weird protection of donald trump. if the republicans in congress take the same tactic they will get a report from robert mueller and it is up to them to act. we have to wait and see what happens. >> you hear that republicans. so tonight don't miss the return of the special series on assignment with richard engle. this week he reported from seoul, south korea and investigates what role russia may have made in advancing the north korea missile program. watch tonight at 9:00 p.m. that does it for the hour. i'm nicolle wallace. "mtp daily" starts right now. hi chuck. >> hi, nicolle. >> i pay you back the seconds in a big chunk. >> that is good. i'll take it. much appreciated. >> if it is friday, as mr. zimmerman said the hard wind is ablowing on this white house. >> tonight, believe it or not, have revelations of white lies and the white house killed the president's credibility? plus, jared kushner's free-fall.

how much further can he drop? >> and how big business is taking aim at american gun laws. this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. ♪ ♪ good evening. i'm chuck todd here in washington. and welcome to "mtp daily." can you believe this white house? really, can you believe it? can you believe this president on guns? or on tariffs? can you believe the white house attempts at cleaning up both? how can you? this white house copped to lying for trump. can you believe how little they've been able to plannage it? can you believe how totally unprepared they were for the president's decision to start a trade war. can you believe the pace of the russia probe and what mueller is asking about trump. what about the president's obsession with the investigation. can you believe how quickly all of the chaos has decimated his

inner circle of advisers. or how mad he remains at his own attorney general and his deputy attorney general. or that he said what he said about alec baldwin this week. he seems to be angrier at him than putin. can you believe this white house exodus. look at how isolated the president appears. can you believe the mess jared kushner is in. can you believe president trump wants him out of the west wing? can you believe what the chief of staff john kelly is saying right now. can you believe how many white house controversies are flying under the radar. conflicts of interest and cabinet controversy and steppy business arrangement, and suspicious stock trades and so on. and whether you are shocked at all of this or saddened, exhilarated or exhausted or confused or over joyed or apathetic, can you believe this white house? seriously, can you believe it? i'm joined by the panel. bill crystal, susan glasser and

analyst and democratic pollster cornell belcher. it was the only way we could figure out how to wrap up this week. susan, it is -- in a year of impossible leaks, improbable weeks has vince skully once said, donald trump has pulled off the impossible. it is the most chaotic week. >> bee careful. i'm exhausted of listening to that litany. i'm hoping friday is not quite over yet. so if this table was wood i would be knocking on it. that being said, i think one thing about politics and how it is being rewritten in the trump era is this idea that there is a trajectory that will be writed somehow. that we're always struggling to get back to normalcy. this is the normalcy. >> this is the normal. >> and i could be careful of thinking this is as crazy or chaotic as it gets. what we see in countries where the wheels come off is that it could get worse before it gets

better. but i do feel like as a news producer and as news consumer, i'm now at the point of maximum overload in terms of i now think we're forgetting about important things in the swarm of other things. >> well let's talk about the tariff thing. some people are saying well he said he would do things on gun and daca and he pulled back. and right now he only said things -- but bill crystal, can you believe the president on trade and tariffs? here is donald trump from 2011. >> somebody said, well what would you do? what can you do? so easy. listen you [ bleep ] i'm going to tax you 25%. >> bill, the point is -- you don't remember that but that was cpac in 2011. cpac in 2011. an oldie but a goody. he is wanting to play with tariffs for a long time. that is not something that is willy-nilly as his flirtation on

gun control. >> it is one thing he believed for 30 years and basic -- he hated that clooib whina was eat lunch but you could defend a china targeted policy because there have been unfair trade practices and across the board, it is hard to pull back from what he announced and across the board tariff that punishes canada, it is -- it is hard to defend economically and hard to defend geo-strategicly. and that is underreported. that the serious people in the foreign policy defense community -- it is one thing to pick a fight with china and russia, they are not our friends but he is picking fights with our allies. >> about the only positive response to this came from sherrod brown. a handful of old school democrats. >> and he is playing to that. there is a weird number that i want to bring up because you know i'm a numbers guy and you like numbers too. it is 70% dissatisfaction with

