we must be unafraid to stand up and speak out as if our country depends on it. because it does. senator jeff flake stuns washington with his announcement that we woke seek re-election. the arizona republican warns be the trump presidency. plus, new revelations about the deadly attack in niger that killed four americans. officials tell nbc news that sources were targeting isis recruiter. and new questions and accusations about an obama era uranium deal as well as the claimed e-mail investigation.

good morning, everyone. it's wednesday, october 25th. i'm ayman mohyeldin alongside yasmin vossoughian and louis burgdorf. well, after a day of two of the top republicans in washington trading insults on social media, republican senator jeff flake shocked washington. deciding to announce his retirement and condemn the political discourse of the trump era as having a damaging and potentially and permanent impact on the country's ideals. >> i rise today with no small measure of regret. regret because of the state of our disunion. regret because of the disrepair and destructiveness of our politics. regret because of the indecency of our discourse. regret because of the coarseness of our leadership. we must never adjust to the present coorsness of our national dialogue with the tone set up to talk.

the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institution. the fragrant disregard for truth and decency. the recs provocations, most often for the petiest and most personal reasons. reasons having nothing what so far to do with the fortunes of the people that we have been elected to serve. none of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal. we must never allow ourselves to lapse into thinking that that is just the way things are now. it is also clear to me, for the moment, that we have given in or give up on the core principles in favor of a more visally satisfying anger and resentment. to be clear, the anger and resentment that the people feel at the royal mess we've created are justified but anger and

resentment are not the govern ever philosophy. >> powerful words there. of course, republican jeff flake will be a guess on "morning joe." >> and raging against bob corker's criticism of him writing at 9:30 eastern time, quote, isn't it sad that lightweight senator bob corker who couldn't get re-elected in the state of tennessee will now face tax cuts. plus, at the 10:00 hour, the president wrote senator corker is the prominent head of the foreign relations committee and look how poorly the u.s. has done. he doesn't have a clue as people were laughing and taking advantage of us. people like little bob corker have set the u.s. way back. now we move forward. and talking to bob corker in the halls of capitol hill. >> it's a sad place for our perspective of a nation. the worst is just to hold the base, if you will, of our

nation. i think that will be the contribution that hurts our nation most. >> do you think the president is defacing the nation? >> i don't think it's any question. the attempted bullying that he does which everybody sees through. just the dividing of our country. the, you know, the name calling, you would think he would aspire to be the president of the united states. and act like a president of the united states. but, you know, that's just not going to be the case, apparently. >> by the way, corker never wavered when asked if he was attending the weekly republican pose luncheon that trump was visiting. oh, to be a fly on the wall of that luncheon. some prepared for fireworks, and tillis bringing popcorn and tweeting ready for lunch for corker and the gop. >> the president touched on a number of topics during his visit with republican senators

on capitol hill. push for a 50% tax rate promising an emergency declaration on drugs and discussing immigration. the discussion of judges reportedly drew a process with the president mentioning the confirmation of neil gorsuch back in april. the president weighed in on twitter, so good to be with senators today, multiple standing ovations. joining us is von hill yaraughn. senator flake is facing opposition throughout his own party. here's what he said on "meet the press" yesterday, take a listen. >> with the victory and republican primary these days is to agree with the president. not just his policies, but the behavior as well. and not to speak out. and i can't do that. i don't think that we, as a party, should do that. >> so, it seems like he's kind of accusing the gop of rubber stamping the president's behavior and agenda as well. do you have any indication of

how long he, personally, was looking at retiring. >> yeah, good morning, ayman and yasmin. if you look at senator flake, really this came down to the month of august, just two months ago where there was a series of events, jeff flake released his book in which he went after the nationals and the pop pull lichl that he said stoked demagoguery against the country in the 2016 campaign and during the first nine months of trump's administration. then after the release of jeff flake's book is when donald trump sent out the tweet calling him toxic and weak. next was the rally in phoenix two weeks later in which donald trump took to the stage in front of 6,000 people out there and derided john mccain and health care. and went after the other arizona senator. and really put the arrow on those two seats and those two senators. >> i know you've been making

