Credibility with the iranian population given the travel ban and the decertification of that bill. The second thing they can do is put regime on notice, and put a regime notices that theyre cracking down. Like singling people out . Singling people out. Making sure that apps used to communicate in iran based in the u. S. , not shutting them down. Not shutting them down. What effect do you think that would have . As much as iranian leaders say they dont Pay Attention to what the u. S. Administration says or western europe, they absolutely do, because the people do. The people look to it. They look to it for moral support. So, i think putting people on notice to say, listen, the world is watching you has a huge effect. Is there a risk, that if the americans and this administration embrace these protests too much, that it kind of feeds the narrative that
youre hearing from Senior Leaders in iran that are starting to say this is westerndriven . Yes. Foreign enemies are using this opportunity, and so in doing so, you kind of get the nation to coalesce around the leadership. Country and against the protesters . Well, the u. S. Has to walk a fine line. There are decades of mistrust between the u. S. And iran, the leader. The more President Trump conducts diplomacy by tweets is putting sort of fuel to the fire. And it plays into the narrative in iran that, you know, the u. S. Is against us. They want to overthrow of this government, like theyve been behind overthrowing other governments. Right. So, i think you have to walk a fine line. Have the more high ground. Say we support the protests. We support the right for people to peacefully demonstrate. But we dont want to be seen as getting out in front of other governments to Overthrow Governments in the middle east. That hasnt worked. Thats a formula for disaster. One of the things we talked about this over the last couple
of days, the fact that this is a work in progress. Right . If it were to become more, you know, if you talk to people in the middle class or upper class, theyre staying out of it . Thats right. Completely and totally . Thats right. In fact, this would sort of rock their steady lives in iran right now . Its a different flavor. These are people who were not on the streets in 2009. That protest was branded by these people in rural areas as being a protest for urban elites who had voted for him in the election. This protest is by the base of the regime. By people, the regime draws from these rural areas, the poorer areas. It would be like the red states in the United States . Thats right, thats right. Thank you so much. Well talk to you again at the bottom of the hour. Yep. Good. U. N. Ambassador nikki haley doubled down on President Trumps new years tweet hitting
pakistan. Take a listen. The administration is withholding 255 million in assistance to pakistan. There are clear reasons for this. Pakistan has played a double game for years. They work with us at times. And they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in afghanistan. That game is not acceptable to this administration. The president is willing to go to Great Lengths to stop all funding from pakistan, as they continue to harbor and support terrorism. However, the Trump Administration had announced back in august that it would withhold 255 million in aid as part of strategy insisting that pakistan do more to combat extremists to threaten afghanistan. Pakistans military and chiefs dismissed the president s trump was incomprehensible and of no
importance. Meanwhile, white house second Sarah Huckabee sanders told the press the white house plans to discuss within days. Iran, pakistan, President Trump also threatened to pull aid to palestinians in a series of tweets yesterday evening. Trump tweeted out in part, quote, we pay the palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars a year and get no appreciation or respect. They dont even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with israel. We have taken jerusalem, the toughest part of the gnegotiatin off the table but with palestinians not willing to talk peace why should we make massive future payments to them, it comes after trump announced his decision to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel and to move the u. S. Embassy there. President Mahmoud Abbas has criticized adding he would not accept any peace plan for the middle east. So much to talk about here. So much of the president s twitter feed is what were reporting over the past 24 hours. Much like 2017. Joining us now a reporter for the weekly standard. I want to get a temperature read on washingtons reaction to the president s twitter storm about my button is bigger than yours. Were talk about kim jongun. Well, thats the thing, there hasnt really been much reaction from the hill. And i think part of that is, you know, theyre on recess right now. But the usual suspects who would be typically calling trump out on that right now, corker, flake, sass, havent really commented on it yet, but it seems like theyre tuning him out. Haley, lets talk about senator orrin hatch. He has announced his plans to retire. By most peoples estimates it looks like mitt romney will run for his seat. Lets talk about whether or not capitol hill is going to open him with welcome arms. Hes obviously received reception from establishment of the gop. But im sure the Trump White House is not going to look too favorably having a never trumper in the senate . I believe with the senate weve seen senators like bob corker and sass and others that trump has feuded with, other Senate Republicans havent watched their side when trump has been sending tweets, attacking them throughout the past year. And the sense ive gotten is most republicans are excited at the possibility of romney running. And honestly, its the best Case Scenario for the Senate Republicans. So, i dont think youll see any Senate Republicans at least shying away from him. Haley, lets quickly turn to the house side. Were actually see more republican incumbents now saying theyre retiring. How hard is it going to be for
