russ kick is good at saving stuff that the government wants hidden. and on this story he is going for it. that does it for us tonight. we'll see you again tomorrow.

tomorrow, in anticipation of the storm. the weather is expected to be different from yesterday. there were highs of 74 degrees in washington, d.c., wednesday. 66 degrees in philadelphia, 62 degrees here in new york. everyone was certainly outside. let's bring in nbc meteorologist bill karins on what we are going to have today. >> new york dropped 30 degrees. storm is on schedule, not a lot of big changes. philadelphia total and central massachusetts, lower nn nn and vermont, we upped the totals. 55 million people impacted by the storm. winter storm warnings from coastal maine back to pittsburgh. blizzard warnings for almost all

of long island and eastern massachusetts. the temperatures are the key. d.c. you are all rain as expected, baltimore the same for you. new york city already dropped to 32 degrees, you are all snow. here is the map, the blue shows the snow, the green the rain, yellow is intense rain. the batch to the south here is moving north. where it's cold enough, that's where the really intense 2-3 inches are. it's now north of philly, heading for trenton. it's going to quickly go downhill. here is the snowfall map. 0-1 baltimore and d.c. philadelphia, 4-6 over the next two to three hours. 8-12 for new york. the bulls eye is going to be long island, areas of connecticut, providence and south of boston. somewhere in there, a foot and a

half of snow. >> thank you for that. joining us now, indra peterson. give us an update on conditions this morning. how bad are they and how do they look for the rest of the day? >> reporter: unbelievable. look at the difference. temperatures 66 degrees. we were 25 degrees above normal. now, we are looking for a 30-40 degree temperature drop. very easy to see, miserable out here this morning. we know a winter storm is comin our way. take a look at the storm. this is camelback mountains in the poconos. in philly, we are expecting to see that snow. a winter storm warning is currently in effect. we are looking for 3-6 inches of snowfall in the area here. winds could gust 25-30 miles per hour. as far as the timing of the system, take a look right now.

heavy rain is falling across the area. this is what we are expecting for the next hour or so. e venturely, this is going to turn over into sleet. think about the morning commute. we take you over here closer. the roads, plenty of rain. doesn't seem like a problem if you head out early enough. of course, as you get into the colder hours, a few hours away, icy and tricky roads, 3-6 inches of snow. >> stay dry out there. we are going check back with you in a bit. >> we sure are. meantime, a federal appeals court decides whether to reinstate president trump's order. the president gave the judicial branch a piece of his mind. after reading the section of the u.s. code about immigration. >> he may, by proclamation and for such period as he shall deem necessary. here it is, people coming in,

suspend the entry of all aliens. that's what it says. it's not like -- again, a bad high school student would understand this. anybody would understand this. i watched last night in amazement and i heard things that i couldn't believe. things that really had nothing to do with what i just read. i don't ever want to call a court bias, so i won't call it bias and we haven't had a decision yet, but courts seem to be so political and it would be so great for our justice system if they would be able to read a statement and do what's right. >> president trump's supreme court behind closed door over the president's rhetoric toward other judges.

judge gorsuch made the rounds in what is sure to be a heated confirmation vote. what they had to say turned heads. >> my strong home is that he will be more vehememn. he is disheartened by the comments made by president trump about the judiciary. >> a spokesman for judge gorsuch said he did use disheartening and demoralizing. >> joining us, casey hunt. the comments from judge gorsuch had to send shivers through the white house yesterday. >> hi. the question is, just how calculated was this? is this something the white house wanted to make sure was known or is this something that

senator blumenthal let slip and they are trying to embrace? the argument, the main question that was going to be facing him is how independent could he be as a judge on the supreme court? it's a big test for the democrats that might be willing to vote for his confirmation. it seems to suggest he is willing to be independent. the question, of course, it's a big "x" factor, how does donald trump react publicly. they have not shown a willingness to embrace comments like this that seem to contradict the position he made. i think the reaction over the course of the next day from the president is going to be telling as far as how this unfolds. you have chuck schumer and other democrats from the base coming out and saying strong negative things about gorsuch. schumer met with him saying he didn't answer my questions

saying whether a muslim ban is unconstitutional. then you have john tester from montana saying hey, i'm open to voting for him. they only need eight people from likely moderate to red states likely facing re-election to side with gorsuch and get him confirmed. >> the other story yesterday, jeff sessions confirmed. it's a big win for republicans. it's going to have a major shift on issues with the justice department. >> sessions did get confirmed, a largely party line vote. the debate on sessions nomination dominated by elizabeth warren and what she did on the senate floor. a stand off with her and senator mitch mcconnell who envoked rule 19 that prohibits one senator from attacking another one on the floor of the senate.