calls around arizona, vaurn, potential replacements, who are you seeing? >> really, in this race, it's interesting. really, the only primary challenger to jeff flake is kelly ward. he's a former doctor who failed her attempt to upend john mccain. now, he's the lone contender at this point. there's a couple members of congress, mary mcsally. congressman goes-r. and congressman schweiker could potentially jump in the race. but there's a reason that jeff flake got out of the race. nobody will mistake jeff flake for being a conservative. he's had the backing of the heritage foundation, call for growth. so, it comes down to a matter of individuals that are opposed to president trump's -- president trump's character in office. jeff flake was somebody who voted 95% of the time with the president. but that's not good enough in this republican party. they need somebody in arizona that can stand by and defend the

president on a level beyond simple policy. >> all right. vaughn hilliard for us, we'll talk to you at the top of the hour. we want to the latest in the deadly ambush in niger that left officials dead. multiple officials telling nbc news that the patrol consisting of 30 american and nigerian troops were pursuing an isis recruiter when ambushed. it's not clear who or why the decision was made. it's also not known at this time if the patrol had approval to alter their original mission of reconnaissance of intelligence gathering. this comes after three military officials had been briefed told nbc news this week, that emerging theory from investigators at the pentagon is that the patrol may have been set up for trifrts who were tipped off in advance about the meeting. about patrol with earlies in the village of tonga tonga.

meanwhile, "the wall street journal" reporting the records show the four soldiers had little or no combat experience before being deployed to west africa. and congress has given approval for a $2.65 billion recovery relief bill. it passed by an 82-17 vote now heads to the president's desk. understand the legislation, puerto rico would receive $4.9 billion in loans. meanwhile, there is new scrutiny over the company awarded the largest government contract to rebuild puerto rico's power grid. the montana based whitefish energy has reportedly signed a $300 million contract to repair and construct much the island's infrastructure. whitefish is based out of whitefish, montana, the hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke, the chief executive and zinke acknowledged knowing one another, but only to according

to zinke's office, whitefish is a small town where, quote, everybody knows everybody. at just two years old, the company only had two full-time employees when maria made landfall. and has almost 300 contract workers in puerto rico. whitefish energy said it has experience in mountainous regions. a spokesman for whitefish responded to "the washington post" report tells nbc news most utilities do not want to work for a utility that is in bankruptcy. and two new investigations involving issues that donald trump has used to discredit hillary clinton in the russian collusion investigate. last week, the hill reported that the fbi had evidence before the deal was approved that russia was trying to scheme its way into the u.s. energy business. it follows reporting from the likes of breitbart and fox news that suggests money was being funneled to the clintons while the u.s. was deciding whether to allow a russian firm to buy

uranium facilities. it gets murky, because the canadian firm telling the utilities to the clinton administration. and bill clinton was paid for a speech involved in the deal. however there's no evidence that hillary clinton played a role in the state department deliberations. back in march, the president tweeted asking why the intelligence committee isn't looking into the deal. and now, it is. >> this is just the beginning of this probe. we are -- we're not going to jump to any conclusions at this time. but one of the things that you know that we're concerned about is whether or not there was an fbi investigation. was there a doj investigation? and if so, why was congress not informed of this matter. >> i would say it's the same baloney they've been peddling for years. and there's been no credible evidence by anyone. in fact, it's been debunked repeatedly.

>> and clinton said the president and his allies are distracting from real russian ties. to investigate the e-mail investigation including the fbi decision not to bring charges against her. still ahead, the dodgers make quick work of the astros in the fastest world series game since 1992. we've got the highlights for you. plus, nbc news exclusive. cuban officials investigating the alleged sonic attacks on american diplomats speak out. those stories, and a check on your weather, when we come back.

