Skip to main content

tv   MSNBC Live  MSNBC  February 26, 2017 1:00pm-2:01pm PST

1:00 pm
or call 800-580-3421. also, 9 out of 10 medicare part d patients can get toujeo® at the lowest branded copay. toujeo® helps me stay on track with my blood sugar. ask your doctor about once-daily toujeo®. and a very good sunday to you. i'm richard lui in new york. thanks for joining us. right now, russia and the election. a new call for a prosecutor to investigate alleged ties as the white house tries to quiet reporters. how, if at all, will the president address the topic on his big tuesday's speech to congress? then, president trump will not attend the white house correspondents' dinner. that's the word. but why the event may still be a success. >> if a girl scout eggs your house, would you buy cookies
1:01 pm
from her? this is a similar scenario. and tonight, how politics may play into the oscars. we'll start with this. busy, busy busy donald trump has a packed one coming up. later today, he and the first lady will host a governors' ball at the white house. and the russia connection question. and who should investigate? >> i wasn't saying that he shouldn't recuse himself or he should. my point is, i don't think we're there yet. let's work this this process. you want to jump to the very end of the line. that's not how this works. typically you go through oversight review. we're not doing that. let's not go through the very end of the extreme. let's let it play out the way it should. >> white house spokesperson there, monica, as we looked at that, now let's go to monica alba at the white house for us.
1:02 pm
you heard a spokesperson say, hey, let's go slowly and not move too fast on this. what else are you hearing from the white house at this time? >> reporter: you have white house officials trying to clarify a lot of the various news stories. but this morning, in full force, as you heard there, some surrogates saying it's too soon to appoint a special prosecutor. darrell issa suggested that a special prosecutor may be needed to investigate the allegations about russia and that he may need to recuse himself. but you had a lot of republicans like senator cotton on "meet the press" this morning saying it's too soon for that kind of decision. of course, questions continue to swirl and raise headlines that the president is obviously clued into and paying attention to with him tweeting just a few hours ago about what he calls
1:03 pm
the fake news about russia. >> tuesday, a big speech here. any guidance on whether he'll address this very issue and what else he might say? >> reporter: well, we know that he spent a good part of this weekend working on that trying to address his joint address to congress. he's huddling with his top team officials as well as speechwriters, we're told. but this seems to be more of a big picture-type speech. that's what we're hearing. it will be kind of his vision for the next four careers and a big focus on what the president feels his administration has already accomplished in the first month or so while, of course, needing to talk about the kind of things that the administration will need to partner with congress on, issues like tax reform and health care. so it's sort of -- you can think about it like a state of the union without it having that label because of how recently he was elected. >> monica alba, thank you. now to our poll out today, russia, again, that topic, 53%
1:04 pm
say congress should investigate alleged contact between the russian government and the trump campaign. 54% say congress should investigate russian interference in the election as well. but today, some in congress say, let's be careful. >> well, i think that's way getting ahead of ourselves here, chuck. there's no allegation of any crime occurring or that there are even criminal investigations under way as opposed to counterterrorism investigations. which is conducted all the time. if we get down that road, that's a decision that attorney general sessions can make at the time. >> joining us now, national reporter for "the new york times," also an msnbc contributor. we also have curtis lee, political reporter for "the new york times." these poll numbers, do they -- we have a majority saying let's look into this. do these poll numbers ask the
1:05 pm
president to address this topic more specifically other than the 30, 50,000 level comments he's made so far? >> i'm not sure these poll numbers are going to make any impact on donald trump. in his mind, he's trying to politicize and people still talking about russia are really just fake news and saying that democrats are really using this issue to try to delegitimatize his presidency. especially since it's 53%, this could fall on political minds. we already see one republican congressman saying that there should be a special prosecutor investigations. but most republicans are quiet on this issue while democrats want to see something done about this. >> it's the independents that we're watching that are against this. that's the key middle, as we all three know, as we look at polls moving forward. as you look at this, curtis, what do you expect him to say on tuesday on this topic?
