. in a move we've come to expect, the president worked to deflect the news by slamming those who reported it. >> a few days ago i called the fake news the enemy of the people. and they are. they make up sources. they're very dishonest people. a source says donald trump is a horrible, horrible human being. let them say it to my face. let there be no more sources. the media didn't think we would win. they all underestimated the power of the people, you, and the people proved them totally wrong. never -- and this is so true, and this is what's been happening. never underestimate the people. never. i don't think it will ever happen again.

and i want you all to know we are fighting the fake news. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell is at the white house. msnbc's kasie hunt is at the national harbor where cpac is being held. kristen, i want to start with you. what is the white house doing at the moment to try and get this fbi -- kelly, i'm sorry. let's start with you. what is the white house doing, how are they reacting to this news that the fbi -- about this report the fbi and reince priebus were in conversations about how do tamp down on this news that the campaign could have been talking to russia? >> reporter: well, how this played out is senior administration officials today talked to reporters and notably on background, not able to use their names, which is something the president objected to in his remarks at cpac, and the story, as they tell it, is that a senior fbi official spoke to reince priebus, initiated the conversation after an unrelated

meeting, to say that the fbi's view was that a specific story in "the new york times" was inaccurate. and priebus asked for help from the fbi to publicly dispute that story in order to counter this narrative that is out there that has been reported by a number of agencies, but in different ways. that there were contacts between associates of donald trump during the campaign era with individuals in russia. some reports called that constant contact which nbc sources say is not accurate or russian intelligence officials, which we have been told is not accurate. but russian individuals. so, that investigation is continuing. but for the trump white house, that's a very unhelpful story. that's a story they wanted to definitely publicly counter. so, the idea that a top fbi official would say to the white house chief of staff that it was not true, apparently, reince priebus wanted to run with that and get help from the fbi. that is typically not done.

the fbi said that's not what they do. and so priebus has spoken publicly saying that he was told that it wasn't true. but they were looking for that help from the department of justice. normally, when there are ongoing investigations, the white house and the department of justice stay apart on these matters. so, it was unusual for those reasons. >> we also have phil rucker of "the washington post." is this story worse for the white house or is it worse for the fbi? >> you know, i don't know that it's a great story for either side. and, clearly, the broader story about the russian investigation is a very bad one for this white house. it's one of the reasons you saw chief of staff reince priebus make an effort to knock down the reports. but the fact there's communication between priebus and the fbi on a matter that the fbi is investigating is alarming to a lot of democratic critics. we saw nancy pelosi come out with a statement today about it. we also have seen a lot of democrats urging the attorney general, jeff sessions, to

recuse himself from this investigation because he has personal connections, of course, to the trump campaign. he was one of the top trump campaign sure gates throughout the general election and could be compromised because of that. >> what a difference a year makes. donald trump didn't go to cpac last year. came this year. what was the reception like? >> reporter: sort of a victory lap. he opened with this diatribe against the press. he talked about cpac starting in 2011. this is a crowd he has spoken to before. there were protests threatened last time around and a lot of his primary rivals took the stage here. a lot of people in this room are people who have been committed to the conservative cause. not necessarily the republican party, but in some cases the republican party for many, many years. donald trump is a newcomer to that. they welcomed him with, frank

standing ovation after standing ovation here. there was no hint of division when he was on the stage. i noticed a little bit of that when reince priebus and steve bannon were on the stage talking yesterday. you could tell that reince priebus was trying to wrap some of the older school conservatives, i guess, into is the fold, focusing on supreme court justice. steve bannon was clearly articulating a new world view. the president today did try to walk through the key poechl priorities his administration is going to put in place, a lot of which people in this room cared a lot about. health care is a top one. take a listen to what president trump had to say about repealing and replacing the health care law. >> i could say, i could talk. it doesn't work. the people you're watch, they're not you. they're largely, many of them, are the side that lost. you know, they lost the election. these same people two years ago and a year ago were complaining about obamacare. and the bottom line, we're

changing it. we're going to make it much better. remember the lie, 28 times. you can keep your doctor. you can keep your plan. over and over and over and over again you heard it. >> reporter: now, the reality is this rhetoric from the president is meeting the road this afternoon with a draft of the house republican proposal to repeal and replace the health care law. being circulated among lobbyists here in washington. the reality is it would cover a lot fewer people than the current law and might potentially cost way more than republicans are willing to stomach, although we're still waiting for official scores of what that's going to be. if they really are going to go to war over health care, it's going to be a long slog here. >> 54% ofeople approve of the affordable care act. is this just the president trying to reverse the narrative of it and paint it as terrible in order to sell a new plan? >> certainly. you saw the vice president last night in his speech at cpac