[bell rings] so i was at mom and dad's and found this. cd's, baseball cards... your old magic set? and this wrestling ticket... which you still owe me for. seriously? $25 i didn't even want to go. ahhh, your diary. "mom says it is totally natural..." $25 is nothing. abracadabra, bro. the bank of america mobile banking app. the fast, secure and simple way to send money. ...you might be missing to stasomething... ♪ ...your eyes. that's why there's ocuvite. it helps replenish nutrients your eyes can lose as you age. nourish your eyes to help keep them healthy. ocuvite. be good to your eyes. ♪...nausea, heartburn,♪ indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪

here's pepto bismol! ah. ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ this is a story about mail and packages. and it's also a story about people. people who rely on us every day to deliver their dreams they're handing us more than mail they're handing us their business and while we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget... that your business is our business the united states postal service. priority: you ♪

the fbi met with cuban investigators in havana yesterday regarding those strange sonic attack that rured roughlily two dozen americans over the past year. that comes as officials tell nbc in a classified briefing officials in the trump

administration did not blame cuba for the incidents, contrary to the president's own words. >> and now in an exclusive and intensive interview with nbc news, cuban officials forcibly deny as they continue to investigate. andrea mitchell has more details. >> reporter: u.s. embassicy virtually shut down. president trump blaming the cubans. >> i do believe cuba is responsible. >> reporter: now in the first interview, cuba's investigative team and top officials pushing back. did you do it? >> translator: without hez tags, i'm telling no. >> reporter: the colonel says they've had nearly 2,000 people looking into the charge that u.s. diplomats were targeted by a sonic weapon, suffering a range of symptoms, hearing loss, nausea, even mild traumatic brain injury. >> translator: cuba doesn't possess this technology. cuba has never produced these

types of weapons. >> let me play for you the sound. >> reporter: this is what some diplomats reportedly say they've heard. but a document the cubans provided to nbc news that audio is not at acoustic levels damaging to health. and americans tell us there's no known technology that explains these symptoms. >> there's never been any kind of physiological response that reflects the symptoms reported that have ever been caused by sound waves of any type. >> reporter: we went into the hotel room where one of the incidents was reported. he said there were vibrations through this window. another diplomat lived here and many others nearby. the cubans said they interviewed 300 neighbors, conduct dozens of medical exam, took air and sample, studied insects and electrical waves, nothing panned out. >> not even one person was sick. >> not even one person in the neighborhood was affected? >> none, none. >> reporter: what about

speculation cuban hard liners are to blame to derail cuban relations? they say no way. or perhaps a third country, russia. no other country could have done this? >> translator: we don't have definitive answers yet but cuba has never allowed nor would we ever allow our territory to be used in this way. >> reporter: the cuban doctor in charge frustrated that the u.s. won't let him talk to the american doctors on the case. >> medically, let us do it together. and let's find what is happening, because there are people that are sick. we want to disclose why. >> andrea mitchell, thank you for that report. let's get a check on your weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, it could be a scorcher again tonight for the world series. >> yep. >> also some rain in new england. >> overnight it poured. long island, hartford, connecticut, even flash flooding overnight. that's getting a little better. up through boston, port mouth, heading up through maine.

all of the areas in rhode island and cape cod, it's an umbrella day for you. we're safe and dry from albany, poughkeepsie and new york, mostly northern new england. now, just rhode island, boston down to the cape, under that flash food watch, still around plymouth, new hampshire, one to two inches of rain, flash flood warning continues, the flashed for warning for the hartford area has dropped. let's get into the timing. the cold front will ever so slowly be heading off from portland to bangor, that's where we could get 2 to 3 inch of rainfall. great weather out there, too. temperatures in the mid-70, middle of the country. cool and chilly to the north. how about l.a., louis and ayman, you were mentioning 103 for the first pitch. lottest ever. another steamy baseball game. >> if there's any indication how

it went for the los angeles dodgers tonight, they prefer playing in that heat. seems like they're used to it. game one of the world series, definitely a scorcher, but in any way as well, dodgers ace clayton kershaw and as we mentioned, mother nature, bringing the heat. sports is next. helping keep shoppers safe. this is a financial transaction secure from hacks and threats others can't see. this is a skyscraper whose elevators use iot data and ai to help thousands get to work safely and efficiently. this is not the cloud you know. this is the ibm cloud. the ibm cloud is the cloud for business. yours. ♪ ♪ (hard exhalation) honey? can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase,

