apparently he's just getting started. peter thiel apparently referred the guy, so presumably he's going to be perfect. that does it for us tonight. see you again tomorrow. us toni. we'll see you again tomorrow. "first look" is up next. courtroom showdown. donald trump's executive order on immigration remains on hold, but today the federal appeals court will hear arguments on whether to restore the travel ban. plus -- >> she said that government, when it comes to education, quote, government really sucks, closed quote. what gives you the right to say that? >> democratic senators consider their protest over betsy devos. they are hoping to convince one more republican to vote against her. and as the patriots get a welcome home, the hunt is on to find tom brady's missing super

bowl jersey. good morning, everyone. it is tuesday, february 7th. i'm alex witt alongside ayman molheydin and louis burgdorf. foreign visitors are hurrying to reach the u.s. and pass through customs ahead of the hearing scheduled for 3:00 p.m. pacific held today. late last night the president tweeted, the threat from radical islamic terrorism is very real.

just look at what is happening in europe and the middle east. courts must act fact. the states against the temporary ban, washington and minnesota, argue that the president up leashed chaos by signed the executive order and to reinstate it would harm their economies and colleges. press secretary sean spicer told employees aboard air force one the white house is optimistic. >> clearly, the law is on the president's side. the constitution is on the president's side. he has broad discretion to do what is in the nation's best interest to protect the american people. we feel confident we'll win this matter. what were you able to find in the executive order? >> there's been so much political noise about this. obviously it's a symbolic measure. when you look at the countries affected, you would be shocked by the numbers. look, three of the countries --

>> there are seven. it's early. keep going. >> all right. three of them are on the sponsored list. this is the percentage that is shocking, looking at the seven countries, they only account for less than 1% of the visas given out by the united states. so it is not a big number. compare to china and mexico on the graph. now look at the numbers coming out of these countries. sometimes we are talking thousands of visas when it comes to somalia, yemen, libya, we're talking thousands of visas. not a huge number. you have heard a lot about refugee, we'll lack at the refugee numbers. when we look at who this country has brought in when it comes to the refugee crisis around the world, the congo is number one. syria is number three after a number of other ones. and who is bringing in the refugees? ayman, you and i talk about this all the time, it's middle eastern nations, turkey has

taken 2 million, egypt, jordan, it is syrian countries. >> the six countries with failed states, iran with a seventh country being fully functional, it is interesting to see the argument some have been making that the failed states there are the reason they are on the travel ban list. >> that is extraordinary, less than 1% of all the total visas. >> in seven countries. thank you, cal perry. well, president trump did not directly address the travel ban during his visit to u.s. central command in tampa, florida. the president and his senior staff had lunch with troops with four brawn nches of the militar. the president prepared his remarks to talk about threats to the nation. >> radical islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland as they did on 9/11, as they did from boston to orlando to san bernardino.

and all across europe, we have seen what happened in paris and nice. all over europe it's happening. it's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported. and in many cases, the very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. they have their reasons and you understand that. >> the president's questioning repo reporters was followed up by the president saying the events happen undercover because they happen at a frequent rate. a response that did not surprise journalists. brussels and orlando, according to the report, were the eighth and 11th most covered stories on evening broadcasts in 2016. he also included the attack in san bernardino, california, and the city's name that was

misspelled in the document. pete aguilar says, you can't even spell san bern dardino but you exploit our community to justify your muslim ban. senator jeff merkley is speaking. senator jeff murphy just finished speaking. the 24-hour talk-a-thon kicked off yesterday. mitch mcconnell criticized democrats for stalling on president trump's nominations. >> in my mind, she is the least qualified nominee in a historically unqualified cabinet. the nominee for secretary of education doesn't know some of the most basic facts about education policy.

