that does it for our broadcast here tonight. thank you for being here with us. good night from new york. i was going to fire comey. there is no good time to do it. >> are you angry with mr. comey because of his russia investigation? >> i just want somebody who is competent. i'm a big fan of the fbi. >> did you ask him to drop the investigation? >> no, never. >> did anyone from the white house? no. in fact, i want the investigation speeded up. >> president trump sits down for his first interview since firing fbi director, james comey. there are new questions about the timeline. >> the new acting fbi

i said, i'll consider it and see what happens. at that time, he told me, you are not under investigation.

>> did you call him? >> in one case, i called him. >> did you ask him, am i under investigation? >> i said, if it's possible, would you let me know, am i under investigation? >> he said, you are not under investigation. >> new reports contradict the president's claim. one current and two former fbi officials tell nbc news the white house summoned comey to dinner shortly after the inauguration. the president is not correct. the white house called him out of the blue. comey didn't want to do it. he didn't want the rank and file at the fbi to know about it. the former official added that he tried to stay way from the russian investigation. telling the president, look, sir, i really can't get into it and you don't want to. after dinner, president trump asked whether comey would pledge his loyalty to him. according to two sources who heard comey's account, the fbi director declined to make that pledge. he told trump he would always be

honest with him but he was not reliable in the conventional, political sense have the lester holt asked the president if he felt he had betrayed him about wiretapping and the russian investigation. >> you didn't take that as a sign of disloyalty? >> i don't think of it as loyalty. i want whoever the director is to do the right thing. >> what about when he went public and said there was an fbi investigation looking at your campaign and russia? did that anger you? i ask that because there was a sense there was building anger. >> i know, every once in a while, you will say that in the newspaper, somebody will report or have false sources that maybe don't exist because of the media, the way the media is. no. >> did you ask him to drop the investigation? >> no, never. >> did anyone from the white house -- >> no, i want it speeded up. >> any surrogates on behalf of the white house? >> no, not that i know of. i want to find out if there was a problem with an election

having to do with russia or, by the way, anybody else, any other country. coming up on "morning joe" "new york times" reporter, micha michael schmidt will join us. president trump contradicted the statements of mike pence claiming that rod rosenstein's recommendation to fire comey came after he made the final decision. >> did you ask for a recommendation? >> what i did was i was going to fire comey. >> you had made the decision before -- >> i was going to fire comey. there is no good time to do it, by the way. >> in your letter, you said, i accepted their recommendations? >> you had already made the decision sgchlt will i was going to fire regardless of recommendation. >> president trump flatly contradicted what the vice-president said. it was russia and not the

handling of the clinton investigation that was on his mind. >> regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey, knowing that there was no good time to do it. in fact, when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made-up story. it is an excuse by the democrats for having lost an election. >> so that right there stands in direct contrast to what had been the white house message since comey's firing. >> this absolutely has nothing to do with russia. >> it has everything to do with whether the current fbi director has the president's confidence. >> reporter: they said there is investigation between campaign officials and russian officials. >> that's not whoo this is about. the president took strong and decisive leadership and put the safety and security of the american people first.

>> what about the president's dissatisfaction with the russian probe, did that play into this? >> let me be very clear. the president's decision to accept the recommendation of the deputy attorney general and the attorney general to remove director comey as the head of the fbi was based solely and exclusively on hit commitments o the best interest of the nation. >> joining us, jordan hill. how do you think the white house is explaining or going to explain the apparent contradiction sns. >> they are really struggling too, ayman. what the president did in his interview was essentially take the paper trail the white house had built to explain the firing and tear it into pieces. we saw sarah huckabee sanders in the briefing room try to say, i haven't spoken to the president yet before she had denied that

the president had decided already to fire james comey before that memo came out. today, they are going to have to really go on the defensive again. sean spicer returning to the briefing room will have a lot of questions to answer. >>