1:06 pm
is he still going to go to that, if you will, simplistic response? this is real stuff. at least so far in terms of the questions. >> well, it will be interesting to see in the speech, if it's similar to his inauguration speech. if we see this dark tone or if he comes out with a speech also that kind of delivered at c perform ac whe-- at cpac. will he address russia? he often is saying this on twitter. when you see him in front of the joint session of congress, is he going to -- >> do you think he'll do the cpac tone? that's a very different tone here. >> that's definitely a different crowd, obviously a very conservative crowd. this will be, what's his vision and message for the first 100 days. >> this is something that you know well, the white house
1:07 pm
correspondents' dinner and the president said yesterday that he's not going, i'm not going to do it. it certainly lines up with his criticisms, if you will, of the white house press corps. the last president not to attend was richard nixon. what is he doing here? >> well, if you ask people who are not supporters of donald trump, he's in some way saying, i'm not going to go to that party that i'm not wanted at. and in some ways it's a sore spot for him. he doesn't see this crowd as the people he wants to hang out with. i'm thinking about the media and the real fair reporting, i would argue, of him. in some ways, he's doing this and saying i want to distance myself even further. especially because his message to his base is that these people are against you. in some ways, he's just continuing on his assault on the
1:08 pm
media and saying i don't want to be part of this wall at all. >> some might say, maybe he can't stand the heat here. you have to be pretty funny as the president is speaking. and that's not right, right? this president is not known for being able to tell a good job. there's also the schematic that can come out of this, he doesn't know how to deal with the washington press corps or feel like he's going up against them. it's a very uncomfortable situation for him and this is not the donald trump that we understand of the past where he does like the confrontation, the potential win. >> sotely. this is a dinner that donald trump has gone to in the past. he's sat at tables and now he's saying he's not going. this is the first time that a president hasn't gone since 1981 and ronald reagan didn't go that year because he was recuperating
1:09 pm
from a gunshot wound from an assassination attempt weeks earlier. this really shows the fact that this relationship he has with the media is quite volatile. >> there was a "new york times" article from your paper that you may have read and that is saying that he hasn't learned yet that the new york press is different than the beltway press, which is so familiar, if you will, with the town, with the federal agencies. it's something he can't bully. >> well, i think in some ways he's learning that he's up against not just reporter who is might be interested in writing about him as an entertainment figure but up against the press and this idea that you have civil servants, these reporters have been here longer than multiple presidents.
1:10 pm
>> they know more than he does. >> in some ways, yes. >> thank you so much. >> absolutely. thank you. authorities are investigating a possible hate crime in kansas. the suspect here, 51-year-old adam currenton opened fire at a kansas city bar on wednesday, killing one and injuring two others. some claim that the attack was racially motivated. the community is trying to move on. >> hate has no purpose, serves no purpose. so for us to come back, i think we're going to be better and stronger for it. >> it really went to our hearts. it's a great little community. >> nbc's morgan radford has more on that story now. >> reporter: in kansas, a community in shock. >> hate has no purpose, serves no purpose. >> reporter: police say this
1:11 pm
51-year-old opened fire in a bar, killing one man and wounding another. and what the fbi is now investigating as a possible hate crime. >> there's no role in this investigation to work jointly with local law enforcement to determine if an individual's civil rights were violated. >> reporter: both victims were from india and working for garmin. he reportedly yelled get out of my country before being escorted out of the bar and returning with a gun. >> i've got two down with gunshot wounds to the chest. >> reporter: this 22-year-old chased the shooter and was shot in the hand and chest. he said he just did what anyone should have done. >> we're all humans. >> reporter: but it was too late for this man who leaves behind a grieving wife. this is just the latest in a series of suspected crimes
1:12 pm
targeted religious or ethic minorities. on friday, a mosque was set on fire outside of tampa, which authorities are also investigating as a possible hate crime. and in the past two months, 57 separate incidents in 24 states against jewish community centers proving an early test for the trump administration and how it handles such a task. when asked whether the kansas shooting was linked to president trump's rhetoric, sean spicer called any connection absurd. last week, president trump tried to deflect criticism over his response to anti-semitism. days later calling the attacks horrible. >> we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms. >> reporter: a fight more personal for some. >> he did not deserve an event like this. >> morgan radford, thank you for that report. democrats have a new leader but some progressives do not
1:13 pm
like that choice. next, how far apart the two sides are. a former deputy labor secretary and former white house cabinet secretary joins us. diabetic... folks everye ...nerve pain shoots and burns its way into your day... ...i hear you. when that pain makes simple errands simply unbearable... ...i hear you. i hear you because my dad struggled with this pain. make sure your doctor hears you too. so folks, don't wait. step on up. and talk to your doctor. because you have places to go... ...and people who can't wait for you to get there. if you have diabetesnd burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands... step on up and talk to your doctor today.
