastern this morning. let's switch gears and go to mr. roker with the weather hey, al. >> good morning. we're starting with a big winter storm out west the rockies, 10 million folks looking at snow coming in here pushing in, we're also looking at anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of snow throughout parts of the rockies. stretching all the way from the plains and down into texas we could see 4 to 6 inches of snow into parts of the midwest storm hazards for tomorrow, back through texas, on into tennessee. that extends into wednesday. and really, right into the weekend, for the southeast, as this system pushes we're looking for rounds of heavy rain, moving east tomorrow interior ice and snow possible, through mississippi and ohio river valleys. that's one round of snow and the second round continues on wednesday, as the system comes up out of the gulf, flooding possible in spots severe storms in the south an icy mess, travel along i-95 is going to be a nightmare heavy rain look at the rainfall totals. we're talking 2 to 4 inches of rain from the gulf to the southeast. we're going to get to your local forecast, coming up in the next 30 seconds good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have freezing temperatures in some of the inland valleys. we're down to 29 degrees in napa this morning. even colder tomorrow morning. we're only going to go make it into the low to mid-50s today so cooler than normal weather. but we will warm up toward the end of the week and we're looking at mid to upper 60s for the inland areas. saturday also looking very mild and then cool and windy weather set to head back into the bay area as we head toward this sunday. >> and that is your latest weather. >> mr. roker, thank you. ahead, inside the race to contain the coronavirus outbreak the new u.s. cases, the unprecedented travel restrictions being enforced, and what they mean for americans who are still trapped in china savannah from here in iowa, we'll take a closer look at what's in stake in today's caucuses and how the results will really impact the direction of the race with more uncertainty than ever before the number of uninsured americans, rising. the cost of prescription drugs, rising. the threat to people with pre-existing conditions, rising. the good news, so is support for the one candidate who'll do something about it. as mayor, mike bloomberg helped expand coverage for seven hundred thousand people, including hundreds of thousands of kids. including hundreds of thousands of kids. as president, he'll lower drug costs and ensure everyone without coverage can get it. that's a promise. and unlike him, mike actually keeps his. i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message. just ahead, the super bowl commercials were a mix of humor 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( ♪ ) i )m - -... we continue to follow breaking news after a gunman started a very good morning. it is 7:26. i'm laura garcia. we continue to follow breaking news after a gunman started shooting on a greyhound bus headed from los angeles to the bay area. one person was killed. six in total were shot. shooting happened on the grapevine a little after 1:00 this morning. the chp said the bus driver pulled over, the gunman eventually got off and then the driver kept going to a valero gas station right after the shooting, right at the base of the grapevine. chp said the suspect is now in custody. a motive has not been released. the chp said one person was airlifted to the hospital. right now the surviving victims have major to moderate injuries. let's check that forecast on the monday morning. it is a cold one, kari. >> yeah, we've seen temperatures below freezing in many of the inland valleys and upper 30s now to san jose. as we go into the afternoon, a lot of sunshine but still kind of cool. only reaching low to mid-30s around the bay. a nice warm up by wednesday, thursday, friday. saturday also looking nice. but very much like yesterday. we'll have another cold front coming through but still no rain. just gusty and cooler by the end of the week. let's head over to mike. the bay bridge is filling in for the left lanes, and that is the change over the last half hour. no major problems. and in fact less of an issue away from the bay bridge, south 880 at broadway, the crash cleared about 20 minutes ago and quick recovery for the nimitz and southbound and it is the northbound with the build through oakland and 580 still clear and walnut creek slows for 680 and 24 and 680 a couple of crashes to the shoulder across the san mateo bridge and that disabled pickup truck is on the shoulder. back to you. >> another local news update coming up in about half an hour. hope to see you then. >> you're told your voice matters but thousands of california votes get rejected. >> the way it got thrown out is just not normal. >> tuesday at 11:00, we investigate how a security feature meant to protect your vote can get it tossed. >> every election cycle we're constantly learning to try to improve the process. >> and the new tool you can use to make sure your vote is counted in 2020. tuesday at 11:00 on nbc bay area news, we investigate. what'd we decide on the flyers again? uh, "fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance." i think we're gonna swap over to "over seventy-five years of savings and service." what, we're just gonna swap over? yep. pump the breaks on this, swap it over to that. pump the breaks, and, uh, swap over? that's right. instead of all this that i've already-? yeah. what are we gonna do with these? keep it at your desk, and save it for next time. geico. over 75 years of savings and service. while the middle-class continues to struggle. that's what happens when billionaires are able to control the political system. our campaign is funded by the working people of this country, and those are the people that i will represent. no more tax breaks for billionaires. we are going to guarantee health care to all people and create up to 20 million good paying jobs to save this planet. i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message because we need an economy that works for all of us, not just wealthy campaign contributors. ♪ ♪ born in the usa ♪ let's get loud ♪ born in the usa j.lo showed the world how it is done. that young lady next to her, her daughter, emme. right there during the super bowl halftime show. of course, shakira, she shined, as well. we're going to take you behind the scenes of that electric performance just ahead. >> it was epic. it was epic. more on that in a moment. and we'll have more with savannah, spending time with voters in iowa. >> a little less exciting. >> no, just as exciting. we'll get to savannah in a moment. but first, your other 7:30 headlines. from miami to kansas city, the party is still going. the chiefs are super bowl champions for the first time in 50 years. >> mahomes throws, pass caught, williams. touchdown. kansas city jumps on top. >> with that, the chiefs would take the lead late in the fourth quarter and would never give it back. kansas city winning, 31-20. head coach, andy reid, hoisting his first lombardi trophy. quarterback patrick mahomes named super bowl mvp. in california, police say a man shot six people aboard a greyhound bus that was headed from los angeles to the bay area. one of the victims has died. the bus was traveling with 40 passengers on interstate 5 when the shots rang out. police say numerous passengers on the bus called 911. the suspect is now in custody. now, to an eerie scene. it looked like a clip from an alfred hitchcock movie. tens of thousands of birds stunning shoppers in a texas parking lot. this was in ft. worth. it's a swarm of great tailed grackles. they gather over parking lots. who knew? they do it, apparently, because they can find food and perch on trees and light posts. >> that's terrifying. >> yeah. >> learned something new today. let's head back to savannah in iowa. hey, savannah. >> hi, guys. this state is the center of the political universe today. the caucuses here mark the first in the nation contest of the 2020 presidential race. a lot of people have questions about how a caucus works and how iowa is so important in the nominating process. morgan radford with the answers. >> reporter: this morning, it all comes down to iowa. >> probably bernie sanders. >> elizabeth warren. >> i'm undecided right now. >> reporter: nearly 30 candidates have dwindled to just 11, all vying to win the first contest in the nation. >> we feel like there's a responsibility with it. and we dig a little deeper, i i like to think. >> reporter: why does iowa matter it's all about electability. candidates must prove they have what it takes to get a country behind them. it worked for jimmy carter in '76. and barack obama in 2008 >> thank you, iowa >> we're like a yard sign for the rest of the country. when they see who can win here, it may increase folks' chances of voting for that candidate on super tuesday. >> reporter: how does a caucus work people gather at 1,600 locations, like schools, libraries and indoor sports fields step one, they'll be able to check-in in person or for the first time this year, check in online. step two, a representative for each candidate delivers a short speech then, you pick your candidate. not by ballot, but by foot each room like this will be divided into sections. so, if you support candidate "a" you stand with a group over there. if you support candidate "b", you stand over there and every group will wait to be counted. if a candidate gets less than 15% in a room, they are considered unviable. caucus-goers then have to pick one of the candidates who is viable, and move to that group once everyone is rearranged, they're counted again. that total determines how many of the state's delegates go to which candidate. >> i think caucus night will be absolutely crazy >> reporter: here in polk county, home to more than a quarter of the state's democrats, party officials say they're expecting record-breaking numbers. >> if we're not using every large space in polk county, i don't know who is. >> reporter: and voters say it's anyone's game. >> i think it could be four or five, six different people that could possibly win it. >> reporter: morgan radford, nbc news, iowa >> all right for more on what to look for in iowa tonight and what victory and defeat could look like for the candidates, we welcome chuck todd and nbc news political analyst claire mccaskill senator mccaskill, you don't look like you flew from miami. go chiefs. >> even the earrings, just so you know >> we have to go from football to politics. >> if you make me. >> yes let's talk about the caucuses. it feels here like it's wide-open. the polls are all over the place. and there's late deciders here, people who they don't know who they will caucus for >> there's two groups of voters, people certain for sanders bernie sanders has this concerted effort there is no doubt he feels as if he is a lock for first or second, in some form of another. there is this other group of voters who have anxiety for picking the perfect candidate. they know what they want, the candidate that can beat trump. they don't know which one it is. do those folks coalesce to the same person? say joe biden. or are they just as decided or undecided after as they are going in >> we expect high turnout. bernie sanders says that favors him. there's a question of who gets a ticket out of iowa how many tickets out of iowa are there? who has to do well, and who is this make or break for >> it depends on how the numbers turn out if there's a grouping, everybody comes out of iowa. if there's one clear winner, it's a little different. the thing about the caucuses is everybody needs to understand, not everybody gets a chance to participate in caucuses. if you're working a waitress shift at a local restaurant, you're out of luck you can't caucus for your candidate. there's a lot of people around the country that think we should -- i'm not saying that iowa shouldn't be first. since i'm in des moines, i want to get out of town safely. >> angry iowans over here will come after you >> there's a lot of chiefs fans in des moines. you have to know that. a ton of chiefs fans in des moines >> but there ought to be a process that people can all participate if they want to. getting a babysitter for your kids and if the weather is bad and, frankly, if you're not sure, i think we may have some people stay home tonight because they're not sure who is the right candidate to beat trump. >> it's interesting because the rules changed this year. now, you're not only going to report what the delegate counts are, which is like counting votes, essentially now, we're going to see how the sausage is made. the early polls in a caucus site they voted for one person and didn't reach eligible, they're change their minds aren't the campaigns going to spin it? >> they will if they have one candidate that brought more people to the caucus, versus somebody else getting more delegates if you have a split winner. the sanders people wanted this change in reporting because they believe four years ago, more people came to the caucuses intending to support bernie sanders over hilalary clinton, even though she won the delegate split. you talk about tickets out of iowa, there may be two this could really thin the field quickly, especially if you have two candidates that are bunched up together and everybody else there's traditionally three tickets. i would argue that michael bloomberg ripped the third ticket away and bought it. >> i'm glad you brought up bloomberg. he's not competing here in iowa. but, boy, is he present. he had a super bowl ad the president has taken to tweeting about him quite a bit he's becoming a real factor in this race, don't you think >> well, we'll see i think it's too early to tell you have to have enough money, you don't have to have the most money, to win a presidential campaign and i think it will depend on super tuesday. if we have a mixed result for the first four early primaries and caucuses, then super tuesday comes the big states that are very expensive how many of the candidates can retool and compete in those big states so quickly after the last early primary? >> bloomberg is why biden has to do well. if he doesn't do well, a whole bunch of people that will panic will rush to bloomberg biden has to do well here tonight. >> perhaps understandably, biden says he's looking at the first four contests as a package because he knows he'll probably do well in south carolina and hoping to in nevada. >> he has to do well >> claire mccaskill and chuck todd, thank you very much. appreciate it. guys, over to you. still to come, mounting concern over the coronavirus outbreak, as new cases are discovered here in the u.s we'll have the latest and why the u.s. government is being accused of spreading panic but first, these messages. 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[ singing in spanish ] >> reporter: the star marked her 43rd birthday using her famous hips to prove that age is just a number ♪ my hips don't lie >> reporter: later tweeting, the best birthday gift has been the support of my fans jennifer lopez, burning up the stage with her own dramatic entrance the 50-year-old lopez showing off some of her acrobatic skills she perfected in her recent movie "hustlers. her fiance, alex rodriguez, tweeted a video of him singing along with this sweet message. amazing. she absolutely crushed it. wow, that was so fun i'm so proud of you, jen but the biggest surprise of the halftime show, j. lo's 11-year-old daughter, emme, singing solo with shakira, playing drums. ♪ let's get loud >> before her mom joined in. ♪ let's get loud latinos! >> reporter: draped in a two-sided flag one side, the stars and stripes. the other, the puerto rican flag celebrities blowing up social media, with kudos for the show, and for emme, including her father, salsa superstar marc anthony. tweeting, emme, daddy is proud of you ♪ some people want diamond rings ♪ >> reporter: we caught emme's talent on this video when j.lo was rehearsing for her summer concert here on "today". the two powerhouses took the stage together to close the show ♪ with a whole lot of shaking going on >> you know what i loved the end. the sisterhood to me the high-energy. it's the super bowl, it's entertainment. i felt like, these girls, they came to play >> it was a blast. and watching young emme, on that stage -- >> she has some pipes. >> it was amazing. i've been happy since that halftime show, man >> it's genetic. >> in the third quarter, i was missing the halftime show, and the fourth quarter, i came back to the game. >> they worked their heinies off. well, literally. >> yes, they did >> what did you think of the show >> i thought it -- listen. very high-energy they could have