we need just one more vote and we can get a lot better secretary of education. than the one who is nomination. >> this gridlock has more to do with the nominee before us than the man who nominated it. the colleagues are under pressure from the left who simply cannot, cannot accept the results of a democratic election. they are calling for a democrat to delay, punt and blockade serious work in the senate at any cost. >> betsy devos' nomination is at a 50-50 standoff. casey hunt is joining us now with more. >> reporter: good morning. democrats are talking in opposition to betsy devos set to become the next secretary of

education. republicans are convinced they have 50 votes to confirm her, but democrats are trying to convince just one more republican to vote against her in that confirmation vote that is set for noon today. lisa murkowski of alaska, susan collins of maine became two republicans to oppose the nominee saying they will vote against devos in the final vote. but that puts the senate at 50-50. and that means that mike pence, the vice president, is likely to be up on capitol hill casting a historic tie-breaking vote. there's never been a tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nominee that you can find in history. but this is part of the democrats broader push. there's incredible pressure from the progressive base for democrats to show that they are doing absolutely everything they can do to try to stop donald trump's agenda, in this case,

his cabinet. even though the reality is this wasn't a filibuster, there wasn't anything they could change about what happened overnight. but they really do want to make a show of it. and i think you'll see the show continue through the week as they try to delay the future cabinet nominee. jeff sessions for attorney general, for example. tom price at hhs. as far along as they can, at the end of the day, there's really not that much that democrats can do. that's the bind they are in. chuck schumer, the democratic leader, having impulses to try to get things done, but in the wake of the climate created by the executive order, there's really not a lot that he can do that doesn't risk really angering that progressive base. i think that's the dynamic you're going to see playing out over the course of the next weeks if not months, alex. >> just a few hours until that vote. kasie hunt, thank you for that. and the targeted raid that ended with the death of a navy

s.e.a.l. the objective was to kill or capture the country's al qaeda leader, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. now he's taunting president trump. >> reporter: multiple military intelligence officials tell nbc news the real reason for the u.s. military operation last week in yemen. the top secret target, the man american intelligence officials designate the third most dangerous terrorist in the world. the head of al qaeda in yemen. his name, kasimi el rh -- qassim al-rimi. they confirm he released an audio recording taunting president trump as he spoke to the yemeni people.

the fool of the white house got slammed in the rule of your land. the white house declined to comment. yemen has been behind a variety of terrorist plots including the failed underwear bomber and is considered the most dangerous hub of al qaeda in the world. >> i think it would be unfair to say this was a slap-dash kind of operation, even though the trump administration is new to the national security world and getting its feet under it, the counter terrorism community to include the military is well schooled and well oiled in terms of launching these kinds of attacks. >> reporter: all of the leaders in the military chain of command were in agreement that the prospect of getting al-rimi made the high-stakes mission worth the risk. president trump was told by the secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff that the possibility of capturing al-rimi would be a game-changer. and in making their case to proceed, they told the president they doubted the obama

administration would have been bold enough to try it. the operation was larger than any counter terrorism strike since the killing of osama bin laden in 2011. a navy s.e.a.l. william ryan owens was killed during the raid, when forced were faced with a fierce resistance. >> it is very difficult to judge in a binary context if this was a success. you have to be president and have to disrupt, especially in yemen. >> reporter: it is not clear how valuable the intel gathered from the location in yemen will turn out to be, nor is it clear whether or not al-rimi was actually at the location the night of the raid or whether he was tipped off in advance. the pentagon declined to comment. ayman? well, iran's leader khamenei tells trump that no enemy can

paralyze the nation. and that he's not afraid of the president. this friday, which also happens to be the anniversary of the end of the iranian revolution. and the story dominating the sports world and still has so many people stunned, this morning super bowl li new england patriots are back after the biggest comeback in history. they returned home and received a hero's welcome. in what would be the perfect opportunity for tom brady to ride off into the sunset, the way peyton manning retired after the super bowl win last year, brady plans to play despite the wishes of his wife, gisele bu bundchen. >> if it was up to my wife, i would retire.

