this was day one of what will be an epic battle on climate. that does it for us tonight. cl. that does it for us tonight. we'll see you tomorrow. "first look" is up next. ♪ >> that politics was going to be so much fun. but we're doing well. it's doing very well. ♪ >> brushing off last week's failed health care bill, the president says he still sees a deal in the future. and house republicans say they already started health care negotiations. >> an intense exchange joined rebuke from the press and former presidential nominee, hillary clinton. >> later, paul manafort is back in the spotlight this morning. it follows new reporting that some of his financial accounts overseas triggered a money-laundering investigation.

♪ hey, there, good morning, everyone it's wednesday march 29th. congressman devin nunes, the chairman of the house intelligence committee is adamant that he will continue to lead the congressional investigation of russian meddling, despite questions over his independence and the business of the committee coming to a halt. yesterday the first republican lawmaker called for nunes to step down from the russia probe. congressman walter jones of north carolina said how can you be chairman of a major committee and do all these things behind the scenes and keep your credibility? you can't keep your credibility. jones, a member of the armed services committee is also the only republican house member to support forming an independent commission. others are saying nunes must at least account for his secrecy and trips to the white house. >> if he's not willing to tell

the democrats and republicans on the committee who he met with and who told him, he has to repair the damage and lost credibility. the house is off track and probably can't get back on track. >> i think there needs to be a lot of explaining to do. i've been around for quite a while and never heard of any such thing. obviously in a committee like an intelligence committee, you've got to have bipartisanship, otherwise the committee loses credibility. it's turning into a sen pedolike these things have a tendency of doing and another shoe seems to drop every few days. >> all of the democratic members of the intelligence committee called on chairman nunes to recuse himself from the russian investigation after alabama democrat wrote last night, my decision on this matter was not made lightly. earlier today congressman nunes

was steadfast or sharing sources with members, rejecting the premise of the questions. >> are you going to stay as chairman and run this investigation? >> well, why would i not? you guys need to go ask them why these things are being said. >> this investigation continue as you as chairman? >> why would it not? aren't i briefing you guys continuously? and keeping you up to speed? >> but they're saying it cannot run with you as chair. >> you got to go talk to them. that sounds like their problem. my colleagues are perfectly fine. they know we're doing an investigation and that will continue. >> so you're not going to tell the committee who your source is? >> we never talk about sources or methods. i wouldn't expect you to do that either. you guys have so em fach waited with sources. >> top congressional democrats called -- the speakers position remains the same. >> should devin nunes recuse

himself from the russia investigation? two, do you know the source of his information. >> no and no. >> health care reform was left for dead after friday's crushing defeat. the president, it was said, was ready to move on to tax reform, even infrastructure possibly at the same time. on capitol hill, meetings continue about what went wrong and how to resuscitate the attempt at remodelling obamacare. jeremy peters of the new york times writes, the new talk which quietly began this week involve stephen bannon and members of the two republican factions that helped sink the bill last week. the hard-right freedom caucus and the more centrist tuesday group. house republicans to air out what happened. and what might be next. even amid hard feelings about the freedom caucus's role in all of this. >> today we broke down many of those dividing lines within our conference. there's too much at stake to get bogged down in all of that. >> after this morning, the

resolve of our conference to repeal obamacare and replace it has never been stronger. i think we're closer today to repealing obamacare than we've ever been defer and surely closer than we were friday. >> last night the president said this while hosting a bipartisan room of senators. >> i know we're all going to make a deal on health care. that's such an easy one. i have no doubt that's going to happen very quickly. i think lit actually. i think it's going to happen because we've all been promising, democrat, r all been promising that to the american people. i think a lot of good things are going to happen there. >> joining us from capitol hill, jonathan swan. jonathan, good morning to you. good to have you with us this morning. so president trump's lieutenants are saying they're ready to work with democrats and anyone else really after the failure of the health care bill. so do you think that moving on to issues like tax reform and infrastructure is a way for them to do that, follow through on bipartisan collaboration?

