stormy daniels filed her lawsuit and gary cohn resigned. no chaos at all, mr. trump. that does it for our hour. "mtp daily" starts right now, i'm sending heilman over. >> she has four seconds. >> that is so rare. you just ate it. >> i was talking them back. >> you just ate it. thank you, nicolle. if it is wednesday, it's a stormy day. >> tonight, the brain drain. after yet another white house exit, is the west ring in bigger staffing trouble than the president is willing to admit? >> well, i'm concerned that who the president will turn to for advice. >> and plus silencing stormy daniels. can president trump weather the adult film star's legal storm. >> it is hard to talk about politics with your kids. >> and how a battle of biden versus trump is shaping up in the pennsylvania midterms.

this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. ♪ ♪ good evening. and welcome to "mtp daily." i'm chuck todd here in new york. if conflict and chaos are trumpan operating principles, then this white house is humming and this is more trumpy by the day. but since gary cohn is leaving, the moderating influences in the west wing is getting shorter and shorterment b shorter, but if you ask the president, nothing to see here. >> the white house has tremendous energy. it has tremendous spirit. it is a great place to be working. many, many people want every single job. >> believe me, everybody wants to work in the white house. they all want a piece of that oval office and they want a piece of the west wing. >> let's do a fact check. this white house is bleeding staff. six administration exits in just the last four weeks. and a brookings analysis found

the staff turnover more than the last presidents and if you ask him he has people lined up to fill any and all jobs. >> the white house has a trem end os energy and talent. i have a choice of anybody. i could take any position in the white house and i'll have a choice of the ten top people having to do with that position. >> fact check that. the white house reportedly have no succession plan in place after cohn and hundreds of key jobs that need to be filled are still vacant. they haven't even had the first person -- they've gone through plenty of communications but there are undersecretaries that they haven't named. but there is something he got right about the west wing. >> it is tough. i like conflict and i like having two people with different points of view and i certainly have that. >> fact check, yes, the president liked conflict. but the number of different

points of view in the west wing is dwindling and we'll see if he decides to listen to any differing views when it comes to say the fight he's picking with advisers and republicans and global allies on trade. today white house press secretary sarah huckabee-sanders said the president is expected to sign something on tariffs by the end of the week. despite members of his own party and what they are saying. >> how do you feel about gary cohn leaving the white house and its affect on trade and tariffs? >> well i'm concerned that -- who the president will turn to for advice. >> there is a lot of concern among republican senators that this could sort of metastasize into a larger trade war. >> i'm not sure that it is going to be helpful to our country or to other countries as well. >> this broad brush approach to implement tariffs across the board to both those that are allies and trading fairly and

those who aren't is probably not the best tactical decision. >> you are not alone if you thought that was a wake for free trade. and now a president who likes conflict and the chaos it causes unwilling to back down. why should we think he's going to shy away from a trade war? >> joining me now is kevin brady of texas, the chairman of the ways and means committee which has control over tax writing and tariffs. congre congressman, good to see you. >> thanks for having me. >> you have a letter you just sent over to the white house. walk me through -- on the tariff issue and your concerns and some of the policy alternatives you are trying to get them to explore. walk me through it here. >> so the letter today to the president is from over 100 republicans in the house and the message is we stand with you mr. president in taking tough action to keep us safe and economically strong by targeting bad actors

in trade. at the a at the same time we encourage the president to tailer the tariffs to continue to sell more american-made manufactured products, including steel and aluminum around the world so our businesses can continue to use these products to be able to compete and of course we want to keep hiring more workers here in america, building off the momentum of president trump's tax reform. >> it seems as if we are in a bad tradeoff potentially. helping the steel industry with these tariffs can hurt other american manufacturers that import steel to make products that are made in america. this is -- the supply chain is much more complicated these days than it was 30 years ago, is it not? >> our economy and the world is complicated. steel isn't interchangeable and neither is aluminum and of course all of this fits into making america more competitive -- that is why we think the president can strengthen his hand against unfairly traded products by

