you to blackmail in chicago, "first look" is up next. the most important office in a democracy, citizen. that's what our democracy demands. it needs you. if you're tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try talking with one of them in real life. if something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing. if you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures and run for office yourself. with just nine days left in office, president obama gives an

emotional farewell address offering the country both optimism and warnings as he prepares to leave the white house. plus, as donald trump prepares to meet the press, new information over his ties with russia. and parts of california are getting slammed with a heavy bout of rain and snow. this comes after a massive snowstorm soaked the area over the weekend. good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, january 11th. i'm alex witt alongside louis burgdorf. president-elect donald trump is expected to give his first address with news surfacing this

morning about damaging allegations about his dealings with russians. neither official said the fbi was actively investigating the information which has not been verified by u.s. agencies. and then there's the controversial move by buzzfeed last night publishing a dossier from a person who claims to be a former british intelligence. that the president-elect has been helping russia for five year years. buzzfeed says the claims are unverified and contain obvious errors. trump's response came in the form of a tweet. fake news, a total political witch hunt.

here's kellyanne conway. >> nobody has sourced it. it says it was based on a russian investigator to begin with. >> this is based on an mi-6 investigator. >> one of those. and it may have originated with a russian investigator. it also says that hillary clinton and groups that wanted hillary clinton to win may have been behind the investigations themselves. and most importantly, it says that the fbi is trying to confirm it. so nothing has been confirmed. and i have to say as a american citizen, we should be concerned that intelligence officials leaked to the press and won't go and tell the president-elect or the president of the united states himself. they would rather tell the press. >> the press report was about them going to the president. >> and it says they never briefed him on it. they appended two pages to the bottom of his intelligence -- >> i believe it said that they did brief him on that. >> he said he's not aware of

that. >> that concerns me. >> reuters said the kremlin said they have no compromising information on mr. trump or mr. clinton and dismissed the dossier as fabricated and total nonsense. and now to president obama's farewell address last night chicago where at times he contrasted his successor. an estimated 18,000 people braved the freezing cold toear barack obama's final speech as president. and the president touted his record in office, reversing a recession, taking out osama bin laden, health insurance for 20 million previously under the affordable health care act and issues of equality. >> each one of us need to try to heed the advice of a great character in american fiction, atticus finch, who said, you never really understand a person

until you consider them from his point of view. for blacks and other minority groups, that means tying our own very real struggles for justice to the challenges that a lot of people in this country face. not only the refugee or the immigrant or the rural poor or the transgender american, but also the middle-aged white guy who, from the outside, may seem like he's got advantages but has seen his world upended by technological change. for americans, it means acknowledging the effects of slavery and jim crow didn't suddenly vanish in the '60s. that when minority groups voiced discontent, they're not just engaging in reverse racism or practicing political correctness. when they wage peaceful protests, they're not demanding special treatment but the equal treatment our founders promised.

democracy can buckle when it gives into fear. so just as we as citizens must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are. and that's why for the past eight years i've worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firmer legal foot. that's why we have ended torture, worked to close gitmo, governed our laws to protect civil liberties. that's why i reject discrimination against muslim americans who are just as patriotic as we are. >> and the president ended his speech with the motto that has been with us since he launched his campaign more than eight years ago saying, quote, yes, we can, yes, we did.

>> it was worth staying up late for, that's for sure. day two of jeff sessions confirmation hearing gets underway this morning and promises to be acrimonious, more so than the first. he faces a committee he sat on for two years. but it's his record from the '80s with allegations of racial insensitive during his time for u.s. attorney in alabama led to a failed 1986 nomination for a federal judgeship. sessions was the first of 270 of president reagan's appointments to the bench that failed to make it out of the senate judiciary committee. some protesters yesterday dressed as ku klux klan members interrupted nine times while sessions defended himself. >> this caricature of me in 1986 was not correct. i supported as the civil rights attorney said, major civil rights cases in my district that