1:14 pm
this is one gorgeous truck. special edition. oh, did i say there's only one special edition? because, actually there's 5. aaaahh!! ooohh!! uh! holy mackerel. wow. nice. strength and style. which one's your favorite? come home with me! it's truck month! find your tag for an average total value over $11,000
1:15 pm
on chevy silverado all star editions when you finance through gm financial. find new roads at your local chevy dealer. did you know slow internet can actually hold your business back? say goodbye to slow downloads, slow backups, slow everything. comcast business offers blazing fast and reliable internet that's over 6 times faster than slow internet from the phone company. say hello to internet speeds up to 250 mbps. and add phone and tv for only $34.90 more a month.
1:16 pm
call today. comcast business. built for business. some day they're going to study this era in american history and study along the no nothing movement and they are going to ask the question of all of us, where were you in 2017 when we had the worst president in the history of the united states and we will all be able to say whether you're sitting here, whether you're sitting outside or whether you're looking on across america, we will all be able to say, the united democratic party led the resistance. >> that was the new democratic national committee chairman,
1:17 pm
former labor secretary tom perez launching an immediate strike against president trump in atlanta. the president fired back for a second time this morning. he says the race to lead the dnc was rigged, invoking senator bernie sanders. here's perez earlier today responding to that. >> congressman ellison and i got a good kick out of that. donald trump again in the morning tweeting about us. our unity is a party, is our greatest strength and it's his worse nightmare. frankly, what we need to be looking at is whether this election was rigged by donald trump and his buddy vladimir putin. and i'll tell you, having jeff sessions oversee such an investigation, it's unfair to any foxes across america to say that would be the fox guarding the hen house. >> bernie sanders who backed congressman keith ellison in hopes of a more progressive candidate offered this advice. >> tom perez, who was a very,
1:18 pm
very good secretary of labor, has a real opportunity in his hands and i hope he seizes it. and that is to understand that in fact the way the democratic party has been run for decades has not worked. we need a total transformation. >> with us now, chris lew who worked under tom perez as well as former cabinet secretary for barack obama. what is perez's leadership style in you worked directly under need him. does it fit with what has been said, this need for a grassroots rebuild in all 50 states? >> absolutely. i had a chance to work with tom perez for three years. there are few people who understand better the struggles of working-class americans than tom perez. he grew up in buffalo, worked his way through college as a trash collector. he has spent his career as a progressive fighting for fair housing, voting rights for
1:19 pm
higher wages. he transformed the department of labor during our time there. he has fought for equality, opportunity, justice and inclusion. this is not only a great day for democrats but donald trump's worst nightmares. >> why do you say that? >> the party is more united than it has ever been before. yesterday, tom in his first act, made keith ellison the deputy chair of the party and tom and keith together are going to crisscross the country talking about how to move this country forward. that's why donald trump should be afraid right now. >> you know, ellison and perez working together and we were watching some of the body dynamics, as you probably were yesterday as the announcement was made, clearly also wanted to win as perez did, too. the concern as we were describing in the setup here is we have this, if you will, criticism of tom perez being part of the democratic establishment of the dnc, not
1:20 pm
the new blood here. ellison representing that new blood that bernie sanders' energy, if you will. how do they overcome this in practice, do you think? >> i think the differences between tom perez and keith ellison have been overstated. they have both served in positions throughout the government. they are long-time public servants. they understand the future of the democratic party is at the state and local level. training organizers, recruiting more people to run for offices. everything from the school board to the u.s. senate. so their goals are the same. the strategies they want to adopt are the same. so i think what has been said is more for media consumption. but i think within the party, they're going to work fantastically together. >> you are a hardened democratic, mr. deputy secretary. you served barack obama for eight years, or almost eight years, in it entirety here. when you look at what was needed for the democratic party, is
1:21 pm
this first latino american chair, the first muslim-american deputy chair, are they going to be able to bring together new energy? because as we've seen in recent elections, an activation of the african-american vote has been there, if that were to be the core of the democratic party. the question has really been about lat teino-americans. >> tom is here to reach across the table to all those affected by the harsh policies and rhetoric of donald trump. because the policies and the values to the democratic party, equality, opportunity, fairness and justice, those are the values of the american people and tom perez and keith ellison are going to fight every single day to make the american dream a reality for everyone. >> what does he need to work on? does he drink too much coffee in tie his knot the wrong way? give me something on a critical level. >> tom perez is the best boss i've ever had but he is
1:22 pm
tireless, frenetic. the department of labor was ranked number 17th out of 19th in employee morale in the whole federal government. we went from number 17 to 6 in three years. he knows how to transform larger organizations. >> that could have been part of your work there, too, sir. chris lu, thank you so much. >> my pleasure. in the heart of london tonight, hundreds gathered to protest president trump's travel ban by watching a foreign film. we'll tell you which oscar-nominated movie they were watching and why.
