on the merits, we won on it. he clearly did not argue in front of the 9th circuit last night. >> he called it disgraceful. is that the type of language -- >> the president, when you look at the u.s. code and how clear it is written and the authority and power it gives the president to do what is necessary to keep this country safe, and regulate who comes into this country, it is a very, very clear reading. he said, it doesn't matter what level of education you are at, i don't think you could misread this. i think he was very clear, jeff. thank you. daniel alber. >> i'm curious about this tweet that president trump wrote about his daughter'srand. it was retweeted by the potus account. what's the standard that the president is doing in regards to his family businesses or businesses? >> i think this was less about his family business than an attack on his daughter. he ran for president. he won. he is leading this country.

i think for people to take out their concern about his actions or his executive orders on members of his family, he has every right to stand up for his family and applaud their business activities, their success. so, look, when it comes to his family, i think he has been very clear how proud he is of what they do and what they have accomplished. for someone to take out their concern with his policies on a family member of his is just nonacceptable. the president has every right as a fur to stand up for them. i'm going to go to norma garcia from kxtx. >> thank you. in texas, there is a big push to penalize sanctuary cities. in this state and other states around the country, there is a growing concern among undocumented immigrants whose lives are deeply rooted in the united states and have no criminal records. my question is, is this administration ready to tackle comprehensive immigration

reform? if so, can you give us a timeline for it? if not, what is the plan to deal with undocumented immigrants that live in this country? >> thanks, norma. this has come up several times. i don't think that anybody doubts the president's concern or priority that is placed on immigration. he has talked about it -- when you talk about a comprehensive approach, he has talked about building a wall, about making sure we go after criminals in this country and walking through the process and addressing dop pa in time. no question on the security side and reforming the current immigration system that is so clearly broken that he is walking through this already both in terms of executive action and we will continue to work for congress. to your question about the timeline, he is already enacting several pieces and he is going to work with congress to get further down. amen javers. >> two for you here.

playing off of the question on the business activity that is you described the president taking offense to. nordstrom has said it was not a political decision. it was a business decision. iv ivanka trump has said she has divorced herself from the business sgchlt will there is clearly a target on the brand. it clearly has her name on it. there are clearly efforts to undermine that name based on her father's position based on particular policies that he has taken. this is a direct attack on his policies and her name. so that there is clearly and attempt for him to stand up for her, because she is being maligned, because they have a problem with his policies. john roberts? >> actually to, clarify that, the timing of that tweet, it looked like it was right after his, during -- >> i've heard the conjecture. he was free when that happened.

>> that is two. >> i'm sorry. that was a clarification of the one. >> oh. the president said today if he does not prevail in court that we will never be safe. we will never have the safety and security we are entitled to. what does that mean? does that mean this is the only tool in his tool box. if this eo gets batted down by the courts, we are toast? >> think, again, 8 u.s. code 1182 says whenever the president finds that the entry of an alien or any class of alien noose the united states would be detrimental to the interest of the united states he may by proclamation and for such periods he may deem necessary, suspend the entry of aliens or any class of aliens or immigrants or nonimmigrants or impose upon the entry of aliens or restrictions he may deem necessary and appropriate. if you don't look at that statute and say that the president has the power that congress and the president have

deemed necessary to keep this country safe, you have got to wonder how far you are going to allow that to get eroded. the point is in some area, you have to wonder, if the president isn't able to execute on the power that's been vested into him and is codified in u.s. code, you have to wonder, what else is at question? we have a president that acted 100% lawfully to keep people out of this country from seven countries that we did not have the proper information to ensure they were coming into this country with the appropriate means and motives. if at some point, the president doesn't have the power as given to him in law to protect this country, then i think that really questions what a slippery slope we are on. john? >> two questions. >> of course. >> the presint said he paid very close attention to the arguments st night. was he happy with the presentation the d.o.j. made? there was some concern by

supporters he wasn't sfrong enough. he seemed to be searching for answers. >> i think there was a lot of back and forth during that entire argument. he made some solid points. i think that he did what he had to to represent the president's case and the administration's case on the tro. the president hae focused on the merits of this case and look forward to getting it back to the 9th circuit or the lower court or however it has to move. he feels confident on the merits. that's where his focus has been. i'm not concerned. i think the president's main concern has been on the merits of this case and making sure th an executive order that was lawfully executed and went flew the entire process. we have to go back and remember that the d.o.j.'s office vetted this order and deemed it was legal. we have followed the entire process to make sure this was done correctly, counse constitutionally, legally and other otherwise. whether we have to wait a day or two, we look forward to the