the direction. country and what is odd is that this is an odd number for a time of economic recovery. the economy which we always talk about drives voters concerns, it is a disconnect with the overwhelming majority of americans unhappy with the way things are going and they are saying the economy is recovering. it is astonishing. there is a disconnect from the economy and it is about the president and the dysfunction in washington. >> stability. >> and that is important because we've been focused on the circus here in washington this weekend. there is a palpable sense the wheels are coming off in the white house. overruling his own advisers not only on trade but his foreign policy team and secretary of state and defense who also recommended against these tariffs that he imposed to the surprise even of his own white house advisers. they came to work not knowing what will happen. but i wan to -- want to pull back. while this is playing out in the last week, you had the president

of china xi jinping declaring himself president for life and then putin essentially launching his re-election campaign with the threat to send nuclear weapons to florida and saying the cold war -- not only is back but you guys are -- failed to contain us and listen to russia. it is more than 24 hours after that speech, the united states has not responded to it. >> no, but let me put up the president's tweet on somebody else today. not on putin but about alec baldin. alec baldin whose dying career was saved by his terrible imperson agency of mee and now saying playing me was agony. it was agony for those forced to watch. again, you're just being too cute by bringing up the fact he hasn't done anything with putin. what is going on here? >> no response to putin's speech. i think this week is notable in the sense that three big things have happened. one, continued foreign policy --

our standing in the world. syria, a disaster, inherited from president obama but hasn't changed course and then what we've seen with russia and china and now the trade war possibility. that is one. two, i think robert mueller's investigation -- it has always been serious but -- >> could you connect the two things? i think axios reported or maybe it was vanity fair, but he got a bid unhinged and upset about all of the different issues having to do with mueller and he's like -- i want to play with my tariffs. >> what is the one thing we've seen from the beginning. what is the issue he cares the most about? russia, russia, russia. one week in the presidency, james comey had a meeting in the white house. air force one coming back from a nato summit, possibly reporting from the "times" on the trump tower meeting and he personally takes charge and that i think is very -- hope hicks left and josh raffle, the guy -- who worked

for -- >> raffle. >> who worked for jared and ivanka, and they were both involved in the drafting of the air force one misrepresentation of what happened at trump tower. and they leave, do you think there is a possibility that they were told, you better get out and start your negotiations with the special counsel. so i think you have the mueller thing going sh the foreign policy and then the -- he's at war with half of his cabinet. >> half of his cabinet but what his family -- him and john kelly and mccaster. >> the secretary of state is at odds and the attorney general -- what are the major cabinet positions? state and tillerson -- sessions and total war. mattis, just a distance relationship. >> i think he likes mnuchin and wilber ross. >> there were reports that he was angry and remember that. so, look, pull back. it is a snake pit by design. that is how donald trump has managed this white house and all of the previous things. but this crisis feeling i think

is very much related to when he feels really embattled in his previous career as i business pers -- as a business person when he was in trouble made his most suggest decisions. when his marriage is fallingapart and bankruptcy, then he decided to buy a football team and the shuttle -- remember that. so what concerns me on the foreign policy front is as the wheels are perceived to be coming off inside of the white house -- >> worry about a wag the dog like issue. it is like, oh, yeah, i'm going to do another show. it is like tariffs are like -- oh, yeah, watch this. >> and the adults have kept him in check. but this for me is why the trade thing is so important. if he could do this on trade, overriding every one of the serious advisers what can he do on other national security issues. >> but the system is supposed to be congress. there is a check of power, right. and we're supposed to allow for

this to happen but congress is supposed to check that power. we have a congress right now that is -- and i think they will pay a price for it. that is sitting back and completely not checking what they know to be wrong and what they know the american people are upset about. congress has to step in or this is -- this is how a direction collapses because congress is not stepping in. >> that is where the price is -- will there be a price to pay if voters believe this could have been stopped if people would have had the guts -- >> and i'm stuck -- i couldn't agree more that the republican congress is pathetic in standing -- but they can't -- that is just talk and the tweeting. you don't like that- >> it was a session. >> you could see i couple of the reporters on the hill and i'm sure you found the same thing here at nbc. when the senators were told this chairman of the senate finance committee is told he just

