Headline making news today. That is the reporting that the president ordered the firing of Robert Mueller back in june. Nbc news, you have confirmed those details. Walk us through where it stands, and this pushback, as one would expect, from the president today. Reporter thats right. Nbc news has confirmed the New York Times reporting that President Trump ordered the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller back in june. He ordered that of his counsel, don mcgahn, who pushed back forcefully, refused to do it. Even went so far as to threaten to fire over the issue, saying it would be politically disastrous for the president and for his presidency. Now, the broader context to this, peter, is that it underscores the fact that this is a russia probe thats escalating, getting closer to the president himself. The president has repeatedly denied considering firing mueller. By the way, he was asked in june. He was asked a number of times after that, and he consistently said he wasnt considering firing mueller. So this goes against that. Top adviser here, mercedes slack was asked about all this earlier today. Heres what she had to say. I havent talked to the president about this. The white house have been cooperative on the special counsel. We know the president is not considering firing mueller. We know that mueller has been straightforward in this process. And in essence, we want to find an end to this investigation. I mean, i think clearly weve seen no evidence of collusion. And no evidence of wrongdoing. Reporter democrats and many republicans would have seen a move to fire mueller as crossing a line. But the fact remains, peter, mueller remains in place. Don mcgahn still works here at the white house. Still, this is an issue that continues to roil this president , and his legal team is having Sensitive Conversations with muellers legal team about a potential interview with the president. The president earlier this week telling reporters he looks forward to such an interview, and he would do so under oath. His counsel ty cobb walked that back a bit, and saying there are negotiations under way even as the president wants to cooperate. Hes going to be the one to decide whether the president voluntarily speaks to the special counsel. I want to get your sense of the reaction from lawmakers right now on capitol hill. They have been warning about the potential for this, certainly democrats have. But some republicans said it would be problematic, obviously. What are they saying now that we have this new reporting indicating it did occur . Reporter the reaction, i think, is what you would expect, democrats pouncing on this saying that it is an indication, and all of the reasons why the special counsel is looking into potential obstruction of justice. Take a listen to what a top democrat had to say overnight. These reports are absolutely stunning, deeply frightening, because they show, again, that the president will stop at nothing to protect himself from this obstruction of justice investigation. Reporter and peter, of course the president s legal team insists that they have been incredibly transparent, have turned over tens of thousands of documents. They point to the fact that dozens of people have been interviewed by the special counsel right here at the white house. They continue to argue that this investigation will be wrapped up quickly, peter. Kristen welker at the white house. Thank you, kristen. New york times reporter Nicholas Schmidt broke this story. Hes an Nbc National Security contributor. Lucky for us. And for the washington post, amber phillips, and Kimberly Atkins will be with us as well. Michael, i want to ask you first, youve been reporting out these details here. We had heard this as a piece of the conversation months ago. The president musing about this, at least according to some of those near him. Heres what they said at the time. Lets listen. There was a basis upon which there was a question raised that raised the kind of issues that are serious, as in the situation with james comey. The president has authority to take action, whether he would do it is ultimately a decision the president makes. Hes considering perhaps terminating the special counsel. I think hes weighing that option. I think its pretty clear by what one of his lawyers said on television recently. So theres a big gap between weighing that option, and ordering that to occur, as youre now reporting out. What struck you and whats changed . How has the climate changed that these sources are comfortable detailing this . These are things the special counsel has learned about in the past few months as they have interviewed white house officials about whats gone on, how the president dealt with the russia investigation, the firing of comey, and the white house has allowed, and given full transparency with the mueller investigation, allowing these officials to go in and tell mr. Mueller these things. Its in the course of that that they learn these. The white house as handed over dozens and dozens of document. Every senior official has met with them in the course of it. Thats how they learned about it. Michael, how did don mcgahn weather this storm back then . The tensions that existed between the president , may still exist between the president and his Legal Counsel inside