opportunity to discuss this on the merits. >> whoa, whoa, whoa. just as a point of clarification, he was happy with the presentation? >> i think he is looking forward to the merits of this discussion. i think he was pleased with some of the points got made. his focus is on the merits o the order and making sure that ultimately we are able to do what we can to get this order back in place and protect the american people. >> january? >> you said two. >> look at what halle started. >> we have reported that russia has sent its biggest shipment of missiles ever to syria. wondering what the white house' reaction is? >> we don't have any comment at the time. >> the muslim brotherhood, the administration is labeling them a terrorist organization? do we do the same for iran's islamic revolutionary guard? >> there is no one that can question the president's commitment to fully attacking

and addressing the threat we face by radical islamic terrorism. he has made if very clear during the campaign theners step is understanding, knowing and proclaiming who the enemy is. he is going to do whatever it takes. i am not going to get ahead of any announcements we may or may not have coming in the near future. the president understands the threat that our nation faces and he is doing everything he can to attack it, root it out and destroy it. >> the president also said in the last two weeks he has learned a lot and that terrorism is a far greater threat than people understand. that sounds like he is telling the american public they have something to fear. is there a specific threat that he is talking about and should the american public based on thattatement right there be fearful? >> no, but i think the american people should understand the president is committed to saying that we face a very, very real threat in isis and radical

islamic terrorism. the reason he is taking the steps that he is is because we are constantly must remain ever vigilant. we can't let our guard down. we have to be ahead of the curve. the president is going to take the steps necessary to protect the country and its people. the idea we should sit back and not fully appreciate the constant threat we are in week after week, month after month we are hearing of another instance, lone wolf, et cetera, et cetera, going throughout this country. throughout the world. my apologies. he is trying to make sure the american people understand he is doing everything he can to protect them and keep our institutions and our people safe. so this is not something that we can rest on our raulaurels. monday morning, he was getting a full briefing of the threat we face from around the world and their motives. i think that's something that weighs very heavily on his mind when he meets with these people,

gets the briefing and meets with the green beret soldiers. he recognizes there are so many people out there putting their life on the line to protect this country and make sure we understand the threats and it is his job and obligation to do everything within his power to take that information and do what he can to protect the country. so just to put a pin in it, i want to be clear. while we may not face an imminent threat today, we don't know when that next threat comes. is it next week, next month, next year? the president wants to get ahead of the curve and make sure we are not talking about what we should have done by taking every step necessary to make sure it doesn't happen. steve? >> is the threat today greater than it was yesterday or last week? >> i understand what he is saying. what i'm telling you is that we shouldn't ever be behind the curve on the threats that this country faces. we should make sure -- we don't know when the next one is coming. we don't know when the next lone wolf is coming or the next attack. we have amazing intelligence that's trying to root out and make sure it doesn't happen again. what we can't do is wait for the

next attack and say, i wish we had done the following. the steps he is taking are proactively making our people and the country safer. >> what was the white house m response for a carbon tax floated today? could you set up tomorrow's meeting with the airline ceos a little bit? what do you hope to get out of it and discussion? >> i'm not going to comment on pending legislation. we will wait and see where that comes. that is not going to be a habit of ours to comment on every bill that gets introduced or marked up in committee until we have a statement of administration policy. with respect to the meeting tomorrow, we will have a further readout on that later tomorrow. i will say, in general, as you know, he has met with intel just now. he met with the oil executives from the car manufacturers, manufacturing companies, technological companies, unions. so these continued meetings that you will see in the next months and years are going to be an attempt to make sure he is sitting down with business leaders from around the country

to figure out how he can use his office and this administration to further their ability to create jobs and grow the economy. so this is going to be more of a pattern. you are going to continue to see this, him meeting with people that want to share that agenda to grow, create jobs, manufacture here, lift wages, bring benefits to good-paying jobs, et cetera. can you comment on this meeting about the carbon tax? >> we have nothing to announce on that. if i can go to our next seat. we have josh smith from wjhl in southwest, virginia. >> first of all, thanks so much for taking questions from journalists covering local news, northeast tennessee and southwest, virginia, wjhl. that is coal country. then candidate trump came to virginia and he made a bold promise to help to rescue the

mining industry and help to bring back coal jobs and push back against environmental regulations. if the executive order last week was a first step, what specifically is the president willing to do, planning to do to make good on that promise, to help the coal industry, to encourage co encourage coal production and use? i have to ask two questions. when am i ever going to get to do this again? what assurances can the president give those who hear him talking about pushing back against environmental regulations and bringing back coal? what assurances can he give those very worried about the impact on the environment? >> when you hear him talk about coal specifically, it is under the guys oois of clean coal. it is one of the cleanest use that is we have. the president's point is that as we bring back this industry, we can do it in a way that is