integrated schools, that prosecuted the klan, that ended single-member districts that denied african-americans the right to hold office. i did everything i was required to do. i did not harbor the kind of animosities and race-based discrimination ideas that were -- i was accused of. i did not. >> well, today democratic senator cory booker of new jersey and congressman john lewis of georgia are expected to testify against sessions' nomination. on day one sessions faced questions on a variety of topics including torture, a potential ban on muslims entering the country and abortion. >> would you support a law that says you can't come to america because you're a muslim? >> no. >> you have referred to roe v. wade as, quote, one of the worse colossally erroneous supreme court decisions of all time, end

quote. is that still your view? >> it is. i believe it violated the constitution and really attempted to set policy and not follow law. it is the law of the land. it has been so established and settled for quite a long time. and it deserves respect. and i would respect it and follow it. >> will the department of justice and the fbi under your administration be allowed to continue to investigate the russian connection, even if it leads to the trump campaign and trump interests and associates? and can you assure us that any conflict between the political interest of the president and the interest of justice you will follow the interest of justice even if your duties require the investigation and even prosecution of the president, his family and associates? >> if there are laws violated and they can be prosecuted, then of course you'll have to handle

that in an appropriate way. i would say that the problem may turn out to be, as in the chinese hacking of our hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of records, has to be handled at a political level. >> well, it was a weak pack with cabinet confirmation hearings, but now they are slowing down. the leadership postponed four confirmation hearings, mostly for late ethics disclosures. congress secretary nominee wilbur ross and trump choice for education secretary betsy devos moving from this week to next as the government ethics committee needs to look at their submissions. mike pompeo also slid back a day and the secretary of labor nominee andrew puzder is moving to feb. and that may not be all, ben carson is scheduled to testify tomorrow for his nomination for housing and urban development but has not completed his ethics

paperwork according to a democratic senate aide. well, charleston church shooter dylann roof has been sentenced to death. it took the same jury that found him guilty less than three hours to decide his fate. roof represented himself and did little to convince the jury he was innocent. roof gave a short rambling statement and said in part, although no one made him commit his crimes, he, quote, fell like i had to do it. i still feel like i have to do it. even though he has a right to ask for a life sentence, quote, i'm not sure what good that would do anyway. roof asked for a lawyer to file a motion for a new trial, which the judge said he would consider, but noted it did not seem justified. and alex, after being drenched with heavy rain and

snow for days, parts of the west coast are preparing for even more. snow in the sierra nevadas is making driving dangerous with avalanche warnings in effect in some areas. a controlled avalanche near lake tahoe buried this home. look at that. fortunately, nobody inside was hurt. a blizzard warning is in effect in the area and forecasters say up to 10 feet of snow could fall. now near sacramento and san francisco, thousands of homeowners have been urged to seek higher ground as floodwaters rise. the area is already saturated from a powerful weekend storm and more weekend is apparently on the way. in nevada, this road just outside of reno was washed out and crews expected to be closed for some time now. and heavy snow is creating problems out in colorado as well. this highway was closed after an avalanche swept across leaving as much as 15 feet of snow in some areas. they are really getting pounded out there. >> look at that photo. that is impressive.

still ahead, a lot more on that with meteorologist bill karins. and paul ryan taps down any replacement of obamacare. and the clemson tigers get a hero's welcome back in south carolina after their championship win. those stories and more when we come right back.

