>> that does it for this hour of msnbc live hereon capitol hill. i'm hallie jackson. we have much more with my buddy chris jansing in new york. >> thank you, my friend. this morning the president escalates tensions with iran saying the country is formally put on notice for firing a missile. but what exactly does that mean? and there's that combative call with the australian prime minister and a call reportedly made to mexico's president. all of this on the play of rex tillerson to kick off his first day as secretary of state. our political team calling it the toughest job in the world today. and violence the u.c. berkeley

causes officials to cancel a speech and should the democrats fight every battle or only the fights they can win? good morning. i'm chris jansing coming to you from our headquarters in new york. president trump in what is surely a break from tradition, he talked about his tv show "the apprentice" and asked for prayers for arnold schwarzenegger and then talked about getting tough, putting iran, quote, on notice and he's had tough testy phone calls with the leaders of australia and mexico. >> the world is in trouble. we're going to straighten it out. that's what i do, okay? i fix things. we're going to straighten it out. believe me, when you hear about the tough phone calls i'm having, don't worry about it.

just don't worry about it. it's time we're a little tough. >> "iran has been formally put on notice for firing a ballistic missile, should have been thankful for the terrible deal the u.s. made with them." and the u.n. security council has not called it a violation and says it's reviewing the matter. the security council has again not called it a violation. that matter, iran also denies that it violated the resolution. >> president trump has severely criticized the various agreements reached between iran and the obama administration as well as the united nations as being weak and ineffective. instead of being thankful to the united states in these agreements, iran is now feeling emboldened. as of today, we are officially putting iran on notice. >> on the matter of those testy phone calls now, "the washington post" reports the president

accused prime minister malcolm tu trumbull the next bombers. donald trump tweeting "do you believe it? the obama administration agreed too take thousands of illegal immigrants from australia. why? i will study this dumb deal." >> that is his tweet. as far as the call is concerned, i'm very disappointed that there has been a leak of purported details of the call in washington, but i want to make one observation about it. the report that the president hung up is not correct. the call ended courteously. and as far as the nature of the discussion, it was very frank and forthright. i stand up for australia's interest, i make australia's case as powerfully and as

persuasively as i can wherever i am. >> and now it's said that trump was being lighthearted on a phone call with mexico's president, that he's ready to seasoned down troops, unless the bad hombres get under control down there. and i think the one thing we can say for sure is that this is a leaky white house, the communication structure has not been shored up yet. >> reporter: it's not clear it's a leaky white house. kellyanne conway saying the leaks didn't come from the white house. it's certainly a leaky white house. it seems like there are

dissenting voices in this administration who are effectively putting president trump on his notice,uggesting they're not satisfied with what they're hearing. let's start with iran, this the first foreign policy crisis in way of the trump administration, not even two weeks in so far. it's obviously a much different tone than the obama administration had taken visa vee iran in terms of the jcpoa. there are six nations that were a part of this deal with iran. here it's not clear whether there was communication with any allies before this message was delivered to iran. they leave potentially economic sanctions or military action. i just hung one a former state department official. they cast it this way, saying it allows the administration to sound tough without actually doing anything, not that they're

suggesting they should do anything. the point they make is that there is a risk to this, to turning up the temperature in region where the tensions are already high and recognize that iran has its own presidential elections taking place this may, which is to say much the same way the language got fiery in our campaign, the potential the same for iran as well. it's one of those situations they suggest to me you have to tread carefully when you initiate a conversation in the way we did yesterday. >> i want to understand what you're saying. the senior administration official said it allows them to sound tough but they don't have to do anything? >> this is a dissenting voice, a former obama administration official. bottom line, president trump needs to be careful because there is a real risk to saying things like this, to, quote,

putting iran on notice. >> do we know if there was any thought on waiting on this? we talked about the procedures normally in place they have not followed in some cases but just at least a couple of hours before rex tillerson was secretary of state. >> reporter: that's a question we asked the briefers, senior administration official who is came to speak to us on the condition of anonymity on the background that went into mike flynn's comments and the administration's posture, they would not say who else was consulted in the administration or whether allies overseas were consulted. to the best of my knowledge, rex tillerson has not been a major player, all of this taking place before he was even sworn into office. >> toughest job today in the u.s. according to our political