1:23 pm
will your business be ready when growth presents itself? american express open cards can help you take on a new job, or fill a big order or expand your office and take on whatever comes next. find out how american express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open.com.
1:24 pm
1:25 pm
find out how american express cards and services 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 welcome back. one oscar nominee will not be at hollywood's biggest night. a syrian filmmaker had problems with his documents and was denied entry into the united states. he did most of the filming behind "the white helmets," a
1:26 pm
netflix film. he tweeted on saturday, after three days at airport, not allowed to travel to oscars 2017. had u.s. visa but passport not accepted. sad but important work to do here." today overseas, a movie audience packed a square for a mass of open air screening in opposition to the travel ban. he refused to attend the oscars. matt bradley is here with more. matt? >> thanks, richard. this event is just now wrapping up and people are filing out. we saw this beautiful film from an iranian filmmaker and this is
1:27 pm
a celebration of the cultural diversity and the inclusiveness. that's why this whole thing was put together. before the film started, i spoke to the mayor of london and he told me why he brought this whole thing together and why people have come out to attend. take a look. >> some people i've spoken to have said that this is their way of showing their happiness with the policies of president trump. there are some people who have come in who are coming because they are disgusted by a country that they love their leader is doing about the travel ban. i'm quite clear in my mind, my motivation was to show the world london is the capital of the world and we're going to welcome people. >> before that, we spoke with him and he addressed the crowd. hundreds if not thousands were
1:28 pm
gathered here and he explained why he made the film, why he feels so strongly about it. he says he's not able to go to l.a. of course, there was a judge who blocked those travel restrictions by donald trump. he spoke to us from tehran, the capital of iran. he's staying in iran as an act of defiance against donald trump and his policies. so again, of course, politics, they never follow that far behind me but in this case, we're seeing some of that outrage washing up underneath the european shores. back to you. >> thank you so much. matt bradley reporting for us. next up for you, how both sides of the aisle are preparing for the legislative battle on health care. this gave lawmakers something to think about. >> without the coverage for pre-existing conditions, i will die.
1:29 pm
1:30 pm
when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums smoothies. it starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. ♪ tum -tum -tum -tum smoothies! only from tums at planters, we put fresh roawhich has its drawbacks.an, guys, know anything about this missing inventory? wasn't me! the cheeks don't lie, chet... irresistibly planters.
1:31 pm
1:32 pm
thanks for staying with us here on "msnbc live." president trump is reacting to new talk about russian ties to the lkz. in a tweet today he wrote, russia talk is fake news but put out by the dems and played up by the media in order to amass the election defeat. in new orleans, police are eth having a terrible crash. an alleged drunk driver drove into a mardi gras parade last night. dozens were kill injured, including children in there. and bill paxton has died. he appeared in "titanic," "twister" and "apollo 13." paxton died from complications of surgery. a son was going to join him in his new cbs drama "training day." president trump meeting with a few governors to talk about
1:33 pm
obamacare, a discussion that will happen tonight at the governors' ball. take a listen. >> don't kill obamacare. improve it. >> without the coverage for pre-existing conditions, i will die. >> i am angry constituent. you work for us! [cheers and applause ] >> senator tom cotton talked to chuck todd on "meet the press" about this very issue. and it happened this morning. >> what we saw over this past week, a lot of anxiety and stress that a lot of americans feel about health care. we promised to fix our health care system for once and for all. that's what we're going to do. >> what does an obamacare
1:34 pm
replacement look like? white house correspondent kristen welker has more on that for us. kristen? >> reporter: as the debate rages about america's health care system, president trump taking fresh aim at obamacare during a speech at the conservative conference. new details about repealing and replacing the law. a draft proposal obtained by nbc news calls for gutting of the individual mandate, meaning no penalty for not purchasing the insurance and eliminating subsidies. tax credits based on age instead of income. rolling back the medicaid expansion but giving states the control to cover lower income patients with grants and to help those with pre-existing conditions, high-risk pools. these two are worried they could pay more. >> kathy and i both would be put
1:35 pm
into a pool and charged higher premiums because of the various health care issues that we have. >> reporter: they say the aim is to lower costs by eliminating some taxes and creating more competition but even john boehner was skeptical of republicans' ability to replace the law. >> they will fix obamacare. i shouldn't call it repeal and replace. that's not what is going to happen. they will fix the flaws. >> reporter: and pressure is mounting. republican lawmakers bombarded by angry constituents. many worried about dismantling obamacare. for people like brandy walker in arizona who has already had a double mastectomy, there are deep concerns about changing the law. >> i'm still pretty young. i was 38. it would be difficult for me to afford. >> that was nbc's kristen welker with that report. joining us now, former democratic senator from montana,
