north korean missile testing we have never seen before. they are closer to being able to threaten the united states. >> they went higher than any previous shots they have taken. >> it is simply no longer an option they would even consider. >> this was a very big day for

the tax bill. >> everybody on on my side of the aisle is trying to get to yes. >> if the president set out to set a middleclass tax cut, this bill completely misses the mark. >> the "new york times" reports the president is peddling conspiracy theories again behind closed doors. >> he is living in a totally different world of facts. >> republicans are trying as hard as they can to ignore the questions about his fitness for office. >> this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. >> good morning to you. welcome to your "new day". north korea claims the entire united states is now within reach of its missiles. this comes after it launched a new intercontinental ballistic mice ill.

president trump simply saying the situation will be handled. >> as the president faces this latest crisis, new questions about his grasp on the truth. the "new york times" is reporting that the president is reviving his baseless conspiracy theory that former president obama was not born in the united states. one of the reporters behind that story will join us in just a few moments to talk about it. let's begin with will ripley live in seoul, south korea with our top story. what are all the developments, will? >> reporter: well, we're learning that north korea is claiming at least, this is a new kind of intercontinental missile hwasong-15. there was this new launch, the missile reaching altitude of 2,800 miles above the surface of the earth. that is roughly 10 times the orbit for the international space station. this took a high arc up into space, then down within 130

miles of mainland japan. it could reach anywhere in the world, including the east coast of the the united states, new york and washington. this has been what they have been telling us for months, that they will test. the north korea feels the they need to prove they have this capabili capability. one the foreign minister threatened it could happen over the pacific ocean in a highly provocative test the world saepbt seen hasn't seen in decades. jim jong unafter the launch pro claimed that north korea has now become a nuclear power.

will they take it one step further? we have to watch and wait. the olympics in pyeongchang two mass moss from now. chris and alisyn. >> will, thank you very much. with this international crisis unfolding, a "new york times" report raising new concerns about the president's grasp on reality. the report citing white house aides who say the president right now, not a year ago, is once again questionable the authenticity of former president barack obama's birth certificate. and mr. trump's infamous "access hollywood" tape and private meetings where he is actually saying he's not sure if it's his voice on the tape that he apologized for in front of all of you. one of the reporters behind this story is jonathan martin joining is us now. i think i'm moving into the what phase of this type of talk.

it's one thing if he is saying it to you or to me or to the base or from the podium to just kind of excite his base and play with people's uglier suspicions about life. but if he is saying it in private like he means it. >> yeah. >> what is does the reporting reveal? >> as one senator who i talked to told me, he has trouble letting the obama birth certificate go. he's still fixated on it. but what is striking, though, chris, he does have an awareness of those issues that are a little bit too fringy for him to even tweet about or discuss in public. i.e., the birth certificate. and this question you mentioned about the validity of the "access hollywood" tape. now he won't question those things in public but yes, indeed, he is questioning them in private. and i think it just gets to the

heart of a president who well before he came to the white house has often tried to qaa create his own version of reality and has tried to construct a version of events that he prefers, that is more convenient to the world that he wants to see rather than the world the way it is. but i can tell you, by the way, these are folks on his side of the aisle, they just discount a lot of what he says now because they sort of have so much bluster. they are saying you can't take the president's words too seriously. that is the unmistakable message i heard yesterday. >> let's get after what this is really about. i am one of those who often says the president is a smart man. he knows what he's doing.

