department. these expected to be less contentious hearings than the sessions hearings. more important issues will be discussed. tough questions will be asked, but the sessions hearings obviously with more fireworks, at least for today. this just the start, tomorrow, more confirmation hearings. we will hear from rex tillerson for secretary of state elaine chau, the pick for secretary of transportation. so obviously a very busy week. very busy night ahead. president obama speaks in a few hours. please stay tuned here. live coverage all afternoon, all evening, i'm steve kornacki here in new york and mtp daily starts right now. good evening, i'm chuck todd here in new york and welcome to "mpt daily" and welcome to a fireworks fill dmad american politics. a lot happening today only. you sort of need political red zone. you have trump's pick for attorney general.

senator jeff sessions continues to face a grilling on capitol hill. donald trump's pick to run the department of homeland security, general john kelly, he's also testifying right now. in just a few hours, president obama will deliver aun usual farewell address. he'll not do it in washington, he's doing it in chicago. farewell address to watch in msnbc and moments ago, we learned that the jury that convicted dylan roof of killing nine black men and women in a south carolina church has now sentenced that 22-year-old to death. all of them are major stories today. we begin with the prospect of what may be the biggest of them all, an fbi investigation into the trump campaign. was there coordination between russia and the trump campaign during the election? and how active is this investigation? as putin engaged in interference campaign to help trump win according to u.s. intelligence, the question is, did he have help? this weekend republican senator lindsey graham told me that he believed there was -- that the fbi or other federal agencies were active ligating potential

coordination between presidential campaigns in moscow. he did not get anymore specific than that. then this afternoon, democrats pressed fbi director james comey on that very question as coe my testified before the senate select committee on intelligence. democrat ron widen referenced public reports from reuters about contact between the trump campaign and russia. you might be referencing this story about russia claiming publicly it was in touch with trump's aids during the election, but coe my dodged the question. here's the exchange. >> have the fbi investigated these reported relationships and if so, what are the agencies findings examine. >> thank you, senator. i would never comment on investigations whether we have one or not in an open forum like this. >> we provide an unclassified response to these questions and release it to the american people prior to january 20th. >> sir, i'll answer any question

you ask, the answer will likely be the same. i can't talk about it. >> i will tell you, i think the american people have a right to know this. >> as you know, james comey has faced intense criticism from democrats for publicly reviving the fbi's investigation into hillary clinton's e-mail just days before the election. that is something that did not seem lost on independent senator angus king who caucuses with the democrats. he was not satisfied with comey's response to senator widen's question. >> mr. comey, did you answer the question that there is an investigation under way as to connections between either of the political campaigns and the russians? >> i didn't say one way or another. especially if a public forum, we never confirm or deny a pending investigation. >> the irony -- >> i'm not -- >> the irony of your making that statement here i cannot avoid, but i'll move on. >> the republicans on the committee did not press this issue, but, one republican,

marco rubio, did take a notable shot at trump for his actions both before and after the election. and for good measure, he did throw in a jab at democrats as well. >> we had an election where after some intrusions into some state data bases, there was a leading -- the one nominee for president warning about fraud in the election. then after the election, we have some on the other side questioning the legitimacy of the president-elect because of russian interference. and we have the president-elect questioning the credibility of the intelligence community because of it's findings. this sounds like a pretty effective and successful effort to sell chaos, to undermine credibility of our leaders and of our government institutions. in essence it sounds like they achieve what they wanted. >> this you go. these guys are still testifying right now. but they're doing it behind closed doors. and it may be where they do reveal some real news about

where these investigations are if they indeed are as active as everybody seems to think that they are. joined now by andrea mitchell, our chief foreign correspondent. she has been in that listening -- all that hearing. she knows they're behind closed doors and we all wish we were in that hearing. >> exactly. >> andrea, in fact walk me through, are they getting, you know, the closed door version of this? is this where director comey would reveal something like that or would he have the same stance? >> he would reveal it to them. i'm glad you played the exchanges with angus king because the independent main senator that caucuses with democrats was noticeably sar cast nick saying that he finds it ironic that comey would say he never comments on a pending investigation. given all of the criticisming with the fire storm. now i came from there when they went into closed session here to state because in the next five minutes or so, hillary clinton's returning to the state department for the first time to dedicate a new diplomacy wing.