refer to the health care law as a nightmare. the obamacare nightmare. so, clearly there's a sales effort under way here to try to turn the popular opinion on the affordable care act. it's important to keep in mind that the majority of people in the country support obamacare right now. that's why you see this activity at the town halls. majority of people in the country actually disapprove of the performance president trump is doing. he has historically low approval ratings right now. there's not a lot of political capital at his disposal to make this obamacare push. >> kristen, as we speak, the president is meeting with governors -- i'm sorry. kelly. i keep thinking it's kristen in my head. >> reporter: one of my best friends, so that's okay. >> you don't look alike at all. it's all my fault. the president's meeting with ohio governor john kasich. the two men have not gotten along. they've been very antagonistic for quite some time. what does it mean to have them

in the same room. >> reporter: it's notable for that history. john kasich was one of the last men standing in a feel who argued he was the type of republican who could better compete for independent voters against hillary clinton. that's all water under the bridge now. i've spoken to advisers, to governor kasich who have asked for the agenda. why does the president want to meet with the ohio governor? they were simply told, catching up. that in and of itself is unusual. typically a leader, especially a sitting governor from a state like ohio, would have some idea if there is a request coming from the president. so, we'll have to see if governor kasich will talk about it after the meeting occurs. during the early phase of the campaign when it looked like donald trump was heading towards the nomination, there were rumblings he could be selected as a possible running mate, even though they had such divergent views and kasich was so publicly critical of trump. perhaps, there's some other kind of job or insight that the

president is looking for from the ohio governor. when you talk about the health care law, of course, governors have a lot to say about things related to medicaid expansion. perhaps he wants to talk about that. we'll have to find out. the meeting itself, given the rivalry that existed, is certainly notable. when a president asks a governor, even one who is critic critical, will come and take the meeting. >> catching up doesn't ring so true in this circumstance. we'll see what does come out of this meeting. yell o'donnell, thank you. kasie hunt and phil rucker. trump doubled down on his criticism of the media, as we saw, and accused reporters of making sources up. >> they have no sources. they just make them up when there are none. i saw one story recently where they said people have confirmed. there are no nine people. i don't believe there was one or two people. nine people. and i said, give me a break, because i know the people. i know who they talk to.

>> but the president himself has been known to cite his own, quote, extremely credible source, in tweets dates back to 2012, specifically talking about birthism. i'm joined by matt schlapp, chairman of the conservative movement. thank you for joining me. hope you're enjoying cpac. >> when you have to pay the bills, you're happy and relieved, but we're certainly enjoying every moment of it. >> i have to ask you a question about the president. he's trying to go after reporters when he doesn't like stories being reported about him. is this just a way to inbeing on y innoculate himself against the story? >> you could look at it like that. sometimes conservatives feel like they just don't get the right kind of coverage in the press. and, you know, this is not something that's very surprising to folks.

it's a theme that conservatives really come to again and again. they feel like he's trying to hold the news media accountable. look, i work for a president -- presidents will always fighting with the press. some on more ostentacious about it. >> that's a kind word. wouldn't republicans be outraged, wouldn't there be calls for congressional investigations, wouldn't this be everywhere in the republican party? >> i'm sorry, i might not understand your question. are you saying that there is -- >> if there -- if they change the names, if this was president obama's chief of staff talking to somebody within the fbi about an ongoing fbi investigation, would not republicans be outraged? >> look, there's an appropriate way to deal with the fbi. i think what we did see with

obama is many of us felt like it wasn't appropriate. certainly with hillary clinton's investigation. i do think people should be -- there should be appropriate lines of communication. and i think many times conservatives feel like t story doesn't get covered. look, hilla clinton- think about this. the clinton foundation really was never investigated by the office of government ethics which seems to be on some kind of jihad to nominees to the trump cabinet. it's those kind of things that get juxtaposed that conservatives don't understand. >> democrats don't understand on the other side why conservatives would be outraged at president trump's chief of staff talking to the fbi when it's kind of similar to what happened in that tarmac meeting between bill clinton and the justice department. but i want to move on. >> let me be clear. okay. but i worked in a white house. certainly, the fbi and the white house talk. the question s does the white house prevent an fbi director from doing his job? that's where, i think, everybody would be concerned.