announced some tariffs, and it is kind of like, whoa. the real world consequences and we don't even know. there is a chance -- >> there is a -- he does -- he is one of the few people that thinks the stock market is indicative of the economy. so whether that is right or wrong, susan, if the market gets hammered again on monday, he could say, all right, never mind. >> that is right. you saw wilbur ross, somebody said, well, does the tariff mean no exceptions and he said, well, that is apparently what the president said yesterday. it was just a month ago there was davos trump. and how gary cohn wrote the speech for him and he was statesman like there and he was pleasing the masters of the global economy. well there is one thing the masters of the global economy don't like and it is protectionism and tariffs and so i do think as you see them walking back his comments on gun control the other day and trump now tweeting about how great the

second amendment is, you could certainly envision a situation where if he is getting clobbered in the markets they say we're not prepared. >> susan, you know trade wars are good and easy. didn't trump tweet that this morning. >> that is pretty -- >> it is jaw-dropping. >> and i remind somebody, star wars is based on a trade war. >> and they are doing nine of these. >> and we know with vader. >> stick around. up ahead, is this officially the fall of jared. the son-in-law has been a white house power center since the inauguration. but those days appear to be numbered. and a big boston comi-- a bt and a white house used to tu turbulence and why does this one feel different. this is on your local nbc news station. we'll be back in a minute.

it lets you know where your data lives, down to the very server. it keeps your insights from prying eyes, so they're used by no one else but you. it is... the cloud. the ibm cloud. the cloud that's designed for your data. ai ready. secure to the core. the ibm cloud is the cloud for smarter business. secure to the core. customer service!d. ma'am. this isn't a computer... wait. you're real? with discover card, you can talk to a real person in the u.s., like me, anytime. wow. this is a recording. really? no, i'm kidding. 100% u.s.-based customer service. here to help, not to sell.

you know what's not awesome? gig-speed internet. when only certain people can get it. let's fix that. let's give this guy gig- really? and these kids, and these guys, him, ah. oh hello. that lady, these houses! yes, yes and yes. and don't forget about them. uh huh, sure. still yes! xfinity delivers gig speed to more homes than anyone. now you can get it, too. welcome to the party.

welcome back. today in meet the midterms, this upcoming tuesday is a big primary election in the state of texas. and you don't knee to look any further than the lone star state to see how the republican party is the party of trump rather than the bushes. george p. bush, the only member of the bush family still in elected office is in the midst of a tough republican primary in the state of texas. so he's having to bring on his own big guns and highlighting his closeness to the trumps. >> land commissioner george p. bush is standing with donald trump. to end illegal immigration, commissioner bush campaigned for trump and supports his agenda. commissioner bush is endorsed by donald trump jr. >> and i worked with president trump to stop the illegal obama grand land. i stood by ted cruz in 2012 and endorsed president trump in 2016 -- >> well since that ad came out, bush has also been endorsed by

president trump. you are getting this right. jeb bush's oldest son, low energy jeb is plague up his ties to the trump family. george p. was the only family member to publicly campaign for trump in 2016. so he is getting the payback in support in return. but trump isn't the only presidential endorsement he is touting. his grandfather cast his early vote and showed off his festive day socks but this is a real race for george p. and if it get news a runoff it may be tough for a bush to win a runoff in the state of texas. we'll find out tuesday if the bush dynasty lives on or if the trump-ification of the republican party takes full affect. more with "mtp daily" in 60 seconds. as you can clearly see,

the updates you made to your plan strengthened your retirement score. so, that goal you've been saving for, you can do it. we can do this? we can do this. at fidelity, our online planning tools are clear and straightforward so you can plan for retirement while saving for the things you want to do today. nana, let's do this! aye aye, captain! ♪ and as you go through life -whoo! -♪ tryin' to reach your goal welcome back. we have breaking news this afternoon. exclusive reporting from my colleagues at nbc news, special counsel robert mueller's team is

now asking if president trump's son-in-law jared kushner's foreign business ties influence president trump's policy? witnesses and other folk familiar with the investigation tell nbc news that mueller's team appears to be scrutinizing kushner's business discussions during the presidential transition. this is something we've been highlighting for weeks. that is the issue with the security clearance. they want to see if kushner somehow if trump policies were shaped to either benefit or retaliate against those people kushner had met with. that news is the exclamation point on a bad week of headlines for the once untouchable prince of the trump family. a week that is reportedly made the president question whether or not it is time for his daughter and son-in-law to go back to new york. just a week ago chief of staff john kelly downgraded the security clearance as part of a broader white house review. after that, it seemed like the knives came out and what looked like an orchestrated line of

