Saying trump is making it impossible for barr to do his job. Think about that. Now, barr is defending his decision to intervene in the sentencing of trumps longtime friend and convicted felon, roger stone. He tells abc news tonight he was going to break with prosecutors. He was planning to do that. He was planning to push for a lighter sentence than the one they publicly recommended. But then trump got involved tweeting that the recommended sentence was horrible, unfair, miscarriage of justice. So, barr looked like a patsy, like he was doing trumps bidding. Barr says trump forced him into an untenable situation. Once the tweet occurred, the question is well, now what do i do . And do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet . And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive the tweets can be. So youre saying you have a problem with the tweets . Yes, i have a problem with some of the tweets. Im happy to say that in fact the presid
5 00 a. M. Here in atlanta, thank you for joining us. Hundreds of americans on that quarantined cruise ship confined to their rooms for nearly two weeks are packed and ready to go home. Buses have arrived at the dock to take them to the airport where at least one charter jet will carry them back to the United States. For many of those passengers, the past 12 days have been an ordeal. The diamond princess, as you can see right here, has had more than 350 cases of the coronavirus, including at least 46 americans diagnosed. Only those americans who are not infected or showing symptoms will be allowed to fly to the United States, also canada. Now making plans to get its citizens off of that ship. Cnns will ripley is standing by in yokohama, japan. Seeing the ship at night looking picturesque and magnificent. That does not tell the story on what is going on the inside, does it . We have been following the ordeal that these passengers were going through for two weeks now. A lot were told up
Thank you. Thinking of your wife. Bring flowers. Msnbc political analyst and former chairman of the Republican National committee Michael Steele. Remember, michael . Working on it. Oh, boy. His chorion and author of the soul of america and rogers professor of Vanderbilt University jon meacham joins us, nbc news and msnbc news contributor just ran out the door to get some flowers and former u. S. Attorney now nbc news Law Enforcement analyst Chuck Rosenberg, who i know remembered and former Justice Department spokesman now an msnbc justice and security analyst matt miller is with us. Joes away with his kids for this president s day weekend and willie taking a welldeserved morning off. Worked three weeks straight and im here on valentines day. Okay. We begin with what appears to be another instance of quid pro quo by President Trump. Theres a lot to get to, so were just diving in. The same issue that got him impeachedthe first place. Before a meeting with andrew cuomo President Trump put
Putting out tweet after tweet. Were going to have the Trump Fact Check just ahead. The Democratic Candidates taking their battle for the nomination to nevada and south carolina. States with large numbers of black and brown voters. Were going to citi who is best positioned to get the support of those key voting blocks. And Mike Bloombergs popularity with africanamerican voters is on the rise, but will he be hurt by his previous support of stop and frisk . A policing policy he now says that he disavows. Were going to have a discussion coming up on that. But were going to begin with President Trump, him thanking the d. O. J. For intervening in the stone sentencing. I want to thank the Justice Department for seeing this, this horrible thing and i didnt speak to him, by the way, just so you understand. They saw it a horribleness of a nineyear sentence for doing nothing. You have murderers and drug addicts that dont get nine years. Nine years for doing something that nobody even can define w
Republic. A federal judge tonight with witherring commentary about the department of justice judge saying i dont like the fact youve got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted. I think its a Banana Republic when we go down that road. Now, this federal judge, judge walton, by the way, is a republican nominated senior judge. Clearly slamming the president of the United States in this particular case over trumps insistence that the department of justice investigate Andrew Mccabe. Now, tonight the department of justice is dropping that probe, but bill barr is giving trump yet another huge present. An official telling cnn barr is ordering reexamination of high profile cases including the one against Michael Flynn. Flynn is awaiting sentencing for lying to the fbi. This reexamination is surely muse to music to the bosss ears. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, what they did to general flynn. What they did to general flynn is unfair in my op