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welcome back, everyone. president-elect donald trump is calling for a quick replacement of the affordable care act. in an interview with "the new york times" yesterday, trump said he wants to see congress repeal obamacare soon saying, quote, probably some time next week, and a replacement very quickly or simultaneously very shortly thereafter. trump's statement could complicate efforts for congressional republicans plotting out the repeal and

replacement timeline. the senate was already working on a measure in the budget. and accorng to politico, republicans were looking to repeal crucial parts of obamacare and pass a replacement plan by year-end. some are raising the concern about not having a replacement plan ready, particularly those who rely on coverage. paul ryan said he's concerned about the lag between repealing and replacing the law. >> we are in the midst of a rescue mission to save the families getting caught up in the death spiral now known as obamacare. we'll use every tool through regulation to bring replacement along with repeal to save people from this mess. meanwhile, president-elect trump is waving the new government commission on vaccine safety. the man tasked with leading it is a well-known immunization critic but a member of one of the most well-known families.

hallie jackson has more. >> reporter: a member of the kennedy political dynasty who favors french theories on vaccinations over mainstream medical practices says he would lead a new vaccination safety commission under donald trump. robert f. kennedy jr. meeting with the president-elect even as a spokesperson for trump tells nbc news he's exploring the possibility of forming a committee on autism but adds, no decisions have been made at this time. >> president-elect trump has some doubts about the current vaccine policies. he has questions about it. it doesn't matter, but the science does matter. >> reporter: that science already settled with every major medical association in agreement. doctors debunking a study that years ago falsely claimed a link between vaccines and autism. the american academy of pediatrics reiterating today that vaccines are safe, effective and save lives. while the president-elect himself has said he's pro-vaccine, he's tweeted

repeatedly about what he believes is a link to autism. >> i am totally in favor of vaccines, but i want smaller doses over a longer period of time. >> and that was nbc's hallie jackson reporting. we'll get a check on the weather now with meteorologist bill karins. let's talk about the flooding that is not yet over out west. i think skiers may be enjoying it, but it may be too much. >> if they can get there. you can't picture what 100 inches of snow looks like, but that's what they have seen at many ski resorts. the reno area of tahoe is under a blizzard warning so the winds are howling, picking up the snow and blowing it around. in the pictures, we are seeing cars completely buried. that's the scene out there. there are some of the pictures. that's what it looks like. you just get to the point of, how are you going to dig your car out? where are you going to put the snow? the big dig takes place tomorrow when the snow is finally going to end. we also are v a little bit of

heavy rain in the east. this was good with so much salt down on the roads and the cars were all filthy, it was a pouring rain that swept through all of the northeast. right now it's over the top of boston and providence. it will be gone by the peak of the morning rush hour. and then it will be a nice warm day in the east. the west just continues to be a mess. all the blue is the snow. and it hasn't just been in california, the mountains of california, the wasatch, we are getting snow in the southern mountains of idaho. again, this is the area the worst of it has been, the central sierra nevada range. the blizzard conditions end early toy and we finally get done with this storm. this will begin to push on out. the next storm behind it for tomorrow is a weaker storm. it's a little further to the south where we get rain for you in los angeles. and some of the mountain peaks outside l.a., we'll get a little snow with this one. the snowfall total, the last couple days we had 60 inches. now we are down to a foot to two feet additional snow for central california. but the mountains out west will

do well. look at the snowfall map all the way through the inner mountain west. some of this leaks out into areas of the central plains come tomorrow. the other story will be the rainfall, not a huge ordeal, but some of the rivers are so high we'll get a little additional rain. another one to two inches outside of l.a. could get a little flash flood issues come tomorrow. still very cold in the northern plains. enjoy the beautiful weather. southern portion of the country looks great, 70s dallas, 77 tampa, and even the northeast is going to clear out today. and it's going to feel mild, 47 in new york. and 52 in d.c. with some clearing skies. it will be nice this afternoon, alex. >> i guess what you just say, what drought down the road out west? >> we had drought updates every thursday morning. that's when we'll find out the percentages and how much this has helped. but central california, i would say the drought is pretty much over. southern california still has some work to do. >> thank you for that. still to come, the women's

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welcome back. time now for a home coming for the clemson tigers. some 6,000 fans turned out on campus to greet the team in their return from tampa in the school's first national championship victory in 35 years. and alabama wasn't the only loser monday night.