making tomorrow uncertain. but entresto is a medicine that was proven, in the largest heart failure study ever, to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ when can we do this again, grandpa? well, how about tomorrow? ask your doctor about entresto and help make tomorrow possible. ask your doctor about entresto our recent online sales success seems a little... strange?nk na. ever since we switched to fedex ground business has been great. they're affordable and fast... maybe "too affordable and fast." what if... "people" aren't buying these books online,

but "they" are buying them to protect their secrets?!?! hi bill. if that is your real name. it's william actually. hmph! affordable, fast fedex ground. welcome back. time for sports. it's been 29 years since the

dodgers have played in the game. the hottest postseason game in history but that didn't affect the dodgers. bottom of the first, houston's dallas keuchel gives off a lead-off shot to chris taylor giving l.a. an early lead. dodgers ace clayton kershaw had a striking performance striking out 11 beaters in seven innings giving up only one earned run. justin turner no strange to the postseason. a two-run bomb putting the dodgers ahead, 3-1, game two of the world series is tonight in l.a. with houston's justin verlander facing off against rich hill of the dodgers. moving over to the nba, you have to go back more than a decade to february 3rd, 2005, for the last time lebron james officially started as point guard. cleveland would get off to a sluggish start against the chicago bulls. james would give the team some life knocking down three at the end of the half. he would then end up with 34

points on the night's game. notching 13 assists like this bounce pass to kevin love. the cavs win this one 119 to 112. and former 49ers kwp colin kaepernick may not have found his way on to an nfl roster gaining national attention over his anthem protest but has found a way to get paid. according to the new york post, kaepernick has signed a book deal of more than $1 million so far. it's unclear what the focus of the book is going to be. >> i have an idea what the book is going to be about. >> you think? >> probably the national debate. good for him at least. i think a lot of people want to hear what he has to say. he's actually been very quiet. people wondering whether he's going to weigh in at all. >> and another 90-degree night in l.a. for game two? >> yes, absolutely. probably going to favor the dodgers, too. i'd like to take my chance on

verlander. still ahead, the white house weighs on recent criticisms of president trump by members of his own party. plus, reaction of senator jeff flake about the reaction to his retirement. >> i have seen jeff flake stand up for what he believes in, knowing full well that there would be a political price to pay. and the flake service to this country and senate is reviewed, it will be one of honor, of brilliance and patriotism and love of country. and i thank you and god bless you and your family. lederhosen. when i first got on ancestry i was really surprised that i wasn't finding all of these germans in my tree. i decided to have my dna tested through ancestry dna. the big surprise was we're not german at all. 52% of my dna comes from scotland and ireland. so, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. ancestry has many paths to discovering your story.

get started for free at ancestry.com. the uncertainties of hep c. wondering, what if? i let go of all those feelings. because i am cured with harvoni. harvoni is a revolutionary treatment for the most common type of chronic hepatitis c. it's been prescribed to more than a quarter million people. and is proven to cure up to 99% of patients who have had no prior treatment with 12 weeks. certain patients can be cured with just 8 weeks of harvoni. before starting harvoni, your doctor will test to see if you've ever had hepatitis b, which may flare up and cause serious liver problems during and after harvoni treatment. tell your doctor if you've ever had hepatitis b, a liver transplant, other liver or kidney problems, hiv or any other medical conditions and about all the medicines you take including herbal supplements. taking amiodarone with harvoni can cause a serious slowing of your heart rate. common side effects of harvoni include tiredness, headache and weakness. ready to let go of hep c?

ask your hep c specialist about harvoni. what's critical thinking like? a basketball costs $14. what's team spirit worth? (cheers) what's it worth to talk to your mom? what's the value of a walk in the woods? the value of capital is to create, not just wealth, but things that matter. morgan stanley

