this morning, following new reporting on the special counsel's investigation of possible obstruction by president trump. according to "new york times." gave instructions to stop attorney jeff sessions from recusing himself in the russia probe. plus the white house is waging war against the new book, fire and furry, gives inside look at the administration. attorney for the president is demanding it not be accomplished. >> a massive and deadly winter storm hits the northeast with snow, ice and floodwaters. this morning millions of americans with waking up to freezing temperatures.

good morning, everyone. 350 days into the trump administration and the pace continues to accelerate. with a report from the "new york times" that describes the president's expectation that senior law enforcement officials should protect him against investigation. one of multiple accounts their sources say that special counsel robert mueller's is examining in obstruction inquiry. according to two people with knowledge of the episode. times reports that in early march, trump instructed white house counsel don mcgahn to stop attorney general jeff sessions from recusing himself in the justice department probe. mcgahn carried out that order, but backed off after sessions said he decided to follow the advice of career doj lawyers and recuse himself due to personal vomit in the campai involvement in the campaign.

according to the report. president erupted in anger saying he needed his attorney general to protect him the way he believed robert kennedy's attorney general had done for jfk and eric holder had done were barack obama. trump then asked where's my roy cone. referring to former lawyer and fixer. joe mccartccarthy's top aide ba the 1950. the white house special counsel declined to respond to the story. "new york times" report also included episodes that sources say special counsel bob mueller learned about he investigated whether the president obstructed justice. in which he declined to say that the president was not under investigation. the times reports that two days after comey's testimony, an aide to sessions approached a capitol hill staff member asking whether the staffer had any derogatory information about the fbi director. attorney general wanted one negative article a day in the

news media about mr. comey according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. in response, a justice department spokeswoman said this did not happen. and would not happen, plain and simple. the new book, fire and furry, much of which nbc news has not independently confirmed purports to detail reince priebus trying to stop the president from firing comey. during the first week of 2017. there was a meeting that included president, ivanka, bannon, reince priebus and don mcgahn. closed door meeting. unnoted. unusual for the oval office door to ever be closed. comey was a rat. repeated trump. there were rats everywhere can and you had to get rid of them. then referred to john dean who testified against the president during watergate. quote, john dean, john dean. trump repeated. do you know what john dean did to nixon.

>> trump tweeting i authorized zero access to white house. actually turned him down many time for author of phony book. never spoke to him for book. full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist. look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and sloppy steve. a reference of course to steve bannon who is quoted extensively in the pages criticizing the administration and top advisers in blunt and brutal terms. portraying the white house as incompetent and erratic. nbc confirmed the personal legal team threatened the officer and accomplisher with a liable lawsuit unless they halted the release. this was the scene at midnight just a mile from the white house at cramer books in washington, d.c. a lot of people lined up there. where the book went on sale and

75 copies promptly sold out. coming up monday. fire and furry author, michael wolf. >> you think that book is going to be a best seller. >> i think it will be. >> all the headlines coming out of the white house, press secretary sarah huckabee sanders decided to kick off in a rather unusual manner. >> we have a message from a special guest i would like to share with you. i'll ask you to tune into the screens and continue from there. >> thank you for being with us today. the historic tax cut i signed into law just two weeks ago before christmas is already delivering major economic gains. hundreds of thousands. >> you think the president would actually just come to the briefing if he wanted to. >> i think he was standing about 20 feet away filming that. >> she started with him touting over the tax.

video marked first appearance of sort ifs you want to call it that by trump in the briefing room. yet to physically appear there and actually take any questions from journalists in the briefing room. despite the briefing room as we just mentioned being feet away from his office. known to ache a small pool of questions like he did yesterday in the roosevelt room during a meeting with republican senators on immigration, but the president has avoided more traditional changes with the white house press corps, including bucking precedent by not holding end of year news conference last month. >> joining us now, capitol hill reporter. molly, good to talk to you. not much to talk to today, but we're happy to have you on the show, nonetheless. >> what do you make of the reporting from the "new york times" that the president basically expected jeff sessions to protect him from the russia investigation and what kind of reaction do you expect in washington from all of this. >> kind of falls in line with what the president said last