tailoring this to allow fairly trad traded products to go forward and for the president to hit the tarkt -- the target he is rightly trying to hit. >> the president argues this is about national security. make the national security argument for me then. >> well the president has made the case we need a strong steel and aluminum industry in america to meet our defense needs. we agree and we think, too, that again with the right tailoring of tariffs we can strengthen our economy, and we can aaddress the national security issue and continue to grow our manufacturing base all across the country, which make this is more economically secure. >> isn't this a better way. you want to promote the american steel industry and how about mandating the defense department make sure they -- they only make deals with people that use american steel. aren't there more pro-active measures before you go to tariffs. >> well, look, the president is weighing those options,

obviously. he's laid forward using this section of our trade laws in order to tackle these and address these bad actors in trade. so we're recommending how best for him to strengthen those actions. >> congressman, honestly, i get what you are trying to do here. you are trying not to an tag on ize the white house but you are very uncomfortable with these tariffs. >> well again -- look, i have a great relationship with this president and with this white house. we're both eager to build off the momentum of his tax cuts and jobs acts. and we think done right, trade can bring america more customers and that means whether it is our farmers or ranchers, our local businesses and it can lower the cost of consumer goods as well. so i think there is a way to do this in a good positive way. >> i hear you. but what kind of concern do you have that if this does set off a trade war, if the e.u. follows through on their threat, and if

we don't carve out canada and mexico and canada decides to sort of retal -- retaliate, that eats into whatever extra money people were getting from the tax -- from the tax cut. how much does this complicate your party messaging? >> so look, republicans believe in the freedom to trade. now we believe you ought to be able to buy and sell and compete anywhere in the world with as little government interference as well. >> this is a lot of government interference. this is a lot of government interference. >> thank you, chuck. but to finish my sentence. >> yeah. >> part of fair trade is to make sure there is a clear and fair level playing field. and china has overcapacity, and gained the free trade system so it is important every country has remedy laws in place to dress a dress these issues. the president is using this remedy in this view hits that target we want to make sure he does. >> why isn't this just about

china? and why shouldn't it only be about china. >> from a trade standpoint? >> yeah. >> with there is a couple of approaches. this ought to be focused on bad actors. wherever they are. and including china. secondly, we know there are shipments so we think we can tackle that but the challenges, you know, in a complicated world is to make sure we're not impeding that fairly traded steel and aluminum and inadvertently with broad tariffs we don't want to harm other u.s. manufacturing workers or our economic growth. that is why i think the president is engaged with us, and listening, we're trying to find a good positive way forward. >> and at some point does -- look, congress -- the constitution said you are in charge of taxes and tariffs. now there is this carve out for the president when he cites national security. but at some point, you guys could decide to tie his hands

again. is that one of the messages that you -- you hope he gets from this message. we will work with you now and at some point we may not. >> the answer is no. we recognize -- we have the constitutional authority over a trade with foreign nations. we delegate and have over the years power to the president to delegate -- or to negotiate these trade agreements and to make decisions from time to time on trade remedies. this is one of those. so i think that discussion is premature. right now we're focused on helping him strengthen his hand against the bad actors while we continue to allow fair trade to grow our economy. >> i'm guessing you work closely with gary cohn when you were doing the tax bill. are you concerned that the president has fewer people who share your world view on the economy and trade? >> well i work very closely with the president and gary cohn and secretary mnuchin.

they are first rate and we wouldn't have gotten historic tax reform without all of them, including the great work that gary cohn did as well. i'll tell you what, i couldn't have a better relationship with this president. if i dreamed of it, i know we -- we did good things in tax reform. i think we can do awfully good things in trade as well. >> i hear you. but do you feel like your world view is being represented in the west wing now? >> look, our principles of free trade and growing the economy and selling american -- not just merely buying american, but selling american throughout the world, yes, i do. >> congressman kevin brady. ways and means chairman. man who has more power to wield on taxes and tariffs in washington these days. thank you. >> thank you. michael steel and katy tur and jonathan alter, a columnist for the daily beat and political analyst. michael steel, kevin brady just said his party and the principles of free trade at the

