sneets sneets . the clock is ticking to avoid a government shutdown. house republicans believe they have enough votes to pass a short-term funding bill. plus, as lawmakers work to come to a bipartisan deal on immigration, there's a new outline. and steve bannon is to be interviewed by mueller. good morning, everyone. it's thursday, january 18th. the pressure is mounting for lawmakers in washington to pass a measure to fund the government before tomorrow's deadline, but

there are new concerns on whether a deal can be struck. house republican leadership aides say they're confident they have the votes to pass a short-term government funding bill that would keep the federal government running at least until february 16th. but thes prospects in the senate are less positive. lindsey graham said yesterday enough is enough and a fourth short-term extension since october is too many. with graham against the measure and fellow republican senator john mccain absent for cancer treatment, senate republicans need the support of 11 democrats to pass it. president trump yesterday said a shutdown could happen and said democrats would be to blame. speaker paul ryan, yesterday, echoed the that blame on the shoulders of democrats, citing their push for a deal to help

young undocumented immigrants as a part of the bill. >> we've been very clear, we want to see a daca solution. but a daca solution has to be a balanced solution, a solution that not just treat tess the symptoms, but the root cause of the problem in the first place. look, i feel that it makes no sense for democrats to try and bring us to a shutdown. >> now, coming up on "morning joe," republican congressman and chairman of the house freedom caucus mark meadows says the bill doesn't have the votes to pass the house. a bipartisan immigration bill, trump described the senate compromise a as, quote, hoebl for security and very, very weak on legal chain migration adding, quote, it's the opposite of what i campaigned for.

trump told reuters that senator graham meant well, but i said, well? how many agree with this? yesterday, four senators got mind the deals. mike rounds, lisa murkowski, senator alexander and susan collins of maine. but senate majority leader said he would only bring a vote on something that the white house supports. >> i'm looking for something that president trump supports. and he's not yet indicated what measure he's willing to sign. as soon as we figure out what he is for, then i would be convinced that we were not just spinning our wheels going to this issue on the floor. >> and white house chief of staff john kelly attempted to clarify the administration's position on immigration and border security, this after controversial comments to law packers behind closed doors on capitol hill. in in a meeting with members of the congressional hispanic

caucus, kelly reportedly said some of the hard line policies president trump advocated during the campaign were uninformed and that a wall along the entirety of the southern border would never be built and mexico would never pay for it, according to people familiar with that meeting. kelly gave his side of those comments in an interview on fox news. >> as we talked about things with this president and how much he wants to deal with this daca issue and take it off the -- take it away, i told him, you know, there's been an evolutionary process that this president has gone through as a campaign. and i pointed out to all the members in the room that they all say things during the course of campaigns that may or may not be fully informed. >> and former white house chief strategist steve bannon could be returning to capitol hill today to meet with the house intelligence committee after a marathon meeting on tuesday. spokesman for the committee devin nunes says it is likely,

but not 100%. on tuesday, bannon is expected to answer questions about his time in the white house. he cited the privilege for executive privilege to evade certain questions. bannon's attorney was on the phone with the white house relaying questions and asking what bannon could tell congress. ranking democrat -- a gag order was effectively issued, but bannon was not instructed to invoke executive privilege. >> did the white house tell him to invoke executive privilege? >> no. no. steve has had very, very little contact with the white house since he left. i know steve a little bit, not very well. he was -- he left the white house and has has really never returned to the white house, with the exception of a few phone calls here and there,

very, very little contact with the white house. and i certainly have never spoke to him since he left. >> is the white house afraid of what steve bannon might say? >> not that i'm aware of. i think we've been pretty clear what our position is in regards to this entire process, that there was absolutely no collusion. but in terms of, you happen, what he might say, i can't answer that. i can't speculate on that. i can simply tell you that we're following the procedure, whether it was in this committee or any other committee down the road. this is a process that's important to protect and that's what we're doing. >> all right. axios, mean wile, is reporting that bannon made one conspicuous slip-up during his appearance on tuesday citing sources with his conversation. bannon admitted that he'd had conversations with reince priebus, sean spices and mark corallo about don jr.'s infamous