of course, she was in the middle of reading a letter from martin luther king's widow when it happened. the following day, a couple other senators, male senators went to the floor and read the same letter and weren't cut off. i talked to miss warren about this. here is what she had so say. >> the facts may hurt, but, we are not in the united states senate to ignore facts. >> do you think what senator mcconnell did last night was sexist? >> i think what he did was wrong. >> was it sexist? >> i think reading the words of miss king on the floor of the united states senate honors the senate. >> republicans, of course, saying they want to see elizabeth warren as the face of the democratic party because she's so liberal. it could be a rare misstep from mcconnell she's gotten such a big megaphone. >> enjoy your coffee, see you on

"morning joe." tom price is closer to becoming health and human secretary. this is after the final hurdle for the vote. they limited debate for his nomination. the seven-term congressman has strong support from senate republicans and will secure the votes to be confirmed. senate rules will allow 30 hours for debate on that confirmation. it's unclear if democrats will seek to delay it as they did with jeff sessions and betsy devos. if that happens, the voting will begin early tomorrow. president trump's choice for puzder. they intend to announce the new hearing is next thursday, february 16th. the hearing was originally

scheduled for january 12th before being rescheduled and postponed multiple times. he is certain to faceuestions about certain revelations they employed an undocumented housekeeper for a number of years. betsy devos starts the job with the narrowest senate approval possible. devos took it in stride as she started her first day, joking about one of her now infamous remarks. >> so, let's turn now to recent headlines. there's no need to pull any punches. for me, personally, this confirmation process and the drama it engendered has been a bit of a bear. >> devos said she is an open door policy, emphasizing she is committed to listening and working with the entire department during her tenure. >> that was clever, we have to give her that. still ahead, the storm set

to cripple the u.s. check this video out. you probably recognize charles oakley on the ground and surrendered by police at madison square garden. we are going to explain what happened, coming up. stay with us.

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all right, attention shoppers and investors. nordstroms stock opens up 4% this morning after president trump launched an attack on the century old department chain which employs 85,000 people after it said it would not carry its company's products this season. >> she's been treated unfairly, a great person, always pushing me to do the right thing.

she stepped dn las month and moved to washington as her husband serves in a role. we made this decision based on the performance. sales of the brand steadily declined. it didn't make sense to continue for now. we have had open conversations with them to share what we have seen and ivanka was informed of the decision in early january. a spokesman responded saying they have been seeing significant growth. the podus twitter account shared the tweet. >> this is a direct attack on his policies and her name. so, that there is clearly an attempt for him to stand-up for her because they have a problem with his policies. shifting gears, we continue to follow the latest on the

winlter storm expected to slam the northeast. bill, the snow is coming down in midtown new york, but not sticking yet. >> it is starting to stick in new york city on the grass. amazing how quickly the ground gave way to the warmth yesterday and released the heat. with the temperatures falling into the 20s, that's why we are going to get accumulating snows in areas that were so warm yesterday. the battleground is the philadelphia area. they were at 44 degrees at midnight, they since dropped to 40, in the 30s. reports on the north side of philadelphia, they are seeing the changeover from the heavy rain. i want to go to reynolds wolf. it's been pouring rain. one of the hardest forecasts of any location is where you are located. that changeover has to be soon, though. >> reporter: you are right about that, tough guy. it is a razor's edge, to say the least. it is that much of a dividing line between the rain and the

snow. right now, it is a rain story. right behind me, you can see traffic is pouring up and down parts of 95. you have the wells fargo center there, lincoln financial to the right of i-95. one of the issues we have is the rain, how the rain have been the first installment. get this, bill, they are going to try to pre-treat the roadways. they have been unable because of the ponding. any treatment, anything you have, a desiser, sand or salt. the reason they didn't put it on because the rain would wash it away. now, with the switchover, the snowfall we expect to occur anytime, they will have the traffic on the roadways and the people with the salt spreaders and try to move away the building snow, you are going to have a glut of people on the roadways. that said, bill, you know the idea. people are advised to stay off the roadways if possible, to try to limit the issues around the

