executive action signed in the oval office aiming to partially deregulate wall street, as we await donald trump to take off to his weekend trip to his resort in florida. we begin this hour on rising tension with iran. just this morning the trump administration announced new economic sanctions against the country. the move a direct response to iran test-firing a ballistic missile. this after president trump sent an early morning threat to the nation via twitter, saying iran is playing with fire. they don't appreciate how kind president obama was to them. not me. the tweet prompted this response from iran's foreign minister. >> we will never, repeat never, and get the same statement from those who are complaining, never use them against anybody. unless in self-defense. and be sure nobody has the guts again to attack us. >> joining me now from the white house is nbc national correspondent peter alexander and live for us in tehran is

nbc's ali aruzzi. donald trump repeatedly blasted the iran deal during the campaign. sean spicer didn't go so far as to say they're going to get rid of it today, but is there a chance down the line this is something they're going to be looking at doi ay with. >> reporter: you know well donald trump was a fierce critic of the ira deal throughout the course of his campaign. again sean spicer during the press briefing today was very critical of the deal. he basically said it wasn't in the united states' best interest going forward. donald trump said more broadly, views iran as a country that needs to be, quote, kept in check, basically, to use his language. during an oval office moment a short time ago where he was signing executive orders on a separate topic, donald trump was asked about this, peppered with a question about the sanctions. he said basically iran is not behaving. let's be very clear. senior administration officials say to us that this iran deal is separate from these new sanctions that are now being enforced right now. sanctions that they say are just

the initial steps, there could be new sanctions going forward. basically saying it's up to iran to see how they act going forward. here's more of sean spicer a short time ago. >> should americans be ready for the possibility of military action with iran? is that on the table? >> i've said this before. he doesn't take options off the table but he understands the impact of something like that. the sanctions today, i think, are going to be very, very strong and impactful. and i hope that iran realizes that after the provocative measures they've taken, that they understand that in president, this administration is not going to sit back, take it lightly. >> reporter: these sanctions focusing on about 25 different individuals and entities, focused most broadly on suppliers of terrorist groups like hezbollah and lebanon, houthi rebels in yemen as well and sprirz of the ballistic missile program behind that missile launch about a week ago. >> is this being seen as a game

of chicken between the u.s. and iran? >> reporter: well, katy, if it is a game of chicken, it's a very dangerous one being played with missiles. iran is america's arch foe. they to want see what they can get away with, whether it's ballistic missiles or anything else. they probably intend to measure president trump's response, which they've seen. it was a tough. with obama they felt they could push the envelope pretty far without any consequences. today we're getting a response from iranian foreign ministry, which is unusual at this time on a friday night. the iranian foreign ministry said they'll take like for like actions. they said whatever sanctions -- are imposed on iran, they will impose on america and american companies that support terrorism and embolden terrorists in this region that kill innocent

people. now, i don't know how effective the sanctions by iran is going to be, but this is the first step they've taken issuing this statement from the foreign ministry. i'm sure we're going to see a lot more come out from the iranian government tomorrow and take other actions. what i can tell you, katy, is that i spoke to an analyst here. he thought that the -- he thought americans are trying to get iran to pull out of the nuclear deal. and he said that will never han. the most hardened of hard-liners won't pull out of the deal because they don't want to be blamed for i lost your sound. >> i was going to ask you, you've lived in iran for nbc news. i was going to ask you about the tensions. instead, i'm going back to peter alexander. i wanted to talk about the new executive action donald trump is expected to sign later today. it's going to roll back some regulations imposed -- or he just signed it, by dodd/frank, is that right? >> reporter: these were just signed in the oval office within

the last 30 minutes or so, effectively dismantling dodd/frank, these wall street regulations that came up under president obama's administration. the effort behind them was to basically put restrictions on wall street banks and ultimately on some financial advisers that may be selling expensive financial products to individuals. the intention, the obama administration insists, was to protect consumers. that's the way that the democrats are viewing this change today. they view it as an effort that's now going to hurt consumers. chuck schumer said this a short time ago. he said president trump promised to stand up to the big banks. now he's letting them write the rules of the road. he promised to stand up for the forgotten man and woman. now he's leaving them out to dry. the white house suggests/argues there are existing regulations out there sufficient to protect individuals right now. this doesn't enforce anything immediately. it allows a review process but assumed ultimately the treasury would go forward with this. >> peter alexander on another busy day in washington.