the white house. But mcgahn pushed back and hes still there. How did he weather that storm . Im not sure. Mcgahn has been at the center of many of these incredibly difficult moments where the president has asked for, you know, these things that a lot of his advisers didnt think were good ideas, and mcgahns had to try to figure out how to do them ethically or legally. In the case of the comey firing, it was it fell to mcgahn to go to the Justice Department to get them to help come up with the rationale for why they were dismissing the fbi director. If you recall back in march it was mcgahn who the president had goto attorney general sessions, and lobby him not to recuse himself from the russia investigation. And after he did recuse himself, the president erupted at mcgahn and said he needed someone to be leading the Justice Department who could protect him. So all of these critical junctures, mcgahn has been there with the president. To be clear, its not just Robert Mueller the president had order it had firing of. He also discussed firing muellers boss, rod rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney general as well, right . Correct. Rosenstein is the one overseeing the russia investigation. But he is not someone that the president has known for a long time. The president really prides his loyalty, speaks about that openly. Hes upset sessions has recused himself from the investigation. He sees rosenstein as an outsider, not part of his campaign or political life. The president has deep distrust of rosenstein, and the president would like to get someone in that position overseeing the investigation whom he trusts. Im going to put up a tweet, from natasha bertrand. Asked him to drop the flynn probe, fired comey, pressured sessions not to recuse, pressured coats, roger, pompeo and multiple Congress Members to say he wasnt under investigation. Tried to fire muellerer. Drip, drip, drip, it continues to grow. Yeah, and i will add onto that list. When you by my count the president has reported to considering firing or in the case of james comey actually fired five top Justice Department or fbi officials, including the big daddy of them all, now Robert Mueller. It raises the question, either the president truly believes this is a hoax, and people are out to get him in the Justice Department, including allies like Jeff Sessions who are politically tainted, or hes trying to cover something up. To be clear, its okay to muse about this, to be angry about this. Its another thing to have done it. Is there anything problematic about saying it if you dont go through with it . He did give the order according to the report. That is some sort of action. Whether that raises to a legal problem, i think that depends. But i think all of this evidence, everything that natasha pointed out in the tweet, and then amber added to, does go to the issue of intent. And as Robert Mueller is looking into whether there is an intent to obstruct this investigation, to stop it, to get in the way in some sort of impermissible way, all of this is very important. You know that Robert Mueller is looking at it closely. Fundamentally, michael, the timing around this, may and june of last year, is right as there were reports mueller was looking into the idea of obstruction of justice surrounding the firing of james comey. Then the president , conceivably, had he gone forward with the firing of Robert Mueller, would have, i think, raised more questions about obstruction of justice. That really appears to be what the focus is here, the whole idea of obstruction of justice. Not just in a small sense, but in a wider sense. The existence of mueller was a sign to the president that his conduct in office, in the white house, was going to come into question. The president has long insisted there was no collusion, and done everything he can to put that past him. But, at the same time, what mueller represented was that they were going to be digging into these decisions the president had made, the comey firing, what led up to that, why the president was so obsessed with having someone loyal to him oversee the investigation. And the president saw this as a real threat and was coming up with Different Reasons to try and get around that. Michael schmidt, excellent piece of reporting. We thank you for being with us. Amber and kimberly, well ask you to stay with us for a little bit if you can. President trump heading back home after the speech at the World Economic forum in davos, switzerland. Air force one taking off a matter of minutes ago. He to be a jab at the media during a question and answer session. As a businessman i was always treated really well by the press, the numbers speak and things happen. Ive had a good press. And it wasnt until i became a politician that i realized how nasty, how mean, how vicious, and how fake the press can be, as the cameras start going off in the background. You could hear the boos in the background there, nbc chief White House CorrespondentHallie Jackson is in davos. You got a front row seat of this entire exchange from there. What did you make of the president s remarks . Give us a sense of the reception he received from the worlds elites. Reporter let me just say, peter, i wish i had a front row seat. I had a 50th row seat. We were kind of in the middle there. I