>> going back to cpac specifically, do you believe that this is now more tpac, as kellyanne conway described it? >> she's clever, but i don't agree with her on that case at all. no, this is the conservative political action conference. we're conservatives. we think the president has gotten off on the right foot with conservatives. it was very smart for him to come here today and pay respect and tell him the agenda he intends to put in place. at the end of the day, this is a conservative conference. they'll have his back as long as he's fighting for conservative values. and but, you know, there will be some rocky days ahead, i'm sure, there always are. what he's doing, which is wise, is building those relationships that will get him through the tough times. >> why didn't you have any other republican senators speaking at cpac this year? >> we did. >> the only difference is this year -- yeah, the only differce this year is cpac happened durg a congressional recess, during the presidents

day recess, something we can't control. hard to get between a congressman and senator during their recesses. >> next year it might be slightly easier given so many didn't want to go to those town halls. >> that's a very fair point. maybe some would like to reconsider their decision. we did have over 12 members. i was out on radio row with francis rooney, a congressman from florida, ron de santos was here, so we're really happy with the members we were able to get. let's face it, the focus is on this new trump administration. that's where the energy and excitement is. >> matt schlapp, chairman of the american conservative union. thank you for joining me from cpac. >> thank you for having me on. completely different news. president obama was sighted today. we'll tell you where. also, the resistance. the national governors association is meeting right now in washington and connecticut governor dan malloy just met with vp mike pence.

he's going to join me to tell me why he thinks governors are the front line against donald trump. before fibromyalgia, i was a doer. i was active. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. she also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica.

with less pain, i can be more active. ask your doctor about lyrica. there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. hey, it's the phillips' lady! try these delicious phillips' fiber good gummies, a good source of fiber to help support regularity. mmm...these are great!

my work here is done. phillips', the tasty side of fiber.

as democrats meet this week to elect a new party charity, governor dan malloy is on the front lines of the, quote, democratic resistance in a bit of a different way. just yesterday malloy signed an executive order he says ensures the rights of transgender students in public schools. earlier this week he told local leaders and police departments they don't have to enforce

immigration laws. governor dan malloy now joins me from the governors -- national governors association meetings in washington. he's also the chairman of the democratic governors association. you always get me tongue-tied, governor, every single time. >> it's good to be back with you. and, you know, this is -- i have a hard name and hard face to remember, i'm sorry. >> you were at a luncheon with vp mike pence. what message did you bring there? >> this was more -- honestly, more of a social event. we did cover -- i should say, one of my colleagues from the conference of governors, which oversees the defense department relationship, did have a sidebar conversation about some of military stuff. this was largely social. we'll have a working session with the president and vice president on monday morning at the white house. and that's probably where some more give and take and question and answer will take place. listen, on your intro, you

talked about transgender right protection. i'm all in. you talk about refugee protection, i'm all in. you talk about immigration, appropriate immigration laws, m all in. if you're talking about getting rid of the bad guy, i'm all in. on the other hand f you're talking about rounding up kids who have been in this country for 10, 12 years, parents brought them here as infants, we have actually educated those kids, if that's what you're after, i'm against that. if you're going to discriminate based on religion, i'm giagains that. if you're going to pick countries as a way to cover you're discriminating based on religion, i'm against that. we can work on other thins, but, quite frankly, i'm not sure the divide can be narrowed. >> governor, it seems like you're against what's going on in the trump administration. do you run a risk and do democrats run a risk of opposing him at all costs? >> no, no. listen, i think we need

corporate tax overhaul to be competitive with international companies that are flooding products into our country or our companies in our country currently operating that are recognizing profits in foreign countries to affect a lower rate. i think we could work together on that. i don't think we can work together on taking apart our environmental protections. listen, i live in a state which during the summer our air quality is being affected. not by anything we're doing in connecticut, but by what they're burning in ohio and in pennsylvania and in indiana and in illinois. if you're going -- if we're going to turn back these environmental regulations, that means my people are going to pay a big price healthwise so that somebody else can save a couple of cents per kilowatt. doesn't make any sense. that's a divide we probably can't close because i actually believe there is global climate change. i actually believe that we could combat that if we work together. >> governor, what specifically are you doing on transgender rights?

>> well, you know, in 2011 when i first became governor, we passed a law that protects transgender rights. we added that to all our other protected classes. what i did the other day was to reach out to school officials and make it very clear what our law says. and we do not discriminate based on sexual identity. we just don't do it. we shouldn't do it. and the president doesn't have the right to order us to discriminate against people. and we shouldn't do it. it's morally repugnant. >> the democratic party has been decimated in the last eight years. since 2008 only 18 governors in 31 states have a gop trifecta. republican governors and state legislatures and in those republican governors and state legislatures. even in your states republicans are making big gains. so, where is the democratic autopsy for 2016? >> i think it's ongoing. i think it's playing itself out in atlanta this weekend with selection of a new leadership team at the dnc.