city. city schools have been closed. bucks county schools closed. everything in the area including jersey and delaware. good news for the kids and the parents. better news for the roadways. >> in philadelphia, we go back an hour from now. that will look like a completely different picture with heavy, wet snow flakes. here is the snow forecast. again, the bullseye for the highest amounts new york city, long island, connecticut, southern portions of new england. philadelphia, you are at the bottom edge of the heavy snow. we have you in the 4-6 range. two hours of moderate snow, so maybe closer to three inches. philadelphia, you look fine. a burst at the tail end, maybe an inch at most on the grass. 4-6 in philadelphia. 8-12 in new york city. northern new jersey about 10

inches of snow. to the north, the highest are connecticut, eastern massachusetts. again, the timing of the worst of it is right now from trenton into new york city over the next three hours, then later, we bring it to areas in the northeast. this storm is on schedule, even if you are in the philadelphia area. don't give up yet. i know schools are canceled and people are saying this looks like a bust. not done yet. >> bill karins, i know you are going to keep an eye on that. still ahead, an altercation at madison square gardens. all the details from the court next in sports.

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you don't like nba basket. >> that's what i like to call dropping the hammer. the one-handed slam helping the kings on their way to a 108-92 win over the celtics last night. time for sports. behind the scenes between carmelo anthony and the team president phil jackson. another thing spilled on center stage at madison square garden. charles oakley thon as an enforcer was removed from the stands at the garden last night and later arrested with an altercation.

i'm shocked over this. he's been vocal with the criticism over the knicks in the past was escorted out after making comments to dolan who was sitting nearby, but not before getting physical. the 54-year-old oakley punched three employees while being removeed from the arena. he was charged with three counts of assault and one of criminal trespass. the knicks wrote he came to the game and behaved in a highly inappropriate manner. he was a great knick and we hope he gets help soon. shortly after being released from a new york city precinct, he said he didn't say anything to dolan before being approached by security and asked to leave. there's two sides to the story. there are reports he purchased his own ticket to the game. let's go to college hoops. a 70-foot buzzer beater to tie

the game earlier this week. a play-by-play announcer couldn't believe it. take a listen at this one. >> we still have a chance at the >> we still have a chance at the buzzer. yeah! yes! yes! oh, my goodness! yes! yes, yes! forgive me lord, i counted my chickens before they hatched! we knocked down a three-pointer! it is time. .6 seconds when he nailed it. people were already leaving the building. >> give that man a job in the nba. unfortunate unfortunately, young harris lost in overtime, 89-83. proof that nothing lasts forever, look no further than atlanta falcons and the storybook super bowl run.

ben made a wager on the outcome. the loser having to shave off his beard. yesterday, the barber came to call. he went under the knife to have his beard of seven years, seven years, taken off. not before surgery. the barber gave him a moustache there. here is the finished result. i think i like him beardless. >> look at jason. he's like, yeah, i still have mine. >> i like it. what do you think? >> i think it's time to get that miracle grow to get that back. >> so cold. you wouldn't know you guys are good friends. >> a georgia connection. >> i know. i know. all right, still ahead for all of you, we continue to follow the latest on the snowstorm that's expected to hit the northeast. 3,000 flights have been canceled for today and tomorrow. jeff sessions will be sworn in as the next u.s. attorney general. his battle was a bitter one. weave that and more coming up

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welcome back, everyone. i'm alex witt. it is the bottom of the hour. we are starting off with the top stories as we continue to follow the fast-moving storm. it barrellg up the east coast. this is a live look at the poconos. look at that snow in pennsylvania. bill karins is tracking it and is going to join us in a moment. the pipeline has begun

drilling after receiving the approval to start construction. it sparked months of protest led by the sioux tribe who is concerned of water contamination. the group is running out of options, but vows to fight on. chris kennedy looks to continue the family's political dynasty. the son of bobbie kennedy is running for governor. he's the current republican governor destroying the state's economy pledged to fix the financial situation. that primary is a year away. we are going back to the top story, the winter storm slamming the east coast. >> let's go to meteorologist bill karins. >> we are getting to the point to tell where you should stay off the roads. the peak is 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. this morning, during the peak morning commute.