powered the city of miami with everything that was going on there let's show you what we got going on and it has been warm you thought that show was hot. january was hot all around the world. january on track for the second warmest globally and here in the united states, we had a very hot january, as well top ten warmest for dallas, san antonio, new orleans, with record warm temperatures you move into the northeast and the midwest. cleveland, washington, new york, boston, all with their top ten warmest januaries ever and warm days, as well. and punxsutawney phil, on super bowl sunday, predicting an early spring this is the first time he has consecutively, two times in a row, predicted an early spring, in the 134-year history. and so far, he's looking pretty on-point for the first 15 days of february, warmer than average, the eastern half of the country, and out west, as well. that's what's going on around good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. definitely cooler than average this morning as we start out. mostly clear sky and then we'll see our high temperatures today only reach the low to mid-50s. and then through the end of the week, our temperatures warm up. we'll be in the upper 60s by the end workweek. the weekend starts out warm but then a cold front moves in on sunday. still doesn't bring any rain and we'll have more gusty winds on sunday. looking at a warm-up through the next seven days. >> all right, mr. roker. still ahead, a medical breakthrough when it comes to treating kids with severe peanut allergies. what all parents need to know about the pill it's a pill just approved by the fda. first, these messages. at t-mobile, start 2020 off with a deal on iphone 11 that will have you seeing double. right now, switch to t-mobile and get 2 lines of unlimited for only $90 and 2 iphone 11s on us. all on t-mobile's newest, most powerful signal that goes farther than ever before. get twice the deal, 2 lines of unlimited for $90 and 2 iphone 11s on us. ♪ only at t-mobile. the whole world's gone crazy about food but let's not forget the best thing of all taste to us at 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sliding rear seats... and more available second row legroom than say... a chevy suburban. this is the completely reimagined 2020 ford escape. within the game, which super bowl commercials scored the most >> the viewers have spoken overnight. we're about to share the results in a few moments but first, your local news has a million little sips of sunshine. it's a delicious daily dose of vitamin c. it's 100% real oranges. it's a 70 year tradition. bring a moment of brightness... ...to every morning, every where. ♪ tropicana sip your sunshine. yeah, i'm married. you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? ...uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at 3 in the morning!? who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? ...uh...khakis. hey, do they ever ask you what you're wearing? uh... yeah. ...red sweater, button down shirt... like a good neighbor, state farm is there. ♪you got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive♪ ♪ e-lim-i-nate the negative ♪ and latch on to the affirmative ♪ ♪ but don't mess with mister inbetween ♪ ♪ you got to spread joy up to the maximum ♪ "it's okay, you got this" ♪ bring gloom down to the minimum ♪ "slow it down a little" ♪and have faith, or pandemonium "it's okay" ♪liable to walk upon the scene♪ nature's recipe knows a dog's big life is measured in wags. so we carefully choose every ingredient - like chicken, sweet potato and pumpkin to fuel their best life. also try nature's recipe true treats and prime blends. i'm part of a community of problem solvers. we make ideas grow. from an everyday solution... to one that can take on a bigger challenge. we are solving problems that improve lives. ♪ than rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. when considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz xr, a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis or active psoriatic arthritis for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. it can reduce pain, swelling, and significantly improve physical function. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections like tb; don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra can increase risk of death. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. as have tears in the stomach or intestines, serious allergic reactions, and changes in lab results. tell your doctor if you've been somewhere fungal infections are common, or if you've had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr. good monday morning. right now at 7:56 and it is cold out there. as you head out of the door, below freezing temperatures in napa as well as in the tri-valley. elsewhere 30s on the map an it is going to be even colder tomorrow morning. but that is after we reach our high temperatures reaching into the low to mid-50s today. a lot of sunshine. freezing temperatures in the north bay. valleys tomorrow reaching 56 for the inland areas tomorrow afternoon. the rest of the week we'll start to warm up and the start of the weekend is looking pretty decent but it will cool off and we'll get some gusty winds on sunday. san francisco will be in the low 50s today but by the end of the week we're up to 60 and 61 degrees. still a lot of sunshine and not a chance of rain over the next seven days. let's head over to mike now for an update on the commute. kari, right here we have a cavalry arrived to finally help to stalled pickup truck which had trouble on the shoulder, a distraction that started to smooth out. the san mateo bridge, i don't know if that is related but we're looking at slowing on peninsula side of the san mateo bridge. look at that up there out of redwood city and north 101 bogs down there. i'm tracking reports for any problems but this crash has cleared north 101 at the lawrence expressway. a build for the south bay northbound commute and getting in through oakland slowing into downtown both directions. back to you. >> thanks so much. happening now, one person is dead, six others shot after a gunman opened fire on a greyhound bus heading from los angeles to the bay area. it happened on the grapevine a little after 1:00 this morning. the bus driver pulled over right after the shooting and the suspect got off but left his gun on board. he was located and is now in custody. oakland mayor will talk about keep oakland houses for those that can't find affordable housing, the project started back in 2018. >> defiant and driven, these athletes ko would not be denied. don't miss a documentary about the bay area female athletes that redefined what victory means. tv just keeps getting better. how you watch it does too. this is xfinity x1. featuring the emmy award-winning voice remote. streaming services without changing passwords and input. live sports - with real-time stats and scores. access to the most 4k content. and your movies and shows to go. the best tv experience is the best tv value. xfinity x1. simple. easy. awesome. xfinity. the future of awesome. this is an nbc news special report. the trial of donald j. trump. here is lester holt. >> good morning. we are bringing you live senate coverage of the impeachment trial. today closing arguments in which the senate republicans blocked witnesses. making the acquittal a virtual certainty and comes on the day of the iowa caucuses and on the eve of the state of the union. president trump's opportunity to reclaim the narrative. let's go to geoff bennett on capitol hill. >> hey, lest e the defense has four hours to spend on closing arguments. you can expect that the house managers will offer up a recitation to explain why the two articles of impeachment is appropriate and the defense team will argue the opposite. they'll make the case that the two articles were brought up on the thinnest possible evidence as a means of giving cover to the republican senators who vote against them. now after the closing arguments end, the senate effectively hits pause on this trial. it will pick back up on wednesday, but in the interim for the first time we will see something that we haven't seen at all. that's the senators themselves speaking on the floor. every senator if he or she chooses gets ten minutes to state his or her case. so pay close attention to mitt romney, susan collins on the republican side. on