1:36 pm
max baucus. and rick tyler. senator, you're right in front of me so we'll start with you. you've seen this energy in the town halls across the country. what do you make of that? this is fairly unprecedented in terms of the number and energy. >> well, i chaired the senate finance committee essentially wrote most of the aca and many town meetings and people cared deeply, obviously, about health care. we did our very best to put together a system. america had really no health care system at the time. so we work on three different points. one is more coverage. that is a fancy term for saying more people had health insurance. >> right. >> second, on constraining costs. costs are going up at such a great rate. third, improve the quality of care. >> when we're looking at the energy, it's something that most are going to take this back and now they have two masters to
1:37 pm
serve here. they have a president, if you're a republican, they want to listen to or need to listen to and then all of these constituents with new energy and not a new act. they say keep my health care in place. how will they did deal with that balance? >> well, bottom line, the people are the employers. members of the congress are the employees. it's up to the employees to listen critically, carefully and listen to their employers, the people they work for. and together, they are going to find a way that makes sense. that's the best approach. >> rick, what does it look like right now in terms of the relationship that this president has with congress? a little rocky start in the beginning, according to reports. but the word is he had a couple, if you will, socials this past week at the white house to try to smooth over some of those edges. does the president have the backing of congress here to get done what he wants to get done, as kristen welker was just describing? >> i think they both share the same goal.
1:38 pm
the president is going to want to do it a lot more quickly and congress is going to get it done. but look, obamacare has been several elections run on obamacare and it resulted in partially for donald trump to becoming elected. now there is going to be -- they are talking about a repeal of obamacare. that's very difficult for people who like obamacare and, particularly, people, as you saw in your piece earlier, who are in the middle of treatment or chronic treatment. that's very scary for people. so the republicans have got to figure out a way that pre-existing conditions, concerning premiums are not going to change dramatically or they are going to change for the better and right now they haven't convinced anyone of that. >> and these stories have a lot of resonance when you hear about individuals going through what they are going through.
1:39 pm
>> bloomberg saying that governors were told this in a presentation yesterday, quote, policies supported by republican congressional leaders to repeal and replace obamacare could lead individuals to lose their health coverage. so these leaders from their states, these governors understanding the balance as they gather tonight and some of them have meetings with president trump here, they understand this difference of national politics versus local and how are they going to put that together and how important are the governors because they are ones that may lose funding based on certain developments in the aca. >> well, that's right. and some states will do much better without aca and other states would fair better under the current aca. >> so conservative states versus liberal states? >> it probably breaks down along those lines but it's going to have a different reaction. i do believe you'd be better off with a one-size-fits-all.
1:40 pm
obamacare has four systems and call them platinum silver gold. whatever. it's more like rust, iron and lead. but if you had the states do the systems and refundable tax credits could only be used by health insurance, you would have individual markets and a wide variety of products, and that leads the competition which would drive down and increase the overall convenience and quality. >> so it sounds like you are for adjustments and our latest "wall street journal" poll -- we'll put that up, senator, quickly to you, many are saying minor modifications are okay here. how do they do that here? >> i think that's the answer. it's not repealed. that's not going to happen. it's not replaced. >> the former speaker says that's not going to happen. >> that's correct. it's not going to happen. so many people are going to get
1:41 pm
hurt. >> but if nothing happens, it will collapse. >> thank you for joining me, rick tyler and max baucus. have a good sunday. many are hoping president trump will lay out his economic plan for congress and the country tuesday night. probably mentioning health care as well. this is what we know about taxes at the moment in terms of what he may discuss. his tax plan calls for reducing personal income tax rates from seven brackets to three at the bottom there. for the corporate tax rate, the president wants to bring it down from 35% to 15%. there's also the 20% border tax on mexican imports. critics say this would lead to americans paying more and potentially a trade war along the way. in an interview with reuters, president trump said the tax could lead to more jobs. joining me is ron insauna.
