busier than average wednesday night in may. thank you for being here with us. good night for all of us here in new york. so, the new man of the hour is robert mueller, right, who actually ran the fbi before comey. and he had been enjoying himself in private law practice. i can only imagine him sitting at home watching all this comeyt part of this anymore. i'm just like, la, la, la, hello, oh, for god's sake. what it help if i said i'm too old for this [ bleep ]? see you in an hour. the justice department names former fbi director robert mueller as special counsel overseeing investigation into

russian interference in the 2016 election. this morning the reaction over that move from the white house to capitol hill. new questions emerging over former national security adviser michael flynn and who in the trump team new what and when and his ties to turkey. demonstrators take to the streets in tulsa, oklahoma, after a police officer is acquitted in the shooting of an unarmed black man. good morning. it's thursday, may 18th. i'm ayman mohyeldin in washington, d.c. jasmine is in new york alongside louis burgdorf. a high-profile special counsel will take over the justice department's investigation of russian interference in the 2016 campaign. former fbi director robert mueller takes the helm immediately in charge of prosecutors and fbi agents in multiple field offices across the country. he was appointed by deputy attorney general rod rosenstein, who is overseeing doj's investigation after attorney general jeff sessions recused

himself. a justice department spokesperson told nbc news the white house counsel's office was informed about the appointment of a special counsel after the order was signed. president trump reacted in a statement, as i have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know. there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity. i look forward to this matter concluding quickly. in the meantime,ly never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to our country. mueller's 12 years in the fbi is the longest at the fbi after j. edgar hoov. comey was fired by the trump administration and reportedly wrote a memo alleging the president asked him to drop an investigation into michael flynn. comey served as deputy attorney general while mueller led the fbi and mueller stood with comey in march 2004 when the bush administration then tried to overrule comey's decision not to

extend the domestic surveillance program. that resulted in a confrontation at the hospital room of ailing attorney general john ashcroft which comey testified about before the senate back in 2007. >> i went out in the hallway, spoke to director mueller by phone. he was on his way. he handed the phone to the head of the security detail and director mueller instructed the fbi agents present not to allow me to be removed from the room under any circumstances. >> as i understand it, you believe that others were also prepared to resign, not just you, is that correct? >> yes. >> was one of those director mueller? >> i believe so. you'd have to ask him, but i believe so. >> you had conversations with him about it? >> yes. >> the appointment of robert mueller as special counsel is uniting many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle as they praise the move, including the man over his own probe of the 2016 election. >> i think that the acting

attorney general thought that this was in the best interest of the investigation. i see absolutely no reason why i wouldn't agree with him. >> the top democrat in house intelligence committee adam schiff echoed senator burr saying mueller will help re-establish public nfidence. intel committee member devin nunes said the right man was chosen for the job. nancy pelosi said mueller is a respected public servant of the highest integrity. house speaker paul ryan said he welcomed mueller's role at the department of justice. but earlier in the day he stressed he and fellow house members are doing much more than just focusing on russia. >> i think people in america turn on the tv and they think this is all that's happening. this is all we're doing and all we're discussing. that's just not the case. i want the american people to know that we're busy hard at work fixing their problems. >> meanwhile, another congressional committee has formally invited fbi director

jim comey to testify on his termination. the senate judiciary committee officially extending the offer to comey yesterday. that makes the third committee to do so. joining us in washington is molly hooper of "the hill." there is some really worry in congress about the future of a federal russia probe. do you get the sense now that people are less fearful now, people are less worried now with mueller at the helm? >> i think that republicans and democrats, to a certain extent, are breathing a collective sigh of relief. i mean, it seemed like the pressure was building and building and building. yesterday talking to republican lawmakers leaving their closed-door meeting on the house side, this had been the first time they had really been in town since comey was fired. one thing they kept saying is, we want to hear from comey. we want to see these memos. we want to see this information. and saying, you know, yes, there are hse and senate intel investigations going on, but, you know, if it need be, we want to have an independent

investigation, if those committees aren't able to get to the bottom of what happened. so, i think that this really lessens the pressure on republican who is are trying to work on getting tax reform, health care, infrastructure package through congress. >> molly, let me ask you quick. about those committees you mentioned. the former fbi director james comey has now been invited by three different congressional committees to testify in the russian investigation. how likely do you think that is going to happen? does the weight or significance of those committee's investigations now lessen because we have a special prosecutor? >> you know, i actually -- i don't think it does lessen. keep in mind the special prosecutor, this -- that investigation's going to be taking place behind closed doors. i mean, if you look back at iran contra, that almost took eight years. and whitewater was four years. it's not going to be happening in the public eye. so, house and senate, they will be under pressure to produce results on their own investigations that the public can actually see. when it comes to comey, we'll see what happens.