sports books in las vegas are paying out big money. those who were betting on the team to win. and the bears fell 89-68 against ten-ranked west virginia last night. the whole crowd in morgantown stormed the court after the mountaineers victory. the first of their season, the largest in a.p. poll history by a team in its first ever game as number one. and in hartford, connecticut, head coach chino amiana and the team looked

unstoppable. and james johnson ended the first quarter of the golden state match-up putting steph curry on a poster, and not in the way that he wants to. the warriors avenge the vicious dunk on the score board defeating the heat 107-95. that is one incredible dunk, alex. >> i love watching that. it's like -- it's amazing. i never get tired of that. thank you for bringing that to us, louis. still ahead, more from president obama's farewell address including the touching tribute to his family. and john kelly makes his case on capitol hill, but he didn't seem to be in lock-step with the president-elect. we've got those stories, next. listerine® total care

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for now, whether you are young or young at heart, i have one final ask of you as your president. the same thing i asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago. i am asking you to believe, not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours. >> president obama delivering an emotional farewell speech in chicago last night, louis. welcome back to all of you. i'm alex witt alongside louis burgdorf. we'll look at the headlines this morning. the latest winter storm is

expected to come to an end out west, but it's not over yet. avalanche warnings have been issued. and in colorado, highway i-70 was closed after an avalanche left 15 feet of snow in some areas. and in california, thousands of residents in sacramento are urged to seek higher ground due to rising floodwaters. and a jury in south carolina sentenced dylann roof to death. it took jurors less than three hours to decide his fate. roof presented no evidence. roof did ask for a lawyer to help file a motion for a new trial. the judge said he would consider the request before the formal sentencing later on this morning. and in confirmation hearings for the president-elect's cabinet continues today. the senate foreign relations committee holds a hearing on former exxonmobile rex tillerson for secretary of state. elaine chao goes before the

senate congress committee. and we'll have more on the first day of jeff sessions' testimony that continues today. and donald trump set to give his first news conference just hours from now. and there are new questions about contact between him, his campaign and the russian government. two u.s. officials with direct knowledge tell nbc news that briefing materials prepared for the president-elect himself included information that initially circulated among trump opponents and was passed to u.s. intelligence agencies making damaging allegations about his dealings with russians. neither the officials said the fbi was actively investigating the information which has not been verified by u.s. agencies. and then there's the controversial move by buzzfeed last night publishing a dossier source from a member that says they used to be a member of the british government. they have been cultivated, supporting and assisting the president-elect for five years even gaining compromising

information about him in an effort to blackmail him. in publishing the documents, buzzfeed acknowledged the claims are unverified and contained obvious errors. trump's response was in the form of a tweet, fake news, a total political witch hunt. and here's kellyanne conway onset myers. >> nobody has sourced it. they are all unnamed, unspoken sources. and the story says it was based on a russian investigator to begin with. >> it was based on an mi-6 british investigator. >> right. one of those. and it may have originated with a russian investigator. it also says that hillary clinton and groups that wanted hillary clinton to win may have been behind the investigations themselves. and most importantly, it says that the fbi is trying to confirm it. so nothing has been confirmed. and i have to say as an american citizen, regardless of your party or if you don't like politics at all, which are many americans, we should be concerned that intelligence officials leaked to the press and won't go and tell the president-elect or the president

of the united states himself. now mr. obama doesn't know what the information is. >> but the press report was about them going to the president. >> and it says they never briefed him on it. they appended two pages to the bottom of the intelligence briefing. >> i believe it says they did not brief them on it. >> he said he's not aware of that. >> okay. that concerns me. >> for their part, reuters quotes the kremlin saying they have no compromising information on trump or clinton and says it is total nonsense. some of the documents in the circle were known. harry reid wrote, you possess close ties and coordination between donald trump, his top advisers and the russian government. mother jones published a report in october describing the documents' existence just days after the fbi director announced the discovery of more e-mails that might be pertinent to the clinton investigation. and other journalists have