1:42 pm
let's sta let's start at the top. >> there's a pretty broad bipartisan consensus that something needs to be done with the u.s. tax code because it's so convoluted and creates distortions in the economy. the question is, is it funded? the way the president's plan is funded is top 10% of income earners would do the best and everybody else would stay roughly the same. if you're making 1 million, you may get 130,000 a year tax cut. >> not aimed at the working class. >> they say it is but when you look at all the various analyses of his proposals, they still favor -- it's said they favor wealthier individuals. >> the corporate tax rate, how important is this to balancing it out? >> it's not just taking the rates from 35 to 15. they are talking about a repatriation which holds as much as $3 trillion in cash overseas
1:43 pm
and might see an 8% tax rate to bring that money home. some of which would be used towards an infrastructure bank to leverage infrastructure. >> money abroad? >> a lot of technology companies. in fact, a handful of companies have that cash held overseas at zero income tax. there's a funny thing. the effective rate for a lot of corporations is well below that. some will argue that our corporations pay the highest in the world. they don't necessarily pay it even though that rate is at 35%, through deductions and other accounting activity. the effective rate is far lower. >> border tax is important to balance this out? >> yes. it's not just mexico. it's a border tax from imports all over the world. now, let's say the mexican peso declined and you put a 20% tax on, that would be a wash. >> doable? >> it's hard to know. there was some comment about that earlier this week. other countries have a border
1:44 pm
accommodation tax called a b.a.t. exporters benefit. straight retailers and other importers who do not export would be hit by the tax and have no way to make it up except through higher prices. >> a few of those moms and pops? >> yes. >> ron, thank you so much for all of that. coming up, in just a few hours, the 89th academy awards. it's the most diverse roster, if you're actually counting, of the nominees ever. does it signal a shift in hollywood? more on that.
1:45 pm
dearthere's no other way to say this. it's over. i've found a permanent escape from monotony. together, we are perfectly balanced. our senses awake. our hearts racing as one. i know this is sudden, but they say...if you love something set it free. see you around, giulia
1:46 pm
if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis like me, and you're talking to your rheumatologist about a medication... ...this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain... ...and protect my joints from further damage. humira has been clinically studied for over 18 years. humira works by targeting and helping to... ...block a specific source... ...of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain and... ...stop further joint damage in many adults. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas... ...where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. talk to your doctor and visit humira.com
1:47 pm
this is humira at work. why do so many businesses rely on the u.s. postal service? because when they ship with us, their business becomes our business. ♪ that's why we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. ♪ here, there, everywhere. united states postal service priority : you as we finish the weekend, a footnote from the hill. a man who served congress and the u.s. army reserve for almost three decades re-elected 14 times, an american samoa's longest serving delegate to the house of representatives. almost everyone knew this congressman on the u.s.
1:48 pm
territory, certainly, and on the hill. he died on wednesday at the age of 73 in utah. he liked to dance and sing, as he did in this radio interview. ♪ ck. oh, did i say there's only one special edition? because, actually there's 5. aaaahh!! ooohh!! uh! holy mackerel. wow. nice. strength and style. which one's your favorite? come home with me! it's truck month! find your tag for an average total value over $11,000 on chevy silverado all star editions when you finance through gm financial. find new roads at your local chevy dealer.
1:49 pm
nosy neighbor with a glad bag, full of trash. what happens next? nothing. only glad has febreze to neutralize odors for 5 days. guaranteed. even the most perceptive noses won't notice the trash. be happy. it's glad.
1:50 pm
1:51 pm
in just a few hours, celebrities will grace the red carpet at the academy awards, donning their most fabulous gowns and sharpest suits along the way. documenting every joke, laugh, clap or cry. one reliable viewer who may not be tuned in. president trump. this year the commander in chief will be busy attending the governor's ball in d.c.
