i'm alex witt here on msnbc world headquarters. we're approaching the top of the hour. my colleague richard lui will take it over here. what are the chances of the president get something done on health care. >> have a safe trip to los angeles. good saturday to you. i'm richard lui at msnbc world headquarters right here in new york city. we may have a new clue about what president trump was talking about in this cryptic message. >> perhaps that storm is health care reform? we'll look into that. with the president tweeting this morning he reach out to senate minority leader chuck schumer about working together on that very issue. we also continue to monitor the calm before a real storm, hurricane nate which could impact as many as 18 million

people along the gulf coast. when it makes landfall later this weekend. plus this -- new details of what police found inside the las vegas gunman's hotel suite. could a phone charger and a note with numbers on it answer some of their questions about the deadliest mass shooting in modern u.s. history? all right. we begin in washington and that tweet from the president this morning. i called chuck schumer yesterday to see if the dems want to do a great health care bill. obamacare is badly broken. big premiums. who knows. that call came a little more two weeks after senate republicans latest attempt to repeal and replace obamacare failed. it came about a month after the president stunned republicans by striking a deal with schumer and nancy pelosi to raise the debt krelg. n -- ceiling. >> what's the presidentreaction

president's tweets. >> the president is looking away from establishment republicans and rallies his base they are so frustrated with the establishment, with their failure to repeal and replace obamacare they may view this as a positive. democrats are skeptical as well. we're now hearing from chuck schumer specifically about that conversation. here's the statement that he put out detailing what the two men spoke about last night. he says the president wanted to make another run at repeal and replace and i told the president that's off the table. if he wants to work together to improve the existing health care system we democrats are open to suggestions. a good place to start might be the stand-murray negotiations that would stabilize the system and lower costs. but one thing that's critical to understand a lot of democrats feel like the president can't help fix the problem if he's part of the problem, they are accusing this administration of

effectively sabotaging obamacare, most recently just yesterday announcing new rules told roll back a key obamacare mandate that would require employers to provide free birth control coverage to employees. this is not the first dance with democrats for president trump. as you noted a matter of months ago working with chuck schumer and nancy pelosi on funding the government, dealing with the debt ceiling, here's how the congressman steve scalise spoke about that. take a listen. >> i was watching it and i'll tell you the thing that led to it most the senate failing to pass the health care reform bill. we passed it in the house. i worked closely on it. it was a thin margin. it was hard to put together but we put that coalition together. the senate came close but fell short. the president looked and said if the senate republicans aren't going to be able to move an agenda i'll look around. >> talks about looking around.

this sort of moment, richard, we should say clarifies the president's ideologically not tethered to any position. he's still almost nine months in looking for his first major legislative win. >> peter alexander at the white house. for more let's bring in political health care reporter, executive vice president of planned parenthood and political capitol hill bureau chief. what might this be? >> we're hearing -- under the affordable care act about 55 million women had access or still have access to birth control without co-pays under their employer. the trump administration's rules issued yesterday offers a broad exemption to virtually any employer to claim religious or moral exemptions from the law. it also makes it pretty easy for employers to use this exemption.

all they have to do, they don't have to fill out any sort of federal certification or waiver, they just have to tell their employees this change is coming. so it could -- it could result in fewer women having access. >> along with that, according to peter alexander again he was reflecting in the reporting on what the president was tweeting out, reaching out to democrats. what might that be, do you believe? >> it's hard to know. you know, democrats certainly would love the president to be on board with helping fix the law and, you know, but at the same time this comes as the trump administration is rolling back outreach efforts for open enrollment in the aca. it's a little bit confusing where the trump administration is coming from, especially with yesterday's announcement about rolling back the birth control mandate. >> john, go to that for us on

this. as the president is saying and then we saw the response there from chuck schumer, no we're not looking at any possibility at the moment, loosely based on the language repeal and replace. what do you believe the president is trying to do. is this part of his big announcement, his wait and see wink? >> i don't know. trump is exploring all the options he has. he tried to pass a repeal and replace bill through the congress. it didn't work. that was a huge. so why not explore the options about talking about a deal. remember you have a lot of pest moving here. there's taxes out there. there's debt limit agreement. government funding agreement. he's going to have to go to democrats to keep the government open to boost the debt limit in december. he's going to have to go back to them. he needs democratic help. democrats want help for puerto rico. there's a lot of pieces. in the past presidents explored