quite frankly, you know, this is not a new phenomenon. i think democrats took their eye off the ball. they didn't plan for the long game. they allowed dare they outspent quite frankly in these state-by-state elections. i think the dnc became too washington-centric. it took its eye off statewide races in the states. it certainly took its eye off the governors races. i tried to get money out of the dnc to spend in close governor races. we did win in north carolina, that was great. we did win in west virginia, that was great. we did win in montana, that was great. of allarts of the party we probably had the best night that night, but obviously we can do better. and i think we have to have a different strategy to do better. one that is less washington-centric. now, you know, it's easy for you guys to cover everything in washington because it's all in one place. and it's harder to cover what's going on in the states, but we need to have that be part of the discussion. you know, things like raising the minimum wage, which most

americans believe in, are being done by democratic governors. the drive towards paid sick leave for hourly employees, being led by democratic governors. we did that in my state five years ago. there's real change taking place out there. but we need to promote it and we need a democratic national party that is less washington-centric and more concentrating on what's going on in the states. >> connecticut governor, dan malloy, thank you for joining us. up next, a bombshell in the mysterious murder of kim jong-un's half-brother. later this hour, will politics take center stage at this sunday's oscars? it wouldn't be the first time. remember, michael moore in 2003? >> we are against this war, mr. bush. shame on you, mr. bush. >> so, our microsoft pulse question of the day is, what do you think, should the oscar winners keep their politics out of their acceptance speeches? weigh in at pulse.msnbc.com and let us know. boost

it's about moving forward not back. it's looking up not down. it's feeling up thinking up living up. it's being in motion... in body in spirit in the now. boost. it's not just nutrition. it's intelligent nutrition. with 26 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. all in 3 delicious flavors. it's choosing to go in one direction... up. boost. be up for it. parts a and b and want more coverage, guess what? you could apply for a medicare supplement insurance plan whenever you want. no enrollment window. no waiting to apply. that means now may be a great time to shop for an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan,

insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. medicare doesn't cover everything. and like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, these help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. so don't wait. call now to request your free decision guide. it could help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that works for you. these types of plans have no networks, so you get to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. rates are competitive, and they're the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. remember - these plans let you apply all year round. so call today. because now's the perfect time to learn more. go long. i did... n't. t? hey, come look what lisa made. wow. you grilled that chicken? yup! i did... n't. mhm, lisa. you roasted this?

uhuh... n't. introducing smartmade by smart ones. real ingredients, grilled and roasted using the same smart cooking techniques you do. you own a grill? smartmade frozen meals. it's like you made it. and you did... n't.

welcome back. i'm katy tur in new york. time now for our top five headlines of the day. president trump spoke at cpac this morning delivering remarks on everything from immigration, jobs and, of course, the media. >> a few days ago i called the fake news the enemy of the people. and they are. they are the enemy of the people. because they have no sources. they just make them up when there are none. >> i always had sources, but that's just me. in a new video released on twitter just last night pp, caitlyn jenner took president trump to task for his reversal

of the transgender bathroom law. >> finally i have a message for mr. trump from one republican to another. this is a disaster. and you can still fix it. you made a promise to protect the lbgtq community. >> today u.s.-backed iraqi forces advanced into western mosul. this just one day after the troops had recaptured the mosul airport. a huge victory as they get one step closer to defeating isis. anaheim officials will open an investigation into the lapd officer who fired a gun during a confrontation with teenagers. hundreds of protesters took to the streets demanding his arrest. tensions running high in the world of self-driving cars. google is suing uber after an accidental e-mail was received, and it led to the belief they were stealing trade secrets and

technology. authorities are saying killed north korean leader kim jong-un's half-brother. malaysian police say they found nerve agent on kim jong nam's body. a few drops can kill you. north korea is believed to have more than 2500 tons of chemical weapons, one of the largest arsenals in the world and adding -- it's adding to the speculation kim jong-un was behind his own half-brother's death. joining me is jordan jang. let's start with a simple question, why? >> i think because kim jong-nam represented a threat to kim jongn, the ruler of north korea. a couple weeks ago it was reported that dissident exile groups wanted kim jong-nam to serve as government in exile. i'm sure that set off kim jong-un. there have been a number of instabilities in north korea this month. the purge of the minister of