environmentally friendly and becomes a great and greater energy source. the department of energy noted the other day that we expect about a 3% increase in coal production in this country, which is a noticeable reverse of where it has been in the past. you mentioned the executive order and the talk that the president has had over the past year or so about his desire to bring back coal. largely, that has to do with regulation, that the epa has put on existing coal plants tone sure they couldn't operate in a way to stay open. the president is working with industry to roll back a lot of that and in a way that is environmentally friendly using the technology you have and harnessing the power of clean coal. >> i just want to know -- >>em min has withdrawn permission from the united states to run special operations and ground missions against suspected terrorists in the wake of the recent raid there that

claimed so many civilian lives. does that not undercut the administration's ability to fight terrorism in that region. do you stand by your assessment that it is a success? i'll take the last one first. anyone that would suggest it is not, does disservice to the life of chief ryan owens. he fought knowing what was at stake and anybody that would suggest otherwise doesn't fully appreciate how successful that mission was. what the information they were able to retrieve and how that will help prevent future terrorist attacks. >> but senator john mccain -- >> i understand that. anybody that undermines the suck said of that raid owes an apology and a disservice to the life of chief owens. can i answer the question? please let me finish. the raid, the action that was taken in yemen was a huge success. american lives will be saved because of it.

future atax will be prevented. the life of chief ryan owens was done in service to this country and we owe him and his family a great debt for the information we received. any suggestion otherwise is a disservice to his courageous life and the actions he took sgchlt will is that your message to senator john mccain? >> to anybody who says that, anybody. i don't know how much more clear i can make it. >> hunter walker. >> this morning, president trump asked local law officials to help assist with deportations. if he doesn't get the qualifications he is hoping for, does he plan to begin the depor facial of undocumented criminals in the order zone? >> when you talk about immigration and what he is doing, whether it is the wall or enforcing existing regulations or visa reform, i don't think anybody questions the president's commitment to border

security and immigration reform. it is usually quite the opposite. >> when it comes to the steps he is going to take, i have addressed it multiple times what his priorities are going to be. you have seen secretary kelly talk about construction of the wall, his implementation of the executive order to keep people out. there is going to be a considerable amount of action on this front, on immigration, border security. it started day one. it is going to continue through the last possible day until the president feels the border is 100% secure and we have the immigration system completely under control sxwchlt their is defunding his only tool to get cooperation? >> i am not going to get ahead of it. when you saw the support and the side conversations the sheriffs and police officers had and the conversations we have had beyond that, the sheriffs the other day, the support they have issued on behalf of his executive actions and his agenda as a whole, these are the folks on the front line that are seeing what some of this does and how it affects families and

businesses not to mention the cost in terms of our country and what we have to do to support immigration at the southern border but also the cost it on our economy and jobs. you are going to see a flurry of activity over and over and over again to make sure in president continues to show the importance that he puts on both border security and immigration reform. >> thank you, sean. yesterday, on cnn, kellyanne conway confirmed or announced that prime minister trudeau is going to be here next week. have discussions on reviewing the part of nafta started. can you confirm that star hillen is being considered as ambassador to ottawa? >> so i will have further updates on the prime minister's schedule later today or tomorrow. i'm not in a position where i can finalize that.

with respect to the ambassador, we have no additional ambassador nominations or announcements to make. i'm sure we will have some soon. with respect to the agenda, as the president spoke with prime minister trudeau a few weeks ago, they talked about trade and security and commerce. i think all of that is going to be discussed at the time. when he and the president further meet or discuss this. >> that is one of the 28 member countries, can d.a. the president has been calling out countries to pay their fair share of deuce. what are his options if countries don't listen to him? >> every country is obligated to pa 2% of their gdp. e president has made it very clear that for too long, many countries have been getting a free ride. when he has talked to these countries, and i have just read out erdogan and roy, he has

addressed this, not just with him but to so many of the other nato countries. by and large, every single one of them agrees. they understand the importance of nato and the president's very clear that in order for nato to be successful, these folks have to pay their fair share. >> carol? >> i would like to follow up on what kristen said and a question on turkey. does the white house have a reaction to reports that yemen has revoked permission to the u.s.? >> i'm sorry. thank you. yemen more than most countries fully appreciates the fight that we have. with isis. i think we are going to continue to work with them. p to strengthen our diplomatic relationships and understand our fight against terrorism. so at this point, i'll leave it at that. we understand we understand we share that commitment and will continue to work with him.