grand bargains. president obama tried to do a grand bargain with republicans. it failed. maybe trump is thinking along those lines. >> he has undercut so far the leadership here, john, on the right, in the senate as well as in congress. if he's trying to get to 60, reaching out to chuck schumer doesn't seem to be necessarily the right approach. as has been said approaching an open process. >> i think, listen -- what he wants is what every first term president want as second term. if he's got to cut a deal with democrats to, you know, to get what he want, government funding, to get a border wall, daca, dreamers, you know he'll do those deals. he's clearly shown that he will do those deals. this is a warning to the republicans in congress that, you know, i am president and i will do what i have to do to help my own agenda. either you get on board or you don't. >> you know, as we were talking with brianna here, don, here

about the other side of what's happened in the last 24 hours, issue of birth control, there have been many a story and response since this white house has moved that way in the last 24 hours, reducing the requirements for businesses saying i'll now have to pay $50 more per month. some might say on the flip side it's just $50 more a month. why isn't this government willing to support that is what's being argued? >> there's much more at stake here. you know yesterday there's no mystery. this was a missile strike into the side of the birth control benefit that 62 million women in this country are using to make smart choices, and to make economic advancement and we're not always just talk about $50 a month, birth control. there's a lot of different forms of birth control and they have a lot of different costs including the very expensive cost but very

well worth it cost of say an iud or an implant. this is really money to real people. we've seen statistics that say, you know, nine in ten women in this country will at least at some point in their life use birth control. and also one in three of them have had difficulty paying for it, especially women in their 20s and 30s. so this is a big hit. we've seen other hits that they've made trying to prevent women from going to planned parenthood for birth control and std testing. cutting the aca. this will hit people where it hurts. i don't know why they want to pick a fight with 62 million women or more in this country. >> as you look at that number, don, that you're describing that's the question. what's the response then from the 62 million women. where might it happen? might it be on the stateside as now health care does move local if you will, state to state. what might be the moves from

these 62 million as well as from planned parenthood? >> where you might see it where you saw it against the aca which a lot of the people at the town halls and out in the streets and marching and emailing and calling congress and the white house and saying this is crazy. and i just want to remind people, of course, we're not talking about something your employer is giving you as a gift. most of us all make contributions to our health insurance and that's what we're talking about, letting your boss or company say, for any reason, no proof required, that they don't want birth control covered. not anything else. just birth control affecting women and their families and also taking away for women the ability and the protections that were in the original refusal that let religious organizations opt-out, that they could get covered some other way. so this was really a two prong hit. i think you'll see it in the states. you'll see it in donald trump's popularity and you'll see it at

the ballot box. >> we're seeing some of the numbers come out here, brianna, 32% approval rating in a recent poll for the president. is he, again, aiming some of his policy against women? are we seeing that happen here? it was brought up by dawn about his popularity. will this be another part of how this president continues to fall in the numbers? >> i think his decisions are being made looking at his base and what his base wants. rolling back the contraception mandate is very popular within the conservative base. so i think a lot of, at least with what we're seeing in health care he's focused on what the very conservative base wants and especially after repeal efforts failed in congress, you know the conservative base is looking for a win we've already seen as my colleagues at politico have reported. gop donors are closing their wallets because they are not seeing action in congress. this was done as this is what the conservative base wants.

>> john, quickly, is this a done deal >> in terms of -- i'm not sure of the question. >> in terms of what we're talking about birth control and businesses. is this a done deal >> this was clearly as was said this, is clearly an outreach to conservatives. you could see the republicans in congress were ecstatic about this. speaker paul ryan and other republicans hailed this as, you know, religious freedom. they are claiming trump was acting in the name of religious freedom here. so this was something very important for them. this was clearly a plug. >> you don't see congress reacting to that. thank you all. have a good saturday. >> few. >> we'll move to desperation in puerto rico. unfortunately still struggle frlg the mass devastation of hurricane maria. we'll take to you puerto rico in just a moment. plus more storm prep happening on this day, evacuations for another hurricane poised for direct hit along the united

states gulf coast. also kristen dahlgren stand by in mobile, alabama. we'll check in with her after the break. [ stirring music playing throughout ] who does he leave the snowmen for? this killer is completely insane. [ gasp ] [ distorted voice ] i gave you all the clues. you could have saved her. he's been watching us the whole time. no. [ screaming ] [ distorted voice ] this is just the beginning. [ screaming ] the snowman.