>> let me play you this. this is more of what president trump said about director comey and his interview. >> he is a show boat, a gr grandstander. the fbi has been in turmoil. you know that. i know that. everybody knows that. you take a look at the fbi a year ago the, it was in virtual turmoil, less than a year ago. it hasn't recovered from that. i also want to have a really competent, capable director. he is not. he is a show boater. he is not my man or not my man. i didn't appoint him. he was appointed long before me. i want somebody who is going to do a great job. >> speaking of that, who is the president going to be looking at

to lead the fbi, you think? >> there are a number of names that have surfaced. one of them is mike rogers, the former chairman of the house intelligence committee, someone who has served on president trump's transition team for a brief period last year and he was a former fbi agent. another name that has surfaced, former nypd commissioner, ray kelly and one out of the box name that has come up is marek garland. president obama's nominee to the supreme court. i think would be doubtful he would take this post under president trump given that he was a lifetime employment to the second most powerful court in the nation. >> thank you very much for joining us. roughly 48 hours into his role, the acting director of the fbi mass thrown cold water on the claim to justify president trump's decision to fire james

comey. andrew mccabe joined the head of other intelligence agencies on global threats. he refuted the white house's claims about comey standing with fbi agents in the scope of the bureau's russia probe. >> yesterday, a white house spokesman said this is one of the smallest things on the plate of the fbi. is that a correct statement? >> sir, we consider it to be a highly significant investigation. >> you would not characterize it as one of the smallest nings you are engaged in? >> i would not. >> do you feel like you have the adequate resources for the existing investigations that the bureau is involved in to follow them wherever they may lead? >> if you are referring to the

russian investigation, i do. i believe we have the adequate resources to do it and i know we have resourced that investigation adequately. i can tell you also that director comey enjoyed broad support within the fbi and still does to this day. we are a large organization, 36,500 people across this country, across this globe. we have a diversity of opinions about many things. i can confidently tell you the vast majority of fbi employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to director comey. >> despite mccabe's testimony contradicting the claims that fbi officials had lost faith in comey as director, sarah huckabee sanders doubled down on that claim yesterday. >> i can speak to my own personal experience, i have heard from countless members of the fbi that are grateful and thankful for the president's

decision. i think that we may have to agree to disagree. i am sure there are some people that are disappointed. i have heard from a large number of individuals. that's just myself and i don't know that many people in the fbi. >> as "the new york times" points out, the chance of countless agents calling the white house to complain about their director and being ran to the deputy white house press secretary is precisely zero percent. the economist sat down with president trump for a wide-ranging interview focusing on his economic policies. the main focus of the may 4th interview published yesterday was the president's recently announced tax plan. trump and treasury secretary, steve mnuchin would not go into specifics saying they are contemplating things. when asked if the wealthiest americans will benefit the most? president trump said, i don't believe that. on the subject of his own unreleased tax returns, the president and his director seemed to differ on if and when.

trump said, he might release them when he is out of office. i am very proud of them. i did a good job once the audit is over. asked if this would increase the deficit he said, it is called priming the pump. it is okay if it increases the deficit. it may only add for two years. you understand the expression, prime the pump despite the reporter answering yes twice. because i haven't heard it. i came up with it just a couple of days ago and i thought it was good. as "the new york times" points out, not only does it date back to the great recession but was commonly used back in 2009 and they can trace the original of the phrase back to the early 1800s. president trump watches a commission to invest gait claims of widespread voter fraud despite little evidence to support it.

heavy rain is hitting part of the heart land. how is the week end shaping up. we are going to ask meteorologist, bill karen, whin we come back. mom gets breakfast in bed...