the white inside the blue is the heavy snow. this is rain in southern new jersey. that will change toward the end. 55 million people impacted by the storm by the time it's said and done. all of long island into areas of blizzard warnings. i want to get closer in here. the philadelphia area has been a border area we have been battling the rain and the snow. the line is through the city here. the areas of the blue and the white, we show those pictures near allentown. this is the region where the really heavy snow is beginning to come down. allentown, philadelphia, trenton. that's going to head to new york city shortly after we go throughout the 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. hours. that's the timing of it. 10:00 a.m., ending in philadelphia. again, we are going to work with very intense, short duration storm. interesting, we don't usually get nor'easters that last four to six hours. when it snows, it's going to

snow hard. >> thanks bill, we will check back in a mitt. >> we want to go to philadelphia where indra peterson is joining us with an update. >> reporter: still unbelievable. we have been talking about the temperatures where yesterday, they had record breaking heat. a half hour ago, a heavy rain came down across the area. temperatures, we dropped 20-30 degrees from yesterday. we are expecting to see the temperatures come down. right now, around the 40 degree mark. i can feel the change. i'm getting a few ice pellets hitting the face. that's how we know this change is coming. let's talk about what's coming. let me show you this camera to the poconos. that's where they are seeing the snow already coming down. that's what philly is expecting, unfortunately, right at commute time. in philadelphia, a winter storm warning in effect. we are going to quickly see this sleek, wintry mix right now. once it turns over and the temperatures drop, we are going to see the heavy snowfall in the area seeing 3-6 inches of snow.

winds could really gust out here. we could see gusts as high as 40 miles per hour. visibility, that could come down a quarter mile. quickly, the roads are going to turn into ice at the worst time, the morning commute. >> thank you very much for that update. president trump's nominee to the supreme court, gorsuch makes big news rebuking the president behind closed doors over his criticism of the judiciary. pete williams has more on this. good morning, pete. >> reporter: alex, the ninth circuit court of appeals could rule on whether to keep enforcement of president trump's executive order on hold. on wednesday, mr. trump's supreme court nominee, neil gorsuch has blunt criticism of the president's comments on the appeals court. during a routine courtesy visit, judge gorsuch said the president's remarks were quote,

disheartening and demoralizing. the president said earlier in the day that he listened to the audio of the oral argument conference call by the judges and called it disgraceful. he said the courts seemed political. he noted a federal law gives the president power to suspend entry of any class of aliens to protect national security. he asked why did the judge question the le galty of the order? they have been making a similar argument in the court briefs. if you have intense interest in the case, the court took the unusual step of saying it will give at least an hours notice before announcing the ruling. >> okay, pete. thank you for that. this morning, jeff sessions will be sworn in as the next attorney general. a narrow 52-47 confirmation win. it happened along party lines. only one democrat voted in favor of his colleague. they vowed to keep the doors of

the justice department open. >> colleagues, i can't express how appreciative i am. for those of you who stood by me during this difficult time, i could start calling names, but it wouldn't be appropriate. >> when jeff sessions was passed, it turned my stomach. i don't have anything against him personally, it's known we are at the gym together in the morning. to have a man like this with his record on immigration, he's certainly the most anti-immigrant senator on civil rights and voting rights. he's one of the top three or four against the sacred rights and civil rights and voting rights. he doesn't belong there. a lot of republicans know that. >> the divided confirmation battle was racially charged. republican senator tim scott, the only black republican read from the mail he received and a

warning, some of the language is strong. >> go on to read from folks who wanted to share their opinions about my endorsing jeff sessions, you are a disgrace to the black race. you are uncle tom scott. you are for sessions. how does a black man turn on his own. anthony from political art says senator tim scott is not an uncle tom. he doesn't have a shred of honor. he's a house negro. i left out all the ones that use the "n" word. just felt that would not be appropriate. >> some pretty tough talk there from senator scott. sessions is sworn in at 10:30 this morning. he's expected to arrive at the justice department this afternoon. senator elizabeth warren is putting senators on notice after she was silenced. senator majority leader mitch

mcconnell said she broke rules reading a letter written 30 years ago, opposing sessions nomination as federal judge. the fallout was swift. hillary clinton sweeted saying she was warned, she was given an explanation. nevertheless, she proceeded, so must we all. bernie sanders and brown read the same letter by king on the senate floor without being told they were breaking the rules. >> i certainly hope that this anti-free speech attitude is not traveling down pennsylvania avenue to our great chamber. especially, mr. president, when the only speech being stifled is speech that republicans don't agree with. this is not what america is about. silencing speech, especially in this chamber.