everything i did circled smaround that cigarette when i started taking the chantix that urge just slowly diminished and it was a great and empowering feeling. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. some people had changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, agitation, depressed mood or suicidal thoughts or actions with chantix. serious side effects may include seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking or allergic and skin reactions which can be life-threatening. stop chantix and get help right away if you have any of these. tell your healthcare provider if you've had depression or other mental health problems. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. the most common side effect is nausea. i don't even think about cigarettes anymore. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

many insurance plans cover chantix for a low or $0 copay.

we're also watching for this developing story. hurricane nate is picking up speed barreling towards the united states, 13 million people are under watches and warnings as the center of the storm approaches the mainland. it's going to leave behind widespread destruction and death in central america so far. the storm is expected to intensify into a category 2 storm before it makes landfall tonight. it's moving 25 miles per hour northward with maximum wind speeds reaching 90 miles per hour. forecasters expect mobile,

alabama will experience some of the highest storm surges and water damage when it hits. that's where we'll find kristen dahlgren on the ground for us at this hour. what are the conditions right now and how are they hunkering down there? >> we see the within picking up just a little bit. gusts. white caps here along mobile bay. officials here really focusing on that storm surge. the national weather service actually tweeting this morning a warning, saying they cannot emphasize enough the danger of this life threatening storm surge and they are really warning people do not pay attention to the category of the storm. here's why. you can see mobile bay here just how vast it is. mobile expected to be on the east side of this storm. that's the dirty side of a hurricane, especially in this lopsided storm. so all of this water could potentially get pushed up here and they are expecting between

six and nine-foot storm surge in this area. think about that. six-foot over my head. if it's going up higher than that it's going to fill the first floors of any of these low-lying areas. so we have seen some businesses sand bagging, some tunnels around this area have also closed already. they don't want anybody driving underground. then you got the causeway at interstate 10, a major traffic road in this area, a lot of people driving on that as well and people really being warned to get where they have to be early on. this is going to hit in the overnight hours so warning from officials we're hearing it will be dark out there. you won't know if you're driving into high water. so they really do want people to hunker down as we go through the rest of this day. >> shelter in space i guess right now. any discussion here about movement or evacuation based on the intensity that may come about with nate?

>> right. so right now there are no mandatory vak wagss. some voluntary evacuations for low-lying areas. here in the mobile area in parts of new orleans there are mandatory evacuations, places that flood easily that people know about. those people have been told it is time to get up and go and the reports we're hearing a lot of people have already done that. the outer bands already beginning to come ashore in southeast louisiana. so conditions going to be getting much worse as we go through the day. also some curfews in place and so in places to our east in orange beach, alabama, 8:00 p.m. curfew is in effect. that, again, officials wanting people to be where they are going to ride out this storm by sort of the 8:00, 7:00 hour tonight. >> thank you so much. i know you'll be watching that for us. kristen dahlgren for us nbc reporter, correspond down there in mobile, alabama. we'll go to wnbc meteorologist

rafael miranda tracking the storm for us. we got another update from noaa. showing it's slowing down? >> slowing down a touch down to 25 miles per hour. still a very fast-moving storm. still a strong category 1 hurricane. again we don't want to focus too much on the category, it's really about the storm surge and timing of it. we're expecting nate to make landfall around high tide around much of the gulf. that has to do with worse case scenario situation, high tide and landfall at the same time. we're already seeing the outer barnds moving on shore. southeast louisiana. lots of lightning and flood threat. we now see the eye on the radar picture. here it is. you can make out that sclgs counter clockwise around the center of the storm. still a couple hundred miles to go before landfall. these are your gusts, gusts near