republicans to keep control of the house . I think thats a question that republicans are asking themselves. Especially since trump ratings are so unpopular. When you look at recent elections with doug jones winning, just turnout among enthusiasm of democrats is skyrocketing and Trump Supporters arent necessarily coming to the polls. Thank you. What were learning about the first combat death of 2018 . Plus, cold continues to ravage the east coast. And now bracing for cold weather. Well have a check of the weather when we come back. [speaking french] [speaking french] ah. I dont understand. This is what our version of Financial Planning looks like. Tomorrows important, but this officially completes his education. Spend you life living. Todays the day. Find an advisor at northwesternmutual. Com. Where the u. S. Dropped, quote, the mother of all bombs last year. The sergeant was Froml Fort Le new jersey. Sergeant golins dad told us that his son grew up in latvia before immigrating to the u. S. And he last spoke to him thursday and that the soldier told him that he loved him. Two are being treated and in stable condition and others have returned to duty. Lets switch gears for a moment. Blizzard conditions of a multivehicle crash, videos show dozens of semi truck us and other vehicles on a standstill on the new york thruway. About 22 vehicles were directly involved in the crash. And at least 75 were backed up and unable to move for several
hours. Multiple ambulances later rushed to the scene to assist drivers trapped in their cars. So, obviously very dangerous Weather Conditions suggesting perhaps that its only going to get worse. Lets bring in nbc meteorologist bill karins. Hes been away for a few days and we welcome him back. Nice to walk into a slow, easy forecast. Like history, new england, Power Outages. It feels like you need another vacation already to make up for the past 24 hours. Lets get into this. Its not always we start our Weather Forecast saying a huge ice storm in florida. Much worse than forecast. The area in pink, all Freezing Rain. Tallahassee, and gainesville and jacksonville, youre being spared. And now that Freezing Rain is spreading up into southern parts of georgia. This is whats the amazing part. This is where the computers are measuring the ice accumulation. That will freeze on power lines. This area in pink is half an inch of ice to three quarters inch ice. Even in areas like, say, the northeast and midwest, that would cause Power Outages and destruction. Imagine what that will do to areas of georgia and north florida. Listen, if youve ever driven through those huge pine trees theyre not going to farewe wel out of this. Its going to be ice and snow. And some are going to get both. Areas like savannah and charleston, a tenth to two tenths of ice. On top of that, this is florida, possibly six inches of snow. This will shut the area down for one or two days, at least in the carolinas. Areas east of the carolinas, norfolk, virginia beach, four to sixinch range also. Lets take the system northward. This is when the storm blows up
to be the ocean bomb of a storm. Its going to be one of the more powerful storms that weve ever seen. Its thankfully, off the coast. Its really only coastal areas. Blizzard warnings, cape cod, mass, heres if the snow map for the area. Norfolk area and virginia beach, youre in the 4 to 6inch range. Notice d. C. And philly, hardly anything for you. New york city, just barely hit around 2 inches. But really areas of boston to portland, all of this area, 6 to 12 with a lot of blowing snow. Well see wind gusts, guys, in cape cod up to 60 miles per hour. The coldest say are mass of the season arrives in the next coming of days. You can imagine. We have people in shelters. Its good to have you back, bill. Yeah. Aine will pril will be fanta. Hopefully, well be around. Its a much anticipated debut for Isaiah Thomas. But can he help the cavs end their threegame skid. Over in the until envelope a threetime Pro Bowl Quarterback says goodbye. Sports is next. Cancer challenges us. To find smarter solutions. To offer more precise and less invasive Treatment Options than before. Like advanced Genomic Testing and immunotherapy. See how were Fighting To Outsmart Cancer at cancercenter. Com outsmart trust 1 doctor recommended dulcolax. Use dulcolax tablets for gentle dependable relief. Suppositories for relief in minutes. And dulcoease for comfortable relief of hard stools. Dulcolax. Designed for dependable relief. At ally, we offer lowcost trades and highyield savings. But if thats not enough, we offer innovative investing tools to prepare you for the future. Looks like you hooked it. And if thats not enough, well help your kid prepare for the future. Dont hook it kid. And if thats still not enough, well help your kids kid prepare for the future. Looks like he hooked it. Well do anything. Takes after his grandad. Seriously anything, to help you invest for the future. Ally. Do it right. Welcome back, everyone. Time now for sports. We start with some nba. Cavaliers versus the trail blazers. For the 30 this season, Isaiah Thomas who was traded to boston from cleveland for Kyrie Irving Last Summer enters the game