meeting with the russian lawyer. that meeting has become a focal point, of course, in the russia investigations, both for lawmakers and for bob mueller. a source for the legal team says bannon will be interviewed by mueller's team instead of testifying before a grand jury. it is still undecided whether that will take place. and two other trump associates made appearances on capitol hill yesterday. corey lewandowski met with the house intel committee and refused to answer questions about events during the campaign and his conversations with the president since then. >> mr. lewandowski came to testify. yesterday he said he would answer questions like steve bannon that referred to anything after he left the campaign. now, he is not an administration official, never has been an

administration official. those questions included, by the way, did you have a conversation with the president of the united states within the last 24 hours where you discussed your testimony. that is a question he would not answer. >> so lewandowski cited his own reasons for not answering questions. according to nbc news, he said he was simply not prepared to offer answers and offered to return at a later date. white house deputy chief of staff rick deerborn was fully cooperative during his more than four hours of questioning. deerborn announced plans to resign last month. he is expected to remain in the west wing for the first month or two of this year. and president trump heads to pennsylvania today to help save a republican house seat the democrats have their eye on. he's expected to speak on the economy at a factory just outside of pittsburgh this afternoon. we're told the president will appear with republican rick

siccone in a district that the president won by 19 points. spooked by the recent democratic wave, republicans are on the defensive ahead of the midterms. in fact, the president tells reuters that he's will to amp up his campaign schedule, saying he'll probably spend four or five days a week helping republican democrats, although it's unclear if all that time will be spent on the campaign trail. the president said he would avoid endorsing candidates and republican primaries. joining us from white house, white house reporter from the associated press, darlene, the president is setting out to campaign for these special elections and midterm republican candidates.

>> the president recently signed the tax bill into law. that's his first major the achievement. so it will be interesting to see going into this year and the midterms and all the campaigning that will be done, how passage of the tax cut bill will play into these individual races. >> you had a reliably republican senate seat. is this sort of the beginning of the end for republicans come midterms, come november? are they sort of bracing for a major shift? are they looking at wisconsin sort of as the move away from republicans towards democrats? >> there are certainly those who want to see it as the beginning of the end for republicans, but i think it's too early to tell right now.

the elections are still more than 10 months away. there is a lot that can happen that will play into this. let's turn to the big shadow overcast in washington. that is the government shutdown. do you think it's going to happen? if so, who will get the brunt of the blame if it does not happen? >> well, it's certainly trending that way. the clock is ticking, as you know. both sides appear to be very far apart on the issues. the white house would, of course, like to blame democrats. democrats would like to blame republicans since they are the ones that control both houses of congress and the white house. and all levels of government, basically. so it remains to be seen. still ahead, what medical experts have to say about president trump's recent physical exam. and later, what senator jeff

flake had to say on the floor of the senate and how the white house is responding. that plus a check off your weather when we come back. it takes a lot of work but i really love 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 [ click, keyboard clacking ] [ keyboard clacking ] [ click, keyboard clacking ] ♪ good questions lead to good answers. our advisors can help you find both. talk to one today and see why we're bullish on the future.

yours.

welcome back, everybody. "in touch" magazine has published a year's ago interview with stormy daniels who detailed her affairs with donald trump. she said trump continued to pursue her and the two met several times, including at his office if trump tower, adding her last call from him was in, quote, late 2009 or early 2010. "in touch" said daniels story was corroborated by randy spears and is supported by her ex-husband, mike mose. recently, daniels denied having an affair with trump and has not

responded to nbc news's questions about the interview. the white house, too, has denied a relationship. experts are reading between the lines of president trump's physical exam last friday. the "new york times" spoke with cardiologists who says the president's exam reveals several heart concerns. president trump has a real risk of having a heart attack or stroke, especially considering his weight and lack of exercise. in an oval office interview with reuters, president trump weighed in on his health. he said, quote, i get exercise. i mean, i walk, i this, i that. i run over to a building next door. i get pore exercise than people think. he added, a lot of people go to the gym and they'll work out for two hours and all. i've seen people, they get their