>> president erdogan said the u.s. agreed to work with turkey. can you clarify what the president said? >> i think the readout was as specific as we want to get with his conversation. i'm going to go to our lastne. rian cohen, radio host and columnist nor the boston herald. >> great to be with you, sean. last night, major walsh went to talk about sanctuary cities whachwhat does the president make of his vow to shield them from the administration? >> i think the president's executive order is pretty clear. again, i referenced it earlier in the briefing. it is twofold. one is, there is a concern about the safety of the american people and how we let people come into this country and, second, with respect to the american taxpayer. if we are going to be sending federal tax dollars to folks in

washington, i think they need to be used appropriately. the president is going to do nefrg his pow everything in his power to respect the money the president sent to washington spent facilitating legal activities and on american citizens. blake? >> sean, earlier today, the president said that the wall is in the process of being designed. given his previous background, is he or does he plan on being actively involved with the designing and implementation of the wall? separately, last night, elizabeth warren, any reaction from the white house on whether you believe what mitch mcconnell did was the right thing? >> on the wall, the president is a builder. he understands and i think he is going to make sure that as this project moves forward, that he is going to stay in close touch with secretary kelly to make sure that it fits his specs. he takes enormous attention to

detail. he wants to make sure it gets done right. i would suspect a project of this magnitude and one this high on his priority list will get the necessary attention from the president. >> i'm sorry. >> senator warren last night? >> i would refer you back to senate rules. this is not something we tend to discuss here. i will leave it to senator mcconnell and the senate to discuss senate rules. >> i wanted to follow up again on yemen. i'm not sure exactly what you are trying to say here. it seems like the report was that their government has asked the u.s. to stop doing any ground operations with regard to aqap. is that the request you got? >> i will have further information on that going further. i think we are in touch with the officials and working this through diplomatic channels and they understand the fight and commitment we both share when it comes to rooting out isis. i'll have more information on that. >> can i just ask on the president's tweet? halle had mentioned one part. the other part of it was that there has been a big increase in

traffic to the u.s. from certain areas. can you say what certain areas he is referring to? >> and what data is used? >> i will get back to you on that. i have a whole data field on that. >> two questions. turkey, did the president dispatch the c.i.a. director to turkey as turkish reports are saying right now? >> i just saw the c.i.a. director. if it happened, it hasn't happen in the last hour. >> the rest of the question was, part one, about whether there was discussion of extraditing two of the men that turkey views as a terrorist? >> i have nothing further than the readout at this time. >> on the second question, though, was about your statement that you don't know when the next lone wolf is coming. i believe based on numbers that the vast majority of lone wolf attacks in this country have been carried out by people that are either american, american-born or naturalized american citizens. so what specifically are you referring to there? >> i guess my question was, we

have had, i think there is at least for example, within the seven countries that we have talked about, there is at least 20 some odd people over the last few years have come into this country and been convicted of our charged with acts of terrorism. >> people who are lone wolves. >> i understand that. what i'm getting at is, you don't know, i don't know. when is the next act? how am i going to commit it? you don't look at odds and say, let's play the odds on american lives. you do what you can to prevent any attack from occurring. you can go through any system and say, when is the last time somebody committed a shoe bomb. so let's not take shoes off. the tsa -- >> that's not what i'm asking. >> when is the next terror attack. >> what is being done about people radicallized in the basement in front of the computer screen? >> i think the preside has asked both for a plan to defeat isis from stuff that is coming in from this and he is taking steps. he is also looking at working with the fbi and domestic

intelligence agencies to gather the best information we can to prevent acts on our soil from people wherever they may be. >> so something more is being done? >> he has tasked the fbi. it is a whole of government approach to what is going on. we are not looking at this myopically and saying, these are the seven countries. the whole point, not entirely what you are asking, to start with country that is we didn't have the appropriate vetting measures to ensure they can come in this country. as we move forward, we are reviewing other countries, other options. those are the external threats coming into this country. at the same time, the president has looked at options within the domestic intelligence gathering to figure out whether it is cyberor other ways th cyber or other ways we can determine to get ahead of additional threats we might face. it is not an either/or proposition. it is a whole government approach to what's going on.

a bipartisan group of senators are introducing legislation that would allow the senate to sign off on a reduction in sanctions against russia. would the president support such a check by congress? >> there are two sets of sanctions, we have to deal with. the ones are respect to crimea. i think ambassador haley has addressed that. until russia leaves crimea, those sanctions are a non-starter. with respect to the other ones, i don't want to get ahead of the legislation. if that's what that specifically is dealing w we are not going to get into pending legislation with respect to the sanctions that deal with ukraine and crimea. i think ambassador haley has spoken about that. >> the president said this morning in his address to the law enforcement officials he will have a zero-tolerance policy for attacks against law enforcement officers.