week to michael schmit. essentially saying the justice department was there. he is complete authority over you know what the justice department does. what it pursues in terms of investigations and prosecutions. as president, that's his right. well, others would beg to differ. in fact, earlier this week when, oh, by the way, doug jones, democrat from alabama was sworn into the senate. joe biden was on hand. eric holder. a lot of prominent democrats up in capitol hill. we talked to them and they said yes, that's not the way things go in this country. eric holder in particular said, 200 years of history would beg to differ with what the president was saying about his absolutely authority over the president. in fact, holder was advocating for justice department leaders to push back against the president for saying that. and so i think that when the house comes into session next

week, i will hear more of this. especially in light of what we read this morning in the "new york times." given what has come out with the fire and furry book and you know all these explosive reports of behind the scene reporting, i think that capitol hill will have a lot to ponder over this icy upcoming weekend and will be ready to blow hot air, so to speak. >> so let me ask you with all the revelations that have come out and you're plugged into the hill, are you sensing there's a mood shift on capitol hill towards the white house, and not just from democrats, but more importantly from within the republican party. i know you talked to eric holder and others. focused more on members of congress and others. are they watching with the same kind of shock as the rest of the country. >> they're watching it with the same kind of fascination. you've got remember, that's a very good point you make there, this is very much a republican feud. it's an interparty feud.

quite a few of the never trumpers, so-called never trumpers are the ones out there laughing and shouting and clapping their hands with glee the loudest over this bannon v trump feud. because it really marginizes. from a different perspective. very focused on okay. where is the bannon supporters and one wing of trump movement and more establishment mitch mcconnell who have the upper hand. >> it's going be interesting over the next several months. particularly as more candidates come forward for midterm elections. a deadly winter storm has crypt ld pa

crypt crippled parts of the northeast. icy floodwaters submerged parts of the city. high floodwaters reach near historic level. had to make several rescues after multiple vehicles became stranded in the rising waters. >> people stupidly th lly they they can drive lu high puddles of water and they can't. we have had to affect rescues. >> at least five deaths are being blamed on the winter storm which started in the southeast and rapidly moved north. three in north carolina and one each in pennsylvania and virginia. coming up next, we'll have meteorologist bill karins with a full check on the forecast and what to expect for this weekend. what is becoming a very common phrase, stock market has notched yet another record with dow jones sitting above 25,000. index cleared that threshold

just yesterday following the release of stronger than expected jobs data. the s&p 500 and the nasdaq also hit new record highs as well yesterday. it took the dow just 35 trading days to hit 25,000 after crossing the 24,000 mark back on november 30, but according to the wall street journal. during the market's relentless rally, many individual investors have remained on the sideline. since 2012. $1 trillion have been pulled from retail investor funds that focus on u.s. stocks. potential sign of skepticism. roy moore accuser is suing roy moore and campaign for definition in lawsuit filed thursday. corkman asked for public apology, and court enforced ban on moore and campaign on attacking her in the future. not seeking financial compensation beyond legal cost. in november, you may recall told

"the washington post" that moore had inappropriately touched her in his home when she was just 14 and he was 32. during alabama senate race, moore and campaign repeatedly denied allegations calling them malicious and complete false. in a statement yesterday, wrote the decision to sue mr. moore and his campaign committee was difficult, but they need to be held responsible for their actions. representative told "the washington post," we look forward to transparently discussing these matters in a court of law. still ahead, possible move towards peace. north korea accepted an offer from the south to hold high level diplomatic talks. >> million s waking up to bone chilling temperatures. have a full check on your forecast when we come back. when you say you need

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welcome back. let's get a check on weather now with nbc meteorologist bill karins.

a slow commute for a lot of people in the northeast this morning. also, what was you take on the storm yesterday? were you surprised by the amount of snow and you also have more bad news on the way. >> yes, the snow forecast was fairly decedent. most of new england got what was expected. a few spots got a little more. new york city got a little more than expected. heavy band set up over new york for about four hours yesterday. two to three inches higher than expected. the biggest surprise was the flooding at high tide in the boston and cape cod areas. this was between noon and 2:00 p.m. this was the highest water levels they've seen in boston harbor. topped the 1978 blizzard. that was going back, almost 40, 50 years. pretty incredible pictures of the high tide. now the temperatures in the single digits. how do you recover from that. hard even to tow those vehicles soaked in the water.

here's where we are now. storm is exiting. only area getting snow is press kyle. the storm is gone. in the the wake is strong winds and cold that has been pushed down from the northern plains and central canada. windchill watches expired. now all warnings or advisories. roughly 40 million people under windchill advisories or warnings. that's almost half the u.s. population. here's some of the numbers. coldest is furthest north you go. duluth is negative 39 now. buffalo at negative 21. detroit, chicago, pittsburg, that's about as cold as it's been this winter. all that cold air is rushing into the east. now at negative three in d.c. negative three in new york city. see atlanta, you don't often have a windchill of five. that's cold for the south. cold air all through the eastern half of the country. freeze warnings all the way down to naples. downokeechobee. so far holding on.