folks. we want to get red sox from iran. ali arouzi joins us from tehran. what are we hearing from there? >> reporter: iran fired back about being put on notice. the iranian defense minister said sunday's missile launch was successful despite u.s. claims it wasn't and he reiterated they weren't in violation of the nuclear deal or any resolutions. a former foreign minister and adviser to the supreme leader said this isn't the first time an inexperienced person isn threatening iran and warned iran not to make empty threats to the most powerful country in the region. and the most powerful entity here said they should seek shelter, that iran i a jungle

of big trees. this is going to significantly complicate matters for hassan ruani who faces reelection in may. he came in on a platform of sorting out the new nuclear deal, de-escalating tensions with the world and propping up the economy. if he can't deliver on that, it could pave the way for a hardliner to come into power with iran, which would definitely spike tensions with iran and america. since the trump administration has come into power and since he's appointed all of these key security positions, there is a major sense of foreboding here in iran. they don't know what to expect. they didn't think relations with the united states would go south so quickly but we have to see how this is all going to pan out going forward. but it certainly, as one analyst said to me, the obama honeymoon is well and truly over. >> thanks so much. and joining me live now,

democratic senator richard blumenthal of connecticut, a member of the senate armed services committee as well as the judiciary committee that will hold confirmation hearings for judge neil gorsuch. it's an understatement when ali arouzi says this is a very different diplomatic approach than we saw from the previous administration. i want to play reaction from the speaker of the house. >> it's about time because iran gets away with what they think they can get away with and they keep pushing the told over and over. i've watched this regime for years, i get all of the intelligence reports. they're testing missiles where they write on the missiles "death to israel, death to america." i think we should take note of that. >> this is what donald trump said he was going to do. he believed the people who voted for him wanted him to get tough on places like iran. your reaction, sir? >> i think we need to do more

than simply take note of it or put iran on notice. there need to be tougher sanctions. i've advocated for some time that our sanctions be strengthened in enhanced enforcement of those sanctions against the companies that make components of the missiles or parts and supplies, the companies that do so or the nations that harbor them ought to be a target of our sanctions and we should be acting with our allies because this kind of production of ballistic missile is a violation of a u.n. resolution which incorporates our iran agreement and we need to act. >> you believe it is a violation, you think that the united states does need to extract a price for what they're seeing right now, but is it clear to you what on notice means? and were you as a member of a relevant committee notified?

>> by no means is it clear to me what on notice means. there's a lot of ambiguity. we've seen escalating rhetoric from this administration but no sanctions or escalation in sanctions. ambiguity can be danger, there as a need to be cautious. i think the administration needs to clarify what it means. >> are you concerned as we just heard from ali that the net effect might be that a hardliner could be put into power in iran? >> my concern is continued production of ballistic missile. i think that violation of the u.n. resolution and of our national and as well the iran agreement needs to be targeted with sanctions. and i want to be very clear. the idea of strengthening enfoement of sanctions is hardly novel. a number of us have advocated for some time. in fact, a letter is planned for

today that would go to the administration advocating on a bipartisan basis that there be increased enforcement. we need to take note, put them on notice, but even more so take action. and that's what i would advocate. >> can you give us some specifics of what that letter will say and who will sign on to it? >> until the letter is actually sent, i would not be at liberty to talk about the specifics, but we're trying to clarify exactly what the administration means when it says put them on notice. senator corker referred to this letter this morning earlier, and i believe that increased enforcement of sanctions, you know, i'm an enforcement guy. i was the attorney general of my state. if you have a law or an edict or an order that is unenforced, it's dead letter. we need to go after those companies that are providing those parts and components that

makes possible this ballistic missile production. >> let me ask you now about your role on the judiciary committee. you're going to be voting on neil gorsuch, one of your colleagues, new jersey's cory book are had a long interview on this network where he said he spent a long time looking at his judicial records and he has decided to vote no. will you support neil gorsuch for the supreme court? >> i'll reach a decision after i have a chance to ask neil gorsuch questions. i'm on the judiciary committee and i'll have the opportunity to meet him private lily but also put him on record of the concerns, many and deep concerns, many of those mirroring those that senator booker reflected. >> what's on the top of your list? >> i want to know whether he's in the mainstream of judicial thinking and opinions. he indicated hostility to

privacy rights, women's health care, worker and consumer protection, public health and safety. i'm going to be asking tough questions about those issues. i am going to insist as well on a 60-vote threshold because this is a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. i think it ought to be more than a razor thin margin -- >> and is there any doubt in your mind -- >> i believe our republican colleagues recognize the importance of a 60-vote threshold because it is a lifetime appointment, the highest court in the land with real life consequences for people and i think they recognize there ought to be more than just a razor thin margin. there should be an overwhelming bipartisan consensus in favor of a nominee. if he's out of the mainstream, i can tell you, chris, i'm going to every tool at my disposal to block that nomination. >> senator blumenthal, always

good to speak with you. thank you so much. >> thank you, chris. >> and coming up, the confirmation of betsy devos in jeopardy this morning after two republican senators say they will vote against her. >> i was trying to get to yes. i couldn't. >> i will not, i cannot vote to confirm her. >> so this could lead to something that has never happened before. telling ingredients to showing where they come from. beyond assuming the source is safe... to knowing it is. beyond asking for trust... to earning it. because, honestly, our pets deserve it. beyond. natural pet food.