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call today. comcast business. built for business. welcome back. president trump has signed an executive order to take action over his claims that millions voted illegally costing him the popular vote. he signed the order without cameras present creating the election integrity commission led by mike pence, will investigate allegations of voter fraud and suppression and look at vulnerabilities in the election system. chris kovac has been tasked to save as the vice chair. he has been the driving force behind the strictest votestr i. laws in the country and pushed

to crack down on undocumented immigrants. >> let's get a check on your weather with nbc meteorologist, bill karins. give us some good news. a rainy saturday in the northeast but sunday for mother's day? >> a little improvement. other areas will be just fine on mother's day. yesterday, in oklahoma, we had all the bad weather and some damage done. still, some thunderstorms waking people up early in louisiana, mississippi. by the time the weekend is all said and done, we are aware we could get some flooding out of this. it doesn't look like it. widespread 1-2 inch rainfall interior sections of the northeast and all the way down through the mid-atlantic, including washington, d.c. our rivers can handle it. we may get some minor urban flooding, lower over the bridges or where drains are clogged. that's about it. here is the timing. starting with this morning, we are watching the storms in louisiana. we tracked the storms into

alabama, into northern georgia. the rain breaks out through the appalachians and into areas of west virginia. if we get any flooding out of this, we have to watch the mountainous regions of virginia and west virginia. 8:00 p.m. this evening. richmond, looks like the light, steadier rains will be arriving for you. if you have late evening plans, have the raingear with you from the mid-atlantic to the delmarva. 5:00 p.m. saturday, the rain ends in raleigh, charlotte, rain ending in d.c. by 5:00 p.m. it will be still pouring. the rain moves in during the day in philadelphia, new york, and as we go through saturday evening. notice the rain ends in philadelphia. the heavier rains are in northern new england. for today's forecast, not bad today. northern half of the country, the heavier rains will be in the southeast. as we go through the weekend, we will track that storm up the coast. a lot of people are looking at a nice mother's day forecast.

the middle of the country is warm, 80s, 90s in texas. southeast is great. northern new england can put the complaints in my mailbox. authorities in new orleans have taken down a statue of jefferson davis. crews wearing masks to cover their faces worked under heavy police protection to dismantle the monument you see on your screen. opposing crowds had gathered as the statue was being removed. those against the monument say it represents racism and white supremacy. still ahead, without two star players, the san antonio spurs managed to eliminate the houston rockets. sports coming up next.

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and carrying a no-hitter into the 8th inning until gregory polanco steps up to the plate. >> this one is hit hard again. that one is gone. >> he breaks up the no-no with a so low shot to the right that cuts the d-backs lead in half. arizona goes on to win it, 2-1. in new york city, the yankees trailing the astros in the bottom of the 9th. >> on the ground, base hit to left. he charges. the throw by jake is in time. astros win! >> that's a rocket. houston's jake more is sick cuts down jacoby ellsbury at home sending astros home with a 3-2 win. a low light for you in san francisco. reds second baseman, scooter jeanette waving off his teammates to field the pop-up hit to shallow right field.

he misjudges that ball turning it into a double for brandon crawford. cincinnati still wins it 3-2. the only thing worse than an error like that is doing it twice ask the rays kevin gill mire who makes a virtually identical misplay while charging a ball hit to the ground in center field as he did on monday. this allows for an inside-the-park home run during a five-run 8th inning for the royals. not good. an honorable mention for tampa's chris dickerson who reached over the wall to take a home run away from eric hosmer in the first inning. nice play there. the royals beat the rays 6-0. >> some good baseball highlights. >> i have to say, i learned how to field a ground ball in little league. too much, too soon. >> trash talk. still ahead, developing defending michael flynn. president trump stands by his decision to delay flynn's firing for 18 days after being warned by former acting attorney general sally yates.

plus, president trump talks about his tax plan in a new interview. the details are still scarce. we'll dig up what he said coming up. testinhuh?sting! is this thing on? come on! your turn! where do pencils go on vacation? pennsylvania! (laughter) crunchy wheat frosted sweet! kellogg's frosted mini-wheats. feed your inner kid the uncertainties of hep c. wondering, what if?