>> no. i had lunch yesterday with nancy pelosi and she is in no mood to offer a single concession on health care. she said i'm paraphrasing, i gave all my concessions seven years ago when she was walking with barack obama. there's no need for her to. she will deal with donald trump in the way that nancy pelosi always deals which is on her terms. she knows she has an extraordinary amount of leverage. he needs her for votes to help get tax reform done. she'll ask for infrastructure spending to be direct government spending not as she described it a tax bill described as an infrastructure bill. it's fantasy for republicans to think that she will offer concessions on health care as part of some goodwill process that involves tax reform and infrastructure. i mean, she laughed at that kind of prospect yesterday. >> jonathan, really quickly, is there anotherish swlu the

freedom caucus can also be a roadblock for the trump agenda not just the health care but could they be problematic for him going forward? >> the immediate crisis before them the government funding ends april 28th. the freedom caucus could make all sorts of demands. one that leadership is worried sabt that the bill will include a defunding of planned parenthood. that's the case that will never get through the senate and paul ryan will be put in this awful position where he has to decide, do i have to go to nancy pelosi with my hat in my hand and she will turn the screws. so, that's the next crisis ahead. >> jonathan swan with the good morning to you. thank you very much for that. >> pleasure. as promised, president trump is unraveling obama era climate regulations with his latest executive orders, making it unlikely the country will meet its goals for the latist paris.

the order also scraps regulations that make it tougher to mine coal on federal lands, the president touted as campaign promise that he's kept. >> my administration is putting an end to the war on coal. going to have clean coal, really clean coal. with today's executive action, i am taking historic steps to lift the restrictions on american energy, to reverse government intrusion and to cancel job-killing regulations. >> he has an open mind about climate change, though in the past he has also called it a hoax. press secretary sean spicer was asked yesterday about where the president stands now. >> does the president still believe that climate change is a hoax? >> i think you'll hear more today about the climate and what he believes. i think he understands -- he does not believe that as i

mentioned at the outset there's a binary choice between job creation, economic growth and caring about the environment. that's what we should be focussing on. >> former vice president al gore weighed in on the executive order calling it a, quote, misguided step away from sustainable carbon-free future for ourselves and generations to come. well, tensions between the trump administration and the press may have reached a new low after white house press secretary sean spicer got into a heated exchange with a reporter over her line of questioning. american urban radio network correspondent april ryan questioned spicer over the administration's image during the daily briefing. spicer's response has drawn plenty of criticism, including from hillary clinton. >> two and a half months in, you have thissuates story today. you have other things going on, russia, you have wire tapg, you have -- >> you know, we don't have that. >> there are investigations on capitol hill -- >> no, no. i get it. i've said it from the day that i

got here until whatever that there's no connection. you've got russia. if the president puts russian salad dressing on his salad tonight there's a connection. i appreciate your agenda here. the reality is -- at some point report the facts. the facts are that every single person who has been briefed on this subject come away with the same conclusion, republican, democrat. i'm sorry that disgusts you. you're shaking your head. i appreciate it -- >> i'm listening and trying to -- >> understand this. at some point the facts are what they are. hold on. >> hold on. it seems like you're hell bent on trying to make sure whatever image you want to tell about this white house stays. because at the end of the day -- >> don't call her that name. i am just reporting -- >> you're asking me a question and i'm going to answer. i'm sorry, please stop shaking your head again. >> just look at all that's happened in the last few days to

women who were simply doing their jobs. april ryan, a respected journalist with unrivalled integrity was doing her job just this afternoon in the white house press room when she was patronized and cut off trying to ask a question. too many women, especially women of color, have had a life time of practice taking precisely these kinds of indignities in stride. >> switching gears a little bit in overseas. the top american general in mosul, iraq says the u.s. air strikes earlier this month probably played a role in the death of civilians there. speaking yesterday, lieutenant general steven townson said the u.s. is responsible for the deaths which unconfirmed reports put it between 1 and 200 people, it was unintentional accident of war. he indicated that an investigation will look at whether the attack might have set off a larger blasts from explosives set by isis fighters

inside the building or nearby. and he repeated the u.s. does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties. despite this, president trump last night offered a positive take on the u.s. operations in iraq. >> we just had a long call from general mattis. john is very happy to hear that, but he knows better than anybody, we're doing very well in iraq. our soldiers are fighting and fighting like never before and the results are very, very good. >> the united nations has confirmed that two of its workers have been found dead in the democratic republican of the the congo. they were kidnapped while investigations violence and human rights abuses in the country. the pair had been missing since at least march 12 and their bodies along with that of their interpreter was found on monday reportedly in a shallow grave. in a statement, u.n. ambassador nikki haley offered their condolences to their families adding sharp's courage and desire should serve as an

example for us all. rebels in the congo decapitated at least 2 police officers in the very same region where they went missing. still ahead, triggering brexit, the uk will officially hand over its divorce notice to the european counsel today. we'll get a live report from london. plus another day of severe across the country. at least 19 million americans are at risk today. we'll have a full check on the weather forecast when we come right back.