what we do here is debate. >> do you think it is the character of jeff sessions? >> the facts may hurt. we are not in the united states senate to ignore facts. >> do you think what he did was sexist? >> i think what we did was wrong. >> but it wasn't sexist? >> i think reading the words of king on the floor of the united states senate honors the senate. >> shortly after sessions was confirmed as attorney general, warren went on a tweet storm saying if he makes the tiniest step to bring racism and bigotry into the justice department, he will hear from all of us. consider this, we won't be silent. we will speak out and we will persist. let's bring in casey from washington, d.c. i know that one read of this entire chapter in the whole senate with elizabeth warren have some questioning if this is

a play lewd for 2020? >> it feels like too soon for 2020. i don't know about you. i have not recovered from 2016. yes, the overtones of the next presidential election, absolutely there. the question of who really is going to be the face of the democratic party. elizabeth warren, somebody who has become a lightning rod for criticism on the right, but also somebody who really energized progressive, democratic voters, becoming a hero to them. she decided not to run last time around, but she's a powerhouse fund-raiser. this moment did elevate her against senator mitch mcconnell. the republicans saying behind the scenes, hey, we did this on the senate floor to help make her the face of the democratic party. running against somebody who is so liberal will be better for us in the long run, but we also

know how populism played out in the 2016 election and this moment, really, i think, pushed senator warren to the forefront and gave her a megaphone she wouldn't have otherwise had to push thespirations forward. >> casey, thank you very much. we are going to see you in a bit for "morning joe." stick around for that. >> thanks. the start of warmer relations from the trump administration toward mexico? later today, the president is expected to sign an executive order aimed at helping mexico with drug cartels. he will take the fight to drug cartels to liberate communities. meanwhile, rex tillerson had his first meeting with the foreign minister of mexico. they had a constructive conversation on law enforcement, migration and security. the foreign minister had an introductory meeting with john kelly, in arizona today, kicking off a tour of the southwest

border. he's expected to meet with the governor doug ducey. nikki haley met. in a tweet, she said the meeting was great and focused on trade border security and ways our country can work bergt together. time for a look at the stories driving the day in business. u.s. futures are flat following the mixed close with the financial sector dragging down the dow. president trump criticized nordstrom for dropping ivanka's clothesline. it quickly rebounded to close up 4%. a judge blocked a $54 billion bid to buy cigna. it would reduce competition and increase prices. finally, a sign of the times. "the new york times" is partnering with spotify in hopes

of boosting prescriptions. if you sign up for a year, you get access to spotify's premium service that typically costs $125 a year. >> hopefully they will grandfather us. the pentagon targets al qaeda in syria. what officials are saying about this mission. we continue to follow the latest on the winter storm moving up the east cost. philadelphia and pennsylvania are getting hit right now. looking at the poconos right there. things have picked up in 15 minutes. bill karins is back with the latest, next.

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skiers are going to love that. it looks like a resort, i think. i can't tell. anyway, camelback mountains. all right. >> let's go to nbc meteorologist bill karins who is tracking the storm for us. >> everything is going as scheduled. philadelphia is starting to ash. we are down to 36 deges. you may now see snow flakes at the end. here is the radar image. the blue is where it's snowing, the green is where it's raining. there's not much ice in between. down around washington, d.c., we are watching the changeover to the north of the beltway north of i-95 and damascus. baltimore changing to snow. temperatures above freezing. the roads shouldn't be too bad. i-95 to baltimore and delaware, this is all snow. the temperatures are going to crash. a little bit of accumulation between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. philadelphia, you also are

watching the changeover taking place. heavy rain. now turning over to snow. if you are on the north side, that's where you are going to get the higher totals, six inches or so. south side, three to four inches. north of this line from philadelphia to jersey shore, this is all snow, it's plenty cold. the picture we showed you in mt. pocono is here. if you are driving on 80 or 78, it is quickly deteriorating. they are trying to tell you to stay off the roads over the next three to four hours. the heavy snow over the poconos shifting over the top of new york city as we go through the peak of the rush hour. new york city just upped the forecast. they were saying ten inches, now as much as 12 inches for the forecast. the boston weather service is higher than that. they are saying totals up there now, 12-18 inches around the boston area. we are thinking 8-12 around new york city. the highest total is a jackpot.