and that's, of course, just another irony today. john kerry in a farewell earlier today at the institute of peace across the state saying that he found it very interest iing and not povrp poe for cia or tillerson for state, but the other nominees have not completed their ethics forms. he spent so much time as poof, it's all evaporated. >> hit me go back to the hearing itself. >> you bet. walk me through director clapper's testimony. >> claeper is absolutely insistent that their fannedings are categorical. they had human sources as well. he won't describe what they were. they were human sources, intelligence sources for these findings, nor conclusion that it was russia behind the hacking. it was much broader than just hacking as we nope it was

propaganda, it was false news, it's their official rt network. which is a network that has in the past sponsored mike flynn, the national security advisor, so there's a lot of controversy over that. they did say that the republican national committee was also hacked. the ranking democrat said in his opening statement, we haven't seen them release those results. clapper said they thought he favored donald trump, not just a fin j candidate because he's a businessman whom they could do business with, do deals with, and they were always resentful of hillary clinton. >> all right. andrea mitchell, on this force, thank you very much. i'm join tz by the former u.s. ambassador to russia, welcome, sir. i want to start quickly though on this idea of whether putin did try to acquire republican party intelligence or not. delight, we know director comey said there was an attempt the

rnc em fat that i can hey, they weren't successful. and that doesn't appear to be evidence that they were successful. >> how do we know? >> that's the question. a, how do we know, and b, give me your standard take in how he would operate. >> first of all, let's remember, they have tremendous cape whblt it comes to gathering intelligence through cyber and other means. they're really good at this. we're a little bit better. but they're really, really good. >> uh-huh. >> so the idea that we didn't discover that they did or that we were unsuccessful, we don't know that. you don't know that. i don't know that. and maybe our intelligence community doesn't know that. >> one theory is the reason they acquired the information if the republican party took it away from donald trump and embarrass the party if working against sanders. and that was what that were

going to do except trump wop. >> just because we haven't seen this them release that it today doesn't mean they don't have it number one and there are preferences and policies might change in the future. and a couple years down the road, they might have other reasons to release that kind of information. >> let me play something about hack. marco rubio says they were successful if you just look at the chaos they've sewn. kellyanne conway making the exact opposite point. here's what she said to me. >> they do not succeed in embarrassing country or throwing the election to donald trump. there is no evidence that russia succeeded in any alleged attempt to disrupt our dmong si. what would you say to her? >> let's be very clear. the russians stole data from the dnc and then used others to publish it. that data was damaging to one candidate. there's no question about that

because the other candidate repeatedly reminded people of that data during the campaign. >> that doesn't mean that it was the variable in the equation that delivered the victory to president-elect trump. there are many, many variables been but to say it had no impact i think is just nonimper call. let me put my political science hat on now and not my ambassador hat. it was one of the factors fur sure and certainly had some impact to measure it's exact impact. hard social science question but to say it had no impact is not true. >> let me talk about what putin may really want here. he wants a sphere of influence a little less interrupted. particularly in eastern europe. in six months, what is the trickle down in europe if donald trump certainly says, i'm not arguing over crimea anymore.

those sanctions are gone. what message gets sent? >> a, it's a tremendous victory for vladimir putin. he did this. he annexed territory for the first time since world war ii. and he would have gotten away with it. and that will embolden him to do other things. i don't predict it in six month os r two years time, but down the road, it will tell him that i can do both things, aengs territory, intervene in the american elections, and i can get away with it. that means the next time i try, there's not going to be very many issues of me trying to do those things. i think it's very dangerous. >> let me counter. donald trump argues good relations with putin, we don't want him in our business, and all of this intervention is what's gotten us in this trounl in the first place. i think donald trump has a world view that is similar that that is not just fe fairs you. there is similarities here. what would you say is to him? >> well all of this