state security as well as head of strategic rocket forces was not there for the firing of the intermediate range ballistic missile, indicating real problems at the top of the north korean military. >> what's the fallout from this? >> excuse me? >> what's the fallout from this politically? >> i think the fallout -- the fallout is now people understand north korea not only has nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles but also large stocks of chemical and biological weapons and they use a weapon of mass destruction on kim jong-nam. there's only one death but if they're willing to do that, they're probably willing to use it on south korea. the estimates are in the first few hours of a war on the korean peninsula, the deaths in south korea would number in the hundreds of thousands, largely because of the use of chemical agents fired from artillery tubes. >> you called this an unstable regime currently we see as relatively unpredictable. they're testing missiles. what threat could they pose not

just to their neighbors but to the united states? >> well, at present north korea has three missiles that can reach the lower 48 states. they have not been able to make a nuclear weapon to them yet, but that's just a matter of three, four, maybe five years. because they already are able to mate a nuke to their intermediate-range missiles. north korea has identified the u.s. as its primary adversary. i'm not so sure that's what they really believe but their propaganda says that. we see all these videos of washington, d.c. going up in smoke. we now have to take this seriously because you have a regime with a very low threshold of risk. >> forbes columnist gordan chang, thank you for your insight. president obama was sighted a little earlier today. there's a new video message from hillary clinton. no, it is not the 2016 election, i promise you. it is not ongoing. it is today. what's going on? next up, my political panel, and it's a doozy, i'll ask the former managers of the clinton and sanders campaigns, robby

mook and jeff weaver, what exactly is happening, after the break. cking of ignition] uh-- wha-- woof! eeh-- woof! wuh-- [silence] [engine roars to life] [dog howls] ♪ dramatic opera music swells from radio ♪ [howling continues] ♪ everything your family touches sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. when you're close to the people you love, does psoriasis ever get in the way of a touching moment? if you have moderate to severe psoriasis, you can embrace the chance

of completely clear skin with taltz. taltz is proven to give you a chance at completely clear skin. with taltz, up to 90% of patients had a significant improvement of their psoriasis plaques. in fact, 4 out of 10 even achieved completely clear skin. do not use if you are allergic to taltz. before starting you should be checked for tuberculosis. taltz may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you are being treated for an infection or have symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz. including worsening of symptoms. serious allergic reactions can occur. now's your chance at completely clear skin. just ask your doctor about taltz.

nitrites or artificial ham has preservatives.tes, now's your chance at completely clear skin. now it's good for us all. like those who like... sweet. those who prefer heat. (blows a breath of air) and those who just love meat. for those in school. out of school. and old school. those who like their sandwich with pop. and those who like it with soda. for the star of the scene. cut! and the guys behind it. all the taste you want, nothing you don't. oscar mayer deli fresh. sweet! there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. hey, it's the phillips' lady! try these delicious phillips' fiber good gummies, a good source of fiber to help support regularity. mmm...these are great! my work here is done.

phillips', the tasty side of fiber. democrats are voting on the new chair of the democratic national committee tomorrow. the leading contenders are congressman keith ellison, former labor secretary tom perez and the man considered the dark horse in the race, south bend, indiana, mayor pete buttigieg, this as donald trump was taking

ownership of part of the democratic party this morning at cpac. >> there's never been anything like this. there's been some movements, but there's never been anything like this. there's been some movements that petered out, like bernie. not that i'm a fan of bern y but a lot of bernie people voted for trump. >> joining me now, two people who know about the battle for the heart and soul of the democratic party better than about anyone else, jeff weaver, former bernie sanders campaign manager, and robby mook, former hillary clinton campaign manager. is donald trump correct to say a number of bernie supporters went for him? >> i don't think we've seen all the polling about how people parsed out. the truth is the over, over, overwhelming majority of people who supported bernie sanders in the primary supported secretary clinton in the general election. that's a fact. i'm sure robby can back it up with research from the clinton campaign. i want to say about this race that's going on for the heart and soul of the country and the democratic party. look, people are mobilized

across this country. our revolution, the group i head now has over 120 events tomorrow -- yeah, tomorrow across the country. people can go to our website and find out about them, ourrevolution.com. we saw women's march, incredible turnout. we saw the protests at the airport. there's a tremendous amount of energy right now. that's the grassroots energy that helped propel senator sanders, frankly. the democratic needs -- that represents almost 50% of the party f you look at the primary results. and the problem is, is that, you know, we had an opportunity. i think robbie will remember, he and i worked very hard after the primaries were over to bring the party together at the convention and afterwards when senator sanders campaigned very hard for secretary clinton. now we have an opportunity to move forward even further with keith ellison, clearly the front-runner in this race. and then what happened was, some folks were unhappy with that. and this divisive tom perez

candidacy which threatens to rip open old wounds in the party and set us back. >> hold on because i think rob by might differ with you. frankly, there's a lot of energy, as you said, out there, ground swell of energy out there among liberals and the democratic voters. but there's not a clear leader of the democratic party right now. if you're going to look at the vote for the dnc chair, it's fractured. it's fractured on all sides. so, robbie, why not take somebody like a dark horse candidate like the south bend mayor as seriously as you would take tom perez or keith elsynonym sdwellison? >> i take all of the candidates seriously. i'm not going to weigh in on the race. that's for dnc members to decide. i think they'll pick someone who will do an absolutely terrific job. i want to underscore something jeff said. that is that the grassroots mobilization and action that we're seeing across the country is truly unprecedented.