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welcome back, everyone. heading overseas, theresa may invokes article 50. the letter is sent to be delivered to the european council in brussels within the hour. matt, good morning to you. walk us through where the process goes from here now that

this has officially been invoked. >> reporter: thanks. as you know this is going to be happening within the next couple of hours. now already this morning, theresa may, the prime minister finished up a cabinet meeting at 10 downing street and ministers were seen leaving 10 downing, including david davis, the minister for planning the brexit, a newly created position. so in about two hours, we're going to see the uk's envoy to brussels hand delivering a letter to donald tusk, the president of the european council. that will officially trigger article 50. as you mentioned, that sets the clock on a two-year countdown of negotiations. so if you tune in in about two years, you'll be seeing the end result of those negotiations. but in the meantime, we're going to be seeing likely protests, as we've already seen here in london, against this referendum last year that voted to see britain leaving the eu. and we're going to see market

fluctuations. this is all tied to the negotiations. the markets will be watching this very closely to see how these negotiations go and whether or not they favor the uk or europe. >> those negotiations are certainly going to be intense at some point. nbc's matt bradley live in london. thank you, matt. let's get a check on your weather with bill karins. bill, severe storms sweeping through texas last night and some more to come over the next couple days. >> yeah. it was an early wakeup call between 2 to 3:00 a.m. 85 miles per hour winds went through the ft. worth and dallas area. they're starting to get the power back on line now. there wasn't a lot of tornadoes. most were small and in rural areas, no damage done. we did have hail out there especially in areas of oklahoma, north texas had hail. nothing too crazy. we saw reports golf ball size to tennis ball size. that was pretty isolated and wasn't a lot of reports what you see there is what we had a lot

of. so today's threat, now the storms have weakened a little bit, lost a little of their momentum. still raining pretty hard and there are some flooding problems up there in oklahoma city and to the south as we go down 35. severe threat for today. today and tomorrow will be worse than what we saw yesterday. 20 million people are at risk. as of now, it's still an enhanced risk. we get enough sunshine, this could be upgraded to a moderate risk this afternoon. ozarks, southern missouri you're the greatest risk of tornadoes today. if you live there or have family or friends in that area, make sure they know the threat today. it goes from st. louis to houston all the way down to victoria, that's where the threat of damaging winds will be and some large hail. then unfortunately this same storm, very slow moving has a greater risk of severe weather on thursday, already a moderate risk of severe storms, possibility of not just a couple tornadoes but maybe even a strong tornado or two. and there are a lot of wind damage possible from indianapolis all the way down to new orleans. you get the picture, the next

two days will be very dangerous. when we consider we could have a strong tornado or two. those do the most damage and are typically the most deadly. i will stop and give you some little piece of good news, alex. 65 in d.c. 57 in new york. finally some nice weather returning to areas of the northeast and new england. >> thank you very much. >> good news. it's about time. >> thank you. >> it's like two days then it pours again. enjoy it. >> you had to go there. great. still ahead, the president declines an opening day offer -- >> and barcelona superstar lionel messi gets banned. >> he has to say everything soccer. also a father tries to teach his son a valuable lesson. sports is next.