new knees when they're 55 years old and they get their new hips and they do all those things. i don't have those problems. >> that was good. that was a really good -- >> nice job. let's get a check on your weather now with nbc meteorologist bill karins. do you have any good news for us? >> a lot of good news. if you don't like the cold and snow. it will melt quickly into the weekend in many areas. right now, the worst of our winter weather is all out in eastern north carolina, nearly blizzard conditions for the outer banks. it's just about over with in norfolk. it just stopped in virginia beach. but it's ugly out there this morning and that's where i'm sure schools are closed. as far as snow totals went, raleigh had 6 inches of snow. just outside raleigh, 12.5. up in the berkshires, stockbridge, 11 inches. albany, 6.8.

and even charlotte had 27.5. montgomery, alabama, around 2 inches and new orleans had a trace. so the cold is with us. this is the worst of it. it gets warmer from here towards the weekend. but we have freeze warnings from south texas down to ft. myers this morning. even orlando has dipped well below 30 degrees. we're at 28 in orlando, 20 in mobile and new orleans is at 28. look at nashville at 8 degrees this morning. it is 23 in houston and it is a similar if not a little warmer in areas of new england than it is in houston. boston is 1 degree warmer than houston, texas, this morning. in the heart of winter, that doesn't happen very often. 19 in new york and 7 in pittsburgh. you get the idea. it's cold everywhere. but here is the good thing. it's going to be clear. the winds will be light and this afternoon with the sunshine, we'll head up into the 40s throughout the southeast. so we'll start doing some of the snow melt. the roads will clear out.

north carolina, of course, we'll probably start doing that cycle where you melt and refreeze later at night. 34 in in new york and 34 in boston is not bad. but the real warmth is in the middle of the country. denver is at 60. this had is spring break weather in minneapolis. they'll be 37. then it's 40 in the northern plains friday. look at d.c., guys, 50 degrees for your friday afternoon. so it's on its way and it will stay with us through the weekend. >> the moral of this story, hang in there for a couple more hours. >> but if you decide to get away from the cold weather and go to florida, you're not happy. >> brutal. >> phoenix, 76 degrees. >> aggressively above 70 degrees in phoenix, i feel like. still ahead, the fallout continues from monday night's secret tunnel incident between houston and the l.a. clippers. now the league has weighed in, but as you can imagine, anytime they do that, not everyone is happy with the outcome. sports is next. ♪ one is the only number ♪ that you'll ever need ♪ staying ahead isn't about waiting for a chance.

it's about the one bold choice you make, that moves you forward. ( ♪ ) the one and only cadillac escalade. come in now for this exceptional offer on the cadillac escalade. get this low-mileage lease on this 2018 cadillac escalade from around $879 per month. visit your local cadillac dealer. from around $879 per month. here's the story of green mountain coffee roasters sumatra reserve. let's go to sumatra. the coffee here is amazing. because the volcanic soil is amazing. so we give farmers like win more plants. to grow more delicious coffee. which helps provide for win's family. all, for a smoother tasting cup of coffee. green mountain coffee roasters. for her compassion and care. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first had to protect themselves. i have afib.

even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®... to help keep me protected. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... ...significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least 6 blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. for afib patients well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain

or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures... ...and before starting xarelto®-about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. it's important to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know™. six seconds, five, four, got it! basemore puts atlanta in front, 94-93. >> neals, using the screen. the roll to the rim, it's good. and a foul. la marcus aldridge. >> hurdle screens for derosen. right drive. wing feed to miles. top side derosen. long two is through. >> between b the legs and the