according to reports, he does want to testify publicly, so i would think he would be allowed to. i think it also depends on whether bob mueller has anything to say about it because if -- you know, depending on how the federal investigation's going, sometimes they don't want their witnesses to be, you know, inenti interrogated, so to speak, or interviewed because it could cause problems for the igation. i think if it was up to comey, he'd be the. republican lawmakers to want hear from him. they want to know what's in those memos, if those memos exist. >> molly hooper live on the hill from "the hill". at the center of all of this is michael flynn. new questions emerge about who knew what and when about his ties to foreign governments. "the new york times" reports this morning that flynn himself told the transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working for turkey as a paid lobbyist. the paper cites two people familiar with the case that he

informed dan mcgann on february 4th. a source familiar with conversations at a trump tower meeting two days after the election tells nbc news michael flynn made it clear that he wanted to be national security adviser and that jared kushner and ivanka trump made it clear that president-elect trump would certainly approve that request to reward flynn's loyalty. flynn was appointed only forced to resign weeks later for misleading the vice president over his considerations with russia's ambassador. and now mcclatchy is raising the curran on whether his turkey relations colored. ten days before donald trump was sworn in before president, flynn reportedly told susan rice to hold off on a plan for u.s. forces to retake isis's capital of raqqah. it worked hand in hand with syrian kurdish forces which turkey opposed. the obama administration lood in the incoming administratio sie th plan would likely be

executed once trump was in office. the president did eventually approve the raqqah plan but not until weeks after flynn was gone. one of the things that reportedly raised alarm bells in the justice department early on was an editorial flynn published in support of turkey and called for the extradition of a clashg living in pennsylvania. on november 8th, election day, he wrote in part, quote, it is fair to say most americans don't know exactly what to make of our ally, turkey, these days as it endures a prolonged political crisis that challenges its long-term stability. we must begin with understanding turkey is vital to u.s. interests. turkey is really our strongest ally in islamic state in iraq and syria. according to the "new york times," the justice department notified him they were looking into his work. >> nbc news has confirmed erdogan's body guards were part of a massive brawl outside turkey's embassy in d.c. on tuesday. this is stunny video.

it came on the same day president trump hosted erdogan at the white house. president trump has yet to address the incident. in a statement issued yesterday afternoon, the state department said, quote, we're concerned by the violent incidents involving protesters and turkish security personnel tuesday evening. violence is never an appropriate response to free speech. we support the right to people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protests. we're communicating our concern to the turkish government in the strongest possible terms. the turkish embassy claims the protesters were, quote, aggressively provoking and they responded in self-defense to the provocative demonstrations. turkey's state-run news agency says police did not heed turkish demands to intercede. erdogan's security moved in to disperse them. multiple people were hurt in the attacks, including two secret service agents. two were arrested, one charged with assaulting a police officer. none of erdogan's people have

been arrested. its a sad day in the music world. rock frontman chris cornell has died. known best for his being ontive defying vocals from soundgarden and topped the charts with "audio slave," selling 30 million records across the span of his career. he contributed to hollywood writing and performing the theme song for the james bond movie "classic casino royale." he performed on "the tonight show" in scht his new studio album. in march soundgarden announced a reunion tour. playing in detroit last night. a representative says his wife and family are shocked and will be working closely with the medical examiner. chris cornell was 52 years old. a tulsa, oklahoma, police officer acquitted in the shooting of an unarmed black family. a controversial sheriff heading for a role in the trump white house? the position he says he's taking. lebron james and the cavaliers shutting down the boston celtics in opening game

of the eastern conference finals. we have all of the highlights and much more in sports. and the heat is on in the east. bill karins will have a check on weather when we come back.

introducing new depend silhouette active fit, with a thin design for complete comfort. they say "move it or lose it" and at my age, i'm moving more than ever. because getting older is inevitable. but feeling older? that's something i control. get a free sample at depend.com. hey team, i know we're tight on time, but i really need a... ...sick day tomorrow. moms don't take sick days. moms take nyquil severe: the... ...nighttime sniffling,sneezing, coughing, aching, fever best... ...sleep with a cold, medicine.

new neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair wrinkles? your time is up! with the proven power of retinol. reduces wrinkles in jusone week. neutrogena® the shlike a bald penguin. how do i look? [ laughing ] show me the billboard music awards. show me top artist. show me the top hot 100 artist.

they give awards for being hot and 100 years old? we'll take 2! [ laughing ] xfinity x1 gives you exclusive access to the best of the billboard music awards just by using your voice. the billboard music awards. sunday, may 21st eight seven central only on abc. proceed tessers took to the streets in downtown tulsa on wednesday night after a jury acquitted a white police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black man. po officer betty shelby was ged with first-degree manslaughter in the 2016 shooting death of terence crutcher. she was found not guilty. that began with the report of a stalled vehicle and ended with shelby firing her weapon. she says out of fear because crutcher didn't obey her commands. his father says he believes the officer, quote, got away with murder and that the family was visibly shaken as they left the

courtroom. an autopsy found pcp in his system and in his vehicle as well. david clarke, long-time trump supporter says he's accepted a senior position at the department of homeland security. speaking on a milwaukee radio show, sheriff clarke said he would be appointed assistant secretary for the office of partnership and engagement as liaison with state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. the white house has declined to comment and dhs official says no such announcement has been formally made. clarke has turned head with a range of policing. grand jury has recommended charges against a staff at a jail he runs with the death of an inmate denied water for a week. also in wisconsin, governor scott walker toured tornado damage yesterday after dozens were injured and one person was can killed tuesday night. the walker declared a state of emergency in three counties. gleelet's get a check of yo weather with nbc news meteorologist bill karins. more parts of the country are

facing risks of severe weather and a heat wave in the northeast. >> today will be one of the more dangerous days of the entire year from a weather system because we're expecting tornadoes today, long track, strong tornadoes, the k tt can destroy towns and devastate communities. let's get into what's happening now. just rain this morning. the stormsy yesterday are over with. here's the damage path of the 400 miles. this is the strong wind ee event that started in areas of iowa, went through the des moines area. all these dots are wind damage. governor walker in wisconsin, wind damage. not tornadoes just severe thunderstorm, wind gusts that created a lot of problems. now getting into today. this is a high-risk day. we get one, two, at least most a year. that means we're expecting strong, violent tornados in the area of the magenta, the pink. that's the high-risk area. 27 million people are at risk of

severe storms today, including syracuse, buffalo, erie to cleveland, detroit. this area in central kansas and oklahoma at the highest risk. that's who has the chance of seeing tornadoes. this magenta, the high-risk area is 1 million people at risk, including witch tashgs the biggest city in this. a lot of little cities like dodge city and moreland. oklahoma city is in the enhanced risk, you're on the edge. these can change throughout the day depending on how the situation is changing throughout the afternoon. if you know anyone in kansas or oklahoma, make sure they know today is one of those very dangerous days. thankfully it looks like the timing of it, here's 5 p.m., the storms are beginning to form. the kids will be home from school. as we go throughout the afternoon from about 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. is when the majority of the tornadoes will be. it's very typicalate afternoon, early evening. thousands probably storm chasers outhere. if we get tornadoes in the flat areas here, we'll know where they are.

we did mention the heat in the east. it continues today. today is the last day of the heat wave. 93 from boston it d.c. once again, yasmin, you know, we only get these days once or twice. if we can make it through these days without any fatalities, it's a blessing. >> containing yous conditions for those in the east coast and midwest. still ahead, all of the highlights from game one of the nba eastern conference finals. questions emerging about the health of new england patriots quarterback tom brady following a surprising revelation from his wife. louis has details in sports next.

what's the story behind green mountain coffee and fair trade? let's take a flight to colombia. this is boris calvo. boris grows mind-blowing coffee. and because we pay him a fair price, he improves his farm and invest in his community to make even better coffee. all for a smoother tasting cup. green mountain coffee. rumor confirmed. they're playing. -what? -we gotta go. -where? -san francisco. -when? -friday. we gotta go. [ tires screech ] any airline. any hotel. any time. go where you want, when you want with no blackout dates. [ muffled music coming from club. "blue monday" by new order. cheers. ] [ music and cheers get louder ] the travel rewards credit card from bank of america.