this is about politics, optics and maybe on the ugly side division. i have to tell you the reporting makes me think i was being too optimistic. do you believe there is cause for dinner about what is going on inside the head of the president of the united states? if he can truly entertain such b.s. as being true. >> that's not my job to put him on the coach like that. but i will say -- >> not the couch part, jonathan. do you believe that there is basis in your reporting that people close to him actually thinks he believes this and he is not just putting it on people for persuasion. >> it is hard to get at what he actually believes and what he is sort of chewing over. i can tell you, though, that the folks who convey it, they roll their eyes at it. they don't take it too seriously. they assign it to trump being

trump in this kind of muster. now, the exception to that i will tell you is somewhere jeff flake from arizona who he is retiring, which is a deep factor, he is deeply troubled by this. and i think he reflects some elements of the never trump win of the party saying this is not just bluster. this is deeply troubling. he told me yesterday, jeff flake did, he believes that shared facts are crucial to democracy and what trump is doing is a threat to our shared fabric of democracy. he will give a series of speeches on the senate floor expressing concern about this. the first one about the topic of truth. >> so, jonathan, i appreciate it. let's bring in david directingry. cnn political analyst gregory. it's good to have you. let's deal with this report. are we dealing distracted by the

president's distractions, or is the reason this matters from jonathan and his team is that this is the man negotiating with south korea, with china, with russia, the leader of all the united states of america. and if he is really entertaining the authenticity that that is a scary proposition. >> i'm with you on that. this is about his state of mind. it is is now our job or expertise to make a judgment about that other than to straout tphaoe scrutinize what he says, to whom he says it, that becomes part of history. this is also about a president who is crude a slash and burn person through life and in the institution of the presidency.

he's not alone. i think some of his supporters it's fair to point out clinton had a bad wrap on capitol hill. he talked about smoking weed and saying i didn't inhale. yes, there are parallels. but let's focus on what this is. an in ability to tell the truth. disinclination to tell the truth. and just to spread it and to paralyze people in the process. because what you're seeing is these people that maggie and jonathan are reporting on, these are senators who are not saying, whoa, mr. president, slow down. you can't say this kind of stuff in public. we're not going to stand by you. i saw yesterday with rob portman on cnn, i have a different style. i wouldn't insult a member of senate like that. they're afraid of him. you have to stand up and give speeches about the fact that the

president doesn't tell the truth. that has to be a concern republican or democrat. we can scrub history and make judgments about democrats as well. but let's deal with what this is right now. >> that's the real challenge for the gop is that even the senators who are tempted to speak out about him are deeply concerned about the backlash from their own voters who, you know, for the most part like this president. some of them actually enjoy the fact that he operates the way he does. and so that's the challenge for the party. >> yeah. >> is that the party tends to actuallien joe this. just real fast, guys. look at the president's twitter stream this morning. he's pushing out tweets about muslim violence from a fringe activist in the uk. it is extraordinary to see from an american president promoting this kind of content on the most powerful platform he has, twitter. >> it is really inflammatory. we thought he might have been

hacked. it is so inflammatory we haven't been reporting it because we didn't believe incident was him putting this stuff out. i know you guys are reluctant to hut him on the couch, as you said. but i feel as a reporter we need to say there have been scores of psycho hand lifts who have said they believe that the president shows the hallmarks of narcissistic personality disorder. one of the hallmarks is in ability to ever accept criticism or on to say you're wrong and creating your own reality that puts you in the best light. what more is there to say? i'm not diagnosing him as that. better people more trained have said that. and it seems as though that could be at the bottom of what's happening here. and then that does lead us to the conversation that we have been having what does that mean for leaders trying to deal with him and if he will keep his promises. >> i think the importance of reporting from the ties from jonathan and maggie, people who are on the hill every day and

who -- maggie is at the white house who are having important conversations, reporting provides us with critical insight. we don't have to make a judgment about it. what's important is to keep providing insight and the inside glimpses into what his state of mind is, how he speaks to people. and people can make judgment based on that. if we look through history, that's the insight that becomes so valuable. and that's what we are seeing o. because we're seeing that through good reporting. but we are also seeing it because the president invites everybody into his thinking as well. he's totally transparent about it. people are going to have to make a judgment about it. >> that's the good thing about the twitter feed. oh, it's a distraction. no. it is the most powerful man on the planet. and his thread this morning he goes, hey, it's a great day for the stock market. consumer confidence is high. cnn sucks. and then he's got the muslim hate baiting going on right