as a specific policy proposal, what does that mean? more death penalty cases on the federal level. what does he mean? >> i think what the president said not just yesterday with his meeting with the sheriffs but then today he wants them to understand he is a true friend. they have a true friend in the white house, somebody who understands the dangers that they face every day by putting their lives on the line to protect the american people, whether it is pulling someone up for a traffic stop and not knowing bha is what is in the c going up to the house and not knowing who is behind that door. these men and women, every day, day in and day out, are willing to put their lives on the line and make huge sacrifices. so he wants them to know that they have a true friend here in the white house that's going to have their back. how that manifests itself going forward the president will have further details. his number one message to them was, you have a friend. he has your back. let's do what we can to get these cities. the other thing that was

important, he mentioned chicago. their crime rate, murder rate is up 45%, 50%. in so many of these cities, it is up. it is unacceptable. the president is disgusted that so many american lives are taken, injured, whatever. we can't walk down the streets of our own city ns safety. he wants to make sure they understand his commitment to prevent acts of terrorism, whether it gang violence or whatever. that people feel safe to keep our community safe, to work with communities and establish policies that both respect our citizens and makes them feel safe and drive and walk down the streets of our city. charlie? >> journalist, matt drudge tweeted that the republican party should be sued for fraud.

basically, upset about the lack of any legislation to repeal obamacare or any p tax cut solution. what is your message to him and anyone else worried about the big push in the beginning who might be concerned that it is -- that momentum is stall sng. >> i think it is hardly stalling. i think it is a mammoth thing o repeal and replace. there is no question the president's commitment to doing this. you have heard speaker ryan talk about how we should be able to have this wrapped up by the end of the year. it is a big bill. it got jammed through. it was very sweeping. we are talking about one-fifth of our economy. we can do it quickly as the democrats did and end up with a mon strosity where preem um yums go up and access is limited or do it right. i think the president while he wants to get this done as soon as possible and understand what's at stake. he wants to do it right. he understands how important health care is to american families and individuals.

his goal is to get it done right and have an outcome that achieves the goals it sets out to do. that's it plain and simple. april? >> i have a series of questions. >> what happens when there are situations you are talking about the police, when there are situations that have been highlighted, what happens when there is bad policing? >> then we have to deal with it. i think you are right. we have to have good policing, talk about proper training and fund tog do the job better. the police have become fearful of making routine stops. it is working with the police and integrating the back and forth and have a dialogue in communities to make sure that we are doing it, as you put it, in

a way that instills confidence in our citizens and communities. we can do this right and we can make sure -- look, police officers from around this country on a daily basis put their lives out there. they want to keep communities safe. like teachers, they enter this. no cop signs up or sheriffs, because of the money. like teachers, they care about the community and making the country better and the community better. they should provide the resources and policies we need to do their jobs well and to do so that ensure that is we have this back and forth dialogue with the american people that continues to earn the respect they deserve for the sacrifice they are making. >> next question? >> how many do we have? >> maybe three more. >> it's black history month. let me go.

>> you can play that once. >> i have a couple more days. >> on the issue of last evening with elizabeth warren. coretta scott king. i want to get your reaction to these words that were not allowed. mr. sessions has used the awesome po of his office to kill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens in the district he now seeks to serve as a federal judge. she is basically saying that sessions has indifference towards criminal violations of civil rights laws. what do you say to that? >> obviously, we have a lot of respect for her and the sacrifices she made and the sacrifice she endured in her life. i would respectfully disagree with her assessment of senator sessions then and now. his record on civil voting rights i think is outstanding and like arlen specter, the late arlen specter, i can only hope

if she was still with us today, after getting to know him and to see his record and commitment to voting and civil rights, she would share the same view that senator specker did where he said, although i voted against him getting to know the man that is now, i regret that vote. i would hope if she was still with us today she would share that sentiment. senator sessions both as u.s. attorney for alabama, as attorney general has been one who has stood up for voting rights. he prosecuted the clan. he stood up for coretta scott king getting the gold medal. he has been a tireless advocate of voting and civil rights tlus his career. i would just hope if she was still with us today she would share the sentiments of former senator specter. >> last two. the administration's diversity issues. you have been slammed on that recently. i understand there has been a meeting with vice-president

pence talking to j.c. watts, michael steele and others. can you elaborate on that? >> there is a lot of ground swell about this hcu executive war. what's going on with that? >> the hbcu presidents will be in town. we will have further updates on the meetings that we may have with them and the activities surrounding that in terms of the administration. then i think we will have further updates. with all executive orders, we have nothing to update on that. the president has a strong commitment to them. he understands over the last eight years they have been woefully fleg glekted. wasnt to show a commitment in funding to hbcus. i think you will see not just a push this month but in his budget going forward. >> loans, pell grants? >> i think his budget will address a lot of these issues. >> diversity? >> we are going to continue to reach out to a lot of folks to

get their ideas and input. i think he has shown that both through the transition and now. we are going to continue to reach out to people of different backgrounds, of different color, of different gender, of different economic, socioeconomic and industry and parties. the president, i think, continues to show a desire to reach out and talk to people who i think share an agenda of moving the country forward and doesn't really care about their background. their voting history, any of those other idealogical issues. >> you mentioned the one in, two out in your opening. there was a lawsuit filed in federal court this morning challengeing that lawsuit. is the white house aware of that? what's your response? >> yes. the lawsuit presumes a lot of outcomes that are widely inaccurate. i think it presumes that certain things would get -- be part of the one out.