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welcome back, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian, with ayman mohyeldin and louis

burgdorf. during a dinner where comey was trying to convince the president to keep him on as the fbi. over dinner, he says president trump demanded his loyalty and comey did not make. the ousted director believes that meeting was the beginning of his downfall. >> democrats are calling for an investigation into the firing, the letter to the committee chairman calls the decision abrupt and says it undermines the russian investigation. chuck schumer has invited deputy attorney general rod rosenstein to the hill to brief all 100 senators on the firing. of course, it was rosenstein's critical memo of comey that the white house first cited as the reason for the firing. the white house scratched visiting the fbi headquarters. while many of them voted for the president, few are happy about the decision to sack comey and the way it was handled.

many are questioning the timing of the decision to p fire jim comey with the russian investigating heating up. here is the president addressing that concern with nbc's lester holt. take a listen. >> did you worry at all when you made the decision to fire comey when you did, the day before lavrov was here in the white house and the russian ambassador? did you think through the optics of the way this would look? >> i never thought about it. it didn't matter. >> the way this guy was investigating. >> it was set up a while ago. i could have waited but what difference does it make. i don't see what difference it makes. you think it is a coincidence. actually, it was set up. am i now going to cancel the lavrov meeting or delay something else? i'm not looking for cosmetics. i'm looking to do a great job for the country. i'm looking to create jobs. i'm looking to create strength and security. i'm looking to have strong borders. i'm looking for things like

that. if people say, oh, gee, i met with lavrov. by the way, i had a very good meeting with him. i think we are going to settle the syrian horrible problem relatively soon. >> that meeting resulted in more embarrassing headlines after the white house was forced to admit it was duped into allowing a russian state media photographer into the oval office by claiming he was sergei lavrov's official photographer. there was no immediate plan to release images. the administration was caught off guard when photos appeared online shortly after wednesday's meeting. the white house did not release pictures until yesterday. they dismissed any concerns of a security threat saying the photographer went stthrough the normal screening process. there are questions over the shifting events the white house has offered over the events of the firing of james comey. >> reporter: in this tale of two days, the story keeps changing. flashback to tuesday night when

the white house said the president acted based on the clear recommendations of the department of justice. >> no one from the white house. that was a d.o.j. decision. >> reporter: wednesday, the vice-president reiterated rod rosenstein's role repeatedly. >> because of the actions that the deputy attorney general outlined, to act on the recommendations, to take the recommendation of the deputy attorney general. >> reporter: later that day, a shift. >> frankly, he had been considering letting director comey go since the day he was elected. >> reporter: now, the white house deflecting questions on the revised rational. >> this shouldn't be a complicated process. the president knew that director comey was not up to the task. >> he has the absolute right to fire him for any reason. the problem is the inconsistent reasons being offered. >> reporter: democrat warn warner alarmed that the president called comey a show boat. in a senate hearing, the acting fbi director defended the man he replaced.

>> director comey enjoyed broad sfoert within the fbi and still does to this day. >> reporter: back at the white house, a different story again. i have heard from countless members of the fbi that are grateful and thankful for the president's decision. we may have to agree to disagree. that was hallie jackson reporting. joining us jordan po smith. only 38% think director comey's dismissal was appropriate. that was before yesterday's contradictions came to light. is there a sense of frustration at the white house that they are not getting their story straight? >> absolutely, ayman. the president came out and basically ripped up the story line that the white house had concocted to justify director comey's firing. so i think there is some frustration this isn't going over well. i will point out those poll numbers, very interesting to see the firing again breaking down

along partisan lines. so i know this is being -- going into their camps. >> jordan, the white house also claiming that director comey lost the faith of many of the people working at the fbi. let's take a listen to that and then we'll talk. >> i can speak to my own personal experience. i have heard from countless members of the fbi that are grateful and thankful for the president's decision. i think that we may have to agree to disagree. i am sure there are some people that are disapointed. i have certainly heard from a large number of individuals. that's just myself. i don't even know that many people in the fbi. >> that's not necessarily what we are hearing outside of the press room, is it, jordan? >> no, it is not, yasmin. frankly, it is odd that sarah huckabee sanders would make that kind of claim from the white house briefing room. it would be very inappropriate.