30 and over 30 miles per hour. biloxi 29 miles per hour. this is just the very beginning. the winds will continue to pick up in intensity throughout the afternoon. here's the latest stats, latest 2:00 p.m. advisory. winds holding steady. maximum sustained winds at 90 miles per hour. movement down to 25 miles per hour. pressure has dropped a touch. showing signs of a healthy storm. you can see nate is expecting to strengthen up to a category 2 storm before landfall later on tonight, probably just before-monbefore midnight. then a depression as it works its way to the northeast bringing beneficial rainfall in the coming days. these are the high tide times. gulfport, mississippi, 11:45. basically just when we're expecting landfall. that will only make the surge worse. panama city around 9:00. this is our area of most

concerned. mississippi coastline expecting a surge of 7 to 11 feet of life threatening surge above ground. gulfport and biloxi in the bull's eye. mobile six to nine feet. taking the storm very seriously. >> we got that report from noaa. rafael miranda breaking it down for us. we'll watch all the areas. it's and about catastrophic hurricane season as you know. we still have over a molest before it officially ends. two weeks after hurricane maria ravaged puerto rico the u.s. territory is still reeling from extensive devastation across the entire island. as of now only 12% of the area has electricity. 44% of the cell service has been restored. 56% of the population now has access to drinking water. let's go to puerto rico command center in the city of san juan. supplies, there are more of it but when we look at those

numbers folks are still left out in the dark literally. they can be spoken with. they cannot get their proper resources to these people, these americans across the island there. >> reporter: that's exactly right, richard. the second you step out of san juan you're likely to lose cell service. unlikely you'll have power. when you think about that it's still almost 90% of this island with no power. and that's why day after day we continue to see these long lines of desperate puerto ricans trying to get their hands on bags of ice so they can keep their food refrigerated. almost brought this island to a stan still because people can't go to work. they are bringing their small children. there's elderly people. people with disability in these line and having to stand in these lines for ice for six and seven hours. that's why i want to show you the front cover of the newspaper today. it shows vice president tim kaine's visit from yesterday but

the big headline is huge spike in unemployment after hurricane maria. i spoke to a lot of people in that line of ice earlier today and they told me exactly that. they are unemployed. they can't go to work. on top of that not like they are getting these bags of ice for free. they have to pay $1.50 for each of them and each family is taking six or eight. they are bringing their small children. they are getting two per person. this is the logistical nightmare. in front of the convention center here in san juan because this bipartisan meeting with u.s. senators like tim kaine, chris gillibrand and puerto rico's governor is just under way. we're hoping to get some updated numbers to recovery and relief. but as you mentioned these numbers still roughly half the island without any water and almost 90% of the island without any water. when you step out of san juan

and you go to places like we've been to here this week, you see just so much need and experts are telling us and telling people here that they shouldn't aspect to get power back in some areas for at least several months. >> outside of san juan would you describe it as chaos, unfortunately, again, the analogy we have in our brain is katrina. we're three weeks in. >> so i spoke with a nurse from oregon who volunteered to head into the area one hour outside of san juan. how would you describe this to people on the mainland. she said simply it's a war zone. those were her words, richard. >> thank you for staying on top of that. we're very confident that he did not -- there was not another shooter in that room. >> investigators believe the man responsible for the deadliest shooting in u.s. history acted

alone. now some questions, though, about who may have known about his plot. a live report from las vegas after the break. so that's the idea. what do you think? hate to play devil's advocate but... i kind of feel like it's a game changer. i wouldn't go that far. are you there? he's probably on mute. yeah... gary won't like it. why? because he's gary. (phone ringing) what? keep going! yeah... (laughs) (voice on phone) it's not millennial enough. there are a lot of ways to say no. thank you so much. thank you! so we're doing it. yes!

"we got a yes!" start saying yes to your company's best ideas. let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open.

we have some new developments in the las vegas mass shooting to share with you. despite 1,000 leads officials say there are still no clear motive in this case. >> we all want answers. we have looked at everything, literally, to include the suspect's personal life. any political affiliation. his social behaviors. economic situation. at this time i'll tell you again we have no credible information to report to you as to motivation. >> vice president mike pence will visit las vegas later today where he's expected to participate in the unity prayer walk following the devastating shooting this week. let's go to ron allen who is