there in the thread. economy, muslims are terrible people, the media is terrible. and it is this imbalance of appropriateness that deserves scrutiny. gentlemen, thank you for giving us the reporting, the analysis. appreciate it. we have breaking news. nbc news is reporting that veteran "today" show anchor matt lauer has been fired for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace. this is the latest high-profile media figure to be terminated amid sexual allegations. it doesn't actually get bigger in our business than matt lauer, i think it's fair to say. he has been such a staple of "morning news" and morning tv throughout most of our lives. cnn senior media correspondent brian stelter joins us. brian, before you give us what you learned let's learn what savannah guthrie said this

morning. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today". and hoda is here with me this morning because this is a sad morning here at "today" and nbc news. just moments ago, nbc news chairman sent the following note to our organization. dear colleagues, on monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by matt lauer. it represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company's standards. as a result, we have decided to terminate his employment. while it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he has been at nbc news, we were also presented with reason to believe that this is may not have been an isolated incident. our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and toen sure that any actions that run kourpblcou our core values are met with consequences no matter who the offender. we are deeply saddened by this turn of events but we will face it together as a news

organization and do it in as transparent a manner as we can. that is the statement from our chairman. >> let's bring in brian stelter. brian, look, we're shocked. we're shocked. we're shocked to hear matt lauer has been terminated. >> he has been the cornerstone of the "today" show for 25 years. he is a figure who is revered in the television business. an icon of television news. but let's face what's going on here a little bit underneath the surface. for several weeks the "new york times" has been working in the investigation of alleged misconduct. it is a story we may have known about. there were rumors in our business about this story. >> but wasn't it a little different than all the stuff we have heard about charlie rose, harvey weinstein, and roger ailes. was this in a different category? >> i don't know the details of what the "new york times" may have. it was well-known at nbc there was this reporting going on that women were being contacted,

interviewed. i don't know if the "times" has people on the record or not. all of that remains to be seen. but jodie cantor was one of the reporters doing this pursuit. it was buzzed about in the business. nbc says a woman came forward on the record monday night with an allegation against lawyer and that is what triggered this move overnight. savannah guthrie said she was just informed overnight. but certainly there was talk about this inside nbc that maybe there was embarrassing information about to come out about matt lauer. we have seen the companies, whether on the west coast, like amazon on the east coast, cbs, taking a very -- responding very seriously in their allegations to go public. charlie rose, being the most recent example. >> a couple of tough points we have to make about this story. but first the president has already weighed in. he said, wow, matt lauer just fired from nbc for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace

but when will the top executives at nbc and comcast be fired for putting out so much fake news. check out andy lack's past. not helpful in terms of how women are being treated in the workplace. and i think it's probably obvious in terms of what the president is avoiding. there are reasons he is avoiding it because it touches on his own behavior. however, alisyn has been outspoken on this, someone victimized and wants to see change. i have been fairly consistent in saying you've got to get men involved in this conversation. they are the ones doing the inappropriate behavior. that said, what is happening with the pendulum of change is right now? you have sexual assault and gross misconduct by any definition that we saw with different people in hollywood. you saw it with media figures and it's gone. then in the hunt for new and more, we see a changing scale. now we see the biggest name, the best anchor in the history of

morning television on the male side to be sure, is gone. and i don't know why. i don't know what the one allegation is. i see nbc gave themselves cover in that statement saying it's the first complaint they have had in 20 years. but there may have been more. that's corporate cover going on there. >> there may have been more because the "new york times" has clear information. >> but they are saying it that way because they have potential exposure in terms of what they knew. this gets to be legal, not just cultural. >> yes. >> so my question is how do you appraise these things? we don't see anything happening on the political side. totally different standard. but how is he the same as weinstein with what we know right now. >> here's the deal. we don't have enough information. >> that's right. >> that's for sure. >> but i think it is safe to assume you do not terminate the biggest broadcaster in tv news for one idle complaint.