i have talked to people inside this administration and the obama administration. it would be unusual for people from the fbi to contact people from the white house press shop to offer endorsements of the firing of the white house director. it doesn't add up and other accounts in the media from folks in the fbi back up that story line that acting director mccabe gave to the senate. >> sanders says she spoke to countless people and on the other hand, she is saying i don't even know that many people. >> it doesn't make any sense. >> let me ask you quickly going into the weekend. what should we expect from the white house as we head into this? >> president trump seems to be hunkered down again at the white house. as you mentioned before, there was talk of going over to the fbi for a show of support. he is going to travel to give a commencement speech. that will be the first time we will see the president out and about since the firing of

director comey. >> jordan fabian. thank you. some other moments of the president's interview with lester holt. he defended the delay in firing his former national security adviser, accused of refusing to hand over documents related to the russian investigation without the guarantee of immunity. while the president criticized comey as a show boat and grandstander, he had only kind words for the man lawmakers accused of slowing down the russian investigation. >> general flynn is a part of this investigation. sally yates testified that the white house was notified he had been compromised and at risk of being blackmailed. it was 18 days later that he was finally fired. during that 18 days he had access, i assume, to all the nation's top secrets. one day you meet on the issue of comey and you fire him in a humiliating way while he is sitting in a room with his colleagues. >> my white house counsel came

back to me and it didn't sound like an emergency. he didn't make it sound like that way either in the hearings like it had to be done immediately. this man has served for many years. he is a general. he is, in my opinion, a very good person. i believe it would be very unfair to hear from somebody who you don't even know and immediately run out and fire the general. >> the acting attorney general. >> my white house counsel came to me. the they had, i believe, two meetings. we ultimately fired but we fired for a different reason. >> did you know that he had received payments from the russian government? >> no. >> that he received payments from the turkish government? >> but obama perhaps knew. he had clearance from the obama administration. this is something they never want to report. he had clearance from the obama

administration, the highest clearance you can have. >> so it goes on. the president was also pressed over his business dealings as it pertains to russia. a senate committee has already reached out to the treasury department for information about his finances. here is the president pushing back against those concerns. >> i have nothing to do with russia. i have no investments in russia, none whatsoever. i don't have property in russia. a lot of people thought i owned office buildings in moscow. i don't have property in russia. i am in total compliance in every way. i am not involved with russia. i have had dealings over the years where i sold a house to a very well think russian many years ago. i had the miss universe pageant, which i owned for quite a while, i had it in moscow, a long time ago. other than that, i have nothing to do with russia. >> important to note here,

democrats have long said that the president should release his tax returns to prove he has nothing to do with russia. >> now, to the discussion of who should replace james comey, republican senator, mike lee, is floating an unlikely name. this morning, other gop lawmakers are backing that idea. >> one name that i think the white house really ought to consider, is marek garland, the d.c. circuit judge nominated for the supreme court last year. this is someone with a long history of prosecutorial experience. one of the lead prosecutors behind the timothy mcveigh prosecution in oklahoma city. this would be an exciting pick, a prosecutors prosecutor. he has likely allies as a potential fbi nominee in both political parties. >> eric -- merrick garland is back in the spotlight. i suggested that the whitecious ought to consider him.

i didn't say they should pick him. i said, put merrick into the list too. senator lindsey graham reportedly backed the idea of considering merrick. i like that, i think he is a good guy. louisiana republican senator, bill cassidy, also seemed to approve. >> i think it is incumbent upon the president who appoint somebody who all americans will have faith in? >> like merrick garland. >> i is an attorney so mike would have a better assessment of garland's merit, if you will, as an fbi director. i have not investigated that independently. if what he is saying is we need someone whom democrats would also respect and woefrn severyo see as an independent voice, i will certainly agree with that concept. >> a happened fundful of democr weighed in on the idea. amy kimbuchar tweeted.