i'm sure you're looking forward to the weekend now. thanks for joining me. thank you to ali in tehran. now let's go to former u.s. ambassador to the u.n. and former new mexico governor, bill richardson. governor, under these new sanctions, up to two dozen iranian people and companies will be penalized. why didn't the u.s. go to the u.n. -- or go to the eu and say, hey, we need to push back on iran. let's work together so we can make them more stringent and more effective? >> well, these ballistic missile tests are a violation of the security consul at the u.n. i agree with president trump's policy on the sanctions. they're proportional. they're limited to individuals, to the ballistic missile test. i think that's positive. i just don't like the way it was done. it's a bluster, bombastic. we should now turn to our

diplomats, the secretary of state, to talk to the foreign minister of iran. cool things down. you don't want to get into a playing by fire situation. >> i'm going to take that to mean you don't agree with how mike flynn came out at the white house podium during the briefing the other day and put iran on notice. do you have any idea what on notice means? >> well, i don't agree with the way he came out. first of all, he started criticizing president obama. the campaign is over. there's a new sheriff in town. they were making that point. that's fine. but i think it should be the secretary of state. it should not be escalated for everything to come out of the white house. it should be the state department. the next step should be diplomacy. you know, we seem to be insulting friend and foe almost every day, ery news cycle. iran is not friendly. i do think it makes sense to do what we're doing because the

iran nuclear agreement makes sense. let's keep that. but there are other areas like terrorism ties, like their policy towards israel. there's an american name, levinson who iran has detained, these missile tests. let's move them in the right direction. do it through diplomacy. don't do it through threats and tweets and bluster. >> you know trump has been particularly friendly to russia and has been extraordinarily friendly to israel. talking about moving the embassy to jerusalem. that seems to be on hold. there have been two notable reversals. we saw u.n. ambassador nikki haley pushing back on russia and demanding they leave crimea. we also have seen the white house tell israel to -- or advise them to halt on the settlements they're building in the west bank. what do you make of that reversal? and does it say something to you, that these are coming from

a white house statement and n k nikki haley rather than donald trump himself? >> he's adopting some of president obama's foreign policy, which i think makes sense. the statement by nikki haley, that was good, towards russia. if you continue with your policy towards ukraine and crimea, we're not going to lift sanctions. that's positive. with israel, increasing settlements as israel has doing, is not going to make things better with israeli/palestinian talked. although i did disagree with the obama administration's vote at the u.n. on abstaining on the settlements. you don't want to deal with a u.n. on israel/palestinian issues. so that was a mistake. so, you know, i'm going to say that the president and his team

on those two issues did the right thing. but let's do it with deliberation. let's not do it with tweets. let's do it with our diplomats, with the state department. let's take a lot of this power out of the white house and put it in the hands of individuals that know what they're doing, the professionals at the state department. >> former u.s. ambassador to the u.n., former governor bill richardson. thank you for joining pe. that brings us to today's microsoft pulse question. do you think sanctions are an appropriate punishment for iran's missile test? tell us your thoughts at pulse.msnbc.com. we'll check in with your results later in the hour. also making headlines today, kellyanne conway in an interview with my colleague, chris matthew, the counselor to the president defended trump's executive order banning travel for majority-muslim countries by invoking a terror attack, she called the bowling green massacre. >> i bet there was very little coverage. i bet -- i bet it's brand-new

information to people that president obama had a six-month ban on the iraqi refugee program after two iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and they were the masterminds behind the bowling green massacre. people don't know that because it didn't get covered. >> did not get covered because there is no such thing as the bowling green massacre. just didn't happen. the bowling green, kentucky, she's referring to has never been the site of a terror attack. this morning conway backed down on those claims with this tweet saying, i mention to say bowling green terrorists as reported here. to talk about this more let's go to politico white house correspondent eli. they come down hard on journalists when they getheir facts wrong. this is an instance where kellyanne conway got something pretty major wrong. when you talk about stoking fear, it's a big deal to talk about a massacre that never happened. is the white house reaching for any past justification to -- or anything in the past to justify this travel ban?