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lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers. there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name. welcome back. time now for sports. a little history lesson. william howard taft threw out the ceremonial first pitch in washington, d.c. for the senators on opening day back in 1910, sparking a new custom that 13 future presidents including george w. bush and barack obama would partake in. donald trump will not be the 14th, at least not yet. the washington nationals say president trump has declined an invitation to throw out the first pitch. when the nats host the miami marlins in the capital on monday. reportedly siting a scheduling conflict. and while this is not indicate anything ne fair rouse, trump was critical of the nationals in 2012 when they shut down ace right hander stephen strasburg who is scheduled to start on the mound for the nats.

trump also declined to fill out an ncaa tournament bracket with espn has thrown out ceremonial first pitches before in at least three major league baseball games in the past and this being the first opening day of trump's presidency, he should have three more opportunities before the next election. let's turn to hockey. usa hockey has reached a deal with the women's national team over a wage dispute. the new four-year deal avoids a boycott of the world championships in michigan, which start later this week. the u.s. is seeking its first world title on home ice in four-straight world title overall. turning now to international soccer headlines, while the u.s. men's national team battled to a 1-1 draw with panama last night, argentina's missed star player lionel messi in the 2-nil loss against bolivia. fifa handed down a four-match

game suspension. he was also fined more than $10,000. messi will be eligible to return for argentina's final qualifier against ecuador on october 10th. and let's check this one out, one father is making his pitch for dad of the year after he brought a sign to a resent nba game offering his son a deal. get your grades up and you can come with me next time. it wasn't a one-time deal either. he traveled to another city with another sign in hand. the sign says student and then athlete/son. which i like the message. those signs i think he did a good job making them. >> clearly they seem to have like a professional grade quality to them, emoji and the logo of the city he's in, but i think it's like you said, lewis, the message is important. >> there's a calculation but good message. very true. still ahead, climate change initiatives weren't the only obama-era regulations rolled back yesterday. congress also repealed some

internet privacy rules, everyone. plus another democratic attempt to obtain president trump's tax returns gets blocked by republican. we have those stories and much more coming up next. later on "morning joe" bernie sanders will be on show. be sure to stick around for that one. e*trade's powerful trading tools, give you access to in-depth analysis, and a team of experienced traders ready to help if you need it. it's like having the power of a trading floor, wherever you are. it's your trade. e*trade

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♪ welcome back, everyone i'm alex witt alongside louis burgdorf and amed. >> the pentagon says the u.s., quote, probably had a role in

the air strike that killed more than 200 civilians in mosul this month. it's unclear if the u.s. is responsible for the casualties. the iraqi military said the explosion happened after they called for backup from the u.s.-led coalition fighting isis. the pentagon denies allegations the rise in the civilian deaths under the trump administration is because of loosened rules. the edited videos portrayed planned parenthood officials trying to sell fetal tissue. david who describes himself as a citizen journalist for the center for medical progress responded to the charges, tweeting, quote, the last time planned parenthood colluded with political cronies to persecute citizen journals both charges and corrupt d.a. thrown out. bring it on. cancelled for the regs of

the week by devin nunes as the california republican and the white house denied implications of coordination over postponing the hearing on russia. now the hearing was supposed to take place yesterday with former acting attorney general sally yates who was fired by the president when she refused to defend his travel ban order. "the washington post" reports that in letters to yates' attorney, the trump administration sought to block her from speaking to congress because potential topics were covered by attorney/client privilege or the presidential communication privilege. house intel ranking democrat adam schiff said they have been able to question yates about the white house and what the white house knew about michael flynn's communications with sergey kislyak. yates warned the white house about flynn's communications before they were publicly disclosed. yates' attorney letter to white house council's office said it was unclear whether presidential or attorney/client privileges applied, but quote in any event, any claim of privilege has been waived as a result of the multiple public comments of

current senior white house officials describing the january 2017 communications. the letter was dated friday. that's the same time nunes cancelled her hearing. >> the white house denied blocking her testimony. >> there are reports that even though the hearing that was set for the 27th was not scheduled, it was cancelled by devin nunes to prevent this white house from publicly invoking a claim of executive privilege. can you speak to that? >> i hope she testifies. i look forward to it. let's be honest, the hearing was never -- was actually never notified. if they choose to move forward, great. we have no problem with her testifying. >> joining us from capitol hill national political reporter jonathan swan once again. good to have you back with us. we've watched the fallout with nunes play out all week. was the white house prepared for this? do you think they anticipated this? >> well, the problem is it appears they were much too

prepared for this. there was a detail in ryan lizard's story yesterday in the new yorker i think deserves a lot more attention. last monday morning before the intelligence committee hearing, he says that he was in touch with the senior white house official and the white house official basically previews the hearing and says, you'll see the setting of the predicate today and he says that watch nunes and basically that nunes is going to foreshadow this incidental collection from the obama administration that might have swept up various trump officials. and it's the chronology that's just so damning for devin nunes because you had donald trump out there saying i've got this information. we might be releasing it soon, maybe next week. i think it's going to be very interesting. and then a few days later, devin nunes is at the white house getting broefed and we still don't know who actually briefed him. so, there are so many gaps here.