the bottom line is overregulation has stemmed economic growth and job creation. reviewing those to make sure they are meeting their intent and not stifling job creation at the expense of whatever they were intended to do is something that should be smart and welcome by everybody. the idea we are willie-nilly allowing regulations to occur. the law site suit is wildly inaccurate. it makes a ton of assumption that is call for speculation on what may or may not happen in the future. it's subjective at best. >> thank you, guys. look forward to seeing you tomorrow. >> sean spicer wrapping up another daily white house briefing. we are about 2 1/2 weeks into this administration. you can see the press secretary is starting to settle into his new job. i am katy tur rec. we have a lot to break down for you. the big headlines out of that

press briefing. a few things. sean spicer reacting to donald trump tweeting about his daughter ivon ka going after nordstroms for dropping her brand. a reporter asked him if he felt like this was an appropriate thing for the president to do specially since he is trying to separate himself from the business. he said, yes, this is a father protecting his daughter from a political attack. a lot on the travel ban, where it stands in the courts. this morning, donald trump called the appellate court a disgrace. sean spicer avoided answering that question directly. he did say that the order is constitutional and that the president of the united states has the power to impose such a ban. he cited u.s. code while doing it. i will read a little bit of that code. >> whenever the president finds that the entry of any aliens or any class of aliens into the united states would be detrimental to the interest of the united states, he may by proclamation and for such period as he may deem necessary suspend the entry of all aliens or any

class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants. sean spicer touched on senator warren what happened on the senate floor. you heard april ryan from the association press read a portion of coretta p scott king's letter. he talked about terror, yemen, sanctuary sit citis, nato and crime stats in chicago. we have a lot to get to. while we are awaiting hallie jackson to put on her mike in that press briefing room, i'm going to go over to my panel here on set. tennessee congressman, harold ford junior and charlie sykes and ambassador norm eisen who served as president's ethics czar from 2009 to 2011 before becoming u.s. ambassador to the xhek republic. he is currently a fellow at the brook is institution. quite a title. >> i want to go to you first. let's talk about this ivanka

tweet. they say this is a political attack in response to the company saying they don't agree with president trump's policies so they are taking it out on his daughter. >> it is a business decision, which donald trump should understand. in the free market, people make this decision. two things that struck me. number one, his on going inability to separate his business from his duties as president of the united states and, number two, now, he has officially spent more time criticizing nordstrom and criticizing vladmir putin. >> i guess you are right. >> norm, i want to go over to you. you have been going after donald trump for quite a while on the issue of separating himself from his business. you do not believe that he has done so adequately. in fact, you have said that a full difficuvest yur from his

business is not going on. she separated herself from her business at least in name. what do you make of the tweet that says this is an attack on her? is that an example of ivanka still being entangled in her own business? >> i agree with charlie. it is an example of why donald trump and his family needed to step away, make a more definitive break. i think it is an abuse of the office of the presidency. he is putting the bully in the bully pulpit to attack this company on dubius factual assertions to promote his

daughter. >> we still don't know if donald trump is invested in these businesses. >> norm, what is the recourse here? >> is there any recourse for the federal government specially' republicans are deciding not to play along? >> there is a recourse here. the recourse is, first of all, for nordstrom mis. they have a cause of action now against donald trump. this is unfair business practices. there is a serious legal question. there are statutes across the country, including a very tough one in california. others can also bring. we've seen the state a.g.s. state a.g.s can respond when there is an unfair business practice and not to mention other public officials under some of these statutes. i do think we are going to see whatever failures there may be

in the executive branch and in the legislative branch controlled by the same party the judicial branch stepping forward and also the checks and balances of the states. >> the judicial branch is obviously a branch that is in play right now. specially when it comes to donald trump's travel ban. the appellate courts are reconsidering whether or not to reinstate the ban right now, the 9th circuit is reconsidering that. donald trump is calling that court a disgrace. do you think that he is endangering himself within the court by coming out and going after the court or is he finding a way to influence that branch of government? we have a separation of power for a reason. i have af daughter. would i defend my daughter.