intervention, we didn't do anything. ukrainians that protested against their government. we didn't do that. it was poout than intervened in crimea, we didn't do this. and the third thing i would say, good relations is not -- should never be the goal of your foreign policy. then what? so you have a nice tea in the kremlin. your ratings go up in russia, how is that ghood for the american people or national security? instead what i hope the president-elect lo l do and his team as i they settle into the job is toe fine what ur national security objectives and should be and our economic objectives ab and then use the means of getting along with poouten to achieve those. but right now i think he's got exactly backwards. >> the fact that putin isn't allowing you in russia, what should -- you cannot go there. you cannot gate visa -- >> i want him to lift the sanks so i can go back. >> what should the trump administration learn? what should they take away from the fact that putin went out of his way to essentially ice out

an american diplomat? >> well, let's be clear. we did the same to some very senior people and their team. and in some ways it's flat toerg me. >> retaliation. >> we put their chief of staff for the kremlin on that list. we put the ceo of their largest oil company on that list. so, that i'm on the list, but of course, we should expect that. and don't get me wrong, i think at some point it would be great to lift sanctions and have a more working relationship. >> great to be here. >> college football is over sflp that was a great game, wasn't it? >> good for the acc, good for

college football. coming up on this huge day in washington, jeff sessions on the hot seat, the alabama senators first day of confirmation hearings to be attorney general went probably about as you might expect, left or right. we'll recap the sborgss and the interruptions from the very contentious day on capitol hill. and later, we'll preview the president's farewell address. will his final speech to the american people be a look back or a look ahead? stay tuned. afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me.

welcome back. you are looking live at the confirmation hearing for what was billed as one of the more contentious of trump's cabinet picks, senator jeff sessions, trump's pick to be attorney general. but the harshest voices came from those in the audience. the proceedings were interrupted, at least nine times by or count by protesters. [ inaudible ]

>> if nothing else, i'm clearing the room for you. >> well capitol hill police did come ready, armed with plastic handcuffs, not usually a part of the uniform, they knew there'd be a lot today. right back with more from trump's nominees that will facing off with u.s. senators on the hill today. we'll be right back. mputer... wait. you're real? with discover card, you can talk to a real person in the u.s., like me, anytime. wow. this is a recording. really? no, i'm kidding. 100% u.s.-based customer service. here to help, not to sell.

youthat's why you drink ensure. sidelined. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. for the strength and energy to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you. welcome back to mtp daily, obviously a huge day in washington, it's more likely than not that all of trump's cabinet picks will eventually find their way to senate confirmation. republicans have control of the u.s. senate and we know the rules been changed. you just need 50 votes. as the hearing for trump's

attorney general picks, the process is proving to defend trump on difficult subjects. >> grabbing a woman by her genitals without consent, is that sexual assault? >> yes. >> you have referred to row v wade as quote one of the most colossally supreme court decisions of all time, end quote, is that still your view. >> it is. i believe it's a -- volleyed the constitution and really attempted to set policy and not follow law. but i have no belief and do not support the idea that muslims as a religious group should be denied a mission to the united states. i believe the proper thing for me to do would be to recuse myself from any questions involving those kind of investigations that involve secretary clinton and it were raised during the campaign. >> so you've got a big montage there among the topics that jeff

sessions faced today. look, democrats know they can't do much to stop them, but they have a long game in sight. and sessions symbolically important for democrats todays hearings had more to do with the campaigns they'd like to run against republicans in 2018 a20 and keeping him from being the next u.s. attorney general.

>> he contradicted trump on so many things -- >> trying to get confirmed. >> but we've seen up until now, republicans, particularly something in the hot seat like that hasn't gone against the guy who was going to be the president of the united states next week. and jeff sessions did. >> elise. >> i think we're going see this tactic continue through a lot of other confirmation hearings of democrats pressing the nominees on positions that are trump, of trumps that are particularly uncomfortable like we saw patrick do today with the question about is grabbing a woman assault. i think we're going to see this over the course of just because there still is such a strong divide within republicans over some of trump's most controversial stance like a muslim ban. >> it does seem to me jonathan, there's different -- there may be one of these cabinet secretaries that does run into