it just -- without more evidence, it does appear that he is been in touch with the white house and perhaps coordinating with the white house. >> so, jonathan, you mentioned that you had lunch with house minority leader nancy pelosi. she has leverage now, right? the president wants democratic votes. looking ahead to tax reform, the prospect of infrastructure, the reports they want to do the two at the same time which is a her cue leann lift, but they have to keep the government funded. what did she tell you about that? >> yeah. so nancy pelosi is in a really different position than she was even seven days ago. she now is in a position where it's very likely if you came out, forget tax, forget infrastructure, just scan out one month ahead, end of april there's potentially a government shutdown crisis because you're going to see hard liners in the house freedom caucus hold leadership hostage over things

like planned parenthood funding. so there is a possibility and leadership are nervous about this, that they have to go to the democrats to get the votes. so, she wants to block anything that's going to hurt obamacare. she says that she won't let anything done to hurt the obamacare insurance markets and she's going to use that leverage to the maximum effect. >> okay jonathan swan, thank you so much. >> interesting. >> yeah, super interesting. the house and a tax writing committee -- the resolution would have required the treasury department to provide the house with ten years of returns. and debate grew heated on the house ways and means committee panel yesterday. check this out. >> it is our responsibility under the constitution, mr. chairman, very clear, very clear. to provide oversight of the executive branch and root out conflicts of interest. donald trump has refused as a candidate and as president to

release his tax returns. which begs the question, what is he hiding? >> i'm telling you, tax returns do not list investments. they don't. what you're asking for is not on a tax return. that's why i know it's a political -- just a political push. >> he has singled out this issue for political reasons. and for political purposes. that's what this whole markup is doing today. and my colleague's rez solution a stunt. >> he also said once the election was over he didn't have to give over his taxes anymore because he won. it's right. he's president today. and we're not. we get that. but he made a pledge. don't impugn the integrity of the gentleman from new jersey or anyone else here who questions the president. it's about answering the basic question who is president trump fighting for? himself or the american people? >> well, the hill reports a separate resolution on the house

floor also failed. the fifth time in as many weeks that democrats have forced a vote on the president's returns. >> well, also in capitol hill yesterday, another obama era regulation overturned. the house along mostly party lines voted to roll back a regulation that would have required internet service providers to get consumer's con send before selling their information. providers argue it would put companies like verizon and come cast at a disadvantage against google and facebook who deal with less rigid restrictions. the president is expected to sign the bill into law. let's turn to business following new developments overseas and british prime minister theresa may invokes article 50 formerly announcing plans to leave the european union. a landmark day for the uk. kind of sparking a long, legislative to-do list for the british government. >> yes. the total negotiation time with the u is expected to last more than two years, but i do want to

tell you what's happening in the near future because by march 31st, other 27 eu countries have to send their guidelines for the negotiations. that will have to be ratified by all the members. then on april 4th, the european parliament makes a statement in which the power of veto could be evoked. then only by mid may are the uk and the eu likely to begin their first round of the brexit talks. so, we've got very long and messy talk ahead of us for these divorce talks. also want to talk about the news coming from wells fargo. the bank announced it agreed to pay $110 million to settle a class action lawsuit over the claims that it opened accounts for more than 2 million customers without getting their permission first. and this is the first private settlement that the bank has made since paying some $185 million to federal and california authorities last year. that's it. back over to you.