the democratic side we'll pay close attention to joe manchin who represents west virginia, a state that president trump won by 40 plus points and doug jones of alabama who is the lone democrat representing the deep south. when they left here on friday they told our team they had not made up their minds yet about where they will fall on this ultimate question of acquittal. lester? >> geoff, thank you. moderator of "meet the press" chuck todd is in des moines for the caucuses today. let me ask you about your interview with lamar alexander who acknowledged what the president did was inappropriate. do you think we'll see more of that now as we near the final vote on wednesday? >> well, we have a little bit. in some ways lamar alexander is serving -- he created the template for the republican that doesn't want to come across as a staunch defender of the president and in some ways we saw marco rubio, somebody who ran against this president in the primary, actually even up it more. he called it an impeachable offense and didn't think this was an appropriate time to do it. i do think you're seeing that that is a bit of the template. ron portman another one who's fallen into the category. ben sasse a sometimes critic of the president verbally said that lamar speaks for lots and lots of us. i think you'll hear those that choose to speak critically of the president on the republican side of the aisle borrow alexander's language. >> it's a democratic race of course that we're watching there. the caucus race in iowa. how does this -- how does all of this affect that race if at all right now? >> on one hand, everyone acknowledges that impeachment has been a wet blanket on the caucuses, sort of when it comes to sort of today's events. but beyond the fact that it has impacted the trial of sanders, warren and klobuchar, nobody else is talking about anything about it. the closing arguments that people are talking here are joe biden's closing arguments, bernie sanders. when you ask how impeachment plays here it's had an impact -- for instance, amy klobuchar not being here in the last two weeks probably hurt her more than other candidate. there's how much has much has this impacted joe biden's electability? we'll learn how it impacted the biden image with democrats. >> chuck todd, thanks. hallie jackson is at the white house. hallie, the president no doubt working on his speech for tomorrow. is he going to talk about all this? >> i'll tell you, based on sources that are -- that i have talked to this morning and our team has talked to, don't expect the state of the union speech to be largely focused on impeachment. those are the signals we are getting with the president's thinking here. you may hear a passing reference to it, but he wants to focus on the broader vision for america. in front of the primetime, big audience, to talk about what he wants to do maybe he wants to say if he gets re-elected but that's the undertone to all of this. there's the economy and the trade issues which is something that the president has repetedly campaigned on. i will say this, we have seen this happen before. a president delivers the state of the union while the impeachment trial is happening. think back to president bill clinton in 1999. in that speech, president clinton never once mentioned the impeachment trial in front of the panel. >> with me here today is andrea mitchell and nbc news legal analyst and former u.s. prosecutor barrett berger. okay, we have seen the president make the state of the union while being impeached but you add in iowa. do you kind of throw up your hands? >> well, it's more than a split screen, but i think iowa is going to be maybe the first test of the impact as chuck said of the campaign against biden that came from the trump defense. and also, interestingly, the president who does the president go after in his super bowl interview and again on twitter? and social media. he went after bernie sanders as a quote communist. so we have moved from socialist to communist. the labelling has begun. he's clearly now -- his campaign is now taking bernie sanders more seriously as perhaps a co-leader because of at least the polling and the polling out in iowa is very difficult to tell. but the national polling seems to indicate that bernie sanders is up there and of course now going after michael bloomberg. >> barrett, of course we'll see closing arguments today. you're a former prosecutor. did you make a closing argument in a case you knew you were able to lose? >> fortunately no this is a rough position for the democrats to be in right now. they won't convince any republicans. i think what they're trying to do now is to make sure they don't lose any more democrats. to try to marshal all of the facts together, to really convince those people to make it a -- a more solid, unified, at least a democratic statement against the president. >> the trial is in session. let's take you to the senate floor. >> chief justice? >> the majority leader is recognized. >> colleagues today, the senate will hear up to four hours of closing statements by the two sides and then take a 30 minute lunch break after the house side makes their presentation and then come back and finish this afternoon. >> pursuant to the senate resolution 488, the senate has provided for up to four hours of closing arguments equally divided between the managers on the part of the house of representatives and counsel -- and the counsel for the president. pursuant to rule 22 of the rules of procedure and practice in the senate when sitting on impeachment trials the arguments should be own and close on the part of the house of representatives. the presiding officer recognizes mr. manager schiff to begin the presentation on the part of the house of representatives. >> mr. chief justice, members of the u.s. senate, counsel for the president, almost 170 years ago senator daniel webster of massachusetts took to the well of the old senate chamber, not far from where i'm standing. he delivered what would become the most famous address. the 7th of march speech. webster sought to rally his colleagues to adopt the compromise of 1850. a package of legislation that he and others hoped would forestall a civil war brewing over the question of slavery. he said it is fortunate that there's a senate of the united states, a body not yet moved from the propriety, not lost to the sense of its own dignity and high responsibilities. and a body to which the country looks with confidence. for wise, moderate, patriotic and healing counsels. it's not to be denied we live in the midst of strong agitations and surrounded by considerable dangers to our government. the imprisoned winds are let loose but i have a duty to perform and i mean to perform it with fidelity. not without a sense of surroundings dangers and not without hope. webster was wrong to believe that the compromise of 1850 could prevent succession of the south, but i hope he was not wrong to put his faith in the senate. because the design of the constitution and the intention of the framers was that the senate would be a chamber removed from the sway of temporary political winds. and federalist 1655, hamilton wrote where else but in the senate could have been found a tribunal sufficiently dignified or sufficiently independent? what other body would be likely to feel confidence in its own situation to preserve, unawed and uninfluenced the necessary impartially between an individual accused and the representatives of the accusers. in the same essay hamilton said this about impeachment. the subjects of the jurisdiction are those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men or in other words from the abuse or violation of some public trust. they are of a nature that with peculiar proprietary by dominated political as they chiefly to injury done to the society itself. the prosecution of them for this reason will seldom fail to agitate the passions of the whole community. and to divide it into parties more or less friendly or imic cal to the accused they will be the greatest decision that the decision will be regulated by the comparative strength of parties than by the innocence or guilt. daniel webster and alexander hamilton placed their hopes in you, the senate, to be the court of greatest impartiality, to be a neutral representative of the people in determining uninfluenced by party or pre-existing faction, the innocence or guilt of the