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welcome back. this week the trump white house faces as we've seen, crises, threats, high stakes meeting with allies and enemies around the groeb with russia, syria, north korea to name a few. earlier this evening i spoke to congressman dan donovan a new york republican representing staten island. he sits on foreign affairs and homeland security committees. and i started out by asking him about the president and whether unpredictability is actually a foreign policy. >> i don't know if it's so much unpredictability as it is reacting to circumstances that occur, like the attacks in syria, what's going on in now. the commander in chief of our armed forces, the president has the ability and the responsibility of taking action when he sees it necessary. at sometimes he has to consult

with congress. at times he just has to inform congress. i think what we've been seeing recently is his rction to what is happening throughout the world. >> he's also learning that the business of red lines or any line, is a tough one. barrel bombs, which according to one computation, were dropped at a rate of every 40 minutes during the year 2016, dropped mostly from helicopters on civilians. they often contain chlorine gas. >> yes. >> and what do you do about categorizing that as opposed to a sarin attack on the civilians we saw the other day? >> well, the present wasn't in office back in 2016. >> they are still being dropped. >> after seeing what happened the other day, brian, as you said the films of that, i have a 22 month old daughter. i have difficulty watching those films of those fathers holding their baens. you know, something had to be done. what we did was -- what the president did was a measured, i think, appropriate response.

we bombed the airbase in which we believe and have confidence that that's where the attacks originated from. we did not touch any of the areas where we believe the russians were utilizing that airbase. so we attacked the people who we believed were the ones who attacked those innocent civilians. >> staten island is a very patriotic place, are you ready to tell the young men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform that they may have to enter a place like syria in a heightened stance. >> i think when people put that uniform on, those brave women and men that you are speaking of, they always know there is a possibility of that happening. i have great trust in our military leaders. we have educated people at annapolis and west point. they have become admirals and generals. it's my belief the president will listen to their advice. they usually lay out a number of options, with those options they lay out the risks of each of those options and the president makes a choice of what he thinks is the best course of action for the united states.

>> what do you do about north korea? unpredictable madman. do you think the answer is possibly unilateral, possibly the u.s. alone. i would hope that the chinese will help us there. i would think the chinese are feeling the threats of what is happening in north korea. there is a madman leading that country. he is unpredictable. the united states would never i hope have to do any of this alone. we are better off doing things in a coalition. each in syria. we are better with others joining us. but the president had the president of china in mar-a-lago last weekend. i hope that's one of things they discussed and i hope the chinese help us and join us in dealing with what is happening in north korea. >> i have to get your reaction to sean spicer who has apologized fully for his remarks but said from the podium that hit letter didn't use chemical weapons against his own people and said that some sort of holocaust centers were used instead. >> yeah, i think since that time sean has apologized, trying to

make a correlation, an analogy that really didn't fit. certainly what happened, the atrocities that happened with hit letter will never be forgotten by the people of america and certainly what happened in syria shouldn't be forgotten either. >> as members of congress go, are you a town hall guy. >> i haven't. i had an event in brooklyn which was disrupted by people who appeared to be professional disruptors. what it did was disenfranchised people who came the to hear ideas. i have been meeting with smaller groups in my office. today i did six meetings. they get a one on one, 20, 30 minutes with me for me to hear their concerns, for me to address their concerns. in addition, we have been doing teletown hall meetings. last month 14,000 people people

participated and got to ask me questions. it's not disruptive. people get time with me and hear what i have to say. >> members in congress in both parties don't have a lot to brag about coming back for this two week break. >> no. we promised we would repair the broken health care system. we haven't done that i was going to be a no vote. i told the president that. i fold the vice president. i told all leadership in the republican party. i didn't think what was being proposed was the solution with what's wrong with the affordable care act. our health care system is broken and needs to be repaired. in my opinion it would have hurt new yorkers the people i represent and being the only republican in new york city i feel a responsibility to the people throughout new york city. >> congressman donovan represents a red district in the middle of a blue state and blue city. coming up, why there is so much attention on the state of kansas tonight in the political world as both parties watch a special election that will echo

across the down. steve kornacki at the big board with election returns, can you believe it, when "the 11th hour" continues. what powers the digital world. communication. that's why a cutting edge university counts on centurylink to keep their global campus connected. and why a pro football team chose us to deliver fiber-enabled broadband to more than 65,000 fans. and why a leading car brand counts on us to keep their dealer network streamlined and nimble. sinesses count on communication, and communication counts on centurylink. and you're about in to hit 'send all' on some embarrassing gas. hey, you bought gas-x®! unlike antacids, gas-x ® relieves pressure and bloating fast. huh, crisis averted. you're going to be hanging out in here. so if you need anything, text me. do you play?