it's been incredible to see and largely self-organized. i think the dnc has an opportunity to turbo charge that activism that's happening. we have an enormous opportunity to improve the technologies that exist, to help people do that organizing work. you know, help people schedule those events, turn people out to those town halls, to make their opinions heard. and i also think that the democratic party has an unprecedented opportunity to get more people invested in the party, get more small donors contributing and expand that base. and then the last thing i'd say, you talk about these different candidates that we have for chair. we need to recruit candidates to run for every single office in this country. you know, when you look at the 2006 midterm election, we picked up some seats just because people had stepped up and decided to run. those weren't races that people in washington, d.c., or pundits thought were races we could win. who knows what opportunities we're going to have in two

years. but we should be focusing right now on getting new people to run. i would argue particularly young people to get in there, put their name on that ballot and start challenging some of these republicans. >> on that note, jeff, what should they rally behind? what idea, what set of ideals and how do you bring those two very separate parts of the party together in a cohesive way that will allow you to win the next election, the sanders part of the party, the clinton part of the party, those who just want something completely different? >> let me say i agree with everything robby mook just said about what the democratic party needs to do. we need to take republicans on in every district in this country. and i have to tell you, as i said at the beginning, robbie mook and i personally spent a tremendous amount of time during the convention in philadelphia and after the convention sort of bringing people together within the party so that we could have a unified front against trump. and now we have an opportunity to continue that with the keith ellison as chairman. i just -- what's going to happen

is the election of tom perez as the sort of candidate of the insider is going to send a horrible message to millions and millions of people, including the young people that robbie spoke about in terms of whether or not that they are welcome in the democratic party and whether the people who have been in control of the democratic party want to bring them in. i think those of us who want to see the democratic party successful, want to see those people come into the party, new energy in the party, new voters in the party. and i understand that's an intimidating thing for some people who have been on the inside for a while. but that's what's got to be done. i'm very afraid what comes out of this meeting could really harm the unity that, in fact, robbie and i worked very hard to create. >> i'm sure you saw this on twitter, but president obama was here in new york city leaving a meeting on fifth avenue. he walked outside to massive cheers and a large group of people. and on this day, the very same day, hillary clinton is out with a new, we can call it campaign-style video. let's play a portion of it.

>> keep fighting and keep the faith. and i'll be right there with you every step of the way. >> goshgs r, robbie, certainly sounds like she's going to be running for something again. >> i think you see secretary clinton cheerleading these activists around the country. one thing jeff and i worked together on the general election is we had more people volunteer more time than ever before. when we look back at 2012 and 2008. those people are ready to go. we all need to be cheering. i know secretary clinton is excited to be doing that. i just do want to say, too, i don't actually think our party is divided right now. i think we're pretty united. we're pretty united that donald trump ran a campaign promising jobs and opportunities and all he's done is divide people. and waste precious energy and target and attack communities simply for the purpose of distracting. from the fact he's put wall street in charge of our treasury

department and our economy. and so, you know, jeff and i are going to continue to work together. we have fantastic candidates for chair. i think any one of them are going to do an outstanding job. we just got to keep -- keep cheerleading people on, show up at those town halls, make your voice heard. will you make a difference. we're already seeing that happen. >> robby mook and jeff weaver, good luck, gentlemen. thank you. next up, 35 days down for president trump and he's ending his fifth week in office clouded in more controversy over russia. not before getting an earful from the american people. i'm all the techy stuff you got crammed into your brand-new car. i'm so sexy, you can't keep your hands off me. do it again. there you go... i can do whatever you want. except keep your eyes on the road. now would be a good time to have new car replacement.

so get allstate and be better protected from mayhem, like me. it's good to be in good hands. ahyou the law? we've had some complaints of... is that a fire? there's your payoff, deputy. git! velveeta shells & cheese. there's gold in them thar shells.

everything your family touches sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. with e*trade you see things your way. you have access to the right information at the right moment. and when you filter out the noise, it's easy to turn your vision into action. it's your trade. e*trade. companies across the state are york sgrowing the economy,otion. with the help of the lowest taxes in decades, a talented workforce, and world-class innovations. like in plattsburgh, where the most advanced transportation is already en route. and in corning, where the future is materializing.