after a long awaited debut. It looked like he didnt miss a beat. Scoring 17 points during the game. He looks to have a little chemistry with the team, the cavs would win it. And face kyrie irving in the Boston Celtics tonight. And Playoff Hopes for rivals in the final two weeks of the season the team will be sticking with long time head coach marvin lewis. Announcing a twoyear deal for the 59yearold to remain at the helm. The bengals posted a 79 record this season. Lewis is 15th with the team. The team is looking to have Playoff Victory with a Playoff Record of 07. Meanwhile, 14 times under center is enough for quarterback Carson Palmer who announced his retirement following an injury season. Palmer was drafted in 2003 and
spent his first eight seasons in the league with the bengals before being traded to oakland where they played two more years. And finishes his career with five seasons with the cardinals. With the Winter Olympics set for 2018, the Hockey League posted butler. Tells his father he made the cut and will represent the u. S. In the olympics. To see a father making the olympic team. Butler played on nhl Team Including the Ottawa Senators and the predators. Next months games were like the First Time Since 1994 that active nhlers have not played in the olympic winter games. I like how the dad starts beating him up. Right . Yeah, dont get too emotional. Toughen up there, son. Still ahead, why the
founders from the research of the trump dossier are demanding that republicans set the record straight. Plus, president of the United States trump slams democrats over daca. Taking a hard line. As congressional leaders prepare to meet with Top White House officials today. Well have that story and more coming up next. I have Type 2 Diabetes. Im trying to manage my a1c, then i learn Type 2 Diabetes puts me at greater risk for heart attack or stroke. Can one Medicine Help treat both blood sugar and cardiovascular risk . I asked my doctor. She told me about noninsulin victoza®. Victoza® is not only proven to lower a1c and blood sugar,
but for people with Type 2 Diabetes treating their cardiovascular disease, victoza® is also approved to lower the risk of major cv events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. While not for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. announcer victoza® is not for people with Type 1 Diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Do not take victoza® if you have a personal or Family History of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. Stop taking victoza® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck or symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing, or swallowing. Serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. So stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. Tell your doctor your medical history. Gallbladder problems have happened in some people. Tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. Taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. Side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. Change the course of your treatment. Ask your doctor about victoza®. That gives you coverage here, here and here. And it even lets you take a timeout. Nooooooo yes amazing speed, coverage and control. All with an xfi gateway. Welcome back, everybody. Im Yasmin Vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. It is the bottom of the hour. Lets start with the more thans top stories. South Koreas Unification Ministry has confirmed to nbc news that north korea has reopened a cross border communication channel. And has made contact one day after selfproposed highlevel talks between the two. Meanwhile, President Trump has ramped up his war of words with kim jongun responding to the north korean statement on his Nuclear Button. With trump calling his button much bigger and more powerful. And the u. S. Has suffered its first war death of 2018. The soldier identified as 34yearold golin of new jersey. He was killed in afghanistan. Four soldiers are in stable condition. And the leader of a Baptist Church has passed away, Thomas Munson served as leader of the church. His supervise include ed a controversial vote over gay marriage. He was 100 years old. And the founders of the
trump dossier are sharing what they told congress and demanding that republicans set the record straight. Fusion gps cofounders Glenn Simpson and peter fritsch, saying theyre being smeared. Republicans have refused to release full transcripts of our firms testimony, even as they leak details to its right. Christopher steele, the exbritish hired to do the research was not told of it, and they write that the sources in russia were not paid. And they write that they told congress that he were unaware of June 24th Meeting until news reports. And that the russians who met with the campaign were not steeles sources. As to how it came to the fbis attention, they write that steeles russian sources
reported back an extensive Kremlin Campaign to help elect donald trump. And steele seeing this as, quote, a crime in Progress Report it to the fbi. And sharing his intelligence with john mccain, quote, We Dont Believe The Steele dossier was the trigger for the fbis investigation in the russian meddling. It collaborates reports that the bureau had received from other sources including one inside the trump campaign. Senator Oaren Hatch Of Out Will Britain his 42nd and final time in the chamber today. The Senior Member announced his decision yesterday. Ive always been a fighter. I was an amateur boxer in my years, and i brought that Fighting Spirit with me to washington. But every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. And nfor me, that time is soon approaching. Thats why after much prayer and discussion with family and friends, ive decided to retire