it's travel, better connected. the travel rewards credit card from bank of america. only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® iit's not how fast you mow...'s how well you mow fast. ...it's how well you mow fast. woooh! it's not how fast you mow... it's how well you mow fast! it's not how fast you mow...it's how well you mow fast. they're not just words to mow by, they're words to live by. the john deere ztrak z345r with the accel deep deck to mow faster better. take a test drive and save up to 250 dollars on select john deere

residential ztrak mowers. welcome back. time for sports. game one of the nba eastern conference finals, no matter what the celtics tried, there was no stopping lebron james, who led the defending champion cavaliers with 38 points in last night's 117-104 victory. kevin love putting up a playoff career high of 32. as cleveland improves to a 9-0 in the postseason after taking the series opener. the series remains in boston for game two tomorrow night. meanwhile, the lakers winning the number two pick in the nba draft lottery. the pieces all seem to be falling into place for lavar ball, who wants his son, one of the nba's top prospects, lonzo ball, to play for l.a. the basketball dad made headlines a couple weeks ago after releasing his son's big baller brand signature sneakers for a whopping $495 a pair. ball told colin cowherd in a

radio interview yesterday that he sold 400 to 500 pairs so far. with the way the draft is looking to shake out, any major shoe brand looking to get on board will have to pay a hefty price for a deal. >> now that lonzo's headed to los angeles, what they should have did is give me a billion dollars and let me be ony way. if they to want talk to me, it should be $3 billion. triple bs, b, b, b. >> you don't believe that. >> i do believe that. that's the only way they're coming at me. >> ball is also receiving criticism for that interview for telling co-host kristine leahy to, quote, stay in your lane during a heat exchange over whether his company would consider catering to women. turning to the ice in game three of the nhl eastern conference final. to ottawa the senators take a one-game lead over the penguins after a huge 5-1 win last night. ottawa netted four in the first period, including a three-goal burst in the span of less than

2:30. the series remains in ottawa for game four tomorrow night. and in nfl news, patriots' quarterback tom brady has been thrust back into the headlines after his supermodel wife gisele bundchen revealed her husband has suffered concussions. the problem, officially the new england qb has never had a concussion. the team has never listed him as having any type of head injury at this point in his kroefl career. the nfl requires significant or noteworthy injuries to be reported. >> as you know, its not the most like, let's say, an aggressive sport. right, football, like he had a concussion last year. mean, he has concussions -- we don't talk b but he does have concussions. i don't think it's a healthy thing for your body to go through. >> the patriots have not issued any response so far. and in major league baseball, bad blood brewing between the blue jays and braves after last night's game in atlanta. things started to get heated at the top of the seventh inning after toronto's kevin had choice

words for braves pitcher jason mott who sent him back to the dugout with a quick pitch strikeout. what was said is unclear but it was bad enough for a warning from home plate umpire and benches to spill out on the field. the next innings batista sends a home run into left field and accents it with a big bat flip before rounding the bases. he has words with catcher suzuki and benches clear again. atlanta wins it 8-4 and braves pitcher eric o'flaherty who game up the home run had comments about the incident after the game. >> it's turning to look at me stuff. it's not even about winning anymore. he wants to hit a home run in a fife-run game and throw the bat around, i mean, surprised he's ready to fight again after last year, but he's throwing some looks around, so, it is what it

is. >> o'flaherty mentioning an incident last season where bautista was punched in the face. >> i'm still shocked by the stay in your lane comment. nope, not happening. >> completely inappropriate. still ahead, the justice department tapping former fbi director as special counsel to oversee the probe into russia's ro. we look at robert mueller resume and what his first steps may be in the investigation. president trump means with another round of candidates to possibly preplace james comey as fbi director. details of who's on the short list next. hey allergy muddlers

are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® it's starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®. "how to win at business." step one: point decisively with the arm of your glasses. abracadabra. the stage is yours. step two: choose la quinta. the only hotel where you can redeem loyalty points for a free night-instantly and win at business. it's my decision ito make beauty last. roc® retinol, started visibly reducing my fine lines and wrinkles in one week. and the longer i use it, the better it works. retinol correxion® from roc. methods, not miracles.™

will you be ready when the moment turns romantic? cialis for daily use treats ed and the urinary symptoms of bph. tell your doctor about your medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas® for pulmonary hypertension, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have a sudden decrease or loss of hearing or vision, or an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis.