here is what senator dick durban told reporters. >> i don't know if merrick garland would be interested. he is an extraordinarily qualified and competent man. >> now, if he were to leave the d.c. circuit court for the fbi director position, president trump would be able to pick a candidate to fill garland's seat. >> look at this. merrick garland never seeing the light of day and possibly be the fbi director. that would be really surprising. >> only in washington. >> absolutely. we should note, senator dick durban will be a guest coming up later on "morning joe." still ahead, tracking more severe weather. the potential for damaging winds and large hail. bill karins will give us an update on all that and much more. the president just spoke about the bill that was passed. >> it is going to be fantastic health care. we have a failing health care but i shouldn't say this to a

great gentlemen and my friend from australia. you have better health care than we do. >> wait a minute, chris. the president has just said it. thank you, mr. president. we'll quote you on the floor of the senate. we can't stay here! why? terrible toilet paper! i'll never get clean! way ahead of you. (avo) charmin ultra strong. it cleans better. it's four times stronger and you can use less. enjoy the go with charmin.

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tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. [boy] cannonball! [girl] don't... [man] not again! [burke] swan drive. seen it. covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ trust #1 doctor recommended dulcolax. use dulcolax tablets for gentle dependable relief. suppositories for relief in minutes. and dulcoease for comfortable relief of hard stools. dulcolax. designed for dependable relief. welcome back. turning to business where president trump discussed his plans for the economy. nancy joining us live from

london. the president's tax plan was the main focus. details and specifics were scarce. a lot of talk about priming the pump. >> that's right, louis. on the tax plan, president trump was asked if it was okay for the reform to, in effect, increase the national deficit. the president said, basically, yes. it is okay. the increase won't last for very long. he also talked about the hope that health care reform would help to, in effect, pay for this tax reform. remember that in an of itself was not a done deal yet. then, there was the, quote, prime the pump. an old economic phrase used to describe when governments increase spending or make changes to the tax code to in effect boost economic growth. when he talked about the need to prime the pump, he in effect seemed to take credit for the phrase saying he came up with it a couple days ago despite the interviewer saying he was aware of the term and then u.s. treasury secretary, steve mnuchin did step in to explain over the course of the

administration, they hope to have enough economic growth that you could see $2 trillion over ten years in revenues. hence, the word, prime the pump in the short term. the interview also talked about trade. donald trump saying very clearly he wants fair trade. this comes as we learn from the u.s. congress secretary that a deal between u.s. and china will expand trade specifically with chicken and beef imports. it was crucial for the u.s. industry wanting to get the imports into china to try to improve the u.s. trade balance with beijing. back to you for now. >> nancy, live from london. thanks so much. this is a good one. here is one way of setting a guinness world record. in april, 16-year-old carter wilson dwoo tweeted out, yo, wendy's, how many tweets for a free chicken mcnugget? they said 18 million. he said, help me, please, a mn needs his nuggs.

more than 3.5 million is your pazzing that. despite not reaching 18 million, wendy's is giving the kid his free nuggets for one year. he has also started making t-shirts with all the proceeds going to the dave thomas foundation for adoption. >> he sent us some nuggets. >> we could use some nuggets. the story of the lawmaker that made history by becoming the first person to breast feed in parliament. sheryl sandberg regarded as a champion of working mothers sent her support going, go, larissa waters, leading by exam, hashtag, lean in. >> incredible. >> let's get a check on your weather with nbc meteorologist, bill karins. >> ayman, you have your first mother's day coming up this weekend. >> i celebrated last night. >> you are going out of town for your wife's birthday. >> good guy. >> you have to make up for that one. we had a really good time, went to a broadway play. a lot of gifts. >> yes, all right.