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betsy devos's confirmation for secretary of education is in limbo after two republican senators announced they'll vote against her confirmation, senator susan collins from maine and the senators from alaska. if they st-- the rest vote for

her, that would be a tie and vice president mike pence would break the tie. it's unprecedented. >> reporter: it's teetering on the edge. the republicans know they have 50 votes in the senate, which of course leads to a tie. there has never been in the history of the senate, from what the senate historians can tell us, a situation where there has been a cabinet nomination requiring a vote from the vice president. that of course is mike pence's role in this. this is kicked off by senators susan collins and lisa murkowski. they both came under incredible pressure from teachers unions and also have been hearing from constituents in overwhelming

numbers. look how they explained their plans on this vote yesterday. >> i know that she cares deeply about the children of this nation. but for the reasons i will explain, i simply can into the support her confirmation. >> they're contacting me by phone, by e-mail, in person and their concerns center, as mine do, on mrs. devos's lack of experience with public education and the lack of dmknowledge tha she portrayed in her confirmation hearing. i was trying to get to yes, i couldn't. >> they are focused very much on public schools here. think about the states that collins and murkowski are from, maine and alaska, both very rural states. in many cases they have constituents that frankly don't have a choice in schools they attend. betsy devos has been a major

supporter for charter schools, for vouchers. the senators are listening to constituents say if you give me a voucher or choose a school, that's not something that works at all for me because i really only have one option. so the question now is there going to be a third republican who ultimately says, you know what, no, i also cannot vote against betsy devos? that's what it would take at this point to sink her nomination. >> are we seeing who's leading the charge, who's trying to get it done on the democratic side? like today i saw eli broad, who is a billionaire california democrat, but the unions do not like him bcause he has spent miions, tens of millions supporting charter schools. he says she's not qualified. same thing we heard from the senators there. what's going to happen? who's leading the charge? >> i think that behind the scenes you're seeing teachers unions continue to push on this. i think if there are additional

voices like eli broad, as you mentioned, it could potentially sway people here. you're seeing a push from democratic super pacs and democratic groups. bernie sanders was tweeting, hey, we only need one more republican to get this done. suddenly there's a very short list of republicans under a significant amount of pressure to the point yesterday afternoon several of them felt compelled to put out statements saying they would support her. dean heller of nevada in that category. senator pat toomey of pennsylvania is another one that people have really been focused on as somebody who might be willing to vote against betsy devos at this point. >> thank you, kasie. appreciate that. i want to go right to south dakota republican mike round. good morning. >> good morning. >> i wonder what you think about this no vote by senator collins

and murkowski and what you think of the criticism she came under from people thinking she wasn't prepared. >> both senators have looked at it. they made up their minds independently. that's their right. we still have the minimum number of votes necessary to confirm her, including the tiebreaker with the vice president. >> there's no doubt in your mind that it's going to happen or do you have some doubts? do you think there could be someone else it affects? >> until it's done it isn't a finished issue but for right now i think we're moving in the right direction. we haven't heard of anybody else who has expressed their decision not to vote for her. we think the presidentdoes have the right to choose his own cabinet and unless there are significant reasons why we should not allow him that right, then we should honor his request, just as senates have done for years. and so in each particular case each of these individuals is

being brought out for the talents and the interests and the direction that they've convinced the president is the right way too go. we know with education, a lot of us would love to return the decision making back to the states. we believe she has that same thought process. for me i think this is moving in the right direction to bring more control, authority, responsibility back to the states and local units of government. local control is important. if we can move in that direction and i think we are, then this is the right choice to make. >> let me move on to the other big story coming out of this white house, which is the idea of putting iran on notice. we saw that the president tweeted about it. is it clear to you what "on notice" means and do you think that this is the way to handle policy? >> we don't think we should be sending powerful messages that are very clear about what our next intention is. i think the fact that we put them on notice saying we're watching, that there's a new sheriff in town and that transgressions from plans and commitments in the past will not