attack against curb nerkushner the post discussed ways to manipulate him and his family business received hundreds of million dollars in loans after two key white house meetings and according to the "times" today, the president is losing patience. in private conversations, the president vacillates between sounding regretful that he is taking arrows and annoyed he has another problem to deal with. joining me now is carol lee and one of the reports who broke the story about the mueller investigation, and that angle into kushner and our national correspondent and nbc news peter alexander at white house. i want to start with you, jared kushner i assume came to work today and coming to work this week. but what is the sense in that west wing? are his days numbered? >> reporter: it is a good question. you hit it on the head there. this is a brutal stretch for jared kushner. first his seek experience

downgraded. his allies bolting and that i think was a significant thing to focus on over the course of the week. remember early in the week and this week felt like a year, josh raffle the spokesperson for gerald and ivanka alone said that he would be departing the west wing. hope hicks, an ally of gerald and ivanka departing as well. reid courtis, very close to them is leaving. he was folking on the government innovation. he is going as well. and so the buttress of allies, it is not clear who they are right now. we know there is been tensions between kushner and john kelly for quite sometime. it was striking to see the president say that whatever john kelly said on security clearance would be what would go and ultimately kelly said, that means kushner is, in effect, demoted into terms of clearance. the only thing that happened in his favor was the fact that brad par stel who is a close associate will be taking over the 2020 campaign.

that is interesting. some be-- some suggested if he would leave that is a good landing pad to support his father in law from the distance. but from the podium sarah sanders said he is a valued member and it is hard know how he will do his job and diplomacy with mexico and middle east peace with a less element of security clearance. >> carol, into the aspect, the real surprise in the story today is this idea that mueller is actually reaching out to foreign a -- officials to get more information on what may or may not be a quid pro quo investigation. that is extraordinary. >> it is. and there is a couple things. one is we've determined he is trying to see if there is this link between those transition meetings and specific policy decisions that were made in the white house once he became a senior adviser.

and so there is that piece. and then in part of trying to sort that out, and that involves governments like qatar and turkey and part of mueller's effort so -- to sort that out he's reached out to foreign nationals in turkey through the fbi office and that is extraordinary because so far in terms of what we know what is publicly disclosed, the thinking is mostly that he's talking to people who are in the u.s. and that turns out not to be the case. the other thing is the qatari government has felt that they've -- their senior officials felt the decision by the white house to back this blockade that was advocated by saudi arabia and the uae was in a retaliation for business discussions with jared kushner that went south. and they were in town at end of the january and in early february and had all of this -- what they say is evidence of some sort of wrong doing that

links to jared kushner and considered for days whether or not to turn that over to robert mueller and decided for now not to do that because they thought their conversations had gone well with u.s. officials and they didn't want to further rock the boat. so those are the three main elements that are new and quite significant. >> peter, i'm curious, the president we know doesn't like when others around him are garnering negative headlines on his behalf. jared kushner is accumulating a lot of negative headlines. we know on one hand he thinks some are unfair but that doesn't mean that he is happy that he is accumulating bad press. what do we believe here? the president is supportive of jared and ivanka or now thinks it is time for them to go? >> here is the bottom line. the president doesn't like distractions. certainly not distractions like this. and effective live every headline about jared kushner has been one that reflects poorly on this president, on the west wing and only sort of adds fuel to

the whole russia conversation that the president wants nothing to do with. wants to try to just erase altogether. i was remind by a former white house official in the last 24 hours that after the president fired james comey, the former fbi director, kushner was among those who was happy with that. that supported that decision. and you are reminded of him thinking at the time that, hey, this may be one way to handle the russia investigation as lester holt heard from donald trump in his own words back then. the bottom line is it is made things worse, not just for the president but for kushner. at the end of the day the president doesn't like zak zaks-distractions but he does love family so he is caught in between the two corners. when i was overseaed in south korea and interviewed ivanka trump she said of john kelly, the chief of staff, basically that the rules -- this is struck me -- she said the rules that applied to everyone within the west wing will apply to us as