>> they suggest there may have been more. i'm saying we have gotten from stark, everybody has known this for years, everybody knew he was a predator, to this. >> we just don't know yet. we knew the "new york times" was working on something. this is the first time the knelt work is getting out ahead of it before -- >> that's right. this was monday night. they received a complaint early wednesday morning, staffers were told matt lauer is out. it is a stunning move by nbc. and it begs the question about what else the network knows that we don't know. suffice to say, matt lauer, as you said, chris, he has been the bedrock of the "today" show, you said i think the best morning anchor. >> i think so also. no offense. >> high praise for him from me. he has been a mentor in how to do the job on air.

obviously his behavior off air matters much more than what he does on air. all i'm saying is this. this culture changes because it changes at the top. firing talent is hard financially. it is not hard from a management position. changing your culture, what you allow to be settled, how you deal with it when it comes to the workplace, who makes those decisions, that's culture, corporate. that's hard. we don't see that. we see them getting rid of lauer, charlie rose. >> anybody who doubted we were in a tipping point. >> matt lauer has not commented on it yet. i'm trying to get comment on him. >> please be on stand-by for us the rest of the morning. so big day, period. we have to start with what's going on in our government. president trump. he had a big positive day in terms of getting a tax bill through. now it goes to the floor. but the challenge, if anything, has redoubled. it is not over. do they have the votes to pass it? what would it take?

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all right. time for cnn facts first. republicans are trumpeting their tax plan as a sweeping middleclass tax cut that while helping the wealthy also helps the little guy. now, that is not true. at least in the long run. each new study of the numbers proves it. according to a new study from nonpartisan congressional office, america's poorest will lose billions of dollars under the republican tax plan. the big onest repealing the mandate. that's in there also. everybody gets a tax cut at first. but by 2019, those making less than $30,000, worse off. by 2021, those making less than

40 grand, hurting. in 2027, when many provisions expire, all tax cuts will be released for anybody making less than $75,000. meanwhile, wealthy corporations will continue to benefit. republicans say all of this is okay because that which is being gifted to the upper tier will help overall growth in the economy and that will generate 3% growth annually. that will of course lift all votes. now, this number flies in the face of other estimates of growth. conservative leaning tax foundation says we will not see 3% growth until 2027 at the earlie earliest.

wharton's say the economy will grow at less than 1%, donald trump's alma mater. republican senator mike rounds of south dakota. sir, thank you for taking the opportunity. you heard what we are reporting in terms of the facts. what is your case for this bill? >> i have heard different facts before. i'm not quite sure the spin that you've got on them today. but i can tell you what's going to happen for a family with $73,000, four kids. they're going to get about half the tax bill immediately. than what they've got today. and i really do believe long term, and you suggested it, and that was about ten years from now, personal income taxes would change. but that's only if congress decides the to allow them to expire.

so i don't think the whole story is there. by the way, if you noticed recently our economy is currently growing at 3%. and that's what we need to not only pay back the dollars that we're sending back out in terms of reductions for middle income families and for businesses but it will actually help us to pay off our debt and to pay for some of our expenditures that we need at the federal level. if we want to continue to make payments in medicare and medicaid, if we want to continue to have the greatest defense in the world, we're going to have to have the revenues coming in to do it. we have to have a strong economy. we can't do it with the current tax structure we've got. >> but there is a counter argument which is don't cut the taxes if you need more revenue. i want to go back to your numbers premise. where are you getting your numbers that a family with 73,000 will have half its tax bill? i have not seen that from the joint committee on tax or the

cbo. where are you getting that? >> that comes directly from the joint committee on tax. what it is based on is an average family, 73,000 in income, family of husband, wife, two children. it's based upon -- and here's the part that some folks are forgetting about. kids will get double the tax credits directly taken. money taken directly off the amount of tax that you have to pay. and so if you've got two kids, you will get twice as much as you do today in tax credits. >> but where does the committee say it cuts the deal in half? it says they get a cut initially. it doesn't say half of their tax bill is cut, unless i'm misreading. >> the tax bill today is about $4,000. it goes to about $2,000. it goes to about $1,900 under this proposal. it is a matrix that's laid out.