let us help grow your company's tomorrow - today at esd.ny.gov in case you haven't been counting, donald trump has been in the oval office for 35 days. the past week can be best defined by one word -- dissent. >> another week is in the books for donald trump. with a capitol hill in recess, there were less controversies from the west wing. but the president who kicked off week five on the campaign trail in florida -- >> the white house is running so smoothly. so smoothly. >> still can't clear one of his biggest hurdles, russia. >> breaking news tonight, the white house reportedly asked the fbi to publicly refute recent stories about ongoing communications between president trump's campaign and russia. >> the white house doesn't deny it. officials tell nbc news that

chief of staff reince priebus placed the request, but only after he was approached by the fbi's deputy director, who called media reports about contacts with russia overblown. the president didn't address the drama today at cpac. instead, he ignored it and took another swing at the press. >> a few days ago i called the fake news the enemy of the people. and they are. >> reporter: but not everyone is buying trump's blame the press line. >> before we get anything in this country we need to make sure that our president is not a puppet of vladimir putin. >> reporter: members of congress most notably republicans who were back home in their districts this week, faced a lot of tough questions as well. constituents questioning the president of the united states to members of congress, who went home for recess this week. >> it appears that this administration is trampling our constitutional rights.

>> reporter: voters in both sxred blue states turned out by the thousands at town halls. they're angry over the uncertain future of obamacare. >> will you commit to replacements in the same way that you have committed to the repeal? >> what kind of insurance do you have? >> reporter: and they want to know if trump's white house has their backs. >> i'm a muslim. who's going to save me here? >> reporter: is the white house listening? >> because they're loud doesn't necessarily mean there are many. >> obamacare nightmare is about to end. despite the best efforts of liberal activists at town halls around the country, the american people know better. >> reporter: trump did receive praise from both sides of the aisle for his new national security adviser but it was quickly overshadowed when he rolled back obama hire era protections for transgender students across the country. the nation's first ever transgender cub scout told us all he wants is to be treated

fairly. >> i think all transgenders, again, should be respected for who they are. it doesn't matter. >> great message to end with. a quick render, stick with msnbc next tuesday for all day coverage leading up to the president's first address to congress. our coverage begins at 6:00 a.m. and will go through the evening with live coverage and analysis anchored by brian williams, rachel maddow and chris matthews. that's next tuesday, all day, right here on msnbc. next up, we'll talk about this weekend's oscars. will this year's big show get political or is the focus just going to be on the flicks. remember this? >> sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grand children's eyes if they continue that way of support. we've got to have equal rights for everyone. and torre joins me next. plus, still time to weigh in

on our microsoft pulse question. should oscar winners keep politics out of their acceptance speeches? here's what you're saying so far. 15% of you say yes, 85% of you still want their politics with their movies. we want to if our conversation changes your mind. keep voting at pulse.msnbc.com. ♪ ♪ announcer: get on your feet for the nastiest bull in the state of texas. ♪ ♪ (crowd cheers) ♪ i've been blind since birth. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. learn about non-24 by calling 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com.

i did... n't. hat? hey, come look what lisa made. wow. you grilled that chicken? yup! i did... n't. mhm, lisa. you roasted this? uhuh... n't. introducing smartmade by smart ones. real ingredients, grilled and roasted using the same sma cooking techniques you do. you own a grill? smartmade frozen meals. it's like you made it. and you did... n't. ohio governor john kasich is speaking to reporters after his meeting with donald trump. he called it a positive meeting. take a listen. >> i killed a b-2 bomber with a republican president. i proposed my own budget against president bush's budget. these are not personal. these are things i've always done in my career.

hi a mother that taught me to stand on my own two feet and sometimes speak out. but i never meant any times to be personal in my criticisms or concerns. [ inaudible ] >> it was never anything that came up. when i made the comment, look, throughout my career, when i agree with something, i speak out. when i don't, you know, i can criticize if i'm not being self-righteous. one of the voices in the room said, yeah we noticed it. that was it. we all kinded of laughed. >> reporter: did your opinion of the president change? you didn't seem particularly impressed with him as an individual -- >> look, the man is the president of the united states. it's sort of like being on an airplane. you want to root for the pilot if you're on the airplane with the pilot up. don't want the pilot to screw up. and so, i don't -- look, i've been around too long and i feel so strongly about my faith to be, not that i succeed in it all the time, but to be personal. i mean, i can have my opinions,