trouble. i happen to think it's rex tillerson or steve because they're higher profile picks and you can see the political test on there. what are the other -- is the democratic party strategy now just about messaging? is that the best they can get out of these confirmation hearings. >> yeah, also have to lay down a marker. >> one is going to be identifying the difference between what he and his people and what they do. and so, now they're putting down a predicate of the kinds of things they say. we don't know whether they're seeing these things just to get confirmed, or whether they will be a little bit more moderate than expected which was part of the message from today. sessions did not sound nearly as tough as he has on the senate floor. >> well all of that was about sessions and trump, but there was some attempt to embarrass session himself. here is how he responded to questions about his own past and the kkk, which of course he did

not get confirmed for a federal judgeship in the '80s due to some of those stances. here's how he handled that today. >> wow, for the clan and what it represents. i never declared the naacp was un-american or that a civil rights attorney was a disgrace to his race. there is nothing i am more proud of than my 14 years of service in the department of justice. >> i think the way democrats handled this issue of the kkk was a really big mistake. they should have focussed on his current positions which is essentially de facto jim crow in the modern day and the extreme positions that sessions takes when it comes to -- >> rand paul and sessions have actually -- they're not in the same page. >> exactly. this is big government criminal justice that sessions supports and that's where democrats could have had more impact.

>> he prosecuted african americans for vote fraud. and it was totally trumped up. it was thrown out of court. and you know, is that the real jeff sessions? the person who tries to prevent african americans from voting? it's good to get this out there. the fact that he was so opposed to extending the voting rights act and it gives the opposition some ammunition down the road. >> and there will be panels who will come up and will raise those issues. we know that cory booker is actually going to break senate precedent and testify against jeff session -- >> john lewis. >> some of the issues will come up with the panel. i think what we saw today, chuck, is that the senators know this guy and they don't believe he's a racist person. sessions kept saying you know me, the republicans kept saying, we all know this man, and frankly he's been so for 20 years. they do know him and they don't

believe that's what he is. >> guys, big picture here, what kind of attorney general is he actually going to be? >> let me -- let me start with you. >> he's going to be a big government. i think he's going to try -- >> what does that mean? >> i think he's going to be all for, you know, what trump's convention speech, he's the law and order candidate. jeff sessions is the law and order attorney general. >> reigniting the war on draugs will be the hallmark of this administration in the justice department. and also, i think you're going to continue to see a lot of racial issues litigated voting rights issues litigated, and we'll see how strong the pushback is. what do you think? >> i think we're going to see him tough on immigration. and they didn't come out enough today in that panel in that hearing, and it's the big question. we know where trump stands. >> it's the that shall jeff sessions has worked the longest -- >> it's more of a department of homeland security. >> it is the irony, that is true. we're going to pause and come back. speaking of department of homeland security. john kelly's hearing is still

under way. we're going to bring you the highlights from that hearing next. and coming up, we're going to look ahead to president obama's final address to the american people. outgoing agriculture secretary will weigh in on the president's legacy and the democratic shortcomin shortcomings. the only cabinet secretary to serve all eight. he's coming up to talk obama. msnbc will have a full night of special coverage of farewell address. 8:00 p.m. eastern with all in, we'll bring you the president's address at 9:00 p.m. followed by analysis. brian, enjoy. stay tuned. thanks for loading, sweetie.

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welcome back. you're looking live here at yet another hearing that is happening right now in capitol hill. this one for the cameras. this one for donald trump's pick to lead the department of homeland security. it's retired four star general john kelly, moments ago asked about product's call for a ban on muslims spr from entering the country. here's the exchange. >> will you commit to ensuring that religion does not become a basis for u.s. counterterrorism or law enforcement policy, particularly as it relates to the targeting of individuals who have ancestry for muslim majority countries? >> i don't think it's ever appropriate to focus on something like religion as the only factor, so yers. >> if confirmed, general kelly who by the way ran the south command for this command, he's a lot of familiarity with latin america. he will be just the fifth homeland security secretary in

this nation's history and the first noncivilian in that job. we're keeping an eye on that ongoing hearing. while we do that. more mtp daily is coming up. here is the cnbc wrap. >> thanks, chuck. stocks close mixed for a second day. the dow sheds 31 points, the s&p ends unchanged, but the nasdaq is up 20 to finish at another record. job openings increased 1.3% in november according to to the labor department. hirings were up more than 1%. and meanwhile, walmart is set to announce another round of job cuts. the retailer is expected to slash hundreds of positions in the regional offices and at it's headquarters, shares ended the session mostly flat. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide. cation... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira helping me go further. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source