live for us walking and talking with participants. describe the mood and what are they talking about on the brown in terms of this tragedy and where they are at? >> reporter: well, they are trying to come together, richard. there are literally hundreds of people in the streets of las vegas, descending here on city hall. it's expected to begin, the program with vice president pence in a couple of hours. he's coming here because when president trump was here a few days ago the president heard about this event we understand and white house wanted to send a representative that's why vice president pence is coming here. an event organized by religious faith leaders across las vegas trying to help this community to heal. bill fortune is with the american red cross who we met earlier. you're participating in this. you're here doing mostly primarily with the emotional part. >> several days after an event people are numbed in the first few days. they don't even realize they are

having difficulty. then about day three, four or five is when they start to realize this is impacting their life. even if they western at the event they are having trouble dealing with this tragedy. >> core group is 20,000 people. as we go around town ripples are every where. >> absolutely. >> friends, family, co-workers, people having difficulty doing basic things. >> we met with people that have that very issue they are troubled by crowds because they were at the event and now any time there's a large crowd they feel unsafe. and that issue of being unsafe is a very common thread in these type of tragedies. >> the other big issue with this particular tragedy is authorities can't figure out why this gunman did what he did. the motive. how significant is it in terms of the community healing that they have an answer the question of why? >> the question of why is very important. for someone to move forward.

and what we do and what we help people with is dealing with that question and other questions that are associated, why did i survive and someone else didn't? so we are actually visiting people in their homes because they can't -- they don't feel safe leaving their home. we're actually senning people to these homes, talking to them, helping them get through this. and one recommendation that we have is to try to step back away from the event as much as you can. >> which is difficult -- what an event. >> with this kind of event. yes. especially if you've been impacted. >> thank you. >> reporter: richard, vice president pence is expected here in a couple of hours. there will be an event, prayers, a vigil as this community tries to continue to move forward and heal and get past this. of course, impossible to get past it, always be part of the fabric of this community. >> nbc's ron allen for us there in las vegas. the vice president heading there on this day. thank you. as we do go to break we do

want to remember the lives lost in sun's mass shooting. all 58 victims have now been identified and among them there are mothers, there are fathers, there are first responders and certainly there are heroes. people would stare. psoriasis does that. it was tough getting out there on stage. i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have

an infection or symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. never give up. see me. see me. clear skin can last. don't hold back... ...ask your dermatologist if cosentyx can help you find clear skin that lasts. let's get the lady of the house back on her feet. and help her feel more strength and energy in just two weeks. yaaay! the complete balanced nutrition of ensure with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. ensure. always be you.

rethink your allergy pills. flonase sensimist allergy relief helps block 6 key inflammatory substances with a gentle mist. most allergy pills only block one. and 6 is greater than one. flonase sensimist.

i think there needs to be a hearing. i'm a sportsman and a gun owner and frankly i was unacquainted with the phenomenon of a bump stock to convert a legal semiautomatic into an automatic weapon. >> it's illegal and up to congress to stop it. >> i'm more and more sure that the momentum is building for a ban on bump stocks. we introduced it yesterday. one of my colleagues have said they see no reason for opposing

it. >> a growing number of congressional leaders expressing concerns as you heard there over bump fire stock modifications, increase a weapons rate of fire, essentially making legal semiautomatic weapons automatic weapons fire like machine guns, tripling what a semiautomatic might be able to do. the nra has come out in support of additional regulations for these devices so both the nra and republicans open to reviewing gun legislation. let's bring in republican strategist and david goodfriend. tara, you think it will make it through? >> i think so. this is different from what we've seen in the past. oftentimes as a republican i worked on capitol hill for many years. we've seen knee jerk over reactions to tragic events which people just, they retreat to their corners and people don't listen to one another. in this case, i think getting rid of these bump stocks is

something that's just common sense, good gun legislation that has bipartisan support both in the house and in the senate. representative curbelo from florida and representative from massachusetts introduced a bill what's called the noah's arc co-sponsorship is one republican, one democrat comes on to co-sponsor. that's gaining momentum. when you have representatives like from texas coming out saying there's no reason whatsoever to have this kind of contraption legal that's when you know you'll see some real legislation going through here. ron johnson from wisconsin, senator cornyn, the speaker of the house, even the nra acknowledging there needs to be something done about these bump stocks. i'm confident we'll see something as long as demonstrate don't try to turn it over a much larger over arcing debate. >> the nra is very good at what they do and one of the things