screen, but lopez. they're having fun now. >> oh, man. >> i'm telling you, they're having fun. and you can just feel it. you can see it. >> the clippers almost turned it over. instead, wesley johnson scoops it up. >> welcome back. time now for sports. if you noticed in one of the highlights we showed you, you can see superstar blake griffin in uniform. the reason that is out of the ordinary is griffin was in the mix of heated tensions in a monday night game between houston and the rockets. it was initially reported that griffin's formerer teammate, chris paul, jerald ariza went through a back haul and ariza and green have been suspended for two games because of that incident. meanwhile, harden and paul were outside the clippers locker room trying to diffuse the situation and will face no disciplinary

actions. the rockets are shocked and disappointed that both griffin and williams escaped repercussions for their tensions in the leadup. but the rockets say griffin intentionally bumped into the rockets coach mike d'antoni in the fourth quarter causing the smack that led to ariza and griffin's ejections. i'm justing going to guess that it's going to be a contentious game in late february. starting in boston, a bruins gave a tribute to claude julien who led the team to a stanley cup championship back in 2011, the franchise's first since 1972. oofr the game, the bruins handily defeated the canadiens 2-1 with two of their four goals coming in the third period. pittsburgh penguins and the

ducks would pound. anaheim scored four goals alone in the second period. the ducks win, 5-3 in that one. >> some impressive highlights there in hockey. i guess the nhl season is saturdaying to heat up. >> oh, there you go. moving on. still ahead, the latest on the immigration fight is inching closer still. plus, north and south korea and the upcoming olympics, what it could mean for diplomacy. how do you win at business?

stay at la quinta. where we're changing with stylish make-overs. then at your next meeting, set your seat height to its maximum level. bravo, tall meeting man. start winning today. book now at lq.com start winning today. honey...♪ can we do this tomorrow? ♪ 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.

welcome back, everybody. it is the bottom of the hour. we'll start with the morning's top stories. >> there is just about one day left for lawmakers in washington to pass a bill to keep the federal government up and running. but there are concerns on whether republicans can get the votes needed to do so. >> at the center of the fight, the lack of agreement on daca. nbc news's casey hunt has more on this from capitol hill. casey, good morning. >> good morning. a lot of drama ahead on capitol hill today as lawmakers are scrambling to try and find a deal to protect dreamers and avoid a government shutdown. on capitol hill, dozens of arrests. and yasmin gonzalez is terrified. >> i have four u.s. citizen children that i'm afraid to take to mexico country that i don't even remember. >> she's here trying to convince democrats to take a stand and refuse to back the republican

spending plan to keep the government open unless there's a deal to help the 800,000 dreamers protected by the daca program. >> do you have enough republican votes to keep the government open this week? >> we've been very clear, we want to see a daca conclusion, but a d a aca solution has to be a bammed solution. it makes no sense for democrats to try and bring us to a shutdown. >> the president's aides trying to convince conservatives in the house not to sink the plan. >> nobody in our office wants a shutdown. >> is there any daca bill you're willing to sign? >> we're working on it. >> i'm looking for president that president trump supports. and he's not yet indicated what measure he's willing to sign. >> both sides playing the blame game. republicans control congress and the white house, but they need democratic votes had in the senate to keep government running. like senator joe manchin whose state voted overwhelmingly for

president trump. >> i'm here because of west virginia. >> and if that means you need to vote to keep the government open? >> i'm voting for west virginia. >> there can't be any negative thoughts in my mind, because then i'm not -- it doesn't allow me to do had my job. >> still working for his community, waiting and hoping he'll be allowed to stay. republican aides tell nbc news they're confident they have the votes to get the funding bill through the house as soon as today, but without a daca deal, it's really not clear how it gets through the senate and that makes a government shutdown a very real possibility. and coming up on "morning joe," mark meadows, who you saw in casey's report. he will talk about whether a deal can be reached to keep the government open. so less than a week after the president used a highly derogatory term to describe haiti, the trump administration

has moved to ban haitians to be eligible for seasonal workers visas. the department of homeland security had posted a notice yesterday saying it plans to bar people from haiti. in addition to people from belize and samoa for the h2a and h had 2b visas. saying they have demonstrated a high level of fraud and abuse and a high rate of overstaying the terms of their h-2 admission. last week, president trump asked why do we need more haitians? take them out. >> okay. republican senator jeff flake condemned the president's attacks on the free press in a 15-minute speech on the senate floor slamming what he called, quote, alternative facts.