be tolerated. the fact that they're actually testing missiles that someday may very well be capable of carrying nuclear weapons is something that concerns us all. they know better. they're doing this to test the next administration. i don't think we should be telling them exactly what might happen. i think we should keep all of our cards in our hand and we shouldn't be showing them. >> should we, though, be talking to allies, should we be talking to members of key senate and house committees or is it just okay to send a vague message? >> you know, i don't think the message was very vague. i think it was clear. they basically said knock it off and that we're watching and there is a new sheriff in town. at the same time, this is a new administration. they're going to learn the lines of communication. it takes a little bit of time to do that. they'll feel comfortable with it as they get into it. nothing is perfect as you're changing from one administration to another, particularly when democrats are stopping them from even putting their team together. i think they're doing the best they can with the resources and

manpower they've got on board. it will get better. we'll have more communication. personally i can't complain about the communication we've had since november. they've been in contact with us, they've discussed issues with us, they've asked us our thoughts on different things. so i'm mott going to complain about the kind of communication we've had. and when it comes down to these types of issues, i think it's perfectly appropriate for the president to send a powerful message to iran that says knock it off, this kind of activity is inappropriate and if you're going to do it, be aware we're watching and times are changing. >> we're out of tim senator. i want to ask you quickly, are you in favor of using the nuclear option if necessary for the nomination of neil gorsuch? >> that's going to be up to the democrats. we want to make sure that we have the opportunity to have a full discussion about his qualifications, move him forward. this is going to get done one way or another and it's going to be up to the democrats as to how the process continues but i feel

very confident that he will be eventually voted on and he will be the next member of the united states supreme court. >> sounds like one way or another means you're in favor of the nuclear option if necessary. >> we're simply not taking anything off the table. the nuclear option was never there before. when mr. reed decided he was going to make that part of the game plan and the suspicion was that the democrats would be doing that with regard to the supreme court nomination if they were in control of the senate. that doesn't make that any easier but it provides more options to us. we're not going to take anything off the table. we simply know that the supreme court is something that's very important. we wanted someone who would be in the likeness of anthony scalia. we there mr. gorsuch is, we think he has an impeccable record and for those reasons we think he should be the next member of the supreme court. but let's make it an up-or-down

vote, not something that's subject to a cloture vote, which is something that hasn't happened in the past and it shouldn't be on this one. this is a good man. if they want to vote against him, let them stand up and vote against him for the right reason, let's get an up or down vote, 51 in the past. he believes in a strict interpretation of the constitution. the american people clearly understood that the president would be nominating a conservative justice. that was part of the discussion ring this last election. that's the reason why mitch mcconnell and other leaders in the party said let's have an open discussion on this, let's have this be part of the president election, let's have that be part of the reason you vote for the the presidential candidate of your choice. >> thank you. coming up, controversial details on the covert operations in the raid in yemen that killed a navy seal.

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u.s. officials now admitting civilians, including children, were likely killed in a raid that left a navy seal dead. they may have been struck by aerial gunfire, which had been called in to assist u.s. forces taking fire from all sides. president trump has honored the seal who died in the operation, william ryan owens. nbc's hans nichols is at the pentagon. i hear you have new information from military officials. what are they telling you? hans, what are they telling you? >> it was a joint force of navy seals and special operators from

the united emirates. they were not expecting the intensity of the fire and as part of the mission, there was also this osprey forced to make a hard landing and that disabled the aircraft. then they had to call in an air strike on the aircraft to make sure that was destroyed and couldn't fall into enemy hands. despite all this, some officials are saying this actually could have gone even even worse, there's a great trigger of displan by the seals, there's a lot of bravery and valor on the field. and what's happening now is potentially three different investigations. right now we're in a credibility assessment on the civilian casualties. there's nearly always an investigation when a u.s. service member dies. there will be an investigation into the death of the seal and also why the aircraft crashed, the osprey. three potentially different investigations looking into this as we try to figure out just what the authorization was for

it. we know president trump signed off on it. we don't know whether the obama administration passed on it because they were luke warm on the operation or was it simply because of operational regions it fell into the new presidency. >> hans nichols on the pentagon. >> the senate committee has jt advanced a vote for budget director. all republicans public voted yes. what democratic senators voted no by proxy. that nomination for omb heads to the full senate. and coming up, how will president trump's opponent fight back? should they pick every battle or only the ones they can win? if you have medicare