not booed around central florida. dipped to 35 in orlando. 38 in tampa. areas outside the city may have patchy frost. so far the oranges doing okay down here. a long time ago we had a bad freeze in florida and a lot of the groves headed south of orlando. today's forecast, just a brutal bone chilling cold. >> usually go to frl to get age it all. >> miami yesterday dipped down to the 30s. >> think of all the people trying to escape the northeast. >> do they even have clothes for that. >> north korea has accepted south korea's proposal for high level talks tuesday. january 9. for the south's unification ministry. talks will focus on next month's winter olympics in pea i don't think chang.

yesterday morning president trump tweeted with all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between north and south korea right now. if i was not firm, strong, and willing to commit our total might against the north. received the sense last night. unclear if trump knew about the intentions beforehand. has agreed to the proposal to postpone military drills until after the winter olympics in

peon chayeongchang. still ahead. no know days in the nfl. may be cracks in the dynasty. blockbuster new report on the power struggle within. next in sports. it. i'm on the move all day long... and sometimes, i don't eat the way i should. so, i drink boost to get the nutrition i'm missing. boost high protein nutritional drink has 15 grams of protein to help maintain muscle and 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d. all with a great taste. boost gives me everything i need... to be up for doing what i love. boost high protein. be up for it. save seven dollars. look in sunday's paper.

no days off. welcome back. time for sports. video courtesy of the new england patriots arriving for practice in yesterday's snowstorm. dubbed over with voice of bill belichick. the defending champs have a first round by in the playoffs this season. beared the blizzard like conditions to make it to workout in the indoor practice bubble. ready for divisional round matchup on january 13. there is something rotten in the city of foxborough according to new report by espn. quarterback tom brady, owner robert craft have had serious agreements. back in september the report compiled from interviews with a dozen patriot staffers.

saying the rifts began when the players felt pressured to either work out with brady and his trainer at tb 12 method clinic or with team doctors with belichick preferred. denied they were pressuring players to work out with their method. didn't stop belichick from removing access to the sideline or team headquarters back in december. according to people close, brady had been more critical of belichick's coaching style recently saying the quarterback feels he has accomplished enough to not be ripped by the head coach during film sessions. there's an issue about the future of the quarterback position. according to staffers. reluctantly traded after he had a meeting with owner robert craft who mandated to trade the young qb before the november 1 deadline. belichick and brady were supposed to have a meeting in december to clear the air. that has yet to occur. those interviews suggest there

is a sense of sadness around the team. this could possibly be the beginning of the end for the patriots dynasty. maybe back to back titles for the new england will help the viewership. regular season. even bigger slide than the eight percent drop. despite the falloff. still accounted for 33 of the top 50 programs in 2017 according to the league. while the patriots trek through the snow for practice yesterday. boston's hockey team the bruins will need to make up their match against the panthers after the nhl canceled last night's game because of the weather conditions and rightfully so. if you saw that flooding, it was bad. >> that was unbelievable. >> i feel the espn article is kind of fire and furry of football. >> we spent a lot of time talking about boston sports today. i have a feeling mike barnicle

wrote part of that. >> i don't see him. he's usually around here. >> he's over there shaking his head. >> were you the one behind that mike. come clean. still ahead, attorney general jeff sessions takes aim at obama era policy and has several republicans pushing back. >> steve bannon facing fallout over new book fire and furry. those stories and more coming up next. 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.

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welcome back. i'm yasmin vossoughian and alongside ayman mohyeldin and

louis burgdorf. bottom of the hour. start with the top stories. "new york times" reported multiple alleged episodes that special counsel bob mueller is examining on whether or not president trump obstructed justice in the investigation of russian metaling in the 2016 election. the accounts of the episodes are based on documents reviewed by the times as well as interviews with white house officials and others briefed on the investigation. and according to the report, mueller has a piece of evidence that comes from deep inside the trump white house. the special counsel has received handwritten notes from trump's former chief of staff reince priebus showing that trump talked to priebus about how he had called then fbi director comey to urge him to say publically he was not under investigation. the white house has declined to comment on the report. said it is cooperating with the mueller probe. the new book about the trump white house, you may have heard of it. called "fire and fury," nbc news has not independently confirmed.