>> the enemy of the people is what the president of the united states called the free press in 2017. mr. president, it is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president uses words infamous koven by joseph stalin to describe his enemies. it bears noting that so fraught with malice was the phrase "enemy of the people" that even khruschchev forbade its use, telling the communist party that the phrase had been introduced by stalin for the purpose of annihilating such individuals who disagreed with the supreme leader. this alone should be the source of great shame for us in this body, especially for those of us in the president's party, for they are shameful, repulsive statements. despotism is the enemy of the people. the free press is the despots

enemy. it is that person that should be the figure of suspension, not the press. >> the senator also accused the president of inspiring present day dictators and authoritarians, highlighting quotes in which the leaders of syria, the philippines and venezuela have used the president's fake news line. here is the white house responding to the senator's speech. >> he's not criticizing the president because he's against oppression. he's criticizing the president because he has terrible poll numbers and he is, i think, looking for some attention. i think it's unfortunate. we welcome access to the media every day. i'm standing right here taking questions. the president does so regularly. and to act as if we're anything but open to that back and forth exchange is utterly ridiculous. >> confooul fusing things, taking questions and attacking

the media. i think attacking the media, that's where the criticism is. >> yes. >> darlene, good to have you back with us. we've seen some mixed messages from the white house on the issue of daca particularly. to borrow from a question that senator lindsey graham asked, what kind of plan would the president or the white house accept? >> well, that is right. it does seem to be a little bit unclear what exactly president trump will accept. remember, last week or the week before when he had that televised bipartisan meeting, he said at one point that he would sign whatever bill that the group in that room sent to him. the white house wants the daca big to include own for border security, including possibly portions of a wall. they want the end of a visa lottery program. they also want the end to

so-called chain migration or family migration. but you played a clip a little while ago of senator mitch mcconnell saying he himself is not entirely certain what the president will support and until he has a clearer accepts of that, he's not ready to put anything on the floor. >> yeah. >> so that whole mystery or confusion needs to be resolved and quickly. >> let's talk midterms once again, darlene. daca is probably going to heavily weigh on midterms along with so many other issues, whether it be taxes and how that turns out and, of course, the russia probe. how big of a cloud could this cast over the midterm elections? what are you hearing from the white house and how they're going to deal with this? >> are you talking about daca or the russia probe? >> the russia probe. >> one thing i think we need to see is the timing of when the various committees in the house and the senate that are investigating russia involvement

in the election, when they actually release their reports, how close to the election. that could be one factor that plays into the midterm elections. and then, of course, there's the findings and if there is collusion to be found between the trump folks and the russian government, that could also play into the outcome of the midterms. >> all right, darlene, live in washington for us this morning, thank you. >> thank you. although senator john mccain had plans to return to capitol hill in january, the date for his return is still unsure. mccain was diagnosed last summer with a deadly form of brain cancer and was then hospitalized last month for a viral infection and side effects of ongone chemotherapy and radiation treatment. although there haven't been an official update on his health since december 17th. at that time, mccain's office said he was, quote, grateful for the excellent care he continues to receive and appreciative of the support from around the nation. and former senate majority

leader bob dole was honored on capitol hill yesterday. dole received the congressional gold medal of honor, congress's highest civilian honor. he was presented the medal by president trump, vice president mike pence and house and senate leaders. dole's wife, elizabeth dole, read remarks on his behalf which touched on the importance of compromise. >> even conviction politicians accept the need for compromise from time to time. this is how the american republic was built. and we remain a nation defined by our diversity, a code of many colors and a healthy respect for those with whom we may the agree to disagree. >> dole, a former soldier, served in congress for 35 years, serving nearly 11 as a republican leader. he was also the republican party's presidential nominee back in 1996. just an incredible career. >> absolutely right. still ahead, everybody, meeting

the young immigrants at the center of the daca battle. jacob speaks to those waiting to find out if they can stay in the united states. plus, apple unveils a major investment in the u.s. on the heels of the tax cuts. looking to save even more money on your medicare part d prescriptions? at walgreens, we'll help you save more with zero dollar copays on select plans and reward points on prescriptions.