>> i think so. and i think, you know, you can get past the fact that she misspoke and the fact that this is the same person who defended the press secretary's right to propagate alternative facts. can you forgive she misspoke. if you get to the meat of what she was trying to say, this is not a perfect comparison. i think she was trying to refer to a case in 2011 when there were two iraqi refugees living in kentucky, who were discovered to be helping plot roadside bomb attacks against u.s. troops in iraq. it did reveal some gaps in the obama administration's refugee vetting program. so, that was put on hold. those gaps were taken care of and addressed. that is the comparison they are trying to draw. of course, the obvious difference is that was pertaining to country country in 2011, to iraq. and it was in response to a specific event. the trump ban, on the other hand, affects seven countries and not in response to any specific threat that we know of. >> they haven't told us there's

anything immediate going on, other than to say they want to be ran random, unpredictable, they don't want the terrorists to know what they're doing beforehand. do you see a larger problem with this going forward, with the administration trying to justify anything that they want to do with this threat of terror that is looming over everyone's head? >> right, and to talk the media for just not covering it the way they want it to be covered. i think what you have here is an administration, this i true of the way tru administration's vetting order came out last friday. a stay was put on it by a judge. it was held very close to the vest and rushed out. i think that approach, the sort of disregard for the experts, the disregard for anybody other than people in the inner circle who will rubber stamp and move ahead with what they want to do, that is problematic in terms of the implementation of a lot of these executive orders and just the message of competency up and down the federal government that it sends to the rest of the

country and allies around the world. >> eli, thank you, my friend, for joining us. next up, donald trump meets with his economic advisory council. as he signs new executive orders to roll back business regulations. we've got our eye on wall street coming up. ♪ audi pilotless vehicles have conquered highways, mountains, and racetracks. and now much of that same advanced technology is found in the audi a4. with one notable difference... ♪ the highly advanced audi a4, with available traffic jam assist. ♪ parts a and b and want more coverage, guess what? you could apply for a medicare supplement insurance plan whenever you want. no enrollment window.

no waiting to apply. that means now may be a great time to shop for an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. medicare doesn't cover everything. and like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, these help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. so don't wait. call now to request your free decision guide. it could help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that works for you. these types of plans have no networks, so you get to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. rates are competitive, and they're the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. remember - these plans let you apply all year round. so call today. because now's the perfect time to learn more. go long. by simply enjoying it. boost® simply complete. it's intelligent nutrition made with only 9 ingredients, plus 25 vitamins and minerals

and 10 grams of protein. and look where life can take you! boost®. be up for it.™ everything your family touches sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox.

we're bringing back jobs. we're bringing down your taxes. we're getting rid of some regulations. i think it's going to be exciting times ahead. >> president trump right there with a gaggle of ceos from america's largest and most powerful companies. the show of force comes as trump makes good on a campaign promise. a new executive order to roll back financial regulations put

in place after the 2008 crash. a jobs report out today may be a sign president trump is starting on sound financial footing. 227,000 jobs were created in january and wall street is reacting. the dow right now up 173 points after seeing a bump in the jobs outlook. ali velshi is here to explain what it means. is this jobs report just momentum from the obama administration or can trump say that this is his administration already making good? >> well, that -- you're just looking to make a fight with me on twitter, right? that's what everybody's been hitting me up with. let me tell you what it is and we can have a discussion about whose to blame or responsible. 227,000, that number is very big. this is the more important number. you get that and then the unemployment rate. i think ignore this. it's a percentage of a moving number so it doesn't stell you as much. all of last year we averaged 180,000 jobs created per month. this is 227,000. if you go back two years we're

running at 204,000 a month. this is a good, strong number. there's no question about that. unemployment, when i was growing up we used to think about 5% as full employment. 4.8% is actually a low number. again, it's ticked upro 4.7%. now, this survey that gave us this unemployment number was conducted between january 9th and 12th, as you know, inauguration was january 20th. so, donald trump has nothing to do with this number, but i think presidents get too much blame and too much credit in general for jobs numbers because presidents only hire a few people around them. companies actually hire. now, when i was a young reporter, 5% was considered full employment. it meant that 5% are always unemployed because they're either wanting to go to school or doing other things. so, we're below that. that should generally meeting is you should be able to walk off the set right now and demand more money for your job because positions are -- workers are scarce. but the truth s a lot of these people are earning wages that