♪

welcome back, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin and louis burgdorf. it is the bottom of the hour. let's start with the morning's top story. more now from that whirlwind day in washington, d.c. that began with the president feuding with the chairman of the major senate committee and culminating with the retirement announcement of another. senator jeff flake said he will no longer stand by quietly as his party changes the norms of american society. >> it is time for our complicity and our accommodation of the unacceptable to end. it is often said that children are watching. well, they are. and what are we going to do about that? when the next generation asks us, why didn't you do something? why didn't you speak up? what are we going to say? mr. president, i rise today to say enough. i must say that we have fooled

ourselves for long enough. that a pivot to governing it right around the corner. a return to civility and stability right behind it. we no better than that. when we remain silent and fail to act when we know that silence and inaction is the wrong thing to do because of political considerations, because we might make enemies, because we might alienate the base, because we might provoke a primary challenge, because added from ad nauseam. when we succumb to those considerations in spite of what should be greater considerations and imperatives in defense of our institutions and our liberty, we dishonor our principles and forsake our obligations. those things are far more important than politics. >> a lot of strong words there. several of senator flake's republican colleagues attended the speech from the floor today.

senators mcconnell, james rich of idaho. john mccain, bob corker, tom paul of indiana, and ben sasse of nebraska was there as well. when flake concluded senator sasse started clapping loudy causing members from both parties to stand and applaud. >> all of this stuff you see on a daily basis on twitter this and twitter that, forget about it. let's focus on helping to improve people's lives and doing what we said we do do, that's what we're focused on. are you going to ask about this or -- good. >> -- bob corker, at what point, do you have an obligation as a leader of this party to weigh in on these very serious criticisms of the president? >> what i have an obligation to

is to try to achieve the greatest cohesion among 52 republicans to try to achieve the agenda that we set out to achieve. and tax reform is what we are about. we're going to concentrate on what our agenda is and not any of these other distractions that you all may be into. >> meanwhile at the white house, sarah huckabee sanders said flake lacked support in arizona and his retirement was probably a good move. and sanders also said that bob corker should spend less time grand standing on tv. that the reactions seem to be tied to more his personal feelings than his policy show. >> the president believes there should be a loyalty test for republican senators. >> i think the loyalty should be to the american people. and to the agenda that those people elected them that carry out. i hope we'll see that in their votes. >> can you point to any votes that flake and corker took that were against the president.

>> i'd have to look into a detailed record. >> well, members of the republican party are responding to the retirement announces of jeff flake and bob corker, tim kaine tweeted when jeff flake and bob corker people of real conness speak up, we should all speak up. and senator coons wrote, as a member of the foreign relations committee. >> president trump should stop tweeting and start leading. we've seen no leadership from this president. whether it's on tax reform. whether it's on health care, whether it's on north korea. all he does is tweet and make the problem worse. americans don't want that. >> this white house seems to be in some sort of dissent right now. i think there's going to be growing concern in the republican caucus about whether this white house is really able to lead the country. and coming up this morning, senator chris murphy who you just heard there will be a guest

on "morning joe." and republican senator roger ricker told mississippi that contrary to what some may believe, senate republicans are actually united behind president trump's leadership. >> i would just to say there's not much of a divide in the republican congress in the united states senate. i think most in the conference are very comfortable with the direction that this chief executive of our nation and head of our party wants to take us. >> unlike senators corker and flake who will leave the senate lex week, senator wicker faces a tough midterm back in mississippi, and mcdaniel has yet to announce if he'll challenge wicker in the state's june primary. back with us from washington, nbc news' vaughn hilliard. listening to what jeff flake said why he's deciding to retire in his time left, what do you

want to get accomplished? >> well, i have to remind you that senator flake is somebody that voted with president trump 95% of the time. so, it's not an issue of more senator flake is going to be voting with the the trump administrati administration, with the republican congress to move forward on a republican agenda. i think the real issue that we'll see over the next year, jeff flake being in office, the opposition voices within the republican water. roger wicker isn't one. you're seeing them leave office, bob corker, jeff flake, john mccain. john mccain i ask asked yesterday said where does the senate go from here? he told me, quote, i don't know. if you look at really where the pressure from which the republican party will come from it's a big question mark. dean heller is up in 2017. a republican senator from nevada. president trump put pressure on him, and the super pac even put money up in nevada against dean heller in his own state there. ever since, dean heller's been pretty quiet on that front.