i said, too bad, babe. i love what i do and i'm capable of doing it. i would be so bored knowing i could still go out there and do it. so i'm going to work hard and be ready to go. i plan on playing for a long time. >> he's not going anywhere. while the internet was rampant with big names following the big game, this caption said, what do you pray for while trailing the falcons 25-3? remember the whole david tyree thing from a few years ago? he's comparing julian edelman's big catch to david tyree's helmet catch that led new york to a victory over new england in super bowl xlii. >> two of the most iconic sports plays, probably. president trump is expected to visit england later this year, but one place he may not be welcomed, parliament. we'll explain why. and lebron james tries to tamper down trade rumors. those stories and a check on

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welcome back. we'll check on the weather now with nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, some severe weather in the deep south. >> i have everything for you. i can fill the whole half hour if you want. this is one of the days with severe weather, tornadoes, hail, damaging winds. we'll have ice in the northeast. on the west coast, we have flooding ongoing between san francisco and sacramento. not to mention the record snow in seattle yesterday. so across the country, a very active weather pattern. overnight, thunderstorms are firing up here just north of the little rock area. we got a lot of lightning with these. so far no severe weather reports. and this is just getting going, this will be with us all day long. 27 million people are at risk of severe storms. i-70 corridor indianapolis to columbus southwards, the best chance of tornadoes today. they will be isolated, just a few tornadoes. alabama will be of greatest concern. memphis, nashville, paducah,

lexington, louisville, columbus, more on the damaging wind possible with the stronger storms. now we'll talk about the cold side of this storm, the air is just cold enough for a lot of problems this morning in areas of new england. see the pink in here? this is ice. that's freezing rain coming down near the binghamton through the cat skills, northern new jersey and into the hudson valley. keep that in mind driving out this morning. areas of new england, especially southern new england, are getting ice out there from massachusetts northward. we are dealing with more snow. here's how the timing is going to work on this, this takes us into the noon hour and 00 p.m. so for the evening commute, there's the ice in the pink. and then snow in areas of new hampshire, massachusetts and northwards. it won't be a huge snow event, but it's enough we have winter weather advisories up for northern portions of new england. and the snow totals in this area will be three to six inches out of this. but alex, we're traveling southern new england. we'll have a chance for freezing rain and icy roads this morning. and this isn't even to mention, alex. we have the snowstorm coming, possibly from the d.c., philadelphia and new york areas

through thursday morning. i'll give you the snow predictions coming up. >> and then there's the west coast. >> the west coast is getting hammered. seattle had seven inches of snow yesterday. >> unbelievable. thank you, bill. president trump is unlikely to receive a hospitable welcome in the united kingdom ahead of his visit. now he may not address parliament. in a scathing house of comments, the president added that an address before parliament is not an automatic right but an earned honor. >> that before the imposition of the migrant ban, i would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by president trump in westminster hall. after the imposition of the migrant ban by president trump, i am even more strongly opposed to an address by president trump in westminster hall. we value our rationship with

the united states. however, as far as this place is concerned, i feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the house of commons. >> well, three u.s. presidents have addressed parliament and well into their terms, by the way. president obama in 2011, president clinton in 1995 and president reagan in 1982. in a contentious vote yesterday, they legalized the settlement of several homes in the west banks. critics say the measure is not only illegal but could make long-term peace with the palestinian that is much more difficult. the move faces many obstacles including legal challenges that could go all the way to israel's

supreme court. after the bill passed, one israeli member said, quote, we thank the american people for voting trump into office, which was what gave us the opportunity for the bill to pass. still, all of this could complicate the so far rosezy relations between the israeli government and the new trump administration which last week warned israel against announcing any new settlements. benjamin netanyahu set to visit the white house in over a week. i'm confident that will be front and center in that discussion. still ahead, amid trade rumors, lebron james provides fireworks last night. that story is next in sports. i'm lucky to get through a shift without a disaster.