are lower than they would like them to be. that's because after the recession from 2009 to 2015, wages were largely stagnant. the recession was so bad and there were so many workers out there, that you couldn't demand more money for the work you do. we only started to see wages rising in 2015. now they're rising into 2016. but that's why the 4.8% or 5% unemployment rate doesn't mean as much. now, you saw those market numbers. you saw the dow up 175 points when we started this conversation. that's got more to do with this. the executive orders that president obama -- president trump, i'm sorry, has signed. he is ordering a review of financial regulation. dodd/frank was signed in 2010, named after senator chris dodd, representative barney frank, both retired. it was sort of an omnibus bill dealing with the financial industry because it was surprising to people how badly regulated the industry was. this executive order that is signed b the president does not change dodd/frank at all.

it's a congressional bill. the president cat chang it. he's basically telling the treasury secretary to talk to the regulatory agencies and find out what they can do to change it. that's what that part is. it's a bit of optics but he did say he was going to roll back dodd/frank and it sounds he's going to get that down. >> i bow to you because you summed that up in a cogent and understandable way. good job. >> thank you. >> i'm going to stay right here. i'm going to keep my job, as you are suggesting. >> try, try and ask for more. never hurts to ask. >> thank you. also happening right now at joint base andrews, president trump just arrived aboard air force one. he will get on that plane and take a trip down to florida to visit his mar-a-lago resort. they have already dubbed it the winter white house. peter is a professor at university of maryland and former chief economist at u.s. international trade commission.

you're going to see him in a second, i promise. also with me, julianne malvo, economist and former president at bennett college for women. guys, thank you so much for joining me. peter, i want to talk to you about donald trump's meeti meet morning with american ceos. what does it mean to have him seated with such big names in the business industry? does that project an air of confidence around him, even if it's just a photo op? >> well, i think it does project some confidence, if now these ceos turn around and say, donald trump wants to dot right thing. he wants to be supportive. at the end of the day, what we need these guys to do is turn this photo opportunity into some real action, that is, to start hiring some people and making more stuff in america, because after all, that's what donald trump said he would deliver. now, today's jobs report, not his credit. and we shouldn't expect to see big results from trump for several months. it takes time to get these things going. but in time, if these folks

cooperate with him, then we should have a somewhat stronger economy. >> julianne, what does it mean if donald trump ends up being able to roll back dodd/frank? what will it mean for the average american? >> consumers will have a lot less protection. we needed dodd/frank. we got it in 2010. we still need it. there's still all kinds of financial cha cannery going on. while he cannot roll back dodd/frank, he certainly has, as was reported, signed an executive order saying, let's review it. it's not good for consumers. it might be good for banks and wall street but not consumers. president trump has said he's for the working person. the last jobs report exceeded expectations all around with economists. one thing, although he can't claim credit for the report, there are many comfortable with the fact he is president and that comfort is, i think, resulting in what we're seeing is, you know, basically a solid

continuation of the obama gains. we didn't see that in wages at all. please, don't sit off your seat and go ask for more money because you're not likely to get it. >> well, donald trump -- >> someone is likely to come in and bid you 10% under. i promise you that. >> i'm going to stay. i'll stay seated. you're right, donald trump created a much different economy than president obama did back in 2008. peter, jumping off that, when you do roll back dodd/frank, what does that mean for the consumer? are we going to see higher priced goods? are we going to see the job market tightening? lay it out in what i would see in a year in i didn't have dodd/frank? is the housing market going to result in a bubble again? that sort of thing? >> well, it depends on how they roll it back. the problem with dodd/frank is it's too much regulation to achieve the necessary goals. but you got to get regulation right. if they get it right, then bank loans will be easier to get, especially for small businesses and folks that need a mortgage. a lot of minorities might find

it easier to get a mortgage. but we don't want to see come are the good old days of people borrowing three times the value of their home and pawning them off on the retired people in florida and the whole thing going bust. we certainly aren't going to see higher priced goods and things of those nature. the issue is to loosen up without bringing back the old excesses. that's a very delicate dance. >> what about small investors? while you're absolutely right that -- i don't think there's too much regulation. i think dodd/frank is just about right. i'm concerned about small investors who really do need protections. the big folks don't need it but the smaller investors do. and as you talk about people being able to get more mortgages, let's not forget that hud has already rolled back one regulation that has made it easier to get a mortgage. so, give on one hand and take away on the other. mr. trump has got to focus on his base. those are those working class people and they're black and white working class people, by the way. people say working class white