the other one is the classic case of ted cruz, a little over a year ago, we remind you that donald trump spent $20 million to personally defeat ted cruz in his 2018 primary next year. a year later, really ted cruz has capitulated to drmonald tru. he's stood by him and called him at one time a pathological liar. you see where it's going with jeff flake and john mccain, it's few and far between. where does that go in trump's presidency is the question. >> let me switch gears and ask you about the democratic side of all of this when they see what's unfolding on the republican side, particularly in the case of bob corker and jeff flake in arizona do they feel the seats or people with kelli ward, these republican seats are going to shift farther to the right? >> sure.

fact that we're having a conversation about democrats being able to take arizona. and if you look down to the south in alabama it's quite remarkable. kirstin sim mondmons to someone is a blue dog democrat in the hard of phoenix. she has a campaign war chest on her side. if she faces the likes of kelley ward or a more controversial conservative to come out of that race, she's got very much of a shot. jeff flake just six years ago won his seats in 2012 over the democrats by just three percentage points. so, it's not out of the blue to suggest that kirstin cinema could take that next year. hillary clinton presidential campaign and the democratic national committee are being accused of paying for the research that eventually led to the dossier containing allegations against the candidate donald trump and his ties to russia. a source has confirmed to nbc

news that perkins coy, a law firm representing the clinton campaign and dnc obtained washington-based firm fusion gps to conduct that research. that source says that the services began in april of last year and concluded before the elections in november. >> "the washington post" was first to report the story. the post says that before coy retained fusion gps on behalf of clinton campaign and dnc, fusion's research was funded by an unknown republican client during the gop primary. president trump has strongly denied the allegations in the dossier that that his campaign colluded with russia. and also contained other salacious allegations against him which mr. trump has vigorously denied as well. some of those claims debucked. >> hillary clinton has not commented on the matter but her former campaign spokesman brian faller rights i get i didn't know about christopher steele's hiring preelection. if i did i would have gone to

europe to try to help him. if i had known, falon asked he had no good what fusion or steele were paid, he said is it would be money well spent if even part of that helps mueller in his probe. >> and in a statement tom perez and new leadership of dnc were not involved in the decision making regarding fusion gps. nor were they aware that perkins koie was working with the organization. but let's be clear, there is a serious fed early into the trump campaigns ties to russia. >> and sarah sanders tweeting, the real russia scandal. clinton campaign paid for the fake russia dossier then lied about it and covered it. you. this morning, we're learning more about the fatal ambush in niger three weeks ago that left four americans dead including the new belief that the patrol

altered their mission to alter a senior isis official. >> reporter: the special forces thought that contact with the enemy was unlikely. but according to two military officials, it's elite special forces changed their mission in the field from reconnaissance to pursuit of a suspected isis recruiter. they spent the night camped out still looking for their target. in the morning, they met with village elders were they suspect they were intentionally delayed. they retreated to their outpost. and waited an hour before calling for support minutes later a drone for surveillance arrived. it continues into the evening where they were evacuated by a french helicopter. and later the dead were loaded on to an american helicopter. but sergeant's la david johnson's body was missing. >> our thanks to hans nichols for that report.

the house of representatives overwhelmingly passed new sanctions regarding north korea yesterday. the legislation named after otto warmbier passed and if directed would allow the u.s. department from engaging in transactions that benefit any people or companies associated with kim jong-un regime. the bill would also cut off all financial assistance to governments that knowingly know about transactions that benefit pyongyang. and there's growing controversy over secretary of state rex tillerson's visit to afghanistan on monday. the stop of tillerson's trip was shrouded in secrecy, only after he left the country. saying that tillerson met with the afghan president in kabul however, tillerson never left bagram air base. you can see it there on the

screen. no notably, in an apparent attempt to make it appear it did not take place at a military base and that it took place at a presidential palace. the visit comes a week after the taliban launched attacks in the country killing hundreds of people and also after a terror attack hit kabul airport after defense secretary jim mattis departed. still ahead, albert einstein's music for what it takes that hits the auction block. the final figure of what that note for happiness went for. plus, bill karins has the forecast of possibility of snow in the country. i know you're excited about that.

nahelps protect eyesin blue from damaging blue light, filtering it out to help you continue enjoying your screens. or... you could just put your phones down and talk to each other. [laughing] nature's bounty lutein blue. because you're better off healthy.