president of the united states. today you have a duty to perform. with fidelity, not without a sense of surrounding dangers. but also not without hope. i submit to you on behalf of the house of representatives that your duty demands that you convict president trump. now i don't pretend this is an easy process. it's not designed to be easy. it shouldn't be easy to impeach or convict a president. impeachment is an extraordinary remedy. a tool only to be used in rare instances of grave misconduct. but it is in the constitution for a reason. in america no one is above the law. even those elected president of the united states. i would say especially those elected president of the united states. you have heard arguments from the president's counsel that impeachment would overturn the results of the 2016 election. you have heard that in seeking the removal of the president the house is seeking to interfere in the next election. senators neither is true. in these arguments demonstrated deeply misguided or i think intentional efforts to mislead about the role that impeachment plays in our democracy. if you believe as we do and as we have proven that the president's efforts to use his official powers to cheat in the 2020 election jeopardize our national security and are antithetical to the democratic tradition, then the president puts foreign interference between the voters and their ballots. professor dershowitz and the other counselors to the president have argued that if the president thinks something is in his interests then it's by definition in the interest of the american people. we have said throughout this process that we cannot and should not leave our common sense at the door. the logical conclusion this argument is that the president is the state. that his interests are the nation's interests. that his will is necessarily ours. you and i and the american people know otherwise. we dot no have been to constitutional scholars to understand this is deeply at odds with the constitution and our democracy. believing in this argument or allowing the president to get away with misconduct based on this extreme view would render him above the law. but we know that this cannot be true. what you decide on these articles will have lasting implications for the future of the presidency. not only for this president, but for all future presidents. whether or not the office of the presidency of the united states of america is above the law. that is the question. as alexis de tocqueville wrote, democracy in america, quote, the greatness of america lies not in being made more enlightened than any other nation. but rather in her ability to repair her faults. in may of 1974, barry goldwater and other republican congressional leaders went to the white house to tell president nixon that it was time for him to resign. and that they could no longer hold back the tide of impeachment over watergate. now, contrary to popular belief the republican party did not abandon nixon as the watergate scandal came to light. it took years of disclosures and crisis and court battles. they stood with nixon because he was a popular conservative president and his base was with him. so they were too. but ultimately as goldwater would tell nixon, quote, there are only so many lies you can take and now there have been one too many. the president would have us believe that he did not withhold aid. his july 25th call with the ukrainians was perfect. that his meeting with president zelensky on the sidelines of the u.n. is no different than a head of state meeting in the oval office. that his only interest in having ukraine announce investigations was an altruistic concern over corruption that the ukrainians interer iffed in the 2016 election, not russia. that putin knows better than the intelligence agencies. how many falsehoods can we take? when will it be one too many? let us take a few minutes to remind you one last time that the facts of the president's misconduct as you consider how you'll vote on this important matter for our nation. those facts compel the president's conviction on the two articles of impeachment. >> mr. chief justice and senators, over the past two weeks, the house has presented to you overwhelming and unconverted evidence that president trump has committed grave abuses of power that harmed our national security and were intended to defraud our elections. president trump abused the extraordinary powers he alone holds as president of the united states to coerce an ally to interfere in our upcoming presidential election for the benefit of his own re-election. he then used the unique power to wage an unprecedented campaign to obstruct congress and cover up his wrongdoing. as the president schemed to corrupt our election progressed, over several months, it became as one witness described more insidious. the president and his agents wielded the powers to increase pressure on the ukraine's new president to coerce him to announce two sham investigations that would smear his election component and raise his political standing. by early september of last year, the pressure campaign appeared on the verge of succeeding until that is the president got caught. and the scheme was exposed. in response, president trump ordered a massive cover-up unprecedented in american history. he tried to conceal the facts from congress, using every tool and legal window dressing he could to block evidence and muzzle witnesses. he tried to prevent the public from learning how he placed himself above country and yet, even as president trump has orchestrated this cover-up and obstructed congress' impeachment inquiry he remains unapologetic, unrestrained and intent on continuing his sham to defraud our elections. as i stand here today, delivering the house's closing argument, president trump's constitutional crime, his crimes against the american people and the nation remain in progress. as you make your final determination on the president's guilt, it is therefore worth revisiting the totality of the president's misconduct. doing so lays bear the ongoing threat president trump poses to our democratic system of government. both to our upcoming election that some suggest should be the arbiter of the president's misconduct and to the constitution itself that we all swore to support and defend. donald trump was the central player in the corrupt scheme assisted principally by his private attorney, rudy giuliani. early in 2019, giuliani conspired with two corrupt former ukrainian prosecutors to fabricate and promote investigations of wrong doing by former vice president joe biden as well as the russian propaganda that it was ukraine not russia that hacked the dnc in 2016. in the course of their presentation to you, the president's counsel have made several remarkable admissions that affirm core elements of this scheme. including specifically about giuliani's role and representation of the president. the president's counsel has conceded that giuliani sought to convince ukraine to investigate the bidens and allege election interference on behalf of his client the president. and that the president focused on the sham investigations was significantly informed by giuliani whose views the president adopted. compounding this damning admission, the president's counsel has also conceded that giuliani was not conducting foreign policy on behalf of the president. they have confirmed that in pursuit -- pursuing the two investigations giuliani was working solely in the president's private personal interest. and the president personal interest is now clear. to cheat in the next election. as giuliani will later admit for the president's scheme to succeed he first needed to remove the american ambassador to ukraine, marie yovanovitch, an anti-corruption champion. giuliani viewed as an obstacle who and i quote was getting -- was going to make the investigations difficult for everybody. working with now indicted associates, lev parnas, and igor fruman, giuliani orchestrated a bogus months long smear campaign against the ambassador that culminated in her removal in april. the president's sudden order to remove our ambassador came just three days after ukraine's presidential election in late april which saw a reformer, vladimir zelensky swept into office on the anti-corruption platform. president trump invited president zelensky to the white house and agreed to send vice president pence to his