well. we'll see if the president is willing to live by those. >> carol, some might question why mueller will say -- well, wait a minute, why is kushner's dealings with countries not named russia part of the mueller probe. how would mueller's team answer that? >> well, they would answer that by saying it is within they are purview. it is a pretty broad mandate even though it sounds quite narrow and anything that would sort of be in the sphere of potential conflict of interest, in terms of being -- your dealings with a foreign government, and how jared kushner -- and by the way, they are all also looking at meetings with russians in the same way. whether or not meetings he had during the transitions with russians had influenced policy once in the white house. but i think broadly speaking, they would argue that it is in the purview because it is a -- their mandate is not just

narrowly specifically on collusion. >> peter, are they still trying to get rid of john kelly? >> are they trying to get rid of john kelly. but he is the one who downgraded jared kushner security clearance, in some ways making him a protected man behind closed doors. if the president were to get rid of john kelly, think of the message that would send. i down graded your son-in-law and then you are booting me out. i was brought her to add -- >> the three months or six months at least? >> we'll see. we'll see. . >> that is true. if you make a week. this week felt like a year any way. >> we're hoping we can see until next monday. >> we're trying to get to sunday. carol and peter, i appreciate it. thank you, both. up ahead major corporations are taking a stand on gun control and the nra after the florida shooting. could more follow suit and what

it -- what could it mean for the bottom line. and jaim kramer, mr. mad money himself is joining me next. guys, know anything about this missing inventory? wasn't me! the cheeks don't lie, chet... irresistibly planters.

if you spit blood you may have gum problems,s and could be on the journey to much worse. try parodontax toothpaste. it's clinically proven to remove plaque, the main cause of bleeding gums.

for healthy gums and strong teeth. leave bleeding gums behind with parodontax toothpaste. - there's a common thread i see every time i'm in the field. while this was burning, you were saving other homes. neighbors helping neighbors and strangers alike. - this is what america's about. - sometimes it's nice to see all the good that's out there. bringing folks out, we have seen it in community after community. big businesses taking a big stand on guns. but could their bottom line end up in the cross hairs. jim kramer on the risks and rewards in the corporate boardroom. but first here is josh lipton. >> thanks, chuck. u.s. stocks traded sharply lower

earlier in the session-based on fears that the president trump's announced tariffs are on steel and aluminum could spark a trade war. dow was 70 points lower after falling 391 points. the s&p rose 13 points. the nasdaq picked up 77 points. thanks to a sharp rise in health care shares. and delta ceo says it is values are not for sale after georgia lawmakers killed a tax break the airline wanted thursday to pressure the company into reinstating its relationship with the nra. that is it from cnbc. first in business worldwide. i'll take that. -yeeeeeah! ensure high protein. with 16 grams of protein and 4 grams of sugar. ensure. always be you.

you or joints. something for your heart... 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. we have one to two fires a day and when you respond together and you put your lives on the line, you do have to surround yourself with experts. and for us the expert in gas and electric is pg&e. we run about 2,500/2,800 fire calls a year and on almost every one of those calls pg&e is responding to that call as well. and so when we show up to a fire and pg&e shows up with us it makes a tremendous team during a moment of crisis.

i rely on them, the firefighters in this department rely on them, and so we have to practice safety everyday. utilizing pg&e's talent and expertise in that area trains our firefighters on the gas or electric aspect of a fire and when we have an emergency situation we are going to be much more skilled and prepared to mitigate that emergency for all concerned. the things we do every single day that puts ourselves in harm's way, and to have a partner that is so skilled at what they do is indispensable, and i couldn't ask for a better partner. welcome back. in the wake of the high school shooting in florida, companies across the country are taking a risk. and taking a stand on guns. dick's sporting goods, walmart and kroger and ll bean have all announced they will stop selling guns and ammo to anyone under 21 regardless of the law. and dick's went further, ending

the sale of all ar-15 style rifles but the second time they've done that. but we'll see. more than a dozen companies have cut ties in the form of ending discounts for nra members. the nra called it a shameful display of civic coward is. and fedex is not and amazon and others are offering the nra tv channel. weighing in on political or social issues could be a big gamble for companies. republican lawmakers in georgia are punishing delta, one of the state's largest employ yessies to kill a tax break that would have saved delta million on jet fuel. so in the age of deep division where partisan politics seep into every aspect of our lives, how are corporate boardrooms and commercial companies supposed to navigate the swift waterways. joining me now is someone who knows a lot about what happens in the corporate boardrooms. none other than mr. jim kramer.