(avo) but you also have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. non-insulin victoza® lowers a1c, and now reduces cardiovascular risk. victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill. (avo) and for people with type 2 diabetes treating cardiovascular disease, victoza® is now approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. and while it isn't for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. (avo) victoza® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. stop taking victoza® and get medical help right away if you get symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash,

swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. so, stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. tell your doctor your medical history. gallbladder problems have happened in some people. tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. ask your doctor about victoza®. all right. welcome back, everyone. let's get a quick check on your weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. it doesn't feel like it could possibly snow in his part of the country but we definitely know in other parts. >> i'm hoping for. >> really. >> still holding out.

>> this october, really off the charts, towards the end of the month, we finally get a transition of what we expect to happen, that's bouts of cold and even snow in other parts of the country. duluth at 38, chicago at 38. it's a little chillier than you've been. so here's what happened this morning, the national weather service in areas of north dakota and minnesota issue a winter storm watch. frand forks, fargo and devil's lake, the area of storm watch. you'll here this, alberta clipper a storm that forms up in alberta and heads south wards to the united states. usually a little snow, usually a lot of wind and usually very cold temperatures but this time of year it's not too bitterly cold. this is how we track into thursday and into friday. the blue is the snow. even minneapolis has a chance of snowflakes out of this. and southern minnesota could get a sloppy 1, 2, maybe 3 inches of snow. this is green shows you where the rain is and mixed with snow. again, it's early in the season,

so this isn't a pure snow event but 2 is going to cause problems. here's the potential snowfall totals. it's the first of the season as painful for me as probably you. southern minnesota, 3 to 4 inches possible. watch out around row chesteches. the north portions of the great lakes, its specially northern wisconsin and northern michigan, accumulating snow, 3 to 6 inches. this time of year usually you get it on the grass. usually, you don't get it so much on the paved surfaces. the wintry blast, cold air does far to the south. if you wake up in the morning, still doing the soccer mom thing on saturday morning, minneapolis, 28, omaha, 28. wichita, 29. some cold air. if you look at this map today, it still looks like september, but eventually, we're going to transition into the cold season. >> soccer moms and soccer dads.

>> and soccer dads. >> soccer mom every saturday morning for louis. >> nature is coming very good. >> as the old saying goes, you can't put a price on happiness but $1.3 million will get you albert signstein's theory of happiness. that's how much einstein's opinion on the matter fetched yesterday. he was told he would be awarded the nobel prize in physics. unable to give the bell boy a cash tip, he scribbled a note that read, a calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant reslessness. telling the young man that the handwritten note will be probably worth more than a regular tip. he was right, a million times before. it began at $2,000 before it went for the final figure. less than 30 minutes later. >> what an incredible story. imagine you being the descendants of that bell boy who may have had that in his

possession for many generations. >> can repeat that, we all need a calm and modest life. combined with constant rest it'sness. >> i have a theory about happiness, but it doesn't start with wake up at 3:00 a.m. every morning. >> very happy, very happy when the alarm goes off. still ahead, vice president pence takes the road playing pitch man for the tax plan. the case he's make for what he says will be historic overall. plus, twitter looking to transform political ads on the network. details about that and the other stories driving your business day. oh my gosh! how are you? well watch this. i pop that in there. press brew. that's it. look how much coffee's in here? fresh coffee. so rich. i love it. that's why you should be a keurig man! full-bodied. are you sure you're describing the coffee and not me? do you wear this every day? everyday. i'd never take it off. are you ready to say goodbye to it? go! go! ta da! a terrarium. that's it. we brewed the love, right guys?

(all) yes. we brewed the love, right guys? for the holidand every year, we get a giwe split it equally. except for one of us. i write them a poem instead. and one for each of you too. thats actually yours. that one. yeah. regardless, we're stuck with the bill. to many, words are the most valuable currency. last i checked, stores don't take "words." some do. not everyone can be that poetic voice of a generation. i know right? such a burden. the bank of america mobile banking app. the fast, secure and simple way to send money.