inauguration. but three weeks later after rudy giuliani was denied a meeting with president zelensky president trump abruptly ordered vice president pence to cancel his trip. instead, a lower level delegation led by three of president trump's political appointees, rick perry and gordon sondland and volker attended zelensky's inauguration the following week. they returned impressed with president zelensky. in a meeting shortly thereafter with president trump in the oval office, they relayed their positive impression of the new ukrainian president and encouraged president trump to schedule the white house meeting he promised in his first call. but president trump reacted negatively. he railed that ukraine tried to take my down in 2016. and in order to schedule a white house visit for president zelensky, president trump told the delegation that they would have to and i quote, talk to rudy. it is worth pausing here to consider the importance of this meeting in late may. this is the moment that president trump successfully hijacked the tools of our government to serve his corrupt personal interests. when the president's domestic political airing as one witness famously described it began to overtake and subordinate u.s. foreign policy and national security interests. by this point in the scheme, rudy giuliani was advocating very publicly for ukraine to pursue the two sham investigations. but his request to meet with president zelensky was rebuffed by the new ukrainian president. according to reports about ambassador bolton's account, soon to be available if not to this body, then to those near you, the president also i -- unsuccessfully tried to get bolton to call the new ukrainian president to ensure he would meet with giuliani. the desire to announce the phony investigations was for a clear and corrupt reason. because president trump wanted to politically benefit, wanted the political benefit of a foreign country announcing that it would investigate his rival. that is how we know without a doubt that the object of the president's scheme was to benefit his re-election campaign. in other words, to cheat in the next election. ukraine resisted announcing the investigation throughout june. so the president and his agent, rudy giuliani, turned up the pressure. this time by yielding the power of the united states government. in mid june the department of defense publicly announced that it would be releasing $250 million of military assistance to ukraine. almost immediately after seeing this, the president quietly ordered a freeze on the assistance to ukraine. none of the 17 witnesses in our investigation were provided with the credible reason for the hold when it was implemented and all relevant agencies opposed the freeze. in july, giuliani and the president's opponents appointees made clear to ukraine that a meeting at the white house would only be scheduled if ukraine announced the sham investigation. according to a july 19 email, the white house has tried to suppress this drug deal as ambassador bolton called it, was well known among the president's most senior officials and including his chief of staff mick mulvaney and secretary of state mike pompeo. it was relayed directly to senior ukrainian officials by gordon sondland on july 10 at the white house. everyone was in the loop. although president zelensky explained he did not want to be a pawn in washington politics, president trump did not care. in fact, on july 25, before president trump spoke to president zelensky, president trump personally conveyed the terms of this quid pro quo to gordon sondland who then relayed the message to ukraine's president. later that morning during the now infamous phone call, president trump explicitly requested that ukraine investigate the bidens and the 2016 election. zelensky responded as president trump instructed he assured president trump that he would undertake these investigations. after hearing this commitment, president trump reiterated his invitation to the white house at the end of the call. no later than a few days after the call, the highest levels of the ukrainian government learned about the hold on military assistance. senior ukrainian officials decided to keep it quiet, recognizing the harm it would cause to ukraine's defense. to the new government's standing at home and to its negotiating posture with russia. officials in ukraine and the united states hoped that the hold would be reversed before it became public. as we now know, that was not to be. as we have explained during the trial, the president's scheme did not begin with the july 25th call and it did not end there either. as instructed, a top aide to president zelensky met with giuliani in early august and they began working on a press statement for zelensky to issue that would announce the two sham investigations and lead to a white house meeting. now, let's be very clear here. the documentary evidence alone, text messages, the emails that we have showed you, confirms definitely the president's corrupt -- definitively the president's corrupt quid pro quo for the white house meeting. subsequent testimony further affirms that the president withheld this official act. this highly coveted oval office meeting to apply pressure on ukraine to do his personal bidding. the evidence is unequivocal. despite this pressure by mid august, president zelensky resisted such an explicit announcement of the two politically motivated investigations desired by president trump. the white house meeting remained unscheduled. just as it remains unscheduled to this day. during the same time frame in august, the president per zilsed in maintaining the hold on the aid despite warnings that he was breaking the law by doing so. as an independent watchdog recently confirmed that he did. according to the evidence presented to you, the president's entire cabinet believed he should release the aid because it was in the national security interests of our country. during the entire month of august there was no internal review of the aid. congress was not notified, nor was there any credible reason provided within the executive branch. with no explanation offered, and with the explicit clear yet unsuccessful quid pro quo for the white house meeting in the front of his mind, ambassador sondland testified that the only logical conclusion was that the president was also withholding military assistance to increase the pressure on ukraine to announce the investigation. as sondland and another witness testified, this conclusion was as simple as two plus two equals four. if a white house meeting wasn't sufficient leverage to extract the announcements he wanted, trump would use the frozen aid as his hammer. secretary pompeo confirmed sondland's conclusion in an august 22 email. it was also clear that vice president pence was aware of the quid pro quo over the aid and was directly informed of such and warsaw on september 1 after the freeze had become public and ukraine became desperate. sondland pulled aside a top aide in warsaw and told him that everything, both the white house meeting and also the security assistance were conditioned on the announcement of the investigations that sondland, giuliani and others had been negotiating with the same aid earlier. in august. this is an important point. the president claims that ukraine did not know of the freeze in aid. though we know this to be false. as a former deputy foreign minister admitted they found out about it within days of the call and kept it quiet but no one can dispute even after the hold became public on july -- in august 28th, president trump's representatives continued their efforts to secure ukraine's announcement of the investigations. this is enough to prove extortion in court. it is certainly enough to prove it here. if that wasn't enough, however, on september 7, more than a week after the aid freeze became public, president trump confirmed directly to sondland that he wanted president zelensky in a public box. and that his release of the aid was conditioned on the announcement of the two sham investigations. having received direct confirmation from president trump, sondland relayed the president's message to president zelensky himself. president zelensky could resist no longer. america's military assistance makes up 10% of his country's defense budget. and president trump's visible lack of support for ukraine harmed his leverage in negotiations