they are very good at doing is stopping legislation that, in their view would go too far. we're talking about bump stocks. that's a tiny fraction of the gun problem in the united states but the nra has said here's a solution. we'll come forward and propose a change. now it's interesting to note that despite my republican colleague here, her discussion of the hill and congress, what the nra is calling for is for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms to go before congress. they know there will be calls for other legislation. that's how amendments work. the nra doesn't want that. the problem the nra has they no longer have obama or democrats in charge of congress saying this will be a domino effect. you let one legislation go through and then they will take your guns away. we had eight years of president obama and no one took your guns away. what we're seeing is an

interesting and effective change intact tick by the nra to distract us on one small issue, this bump stock issue and to try to contain it to the atf so there's not a comprehensive as there should be a comprehensive background check, assault weapons ban all things that worked in the past when president reagan's secretary was shotter and brought those things to the fore. that's what we should be talking about. the nra is doing their job very well. >> we can demonize the nra. i don't always agree with them. i come from a family with nra members in it. we're a gun owning household. this is not about the nra. nra doesn't make legislation, congress does. in order for something to practically to be done as opposed to us arguing over pl platitudes this is what needs to happen. it's members of congress who pass legislation and make darchs

he -- a difference here. they can demonize the nra but we should be applauding the fact there's a bipartisan effect in congress. >> david, last word to you. >> i just would ask my republican friend do you think that legislation can get through a republican controlled congress if the nra opposes it? >> in this specific instance specific to bump stocks, yes, i do. it doesn't look to me like the nra is going to completely do that. assault weapon dance is already in place. a lot of things you're calling are in place. they are not the primary source of gun violence. mainly hand guns and suicides and street violence. it's not mass public shootings. as long as we stay lasered focused on what will make a difference in situations like this you'll see legislation passed. >> i hope we do see legislation pass.

i hope it's comprehensive. i hope this is a break through. we no longer have the bogey man they will take your guns away. republicans are in charge. they own everything. let's hope they can address this issue. >> energy seems good at least for now on the hill. david goodfriend, thank you so much, tara as well. >> hugh hewitt joins us fresh off of his one-on-one with house speaker paul ryan. what's changing the conversation about gun control. stick around. ( ♪ )

( ♪ ) the capital one venture card. unlimited double miles on every purchase, not just airline purchases. now available... (clanging) ...in metal. what's in your wallet?

>> busy week for president trump and the republican party. as they push forward with their gop agenda. late yesterday administration announced a new policy that allows employers to opt-out of providing no cost birth control to women by claiming moral or religious objections. house speaker paul ryan calling it a landmark day for religious

liberty. following sunday's massacre in las vegas hill focusing on the enormous arsenal used by suspected gunman stephen paddock. paul ryan addressed the proposed ban on bump stocks during a sit down with msnbc's hugh hewitt. >> john cornyn said he wants a hearing on bump stocks. open to a vote. your open to a vote on bump stocks? >> i didn't know what they were until this week and i'm an avid sportsman. we're coming up quick to speed what this is. fully automatic weapons have been banned. this allows you to take a semiautomatic into an automatic. >> hugh hewitt-nbc political analyst and host of hugh hewitt. thanks for joining us. as you finish that conversation with leader ryan there, is the proposed bump stock bill at least from what you're hearing something that both sides can work together on? >> yes. i listened to your conversation just completed and i believe

it's exactly right that there's almost unamity that action has to be taken. it may have been the cause of some of these weapons jamming. the monster at mandalay bay had a number of these weapons jam and probably because of the bump stock. the house speaker said he never heard of it before. he did unscore, against show boats for things like the australian option. stick with the constitution, to quote him literally from the exchange we had. but i do think on that narrow issue about that attachment, there is near unaminity. >> the president had very

stances on gun control. it's pro gun. he received $30,000 in assistance during the election cycle from the nra. might he change his position on gun control based on what happened? >> the president was very measured this week. he said it was not the time to talk about specific legislation and whether or not we need gun control. he'll be as open as sarah huckabee sanders said as the speaker was to me, as john cornyn was, to anything that's reasonable after a period of grieving and after a period of assessment. there was a bureau under the alcohol, tobacco and firearms under president obama that bump stocks were legal. the nra suggested it be revisited. steve scalise suggested that. president also said that it's the calm before the storm. so legislation might break out. i've been reporting on that. i've been able to confirm the president has been talking about