people. >> groug let me answer? >> these working class people who want more and aren't going to see more with the roll back of dodd/frank. >> you got a moment. answer quickly. >> essentially, we want to protect everybody. remember, aig was one of the biggest investors in the country and it went under because of -- because of excesses in the financial market. the trick here is to educate people better about the kinds of securities they're buying. only a fool would have thought they could get 12% on their money and not be taking a lot of risks. >> there were a lot of people out there who did that. let's remind our viewers in 2008 dodd/frank was in response to a massive bubble in the housing market where a lot -- >> we've had bubbles -- >> we're encouraged to take out ans they couldn't afford to. >> peter -- >> i'm so sorry. i have to leave it here. >> okay. >> enjoy your weekend. take a deep breath. we'll get through it. i'd love to have you back. let's keep talking about this. >> sounds good. >> peter and julianne, thank you so much for being here. >> you're welcome. >> thank you. coming up, new sanctions on

iran. the latest action from the trump white house in a whiplash style of foreign policy which includes tough talk with allies and new signals about israel. i'm talk to richard blumenthal, a member of the armed services committee next. you totanobody's hurt, new car. but there will still be pain. it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three-quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do? drive three-quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement™, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving around on three wheels. smart. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, we'll replace the full value of your car. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. hei don't want one that's haded a big wreck just say, show me cars with no accidents reported find the cars you want, avoid the ones you don't plus you get a free carfax® report with every listing

i like it start your used car search at carfax.com ♪ everything your family touches sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. will your business be ready when growth presents itself? american express open cards can help you take on a new job, or fill a big order or expand your office and take on whatever comes next. find out how american express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open.com.

(jessica) i love beneful healthy weight because find out how american express cards and services the first ingredient is chicken. (riley) man, this chicken is spectacular! (jessica) i had to start hiding the bag because he would try to put his face in it all day. yeah you love it, don't you? you love it so much! i el like en heats beneful, he kinda turns into a puppy again. it's protein. it's vegetables. it's grains. i mean, like that sounds like a dinner i'd make for myself, right? (riley) hey it's a big bag. just have some of mine. (vo) try beneful healthy weight with chicken. with real chicken as the number one ingredient. healthful. flavorful. beneful.

after 14 days in charge, donald trump's policy decisions have left world leaders looking a little confused. on iran, there are new sanctions today. is that it? >> president trump has severely criticized the various agreements reached between iran and the obama administration as well as the united nations has 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. >> right there national security adviser michael flynn seemed to imreply something more could be

coming. on russia, new u.n. ambassador talking tough demanding they withdraw from crimea but donald trump has not said that. north korea, defense secretary james mattis is in asia to reassure japan and south korea, but trump campaigned and questioned the need for oversea bases like the one in japan a south korea. then there's the dust-up with stralia. one of america's oldest and biggest military allies. after a blunt conversation over refugees, australian media says trump yelled at pm turnbull. diplomatic allies are on edge. the question is, who speaks for this white house and where does it stand on the whorld stage? let's go to connecticut senator richard blumenthal. i'm not sure you can answer, that but you can tell me a little more about where you stand on iran. you were one of a number of bipartisan senators to send a letter to the administration

encouraging maybe even stronger sanctions. what would you like to see? >> what i'd like to see is even more vigorous enforcement of sanctions against the suppliers of components and parts to iran's ballistic missile program. 25 were sanctioned today. part of a continuing policy that began under the obama administration of imposing sanctions on these front men and bankers as well as i hope the actual manufacturers of the components and suppliers. but here's what we really need s a comprehensive strategy. i'm on the armed services committee. i think there's bipartisan agreement that the strategy has to be improved. >> does that include potentially going over and doing away with the iran deal? i mean, donald trump campaigned on this. sean spicer today wouldn't go that far, but if he were to do that, would that be something that you would applaud, given the fact that iran just tested a

missile? >> ironically, abregating the iran deal would only make the situation worse with ballistic missiles because right now they have no nuclear arms tput on the tips of those missiles. and we need to stop the missile production and development, but that development is a violation of the u.n. resolution, completely apart from the deal. and a comprehensive strategy has to involve our allies, which goes to your initial question, what's happening with the trump administration on the world stage? well, they are picking fights with our allies, whom we will need for better enforcement of sanctions. they are creating distractions. and they are using, forgive me, inflammatory and reckless rhetoric like putting iran on notice. what is not needed is rhetoric but action. >> "the new york times" is reporting some european leaders