have already gotten a little bit of blowback on twitter from folks saying i didnt hear the boos on tape. I think the boos were clear. Sitting in the room, there were hisses and boos definitively, absolutely audible. Really only when the president in that question and answer session after his speech talked about that fake news moment. Obviously, the president sitting on an International Stage talk about the free press that way. For this president that has become something hes done in the past, especially at home obviously. That was an interesting moment. Overall, the audience was receptive. It was an absolutely packed house, there were no empty seats. People were standing alongside and in the back which you couldnt see from the shot of the president sitting on stage. His speech, bottom line for the whole davos trip, no major missteps, and thats exactly what his aides wanted him to do. Wanted him to come in, deliver and leave. And thats what hes done. Hes already on his way back home to washington, flight time roughly eight hours. We are still here, obviously, to talk about all of the sort of fallout from that. I want to play you a bit from the president s speech, and were going to lay out a little more of the goals the white house had with the president delivering this thing. Watch. Now is the perfect time to bring your business, your jobs, and your investments to the United States. I will always put America First, just like the leaders of other countries should put their Country First also. But America First does not mean america alone. When the United States grows, so does the world. Reporter so there were three things, really, three major themes that the white house had hoped people would hear in that speech. You heard one of them. One of them is the theme that america is open for business. Basically the president wants to talk about, and did, regulatory reform, the tax laws, making the u. S. More competitive. He wanted to talk about fair and reciprocal trade. You know thats something hes been talking about his entire administration, and your coverage of the white house. He also wanted to give a nod to International Threats from north korea, from isis, and talk about the Global Community coming together to combat those. Had a chance to catch up with the Congress Secretary wilbur ross after the speech. In our discussion, secretary ross said, yeah, President Trump wanted to clear up some misconceptions. I said what misconceptions . The secretary said im paraphrasing, essentially the u. S. Wants to pull out of all these trade agreements and doesnt want to do deals. The president wants to do deal, but we want them on our terms. Secretary ross, unsurprisingly, praised the president s appearance here in davos. Im not sure you would expect anything else from someone in the president s cabinet. Its notable on past foreign trips, there have been moments that have been jaw dropping from this president. Not so much in switzerland. Instead a lot of controversy is happening back home as you just spent the first ten minutes in the show talking about. That reaches to switzerland as well. The president , as your friend Kelly Odonnell said, appearing to be the chair chamber of commerce. Kelly o. , always with the lines, you know. Quick like a puma. Hallie, thank you very much. Coming up, President Trump sounding optimistic, lawmakers can work across the aisle and come up with a deal on immigration. The current framework isnt making either side happy. Well break it down and tell you why next. engine starting up . When it can get by on looks alone . Why create something that stands out, when everyone expects you to fit in . Its simple. You can build a car, or you can build a cadillac. Come in now for this exceptional offer on the cadillac cts. Get this lowmileage lease on this 2018 cadillac cts from around 469 per month. Visit your local cadillac dealer. Smile dad. Froi take medication for h. High Blood Pressure and cholesterol. But they might not be enough to protect my heart. Adding bayer aspirin can further reduce the risk of another heart attack. Because my Second Chance matters. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. 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Open your ears to the Largest Selection of audiobooks from the worlds most inspiring voices. Download audible today. Look, were going to try and make a deal on daca. We need the wall, we need security, we need security at the border. That was the president only a short time ago sounding confident, saying there is a good chance that a bipartisan deal could be reached on immigration. But today, hard line immigration opponents, and democrats are slamming the administrations latest proposal. Here is what is in that framework. Break it down. A 25 billion trust fund for a border wall, an end to whats called chain migration, the Family Sponsorship program, and an end to the visa lottery system. In exchange for all that, a path to citizenship for 1. 