host of" mad money". >> thank you for having me on the show. >> so i remember as a famous line attributed to michael jordan but i don't think he said it when they tried to get him involved in a senate race in north carolina and he said republicans buy sneakers too. it is not about red and blue, it is about green. but corporate -- corporations, what is the thinking at least the ones that have decided to participate in these boycotts of the nra. >> it is interesting that michael jordan quote because the world has gone different from what he may have thought which now there are stakeholders, people who work at the companies and the shareholders and customers. and it is a cav after onny of voices but when too many of any particular group responds in a particular way, the ceo of either -- you could say caved or gone with them. it is a different prest iige th

the boss and they are more concerned about what the employees think than i've seen before and a lot of companies are saying, you know what, the sharmds a -- shareholders are will get angry and so it is different than it used to be. >> how much is the companies that bow to the pressure, it isn't the public boycott. it is all from what is happening inside of the company, correct? >> i was with 20 of the fortune 100 ceos this week and asked them about this. what they said is are you kidding me? do you think we -- we don't have to take a position. that we're not going to take a position. do you know how up in arms our employees are. we must respond to them. that is actually a primary driver. much more than the shareholders this week. and yes, the customers, not as important. this week since the incident that i have heard, the ceos talk

about their employees ever, chuck, ever. i could not believe it. how sensitive they were. >> what is the unintended consequence if we decide to politicize where the fortune 500 feels like they have to take a side. it is one thing for individuals to give money. but if the companies themselves feel like they have to decide if they are going to stand with the president or against him or whatever it is, what the uncontinun -- unintended consequences. >> some businesses will be hurt. i was mark bennieoff who runs the fastest growing enterprise, a $12 million company and when they had a problem where the vice president pence was perceived as discriminating against gays, they talked about pulling out of the state. now the state of -- they were the largest a -- among the largest tech company. and the consequence were he would have -- mark would have lost business. but he said smiexs -- sometimes

you have lose again. again, i did not grow up in era. i worked at goldman sachs and the goal was get as much business done as possible. and now people are leaving business on the table to please the workers. this is a very changed world from ten years ago. >> have the boardrooms caught up with this mindset of sort of the -- because it does feel like this is really a millennial generation of workers that believe whether it is -- whether -- where they invest and profit with a purpose, that they are -- there should be an agenda on the other end. >> absolutely. i'm so glad you asked me that. i have been telling you they haven't been caught up at all. they are all taken by surprise. unless there is a particular culture that started during the last five years, i think a lot of the directors are saying, this could hurt the numbers. they are so out of touch with the rank and file. if you want to get smart people to come to your company, you have to kind of just get a little more aware of the younger person who is a star, but the

boards don't understand that. as someone who is an older person, who has younger kids, it is just -- it is an evolving sentiment. i know board members are saying what do you mean that the 20-year-old somethings are calling the tune. aren't they just the students here? no. it is changing. it is changed rather radically and changing so quickly that i think it is taking the breath away of the older people in the boardroom. >> that is what -- that is my sense too. there is just -- they just don't understand the mentality is changed. the idea that -- that hey, it is all about the share price in quarter two and three and four. that is gone. >> people who do not -- at the board level understand this, their talent goes out the door and goes to another place that does. we're dealing with a new generation of people. i know everyone is really cynical and i get that. and i understand how difficult politics is. but there is a body politic in their 20s and 30s and if you are

not listening, they will find another place that pays them maybe even more but listened to what they care about. this is a different kind of work world. it is not what i'm used to. but boy, do i ever see it. >> it is a less materialistic -- they take a pay cut to send a message. jim kramer, as always, thank you. happy friday, brother. >> same to you. thank you for having me on. >> you got it. great to have you. mad money is on at 6:00 on cnbc so it doesn't conflict with us. washington's weather freak out is next. sometimes we deserve the ridicule. folks, not today.