so no matter where you're going or who you are, it's worth the trip. we'll help you find low cost prescriptions including zero dollar copays on select medicare part d plans. walgreens. trusted since 1901. here's the story of green mountain coffee roasters sumatra reserve. let's go to sumatra. the coffee here is amazing. because the volcanic soil is amazing. so we give farmers like win more plants. to grow more delicious coffee. which helps provide for win's family. all, for a smoother tasting cup of coffee. green mountain coffee roasters. ♪...nausea, heartburn,♪ indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ here's pepto bismol! ah. ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ my bladder leakage was making me feel like i couldn't spend time with my grandson. now depend fit-flex has their fastest absorbing material inside, so it keeps me dry and protected. go to depend.com -

get a coupon and try them for yourself. woman: i'm a fighter. always have been. when i found out i had age-related macular degeneration, amd, i wanted to fight back. my doctor and i came up with a plan.

it includes preservision. only preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula recommended by the national eye institute to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd backed by 15 years of clinical studies. that's why i fight. because it's my vision. preservision. welcome back, everybody. thousands of immigrants across the country are waiting to find out whether they would be granted daca sattus. >> the southern california university's home to over 1,000 d.r.e.a.m.ers and we met two of them, sociology majors miriam teles and pablo garcia. >> so you guys went to high school in southern california.

>> yes. >> like he. have you ever been to mexico, other than being born there? >> no. >> never? >> never. >> how about you, where would you be deported to? >> i would assume mexico, too. but i think it's in the back of my head it's like, well, maybe i'll just go to another country. >> with her future uncertain, i went to check in again with miriam, this time at her family home in pasadena as she wrapped up winter break. >> so you moved into this house when you were how old? >> 11, 12ish. >> so almost the entire time you've been in the u.s.? >> yeah. >> are you actually worried that there might be a day where you won't be able to come back to this house? >> there is that fear, but i don't let it drown me, in a sense. >> it's almost like you don't know what to think now because it's gone back and forth so many times. >> yeah. i feel like there's so much distraction from things. >> miriams has three siblings, and all of them are undocumented, too. one of her brothers was home from college had on winter break. >> your sister was telling me

she thinks about studying abroad if deportation ever happened. do you ever run through your options in your head, what you might do? >> yeah. i'm pretty set on staying here. whatever happens happens. >> these next couple days could be crucial to whether or not there's a fix to daca. >> yeah. >> do you feel like you're in limbo a little bit? >> we were never secure. we knew daca was a temporary aid. however, i think we were hopeful that wasn't going be the case. >> so do you feel like the clock is ticking? >> it does feel like that. i read the overseas daca is taking applications again. >> are you going to try to renew? >> yeah, yeah, of course. if there's a chance they start accepting applications and renewing permits, i want to be there right in front of the line. >> thanks to jacob for that report. it's always a reminder, we talk about the bickering and policy in d.c., but when you look at that, it's a reminder of the

sobering impact it has on real lives and real people. >> 800,000 lives, people return to go countries that are not really even their home. >> as you heard there, that girl that was born there hasn't been back since. and let's switch gears and check in on the weather with meteorologist bill karins. >> let me show you pictures out of north carolina. that's who was hit the hardest yesterday. the charlotte area started early in the day. schools were canceled. 3 1/2 inches total at the airport. raleigh, up to 6 inches of snow. some areas to the north and west of raleigh, greensboro, up to a foot of snow. that's a big snowstorm for north carolina. that wasn't in the mountains, either. here is where we sit this morning. snowstorm finally existing. it's been like a blizzard out here in the outer banks. rough travelwise. now windchill advisories extend all the way down here almost into ft. lauderdale and miami. atlanta, of course, corpus christi, new orleans, everyone