8 million younger undocumented immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, those d. R. E. A. M. Ers, not just the individuals who registered, but those who failed to register in the past. Thats a significant, i think, item the democrats may wrap their hands around as a win here. Garrett, what is the pushback though . We barely have two weeks to figure this out, as evidenced by the shortterm spending bill and the next deadline looming where we could face another shutdown. Hardliners have saying no way. What is the way forward on this . This is a remarkable proposal because it has something in it for everyone to hate. Theres about 20 of folks on the far right on the immigration issue who hate the idea of giving what they consider to be amnesty to this expanded group, not just daca recipients, but an even larger group of folks who came here under that Program Beyond the typical what weve been counting as d. R. E. A. M. Ers. Then democrats hate basically Everything Else in this plan. Ironically enough, the wall part of it may be the least controversial. Its the changes to Legal Immigration that they dont like. So youre hearing some of these loud voices on the right, like steve king, the congressman from iowa tweeting out we shouldnt be having some form of amnesty here. Quotes from ted cruz saying voting for a pathway to citizenship would be breaking the promises made. Those arent people involved in putting together a compromise. If there is a way forward on this, its going to come out of Susan Collins office where they have put together this Bipartisan Group that now numbers about a third of the members in the senate. Trying to write something that can get 60 or even 70 votes in the senate. And then were going to end up in the equivalent of a political squeeze play here where the senate and the president will have to force something that the house can stomach. The house has always been the graveyard of immigration proposals. That may not change. Thats how this appears to be setting up. A lot of plugs for switzerland today, Susan Collins office being dubbed switzerland. A place where all sides can come together. Garrett haake, thanks so much. Kimberly, here the president speaking about d. R. E. A. M. Ers, take a listen. I want to solve the daca problem. I will consider that a great achievement to solve the daca problem. Its been out there for a long time. These are good people, people that should be able to stay in this country. People that should be able to stay in this country. Sounds good. Heres what breitbart has to say about it. Trumps e other failed amnesties. Tough politics, when youre dealing with conservative house rp republicans on this. The senates 60 votes seems conceivable, and the house is more challenging. Immigration reform is a tough needle to thread in the best of times. When you have Stark Division on each side of this debate, one side calling it amnesty, and really denouncing it, you have progressives, and proimmigration groups on the other side that is calling it a plan for white supremacists. That makes it even harder for these two sides to come together. The clock is ticking, and were going to be at another Government Shutdown crisis if the sides cant come together within just less than a couple weeks. The president s team, in briefing us yesterday, saying they want to vote on this the week of february 6th. We are not far away from them wanting this thing resolved. Let me ask you, amber, specifically about democrats here. Theres a lot the democrats can dislike, the border wall, but a leading democrat says to me that is more symbolic. We dont think it gets built. But there is also something they may have to think twice about before turning away from, the idea that almost 2 million d. R. E. A. M. Ers, not just those, again, with permits, but those who didnt apply, would be able to stay in the u. S. That put pressure on them. Trump is absolutely tried to put democrats in a corner by daring them to say, how badly do you want d. R. E. A. M. Ers to be legalized . Heres not just the number who are in already have protections, im going to double that for you. But underneath that is an extremely conservative bill, slashing Legal Immigration is something that not a lot of mainstream republicans in past immigration debates have been supportive of. Democrats have in a tough situation and theyre also frustrated. What i hear is trump sort of forcing the fate of d. R. E. A. M. Ers on them, and their party specifically. Because, again, trump is the one who ended the d. R. E. A. M. Er program in september. At that time, republicans like House Speaker paul ryan are saying i dont see why we need to this. This should be a bipartisan thing, protecting d. R. E. A. M. Ers. One of the things well watch, what type of priority it is for this white house to deport these young d. R. E. A. M. Ers. Its hard to fathom, that image, the idea some of these d. R. E. A. M. Ers would be forced to leave the country if its not resolved, the deadline for them is march 5th. What does the president do . Is he willing to extend this further past march 5th, saying we are going to give congress more time to resolve this . He could. Weve already seen news reports of people whove lived their whole lives in the United States, being deported to countries that they dont know, where they dont speak the language, and its terrible to see. And families ripped apart. This is the optics that he wants. The white house is saying they would not be the priority. Were seeing it happen. Anytime that happens, thats going to be terrible optics for this white house. This president who said he wanted a solution that was filled with love. Bad image for this country, i think we all agree, broadly, to be kicking out coming up a look at where the latest order stands following a year of contentious legal challenges. Woman im a fighter. Always have been. When i found out i had agerelated macular degeneration, amd, i wanted to fight back. My doctor and i came up with a plan. 