so, i needed legal advice, and i heard that my cousin's wife's sister's husband was a lawyer, so i called him. but he never called me back! if your cousin's wife's sister's husband isn't a lawyer, call legalzoom and we'll connect you with an attorney. legalzoom. where life meets legal. a hilton getaway means you get more because you get a break on breakfast get an extra day by the pool

get to spend more time together get more from your spring break getaway with exclusive hilton offers. book yours, only at hilton.com welcome back. tonight i'm obsessed with given the city of washington a little weather love. excuse me. back in january we dised d.c. por closing school and canceling meetings and weeping into a defensive crouch because of one inch of snow. bad form. today washingtonians woke up to a similar morning. everything canceled. this time because of wind. wind. really? hot air. cold air. wind. really. this is no spring is on the way breeze. roughly 500,000 people are without power. me, included. three major highway bridges are shut down. flights delayed and amtrak northeast corridor completely shut down. and trees, oh, the trees. this is a scene this morning at

the parents home of one of our producers. that man in that picture is about six feet tall. trees are down ever where. they are blocking roads and making the morning and evening commute miserable which is why the federal government did the right thing and shut it down to clean up the streets. so yes, make fun of us for being weather wimps here in washington. we do clutch our pearls at the site of a first snowflake and we forget how to drive when it drizzles. but today is different. thank goodness it is not snowing. you wouldn't accept an incomplete job

from any one else. why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase relieves your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. flonase. [seen it. covered it. n. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis? how do you chase what you love do what i did. ask your doctor about humira. it's proven to help relieve pain and protect joints from further irreversible damage in many adults. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira has been clinically studied for over 20 years. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis.

serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ready for a new chapter? talk to your rheumatologist about humira. this is humira at work. welcome back. time for "the lid." the panel is back. quickly, cornell, i want you to -- to get your response to jim kramer saying corporate boardrooms just haven't realized the millennial employees are driving the politics of corporate america. this is not a boycott from the outside, it is an outside boycott to pressure companies from the inside.

>> i thought that was interesting. these younger people are taking this activism and the kids are all right but if you are a brand, you know those kids are the future market place. and they are -- they've said very -- in very sound and loud voices, this is going to change. right. so good brand stores, they are smart to get ahead of this. i like the kids are driving from the inside but the future, that market place, they're looking at that too. >> but bill, this idea that we are really going to mix commerce and politics, in a way that we always wanted to not do that. there was this -- this line. that we might want to -- our company will pay this minimum wage. you make sort of proactive statements but this is a different world. >> it is problematic in certain ways and one of the strengths of free market and limited government, you don't politicize everything. >> we politicize everything. >> but that is problematic because what could be

politicized on one side or the other side and the trumpy state suddenly companies -- there is some of this. i'm not being naive. but on the whole, i would recommend being weary of just every time there is a moment and there is a correct position sympathetic to, if the company doesn't embrace it, it is boycotted. that is not -- >> what is interesting, susan, it is possible, i throw this in, we are the outlier. and we are the less likely to mix government and commerce. maybe we are just joining them. >> and that is a good point. and a point to the gridlock of politics. with the high school students in florida, they are saying i know you told us this is hopeless but we're going to try any way. looking for pressure point and levers that are different than the failures that have led us to where we are right now. and to me that is part of why you're seeing people pressuring

companies in different ways and realizing, well, we're not happy with where things are in washington so where can we get something done. >> can i make -- >> the argument against crony capitalize, and jared kushner in the white house aing if it gets slippery slope where everything becomes politicized. >> i was watching msnbc earlier and they show that 92% of americans are for universal background checks. this is not necessarily political, this is where the vast majority of americans are, and arguably, to your point, our system has not kept up. >> everything used to be how boomers reacted because they had the cash, now it's the millennial's that have the cash. >> some of the other texas primary races where they're more trumpy, the idea that george is

supporting the incumbent, this is george bush's son, he's more trumpy. >> he's getting a primary challenge for the former commissioner, who was more of a trump person, more of a credible trump voice here. everybody i have talked to said that if he gets into a runoff, george p. can't survive that. a smaller turnout and that would be the end of the bushes. >> the controversial republican governor, he has had a tough assembly woman, who's a huge trump supporter. >> she's benefiting from the negative ads. >> in a low turnout in illinois, republican primary in three weeks, i would not be surprised to see the republican defeated by the trump supporters.