are urging their counterparts to start seeing donald trump as a potential threat, saying they're worried trump will up-end not only the 70-year project of european project of integration and security, including everything they stand for, liberal democracy. does that concern you to hear some of the eu leaders could say, hey, listen, america might not be our friend after all. >> deeply concerning because take iran, for example, in order to try to contain iran, stop its aggressive action throughout the middle east, it's inflammatory and anti-american as well as our anti-ally action. we need our allies. that's what brought the iranians to the table to negotiate the iran deal, combined action imposing strong economic sanctions and that kind of comprehensive strategy has to involve our allies. it also has to involve congress. and the letter that we sent,

asking for these kind of sanctions, the letter sent yesterday headed by senators corker was bipartisan. the trump administration needs to engage congress on a bipartisan basis as well as our allies. >> are you confident congress, and maybe even donald trump's cabinet k reassure our allies en donald trump himself is so antagonistic in public? >> well, that's the question of the hour. and we'll see whether or not our allies have the patience that they'll need to deal with an administration that is picking fights with them, or that president trump changes his approach given now that he will have a cabinet with advisers like general mattis and general kelly, two very distinguished leaders of the military, and hopefully some restraint imposed by his advisers. but the simple answer is that if our allies fear us as a threat,

the world will be a much more dangerous place for the united states of america. and that includes our military presence around the world because our -- we need our allies there, including the australians, who have been steadfast as allies throughout decades of war and conflict. >> senator richard blumenthal, a democrat from connecticut, thank you very much. >> thank you. we've been asking, do you think sanctions are an appropriate punishment for iran's missile test? it's close. 52% say yes, 48% say no. you still have time to weigh in. go to pulse.msnbc.com to let your voice be heard.

i'm all the techy stuff you got crammed into your brannew car. i'm so sexy, you can't keep your hands off me. do it again. there you go... i can do whatever you want. except keep your eyes on the road. now would be a good time to have new car replacement. so get allstate and be better protected from mayhem, like me. it's good to be in good hands. everything your family touches sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. "how to win at business." step one: point decisively with the arm of your glasses.

abracadabra. the stage is yours. step two: choose la quinta. the only hotel where you can redeem loyalty points for a free night-instantly and win at business.

favorable reaction from gop on sanctions to iran. house speaker paul ryan says he applauds the president for imposing new sanctions. the sanctions are against both

individuals and entities accused of helping support the ballistic missile program. iran conducted a ballistic missile test this week. the administration is taking its first clear stance against russian aggression. at her first appearance at u.n., u.s. ambassador nikki haley called on moscow to de-escalate violence in ukraine and sanctions against russia would remain in place until they withdrew. guzman pleaded not guilty to charges of running a massive drug trafficking cartel. he played cat and mouse before being caught and extradited to new york. in paris, we expect an update on the attack of the louvre this morning. a man wielding a ma chety was shot and wounded after

attempting to attack soldier outside. the senate advanced betsy devos' nomination. a full vote is expected next week. americans are flooding congress appear phone lines sharing their objections. one more could mean a no go for betsy devos. after the break, first i'm going to try to learn some french. are you ready for football? the countdown to the super bowl is on -- come on, guys, read. super bowl is next. we're going down to houston. stay with us.

why pause a spontaneous moment? cialis for daily use treats ed and the urinary symptoms of bph. tell your doctor about your medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas® for pulmonary hypertension, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have a sudden decrease or loss of hearing or vision, or an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis. with not food, become food? thankfully at panera, 100% of our food is 100% clean. no artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, or colors. panera. food as it should be.