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This as the pennsylvania senator comes under fire after revelations he settled a Sexual Harassment complaint brought by a former aide. In a letter to his Campaign Chairman obtained by the philadelphia enquirer, he writes i need to own it because it is my own conduct that fueled the matter. Representative joe kennedy of massachusetts, youll be seeing him deliver the democratic response to the state of the union next tuesday. The grandson of bobby kennedy, the great nephew of the former president john f. Kennedy, considered to be a rising star in the democratic party. He burst onto the National Stage last year after delivering a series of speeches blasting republicans for trying to repeal obamacare. We turn back the clock for a moment. Youll remember it was a year ago today that President Trump headed into his first weekend in office with this scene across the nations airports. Protests like those erupting after President Trump signed an executive order blocking all refugees and people from several muslimmajority countries. It was a move the president has long called for along the campaign trail he did. But its one that he, to this day, maintains is not a ban. Donald j. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the United States. Im establishing new vetting, measures to keep radical islamic terrorists out of the United States of america. Its not a muslim ban. Sure sounded like a ban to a lot of people, including to the court system. Its up to the Supreme Court to decide in april, after it announced last week that it will consider the governments latest appeal against the lower courts ruling. Nbcs National Security and justice reporter Julia Ainsley is joining me now from our news room. Lets catch people up on this. The travel ban has gone through three revisions now. People are still feeling the impact from that original executive order. Walk us through that. Yes, peter, it will be a year ago tomorrow that we can remember those global protests, people being detained in airports because customs and Border Protection wasnt given a heads up on this. No one quite knew how to interpret this travel ban. And so there was just mass chaos. Since then, there were a number of Court Rulings that put all of that on hold, and then twice, as you just laid out, the administration has kind of revamped what this travel ban, or temporary hold on travel entails. At this point, it is people from these countries, i ran, libya, syria, yemen, somalia, chad and north korea, and some people from venezuela who cannot come into the country. Lower Court Rulings have said that this third version is still unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court put a stay on those rulings, and said that it will decide this case, it will hear the arguments in april, and make a decision by late june. So in the meantime theres a lot of limbo. There are a lot of people pushing back saying that this is unconstitutional. But really the answer that we hope will finally get in june is how far the president of the United States can go in deciding who is a National Security threat, and who can come into this country. Julia, more broadly, the Supreme Court is taking this case up in april. What, in effect, is the argument the Trump Administration is making for why this is a necessity . Right, peter, so you know from covering this at the white house that theyve tweaked the language in the ban. The overall argument has not changed. It is a national concern, and they say people from these countries arent able to be properly vetted, that people would be coming into the country on a visa who really havent been securely vetted by their home countries. We dont know who they may have worked for, whether or not they were involved in an International Terrorist organization. And they say that without that information they cant come through. It is true, the United States has the right to vet who comes into this country and make sure thats properly done. A lot of people say that when it comes to vetting refugees, a lot of these people most affected, these are the most stringent examinations in our country. And dhs runs these checks thoroughly every day. Theres a heavy vetting system as you indicate before the process occurs. Julia ainsley, we appreciate your reporting. The sentencing of dr. Larry nassar for criminal Sexual Conduct was only the beginning of the fight. Now the calls for change in usa gymnastics are extending to the Olympic Committee. What female lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are now asking of congress. Thats next. Through dna i found out that i was only 16 italian. He was 34 eastern european. So i went onto ancestry, soon learned that one of our ancestors we thought was italian was eastern european. This is my ancestor who i didnt know about. He looks a little bit like me, yes. Ancestry has many paths to discovering your story. Get started for free at ancestry. Com tripadvisor