>> that's what we're learning, it is trump's party. george p. bush ahead, george's oldestso esest you have to give old hug to the trumps. >> listen, bill, i know that you are a very optimistic person -- >> not really. >> you're also an honorary millennial. look at the evidence this week, it really re-enforces the trump's party line narrative. you have the president questioning the party's orthodoxy on guns, even copying the senator's own party, saying you're scared of the nra, you losers, then backing it up. questioning the party's orthodoxy on guns, questioni ii the party on trade deals. when arguably the --

inflammatory speech that anyone's heart since the collapse of the soviet union. this is not the republican party that any of us recognize and you have not heard a word from any of the leaders on capitol hill saying there's something wrong here. >> they have walked past that, they have given it up. but i am curious to see, what george, if he doesn't survive this primary, can you creditably wrap your arms around trump? what does that say to other democrats who weren't trumpkins, who need -- >> from a campaign stand appointment it's tough, because one of the things that voters will not forgive is you being inauthentic. and it's kind of hard for a bush to authentically become a trumper. it just stinks of inauthenticity. >> he's the only member of the bush family who publicly supported trump. >> in the general election.

>> in the general election and i would assume in the primary. >> i think leo and marvin were also for jeb, i would imagine. that is something where there is a lot of concern, bill, that everything has changed in texas. >> yeah, and i think a lot has changed nationally and the question is are they reacting to the first year and now the trump has 85% of republicans? and they're thinking dynamically it could be different, 16, 18 months from now? i don't know, that would be the question, i think they're thinking too statically, every time i go home, people are supporting trump, i've got to get on the train. you know what, i'm going to make a little bet on what this is going to look like two years from now. >> this is the gerrymandering that you talk about. this is the problem with gerrymandering, because they're so afraid of the primary,

they're not afraid of the general election. >> texas is a unique place. if it ever becomes a two-party state, it will be surprising. stay with me, mr. parker. when a critical patient is far from the hospital, the hospital must come to the patient. stay with me, mr. parker. the at&t network is helping first responders connect with medical teams in near real time... stay with me, mr. parker.

...saving time when it matters most. stay with me, mrs. parker. that's the power of and. at planters, we put fresh roawhich has its drawbacks.an, guys, know anything about this missing inventory? wasn't me! the cheeks don't lie, chet... irresistibly planters. ♪ wild thing ♪ applebee's handcrafted burgers. any burger just $7.99. now that's eatin good in the neighborhood. but their nutritional needs remain instinctual. that's why there's purina one true instinct. real meat #1. a different breed of natural nutrition. purina one true instinct. now, try new purina one true instinct treats. but i'm not standing still... and with godaddy, i've made my ideas real.

♪ i made my own way, now it's time to make yours. ♪ everything is working, just like it should ♪ there's somethingdoing toyou may be missing. a key part of your wellness that you may be... overlooking. it's your eyes. that's why there's ocuvite, from bausch + lomb. as you age your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish those nutrients. a zeaxanthin, and omega-3. nourish your eyes to help them be their healthy best. ocuvite eye vitamins. be good to your eyes.

. well, in case you missed it, this is a week of political milestones. did you know that 164 years ago this week, the republican party was officially organized. it was.

wisconsin of course wants to take credit for that. also 146 years ago this week, yellowstone became the world's first official national park. i want to talk about a different kind of milestone, this one has to do with a friend of the show. this is pat and don collins. don is 92, pat is 90. you may never have heard of them, but you have certainly heard from their daughter, maine senator susan collins, she's one of their six kids. guess what? this week pat and don are celebrating their 70th anniversary, 70 years of being married, they were married in 1948, before alaska and hawaii became states. how about that kind of commitment? we think the pair is worth celebrating. mr. collins is a world war ii veteran who was wounded in the battle of the bulge. and mr. and mrs. collins have served as mayors of the same city, caribou, maine. to pat and don collins,

congratulations on 70 years, we at the press want to know what it takes to get there, after all we turned 70 last year. and if it's sunday, it's "meet the press" on your nbc stations. "the beat" with ari melber starts right now. >> chuck, you don't look 70. >> thank you, ari. the big news tonight, donald trump's son-in-law facing very big new questions about whether he tried to misuse the power he has in that nepotismic job. as well as more big news this friday night. questions coming now from bob mueller, take a look at this from nbc news, mueller analyzing kushner's meetings during that pivotal and volatile transition period, asking, did he try to shape public policy