that gives you better taste and better nutrition in so many varieties. classic. cage free. and organic. only eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. while you were distracted by politics, read me, preparations are well under way for the biggest weekend in sports. cruise inside energy stadium in houston are putting finishing touches on the field for the face-off between the new england patriots and the atlanta falcons. last night on "the tonight show," jimmy fallon unleashed

the hounds to determine who would win super bowl li. >> i think it's a no-brainer. it's whoever is in this bowl right here. which is the atlanta falcons. >> lady gaga is also warming up. she'll be headlining the halftime show. let's go to nbc's ron mott who pulled the lucky card. is it a bad idea i had no idea who was playing in the super bowl until about 30 seconds ago? >> reporter: oh, my goodness, i don't know what to say to that. good afternoon to you. people want to talk politics and they also want to get this game on, pats and falcons fans come sunday. the president this morning seemed to think he should be part of the conversation as well. he says he's hearing on the news, he said this at a roundtable, that politics is a bigger talker than the super bowl this year. well, that may or may not be true. in houston, it's definitely about the super bowl. 48 hours away and some change

here at nrg stadium. now, to the extent president trump has been mentioned down here in houston, tom brady and robert kraft, the owner of the new england patriots, have been asked employ their relationship with the president. tom brady put a kibosh on that earlier, saying he's focused on football. mr. kraft mentioned donald trump and his relationship recently, saying he thinks the president's economic policies are eventually going to be good news for those who are economically disadvantaged. but now lady gaga, she's got something to say. she's got center stage on sunday night. beyonce had it last year, raised some eye browse. thought she went political. here's what lady gaga said she's planning for sunday night. >> i believe a passion in for inclusion. i believe in the spirit of equality. and the spirit of this country is one of love and compassion and kindness, so my performance will uphold those philosophies. >> reporter: huge stage for her,

100-plus million viewers here in the u.s., many others around the world. she has 15 minutes in front of the world. we'll wait and see what she does with it. >> nbc's ron mott with no rest for the political weary. how are the patriots always in the super bowl? i have no idea. next -- no answer. can't let it go. president trump goes after arnold schwarzenegger once again today. we'll see what he says about his "apprentice" successor as we break down the president's last 14 days in office. studies show that toms have the highest average earning potential over their professional lifetime. see? uh, it's a girl. congratulations! two of my girls are toms. i work for ally, finances are my thing. you know, i'm gonna go give birth real quick and then we'll talk, ok? nice baby. let's go. here comes tom #5! nothing, stops us from doing right by our customers. ally. do it right. whoo! look out. ally. do it right.

we're not professional liathletes... ...but that doesn't mean we're giving up. i'm in this for me. for me. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. lowering a1c by up to 1.2 points. do not take if allergic to farxiga. if you experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash,... ...swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing,... ...stop taking and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems,... ...are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. tell you doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine,... ...or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, serious urinary tract infections, low blood sugar, and kidney problems. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away... ...if you have signs of ketoacidosis... ...which is serious and may lead to death. i'm in this for my family. i'm in this for me. ask your doctor about farxiga... ...and learn how you can get it for free.

in case you haven't been counting, today marks 14 days since donald trump became commander in chief. from igniting nationwide protests to squaring off with allies, it's been one busy week. >> i'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical islamic terrorists out of the united states of america.

we don't want them here. >> with that, president trump kicked off his second week in office. triggering even more controversy by signing an executive order on immigration. >> our rights are under attack. what do we do? >> reporter: sparking another round of protests across the country. ♪ this land is your land >> reporter: but america's commander in chief dug in, brushing off criticism that his order was islam phobic and rushed. >> it's not a muslim ban. >> reporter: in typical trump fashion, the president worked to divert negative news cycle by making good on another campaign process, naming a nominee to take judge scalia's court seat. >> judge gorsuch has a brilliant mind, tremendous discipline and has earned bipartisan support. >> i pledge if i am confirmed i will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitutional laws of this great country.

>> reporter: while little doubt neil gorsuch will be kept from confirmation, trump made it clear to the senate's top dog, do whatever it takes. >> if we end up with that gridlock, i would say, if you can, mitch, go nuclear. >> reporter: also this week, our first view of donald's plomacy. contentious calls with allies like australia and mexico and big threats to a top adversary. >> as of today, we are officially putting iran on notice. >> reporter: trump throwing cold water on the week's diplomatic debacles during a speech at the national prayer breakfast. >> when you hear about the tough phone calls i'm having, don't worry about it. just don't worry about it. >> reporter: but just moments later making more headlines, again this time by mocking arnold schwarzenegger for his "apprentice" ratings. >> and they hired a big, big movie star, arnold schwarzenegger to take my place, and we know how that turned out. the ratings went right down the tubes. it's been a total disaster. and mark will never, ever bet