i would be happy to forward you the information. >> yeah, please. because the numbers matter. part of this is of course spin. that's politics. i respect that. you have to make the sales pitch for why you think that is right. that is totally within am pent of being an elected official. but saying i have it in my hands right now and the whole part of the analysis for this bill according to the committee is a bipartisan committee is that this plan is grossly overweighted toward the top. and calling it a middleclass tax cut is misleading. >> i identify that. here's part of the discussion that always seems to get missed in it. >> please. >> the vast majority of the taxes that end up getting paid comes from a vast majority of income levels. take $250,000 and greater. it's a significant amount of taxes that are paid by that group. most people would say that's a progressive tax system.

so if you're actually going to make changes in it and reduce taxes, those folks, 250,000 or more that do make more money and that do pay more taxes would get a larger percent of dollars. >> unless you were designing this bill to be -- to advantage the middleclass more than others. now, you didn't make that promise, the president did. he said this will advantage the middleclass the most. i don't know how you can look at the numbers in my hand and say, yes, this is clearly designed to help the middleclass the most, do you? >> i think it will help the middleclass. >> the most. the most. >> let me share why. >> the most? >> yeah. and here's the reason why. the middleclass has not had a pay raise in 10 years. part of this is not only the

amount of reductions for taxes but the impact on the economy they will also benefit from. some folks will say how do you measure the most? we know the current system doesn't work the middleclass. some will say middle income is this level, middle income is that level. the bottom line is if you can grow the economy and show that individuals with middleclass incomes regardless of what you're going to call that, it will be better than what it is today, we're moving in the right direction. everybody seems to be for getting it is is not popular with anybody. right now, look, the reality is i think some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle would really like to work with us. so far we haven't seen that connection where we have been

able to get people together to do it. we will have 50 out of 52 stepping forward. that means you make modifications and amendments to keep that team together to begin with. but long term, is this better than what we've got today? no question about it. the american public come out better off in the new tax plan than what we currently have in existence today. will it be perfect? no. can it be made better? yes. but it is better than what we've got today. >> for that to be true, though, you have to make modifications. all the assessments so far show people will take a bite on the second part of this and a bigger bite as they go down the income scale. >> we can fix that too. >> you better if you're going to make it what you sold it too. senator, thank you for making your case. please come back as you make changes in the bill so we can go through them. >> thank you. >> be well.

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north korea claims it has successfully launched a missile that could reach the mainland of the united states. senator lindsey graham tells cnn that pyongyang must be stopped now. >> the president is not going to allow north korea to have a nuclear weapon in their hands that can hit america with an icbm, that can make it to the united states. if there is a war with north korea, because north korea brought it on itself. and we're headed toward a war if things don't change. >> joining us now is senator sherrod brown of ohio. thanks for being here. >> glad to be here. >> do you agree if we have to go to war to stop this we will. >> i think it is a little premature to talk that way. what we need to do is step up the sanctions. we passed sanctions aimed at russia and north korea some months ago. the president needs to use those more aggressively and

efficiently than he has. congress is in the midst of tightening the sanctions even more especially in the area of energy and financial services. we need to enlist china in this. talk of war is premature, putting it mildly. south koreans, hundreds of thousands of south koreans will die if there is any kind of attack launched. we need to always be thinking about that. the president needs to use diplomacy better than he has. the diplomats at the state department, get them in place so they can do what they need to do with china and north korea. >> as you said, you have been pushing for more sanctions for a long time. but on a morning where, you know, the north appears to have launched a missile farther than ever before and one that can hit the u.s. mainland, what evidence do you have that sanctions would work? >> well, i think that sanctions are the best tool.