acknowledged that they have been approached with a story. "the guardian" report that is senator john mccain gave documents to james comey in a one-on-one meeting a month ago. and here's the fbi director yesterday under questioning during a capitol hill hearing. >> foreign minister, the russian foreign minister was quote in various news reports, saying that the russians have had contacts with people associated with the trump campaign. my question for you, director comey, is has the fbi investigated these reported relationships? and if so, what are the agency's findings? >> thank you, sir. i would never comment on an open investigation in an open forum like this. so i can't answer one way or the other. >> mr. comey, did you answer the question that there is an investigation underway as to connections between either the political campaigns and the russians? >> i didn't say one way or the

other. especially in a public forum, we never confirm or deny pending an investigation. >> the irony of your making a statement, i cannot avoid. but i'll move on. >> well, during the hearings yesterday, top republicans, many of them trump supporters, appear to endorse the intel's community findings about russia's attempts to influence the election's outcome. the bureau did ask for the dnc servers to investigate the hack, but they were denied access. and another angle to get to about congress, russia enacts to hack the election, yesterday a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill in response to russian cyber attacks. it also addresses the foreign use of so-called fake news and bans visas and freezes assets of people seen as undermining u.s. cyber security. it would also set sanctions in stone that went into effect during the obama administration as president-elect trump prepares to take office.

>> president-elect trump, beware of the russian teddy bear. you don't go from a grizzly bear to a teddy bear. if the president is resistant, that will bother me. he gets iran, china, north korea. i'm just perplexed about him and russia. >> it could be another rowdy day for jeff sessions and multiple protesters interrupted his confirmation hearings to become attorney general. sessions say he would uphold current laws and got animated when talking about how to approach immigration. steadfast in his opposition to president obama's protections for those living in the country illegally, including young people. >> i do believe that if you continually go through a cycle of amnesty, that you undermine the respect for the law and encourage more illegal immigration into america. i believe the american people spoke clearly in this election.

i believe they agreed with my basic view. and i think it's a good view, a decent view, a solid legal view for the united states of america that we create a lawful system of immigration. >> the sessions hearing picks up at 9:30 this morning. and donald trump's pick to head the department of homeland security made the case to lawmakers why he's fit for the job, all while breaking with the president-elect on a number of his more controversial proposals. retired general john kelly went before the senate's homeland security committee yesterday. and lawmakers grilled him on mr. trump's calls for a border law. surveillance of muslims and the use of waterboarding to keep america safe. >> a physical barrier in and of itself, certainly as a military person, that understands defense and defenses, physical barriers in and of itself will not do the job. it has to be a layered defense. if you were to build a wall from the pacific to the gulf of mexico, you would still have to

back that wall up with patrolling by human beings, by sensors, by observation devices. >> would you commit to ensuring a religion does not become a basis for u.s. foreign policy, particularing as targeting individuals with ancestry from muslim majority countries? >> i don't think it's ever appropriate to focus on something like religion as the only factor. so yes sir. >> what is your personal view of waterboarding and other forms of torture? >> senator, i don't think we should ever come close to crossing a line that is beyond what we as americans expect to follow in terms of interrogation techniques. >> would that mean basically the gentleman knee have a conventions? >> absolutely, yes, sir. the other big story this morning, president obama's final major speech as president. he addressed a ruccous crowd

just blocks from where he delivered his inauguration speech eight years ago. the president reflected on his time in office listing the economic turn around and the signature health care law as accomplishments. and he urged americans to get involve in the political process while taking on the issues of race and economic inequality. >> after my election there was talk of a post-racial america. and such a vision, however well intended, was never realistic. race remains a potent force in our society. and all of us have more work to do. if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hard-working white middle class and an undeserving minority, then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy draw further

into their private post. >> one of the most emotional moments of the night was the president's touching tribute to the first lady. >> michelle la vaughan robinson, girl of the south side -- for the past 25 years, you have not only been my wife and mother of my children, you have been my best friend. you took on a role you didn't ask for. and you made it your own. with grace and with grit and with style and with humor.