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welcome back. right now president obama is on his way to chicago. his hometown where he'll deliver his farewell address at 9:00 p.m. eastern tonight. our own my colleague lester

sholt on board air force one for one of the president's last trips on that airplane. his interview with president obama will air this friday on nbc as part of a big special. and you can of course catch the president's speech tonight right here on msnbc. now it's likely president obama's final major address in office and even though we're a few hours away, we don't know what he's going to say. how much is about the past? how much is about the future? will he look backwards? take a curtain call for he believes are the greatest accomplishments? will the president use the address to defend obamacare as republicans right now are arguing over how and when to replace and repeal it. watch for president tonight to talk about the future of the democratic party as well. after significant losses in rural areas in november. some accused the president of ignoring the party's weakness outside of urban centers. president himself over the weekend admitted that he deserves a little bit of blame here for the democrat party's problems. earlier today, tom vilsack. happened to be the only member of obama's cabinet to last all

eight years. it was the party hits, not the president who is to blame for the party's poor performances and where he's from, rural america. >> now what we have is a circumstances situation where the democratic party really has to look at itself. and has to recognize the need for being there. you've got to physically be there. and. >> and you felt as if that was part -- you believe you have a record to sell to rural america. you believe it's a positive record to sell. you didn't get -- did you just not get the support, did the administration didn't want you out there? explain. >> it wasn't so much the administration, it's the party. the president understood this. we did it a rural tour. we certainly have outlined the benefits of this administration in rural america, three out of five rural counties now seeing economic growth, population declines now stem, poverty rates down, unemployment almost cut in half. wages up. so, we have it. we had a good story.

and we told the story, but it requires more than that. it requires during an election season the opportunity to have people in communities, in small town first and foremost saying that democrats appreciate and recognize what rural people do for this country. >> yeah. >> and then secondly, this is what government can do in partnership with rural america. i think the problem has been we have a list of programs -- >> yeah. >> and people sometimes interpret that as well, maybe they don't think question do it on our own or don't think we're self-reliant. i think -- it's the message. it's the messenger, it's a combination of a lot of things, and it really is going to require the party to do some really deep thinking about this. >> you're going -- you're an obama presidency lifer. all two terms. so you have an interesting seat to have watched this. in ten years, the domestic legacy will be what? >> he saved the economy. he brought the troops home. he protected natural resources

and he alerted us to the significant challenge that we're going to face with climate change and the impact that's going to have have on communities, rural, urban, suburban globally. >> that's the positive. what are we going to look back and say the missed opportunities, the mistakes that were what? >> you know, i'd like to focus on the positive. >> i understand that. >> understand that. you know, i think that there are still a failure on the part of all of pus. not just the obama administration, but on all of us of explaining what government does. and the important role that government plays in people's lives. the reality is we have seated the notion that there is fraud, waste, abuse, inefficient, ineffective government to the other side. and they've done a remarkably good job of convincing people of that. we have done a poor job of explaining what government does. i'll give you an example. since i've been secretary, we have provided alone financing

for over a million families in rural america to purchase a home. those families were never without government assistance. >> the department of agriculture does home loans. >> probably something people didn't know. >> we do broad band. we do all the infrastructure that we could think of in a opportunity. we don't go out and basically make sure people understand when they get at home ownership opportunity, that piece of the american dream, it is in partnership with government. that is a function of government to provide them that assistance. they may think it's the banker, themselves, they don't understand the role that government plays. and that's our fault. that's on us. >> so where was the alarm bells? where was this? i hear this all the time, president obama over the weekend did an interview where he says yeah, the democratic party and i should take responsibility for that. he's taking it now. where was all of this two years ago? should you have sounded the alarm even louder? >> i'm not sure i could have sounded it much louder -- >> i peen you were the one guy that did. all over, and but nobody seemed to want to pay attention to