>> thanks so much. the confirmation of neil gorsuch looks to be headed for a bitter showdown as the number of democrats say they'll vote no on his nomination continues to grow. as of yesterday afternoon, more than two dozen senate democrats publicly stated they will oppose him. that list includes dirk durbin, chris van holland, amy klobuchar and kamala harris. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is confident that gorsuch will be the next supreme court justice. >> i repeat, we're going to get judge gorsuch confirmed. there will be an opportunity for the democrats to invoke cloture. we'll see where that ends. a new executive order signed by president trump looks to curb the federal government's enforcement of climate regulations. at a signing ceremony surrounded by a dozen coal miners and

executives the president vowed to end the war on coal. nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker has the details for us. kristen, good morning. >> alex, good morning to you. after failing to pass health care, president trump is looking for a win. and on tuesday, he thinks he got one by reversing major obama era regulations on the environment. as president donald trump struggles to find his footing in attempt to show strength by obliterated his predecessor's move a move he says will create jobs. mr. trump once called climate change a hoax said he's ending a war on coal. >> that's what this is all about, bringing back our jobs, making america wealthy again. >> reporter: the president's executive order scraps six obama era actions aimed at tackling climate change and calls

reviewing the greenhouse. scrapping regulations that make it tougher to mine coal on federal lands and no longer forcing the government to consider the cost of climate change when making policy decisions. at this barbershop in west virginia they cheered the move hoping it will bring back jobs. >> i expect for him to bring it back. i expect for him to lift the regulations and probably help us as much as he can. >> reporter: the president touting it as a campaign promise kept. >> we're going to put the miners back to work. we're going to put the miners back to work. >> reporter: the reality, federal data shows mines have been losing jobs for decades under both parties. right now there are less than 75,000 coal jobs compared to more than 650,000 in renewable energy which can be less expensive to produce. the shift on display in michigan where jerry anderson, ceo of the state's larger electric company says cheap natural gas is good for business. >> we're going to build natural gas and renewables for the foreseeable future. >> reporter: environmentalist are decrying the executive

order. saying combatting climate change is key to protecting the climate, economy and the national security. >> this is not an executive order, this is a declaration of war. >> reporter: the administration couldn't say how many jobs the executive action would create but is bracing for a fierce fight with environmental groups already promising to block president trump's environmental agenda in court. alex? >> kristen welker, thank you so much for that. still ahead, day two of that severe weather outbreak in the south. 14 tornadoes in the last 24 hours alone, believe it or not. bill karins says that some 19 million people unfortunately could see bad weather today. we'll get a forecast. plus -- >> so i could actually run my business. i could actually run my business and run government at the same time. i don't like the way that looks, but i would be able to do that if i wanted to. i would be the only one who would be able to do that. >> the president, you hear him say that, he could run a billion dollar company and the country with no problem at all.

fighting a lawsuit while in office, that is too much. we'll explain that next. kevin, meet your father. kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin kevin trusted advice for life. kevin, how's your mom? life well planned. see what a raymond james financial advisor can do for you.

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67 days, is it -- at what you expected? worse than what you expected? better than what you expected? >> it's far worse. >> far worse. >> yeah. it's almost -- yeah. it's almost at the point of no return. >> beyond comprehension? >> yes. >> it's dogs and cats living together. >> you guys had a relationship with him, a friendly relationship. >> yeah. >> you interacted with him. >> not a physical relationship. >> no, that's true. >> we had a relationship. >> you had a relationship. >> friendship. >> we had a good friendship. >> not a physical relationship. >> i'm glad he clarified th >> of course they were sitting down with seth meyers last night. that was fun. let's tno weather. bill karins tracking the severe weather for us. it's not looking too good for a lot of folks. >> typical spring severe weather outbreak. yesterday we made it through no injuries no, fatalities, 14 tornadoes. the next two i das we'll go from rural sections to west texas and

western oklahoma and you get more damage where more people are in the way. the storm system went through dallas. more than 100,000 people without power. they were woke up around 3 to 4:00 a.m. today we have an enhanced risk of severe storms. this is the scale. it goes marginal, slight, enhanced. then a moderate risk and high risk. when you get the high risk, those are the super outbreak days. just an enhanced risk. we'll see scattered strong storms and still can get a strong tornado, doesn't mean we won't see widespread. although we have 20 million at risk of severe storms, not everyone will see the severe weathers. if you're in the little rock area to shreveport and north of houston, you're most at risk of seeing strong storms. thursday, one higher on the scale, i expect thursday to be the greatest concentration of storms and the possibility of even a couple strong tornadoes that could be on the ground. northern mississippi, western portions of tennessee.

so on the border of memphis, nashville and right smack in the middle of that is the tupelo area. the warmth, the other big story, we pump the areas in the east and we'll watch temperatures soar today. raleigh not bad 72. atlanta 83. jacksonville, florida, near 09 degrees. that warmth will continue right into thursday with that big storm in the middle of the country. so, you know, not everyone will be punished by this storm, but those in the way, you have to pay attention and have your safety plans for your family just in case later today. >> yep, it is still spring the ups and downs of that. still ahead what may be the greatest trump contradiction ever. plus an nbc news exclusive, following the money trail of former trump campaign chairman paul manafort under scrutiny for his possible ties to russia. richard engel investigates next.