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yes, you did. getting closer to your investment goals starts with a conversation. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today. welcome back to "the 11th hour." with everything else that has been going on tonight, it also happens to be election night in kansas. a big surprise this special election for a house seat got competitive. they sent in some big guns, and we have some breaking news on the results. steve kornacki back with us tonight at the big board. >> hey brian. we are back. because it is an election night. it's the start of the special election season. backdrop here, republicans at the last-minute got nervous about this district in kansas. it's around wichita. we were wondering why were they nervous. the results came in and i can show you there was reason to be nervous. the headline, the republicans are going to hold thissi seat, ron estes has won over james

thompson the democrat. the margin is 53 to 46. let me put in perspective why this is an incredibly close margin for this district and what that could mean, bigger picture, in american politics. remember, seven-point win tonight for the republican. this district just last november on election day donald trump won it by 27 points, a 20-point drop from trump in november to estes in this special election night. this is where the district is here. near piece of perspective, seven points. how about this, this district in kansas, let's go back a generation, congressional race inside the 4th congressional district, it's seven tonight. look at this, 31 in the congressional race last november. 34, 30, 23, 32, 30 rks 25, 12, 19, you have got to go back 20 years to find a single digit congressional race in this district. you have got to go back to '94 to find a six point race.

this is a historical tightening. democrats don't run this close in this district. what is going on here? what does it mean nationally. two thing. democrats will point to this, they will say this is a sign that democratic voters in the trump era are more fired up than they have ever been. you throw a special election in a republican district in the middle of kansas in the middle of april and they will turn out. that's what democrats will take from this. they will say that pour tends big things for them everywhere. republicans will say hang on a minute there is another factor in this district in kansas that we are overlooking, that is the governor of kansas, sam brownback. his approvalet rating is 20%, one of the least popular republican governors in the country. and this republican candidate estes is very closely tied to him. there have been signs even among republicans of blowback with brownback. republicans will say there are other factors. what does it mean nationally. >> we have five special election this is spring.

one week from tonight, the suburbs of atlanta. this is one democrats think they can win, especially after tonight. everyo is going to b watching this next week, brian. >> all these presidential appointees have left their districts, gone to washington, leaving those openings. steve, unk. that steve is coming over here. when we come back, the reaction to those results, the day's other top political stories, including this new swipe at stooech steve bannon by the president when "the 11th hour" continues. is to always keep track of your employees.r micromanage them.

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before forewarned, this is a new era. this is the trump era, the lawlessness, the at-bat indication of duty to enforce our laws, and the catch and release policies of the past are over. >> a very tough set of remarks didn't get very much credit today. the sessions era at started at the justice department going through the new immigration policy of the trump presidency,

jeff sessions was today. speaking of members of congress who happen to be republican who go home during this two week break and have a town hall meeting, joe wilson, a republican in south carolina. his place in history is set in stone as the first member of congress to heckle a president as he did to barack obama yelling you lie, look at what happened to joe wilson at his town hall meeting last night. >> all efforts to make sure that violence against women is reinforced and protected. >> . >> you lie! you lie! [ chanting ] >> you know what they say about pay back. steve kornacki has joins us at the i believe at that. also with us radio talk show

host, now the host of indivision bl and an msnbc contributor, charlie sykes. gentlemen, welcome. steve, this may call for a judgment. you see so much of this material come and go. especially republicans, especially one we had at this desk tonight saying why he doesn't have town halls. why do they always say they are professional agitators when sometimes they are constituents, part of the resistance, and they are fired up? >> that's -- the special election we were just talking about now and the several that are coming in the next few weeks, that's why i think they are so important. it is the psychology of the average republican member of congress and the democrats for that matter f. republicans see signs in these special elections that those protesters showing up at the town halls represent something more than the base of the democratic party, something broar that could threaten them i think you are going to see more defensiveness, when they show up and do those things you will see a posture that tries to accommodate these much more.