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not a good scene last night when protests broke out at the university of california berkeley, calling for a breitbart writer speech had to be cancelled. they say the situation became too violent to keep the situation safe. >> democratic senator cory booker says he weird about the trump opposition burning out. >> there's just such a drumbeat of things to be outraged about. i often worry over these last two weeks about outrage fatigue because there seems to be multiple things every single day

that deserve attention. >> now, booker isn't alone. in new york influential democrats at the epicenter of these protests as well as the issues that sparked them sat down with me to outline their strategy going forward. >> we have mr. chaos in the white house, somebody who is impulsive, somebody who is badly thought through, surrounded by people who are amateur hour. >> it's coming so fast, it's hard to stay focused on what to fight first. >> for democrats in congress, how much do they fight? do they fight every one of these things? >> i would fight not on the judge personally and keep focusing on the immigration. >> it's really, really important, the supreme court, particularly of those who have been fighting in the racial justice space. >> you condition only pick the

fights you can win because that's based on being opportunistic, not being organ being and true to your values. >> if the aclu only brought cases we were sure we were going to win, i'm not sure there would be that many cases. >> when you lok at jeff sessions becoming the attorney general of the country, we're scared. betsy devos, she's a major problem. we have no choice but to resist in major spaces at once. >> the other issue is managing expectations. it's critical we not collapse every time there's a setback. this is a long haul thing. >> if you look at every civil and human right victory, it was a loser, it was a loser in the polls, it may have lost in the courts, it may have lost in the legislature but we persevered against at time life threatening and life-taking events and we won. >> we can't just lay down and allow things to happen without

showing opposition. there has to be a voice that says we don't like this. so at least it's on the record this we stood up in those times. >> i think what you're seeing at grass roots level are people who haven't been active, who feel threatened and are coming out to have their voices heard. establishment crafts have to step up and hear that, amplify that. >> i didn't hear any of you say you're depending on congress. >> we kissed them off a long time ago. >> not a resounding endorsement of congress. but they do say that two groups who never worked together but kept their own issues are working to the to try to mobilize all of this energy that they see out there. what it's lacking at this point is clear leader. coming up, the white house denying a new report saying the president had heated word with the mexican president, warning he'd send u.s. troops into mexico.

the president also reportedly said "bad hombres."

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of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief >> did president trump humiliate mexico's president in a confidential phone call behind closed doors? he reportedly told president enrique nieto, "you have a bunch of bad hombres down there." just a short time ago, an official told nbc news that those comments were lighthearted and the president never threatened to send in the military. joining me, the nation's first latina senator, new to congress,

she took over harry reid's seat. thanks for coming on the program. >> thank you, chris. >> what do you make of this back and forth and the fact that the white house is saying there was a lighthearted reference to bad hombres on this phone call? >> chris, it was offensive, offensive to all mexicans across interest country. when he's talking about bad hombres, he's talking by my family. the on bad hombre is the one sitting in the white house. >> do you think he was talking about immigrants and not drug cartels? >> it's the same rhetoric on the campaign trail. it's this denigration of mexican americans, calling them outright rapists and criminals. it has to stop. >> you announced you're

co-sponsoring legislation to rescind president trump's executive order and your state has the highest percentage, 7.6% of unauthorized immigrants. tell me why you're doing this. >> the people we're talking about are not criminals and rapists. they are people living in our community. i've met with them. they have names, faces, they're working hard. they came here for the same reason my grandfather came here, to work hard, play by the rules, get ahead, make sure their kids will have more than they may have started with. there's nothing wrong with that. more importantly, they contribute to our communities. so what i am hearing is this same fight and denigration of individuals who just want the opportunity to have the american dream. and let me just tell you, president trump's actions to

build walls, divide people in his words have consequences. st wou days ago the mexican consulate office in las vegas, a swastika was graffitied on it. people are rightfully scared because instead of uniting the country, which is what our president should be doing, he's continuing this divisive rhetoric. >> what he has said about building a wall and about new immigration on our own boreds are -- borders is very similar to what he has said about his decision to ban immigration from those seven muslim majority companies. i want to play for you what he said -- i'm sorry, we have to break in. after the president met with congressional leaders this morning. let's take a listen. this is the president.