includes an account of priebus pleading after the firing of comey. quote, on the morning of tuesday, may 9. president still fixated on comey and curb kushner and his daughter behind him. moved to delay. there's a right way to do this and wrong way to do this, priebus told the president. we don't want him, comey. learning about this on television. if you want to do this the right way is have him in and have a conversation. this is the decedent way and professional way. wolfe rights once more the president seemed to calm down, but unbeknown to the chief of staff. personal security guard, later delivered the termination letter to comey's office. it's a special process. in disbelief to no one in particular when he learned shortly before 5:00 what was happening according to wolff.

reverse obama era policy. largely shielded legalize marijuana from federal interventi intervention. comes days after recreational marijuana sales began in california. making it is largest legal pot market in united states. eight states along with washington, d.c. have legalized marijuana. now session's decision is sparking backlash from lawmakers. cory gardener of colorado is threatening to hold up any justice department appointments that require senate approval if the issue is not resolved. >> the senator sessions told me that marijuana simply wasn't going be on president trump's agenda. that it was something they weren't going to deal with. one tweet later. one policy later. complete reversal of what many of us on the hill were told before the confirmation what we had continued tod to believe t last year and without any

notification or dialogue with congress, completely reversed. >> senator dean helder of nevada urging the doj to work with delegations. senator lisa murkowski could the announce. disruptive to state regulatory regimes and longest serving gop senator hatch is encouraging to remove bureaucratic red tape. not put up road blocks to allow the top nation's researchers to study the potential medicinal benefits of marijuana. newly released natural poll of the trump presidency shows people continue to view the capital in a negative light. 80 pr 80% of u.s. adults are either angry or dissatisfy with washington. 18% say they are satisfied or happy when it comes to president trump's efforts to, quote, drain the swamp, 38% believe nothing

has changed. 33% say he is made the swamp worse since taking office. only 20% believe he has made progress. when asked about the political atmosphere in the united states since trump took office. 63% believe the country is more divided under his administration. only 9% actually say it is more united. former vice president joe biden is also weighing in on the current state of affairs in the the country. calling the trump administration dysfunctional and attacks on the judiciary and press demoralizing. also shed more light on his thinking when it comes to potential run for his president in 2020. i'm not saying i won't run, but i don't have any concrete plan to run. >> is age a factor? >> sure. >> you would be 78. >> sure. its totally legitimate factor. >> howard dean said this morning former democratic party chair, he said the old people in the party need to, quote, get the hell out of the way.

>> well, tell howard i can take him physically. you're going be running against a man who is going to be 75 years old or 76 years old at the time. whatever his age is. it would be a totally legitimate thing for people to say, let's look at biden. he would be the oldest guy to ever be president. see what kind of shape he's in. mentally. physically and rest. >> so back with us from washington, capitol hill reporter for the hill, molly hooper. i don't know if that interview there fuels anymore speculation object what joe biden is going to do. >> it does. it does. >> he's maintained a pretty good relationship with lawmakers. actually very visible. seeing him on the hill. not just the swearing in ceremonies. very vocal person in washington, d.c. last several decades. maintained those relationships. what kind of sentiment is there on the hill right now about a biden 2020 run. especially in the wake of criticism from within the party that's like we got to go forward away from the old guard.

>> well, i got to tell you, this was fascinating to me because i was covering you know doug jones on tuesday, the new senator from alabama democrat. big deal. and i didn't even know about this whole bannon trump feud and the book stuff. i was outside doug jones's office. eric holder, joe biden were going. big wigs. when joe biden showed up after escorting doug jones to getting sworn in on the senate floor, it was like, oh. everybody was so excited. the energy was palpable. we're talking dozens of people on hand and they were there for a long time in this kennedy caucus room. right off one of if senate office buildings. where a lot of reporters do their live shots with the marble background. i have to tell you, he didn't miss a beat. he likes to talk. he's always liked to talk. i've covered him a long time. he had lunch with.