against trump again. >> reporter: trump not dorng taking another jab on twitter this morning. but the governor proving he isn't the only one who can throw shade. >> donald trump, i have a great idea. let's switch jobs. you take over tv because you're an expert in ratings, and i take over your job so can finally sleep comfortably again, huh? >> i think we should get arnold schwarzenegger a selfie stick. joining me now, nbc political editor. that was a bad joke. >> i liked it. >> donald trump has a pretty high disapproval rating for somebody who's only been in office for two weeks. 52%. what's he got to do to turn that around, mark? >> you know, katy, from the moment of trump's inaugural address was, hey, i'm going to

play to my supporters. if you weren't one of my supporters, i'm not going to do a whole lot of outreach. i think that lack of outreach shows you the approval numbers, whether it's 43% in gallup, cbs has 40% out today. on the other hand, donald trump has followed through on a lot of the promises he made on the campaign trail. i think for a lot of people who ended up saying, you know what, what he's saying on the campaign trail is just rhetoric, turned out that was more than just rhetoric. those were actually things he wanted to get done. and he's starting to actually get them done. >> he's signing executive orders. let's be clear, if he's going to repeal obamacare, he hasn't give us a plan what he's going to replace it with. as to the mexican border, we don't know exactly how mexico is going to indirectly at least pay for that. we don't have any verifiable evidence of voter fraud so far either, mark murray. and no timeline when an investigation would happen. he hasn't signed an executive order on that yet. he's also, it's unclear right now if he is in violation of the emoluments clause.

why can't we see his taxes? there are so many questions that are still unanswered about him. so many controversies that just get wiped to the side because new ones keep popping up. my question to you is, how do we keep up with it? >> i think we keep up with it by pointing out what we still don't have answers to. katy, i think you're exactly right. the first two weeks we got the outline of what a donald trump presidency would be like, but we haven't gotten to the bones and meat and details. so, on the health care law, for example, you know, there are now republicans on capitol hill who instead of saying we need to repeal obamacare, saying we now need to repair it. a very interesting rhetorical shift. obviously, pointing a lot of pressure on them to actually deliver on something and legislative replacement they might be able to have. as you mentioned, too, a lot of executive orders that have come out, including today's on dodd/frank, don't actually have any teeth to them. they're mainly a press release with his signature but saying, here is what i want to get done.

we need to see what congress gets done and certainly what he would actually support in that oval office. >> so far at the least, he's having his cake and eating it, too. he's saying, i fulfilled thes promises and congress has to find a way to get it done. if they don't, he can say, hey, it wasn't my fault, i tried to do it. at least so far that seems to be what the strategy is. anyway, nbc news senior political editor mark murray, thanks for joining me. before we go, let's take one last look at your responses to our microsoft pulse question. we've been asking, do you think sanctions are an appropriate punishment for iran's missile test? 48% of you say yes, 52% say no. it flipped. it's still very much up for debate out there. thank you for voting, though. we'll be right back. growth pre? american express open cards can help you take on a new job, or fill a big order

or expand your office and take on whatever comes next. find out how american express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open.com. i've got a nice long life ahead. find out how american express cards and services big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doct for 12 years. now i know i'll be ae to stick with him.

[ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel - and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide.

and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now - and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. audi pilotless vehicles have conquered highways, mountains, and racetracks. and now much of that same advanced technology is found in the audi a4. with one notable difference... ♪ the highly advanced audi a4, with available traffic jam assist. ♪ that wraps things up for this hour. i'm katy tur. remember, you can follow me on both twitter and facebook. a programming note, sean spicer will be on with greta van

susteren on "for the record" at 8:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. now i'm going to get out of here. >> i saw you on "morning joe" this morning. you're the hardest working woman on tv. i'm kate snow. here are our top stories at this hour. this afternoon president trump signing a new executive order. this one about financial regulations, scaling back the sweeping dodd/frank framework. we're going to go over what that means coming up. plus, a stern warning to iran. new sanctions and escalating tensions following that country's latest ballistic test and another set of warnings for russia and israel. back here in the u.s., president trump's controversial pick to lead the department of education, betsy devos, now facing one more hurdle on her road to confirmation. a vote on the senate floor with lawmakers split right down the middle. it could take an unprecedented move to push her nomination through. from the white house to iran, we've got all of it covered for you with our team