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nothing, stops us from doing right by our customers. ally. do it right. whoo! look out. welcome back. time now for sports with super bowl li now in the books, the 49ers have officially hired offensive coordinator kyle shanahan as the new coach in san francisco. he's come under fire for his play calling in atlanta's super bowl loss. he's going to be the third coach in as many seasons for the 49ers. and action on the nba court, last night in the nation's capital, the cavaliers travel the wizards in the final seconds of regulation. >> lebron -- and got it! banks it in! >> lebron james sending it after receiving a full-court pass from kevin love and banks it off for a three-pointer to tie the game

with less than a second on the clock. cleveland takes care of business in overtime coming away the 140-145 win against washington. meanwhile, james is hushing trade rumors after a daily news report that says lebron is pushing cleveland's front office to trade kevin love to the new york knicks for carmelo anthony. >> that's trash. and the guy who wrote it is trash, too, for writing that. especially during a game like that. so, you know, it's always about outside noise. and that is just outside noise for us. we got to focus on what needs to be done in order to continue to compete for a championship. we got what we got. our gym will do a great job of figuring out if we need anything else, but right now we're in a good place. >> lebron claimed fake news there. all right. still ahead, mark halperin will join us right here on the set to be talking about the legal battle over president trump's immigration order. plus, kellyanne conway said she misspoke when she mentioned

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casey asked if she would welcome back.e would i'm alex witt alongside ayman mohyeldin and louis burgdorf. you are looking at a live picture from the senate floor where the 24-hour talk-a-thon started yesterday.

it will last until noon today when the senate is scheduled to vote on betsy devos nomination. democrats are trying to convince one more republican to oppose betsy devos or mike pence could have the tying vote. and trump claims the media doesn't cover the terrorist attacks. he says 78 attacks were not list. on the list, the nice, paris attacks and the bombing in new jersey. and reuters says iran's supreme leader told a group of military leader that is iran won't be afraid of president trump and no ally can paralyze the iranian nation. this was after he was put on notice last week. and the ayatollah also said they will not end the iranian revolution. and the san francisco-based

ninth circuit court of appeals is set to hold a hearing today to decide to reinstate the ban put on hold by a federal judge on friday. the nbc news justice foreign correspondent pete williams has more on how things are expected to play out today. pete? >> reporter: alex, the trump executive order on immigration remains on hold for another day after getting the last of the written court filings monday night. the three-judge panel of the appeals court on the west coast has decided to hear an hour of oral argument. that will be done by phone later today. once that's over the court will rule quickly, so maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow. in its court filings monday night, the trump administration said, if the appeals court is inclined to rule for the states, then the most it should do is let the executive order go back into effect but given an exemption for people who were allowed into the country once before and now on a return, or people here on visas who want to travel and then come back. a possible fall-back.

and whoever loses before the appeals court will then rush to the supreme court. and the justices would act quickly, probably in a matter of another day or so. alex? >> pete williams, thank you for that. joining us now political analyst and co-author of "game change," mark halperin. a very good morning to you. put aside the legal battle and the all the lives hanging in the balance, politically speaking, is there a chance this could backfire on the trump administration? >> it's their first big face-off that could end in a loss and it will be politically damaging for the president. it will embolden a lot of judges around the country to rule against the president, whether judges decide on the merits or not. a loss is a loss. and the white house, like all administrations say, we're finding to win with the rule. you look at the makeup of the panel, it is possible they could rule against him. then he would have to explain, depending on the nature of the ruling, he would have to explain

how he can go forward, not just on this policy but on other things he wants to do that depend on the prerogatives of the executive to be pretty aggressive in these areas. >> he would have to make an explanation through attorneys certainly if it potentially goes all the way to the supreme court. >> there are a lot of moving parts. this court will rule maybe as soon as today after hearing the arguments and the white house has to decide. i think the symbolism of a loss would be bad. the substance of what the president wants to do, everyone agrees or most everyone, agrees the initial drafting was messy. they could come back to recalibrate what they want to do. the president wants substantive changes, but there's symbolism for him. he's going to have to continue to try to implement a policy that is part of his campaign promise, but it is obviously hugely controversial. and once the executive is subject to a ruling from the court, then you never know what is going to happen. the supreme court would tie 4-4