that. maybe bill clinton. >> it is because of the fact that all of us have ignored rural america for far too long. we talk about poverty and if i say the word poverty, i think probably you and many other people in the media constantly and consistently think of an urban center. inner city america. the reality is, more persistent poverty, more deeper poverty in rural america, you don't think it front and center. we haven't asked you to follow the story. >> that is on the media. >> and i have gone, tried to convince media of the importance of this message. and it wasn't until the opioid issue that people began to pay attention to what's happening in rural america. and how important it is for us to be concerned about it. the speech -- every speech i give, i talk about what rural america does. you are who you are today because you delegated the responsibility of feeding yourself and your family to farmers. you've never thanked a farmer for that, you should. the energy for this show is probably coming from rural

areas. you go into rural areas it's an important place and 15% of america's population lives there, but contributes 45 to 50% of our military. it protects us. and the second step is how can we partner with you to make sure your kids have the option. not forced to stay in that small town, but in that option. >> doris, farewell addresses -- >> hello. >> how are you? where do we begin? here's what we know what they're previewing to us for the farewell address tonight. >> president will not talk about what he's going to do after he leaves office, that will come later tonight is about the future of the country and the democracy, how to form a more poefrt union. he'll express confidence in the younger generations and take a few moments to speak directly to them. the speech is all but done, but

make edits as he's flying over to chicago. what do you want this speech to be? if i were -- i'm guessing he might have asked your advice on this. what should a good farewell address do? >> it's george washington warning us about party spirit. one faction miswrepting another. the unity of the country is somehow saundered apart. we think about eisenhower about the complex if it gets too much influence. and we think about ronald reagan, i loved the need for civic education and more historical memory to instill the prattism. i think he's going to have to look toward the future, talk about climate change, gun control. the things that really matter in

the future and set a marker on that as well as looking back over the last eight years. >> should he be thinking about any other short term challenges that his legacy faces? and basically how much should he focus on obamacare tonight? >> well one would think if he is concerned about health care, which was his signature issue in so many ways and he believes how important it is for the country that tonight is the night when he can talk about why it matters. and what the future holds for it. slarl the paris agreements and what that meant to making a marker for the world to really take some steps about climate change. and yeah, i think that's a perfectly legitimate thing to do as well as looking back on what he did for the economy and how it was better. and signaling he might talk to young people. that sense that young people cared about politics and came out eight years ago eight years ago for his election and maybe haven't got than same sense of identification in this election, maybe they did with bernie sanders, but not maybe in the send something he probably feels

emotional. and back in chicago will probably make that emotion come out even more. >> i want to play for you clips from a speech that i know some people close to him, or actually ha he wishes he would have given more or versions of it more, but only did it once. and it has to do with a topic that secretary were talking about that part of the interview didn't air which is defending government. defending the idea of government. this is a piece of the speech that president obama gave and commencement at the university of michigan. and talk to you about it on the other side, doris. >> governments the police officers who are protecting our communities. and the service men and women who are defending us abroad. government is the roads you drove in on and the speed limits that kept you safe. government is what ensures that minds adhere to safety standards and oil spals with cleaned up by the companies that caused them. government is this extraordinary

public university. a police that's doing life-saving research and the economic growth and graduating students who will change the world around them in ways big and small. >> you know, doris, it was the most defensive government i had heard from any president in a long time when he gave it, and i asked him one time why he didn't give that again on the campaign trail. remember, that's in the middle of the 2010 merm. the beginning what have it looks like democrats are going to get that lacked. and he simply said, my advisors don't to want hear that on the stump. >> whoa. i mean, that's fascinating because i think the importance of his progressive believes that government can be an agent for change and an agent for good was lost in some ways in that way in which republicans have now captured the congress, the senatorships, the state houses, and the state legislators. not just government, but even politicians as an honorable vocation. it used to be that 90% of the people thought government did right 90% of the time.