1:52 pm
msnbc sav annah sellers joins u now with more on that. savannah? >> hi, richard. like you said, president trump may not be watching the oscars this year, since he he will be hosting that white house governor's ball with first lady, melania. he has watched the academy awards many times in the past. we know he loves tv. no tweets were sent out last year but back in 2015 he watched and tweeted calling the show, quote, really boring. in 2014, trump live tweeted throughout the show, sending a flurry of tweets, saying at one point that ellen degeneres was having a hard time with her lines. we know his thoughts on several of this year's nominees. trump tweeted about best actress nominee natalie portman typing out that many people saying natalie portman trying too hard for an oscar nom, and calling it sad. another best actress nominee, emma stone, was the host of "saturday night live," the week that president trump tweeted that the show was unwatchable and not funny.
1:53 pm
he has tweeted favorably about best actor denzel washington in the past, knowing that the star gave a, quote, wonderful commencement speech after washington's address. best supporting actress, octavia spencer has been vocal herself, tweeting about the republican national convention saying it is like a car wreck, can't look but can't look away. of course, we know about the meryl streep/donald trump tension that began with meryl streep's comments about the president during an acceptance speech during the golden globes. take a listen. >> so, hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. if you kick them all out you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts. >> he then called the actress overrated in a series of tweets and will be keeping an eye on that if streep does take home the award tonight. >> we're going to get a tweet. >> i think we will. even if he's not watching, it's going to happen. >> it's happening, savannah.
1:54 pm
thank you very much. moving on to the glitz and glamour around the awards, who the winner is going to be. the musical "la la land" leading the pack with 14 nominations, including best picture. rivalling for that same category, drama "moonlight," among the favorites for best supporting actor. let's bring in michael phillips, film critic for the chicago tribune. what are you watching for, my friend? >> what am i watching for? >> yes! >> an evening of absolutely no political speech-ifying of any sort. i'm just kidding. >> sure, uh-huh. >> honestly, it's a great year. i hope that hollywood takes the lessons of this year. you have movies as different as they are, moonlight, fences, hidden figures. and, i'm sorry, i'll throw "la la land" in there, too. these are extremely diverse in
1:55 pm
terms of every way, story the way they're told cinematically. >> is the headline here out of this oscars diversity? >> yes, it is. but it's also quality. and, i'm sorry, that knows no color. moonlight was my favorite film last year. fences just miss mied top ten. wealth of great performances. hidden figures not my favorite film but the actors are absolutely fantastic in it. this was a good year. i just hope that next year looks a little bit like this year. do you know what i mean? >> i do. i spent years living in "la la land" itself. what does it come away with here, do you think? what's the number? >> probably win best picture, i suspect. first musical since "chicago" about 14, 15 years ago. it will probably win nine or ten, eight, nine, somewhere in there. the most interesting races tonight, richard, are all in the acting categories.
1:56 pm
casey affleck or denzel washington, emma stone or isabelle hoopiere for best actress? these are tight and back and forth with the prediction. i hope it's a slam dunk for moonlight. if "moonlight" wins everything it's up for i'm one happy critic. >> bill paxton, unfortunate development overnight, will not be part of this os can cars. he passed away. >> right. no. it's sad. he is a wonderful solid character actor, always served the material in everything from "big love" to "edge of tomorrow" and really -- >> character acting, excellent. >> yeah, yeah. >> one word i need to watch out for tonight when i'm watching. give me one word. >> politics, clearly, right? it's just a question of how much or how little jimmy kimmel and everybody up there on stage is
1:57 pm
going to kind of indulge themselves. we'll see. >> film critic for the chicago tribune. really appreciate that. i'm richard lui. stay with msnbc leading up to president trump's first address to congress tuesday. thanks for joining us today. it's time to shake things up. with the capital one venture card, you get double miles on everything you buy, not just airline purchases. seriously, think of all the things you buy. great...is this why you asked me to coffee? well yeah... but also to catch-up. what's in your wallet?
1:58 pm
1:59 pm
2:00 pm
hello. i'm ari melber. joining you from headquarters in new york the next two hours. a question facing the trump administration tonight, what is the point? homeland security department leaking report, undercutting the national security rationale for the seven countries trump targeted in his travel ban. bad news as the president prepares a new order for as early as this week. also, cracks showing among the republican alliance on russia this weekend with darryl issa saying a special prosecutor is needed to investigate russia's role in the election. >> i think that's way, way getting ahead of ourselves here, chuck. there's no allegations