probably and may not take the case because there may not be five votes to hear. >> gorsuch wouldn't be put on the bench until april at the earliest if that happens. talking about hillary clinton, we got video this morning of comments she made to a conference. take a listen to this and i'll ask you your reaction after this. >> despite all the challenges we face, i remain convinced that, yes, the future is female. just look at the amazing energy we saw last month as women organized a march that galvanized millions of people all over our country and across the world. now more than ever we need to stay focused on the theme of this year's conference, be bold. >> there's plenty of sub text in the comments she made and certainly who she was addressing with the developments that she referenced, but at the same time the democrats are trying to coalesce, particularly with the talk-a-thon trying to block the nomination of betsy devos. where is the party after this

loss and where does it go from here? >> the talk-a-thon shows energy in the party and enthusiasm opposing donald trump following the model republicans had eight years ago. what is the role for hillary clinton and barack obama when he comes back to washington relatively soon? for joe biden with anpparatus up and running. it is pretty clear to me that none of the three will develop leadership with the grassroots on the stage. as much as the three are not expected to run for anything again, they take up a lot of room for a lot of democrats, and for secretary clinton with a lot of women in this country who look to her as, right now, their leader still. >> it's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out. mark halperin, thank you. >> thanks. president trump is scheduled to speak with the chair of the house oversight committee today. and a white house meeting with congressman jason chaffetz is

looking into a d.c. lease for trump's property. new dwocuments related to the hotel's license and liquor board appear to show that the president continues to benefit from the arrangement. and that his trust is structured for him to receive profit reports. and he has the power to revoke control from his two eldest sons at any time. now, house democrat elijah cummings on the oversight committee said of the business trust, this is smoke and mirrors. kellyanne conway who faced criticism recently for using the phrase "bowling green massacre" in reference to a fictitious terrorist attack, reportedly used this phrase on multiple occasions last month. conway said she misspoke when using the phrase in an interview with msnbc last week calling it an honest mistake. she said she meant to say bowling green terrorists in response to two refugees arrested in bowling green in 2011 on terrorism related

charges. yesterday "cosmopolitan" says that kellyanne conway said, quote, he did that because two iraqi nationals came to this country, joined isis, traveled back to the middle east to get trained and refine their terrorism skill, and come back here and were the masterminds behind the bowling green massacre of taking innocent soldiers's lives away, end quote. conway also cited the bowling green massacre to tmz that very same day. and around a changing political growing climate, louisa bojesen is saying gold is getting a big boost from all the uncertainty. >> it isn't. i have so much to tell you today. the safehaven plays are back again today. we still continue to see the bold trend in early trade for

us. wall street closing lower today led down by the energy sector as oil prices fell. and oil saw the biggest one-day loss since mid-january. so worries about more supply of u.s. oil hitting the market. and gold as you mentioned hitting a three-month high, 1230 about surging on behalf of yesterday. safehaven given the political uncertainty we're looking at the moment. and i want to tell you about tysons food as well. they received a subpoena from the u.s. sec after allegations it agreed to fix chicken prices with some of its rivals. chicken, yeah, like bock bock bock. and the criticism is coming from farmers and customers is that regarding production and pricing, tyson, pilgrim's pride and sanderson farms are denying accusations of this price manipulation. but nonetheless, it's still one that we're watching.

and the tv maker vizio will be paying $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit filed against the company after it e merged that vizio was secretly collecting viewing data and selling it on to third parties. the ftc block post said it was not innocent data they collected through the collection and selling on. they were looking at sex, age, marital status, household size, education, and they are being liked for that. >> i don't like the tv consumer report but i liked the animal sound you made. thank you very much. the former fast food executive andy puzder said he once hired an undocumented employee. he said, my wife and i employed a house keeper for a few years, during which i was unaware that she was not legally permitted to work in the u.s. when i learned of her status, we

immediately ended her employment and offered her assistance in getting legal status. we have fully paid back taxes to the ir,s and the state california and submitted all required paperwork regarding her citizenship. they are waiting for the paperwork from the office of government ethics. and still ahead, the gulf coast gets ready for tornadoes and the east gets ready for an icy morning. we'll follow the latest coast to coast. and melania trump files a defamation lawsuit. the suit says it is harder for her to carry out her duties as first lady and that's not all. we'll have the latest. what's the best way to get