end there -- and they want -- he sent this letter that is an attempt to hey, back off, but if you don't, we won't do anything. >> this is not tr-- tre-- free . this is where the party is on the matters of free trade and the economy globally and it speaks to a number of concerns you see right now being played out. one is base politics, two is white house politics and in the relationship between the house -- the white house and the hill, and three is this general idea that so far the tax cuts seem to be working so we don't want to disrupt the cart here and maybe the president is right after all. because he clearly has his finger on a pulse that we don't. and i think that is dangerous. at some point people will look at this and see what is the real analysis here at the end of the day for american jobs and for consumers out there. and i don't think it looks good when you are slapping a 25% tariff on steel. >> they are not looking that far into the future.

this is -- not only base politics but primary politics. what are you doing when you have to face up to a primary challenger who might be loyal to donald trump in every way, shape and form. the voters clearly in the base of the republican party on donald trump's side and what you are seeing there is just a high wire act to try and maintain this -- this -- >> veneer. >> -- veneer of being fiscally responsible and for the economy and all of the conservative policies they have been for while maintaining the we believe in donald trump and working with him and et cetera, et cetera. >> jonathan, the irony here is the -- there is an in competence in the white house and in how they rolled it out had they done it in a different way -- we already know tim ryan and congressman from ohio, democrat, he has embraced this. shareod brown would. i'm guessing maybe a joe manchin or kasie, you could put together

an interesting coalition to allow the president to flex -- there were -- there is 17,000 other ways they could have rolled this out and they have done this in -- in a way that made it harder for people to get on his side. >> no question. but he's not really a skillful politician. he's a demagogue. and those are different skills. so that would require somebody who actually knew how to be president and could -- could bring people in not just lecture them and sound off but get them to work together. we've seen now a few times when he met with pelosi and schumer, there were some indications that maybe he could work with democrats and then he would have -- attack them once they left. so he is incapable of doing that. when he responds to are market signals. so when the market went up this week, after the announcement, he then saw that as a validation. what is everybody talking about. >> everybody is freaking out for in reason. >> but that ignores if we do have a trade war and it is looking increasingly likely that we will, then the whole year

could see a dip in the market. compared to last year and that would hurt the republicans even more in november. but he doesn't look long-term or even medium term -- >> and this is not fully unpopular politics. maybe it will be bad for the economy and we'll have to find out. this isn't -- there is a reason the sanders vote and the trump voter were aligned, bashing china was one of them. >> yeah. i guess. >> bashing trade. >> for the american people and let alone members of congress -- >> the whole campaign was to bash trade deals and nafta and tpp. >> i got that, but donald trump didn't talk about declaring an all-out trade war. >> he kind of did. he kind of did. >> you were on the trail with them a lot. >> i and i love you. and -- >> that is fine. >> but he would go out every single day and talk about the trade deals. we're not winning. we're being taken advantage of by all of the other countries in the world. >> but in the scheme of strategy and layout with the economic

advising team for the president and the white house chief of staff, where did this fit? what meeting was held within the -- >> you're looking for that logic -- >> but gary cohn is not there any more. >> this is reactionary. it is policy and it is not policy and that is the point to -- >> just to go back to -- >> this is ridiculous when he said a trade war, easy. no problem. this is so irresponsible. >> like i said, there are nine star wars movies all based on a trade war. and they still haven't resolved it. trade wars are not easy to win even if you are george lucas. >> and from the other week with st stephanie ruhle and peter alexander that donald trump announced this tariff in a fit of rage, basically. that he didn't have the policy around him and frustrated with his advisers and he was frustrated with wilbur ross and so he decided that he was going to start something and this is what he landed on. he's been talking about this for years. obviously the white house is not on board with this behind the scenes. because if they were, there would have been policy that you would have seen. gary cohn would not be out.