people used to respect politicians more than they do today. it's up to the leaders to really make that case. and i never heard him make it better than here. i don't think we heard it enough. >> well, and that's wondering -- that's a part of what for instance secretary said he'd like it hear tonight. which is more defensive why government -- why you shouldn't hate government essentially. >> no, in fact it's the first step if you are going to work collectively toward change and toward dealing with the problems that the country faces, people have to believe that government is their agent. they're part of a collective whole now knot that it's a foreign entity doing bad things to them. without that you're never going to get that forward change that he probably believes in. so that would be very interesting if he focuses on that tonight. >> all right. doris, you're waiting, we're all waiting. curious to see what he has to say and then we begin with the next president and his big press conference. always a pleasure, thank you. >> you too, chuck. up next, i'll have

reflections on two of those farewell addresses that doris just mentioned. that's right after the break. keep it here. ♪ if you're gonna make an entrance... [car driving upon the water] ♪

tonight, i am obsessed with presidential farewells, noo, not just any farewells, the two that resinate the loudest. you just heard from the historian and chief herself, doris goodwin. presidents washington and eisenhower, think about it, their arguably the two most apolitical presidents this

country has ever had. both victorious in fighting for the u.s. in wars that changed the world. both lacked government experience, before becoming chief executive of this country. and both used their last speech as president to warn against forces they feared could put the american democracy at risk. washington warned against the rise of political parties as a threat to national unity. and about interference by foreign powers and domestic affairs. president eisenhower's speech is remembered for the rise in the military industrial complex. but like washingtons, ike's farewell was also a speech about putting the countries interests above politics. take a listen. >> crisises there will continue to be. in meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all of the difficult distance. good judgment seeks balance in progress.

lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration. >> there's a challenge for you though, did we actually listen to these outgoing presidents? let's see, political president. political parties, they are here to stay. we have been world power with all that applies. industrial complex got bigger and bigger. that foreign entanglement, we got into one a few years later. will we follow president obama's advise, whatever it is. stay tuned.

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time now for the lid. the panel is back. what do you want to hear from him tonight? >> i think he needs to look forward and talk about the young people spired. and i think ewants to look

backwards and wants to look back forward. two and three americans believe he did not keep his promises. he kept 90% of his promises, he was a bad salesman. >> i hear that from a lot of obama people. >> there's a mean going aroundabout the people who are going excited about getting rid of obamacare but are on obamacare. they want to get rid of it but keep the aca. liberals are laughing about that. it's a failure of the white house that they let this happen, that the name became this derisive serve that they let stick. suddenly these people wanted to get rid of obamacare not the realizing they enjoyed benefits of because the white house didn't sell it to the point to

explain what it did and give it the proper name that it should. >> democrats are desperate to hear. what does president obama want us to to. that's part of his mission. >> they will want to hear everything will be okay. >> he the daddy and the mommy here. >> reassure that the ins institutions are strong and the republicanss will survive. is he going to talk about global warming and he is going to address it. starting to combat global warming and i'm going to be curious to see how he going to address that. the war on afghanistan, to close the loop on that. it's not a good story and it's not what -- >> i have heard this that there's part of him that's concerned this 20 years that folks women look back and can it

will be a more acute issue. he worried how his administration is go going to look in 20 years on this issues. even though you can say they have been on the ford front compared to the rest of washington -- >> nobody now is doing enough. he has good record on this issue. the paris accords was mor step fort world, necessary and sufficient, so i think his record there is good. but the clean power plan are going to go down when the trump administration comes in. >> is that his fault or is that the fault of the world that the ba bottom line is that's a tough things to sell. >> trump is going to find the same thing out and going to be

faced with a lot of terrible choices and he has to live with the consequences that president obama did as part of his legacy. >> that's what people are going to remember about this president singing amazing grace. >> one thing about this president he knows how to give a big speech. it's going to be interesting to watch that. thank you all. after the break, something i missed. stay tuned. don't let sinus symptoms bring you down now!

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so tonight in case you missed something i misis premier "for the record" right here 6:00 p.m. i was off so i did not get to welcome greta to the msnbc misdemeano msn msnbc family. if i had known bret favre had called in, i would have came in on my day off. >> this sunday against dallas. it's fun to be here. sorry. >> "for the record" this evening senator jeff steessions in the t seat. president obama saying farewell