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>> these guys are obviously speechless right now. this is what it is like right now in the country. i am being mobbed right now. back to you. >> their reporter is still missing, by the way. if you have seen him -- isn't it crazy for the players? they go out drinking and celebrating and have to get up early to do interviews. this is from "sportscenter" this morning with martellus bennett. >> martellus bennett, good morning. >> good morning. >> how are you feeling this morning? what was the celebration like? >> i'm feeling like a champion, you know? i never how champions really felt, but this morning i woke up and felt like a champion. so this is how a champion feels. >> i always wondered how a champion feels.

you have to love that. more on the historic super bowl win. and tom brady is still looking for his missing game jersey. ron mott is in the thick of it all. >> hey, louis, good morning. what do you do when you win the super bowl the way the patriots won it? you throw a major party. that will happen later today in downtown boston. we are expect between a half a million people to a million people to celebrate the patriots and their fifth super bowl championship. this victory submitted the place in history for bill belichick and tom brady as the most powerful 1-2 coaching/quarterback duo this franchise has ever known. the city has told us because of recent world events, people should expect perhaps more delays as they make their way downtown for the start of the parade. now, we can also tell you about an investigation that is underway now since sunday night. and this involved tom brady's number 12 jersey. obviously, that jersey is worth a lot, perhaps on the

memorabilia market. it disappeared. tom brady said he put it in his bag after the game and at some point this was no longer there. so the houston police department is classifying this as a theft. they are investigating it along with state officials and the nfl to find out where the jersey might have gone. tom brady joked and said, if you happen to see it online for sale, let him know. he would like to have the piece of memorabilia back. >> ron mott getting ready to party. thank you so much. and we'll get a check on your weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill? >> we have crazy weather across the country. i have to show you pictures from th seattle area. the seattle tacoma airport records that go back to 1945. this was the second largest snowfall that they have had in two days in 70 years. total of seven inches of snow. this is at low elevations. this is not what they are used to, and it did cause a lot of problems. the trees are under a lot of stress there. that is clearing up and things are improving. we are starting with severe weather because obviously that's the most life-threatening of the weather. we have a lot of travel delays. but as far as life-threatening

weather goes, we are watching arkansas towards paducah and the memphis area. you'll have thunderstorms rolling your way early today. the best chance for tornadoes later today is isolated. maybe only a few, but that is all it takes from mississippi, alabama and extreme southern portions of tennessee. that is 27 million people under severe weather risk today. as far as the west goes, we mentioned seattle getting a break. but look at the plume of rain in northern california to san francisco. they are getting pounded with another two to three-foot snowfall in the sierra. this is just an incredible amount of rain. there's flooding ongoing now in areas of central california. bringing it back to the northeast, a lot of people waking up. we have a lot of school delays in areas of southern new engi england. that pink is freezing a inin areas of the hudson valley and soon into connecticut and massachusetts. it will turn the snow later in areas of northern new england. maine and new hampshire, you'll

get a significant snowfall. i want to mention we have a snowstorm coming for d.c. and new york city is included. it looks like two to four inches d.c. to philly. could be more near new york city. the weather center is saying four to six inches. another one really nails areas of eastern new england. we'll watch this closelip. that's thursday morning that 'll deal with the snowstorm in a lot of major cities. >> we appreciate the heads-up. thank you for that. first lady melania trump refiled her defamation lawsuit against the company that publishes the "daily mail" website. lawyers for mrs. trump refiled in new york yesterday. the first lady is suing over an article that suggested she once worked as a, quote, elite escort in the sex business. the lawsuit claims that mrs. trump want redress for that quote. the suit also claims the allegations damage to a

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make millions. still ahead, strain with the australians and now the british. >> we'll talk about the united states' closest allies who are struggling to hold their nose over comments from the president. ohdid i say there's only one special edition? because, actually there's 5. aaaahh!! ooohh!! uh! holy mackerel. wow. nice. strength and style. which one's your favorite? come home with me! it's truck month! find your tag for an average total value over $11,000 on chevy silverado all star editions when you finance through gm financial. find new roads at your local chevy dealer. ♪ ♪