included. windchills are in the 15 to 25 degree range. it's panic in the streets. miami is at 43 windchill this morning. that's about as chilly as it gets. 31 in ft. myers, 21 in tampa. i think orlando is down there in the low teens for windchill values. so you get the picture. but here is the good news. we are going to slowly begin to warm thing up. temperatures are in the single digits in some areas. philadelphia, though, we're going to be out 34 degrees today. nashville is at 38. that's about 8 degrees below average. houston, only 44, about 18 below. but here comes the warmth from the central plains. the pacific air is going to push the cold out. by the time we get to friday, d.c., you're up to 50 degrees, 60 degrees above afghanistan. we're still chilly in the southeast, but at least we're in the 50s. and by the time we get to the weekend, the pacific erics out ought of the arctic air. jacksonville, 73 by monday. raleigh into the 60s on sunday and monday. there goes your snow, gone in a

hurry. chicago, not bad, in the 40s. even boston, 50 on saturday and the rumors of a football game, important one on sunday, 48 degrees. so pretty good stuff considering how cold this january has been. >> all right. a little bit of good news there, bill. i'm ready for the thaw. apple announced it will pay $38 billion in a one-time tax payment and bring back hundreds of billions of dollars overseas to fund investments in the united states, one of the largest corporate spending plans since the pass aemg a of the new tax code. despite years of criticism, they have said it would not bring its foreign earnings back to the u.s. unless the corporate tax code changed. the new tax code, signed into law last month, allows for a one-time repatriation of overseas cash at a lower tax rate than what would have been paid under the previous tax

plan. the president and congressional republicans are hailing this as a win with the president tweeting an i told you so yesterday evening. the company also amoupsed to build a second u.s. campus focused on customer support, award stock bonuses to employees and create 20,000 new jobs and contribute 350 billion to the u.s. economy over the next five years. >> i was going to say, how long do you think it will be before president trump tweets out a i told you it was going to come back. >> five quarterback four, three, two -- >> he already did it. coming up, north and south korea agree to march under one flag for the upcoming olympics. >> that's coming up motorcycles. [ click, keyboard clacking ] [ keyboard clacking ] [ click, keyboard clacking ]

♪ good questions lead to good answers. our advisors can help you find both. talk to one today and see why we're bullish on the future. yours. talyou or joints. somethinghy wefor your heart...e future. but do you take something for your brain. with an ingredient originally found in jellyfish, prevagen is the number one selling brain-health supplement in drug stores nationwide. prevagen. the name to remember. and sometimes, i don't eat the way i should. so, i drink boost. 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. boost high protein be up for it

welcome back. president trump is officially accusing russia of helping north korea evade sanctions. in an interview with "reuters" yesterday, trump said russia is not helping us at all with north korea. what china is helping us with, russia is denting. in other words, russia is making up for some of what china is doing. the president continued saying president putin can do a lot, but unfortunately we don't have much of a relationship with russia in some cases it's probable that what china takes back, russia gives so the net result is not as good as it could be. he says he hopes the situation can be solved quote in a peaceful way. but it's very possible that it cannot. adding that the u.s. is ordering more missile defense systems and

that while pyongyang is not at the stage it could hit the u.s. with a missile, quote they're close and they get closer every day. an interesting story, despite still being at war, north and south korea have agreed to march under a unified korean flag in the opening ceremony of next month's winter olympics in pyeongchang. and the two nations have agreed to built a joint ice hockey arena together. joining us now live from beijing, nbc news correspondent, janice mackey freyer. what is really at play here going forward? is it going to make a difference? >> well this plan is a breakthrough. to have a north korean delegation hundreds strong, that includes cheerleaders, athletes, musicians. it still needs ioc approval at a meeting in lausanne this

weekend. north korea has missed a series of registration deadlines, technically they haven't qualified for the olympics. we also have to consider that there are u.n. sanctions in place. so that puts a ban on cash transfers. there are also travel bans on certain regime officials. it has stirred the skepticism among some people of north korea's willingness to do this deal. japan's foreign ministry used the term charm offensive, saying he believes it's a means of the regime trying to buy time in order to continue its missile program. there's a degree of skepticism in washington as well. it's not that the u.s. is dismissive of this inter-korean dialogue. which has eased tension on the peninsula. but the appearance of korean unity pose as challenge for the trump administration and its current north korean strategy. which includes talk of military options, talk of war and the policy of maximum pressure in the form of sanctions.