at the end of this term. So, hatchs decision paves the way for former Massachusetts Governor and 2012 president of the United Statesial nominee mitt romney to run for the senate. According to the the new york times, romney was unaware of hatchs decision and had been operating under the assumption that the senator would run again. Not even bringing up the possibility of a campaign while skiing with monday with friends in utah. After hatch announced his decision, Romney Quickly changed his social media location from massachusetts to holiday, utah. A new poll from utahpolicy. Com found that 62 of utah voters approve of romney, while 45 approve of President Trumps performance. President trump had been urging hatch to seek an eighth term and block romney who most recently spurned the white house by speaking out against alabama elected u. S. Nominee roy moore. Congressional leaders are expected to meet with top foundations on the immigration
era program known as daca. Ahead of that meeting, President Trump is throwing fuel on the matter. The president tweeted out yesterday, democrats are doing nothing for da car just interested in politics. Daca activists and hispanics will go hard against dems will start falling in love with republicans. Nancy pelosi and Chuck Schumer are reportedly going to push the white house along with house leader Mitch Mcconnell for a deal to protect thousands of undocumented immigrants as part of a separate Spending Bill. But the president commented last week while he believes a bipartisan solution on daca is within reach, there can be no deal without his longpromised border wall, something Top Republicans are also echoing. I think there is an agreement that can be reached. Its got to start with border security, though. Putting money in place to Start Building the wall as President Trump said. He campaigned on this. And he won the presidency with this being a front and center issue. While lawmakers appear divided on daca an increasing number of americans feel congress should keep the program in place. A recent nbc news Wall Street Journal poll reveals that 62 of those questioned want lawmakers to continue daca up from 53 . 19 want no action. It does end with 23 down from the previous poll. 83 of democrats want to keep daca going, 55 of independents say continue the program. 39 of republicans say the program should remain in place. Back with us from washington reporter from the weekly standard, haley byrd. Haley, good to talk to you again. As ayman was reading the numbers shows people want daca to remain. Whats the deal for daca . The deal is whether democrats are going to push for it this
time around. In the past few months, democrats have tried to negotiate for daca in different bills, that have been shortterm funding bills. And democrats thus far have prioripr prioritized keeping a deal ep for daca. Coming up january 25th is when the current deal expires. So democrats are trying to decide if theyre going to push this time around for a longer term appropriations bill that would address this issue. And the leverage that they have isn is that republicans this time around havent been able to do shortterm Spending Bills. So the sort of bill you might be able to see here is, democrats might be open to Additional BorderSecurity Measures. Theyve signaled they arent really ready to fund a border
wall which is what trump has been demanding. So thats where the contention is. Let me ask you about the Spending Bill that you brought up because i know they want to tackle that today. And theres also the Government Shutdown that is sort of looming over everything in washington these days. What are the key points for each time getting the Spending Bill done . So, as i mentioned earlier, daca is an issue for democrats. But republicans are trying to increase Defense Spending in doing so they would be busting these budget control caps. And asking for control of increase in amount of discretionary spending. Generally, youre going to see a demand for dollar for Dollar Increase but i dont think republicans are going to go for that. And thats what this meeting today is going to address. Haley byrd, thank you for joining us, thank you. Turning to iran and white house Sarah Huckabee sanders
addressing the administrations position on resolving the brewing crisis. The United States supports the iranian people and we call on the regime to respect its citizens basic right to peacefully express their desire for change. The ultimate end game would be that the citizens and people of iran are actually given basic human rights. And hed certainly like to see them stop being a statesponsored of terror. They want to do that through current leadership, if thats possible, okay. But those are our priorities, just making sure those principles are met. So, her remarks same hours after President Trump took to twitter to once again blame President Obama for the situation. And trump also put iran on notice adding quote, the u. S. Is watching. And then a tweets from khamenei who blamed enmy emies of iran a