compares prices from over 200 booking sites to time to bask. In low prices find the right hotel for you at the lowest price. Refreshing, isnt it . Tripadvisor. Before i hadburning,oting, pinsandneedles of diabetic nerve pain, these feet. Grew into a freewheeling kid. Loved every step of fatherhood. And made old cars good as new. But i couldnt bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. So i talked to my doctor and he prescribed lyrica. Nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain, from moderate to even severe diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or blurry vision. Common side effects dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs, and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those whove had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. Now i have less diabetic nerve pain. And i love smoothing the road ahead for others. Ask your doctor about lyrica. This morning, just days after Larry Nassars sentencing, the u. S. Olympic committee issued an ultimatu ultimatum to gymnastics unless the board of directors resigns by next wednesday. It follows nassars sentencing on multiple counts of criminal Sexual Conduct, and more than 150 women coming forward to say that he abused them. In response, usa gymnastics says it embraces the requirements outlines, but does not mention forthcoming resignations. Its reaching beyond the world of sports, sparking action in washington as well. A Bipartisan Group of female lawmakers is now calling for congressional investigations into the usa gymnastics, and the u. S. Olympic committee. Democratic congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of new york is one of those Congress Members cht she is joining me now. I wanted your sense on this if theres been any response yet from the committee chair, from the ranking member, where does that request stand at this time . Well, i sent a letter yesterday. I will be calling them today. And its our responsibility to hear the cry of the young women, 150 of them, that they were abused, its a scandal beyond belief. And i think that they need to be held accountable. And the young women have called for an independent investigation. We should give it to them. Its congresss responsibility. Well be working on it today, and hoping to make it happen. This is just the beginning. So lets drill down on this. The senate and the house have passed separate bills, per my understanding, reforming how these organizations report sexual abuse. Are you confident those bills first of all can be reconciled, and passed by both houses, perhaps more significantly, how would that reform prevent these awful abuses from happening again . Well, its a start. But we need to know more because it was reported in the press, its saying not only did the girls for 20 years, they were reporting the abuse, not only were they reporting it, but there are reports that there was a coverup, that they were forced to sign nondisclosure agreements. What is this about . How many of them are there . And we ought to look at the Olympic Committee that was created by congress in 1978, and they complained to them. They complained to everyone. And Michigan State university failed to protect their students. They received federal funds. We have a federal responsibility to listen to it. I must tell you, i am frightened by how far this could go. This is just the beginning. There are other people coming forward from other organizations. These were our elite athletes. And we didnt protect them even when there was crying and screaming for help. Congresswoman, you speak about elite athletes, including one who spoke this week, aly raisman who listed who she feels should be held accountable. He need to hold these organizations accountable. Usa gymnastics United StatesOlympic Committee, msu needs an independent investigation. This is bigger than larry nassar. We have to get to the bottom of how this darisaster happened. If we dont figure out how it did we cant be confident that it wont happen again. She reiterates your point. Its a federally chartered institution. The athletes and columnists have called for the charter to be reexamined. Absolutely. Is that something that should be done . Absolutely. It should be reexamined. Aly went on further to say theyre rotten to the core. These are serious, serious allegations. Whats so troubling is that this happened for 20 years. Reported. Why didnt they act to protect these young children, in many cases, from this reported abuse . And what frightens me is i dont think larry nassar, dr. Nassar, im glad hes convicted, but i dont think hes alone. I think there could be other cases, and there have been other allegations, they should be looked at, should be reported on. We should review. How did this systemic abuse happen for so long . Congresswoman, just to conclude right now, we know the house and senate sides are implementing new training to deal with this me too moment with Sexual Harassment, and those types of claims. Are you satisfied with what youre seeing so far . Has it met the bar, you think, is necessary . Whats interesting is for the first time they are treating it, peter, seriously. Theyre taking actions. We will be passing legislation really on monday when we go back to congress on reporting for the gymnastics and sports, but also in the next two weeks i believe we will have a reform bill on congress itself. And i have two bills in that then go to the private sector on ways to put sunlight on these abuses, and reporting on it. There is too much effort to cover it up. We need to have a safe workplace for all of our people, and to stop it. We have a unique opportunity now with the attention from you and others. For sure. On these abuses. The next step is what are you going to do about it to make sure it doesnt happen again . Well watch it closely. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, thank you very much. Meeting in washington right now, some of them speaking about what its like to run a city under the Trump Administration. We will hear from them next. c, shooting pain in my feet. I hear you, sam. Cedric, i couldnt sleep at night because of my diabetic nerve pain. I hear you, claire, because my dad struggled with this pain. Folks, dont wait. Step on up and talk to your doctor. Because the one thing i keep hearing is. Im glad i stepped on up. Me too, buddy. If you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, step on up and talk to your doctor today. Step on up the winter of 77. Uring i first met james in 5th grade. We got married after college. And had twin boys. But then one night, a truck didnt stop. But thanks to our forester, neither did our story. And thats why well always drive a subaru. This is food made to sit down for. Slow down for. Put the phone away, and use a knife and fork for. And with panera catering, its food worth sharing. Panera. Food as it should be. Right now more than 200 mayors from across this country are here in washington for the United States conference of mayors, their annual winter meeting. One of this years top themes can be found pinned to the top of the u. S. Mayors twitter page, dont look to washington, mayors are on the front lines of todays battles. One of those battles kicked off this week when several prominent mayors cancelled meetings with the president over Justice Departments rachmped up threat for cities. Garrett haake, give us a sense of what some mayor had to say about this. Peter, we put together a Bipartisan Group of mayors. I was struck by how much they stuck together in what seems like the face of an administration that doesnt appreciate them, or could be openly hostile at times to americas cities. I started out by asking atlantas new mayor to react to this announcement from the white house earlier that day. Its especially concerning when the federal governments treating cities as this they are enemies of the state, if you will. People are really looking to local leadership for stability because we dont have any stability at the National Level. Give me a sense of how washington is helping what youre trying to do in your cities, and how is it hurting . I think for what we see, is really washington being nonexistent to being harmful. The problem with washington is, is that we cant count on them. We have no ability to predict and plan for the future because right now nobody seems to know what the hecks going on. Its hard to partner with an administration when you dont know necessarily what theyre for, any consistency to where they may be on any given day. In my view, agencies that aren functioning or appointments that havent been made or employees that arent at woork. The president and our leaders at a National Level should look to us oeslocally. We have a pulse on what our issues are. Reporter if the president came to you tomorrow and said, i need advice. Get off of twitter. Thatd be my first piece of advice. Some bipartisan agreement at the table on this issue . Not helping him at all. I would also say, listen to us. I had a chance to meet Vice President biden a few years ago. He said this is when i was on city council. He said, i used to be on city council. It was harder than being Vice President. I said, really . Why . He said, Everybody Knows where you live. Exactly. Its true. I would also tell the president , you need to stop trying to choke us off and start realizing that local government is the best working, most functional form of government that exists right now. Were the ones innovating. We still have to deliver highquality Services Every single day. Dont plow the snow and see what happens. Dont pick up the trash for a day. How many calls do you get . Reporter could a mayor be president next . Sure. Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. A mayor being president would be good for the country. I agree. Itd be frustrating for the mayor that becomes president because we move very quickly. I think the thing that surprises us and, you know, mayors that have gone to congress, usually want to quit the job because everything moves so slowly and nothing happens. Reporter may yoors may feel like nothing happens in congress, but there is no such thing as a Government Shutdown when it comes to picking up the trash and plowing the streets. Interesting conversation and not an academic question about a mayor running for president. There are a handful of big city mayors who very on the 2020 whisper list who might be thinking about it. From potholes to the police, mayors deal with issues on an everyday basis. There is no ability to delay. You talk about 2020. Eric garcetti from los angeles making news