welcome back. ayman mohyeldin is in washington, louis burgdorf is in studio. let's start with this morning's top stories. this afternoon deputy attorney general rod rosenstein is expected to brief the full senate on the firing of james comey. it was rosenstein's memo on comey as the white house first cited as the reason for the firing. it comes one day after he named robert mueller as special counsel for the russia investigation. more on that in a moment. just in this morning, rocker frontman chris cornell has died. he was known for soundgarden and temple of the dog. he also sold millions of albums in the early 2000s with "audio slave" and wrote and performed the theme song for james bond

movie "casino royale." he was 52 years old. the appointment of former fbi director robert mueller as special counsel in the russian investigation, the first major move from deputy attorney general rod rosenstein and something democrats have been demanding. some republicans oppose bringing in someone from the outside but as nbc news news justice correspondent pete williams, mueller is hardly an outsider. >> after serving as deputy attorney general for just three weeks, this was rod rosenstein's decision. he took himself out of overseeing the russia investigation and turned that over to robert mueller. he said the move is in the public interest, so the public can have confidence in the outcome. mueller is the former fbi director. he served in that 12 years in that job. held over, in fact, two extra years before james comey became the fbi director. and next to j. edgar hoover, mueller is the longest serving in the job. he'll have the full authority to investigate the russian matter

that any u.s. attorney would. that includes the power to file criminal charges if it comes to that. congressional democrats have been pushing for the appointment of a special counsel ever since rosenstein was confirmed. and ever since attorney general jeff sessions took himself out of making any decisions about the russia case. mueller is 72. he took over as fbi director just a week before 9/11. more recently, his name was in the news because the nfl chose him to review the handling of the ray rice domestic violence case. mueller is now in private practice here in washington, but he says he will resign from that firm to avoid any potential conflic conflicts. the immediate effect of this i that the investigation will take a little longer because mueer will have to get up to speed on the case. he can use existing justice department prosecutors to help him. he can ask to have others brought in from the outside. there is no deadline. no one will have to explain to him how the fbi works. ayman? >> pete williams. as pete was mentioning, robert

mueller must get up to speed on the fbi's russian investigation. law enforcement officials tell nbc news that former trump aides flynn and manafort are the key figures in that probe. those officials say two men are formally considered subjects of a criminal investigation, though their lawyers say they have done nothing wrong. a subject is someone whose conduct is being examined by the investigation and may be suspected of a crime. officials say multiple grand jury subpoenas and records requests have been issued within the past six months. a new report says trump partnered with a russian canadian developer who received millions in funding from a bank run by the russian government. he received $850 million for his share in a ukrainian steelmaker in 2010. some of that money was injected into the trump toronto project which was financially troubled. his attorney initially put the figure at $15 million but later

said he could not confirm the amount. at the time vladimir putin was chairman of the bank's supervisory board which initiated the purchase, according to "the journal." jared kushner met with the head of the bank which was sanctioned by the u.s. during the transition. president trump continues to meet with potential successors to jim comey as fbi director. he met with four candidates, including acting fbi director andrew mccabe, franc keating of oklahoma, former fbi official richard mcfeeley and vice presidential candidate joe lieberman of connecticut. ahead of his meeting with the president, lieberman declined to tell "moing joe" whether if he would be offered the job. saying it was something unexpected and not something i was seeking. these follow meetings over the weekend. earlier john cornyn and trey gowdy both withdrew their names

for the role. "the new york times" reports the president asked james comey to drop the investigation into michael flynn now has republicans talking about trending towards impeachment. unlike some democrats, they're treading lightly. >> reporter: earlier today you said the president should be impeached if the comey memo is true. do you stand by that? >> i have nothing further. >> reporter: do you think the president may have obstructed justice? >> i have nothing to further to add. >> any effort to dissuade federal agents from proceeding where with an investigation is very serious and could be construed as obstruction of squat. these obstruction of justice cases dealing with a president can get ugly very fast. >> you say if it is obstruction of justice, is that an impeachable offense for you? >> in the case of nixon, in the case of clinton in the late '90s has been considered on

impeachable offense. again, now, again, we need to get director comey in here. he needs to lay it all out. we need to see any evidee and then decide how to proceed. >> and with the watergate comparison, do you think we're heading towards impeachment proceedings or is it too early? >> i think it's too early. i was using that and iran/contra and other similar situations. not just watergate. ir iran/contra. the way ronald reagan was able to overcome iran/contra is he got everything out so there were no more questions so the country could move on. that's what we need to do now. >> the house of representatives has a duty that it can take up and that is of impeachment. i stand for impeachment of the president. it simply means the house of representatives will bring charges against the president. it's similar to an indictment but not quite the same thing. once the president is impeached, then the senate can have a trial.