used the various means they possess including money and weapons. Nikkei haley called that complete nonsense. In an effort to encourage protesters to continue to fight and open up for whats right in iran. And joining us from the Truman National security project, good to have you back with us. Lets talk about how this particular protest has become somewhat internationalized. You have the United States obviously at the u. N. , with the global media trying to put the spotlight on iran. At the same time, you now have the iranian government starting to say were seeing foreign enemies get involved in here. And more calls on the European Union to come out with a standard. So, its clearly now becoming a Major International issue. How does that actually impact the protests themselves . Well, it gives the protesters some hope, seeing that its internationalized. Seeing that people are watching with how the iranian government is going to treat them. But at the same time, it plays
into the hardliners who know this is all sparked by the u. S. And west. And that has a long history in iran of decades of having things like this sparked. Does Internationalizing Help the protests or hurt it . I think it hurts it because the regime like to use a tag line of being Foreign Agents. Saying the west has sparked this. Its saudi arabia, its israel, its president of the United States trump. And once youre a Foreign Agent other people on the sideline are not coming in. As you know, there are certainly splintered factions in iran, khamenei, rouhani and revolution who are are controlled by khamenei at the end of the gay. Now, it seems like theyre not necessarily in the streets theyre holding the forces back. But now it seems they are coming out, theyre being zee empldeplo the streets. Gamechanger, huh . Exactly, a total gamechanger
here. Today, my sources tell me theyve gone into the villages. Theyve gone into the rural areas, the regime. Whether youre right now, its sort of like a multiheaded hydra. It only goes in the same direction. Looks in the same direction when its being threatened from the outside. Or even from within. Right now, everyone is focused in iran from the regime, whether its hardliner or reformer, putting down these protests. So, youre really seeing a serious crackdown of putting people on the streets. Do you actually buy this as the economics of iran . Or do you think its a lot more than that, more about the Regime Change . I think it starts off as economics. It started off as economics. Different groups now have used this as an excuse to air their grievances. But mainly, its coming from the rural areas. From the poor, who havent seen any benefits for 38 years. I mean, not since the revolution happened. Theres been no trickledown effect. Rouhani oversold the nuclear deal saying your lives are going
to get so much better. Well, its been two years now and their lives havent gotten better. Every year they get farther and farther behind. President has to make a decision whether or not hes going to impose sanctions. How do you see that playing out . Can that back fire or fuel the protests, given that the golf wants the protests to continue . I think it would be a mistake to use the protests as a way to undermine the nuclear deal. The nuclear deal has nothing to do with the protests. Its an international agreement. If he does it as an zeexcuse to exit the deal, thats a hard line narrative. Because the relief especially collapses. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Still ahead, everybody, President Trump pats himself on the back for a safety milestone. While some are criticizing trump for taking credit for a record 2017 for aviation. Wait, he didnt do that . Plus, bill karins is tracking potentially a winter
storm that could create problems for millions along the east coast. It takes a lot of work to run this business. But i really love it. Im on the move all day long. And sometimes, i dont eat the way i should. So, i drink boost to get the nutrition im missing. Boost high protein nutritional drink has 15 grams of protein to help maintain muscle and 26 Essential Vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d. All with a great taste. Boost gives me everything i need. To be up for doing what i love. Boost high protein. Be up for it. Save seven dollars. Look in sundays paper. Welcome back. President trump is facing backlash after taking credit for the commercial Aviation Industry posting its safest year ever in 2017. Yes, the president tweeted yesterday once again, since taking office i have been very strict on commercial aviation. Good news. It was just reported that there were zero deaths in 2017. The best and safest year on record. Current and former Aviation Safety officials have come out saying that the president was, get this, not responsible for last years safety records, citing years long improvements in safety. And the fact that no u. S. Passenger airliner has had a fatal crash since 2009 during President Obamas tenure. And Pierre Thomas questioned Sarah Huckabee sanders on whether or not the president deserves some credit. The president has raised the bar for our nations aviation security. Hes certainly very grateful. Last year, the president announced his initiative to modernize air traffic control. Under this leadership, the department of Homeland Security released enhanced Security Measures to ensure safer air travel. Look, the president s very happy that there were no commercial airline deaths in 2017, and we hope that that trend continues well into 2018 and beyond. So, meanwhile, mark kelly spoke out on the matter saying President Trump should be willing to take responsibility for other less positive records. Writing on twitter, if youre going to take credit for the zero deaths in 2017, then you should take responsible for the thousand of gun deaths, too. Lets go to meteorologist bill karins who is going to give us good news, bill. If you live on the west coast, thats about it. This storm in the east coast is one of the most significant