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yourself in front of all this live television. it's always live for me. unfortunately, other guys -- with me everything is live. one mistake and it's no good, but we just can't make mistakes, right, so we don't make mistakes. go ahead, ken. >> chuck cannon national fraternal order of police from police. >> did you check that? the president was meeting with police union officials yesterday

claiming we don't make mistake just before mistakenly calling chuck ken. >> we do that all the time. >> i know. what's your name? >> they had a field day with that one. >> this morning, new questions over paul manafort's business dealings, two banking sources say banks were investigated for possible money laundering. >> richard engel has the details. >> a center figure in donald trump's inner circle and possible ties to russia. long before he was president trump's campaign chairman, paul manafort was paid millions by a russian billionaire with close ties to vladimir putin. according to one report, secretly promising t greatly benefit the putin government by influencing politics and media coverage. >> now nbc news has learned that u.s. treasury officials are

following the money trail man manafort left behind, leading us to a small island in the mediterranean. >> we came to cyprus to the city of liam sol with a reputation for its beaches and a hub for money laundering. this city has been doomed lima sol grad: banking sources with direct knowledge of the transactions tell nbc news at least 15 accounts were opened here for more than ten companies, manafort. the source say in one case a million dollars landed in one of these accounts and left it on the same day. >> movements of large amounts of money very quickly in and out of accounts is very similar to what money launders do. >> $18.9 million to buy a crew cranian company for oleg pair

pass ska who state department officials describe as one of three oligarchs putin turns to on a regular basis. some of that money went to a manafort linked company in cyprus. pair pass ska denies he hired man manafort calling it fake news. in 2012, the internal auditing system at a bank flagged accounts for possible money laundering who also said when th bank asked for more information, manafort chose to close the accounts without answering the questions. >> interesting. that was chief foreign correspondent richard engel. last night a spokesperson for man no fort said all his companies were legitimate

entities and established for lawful ends, adding mr. manafort has no specific personal recollection of the shutdown of his cyprus accounts which says took place during a banking crisis on the island. there are interesting developments in the defamation lawsuit of trump. former "apprentice" contestant filed suit after the president called unwanted sexual contact totally false and made up nonsense. his attorneys say the president is immune while in office. they're citing the 1997 supreme court case involve paula jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against bill clinton. only one problem, clinton lost that case and the decision was unanimous. the president, quote, like other officials is subject to the same laws that apply to all citizens. he was not shielded from a civil suit regarding his private behavior, however, president trump's lawyer cited justice

stephen breyer's concurring opinion saying civil lawsuits could, quote, distract the president from his public duties to the detriment of not only the president and his office, but the nation. what trump's filing did not mention was the rest of justice breyer's opinion which stated, quote, it may well be the trial of this case cannot take place wouz significantly interfering with the president carrying out his officials duties. i agree there is no automatic temporary immunity and that the president should have to provide the district court with a recent explanation of why the i'm minity is needed. so far the president's legal team has not elaborated on how the lawsuit would hinder his ability to carry out his duties. we should mention that while the court ruled lawsuits against the president should proceed, it stated deference should be given to him and his schedule. president trump has consistently denied allegations of sexual

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before we toss it to "morning joe," we'll bring you a check on the reese in the day ahead. >> the nation's drug and oip oid epidemic. >> two former aides for new jersey governor chris christie will be sentenced for their role in the bridge-gate scandal, convicted for shutting down toll lanes at the george washington bridge in 2013. >> i'm alex witt, alongside ayman mohyeldin and louis burgdorf. "morning joe" starts right now. i know we're all going to make a deal on health care. that's such as easy one. i think it's going to happen quickly because we've all been promising, democrat, republican, we've all been promising that to the american people. i think a lot of good things are going to happen there. >> it's back, health care reform. >> he said health care is going to be easy again. >> it was left for