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a horrifying new report from amnesty international says 13,000 people were secretly hanging in the syrian prison between 2011 and 2015.

and there are, quote, clear indications the practice is still going on. the report adds that based on firsthand accounts what has happened at that prison is a policy of, quote, extermination authorized at the highest levels of the syrian government. joining us live from london, nbc news foreign correspondent is lucy cavanaugh with details on this report many are saying is simply beyond belief. lucy? >> reporter: aman, truly horrific accounts when you read this. amnesty called this report human slaughterhouse and that's exactly what this prison was apparently turned into. now, i'll spare the viewers some of the more horrifying details, but imagine this. you're a political prisoner woken up in the middle of the night blindfolded and told you're transferred out. and the next thing you feel is a noose around your neck. this happened every week according to the report. groups of up to 50 prisoners would be kill in this way, usually on mondays and wednesdays. they interviewed a detainee. and they knew the number who had dead were left by the number of

slippers outside the next morning. most of the victims weren't criminals but ordinary syrians whose crime had been joining anti-government protests or those accused of being disloyal. many were tortured into giving confessions and then were taken to the so-called military field courts where these trials would last something like two to three minutes. now, amnesty says it has evidence this was authorized at the highest levels of the syrian government. and this is just one prison we're talking about, ayman. up to 13,000 killed here. one could only imagine the numbers nationwide. am necessitiit necessarnesty sao believe this is still going on. this report took a year to put together. very hard to believe that in 2013 this could still be going on. >> a horrifying reminder of what continues to happen in syria. thank you, lucy. the speaker of the u.k.'s house of commons is strongly opposed to having president trump address parliament during his upcoming state visit.

>> we value our relationship with the united states, however, as far as this place is concerned, i feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the house of commons. >> now the speaker's remarks come after thousands of people in several british cities protested the president's travel ban last week, including a massive demonstration right outside prime minister theresa m may's resident there on 10 downing street. and the official petition to prevent the state's visit has received more than 1.8 million signatures. and when we come back, a look at the stories happening in the day ahead. and just ahead on "morning joe," senators tom cotton and mark warner join from washington as it comes right down to the wire on the vote for betsy devos at

high noon. we'll see if mike pence is forced to make history casting the tie-breaking vote. and representative tom cole will join us as well on "morning joe." when we come back, a look at the stories in the day ahead. stay with us. with continued use, it supports increased flexibility over time. "she's single." it also supports wonderfully high levels of humiliation in her daughter. "she's a little bit shy." your joint comfort can be your kid's discomfort. try osteo bi-flex ease. our 80% smaller tablet. osteo bi-flex. made to move. only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol®

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before we toss it over to "morning joe" we'll check on the stories in the day ahead. a federal appeals court will hear oral arguments on president trump's executive order regarding immigration today. the three-judge panel could decide as soon as today whether to reinstate the ban after being halted by a federal judge on friday. and the vote will happen for betsy devos. two republican senators have voiced their opposition. the vote is expected to stand at 50-50, meaning vice president mike pence could cast the tie-breaking vote. if that happens, this would be the first time the vice president has been a deciding vote on a nominee. and the patriots super bowl victory parade will be held today in boston celebrating the largest comeback in super bowl history. and the first championship game decided in overtime. >> that will be fun. that does it for us on this tuesday. i'm alex witt alongside ayman

mohyeldin and louis burgdorf. "morning joe" starts right now. good morning, it is tuesday, february 7th. with us onset here on "morning >> this is exciting. >> political analyst and author of "game change" mark's dad. >> contracts in negotiation. >> at some point he loses -- >> donny deutsch is with us. on capitol hill commentary editor from washington examiner and visiting fellow from american enterprise institute. >> good morning. >> before we jump into, this can you believe we get all these calls from people in the press. >> off the hook. >> they are still pushing this story. the bannon story. what have w