[ applause ] you made the white house a place that belongs to everybody. and a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. so you have made me proud, and you have made the country proud. >> well, the president also recognized vice president biden calling him the first choice he made as nominee and the best one. on the first daughters, the president praised the young women as smart, beautiful and full of compassion. and in case you're wandering why sasha was not there, she stayed back in washington, d.c. because of an exam at school. politics aside, the love and

support in that family is incredible. and you saw from malia, she was fighting back tears the whole time, she's so proud. >> it was powerful, emotional and personal. you could feel it. >> as a parent, i just started crying watching that for good reason. >> i can relate. we'll turn now to the president-elect's news conference today. julia chutney is joining us live from london. the markets have served since trump's win. what do investors want to hear from the president-elect today? >> good morning. what investigators want to hear is anything that can justify that ride that we have seen since the election. we are talking policy, corporate tax cuts, perhaps a big spending plan. unfortunately, instead we'll focus more on his conflicts as far as his business interests are concerned and also the allegations over russia, perhaps obamacare will slip in there, too. so that will keep investors quite cautious and we saw that

yesterday. little change in the stocks for the s&p and the dow in particular, too. even if donald trump doesn't give us a reason to be enthusiastic about stocks, there are reasons to be so from the world bank. they are seeing global growth this year significantly stronger than it was in 2016. and if we see some kind of big stimulus plan from the united states, that could lift global growth even higher. so we watch this. louis, back to you. >> one more question, julia. we are looking at wells fargo, they are making changes to how they are compensating employees after that scandal that they are dealing with. what else can you tell us about that? >> so this is really important, the overhaul at wells fargo following the fake account scandal we saw last year and the fines that the bank faced, now they are not going to reward their employees just for opening accounts. those accounts have to be used. they also have to see positive customer satisfaction. so that's going to be a benchmark. now, it's in line with what jp

f morgan is doing. this is about rebuilding consumer confidence. >> julia chatterly, thank you so much. and still ahead, plagiarism allegations. it's a book by one of the president-elect's national security aides being pulled. and donald trump's inauguration organizers are planning quite the experience at the national mall. wait until you hear how the ceremony is being described. we're back in a moment. it's just a date.

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you people are more busy than that guy right now. there's so much going on. >> yeah, the focus has been on the west for so long. we did have the weekend storm. i'll tell you what, there are no signs of any real big cold blast or anything. we are looking at mild weather

throughout the eastern part of the country for the next two weeks. we'll have minor events coming up, and one is this weekend. first up, the rain is just about clearing all of new england. so we have rain from boston to cape cod. long island is clear. we are looking at a nice wednesday. the warmest day in a long time for areas in the east. here's a mess in the west, snow in the mountains. we are tapering off with the last day of the heavy snows. one to two feet in the highest areas. avalanche warnings in utah and california. and blizzard warnings this morning. so you can imagine the nightmare it has been trying to get up to the passes if anyone lives or works in these areas. so let's talk about the forecast. what we're going to deal with is this storm on the move throughout the inner mountain west. it's bringing warm, pacific air with it. the temperature in denver, 54. not bad. st. louis, 63. that's got a little taste of spring to it. unfortunately, our friends in the northern plains, not for you, at least not yet. the warm air is all the way up through boston and through new england today and tomorrow. we could get close to 60 degrees in new york city come thursday