in the last several days, saying given what hes seen from the white house, perhaps he is overaqualified. Who are the other bigname mayors who may throw in their hat in 2020. Reporter the one im watching is the mayor of new orleans. He was the president of this conference of mayors. He gave the keynote speech earlier in the day, before i talked to these mayors. Ive covered a lot of political events. It sounded for all the world like a campaign speech. Hitting the president a little bit but also talking about bringing people together. Talking about race issues that need to be dealt with, and talking about this idea that mayors know how to get something done. Hes somebody i would definitely be watching. Hes also got a book tour coming up next year. The kind of thing that lays political groundwork for a possible campaign. Thats a pretty good cue. The fact he has a book tour for next year says all you need to know now. Stay with us a s. E. Ec. Our panel is back. I want to ask both of you, your take about this. This interesting dynamic between mayors in this country, rahm emanuel among those at the front of this, obviously his pushback on the sanctuary cities issue from the white house and others. Sarah sanders responded to that issue in recent days. The white house has been very clear that we dont support sanctuary cities. We support enforcing the law and following the law. If mayors have a problem with that, they should talk to congress, the people that pass the laws. The white house punting those issues to congress. How problematic is that right now . Mayors, let me start with that, 2 3 of mayors of the top 100 biggest cities are democrats. They really are, as the u. S. Mayors, sit on the front lines not just of policy battles but politics, as well. Theres not a lot the Trump Administration can do to waive a pen and end sanctuary cities. Theres a host of legal and constitutional and even geographical questions. System of their efforts have been held up in court. Its mayors who are mostly democratic in the big cities who are basically able to create the sanctuary cities, which is a middle finger to the Trump Administration. Theyre the ones that face these challenges every day on opioids, on infrastructure. The mayors are the ones who, in tangible ways, are dealing with the american crises. They know what their cities need and what theyre going through. They know what resources their Police Departments have and how they want to prioritize how they police their cities. Whether they want to be an enforcement arm for the federal government when it comes to things like immigrants. Its not just sanctuary cities, ilLegal Immigration, but it is also things like marijuana laws thats coming down that is a big issue in massachusetts, which legalized marijuana. Theyre trying to figure it out. Local officials are saying, we want the Justice Department to let us handle this. We know what were doing and were keeping our people safe. They should focus on other things. So nice to see you, kimberly and amber. Nice to have you here in person. Garrett haake on the hill, we appreciate you, as well. Well be back with todays big picture after a short break. Thank you so much. Thank you so were a go . Yes we got a yes what does that mean for purchasing . Purchase. Lets do this. Got it. Book the flights hai si si ya ya ya what does that mean for us . We can get stuff. Whats it mean for shipping . Ship the goods. Youre a go you got the green light. That means go oh, yeah. 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Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Im still going for my best. And for eliquis ask your doctor about eliquis. A quick programming note right now. This weekend, recode cofounder and our friend, ari well chemel along with ceos, deal with technologys rapid change of pace. Watch revolution, google and youtube changing the world this sunday at 9 00 p. M. Eastern time, right here on msnbc. Finally right now for todays big picture, we are taking you overseas to paris. Youre looking at the eiffel tower, of course. Heavy rain in the french capital caused the river to overflow its banks. Folks being warned to stay away from the water, as it continues to rise. Now, listen to this, three times its normal height, the flooding is causing major Tourist Attractions like the louvre to remain closed. The photo here via the associated press. Live right now, more news with my colleague, Stephanie Ruhle. Peter alexander ending the show in paris, how romantic. Have a great weekend. See ya. Good morning. It is january 26th, friday, im Stephanie Ruhle in new york. My partner, ali velshi, will be joining us live from davos, switzerland, the World Economic forum. Lets get you started. Did you want to fire Robert Mueller . Fake news. Clearly, the New York Times is stirring up these monthsold russian conspiracy sources. I was confirming to ed henry that, yes, maybe donald trump wanted to fire the special counsel. For most people, it is astounding that just a month after comey was fired, he thought that getting rid of mueller was a good idea. These reports are absolutely stunning. Deeply frightening. The president will stop at nothing. Any effort to go after mueller could be the beginning of the end of the trump presidency. I get no indication from those at the white house that