. >> the tax plan would lower the corporate tax rate on large businesses from 35 to 25%. take a listen. >> so under our plan, i'm so pleased to report not only are we going to lower the corporate tax rate on large corporations for from 35 to 25%, but we're going to lower the tax rate on pass-through corporations to 25 percent to make sure small businesses will have the lowest effective tax rate since 1931. >> so the 25% is larger than pushed by president trump and

the white house over the past month. let's go to business news on a late-night tie breaker. senate republicans killed a financial rule that would make it easier for people to accuse people of wrongdoing. mike pence breaking that tie-breaker. jomana, this is being seen as a proceed to consumers. >> reporter: yes, a proceed to consumers and also to the democrat party, but a win for the banking sector and republicans as the house also passed a similar action earlier in july. essentially what they're doing is repealing a rule introduced by the consumer financial protection bureau that would have allowed american toss file class action lawsuits against banks, what banking lobbyists said the rule would have fled the banking system and ultimately they would have been passed back to consumers in the first place, president trump has applauded the appeal and is expected to sign night law later this year. twitter said they will start increasing the transparency for

ads on its network. they will start labeling ads that have political angle or advocating a political candidate. they will also start disclosing the amount political campaigns are spending on their platform, and this comes after they were heavily criticized going into the u.s. presidential election last year as some russian accounts managed to use their platform to place certain political ads. that's all for me for today. >> a clang in the rules at twitter, thanks so much. all right, coming up next on "morning joe," much more on the surprising announcement by senator flake to not seek re-election, senator flake discusses his decision with joe and mika and flake's fellow republican for mike lee talks about what his colleague's choice will mean for their party in congress moving forward. democrat chris murphy and elijah couplings, weighs in on dnc's alleged involvement in that

trump-russia disier. "morning joe," everyone, just moments away. paying less for my medicare? i'm open to that. lower premiums? extra benefits? it's open enrollment. time to open the laptop... ...and compare medicare health plans. why? because plans change, so can your health needs. so, be open-minded. look at everything-like prescription drug plans... and medicare advantage plans from private insurers. use the tools at medicare.gov. or call 1-800-medicare. open to something better? start today. ♪ this is a story about mail and packages. and it's also a story about people. people who rely on us every day to deliver their dreams they're handing us more than mail they're handing us their business and while we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget... that your business is our business the united states postal service.

priority: you ♪ pepsoriasis 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.

welcome back. let's say happy birthday to louis. >> happy birthday. >> we'll won't see you tomorrow on the program. >> a wild night for louis bergdorf with that. we will check the stories you will be hearing around the day. >> we start at the white house we find halle jackson. good morning. >> reporter: hey there, louis, good morning to you. today the president will be heading to texas, sprefl to dallas for a fundraiser behind closed doors to raise some money. really the headline remains pack here in washington. >> that is essentially the political earthquake and the shock waves from it that have shaken the gop so hard it's splintering. you are seeing that in that speech from jeff flake that dramatic impassioned floor speech that he said he would rather retire than work with someone dangerous to democracy. there was a back line from

problem corker as republican leaders are beginning to grapple with what this means from a policy perspective. there is no margin for error over on capitol hill for president trump. who ill the white house says his legacy will be these big policy initiatives, so far, there aren't many to put to the president's name. louis, back to you. >> thanks to halle jackson for that report. meanwhile the sentencing for army sergeant bo bergdahl was trade monday after a legal battle erupted over the president's comments about the case last week. he faces the possibility of life in prison. ivanka trump will join several lawmakers to highlight the child tax credit. the event will focus on how it can impact working familyles. >> that does it for us on this wednesday morning. i'm yasmin vossoughian, "morning joe" starts right now. >> you know, it's a sad place from my perspective. i think the worst of it is going to be just the whole debasing if

you will of our nation. i think that will be the contribution that hurts our nation most. >> do you think the president is debasing the nation in. >> i don't think there's any question. >> it is time for our come policity and our accommodation of the unacceptable to end. it is often said that children are watching. well, they are. and what are we become the to do about that? when the next generation asks us, why didn't you do something? why didn't you speak up? what are we going to say? mr. president, i rise today to say enough. >> two top republicans yesterday calling on their colleague toss take a hard look in the mirror. good morning, everyone, it's wednesday, october 25th. welcome to "morning joe." with us we have veteran columnist and msnbc contributor mike