the bigger question is, does he have an investment in this business? listen to sean spicer close. he said this administration would not play the odds in defending and protecting the country. i share that view. i think the presidt is right to take steps to protect the country. the question is whether or not what he has done is constitutional and is this the way to go about it? in citing lone wolves, many believe it will. the constitutionality of it. if you are going to take these steps, you have to have some bases for doing it. we have not faced these kind of attacks. we have not faced the kind of things the president has been warning about for several years. americans born here, young men, who have traveled back to parts of the middle east, come back to this country radicalized and it appears it may have commenced before they left. when they came back, that's when they acted. that's the group that should be

profiled. as a democrat, i would be supportive of efforts to target and go after those who fit a certain profile and unfortunately, a profile has developed over the last several years. >> i want to get over to kristen welker. we are told she has to come on pretty quickly. kristin, i want to ask you about. has the white house offered any explanation of why they are not going after lone wolves who may have been born in this country instead calling this a ban that is necessary because they are worried about those coming in overseas? as harold ford pnted out, we haven't had as much of a problem with people coming in from overseas but rather folks who were born lear radicalized here. >> it is a great point. sean spicer was pressed on that. his response is, look, this is a

preemptive action that the president wants to take. he wants to prevent against any attack that might happen that we might not know about right now. he was pressed on whether or not the president knows of a specific atk. take a listen to how he responded. >> while we may not face an imminent threat, we don't know when that next threat comes, is it next week, next month, next year? the president wants to get ahead of the curve and make sure we are not talking about what we should have done but taking every step necessary to make sure it doesn't happen. >> there was also a headline here, katy, i want to tell you about, related to his daughter. as you know, earlier today, he tweeted out a statement essentially going after nordstroms for dropping his daughter ivanka's line. she has distanced herself from her company. when he was asked about this and whether or not this creates a conflict of interest, spicer said, while she is not directly running the company, it is still

her name on it and there is clearly efforts to undermine that name based on her father's pogs on particular policies that he has taken. nordstrom says this is related to the sales of her product, that they are not meeting the standard they would want it to meet. sfis spicer not backing down from this position the president is taking. this will continue to p cause questions throughout the day as it will jun hojun hold his stay. >> for our viewers, a little bit more news, according to "the new york times," t.j. maxx has backed away from ivanka trump's line of clothing as well. let's get over to the third point. that's a big topic we have been talking about on msnbc.

it happened when senator elizabeth warren was trying to read aler from coretta scott king, the widow of martin luther king jr. last night with regard to senator jeff sessions as attorney general. sean spicer was asked to react to senator warren being silenced and specifically to react to the portion of the letter that elizabeth warren was not allowed to read? take a listen. >> we have a lot ofespect to her and the sacrices e made and the sacrifices that frankly she endured in her life. i would respectfully disagree with her assessment of senator sessions then and now. his record on civil voting rights is outstanding. senator sessions record both as u.s. attorney for alabama and attorney general and senator has been one that has stood up for

voting rights. he prosecuted the clan and stood up for core rtta scott king getting the gold medal. he has been a tireless ad voe caught cat of voting and civil rights? >> sean spicer walking a fine line. he says senator sessions has been a tireless effort of civil rights an voting. >> her words didn't warrant her being red carded. she simply read a statement, senator warren did, a letter that coretta scott king wrote. i probably would have handled it a little differently and read those letters and say, we are going to hold you accountable. you said we could depend on you to protect voting rights and defend young black men that might be treated wrongly in communities across the country.

the work that rand paul and cory booker would have done. we are going to hold you to it and hope you have med beyond the words that whatever inspired these words by teddy kennedy and coretta scott king, i am a believer that you have changed and if not, we are going to hold you to it. >> so she framed it wrong? >> she should not have been red carded period. i felt like sean spicer had a if you have road to hoe. >> jeff sessions is going to be accountable on the words to the late mr. king and mr. kennedy. i hope that cory booker and other progressives will hold them accountable. >> this has incited quite a backlash. across the country as well and on social media. there is a new hashtag, #shepersisted. ere are a number of folks

tweeting images of senator warren and camilla harris tweeting a number of historic women's images and also tweeting senator mcconnell. my question to you, charlie, is, did this backfire for senate republicans? >> dramatically. is there a contest in washington, d.c. for bad optics? >> i heard people trying to rationize, maybe mitch mcconnell had this grand scheme to put elizabeth warren as a front-runner in 2012. this was just weapons grade stupid it was a total unforced error. the fact is that millions of more peoe are now going to be listen tog what she had to say and to read thatler than they would have before. it was a huge distraction. the politics in washington has become incredibly divisive and polarized. that one decision makes it more toxic. when you have all of these other things you are going to get to. including a united states