sanctions have worked in iran to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of iranians. they have worked in a number of ways with other countries around the world. i think the president is not aggressive enough playing them in working with the chinese. i mean, time is of the essence here. i get that. i see what korea has done, what they say they can do. that's why the president needs to step up his efforts. not threatening war but step up his efforts of diplomacy always knowing we have the fire power of course. it's something we never ever want to use. sanctions are clearly the way to go, stronger sanctions. another big thing that is happening in the senate this week, the republican tax plan cleared a major hurdle and will go to the senate floor. what do you think will happen with this? >> i think it's a close vote.

we worked together on export and all kinds of stuff. where he is wrong is the democrats clearly want to work on this. i was at a white house with a number of members of the senate finance committee. this was maybe four or five weeks ago. one was the patriot corporation act. you pay the companies that do the right thing, keep the production here, pay good waeupbwages, give them a tax break. i hear republicans keep talking about a middleclass tax bill. and i think chris sort of exploded that myth effectively a moment ago. but if you want to cut tax to the middleclass, don't do this bank shot where you get hundreds of billions of dollars to the largest corporations in the country, many of which will it in symptom the outsource more.

you give it to them with the hope that it trickles down to the middleclass. it doesn't work like that. do direct tax reform for the middleclass. this billing doesn't even pretend to do that. >> have your republican colleagues or the president shown any interest in your working families tax relief suggestion or patriots tax relief. >> yeah, the president did. he said he liked the bill. i brought it up in a phone call later. he said he liked it. there is a clear disconnect between what he said he wants in his campaign and in those conversations and what's going on in the back room. this is a bill that has been written in the back room in the majority leader's office sitting down with wall street lobbyists, and koch brothers lobbyists and oil interests, and they change the bill every couple of nights in the middle of the markup. they added the health care provision to get a huge tax cut, a tax savings to cut corporate

taxes more, is sticking it again to the middleclass. the bill came out a couple days ago that this hurts middleclass and working taxpayers more. they will get a bigger hit while upper income people get a bigger benefit. instead of doing it the way it should be, and that is "out in the open" so cnn can cover it, so fox news can cover it, so msnbc can cover it. in an open process. they simply don't seem to want to do it that way. i don't know if you heard the news, but nbc news just terminated matt lauer for inappropriate sexual behavior. obviously, this -- all the sexual misconduct has been rocking my business of media and news and of course it has come to your business of congress and lawmakers. two women have come forward,

allegations against congressman john conyers. do you think it is time for john conyers to resign? >> i don't offer my opinion or advice to him. but i do think there should be an ethics investigation as there is going to be, as there will be any time this happens. there should be a full senate or house in this case ethics investigation. i fully support that. ask me after the investigation whether he should resign or not. i'm very concerned about this. i don't know how you cannot be concerned when you look at what's happened in the media, look at what happened in business, look at what happened in government. the media is paying attention to this. this in the end will mean better behavior in the workplace. more women will be empowered to speak out as they have, and i applaud them in their willingness to do that. >> thank you for going over all the news.

>> thank you. the consumer watch dog agency is crippling the economy. is that true? cnn's chief correspondent christine romans will break it down next. is this a phone?

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mulvaney often criticizes the agency he is running saying it is crippling the market. >> republicans call this a renegade regulator that handcuffs banks and hurts everyday citizens, but it has created rules to shield from critters. u.s. banks are hauling in record profits. 1.$1.73 billion profits in the last year. another criticism, bank regulation stifles lending. that amount nearly doubled what banks had on the books in 2011 when the agency opened. analyst blame uncertainty over

tax reform and not the cfpb. the entire concept of the regulator that is out of the reach of congress is something that goes against the orthodoxy of the republican party and that's part of the problem here. >> thank you for that. up next we have breaking news for you. nbc fired morning show veteran host, matt lauer, over inappropriate sexual behavior. we have all the developments next. hi i'm joan lunden. today's senior living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. and there's never been an easier way to get great advice. a place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. a place for mom. you know your family