what universe are we living in. >> i want to talk about the wake that our reporters were covering on capitol hill known as senate republicans. it was amazing from orrin hatch like -- well, the death of the republican party platform on trade. but it is interesting here, the red state democrats -- i go back to this, this could complicated mitch mcconnell's life because now they could go hug trump on something. >> yeah, but these guys are -- it is so striking to me that they get the long faces and they look like they're away when it is about trade. but when it is about charlottesville. >> that is the point yesterday. gary cohn almost resigned over charlottesville. >> and making excuses on him for every other issue except this one because country club republicans, a lot of the donor as are free traders. so they are now faced with a situation where they see the base in support of the president, but the people they know are almost uniformly

against -- >> but this gets back -- i want to get back to the political conversation which is the fact that -- it is not just the donors of the republican party, the donors of the democratic party are free traders too. this is the biggest disconnect between the people and the elite and it is trade. and i think sometimes while we're caught up in the -- trump and the republicans aren't getting along. this is why he won. >> and he appealed to so many people, a populous message. i'm going to take care you. they are not going to take care you. they are beholding to the special interest and the money for their campaigns and i am not but he could have done it in a bipartisan way and when he talk about he could have done this way and i think back to january 20th, 2017 when he could have started with infrastructure and he could have started with the bipartisan agenda and he did not because he spoils for a fight. >> that is true. that is the one thing -- that is the most honest thing he said. he loves a good fight. stick around. the president and the porn star

who said the white house is trying to silence her. she's suing to be allowed to tell her story. that is next. >> tech: at safelite autoglass we know that when you're spending time with the grandkids every minute counts. and you don't have time for a cracked windshield. that's why we show you exactly when we'll be there.

saving you time, so you can keep saving the world. >> kids: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace ♪ 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, we're looking ahead to the next election. happening next tuesday in pennsylvania. and it is not just any election, a very special election and offering a preview of what a joe biden 2020 campaign might look like if he goes up against donald trump. former vice president hit the trail yesterday in southwestern pennsylvania for conner lamb that could pull off a win. >> what brothers me most today beyond the policies this administration and republicans there used to be an in visible moral fabric that held up

society. >> he is one of the very few party stars that trump country democrats actually invite to stump for them. and you'll see democratic leaders like chuck schumer and nancy pelosi or maybe even your cory booker or elizabeth warren at campaign rallies in red states. someone else hitting the trail, the president. he's going to be there saturday to stump for rick saccone. going all in on a house race far from a sure bet and this district isn't even going to exist after november thanks to redistricting. both parties are spending only in 2018 in the world of fake news and you are spending $20 million on a fake district. we'll be back with more "mtp daily" in 60 seconds. i text in full sentences. i refer to every child as chief. this hat was free. what am i supposed to do, not wear it? next thing you know, i'm telling strangers defense wins championships. -well, it does. -right? why is the door open? are we trying to air condition the whole neighborhood?

at least i bundled home and auto on an internet website, progressive.com. progressive can't save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto. i mean, why would i replace this? it's not broken. you wouldn't accept wfrom any one else. this? so why accept it from your allergy pills? most pills don't finish the job because they don't relieve nasal congestion. flonase allergy relief is different. flonase relieves sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose, plus nasal congestion, which pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. and 6 is greater than 1. start your day with flonase for more complete allergy relief. flonase. this changes everything. welcome back. as a private citizen, president trump was notoriously litigious, but even with all of his lawsuits, counter suit and

settlements, the legal dispute he is now in is odd. the president is being sued by the adult film actress stormy daniels but her lawyers said she didn't want money or seeking damages. she wants the freedom to tell her story and perhaps make money out of that about what the lawsuit calls an intimate relationship with trump, which could later turn into money. at issue a nondisclosure agreement that michael cohen arranged with daniels days before the 2016 election. the suit calls it a hush agreement in -- exchange for silence about her relationship with trump she received $130,000 and she said the president never signed the agreement and so it should not be valid. one signature for peggy, that is her alias and then where david dennison should sign. it claims that is an alias for donald trump. cohen did sign the agreement and acknowledged that daniels was