>> curbelo also said discussion of impeachment is premature. we'll have much more coming up on "morning joe" with john mccain and susan collins. one of the first lawmakers to call for president trump's impeachment, maxine waters. molly hooper joining us again from washington. good to see you again. >> hello. >> for the most part, it seems democrats are being cautious about their talk of impeachment here. >> they are. in fact, al green who we saw on the floor calling for impeachment talked to "the hill" shortly after that speech and said he had not, in fact, introduced a resolution of impeachment yet. and that would come maybe later. he's not going away. but he just hasn't done it yet. and so he's reserving the right to do it. he just hasn't done it yet. so it's like the democrats are taking -- are saying these thin but they haven't done them t date. and they're waiting for more evidence tcome out, i think, and greater -- greater, you know, public outcry.

republicans are as well saying it's a recurring theme. it's too early to call for impeachment but we want to hear that comey addition we want to hear what comey has to say. we want to see those memos. we can go from there. >> let me get your reaction to another story from capitol hill. "the washington post" reporting that house majority leader kevin mccarthy said last year that the can -- then candidate donald trump could be receiving payments from russian president vladimir putin. according to an audio recording obtained from the post last june, he said to fellow gop leaders, quote, there are two people putin pays, robacher and trump. ball ryan says, this is off the record, no leaks, all right? now, it's worth noting "the post" reports the spokesperson for mccarthy and ryan deny the exchange had taken place until being told there was a recording. then mccarthy quickly pushed back on that report, noting the transcript of the audio

repeatedly notes laughter. take a listen. >> if you listen to it, everyone laughs so you know it's a bad tape and and a joke and that's all there is to it. no one believes it to be true. >> do you still have confidence in the in the. >> 100%. >> and then spokesperson for ryan stated, this entire year-old exchange was clearly an attempt at humor. no one believed the majority leader was seriously asserting donald trump or any of our members were being paid by the russians. what's your make of this story? quite interesting. >> kevin mccarthy likes to joke. he's a very affable guy. keep the timing in mind. president trump, then presidential contender trump, had been saying all these things about russia and about putin not being such a bad guy. and republicans were very uncomfortable with that. in fact, some of them, you know, held off their support until they actually spoke to the

eventual vice president candidate michael pence saying, you have to get off the putin love stuff. i can see mccarthy making a joke to that fact. they were you should a lot of pressure at that time. then-candidate trump was just becoming nominee, no one anticipated it, so i genuinely think it was just a joke. >> molly, no leaks. >> well, that was the big thing. we didn't hear about it for a year. they actually did keep it in the family, which is actually more impressive for them. so, you know, maybe that's the news out of it. they kept it together for a year. >> we're hearing about it now. month thank you. we're deep into graduation season. yesterday the president gave his commencement address to coast guard academy. he turned heads on remarks of his own personal treatment. >> over the course of your life, you will find that things are noalways fair. you will find things happen to

you, that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted. but you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight. look at the way i've been treated lately. especially by the media. no politician in history, and i say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly. you can't let them get you down. you can't let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams. [ applause ] >> i guess that's why -- thank you. i guess that's why we won. >> all right. let's turn to business where u.s. markets closed in turmoil yesterday suffering their worst day since september of last year. cnbc nancy hunger ford joins us live. futures it seems investors in

u.s. and around the world are not convinced about the white house's ability to push major policies through congress given all the headlines and controversy surrounding the white house. >> that's right, lewis. it's the political drama coming out of washington that led to those steep losses on wall street overnight. more than 370 points shed on dow jones industrial average. despite those headlines, keep in mind these markets are at historic levels and since the election, the dow jones and the s&p 500 have both been up more than double digit percentages. yes, we are seeing se of that was inness play out into the european session here as well as a rush into safe havens such as gold. investors are concerned that that optimism of pro-growth economic reform and the tax cuts they are hoping to get under this administration could be at risk. as you mentioned, u.s. futures pointing to another bit of a dip at the open. look out for the action a couple hours from now on wall street. elsewhere, keep an eye on fiat chrysler because shares of the company traded here in europe

are among the worst performers in europe this morning. this amid reports the department of justice could be getting ready to file a civil suit against the company for its diesel emissions. this goes back to a probe looking into whether they violated clean air act. chrysler says there was no explicit forms of cheating involved. keep an eye on cisco shares as well, off 7% in after-hours trade. this comes after the company said it plans to slash 1,100 additional jobs. this comes after they previously announced cuts around 5,500, also coming as earnings disappointed. back to you for now. >> nancy hungerford live from london, thanks. >> if the economy tumbles, that's going to cause additional problems for president trump, that's for sure. still ahead, talk about a quick recovery. u.s. senator collapses during a charity run. reportedly gets cpr and turns to work hours later. we'll have the latest on that.