so there is some skepticism certainly and there will be going into the weekend. south korea says for its part it wants to continue the talks because it wants to make the most of the opportunity. >> you think where we were a month ago with talks of war and the escalation and the rhetoric and suddenly you hear this announcement. >> i think the real question is what's going to happen after the olympics, right? coming up on "morning joe," countdown to shutdown. republicans are racing to get a bill to fund the federal government approved before tomorrow's deadline. but divisions within their own party may keep that from happening. chairman of the house freedom caucus mark meadows discuss is whether, conservatives will be on board with that bill and. and whether daca is a make-a-break move for the government to shut down. tment p,

fisher investments avoids them. some advisers have hidden and layered fees. fisher investments never does. and while some advisers are happy to earn commissions from you whether you do well or not, fisher investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. maybe that's why most of our clients come from other money managers. fisher investments. ♪ ♪ dynamic performance, so you can own the road. aggressive styling, so you can break away from everyone else. the bold lexus is. experience amazing.

here's the story of green mountain coffee roasters sumatra reserve. let's go to sumatra. the coffee here is amazing. because the volcanic soil is amazing. so we give farmers like win more plants. to grow more delicious coffee. which helps provide for win's family. all, for a smoother tasting cup of coffee. green mountain coffee roasters. you're more than just a bathroom disease.. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor

if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion, and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. we're fed up with your unpredictability. remission can start with stelara®. talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®. welcome back, before we talk

it to "morning joe," let's check the stories for the day ahead. the two california parents accused of holding their 13 children captive in their home are scheduled to appear in court today. david allen turpin and louise anna turpin are being held at $9 million bail each. meanwhile another busy day is on tap in washington with a day to go until the government shutdown. nbc news's hallie jackson has more from the white house. >> this morning, president trump is getting out of town. he's actually headed up to pittsburgh later today to tout his tax cuts and talk about the impact of those cuts. his big 2017 legislative accomplishment, two businesses in that city. but, it all comes as there's a stand-off over another critical policy back here in washington. that of course is what to do about the immigration program called daca that protects roughly 700,000 undocumented people brought to this country when they were younger.

democrats are still demanding that any kind of a budget fix to keep the government open by friday be tied to some kind of a deal on daca. the question is, can republicans actually get enough votes, enough democrats on board to vote to keep the government open? that's what it's coming down to today. as we're now just what, 24 hours away from a potential closedown of the government here going dark. lewis, back to you. >> thanks to hallie jackson for that report. house democrats and members of the black caucus are scheduled to formally censure president trump about his comments. >> that does it for us on this thursday morning. "morning joe" starts right now. i say, i would build a wall bigger better, stronger than any wall. >> there's been an evolutionary process that the president has gone through.

>> how are you going to build a 1900-mile wall? >> i'm a builder. >> they say things during the course of the campaign that may not be fully informed. >> what's more complicated is building a building that's 95 stories tall. >> the wall just got ten feet higher. >> even the wall. once we briefed him. >> by the way, mexico can pay for the wall. >> mexico is not going to pay. >> one of the groups is saying you can't get mexico to pay. how foolish. >> we have some ideas on how things like visa fees -- >> of course they'll pay. if you have the right guy negotiating, they'll pay. >> it's possible that we could get the revenue from mexico. but not directly from their government. >> we're not going to be the stupids any more, we're the stupids, we're known as the stupids. >> the white house chief of staff says the president was quote fully informed about his central pledge on the campaign trail. not fully informed, that is. meanwhil