paid. but cohen said the president denies they had a relationship. the last hour nbc news learned that trump's lawyer michael cohen has now obtained a, quote, secret restraining order in a private arbitration proceeding and warning that stormy daniels faces penalties if she publicly discusses a relationship with the president. now the white house was asked repeatedly today about whether the president knew about the payment. >> i've had conversations with the president about this. and as i outlined earlier, this case had already been won in arbitration and that there was no knowledge of any payments from the president and he's denied all of these allegations. >> a lot of information there by the white house press secretary, including it is her understanding this case was won in arbitration. so joining me now is legal analyst danny savales. this is one of the most unusual things creeping into my a --

arena of politics. what is the secret arbitration process. >> they are secret. that is why corporations love them. because they give a big company an opportunity to resolve an issue in secret, quietly without a public record and deny normally consumers the opportunity to try their case in court. so it is no surprise that this original contract contained an arbitration clause. now stormy daniels originally complaint here is just about asking the court, hey, tell us what our rights and our remies are under this contract. i don't think there is -- that is what daniels is saying, i don't think there is an underlying contract because one of the parties didn't sign it. yes, michael cohen signed it but he signed it on behalf of e.c., which is another party. and while lawyers can sometimes sign some documents, something is important as a settlement agreement requires the actual party to sign it. now you asked about the

arbitration. >> i'll get to that. i want to stick to this a minute. aliases. you can legally sign -- you can sign a legal document with an alias? don't you have to provide some sort of proof that you're the person behind the alias? doesn't there have to be a -- maybe a notary. >> if you look at it, it was notarized. so we can presume a notary asked to see driver's licenses or whatever else because stephanie clifford and stormy daniel does not have a driver's license -- >> just like -- >> that says peggy peterson. and it looks like she wrote stephanie clifford. you need to be a hand writing analyst. so in this case, when you ask about that, there is a separate document attached to the complaint. sort of a rider that said, hey, all of these aliases in the original agreement, this is who they are. and that is blacked out. donald trump's name is not actually in there. but clifford's attorney daniel's attorney said that is whose name is behind the blacked out area.

>> so an arbitration and this temporary retraining order and penalties, he just throws them out. are these penalties only the two parties know what they are. >> no. and the reason we know is because it is attached to the complaint. just read the agreement. it provides for liquidated damages. these are damages that parties could agree to before and say, if one of us breaches, i know it is worth or -- or damage in the amount of $1 million. so that is what you owe me. so it contains a liquidated damages clause. we can presume that dollar amount may be what cohen went to seek when he went to the arbitrator. now here is where things get dicey for daniels. if you read the agreement attached to the complaint, they have an agreement to arbitrate. this gets tricky, but when you don't want to be in arbitration, who decides the issue of whether you belong in arbitration? is it the court or the arbitrator. and the general rule is if you are attacking the whole contract

itself, the person who decides that is not the court, it is the arbitrator. now that doesn't mean daniel's loses. all contract law is in the eye of the beholder. so it is going to be a bit of an uphill battle. >> what about the case of mr. dennis ondid not sign this agreement. >> so the argument -- >> that is her -- that is her best evidence. >> yes. in short her argument is the contract can void ab nibo and it never existed. because he did not sign and trump needed to sign to make it legitimate. however, trump's team will say, that may be true, but the issue of whether or not the underlying contract is void or is enforceable is an issue that will be decided by the arbitrator because you're not saying that the arbitration clause is faulty, that the overall contract is faulty and courts have held, including the supreme court that is a issue

decide by the private arbitrator. >> it sounds like she's better off selling her story and forcing cohen and trump to sue her in public. >> exactly. but they are suing her in private -- >> they don't want -- >> they want this contract to exist because if you read it, it is very favorably drafted for them. although they say that both parties drafted it, that is a legal fiction. >> the one bluff she can call is -- fine, i am going to sell my story. sue me. >> that is right. and what i expect would happen is they go to the arbitrator and say, hey, we'rin -- entitled to the liquidated damages and i don't remember the number, it is in the arbitration agreement and the arbitrator may order that. the risk in going to court is that a court may say, there is an arbitration agreement and we don't have the power to hear this case. we're shoving it back down to arbitration and that is the best outcome for trump and team. >> very interesting and confusing. danny, thank you very much. all right.