supreme court nominee. is this the moment you want to do that? is this creating this scenario again? >> there is a real possibility of overplaying the hand. are the democrats going to make themselves and their destruction the issue. >> we are just getting a little bit of breaking news. the 9th circuit so far today does not have a decision on the immigration order. also happening, you guys, thank you so much for breaking down that white house press briefing. we also have betsy devos. she addressed the department of education for the very first time. as you know, she was a controversial confirmation. v.p., mike pence, had to go to the senate chambers and cast the tie-breaking vote after two republicans decided to vote

against betsy devos. she had her chance to address the department she isow heading earlier. we want to play that for you now. >> well, good afternoon, thanks for gathering or taking a few minutes to tune in from your offices around the department and thamg thank you for you're welcome. i have been eager to get here and meet everyone. as phil said, we had a great tour of the other two buildings. i look forward to doing the same here this afternoon. i am guessing you already know. my name is betsy. i am here with you and alongside you to serve our nation's students. we here at the department of education are fortunate to join an incredible array of parents, teachers, educators and school leaders to serve all of america's students. it is such a pleasure to finally

be here. i am really pleased that my husband, dick, could join today too. he has been an amazing partner for nearly 38 years. in the past weeks, has been unfaltering in his support and encouragement. i am so grateful for him and for my family. thanks, hon. >> this is a him believing and exciting opportunity to serve. let me start simply by saying thank you to each of you. those here in the department and those across the country who work to make education better. let me specifically note and thank phil rosenfelt. you all know phil. you have just heard from him. i have quickly learned he is a well-respected and familiar face around here. as he mentioned, his service predates the department of education. while phil and i met just a short time ago, i know he has

done an outstanding job as acting secretary. i am grateful for his steady leadership these past two weeks thand of the entire department of education transition team who have all joined on stage he. let's thank all of them. >> the work of the department during this transition is a testament to phil's self-less leadership and long standing commitment to the department's mission. again, thank you, phil and thank you, transition team. americans have tremendous respect fo all those witn and without the walls who work to make more opportunity better through better education. let's turn now to recent headlines. there is no need to pull any

punches. for me personally, this confirmation process and the drama it engendered has been a bit of a bear. >> the events of the last few weeks have likely raised more questions and spawned more confusion than they have brought light and clarity. i'm a door open type of person who listens. i am here to serve with you. i'm committed to working with everyone and anyone from every corner of the country, from every walk of life, from every background and with those who supported my nomination and those who did not to protect, strengthen and create new world class education opportunities for america's students. let's acknowledge we've just

come through one of the most bruising, divisive elections in modern times. that's okay. we people are resilient. often, the morning and evening news cycles make it hard to find what might unite our nation. the rhetoric and the words can get hot and heated and the an mossity often seems unending. that's okay too. people are passionate and moved by deeply held views. we are a plural is stick culture and we must celebrate our differences. all of us here can help bring unity by personally committing to being more open to and patient toward views different than our own. a key to our nation's future is resident in the dna of the department of education. it is in who we serve, the rising generation. every child in america is born

with innate curiosity and each is blooming with potential. sometimes as students, they gather. >> how did she fair in her first out sng. >> i think it was pretty good. she came out and she was gracious, very humble. she is addressing some now 4,400 members of her staff. she now has a budget of something like $60 billion. she also acknowledged the fact that there has been a lot of heat and not as much light around her nomination and confirmation hearings. she was trying to be somewhat self-deprecating making a joke

it has been a bear of a time that she has been through, with reference to the grizzly bear comment. for those that supported her and those that didn't, bwhat everyoe is committed to is creating world class opportunities for the students. most of the people want to take that away that she is saying she wants to come in for the things that people may object to or about her. those that support her. she is now saying she wants to embrace all of what's necessary in order to make this the best opportunity going forward for america's kid some people may like it. some people may disagree with it. i think she did pretty well for her first address to her staff. >> rehema, what happens to all those that did not support her and all those constituents that called their senators and congressman's offices at all hours to try to convince them to say no? >> i suspect they will continue to call. i think there are going to be a

lot of people continuing to voice their concerns, support and disapproval of betsy devos. one of the things we will see that happens is she is going to be focused more on k-12 education as opposed to higher education. her focus will be on k-12 as she has spent the last 20, 30 years of her life devoted to advancing the cause of charter schools and vouchers. she is a real champion for that in terms of president trump who says the one thing he wants to dice advance charters and voucher opportunities for students. that may be the hallmark of the administration and her tenure in the department of education. a lot of people will be watching. i don't think that they are going to be silent, not from what i'm hearing. >> rehema ellis, thank you so much for wrapping that up. that totally wraps things up for me entirely this hour. you can always follow me on twitter and facebook. kate snow takes it away. >> i have a feeling you a