versus if we were looking at a 30 point republican win in kansas i think they would go on saying agitators, these things affect the psychology of elected officials. >> charlie sykes i thought of you today because i know your deep feelings on subject the holocaust and just what became of our dialogue and this sub in our history today. >> rather extraordinary. i'll not saying that vane spicer is a holiday cost denier or anti-semite but he is a complete moran. the, laugh sensitivity and the lack of ability to draw those connections was apauling. i almost felt sorry for him because every time he tried to apologize or to clarify, he actually made it worse. so, again, i understand that he apologized and he said all the right things. but it is the lack of sophistication and the lack of knowledge. the man is so obviously, you know, out over his skis on this particular job. you know, and earlier on the program you are talking about

the fact that almost parenthetically that we may be steaming toward a nuclear confrontation with north korea. >> president is calling it an armada. >> exactly. these are serious times. these are tremendous issues and to have someone like that bumbling his way through what ought to be a substantive discussion is not reassuring. >> on this nationalist front i have this to show you, gentlemen, new york post published tonight an interview with president obama about bannon. quote. -- trump. forgive me, i have obama from the last segment. i like steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late. where have we heard that before. he had already beaten all the senators and all the governors and i didn't know steve. i'm my own strategist the president goes on. shades of the manafort defense.

>> you you never want somebody to say i like him, but, and you never want to be in flkt with a family member. that was not a full throated vote of confidence in steve bannon. >> steve, i -- there is two worlds going on here. there is the outside world and there is the funk of government, there is the machine running in the west wing w several missing pieces. it's early yet. there are so many vacancies. >> part of that is from i understand the control that donald trump wants to exert over individual opening the sort of unwillingness, the refusal to inability to delegate. also i think what you are seeing with that comment about steve bannon one of the things that keeps coming back to us about donald trump, every president to some degree is like this, but it's much more pronounced with trump. if he has a sense that one of his subordinates somebody under him is taking even a little bit

of the spotlight from him he does not react well to it. you have had stories the last two weeks that bannon is the philosophical mover and shaker behind the scenes. i think that has not sat well with donald trump. only one person in the white house should be in the cover of "time" magazine. >> sorry it was a lightning round. there is so much to talk about. appreciate you staying late. why something the president said on the campaign trail more than once may come up in a meeting on his schedule tomorrow.

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we strongly support nato, an alliance forged through bonds of two world wars that dethroned fascism and the cold war and defeated communism but our partners must meet their financial obligations. and now based on our very strong and frank discussions they are beginning to do just that. in fact, i can tell you the money is pouring in very nice. >> last thing before we go. president trump's comments about

nato strongest most successful trans oceanic and fully international bond of the post war era, as they say in diplomacy trump's comments have migrated on the subject as recently as angela merkel's uncomfortable visit to washington trump said member countries are not paying fair share for membership in the alliance. candidate trump raised concerns the u.s. wouldn't be there for our allies. >> we don't really need nato in its current form. >> with nato i don't say get rid of nato. but we are going to readjust it. if they won't do it bye-bye. >> i think nato is obsolete. you had the soviet which is much larger than russia is today. i'm not saying russia is not a threat. we have other threats. >> do you think the united states needs to rethink u.s. involvement in nato? >> yes.

>> we have all of these countries and they are not paying. they are not paying. we are protecting them. and the question is if such and such country were attacked are you willing to start world war three because that is what is happening p. they don't pay. they say we have a treaty so they have articles donald trump wants to give up nato. i want them to pay. >> it is gins that back drop that president trump tomorrow will host the nato secretary general. they will meet largely behind closed doors. there will be a joint press conference and we will bring you live coverage of that event tomorrow 4:00 p.m. eastern time. that will do it for this edition of "the 11th hour" thank you for being here with us. good night from new york.

a lot going on in the news tonight. we are waiting on news in kansas where counting is underway unwhat appears to be unexpectedly close congressional election. this is unexpectedly close because this is a deep red district in deep red kansas, a district that donald trump won by nearly 30 points in november. this is the sort of race that should be called immediately when polls close. this is something where it shouldn't be hard at all for the republican party to hold onto this seat. this is a seat so partisan that you might expect the democratic party wouldn't even run someone in a district like this. but the democrats are running someone, and we're watching these results come in tonight. polls close at 8:00 p.m. eastern. we do not yet have a result. we'll be watching that throughout this hour. we'll be reporting on that story later on this evening. also tonight, the white house made itself the center of quite a lot of unflattering