the connecticut area, boston, somewhere in here a foot and a half of snow by the time this is said and down this afternoon. >> okay. that's a lot. >> a lot of snow. if you are a kid watching this, you are excited. if you are a first responder, you are watching wanting people to stay off the roads. still ahead, the prime minister of the united kingdom got a state welcome. leaders of australia got phone calls. we are going live to beijing, next. imagine if the things you bought every day earned you miles to get to the places you really want to go. with the united mileageplus explorer card, you'll get a free checked bag, 2 united club passes... priority boarding... and 50,000 bonus miles. everything you need for an unforgettable vacation. the united mileageplus explorer card. imagine where it will take you.

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the defense department says a pair of u.s. strikes killed 11 al qaeda militants last week. they happened in syria. the pentagon spokesman says the second strike killed a top al qaeda figure who was beside osama bin laden. president trump has extended an olive branch, of sorts, to china's president after tensions developed early on in his tenure. the white house announced the president sent a letter to pim saying he looks forward to relations between the two countries. this comes after the call to taiwan's president breaking years of protocol with the u.s. and china. joining us now from beijing, nbc news correspondent janice mackey. good day to you. les talk about the president's letter, how that's being receed and his tough talk

about china. >> reporter: well, weeks into his presidency, donald trump has had phone calls with at least 20 world leaders, but yet to speak with the president of china, the world east second largest economy. trump's criticism of china and the questioning of chinese sovereignty were creating very dark clouds over bilateral relations. this letter, which is brief and uses diplomatic pleasantries is a sign there could be a degree of animosity taken out of the relations. that said, there is a huge divide. first, china is probably not wanting to risk the embarrassment of a disastrous phone call. we know the calls the president had with the leaders of australia and mexico were hostile and he went off about china in the call to france.

they are going to want to see the one policy, it is explicit, but not gauchable. timing here, the letter comes ahead of a visit by japan's prime minister shinzo abe. they are going to golf together. there are regional power optics as play here. >> thank you for that. still ahead, look at all the stories happening in the day ahead. coming up on "morning joe," the meeting with judge gorsuch created a political storm. rand paul joining the conversation as well as the senator from kentucky tries to push through his plan to repeal and replace obamacare. "morning joe," moments away. ng? getting your quarter back. fountains don't earn interest, david. you know i work at ally. i was being romantic. you know what i find romantic? a robust annual percentage yield that's what i find romantic.

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before we toss it to "morning joe," we have president trump set to welcome several senate democrats to the white house for lunch. joe manchin, is expected to attend. likely on the menu, whether the senators will support the

supreme court nominee, judge gorsuch. head to arizona to tour the arizona borner. kelly will discuss the effort for border security. the first day on the job for jeff sessions. kelly o'donnell has more on what is happening and what is shaping up to be a busy day. good morning. >> today, the president and vice president will see the cap net filled out a bit more. there will be the oath of office administered to jeff sessions, no longer in the senate, he will be the attorney general. that is a big development after a contentious period of time where he nomination was fought about. today, the president will have phone calls from leaders from ka afghanistan and kuwait. he will hold meetings with airline executives. this comes at a time when the president is talking about his own daughter's company, the

ivanka trump fashion brand using twitter to challenge nordstrom, the american retailer, claiming they are treating ivanka unfairly, distancing themselves and dropping her brand. ivanka trump stopped being in the day-to-day management of her fashion brand when she came to washington with her husband, working in the west wing for her father and her taking such a public role. still, the president lashing out at a specific retailer and her brother, don jr., also saying that people around the country should cut up their nordstrom credit cards because of her brand being dropped by that retailer. in a larger retail environment, this has been a difficult time and many stores are pulling back. the president suggesting it has to do with her being targeted because of his positions. that has been something that is controversial as the family empire, the business interest and the megaphone of the white house might intersect.

>> thank you for that. >> that is a wrap for us. i'm alex witt. "morning joe" starting right now. ♪ >> we are coming up the coastline in kentucky right now, live pictures. it's thursday, february 9th, a snowy thursday morning if you're on the east coast. and this storm is heading up the northeast. with us is veteran columnist and msnbc contributor mike barnicle. mike is here. where is the word? mark halpern. political reporter for "the washington post" and msnbc political analyst, robert cost a. on capitol hill is kasie hunt joining us today. with us is pulitzer prize wag