afternoon. atlanta at 70. so this is a nice, spring break here, from what was a very cold period. but the cold air is still sitting to the north. this is where we get the problem setting up. when we get a lot of warm air to the south, the cold air is still over the northern plains. it will push to the south throughout friday. at the same time, moisture begins to surge up from the northern gulf. so we get the warm air and the rain over the top of the cold. and this is just a classic set up with the potential for freezing rain as all the rain drops to the ground, the cold air is shallow just down at the surface. we have the potential for an ice storm friday, saturday, maybe into sunday. if you're in oklahoma, missouri, northern arkansas or southern illinois, those are the areas we're targeting for an ice storm. >> uh-oh. heads-up on the roads. >> then you start to talk about power outages and stuff like that. ice storms are their own beasts. >> talk about a mess. thank you, bill, for that. harper collins is pulling a plug on the book by a nominee of president-elect trump's administration. in the wake of plagiarism, the

publisher announced yesterday it will no longer sell digital copies of monica crowley's book "what the bleep just happened." the trump team has dismissed plagiarism claims as politically motivated. crowley also faces charges of plagiarizing pages from her ph.d. and creator george lucas is deciding where he would put his new museum. yesterday lucas announced his personal collection of fun and popular art including works related to the "star wars" franchise will be at a museum in los angeles. this beating out a competing design in san francisco. lucas said he'll fund the project for $1 billion including building costs, the art and and endowment of $400 million. >> that quickly is going to become a tourist destination. we'll all go.

>> it's "star wars," we have to go. still ahead, the most highly-anticipated confirmation hearings in the trump administration. we'll set the stage before rex tillerson goes before the senate relations committee. we're back in a moment. hey, need fast heartburn relief? try cool mint zantac. it releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster. ...another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen.

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welcome back. with just over a week until donald trump is officially sworn in as president, we now have a better idea of the theme of his celebration. soft sentuality.

oh. yeah. that's what tom barrack offered as insight about being asked whether the president-elect is worried about the lack of star power for his party. >> what we have done instead of trying to surround him with what people consider a-listers, we are trying to surround him with the soft sensuality of the place. we have all that, and it is much more poetic than having a circus-like celebration at the coronation. that's the way the president-elect wanted. >> just a little confused. okay, president-elect trump's pick of rex tillerson will go before the senate relations committee at 9:00 a.m. he's expected to face tough questioning over his ties to russian president vladimir putin, particularly on the heels of the intelligence report claiming that putin ordered an

influence campaign that was aimed to help president-elect trump. according to remarks leased by the trump transition team, tillerson is expected to call for a clear-eyed assessment of the u.s.'s relationship with russia. he'll argue that russia poses a danger to the u.s. and its allies and its resurgence happened in the, quote, absence of american leadership. tillerson is also expected to face tough questions in the u.s. role in ending the syrian civil war, climate change and u.s. support for the iranian nuclear deal. and when we come back, we'll give you a look at the other stories happening in this day ahead. (scream) i don't do blood. but now, thanks to cigna, i can do more than just look the part. is that a foot? we are the tv doctors of america. and we're partnering with cigna to help save lives. by getting you to a real doctor for an annual check-up. so go, know, and take control of your health. doctor poses. cigntogether, all the way.

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let's get out of that water. before we toss it over to "morning joe" we have a check on the stories in the day ahead. president-elect trump is set to give his first news conference since july in a few hours. he was set to hold the event last month before canceling it. this comes amid new contact between him, his campaign and the russian government. meanwhile, the mayor of flint, michigan, will host a town hall with residents over the ongoing water crisis. karen weaver is expected to share information from the epa data summit.

officials were in agreement that the city's water system is improving. some good news there. and the first family's farewell tour continues. michelle obama set to make her first talk show appearance at first lady. she appears on "the tonight sho stevie wonder. that will be a good show. you know what is coming up. need we even say it? it's "morning joe." take it away, guys. what it represents and its hateful ideology. >> if you were to build a walk from the pacific to the gulf of mexico you still have to back that wall up. >> be aware of the russian teddy bear. >> did he think donald trump was a likely winner? >> initially, no. they thought he was a fringe candidate. >> we are in the midst of a rescue to save the families of what is known at obamacare. >> nobody who has obamacare today will lose that coverage. >> a rising tide of authoritarianism and liberalism. >> we never conrm