>> good to see you. >> senator. >> you had it right the first time. >> nice to see you. nice to see you again. again. >> hello, everybody. nice to see you all. umpg that, senator. good see you. we'll start getting our trade in order. i know you will like that. it's going to be one thing we really get along on, right. >> yes, sir. >> i think. thank you all for being here today. great honor. we have put together an all-star team, top level people that are working on trade. we are working very, very hard and will be very soon -- as soon as we get the go-ahead.

we have a 90 dayeod that we have to think abo. but we want to get that whole in kick started and going. we have some statutory limits and we don't want to have those statutory limits. so it's very important. i have very serious concerns about nafta. nafta has been a catastrophe for our country. it has been a catastrophe for our workers and our jobs and our countries. they are leaving our country. i want to change it and maybe we do it -- maybe we do a new nafta and we wut an extra f in the term nafta. you know what the f is for? free and fair. not just free trade: free and fair trade. because it's very unfair. all the guidelines we are adhering to, i would like to speed it up if possible. you are the folks who can do it, senator, so important. we will have great trade deals and we will have something that

will -- i don't care if it is a renovation of nafta or a brand-new gaftr nafta but we have to make it fair. it's very unfair to the american worker and very, very unfair to companies that do business in this country. that's why they are leaving. one of the many reasons. the taxes are 250 high. we are going to take care of that also. you all know wilbur ross who is one of the great people of wall street. and he's going to be representing us in negotiations along with his -- long with a lot of other great people. so we've really assembled tremendous talent. some of the best in the world. carl eye can told me i can't believe you got wilbur. wilbur ross is known just as wilbur. one of the greats. he is fair. he is fair to other countries and he will be fair to other cups. and i think we are going to have a whole new picture by the time we are finished. i just want to thank the four of you for beinghere.

we are startg the process. i think it's going to be a tremendous thing for the country, the workers and for the companies that employ the workers. and thank you all for being here. >> [ inaudible ]. >> and so there you saw it, the president who was meeting with senate and house tax reform leaders. and we are seeing -- and i want to bring back in the senator we were talking about some of the immigration issues. but i can just go back to that -- we are seeing thing like this every day, sometimes multiple times a day from this president. there is one argument that the people in the white house would say which is that he is making his promises. this is not business as usual. on the other hand it was interesting hear cory booker talking about if a feeg, there are just so many things coming at the opposition it's hard if you are a member of congress or

someone out on the streets marching to know where to focus your energy and your attention. what do you think about what's been going on on capitol hill, which is so unlike anything we've seen? >> this is obviously unusual. let me just say this, i think we have to remain vigilant. and yes we are going to have to be strategic. we have to pick our battles but that doesn't mean we don't stop fighting. there are owe many things happening that are going to affect our every day live. these are going to be issues that are going to be important for so many people across the country. and we need to make sure that we are using our voices and we are out there and we are fighting and holding this administration accountable. and that starts with the cabinet members that we see that are coming through now. listen, i -- i have been supportive of some of them. and some of them i've been very clear, i cannot support because they lack experience or because of their previous background. and i've looked at each one on a

case by case basis. that's part of my job as a united states senator. i'm going to continue to do so. >> one of the things we were talking about earlier this morning it's looking 50/50 with betsy devos and there is things going on behind the scenes involving union. what are you hearing? do you think there is a chance betsy devos doesn't get confirmed. >> we are using every tool we have to shine a light on these individuals including betsy. because they are going to be -- betsy will be in a position to have an impact on the education policy across the country. you can see she has no knowledge of education policy. she spent a decade diverting money away from public schools. i think instead of fast tracking these individuals like the republicans want to us do. we are take let's take our due diligence and shine a light and

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many thank for watching another busy hour of nbc live. right now on msnbc andrea mitchell reports. >> they are busy hours. right now at this hour the white house press secretary will be briefing and facing a crush of new questions after the white house puts iran on notice. how will the u.s. told tehran accountable as president trump picks a fight also with one of america's closest allies. >> when you hear about the tough phone calls i having, don't worry about it. just don't worry about it. they are tough. we have to be touch it's time we are going to be a little tough, folks. >> that phone call with

australia, more coming up. and building bridges. a new secretary of state creating thousands of chairing state department employees an hour ago and reaching out to his new team. >> well, my first day is here. i'm on the job. hi, i'm the new guy. plus, pass/fail a critical test for the proposed education secretary as her nomination now hang in the balance. now two republicans senators are breaking ranks pledging to vote against her. we'll talk to one of them in a moment. good day, everyone i'm andrea mitchell in washington where white house press secretary sean spicer is going to be tackling a laundry list of critical issues facing president trump right now. joining me now, white house correspondent kristen welker. first of all we saw