we're tracking a weird mix severe weather. a possible tornado, a heat wave and a snowstorm. we're going to get all the details. bill karins will try to explain it all for us next. there's nothing more important to me than my vacation. so when i need to book a hotel room, i want someone that makes it easy to find what i want. booking.com gets it. and with their price match, i know i'm getting the best price every time. now i can start relaxing even before the vacation begins. your memorial day weekend is very important.

that's why booking.com makes finding the right hotel for the right price easy. find great deals now at booking.com. booking.yeah! when i feel controlled by frequent, unpredictable abdominal pain or discomfort and diarrhea. i tried lifestyle changes and over-the-counter treatments, but my symptoms keep coming back. it turns out i have irritable wel syndme with diahe or ibs-d. a condition that's really frustrating. that's why i talked to my doctor about viberzi... ...a different way to treat ibs-d. viberzi is a prescription medication you take every day that helps proactively manage both abdominal pain and diarrhea at the same time. so i can stay ahead of my symptoms. viberzi can cause new or worsening abdominal pain. do not take viberzi if you have no gallbladder,

have pancreas or severe liver problems, problems with alcohol abuse, long-lasting or severe constipation, or a bowel or gallbladder blockage. pancreatitis may occur and can lead to hospitalization and death. if you are taking viberzi, you should not take medicines that cause constipation. the most common side effects of viberzi include constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain. stay ahead of ibs-d with viberzi.

senator thom tillis of north carolina is expected to be back at work this morning after collapsing about 2 1/2 miles into a charity run yesterday. witnesses say he appeared to be unconscious and given cpr before being taken away in an ambulance. less than 90 minutes later he tweeted this video from his hospital bed saying he's fine, he simply overheated and did not receive a rescue breath. that was followed by another video three hours later. the senator saying he's back on the hill after receiving a clean bill of health. >> good to see the senator recovering there. let's get a check now of your weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. a lot of different weather systems playing out over the country. >> and record highs today. we'll have a tornado outbreak

and a snowstorm ongoing in colorado. it's quite the spring event across the nation. the big headline and chance for deadly headlines is the tornadoes. 27 million people are at risk, including syracuse to cleveland out to detroit. this area in oklahoma city northwards up towards wichita. this area of pink is high risk of tornadoes. that means we'll get tornadoes, strong tornadoes and tornadoes will be on the ground for the long time. those are the most destructive. tomorrow we're still watching this same area from wichita falls to oklahoma city to wichita, kansas, for additional severe storms. the threat shouldn't be as bad but a few tornados are possible. it only takes one. as far as records go in the east, we saw a couple records yesterday at laguardia airport in new york city had a record high. today look at tampa, you'll shatter your record. 97. florida has been ridiculously hot so far. near record highs in augusta, georgia. new york city expecting a record high of 93. keel come close in philly but

won't quite get there in d.c. it's rare to be this hot up and down the east coast this time of year, especially for this long. usually in may it's one day. >> someone just flipped a switch. one more for you here. robert mueller i proving sop of the most -- if you loved the '90s and missed the sitcoms of the early 2000s they're back and in full force. netflix announced the return of "arrested development" with entire original cast. the '90s hit "roseanne" is making an eight episode revival on abc after they ended their nine-year run on the network. the core original cast including roseanne barr and john goodman will premiere june of next year. and "will & grace" will be returning for a ten-episode, it's a musical showing the cast about coming home to each other and the network.

it returns 11 years after its finale. a lot of people are excited about that. >> who doesn't love the '90s, everything that came out of them. president trump in need of a serious reboot prepares for his first trip abroad. >> we'll set the stage for that next. first trip abroad. >> we'll set the stage for that next. you know what's funny about this whole situation, we're experiencing this [ bleep ]. on friday trump is leaving for his first international tlip as president. at this point it feels less like a trip and more like he's fleeing the country, like the captain of the plane will be like, so president trump, what day do we get back? actually it's a one-way. if a s. i'm in. 7,000 players. our plays are a little unorthodox. but to beat the big boys, you need smarter ways to save people money. we know what you want from a financial company and we'll stop at... nothing to make sure you get it. one, two... and we mean nothing. ♪ ♪

what's the story behind green mountain coffee and fair trade? let's take a flight to colombia. this is boris calvo. boris grows mind-blowing coffee. and because we pay him a fair price, he improves his farm and invest in his community to make even better coffee. all for a smoother tasting cup. green mountain coffee.