>> he still has his popularity. >> he's very, very popular. he's quick on -- he still chats with reporters. and i don't know. he seemed like he had a lot of energy. when he went into the. >> he said he can take howard dean. >> physically. >> but can he take cory booker. and quite frankly. joe biden has a lot of appeal to some republicans and democrats. if you look at something interesting over the past few months, people like john mccain. senior republican senator. somebody who served with joe biden in the senate for a long time. you see long standing senators who still have a lot of respect for joe biden and i think can even see some of those folks you know, if the trajectory of the trump administration keeps going the way it has gone, some old school republicans saying, well, joe biden. >> you remember between john mccain's daughter and joe biden

on the view as well. i want to turn to jeff sessions. his decision to reverse the policy to legalize marijuana. pretty controversial in washington to say the least. how potentially destructive do you think this is going to be. >> at first i don't think the sessions folks thought it would be as disruptive among republicans, but when you look at the statements coming out. republican from florida saying basically that what -- has jeff sessions ever seen the parent of a kid with juvenile epilepsy and seen how well medicinal marijuana has helped these kids, then he really doesn't know what he's doing. this is a state's right issue. you look at a lot of conservatives who are state's right people and they are app palletic. what you might see, is this decision. given the number of republicans coming out against it and democrats, it may actually galvanize a change on capitol

hill. the big issue at heart here is the fact that marijuana is still classified as a schedule one drug with heroin. with cocaine. things like that. so congress has been loathed to change that. however, this decision may just prompt them to take some action on that and lower that classification. >> then candidate trump on the campaign trail was saying that marijuana is a state's issue. now obviously the doj reversing that policy. molly hooper for us. good seeing you. have a good weekend. >> lovely seeing you too. the trump administration is moving to vastly expand the amount of offshore drilling allowed in u.s. coastal waters. five year plan announced by ryan zinke opens up oil and exploration from federal waters in california to billions of acres in the arctic and along the eastern sea board. lifting of the drilling put in place by barack obama deal as serious blow to president's environmental legacy.

in announcement argued the decision will boost jobs and provide billions of dollars of funding for conservation efforts along u.s. coastlines. the move is welcomed by energy companies, it faces sharp criticism from a number of republican governors of coastal states, particularly florida's rick scott who vowed to protect state's coast from drilling and already asked to meet with secretary szinke to discuss removing florida from consideration. before the stock market continues to roll on with the dow average crossing the 25,000 mark yesterday. this is just a month after it crossed 24,000. cnbc joins us live from london. vil ville. >> a lot of cynics saying they're overvalued. stocks are a bit too frothy.

after that high close for the s&p. dow jones and nasdaq yesterday. seen stock markets around the world follow suit. shanghai, tokyo, hong kong and here in london. the markets already up a quarter of a percent. one of the market drivers. job numbers in the u.s. coming out later this morning. expecting 180,000. that's again 228,000 last month. the unemployment rate still sticking around 4.1% expected. retail had a good holiday season. they have bad news on the horizontal here with sears announcing it's closing more stores. how many is the company shutting and what is the impact going to have. >> say they're going to be closing around 100 around march of april this year. 64 might be kmart. this is a part of that trend line we continue to see. moving away from bricks and mortar. looking to sell some of these unprofitable stores as soon as next week. they're going to proceed with

liquidation. worth noting that macy's, another big u.s. retailer looking to close around a dozen store this is year. >> live from london. thank you. morning joe will have the job report as soon as it crosses at 8:30. still ahead, officials in virginia finally named a winner in contested house race. cleanup after the destructive winter storm. look at pictures. bill karins back with us on the details of the deep freeze now settling in.

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named win of closely watched delegates race. previously declared the winner of the november election. after a recount last month. democrat was thought to have won by one vote. however the next day the three judge panel declared the race a tie. the saga may not yet be over. >> yesterday, i offered my opponent a deal that would have made this final. he did not take the deal. and therefore, for me, all options are still on the table. >> at this moment, i am not conceding, but i am reflecting on a very interesting campaign. >> so simons has ten days to request a second recount. a win by simons would have split power by democrats and republicans in virginia delegates ending 17 year republican majority. residents along the east coast will continue to clean up today following the massive

winter storm that ripped through the region yesterday. video captured in new jersey of the roof of a gas station teetering above the pumps before a strong gust of wind fupushed e structure even further. no one was hurt. and at the station's electricity and gas lines were shut off. scary stuff. with that get a check on the weather now with nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, no matter where you are in the northeast or on the east coast for that matter, even down south, you're going to get cold over the next couple of days. >> yes, no avoiding it. it's here now. slowly get better by the time we get to sunday and monday. two or three more days of this brutal stuff. ever since christmas. big winner. maine is one of the highest totals i saw. providence over a foot. boston over a foot. how about that for norfolk virginia. ten inches. hartford about ten inches. other areas like new york city.