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matt lauer, the "today" show anchor has been fired for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace. his termination comes one week after cbs anchor, charlie rose, was fired for sexual misconduct. joining us now is cnn senior media correspondent and host of "reliab "reliable sources" brian stelter. this is sending shock waves through news rooms across the country. matt lauer has been a staple. he was considered just the best broad -- i mean, one of the best broadcasters of our time. here's what his co-host, savann savannah guthrie opened their show with this morning. >> we just learned this moments ago, just this morning. as i am sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing all of this, and i will tell you right now we do not know more than what i just shared with you, but we will be covering the story, as

reporters, as journalists. i am sure we will learn more details in the hours and days to come and we promise we will share that with you. hoda, i mean, you know, for the moment, all we can say is that we are heartbroken. i am heartbroken for matt, and he is my dear, dear friend and partner, and he is loved by many people here, and i am heartbroken for the brave colleague that came forward to tell their story and any other women that have their own stories to tell. we are grappling with a dilemma that so many people have faced these past few weeks. how do you reconcile your love for somebody with the revelation that they behaved badly, and i don't know the answer to that. i do know that this reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important. it's long overdue. it must result where all people feel safe and respected. as painful as this is in our

culture and this change had to happen. >> my gosh, brian, what you have learned? >> matt lauer was the "today" show for 20 years. matt lauer is the engine for one of the single most profitable programs on television news. it funds the rest of the news division, so for nbc to make this decision within 24 hours of receiving a complaint, it tells you there's something very serious here although we don't know the details alleged by this employee, and we know nbc inform informed lauer of the decision to fire him before he went to bed. the contract was not about to expire. >> they have to pay that out? >> contracts are complicated. there are morality clauses. >> the most important thing to share is the "new york times" and "variety" were both working

on lauer's conduct in the workplace, and the editor of "variety" said there were multiple victims, so there's more to come in terms of the details of what was alleged here, but obviously nbc is trying to get out ahead of it with this announcement this morning. >> your thoughts? >> well, first of all, i would imagine that lauer must have acknowledged this behavior to have taken the action so quickly and not to give him an opportunity to respond or whatever. that is an aspect i guess we will find out to come. it's obviously a devastating blow to nbc. this is a guy that is the face of their news division in many ways, and has the most airtime of anybody in the place, and he's just a guy that had a very strong following. many, many women liked this guy. so it's probably the biggest person we have seen in the middle of this kind of activity,

and you can't really put a value on it at this point. it's going to have an enormous impact for nbc. >> harvey weinstein was a name known in the television and movie business and hollywood, but he was not a household name like matt lauer, i don't want to equate the two allegations, and weinstein is accused of disgusting behavior, and we don't know what matt lauer. matt lauer is a name everybody knows and to see him fired that's serious. one of the "new york times" reporters that broke the weinstein story also broke the lauer story. >> we need to know more. savannah guthrie, look, people will judge. this is a frustrating dynamic for people. of course he feels for the man she sat next to and knows so well. it would be inhuman for it not to be that way. then you will have women -- they will say, wait a minute, if he's doing these kinds of things, how

can you feel -- these matters are complex. the emotions are not simple. she said something else, there's a reckoning going on. i want to see if there's a reckoning. firing matt lauer costs you money and prestige, but it's a lot easier than corporate change. do you make settlements anymore? what kind of channels and avenues do you have for women to express these things that don't put them at risk. >> i hear you. we are at the beginning of this. this is the beginning changes of this change. >> one thing to add, we don't know what nbc knew. >> we know they covered themselves in their statement. just from a legal perspective, this is the first complaint in 20 years, but we may have reason to believe that there were others. that is drafted by somebody like me to give you cover from what you knew and when. this is a corporation taking care of itself objectively.

>> dear colleagues, on monday night we receive add detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by matt lauer, and it represented after a serious review of clear violation of company standards and as a result we decided to terminate his employment. while it's the first complaint in 20 years, we are also presented with reason to believe this may not be the only -- >> i don't know how close these outlets were to publishing. >> one last question. will this now preempt or preclude any publishing? do those stories go away now? by nbc getting out in front of it, will they have to spike those stories? >> no, they will be published just