mike pompeo, replacing rex tillerson at state, senator tom cotton going over to cia to replace mike pompeo. there's a big storm of activity coming. i don't think the president was talking necessarily about gun ledge ace, but i wouldn't rule that out in a period of extraordinary productivity in october and november. >> how is leader ryan doing? what did you take away from your conversation with him? >> he's a happy warrior. always has been. always transparent. always candid. always in a rush. if anybody watches it. i run overtime as any reporter will. he gets up and bolts. we had a conversation about aaron rodgers and about whether or not the tax bill will benefit hyper wealthy athletes and subchapter s corporations. he's in this tax bill 100% as is kevin brady the chairman of ways and means as is every republican. they feel urgently necessarily that they got to get a major piece of legislation through

this congress or it will be a disastrous 2017. so he's fully committed and energized. it was a good time to sit down with him. i think republicans do themselves harm when they don't do more of that more often with more people. >> more people and before the end the end of the year. always great to have you. and you can catch him on saturdays at 8:00 a.m. right here on msnbc. >> a former british spy in the center of an investigation. the probe into collusion deepens. far as i used to. i even accept i have a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. but no matter where i ride, i go for my best. so if there's something better than warfarin, i'll go for that too. eliquis. eliquis reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus had less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis had both. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to,

as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... ...and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. i'm still going for my best. and for eliquis. ask your doctor about eliquis. ♪

i think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out. i think it's a disgrace. >> that was then president-elect trump angrily discussing the

so-called russian doccile. the author of that report is in talks to appear before the senate intelligence committee. and a new report today suggests the president is changing his tacts and cooperating with robert mueller's team in its interference during the u.s. election. hopefully to a change in strategy. we're joined by -- >> ken, that reporting that we're hearing from the new york times. also our own reporting here on what is happening inside the russian probe, consistent with what we know this hour? >> we have not confirmed that the white house is changing its legal strategy but one reason they might be is that the alternative strategy they considered was never going to work because bob mueller is a decorated marine veteran, a republican who has impeccable

credentials and the idea they were going to resist him and go after his reputation was not going to work. they're saying ty cobb said they were going to cooperate fully with the special counsel investigation and a white house official said they hoped the president would be cleared from collusion. >> many months as you have said potentially if not years. also, when you look at this, the doccile and the reporting that it is becoming more important that they have met with christopher steel, that he could be testifying. what do we know about the future of the importance of this particular document is? >> well, two things. robert mueller's investigators have gone to interview christopher steel who authored this doccile and also in talks to give testimony to the senate intelligence committee. what's significance about this is that the fbi got information about this doccile more than a year ago. what it shows is it still in

play. the fbi is still trying to pursue leads and wants to talk to the author. that is deeply significant because the doccile makes extraordinary allegations. >> it's not proven, right, price to you on this, 30 seconds. your thoughts on the portion of this doccile moving forward now that the mueller team is in it? >> i think the mueller team has taken a closer look at it. the fbi has a long history with christopher steel. they reportedly were in talks to pay him as part of this doccile in october before word of it went public. i think the question becomes just how much stock the intelligence committee will be able to put in this document and it sounds like the senate team will be meeting with christopher steel and his team in the coming weeks perhaps. >> thank you so much as well for your reporting on this. all right. we're going to take a short

break. we'll be right back. discover card. i'm not a customer, but i'm calling about that credit scorecard. give it. sure! it's free for everyone. oh! well that's nice! and checking your score won't hurt your credit. oh! i'm so proud of you. well thank you. free at at discover.com/creditscorecard, even if you're not a customer.

good saturday to you. thanks for sticking around. i'm richard louie in new york city. we're tracking this hurricane, hurricane nate later tonight or early tomorrow. we have a new report in. we are also following new developments in las vegas and a search for more information about the gunman. and we have "the new york times" reporting that president trump's legal team is easing its resistance to robert mueller's investigation hoping that playing nice will help to get the president clear. but it also appears the president is playing nice with chuck schumer. more on that from the white house in a second. let's bring in yoour guests. we'll start with you on this, ben. and this is the p