>> nobody cares. >> no guilt. let me show you some pictures from oklahoma, some damage from the severe storms going through. a couple tornadoes. we saw a lot of wind damage. you get these big, huge trees falling and the structure held up pretty well considering how huge that tree is. as we go throughout the day today, we are going to continue to watch some severe weather, not a lot. isolated severe storms. we already have thunderstorms this morning. if you are in alexandria, down to lake charles in south central louisiana. these will move through the south. we don't have a slight risk of severe storms. just a marginal risk. in the southeast, we will have some of those storms with us. as we go through saturday, that storm system goes up the east coast. it is a rainout type saturday, from d.c. to baltimore. in new york, the rain arrives later in the day, the heavier stuff, specially in the afternoon. for mother's day, that's only northern new england. the rest of the country is

looking good. the northeast and northwest corner have the issues for mom. a ayman doesn't have to work with. >> it is my first mother's day. >> your first mother's day too. still ahead, new information on the battle to retake mosul. we'll tell you what the iraqi army is saying. the earliest known recording of jfk. that piece of incredible history next. 5.0-liter v8 engine. a 10-speed direct-shift transmission. a meticulously crafted interior. all of these are feats of engineering. combining them with near-perfect weight distribution... ...is a feat of amazing. experience the first-ever 471-horsepower lexus lc 500 or the multistage hybrid lc 500h. experience amazing. tidy cats lightweight with glade clean blossoms. our newest odor fighting scent! gives you the power of choice plus...

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week, a couple weeks before ramadan begins on may 26th. it comes as reports indicate advanced u.s. backed iraqi forces is moving through the old city that still controls that part of the city. joining us live from london, nbc foreign correspondent keir simmons. could the 7-month-long fight for mosul finally be coming to an end? >> as you know, it's been bloody urban warfare since october in mosul. and now we are hearing reports that they think only fewer than a thousand isis military are holed up in northwestern areas of mosul. there, too, trapped, 450,000 civilians. the international committee of the red cross expressing concerns for those civilians as

supplies of food and water run out. it has been a deadly toll. a thousand civilians dead or wounded and iraq's military, we think, has lost around 770 security personnel and seen almost 5,000 wounded. more civilians are likely to be displaced as the fighting continues, but now a iraqi commander telling the british organization that he's hoping the fighting will be over, that mosul will be liberated from isis in the coming weeks and crucially hopefully before the 26th of may which is before the holy month of ramadan. >> a brutal fight not only in iraq, but if they take mosul, they still have to make their way to raqqa. keir simmons, thank you very much. up next, the on the coming fallout over the firing of james comey as fbi director. we'll talk to "new york times'"

michael schmidt who is reporting what the firing. senator dick durbin is calling for an independent council on the russia probe. >> congressman elijah cummings u calling for emergency hearings on the decision. "morning joe" just moments away. you have access to the right information at the right moment. ♪ ♪ and when you filter out the noise, it's easy to turn your vision into action. ♪ ♪ it's your trade. e*trade. start trading today at etrade.com (vo) more "dper rollres for mom" bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty the quicker picker upper introducing new depend silhouette active fit,

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welcome back. before we toss it over to "morning joe," let's check on the stories in the day ahead. vice president mike pence heads to montana with leaders in the state's energy and coal mining industry, also leaders from the crow nation indian transcribe. former first lady michelle obama at the annual summit in washington, d.c. >> a historic day in space. nasa astronauts peggy whitson and jack fisher will perform a 200th space walk in just a half hour. >> that does it for us on this friday. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside louis burgdorf and ayman mohyeldin. you said you had confidence in i'm what change? >> the recommendation behind it.

>> when you receive a report that is so clear and a recommendation by someone like the deputy attorney general, you have no choice but to act. >> president trump made the right decision at the right time. to accept the recommendation of the deputy attorney general and the attorney general, to ask for the termination, to support the termination of the director of the fbi. because of the actions that the deputy attorney general outlined to the president that were endorsed and agreed with by the attorney general. the president made the right decision at the right time. >> this is the action a president takes when he is told by the deputy attorney general who has only been on the job for 14 days, he took a new assessment, a new look at everything. >> did you ask for a recommendation? >> what i did is i was going to fire comey, my decision. >> you had made the