storms. 13 million under winter storm watch, mostly because that includes new york city. The development overnight is the ice storm in florida. And those words dont usually mix well together. Lake city is 31 degrees and Freezing Rain. Luckily, jacksonville just above it. Gainesville, too. Now, the Freezing Rain is spreading across georgia. The forecast was for a little bit of ice. Maybe minor Power Outages. And weve increased that greatly overnight. When you get ice that accumulates over half an inch to three quarters of an inch, Tree Branches can start coming down. This is georgia, those Beautiful Pines down there. Areas from brunswick, all the way down to the south to i10, savannah and charleston, youre going to get ice. Its going to be treacherous. Stay home if you can. You get a glaze of ice, you cant really treat the roads down there, they dont have the salt. Then you get snow on top of it. So this is whats going to happen today. This is another 3 or 4 inches of snow on top of ice. Maine, boston, hartford, jersey shore, Down To Norfolk and virginia beach. Snow map, again, this is not a huge snowstorm. Yes, onefoot reports from areas of Proff Providence and coastal maine. Whats going to make this a memorable storm is the wind and Power Outages. The storm itself will move in by 7 00 p. M. , and then 12 00 p. M. Up in maine. We could see gusts of 60 miles an hour in cape cod. People arent going to have power. And friday morning, its going to be temperature in the single digits. Sometimes, we crack jokes about these things, obviously with the wind that bill is talking about, it means dangerous conditions especially its winter. People in shelters in eastern
new england, if you dont have power, 10 degrees, plus the Power Workers out there trying to repair this. Still ahead, one of the biggest of the biggest names in Silicon Valley is putting a big bet on bitcoin. How much she putting behind the currency and the stories driving your business day coming up next. Hey, need fast heartburn relief . Try cool mint zantac. It releases a Cooling Sensation in your mouth and throat. Zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. Nexium can take 24 hours. Try cool mint zantac. No pill relieves heartburn faster. But prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered. In jellyfish. In clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve shortterm memory. Prevagen. The name to remember. Or a little Internet Machine . It makes you wonder shouldnt we get our phones and internet from the same company . Thats why Xfinity Mobile comes with your internet. You get up to 5 lines of talk and text at no extra cost. So all you pay for is data. See how much you can save. Choose by the gig or unlimited. Xfinity mobile. A new kind of network designed to save you money. Call, visit, or go to xfinitymobile. Com. Welcome back, everybody. Lets turn to business. While most investors have skipped away from the bitcoin bug, one reportedly did to the tune of a 15 million investment. Good morning, jomana. Bitcoin had its high. It dropped off a bit. Now its getting a major investment. How is it responding . There is no surprise there, of course the bitcoin is higher to the tune of 14 , going back to that 14,700 level. Its a key thing, peter theil was cofoirpd of paypal. He is worth hundreds of millions of dollars now. Good for him. Elsewhere, the United States has
blocked a takeover from Chinese Technology company and in a bid to buy a u. S. Financial Payment Company money gram for 1. 2 billion. The Chief Executive says the chief political environment has changed considerably since we ae townsed it a year ago. Of course, President Trump continues to be very concerned about Chinese Companies investing more and more in american tech companies. Thats certain lay Great Development there. Lets talk spotify, starting off on a sour note, being slapped with a 1. 6 billion copywrite lawsuit. What do we know about them . They have been sued by music publishers. The suit alleges more than 6 million of spotify phones, the total Catalogue Library that spotify has are actually improperly licensed and so have
the right streaming. They are suing them for 1. 2 billion. The suit has thousands of songs like beachboys, santana and some people will be disappointed. I was listening to tom petty on spotify so i can appreciate that. It must be a misdemeanor. No, thats your style. I love missey elliot. I dont. All right. Coming up next on morning joe, much more on the continued word of wars between President Trump and kim jongun as one of the biggest geopolitical threats, involves into a contest of who has the biggest button. Ambassador Nicholas Burns and supreme allie commander James Stavridis weighs in, morning joe, everybody, moments away. Will be hearing about. When they return from holiday break, Democrat Doug Jones will fill a seat vacated by Jeff Sessions to become Attorney General and former joe bind as his escort for the occasion. Tina smith lt. Gov. Will be sporn in, replacing former democratic senator al franken. The governor of minnesota chose smith to complete frankens term after he announced he would resign over Sexual Misconduct allegations. That does it for us for this wednesday morning, morning joe, everybody, starts right now. Look at those hands, are they small hands . And he referred to my hands, if theyre small, Something Else must be small. I guarantee you there is no problem. I guarantee you. Okay. Nearly two years ago, donald trump was in a handmeasuring contest against marco rubio. These days hes on twitter comparing the size of his Nuclear Button with the dictator