but now it's time to be constructive. and sometimes being constructive is to not be positive, you know, to make your point. and i'm very glad that i've been able to make my point on this whole business of obamacare and affordable care act. and i'm going to continue to make it. if it upsets republicans in the congress, i mean, that's life. so -- >> reporter: do you think the president has a successful start to his time in office? >> look, i also told him that i remember back when i first became governor, there were some things i was doing to the point where my wife said to me, you're the father of ohio, act like it. it takes time for people to get stabilized. we all want to wish this president the best, but that doesn't me that when i wish him the best there might be things that i see that i don't agree with. i'm going to say that. i mean, it's -- i'm not trying to pull him down or anybody else down. look, i'm not red or blue. i'm red, white and blue. i want to put america first. not, you know, my party, some arcane ideology.

i mean, if i can help my country, i'm going to do what i can. and that comes in various ways and packages. >> reporter: what's your reaction to the details of the house replacement plan? can you share that? the tax credit -- >> i just told him it was inadequate. >> reporter: you disagree with -- >> completely. isn't that clear? >> reporter: nothing about that you agree? >> nothing about it? that's enough for me to say that that's -- to me, it's not acceptable. look, i don't know what they can jam through. i don't know what i can jam through. but the fact of the matter is, is that i don't agree with that. and i've been clear about it and i'll continue to be. thank you all very much. >> governor john kasich talking about his meeting with president trump and mending fences between the to men who were so much at odds during the campaign. moving on, though, do you want a little politics with your hollywood? we certainly got a taste of it last month when meryl streep did this.

>> so, hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners, and if we kick them all out, you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts. >> that was meryl streep last month at the golden globes. joining me now is toure to talk about what could happen at this year'ses on skars. hey, toure. sorry we're not in the same room. we're having technical difficulties today. >> that's okay. >> he's host of the new podcast "love city with toure." talk to me. are we going to see more actors come out and go after this administration, especially given w donald trump went after meryl streep so fiercefully? >> oh, absolutely. i definitely think you'll see a lot of people want to make a statement, want to take that moment of having the oscar stage, the whole country is watching, in some ways the whole world is watching and they'll want to say something. i think what meryl streep said at the golden globes was so

eloquent and powerful and important. we are regular people. just because we're from hollywood, just because we're in hollywood now doesn't mean we're elitists who can be dismissed. we're all from -- most of them are from the other side of the tracks, the wrong side of the tracks, fell in with drama schools, fell in with drama clubs and became big actors. to dismiss them because they're now rich and driving priuses, doesn't make sense to dismiss them. i think we'll see people take this stage and i have something to say. i think i know who will make the big speech that will be remembered. >> do tell. >> i think you'll see miranda win for best song and he'll make a big speech. i think you'll see someone from a big country, we don't know their name yet, will make a big political speech that will be remembered. maybe denzel will get best actor, as he should, and he'll say something. i have no doubt viola davis will win for best supporting actress and she'll make a patch nalt,

heartfelt emotional speech. maybe she doesn't point at trump by name, call him out by name, but something like meryl streep's speech was big and unifying and emotional and memorabl someing like that. >> you got toure's oscar predictions for you there on the screen. you know, jimmy kimmel was asked about the politics of these speeches in "the new york times," and asked whether it's becoming a little too much. here's what he said. there definitely is a point at which that becomes too much. there's also a point at which becomes too little. finding that balance is, for me, the most difficult hurdle when it comes to this broadcast. jimmy kimmel's hosting the oscars. how do you find that balance, toure? >> i mean, you know, these folks don't have the massive platform to make the sort of statement all the time, to have double-digit millions watching them for five minutes or three minutes or whatever it is. so, i mean, you know, i want to see them f they have something to say, go out there and say it. there's no reason to keep it to yourself. i mean, look, the academy last year was dealing with oscars so

white, they've added hundreds of new women voters, new voters of color. go out there and make your voice heard, people. >> msnbc contributor toure, thank you so much. i'll see you a little later. we've been asking you, should oscar winners keep politics out of their acceptance speeches? that's our microsoft pulse question of the day. here's how you answered. 14% say yes, 86% say no. nobody changed their mind. you all want to get more politics on sunday as you're watching your favorite movies and actors win awards. that wraps things up for me at this hour. i'm katy tur here in new york. jacob soboroff is in for kate snow and he picks things up right now. >> katy tur, it's been a pleasure doing these handoffs all week long. today is my last day filling in for kate snow so we have to arrange a daily phone call, something like that, maybe we can talk. >> sounds good. i am jacob soboroff in for kate snow this afternoon. new questions about contact between the white house and the fbi. the administration is