with russia. president zelensky affirmed to sondland on that same telephone call that he would announce the investigations in an interview on cnn. president trump's pressure campaign appeared to have succeeded. two days after president zelensky confirmed his intention to meet president trump's demands, the house of representatives announced its investigation into these very issues. shortly thereafter, the inspector general notified the intelligence communities that the whistle-blower complaint was being improperly handled -- or was improperly withheld from congress with the white house's knowledge. in other words, the president got caught. and two days later on september 11th, the president released the aid. to this day, however, ukraine still has not received all of the money congress has appropriated and the white house meeting has yet to be scheduled. the identity of the whistle-blower moreover is irrelevant. the house did not rely on the whistle-blower's complaint even as it turned out to be remarkably accurate. it does not matter who initially sounded the alarm when they saw smoke. what matters is that the firefighters, congress, were summoned and found the blaze. and we know that we did. the facts about the president's misconduct are not seriously in dispute. as several republican senators have acknowledged publicly. we have proved that the president abused his power and precisely the manner charged in article i. president trump withheld a white house meeting and an essential congressionally appropriated military assistance from ukraine in order to pressure ukraine to interfere in the upcoming presidential election on his behalf. the sham investigation president trump wanted announced had no legitimate purpose and were not in the nation interests. despite the president's counsel's troubling reliance on conspiracy theories to claim the president acted in the public interest. the president was not focused on fighting corruption. in fact, he was trying to pressure ukraine's president to act corruptly by announcing these baseless investigations. and the evidence makes clear that the president's decision to withhold ukraine's military aid is not connected in any way to purported concerns about corruption or burden sharing. rather the evidence was presented to you -- that was presented to you is damning, chilling, disturbing, and disgraceful. president trump weaponized our government and the vast powers entrusted to him by the american people and the constitution to target his political rival and corrupt our precious elections. subverted our national security and our democracy in the process. he put his personal interests over those of the country. and he violated his oath of office in the process. but the president's grave abuse of power did not end there. in conduct unparalleled in american history, once he got caught president trump engaged in categorical and indiscriminate obstruction of any investigation into his wrongdoing. he ordered every government agency and every official to defy the house's impeachment inquiry. and he did so for a simple reason. to conceal evidence of his wrongdoing from congress and the american people. the president's obstruction was unlawful and unprecedented. but it also confirmed his guilt. innocent people don't try to hide every document and witness. especially those that would clear them. that's what guilty people do. that's what guilty people do. innocent people do everything they can to clear their name and provide evidence that shows that they are innocent. but it would be a mistake to view the president's obstruction narrowly. as the president's counsel have tried to portray it. the president did not defy the house's impeachment inquiry as part of a routine interbranch dispute or because he wanted to protect the constitutional rights and privileges of his presidency. he did it consistent with his vow to fight all subpoenas. the second article of impeachment goes to the heart of our constitution and our democratic system of government. the framers of the constitution purposefully entrusted the power of impeachment in the legislative branch. so that it may protect the american people from a corrupt president. the president was able to undertake such comprehensive obstruction only because of the exceptional powers entrusted to him him by the american people and he wielded that power to make sure congress would not receive a single record or a single document related to his conduct and to bar his closest aides to testify. just as they did during the trial, the president's counsel offered bad faith and meritless legal arguments as transparent legal window dressing to hide evidence of his misconduct. we've explained why all of these legal excuses hold no merit. why the house's subpoenas were valid. how the house's -- how the house appropriately exercised the impeachment authority. how the president's strategy was to stall and obstruct. we have explained how the president after the fact reliance on unfounded and in some cases brand-new legal privileges are shockingly transparent cover for a president dictate a blanket obstruction. we underscored how the defiance of congress is unprecedented in the history of our republic. and we all know that an innocent person would eagerly provide testimony and documents to clear his name. as the president apparently thought he was doing mistakenly when he released the call records of his two telephone calls with president zelensky. and even as the president has claimed to be protecting the presidency. remember that the president never actually invoked executive privilege throughout this entire inquiry. a revealing fact given the law's prohibition on invoking executive privilege to shield wrongdoing. yet, according to the president's counsel, the president is justified in resisting the house's impeachment inquiry. they assert that the house should have taken the president to court to defy the obstruction. the president's argument is as shameless as it is hypocritical. the president's counsel is arcing in this streyle -- is arguing in the trial that the house should have gone to court to enforce the subpoenas and the own department of justice is arguing in court that the house could not enforce the subpoenas through the court. you know what remedy they say in court is available to the house? impeachment. for obstruction of congress. this is not the first time this argument has been made. president nixon made it too. but it was roundly rejected by the house judiciary committee 45 years ago. when the committee passed an article for obstruction of congress, for far less serious obstruction than we have here. the committee concluded that it was inappropriate to enforce its subpoenas in court. and the committee concluded that it was inappropriate to seek the aid of the courts to enforce its subpoenas against the president. this conclusion is based on the constitutional provision. vesting the power of impeachment solely in the house of representatives and the expressed denial by the framers of the constitution of any role for the courts in the impeachment process. again, the committee report on nixon's article of impeachment. >> once we strip the president's obstruction of this legal window dressing, the consequences are as clear as they are dire for our democracy. to condone the president's obstruction would strike a death blow in the constitution. and if congress cannot enforce this sole power vested in both chambers alone, the constitution's final line of defense against a corrupt presidency will be eviscerated. a president who can obstruct and thwart the impeachment power becomes unaccountable. he or she is effectively above the law. and such a president is more likely to engage in corruption with impunity. this will become the new normal. with this president, and for future generations. so where does this leave us? as many of you in this chamber have publicly acknowledged in the past few days the facts are not seriously in dispute. we have proved that the president committed grave offenses against the constitution. the question that remains is whether that conduct warrants conviction and removal from office. should the senate simply accept or even condone such corrupt conduct by a president? absent conviction and removal, how can we be assured that this president will not do it again? if we are to rely on the next election to judge the president's efforts