welcome back. president trump set to depart tomorrow on his first official foreign trip, a nine-day, five-city excursion. >> he first visits saudi arabia, then israel and then travels to the vatican for a short visit with the pope before heading to brussels for a nato meeting and ending the trip at the g7 summit in sicily. the trip coming amid white house turmoil. officials are hoping it serves as a reboot for the administration, especially on foreign policy. >> that's what they're hoping, ayman. keep in mind that the world has been watching events back home often with alarm. so the president needs that reset not just domestically but

also globally. the trip, as you mentioned, begins in saudi arabia and israel. they're welcoming the change from president obama. then president trump goes on to meet the pope. that's a meeting that will be heavily choreographed. these aren't high-stake summits. the president is comfortable on the big stage. having said that, foreign trips like these are always backed with opportunities to slip up, not just to make a diplomatic faux pas, if you like, but to be simply laughed at. he will need to prepare, which isn't easy for a president with a lot on his plate right now, and in israel, for example, of course, he may have to explain those allegations that he shared sensitive israeli intelligence with the russians. that said, ayman, realistically, countries like israel and other allies of america have a very important intelligence relationship with the u.s. it's important to them. i don't think the complaints

there will be very strong. ayman? >>here's a genuine excitement and opportunity that the gulf arab states think this could be a reset for their relationship with the u.s. keir simmons live in london, thank you for joining us. coming up next on "morning joe," new reaction to the appointment of former fbi director robert mueller as special counsel in the russia investigation. >> john mccain, susan collins, chris murphy, plus maxine water and elijah cummings. the congresswoman one of the first to call for the president's impeachment. "morning joe" just moments away. ? -friday. we gotta go. [ tires screech ] any airline. any hotel. any time. go where you want, when you want with no blackout dates. [ muffled music coming from club. "blue monday" by new order. cheers. ] [ music and cheers get louder ] the travel rewards credit card from bank of america. it's travel, better connected.

are you one sneeze away fromrd being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® it's starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®. what's the best way to get v8 or a fancy juice store?s? ready, go! hi, juice universe? one large rutabaga, with eggplant... done! that's not fair. glad i had a v8. the original way to fuel your day.

it's my decision ito make beauty last. roc® retinol, started visibly reducing my fine lines and wrinkles in one week. and the longer i use it, the better it works. retinol correxion® from roc. methods, not miracles.™ who's the new guy? they call him the whisperer. the whisperer? why do they call him the whisperer? he talks to planes. he talks to planes. watch this. hey watson, what's avionics telling you? maintenance records and performance data suggest replacing capacitor c4. not bad. what's with the coffee maker? sorry. we are not on speaking terms.

welcome back. before we toss it over to "morning joe," let's get a check of the stories in the day ahead. >> deputy attorney rod rosenstein is set to meet with senate this morning to discuss president trump's firing of james comey. it comes after senate leaders invited rosenstein to speak with lawmakers about the possible role in that decision. we turn to nbc's hallie jackson at the white house for a look at the presidents day. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. today is another remarkably busy day in washington.

president trump set to meet with the colombian leader at the white house. we expect to see the two of them together throughout the day, opportunities, perhaps, for the president to be asked by reporters about the obviously big news that has broken late last night into this morning, which is the appointment of a special counsel from the department of justice. so far we've heard a printed statement, a paper statement from president trump. we'll see if we get more later today. tomorrow the president leaves for his first international trip. a lot riding on that. it would be an understatement to say it's high stakes. plenty to cover in d.c., back to you in new york. >> our thanks to hallie jackson. >> steve mnuchin will testify before lawmakers for the first time as treasy secretary today, expected to tch on housing finance and deregulation. that doeit for us on this thursday. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin and louis burgdorf. "morning joe" from washington starting right now. i think people in america

turn on the tv and think this is all that's happening, this is all we're doing and all we're discussing. that's not the case. i want the american people to know we're busy, hard at work fixing their problems. >> house speaker paul ryan says it's business as usual on capitol hill, but tell that to the markets. we just saw the biggest one-day drop since september over concerns that washington is grinding to a halt. as the trump white house works to get out of its own way, the president takes off tomorrow on what some would call a make-or-break trip overseas for meetings with dozens of world leaders. he'll leave behind a deepening federal investigation now led by a special counsel and growing signs that some republicans are beginning to lose patience with the president. good morning everyone. it's thursday, may 18th. welcome to "morning joe." with us columnist and associate editor of