9.8 inches. that was two days ago. georgia one, and d.c., not much for you at all. little less than an inch. storm is completely gone. racing up through nova scotia. it will exit. today's in the wake is another frigid air mass. this one doesn't include colorado, texas, not too bad there, but the other areas are brutally cold here. you can see all the darker blues. those are the really chilly stuff coming down here through minnesota. the windchill i saw the last report there in duluth. the negative 39 degrees. the windchill is continuing to be on the colder side in many other areas. so cold my weather computer has froze up. >> and there you go. >> we got the gist of what you were trying to say. >> i pushed the little button on the remote like 500 times.

>> got the gist of what you're saying. >> it's cold. >> snow day for bill. >> may have been right about the high winds. only predicted 4-6 in new york and we got a heck more than that. >> did i say nine? >> no. you said four to six yesterday. >> i didn't say nine. >> calling bill out. >> i have to check the tape on that one. >> check that frozen screen behind you. still ahead. potential high level talks between north and south korea taking a big step forward. >> pyongyang's decision to accept the talks. what that could mean. ♪

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welcome back into the korean peninsula, where pyongyang has send seoul's proposal for high level talks next tuesday, focusing but not limited to next month's olympics. joining us live, kelly kobiaya. good morning to you. talk to us about the latest on all this. >> reporter: well, it's official. these two sides will meet halfway. at least in terms of location. you talk about the talks, it's a whole other matter. they'll meet at the dmz village to talk about logistics sending north korean lynx next month. the south koreans say, other issues will come up. the south koreans aren't

elaborateing on what other kind of things they might bring up during these initial talks. all of this came up between that phone call between president moon jae-in, between the two agreed to delay the sticking point for the new yonorth korea. the white house the defense department, not at all saying this is any kind of concession to the north koreans. secretary of state james mattis, secretary of defense, excuse me, calling this a practical matter t. white house saying these two militaries need to focus on the security around the olympics. that's more of the reason why the joint may be having a delay. this is intended to be a stepping stone towards bigger issues. the problem is the international community has been down this road before and it hasn't panned

out a. heavy dose of skepticism, guys. >> you have to watch what happens close. >> nikki haley said if these talks don't nooed lead to them zarm disarming, they're meaningless. in a few seconds, we play former president bind's interview. >> is he fit to be president? >> the american people decided he should be president, so, therefore, he's president. but i think he so undermines the office the credibility of the office and our place in the world that, for example, comparing, i got a bicker button thaun do, talking to the north korean president, leader, kim, i mean, my god, what a -- the only

wore that's worse than one that's intended is unthat's unintended. >> that certainly is the truth. coming up next, more on that report suggesting president trump lobbied to keep attorney general jeff session from a recushion himself and what that could mean for special bob mueller's investigation and the fallout continuing by steve bannon about the trump presidency in that new book as he looks at allegations. "morning joe" just moments.

. welcome back, everybody. >> we start with nbc news kristen welker at the white house, a look at the president's day ahead. good morning. >> reporter: hi, louis, good morning to you. president trump heads to camp david later today, where he'll use the presidential retreat this weekend to hunker down with house speaker and senate majority leader to plot his agenda, trying to turn his page on his ethics with former chief strategist steve bannon. there is no sign the fireworks will let up any time soon. now the president's lawyers are

ramping up, threatening to sue bannon, the author and the publisher. the white house is in full attack mode, calming the book full of lice and nothing more than tabloid gossip. this morning the publisher and author are standing by their works. meanwhile, a funeral for the colorado deputy killed in what police called an ambush attack will be held today. they say zacari parrish was killed of they received report of a disturbance. they say seconds after their arrival, the gunman opened fire on them. the labor market of 2017 is due out today. it is expected the show payroll grew in december and it is expected to hold at 4.1%. morning joe will have thonumber. "morning joe" starts right now.

>> sessions gets the job, right after he gets the job, he recuses himself. was that a mistake? >> well, sessions should have never recuse himself. . >> that was president trump back in july talking to the "new york times." now the "times" is out with a new report saying the president personally directed the top person in the white house to convince to persuade, pressure, attorney general jeff sessions to stay in charge of the russia probe. once again, trying to interfere with an investigation. we're going to be talking to a reporter who broke that story in just a minute. good morning, it's friday, january 5th. mika will be back with us on monday. today we have veteran columnist and msnbc