to cheat in that election, how can we know that the election will be free and fair? how can we know that every vote will be free from foreign interference, solicited by the president himself. with president trump, the past is prolonged. this is neither the first time that the president solicited foreign interference in his own election. nor is it the first time that the president tried to obstruct an investigation into his misconduct. but you will determine -- you will determine -- you will determine whether it will be his last. as we speak, the president continues his wrongdoing unchecked and unashamed. donald trump hasn't stopped trying to pressure ukraine to smear his opponent. nor has he stopped obstructing congress. his political agent rudolph giuliani recently returned to the scene of the crime in ukraine. to manufacture more dirt for his client, the president of the united states. president trump remains a clear and present danger to our national security. and to our credibility around the world. he is decimating the global standing as a beacon of democracy, while corrupting our free and fair elections here at home. what is a greater protection to our country? than insuring that we the american people alone not some foreign power choose our commander in chief. the american people alone should decide who represents us in any office without foreign interference, particularly the highest office in the land. and what could undermine our national security more than to withhold from a foreign ally fighting a hot war against our adversary. hundreds of millions of military aid to buy sniper rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers. radar and night vision goggles. so that they may fight the war over there. keeping us safe here. we alloy the president's misconduct to stand, what message do we send? what message do we send to russia, our adversary, intent on fracturing democracy around the world. what will we say to our european allies already concerned with this president about whether the united states will continue to support our nato commitments that have been a pillar of our foreign policy since world war ii. what message do we send to our allies? in the free world. and if we allow the president's misconduct to stand, what will we say to the 68,000 men and women in uniform in europe right now who courageously and admirably wake up every day ready and willing to fight for america's security and prosperity. for democracy in europe and around the world. what message do we send them when we say america's national security is for sale. that cannot be the message we want to send to our ukrainian friends. or our european allies or to our children and our grandchildren who will inherit this precious republic. i'm sure it is not the message that you wish to send to our adversaries. the late senator john mccain was an astounding man. a man of great principle, a great patriot. he fought admirably in vietnam and he was imprisoned as a p.o.w. for over five years. refusing an offer by the north vietnamese to be released early because his father was a prominent admiral. as you all aware, senator mccain was a great supporter of ukraine. a great supporter of europe. a great supporter of our troops. senator mccain understood the importance of this body, this distinguished body, and serving the public. once saying, quote, glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself, to a cause, to your principles, to the people on whom you rely and who rely on you. ukrainians and the europeans and the americans around the world and here at home are watching what we do. they are watching to see what the senate will do. and they are relying on this distinguished body to be constant to the principles america was founded on and which we have tried to uphold for more than 240 years. doing the right thing and being constant to our principles requires a level of moral courage that is difficult, but by no means impossible. it is that moral courage shown by public servants throughout this country and throughout the impeachment inquiry in the house. people like ambassador marie yovanovitch, her decades of nonpartisan service were turned against her in a vicious smear campaign. that reached all the way to the president. despite this effort, she decided to honor a duly authorized congressional subpoena. and to speak the truth to the american people. for this she was the subject of yet more smears, against her career and her character, even as she testified in a public hearing before congress. her courage mattered. people like ambassador bill taylor a west point graduate who wears a bronze star and an air medal for valor and his proudest honor, a combat infantryman's badge. when his country called on him he answered again and again and again. in battle, in foreign affairs and in the face of a corrupt effort by the president to extort a foreign country into helping his re-election campaign. an effort that ambassador taylor rightly believed was crazy. his courage mattered. people like lieutenant colonel alexander vindman who came to this country as a young child, fleeing authoritarianism in europe. he could have done anything with his life. but he chose public service, putting on a uniform and receiving a purple heart after being wounded in battle fighting courageously in iraq. when he heard that fateful july 25th call in which the president sold out our country for his own personal gain, lieutenant colonel vindman reported it and later came before congress to speak the truth about what happened. lieutenant colonel vindman's courage mattered. to the other public servants who came forward and told the truth, in the face of vicious smears, intim discrimination and the white house efforts to silence courage matters. you did the right thing. you did your duty. no matter what happens today or from this day forward, that courage mattered. whatever the outcome in this trial, we will remain vigilant in the house. i know there are dedicated public servants who know the difference between right and wrong. but make no mistake these are perilous times. if we determine that the remedy for a president who cheats in an election is to pronounce him vindicated and attack those who expose his misconduct. >> senators, before we break, i want to take a moment to say something about the staff who have worked tirelessly on the impeachment inquiry and this trial for months now. there is a small army of public servants down the hall from this chamber, in offices throughout the house and yes in that windowless bunker in the capitol who have committed their lives to this effort because they like the managers and the american people believe that a president free of accountability is a danger to the beating heart of our democracy. i'm grateful to all of them but let me mention a few. daniel goldman, riyeen, william evans, shawn miscoe, nicholas mitchell, daniel noble, deanna -- and emily simons, suzanne grooms, christa boyd, norm eisen, bernie birk, doug letter, ashley -- terry mccull low, wendy parker. some of the staff including some singled out in the chamber have undergone attacks and that undermines our institution. you have asked me why i have hired certain of the staff and i'll tell you, because they're brilliant. hard working. patriotic and the best people for the job. they deserve better than the attacks they have been forced to suffer. members of the senate, mr. chief justice, i want to close this portion of our statement by reading you the words of our dear friend and former colleague in the house the late elijah cummings who said this on the day that the speaker announced the beginning of the impeachment inquiry. as elected representatives he said of the american people, we speak not only for those who are here with us now our voices today are messages to a future we may never see. when the history boox books are writ ben this tumultuous era, i want to say i was among those who stood up to lawlessness and tyranny. we, the managers, are not here representing ourselves alone or even just the house. just as you are not here making a determination as to the president's guilt or innocence for yourselves alone. you and we represent the american people. the ones at home and at work who are hoping that their country will remain what it has always believed it to be. a beacon of hope, of democracy and of

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