up ahead, the showdown in texas. voters headed to the polls in the first primary of the season. democrats are hoping to show they're on the way to turning a certain red state purple. how did they do? we'll talk about it next. hi i'm joan lunden.

today's senior living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. and there's never been an easier way to get great advice. a place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. a place for mom. you know your family we know senior living. together we'll make the right choice. cohigher!ad!

higher! parents aren't perfect, but then they make us kraft mac & cheese and everything's good again. when is the last time you looked at a world map. don't bother, it is full of lies an fake news. according to the president, most of the countries aren't even countries at all. i'll explain. whoooo.

when it comes to travel, i sweat the details. late checkout... ...down-alternative pillows... ...and of course, price. tripadvisor helps you book a... ...hotel without breaking a sweat. because we now instantly... ...search over 200 booking sites ...to find you the lowest price... ...on the hotel you want. don't sweat your booking. tripadvisor. the latest reviews. the lowest prices.

welcome back. the first primaries of the 2018 are in the books and for the democrats, they had a good night but not a great one. the biggest thing we were watching in texas turnout. with democrats turning out almost at the same rate as republicans. but the aepnswer is not really. and that is more than double the democrat turnout in 2014 where democrats being more fired up, it stills shows they are lagging behind republicans in general statewide. democratic turnout was closer to republican turnout in three key swing districts. and guess what, that is why we call them swing districts. all three districts that were carried by hillary clinton in 2016 showed this democratic surge and shorten th-- enthusiasm is up but they are still a long way from turning the lone star state blue and perhaps even purple. joining me now, one of the top minds out there, political

reporter david wassermann. welcome back. >> thank you. >> so classified the night for democrats, good, great, sto stupendous. >> democratic voting was up 45% compared to 14% on the republican side. and it was particularly pronounced in whites, suburbs, professional suburbs outside of dallas and houston where there are congressional districts in play. and at the same time, beta o'rourke, the much touted democratic former punk rocker, won 87% of the vote in austin but only 32% of the vote in east texas, counties only 42% in laredo, and 50% in dallas. so far he's just kind of a phenomenon among white liberals. >> it is interesting, when i looked at the raw totals between the republican primary and the democratic primary and the senate race and i was thinking, the dscc nightmare would have

been if it was a one to one ratio and you saw the democrat surge that much because it would have sent a signal that it is worth competing -- the scc should target that. but looking at the numbers, are they making the right call of probably holding off on big investment in texas. >> we haven't seen many polls in that race. but there is no doubt about it that the detriple c, the house arm of democrats operation is investing in texas in 2018. there are those three districts that you highlighted where republicans hold seats that voted for hillary clinton and there are something happening that is making texas a slightly purpler shade than it used to be. for a generation, what we've seen is that the migration of rural whites to the republican party has off-set the booming shares of nonwhite voters in texas and those two things have canceled out. but what is happening now, republicans are maxed out with

rural whites and you're continuing to see growth in hispanic, african-american and asian eligible voters and -- and this is really the change in the trump era, professional whites moving away from the republican party a bit. >> let's get down. the dccc is excited about the opportunity to win maybe three or four seats in texas but they have a complicated mess on their hands in this seventh congressional district, houston area seat. perhaps one of the top target in the sun belt. they went negative on a candidate that they thought was unelectable in their own primary and it clearly boomeranged. laura moser who they believe is unelectable because of thinks about living in perris, texas, and too many washington ties. but going negative in a public way seemed to boost her candidacy. what do they do now? do they go all in and try to destroy mozier in this primary

and alienated democrats in this primary? >> i think the real lesson from texas' primary is that parties in washington have very little control over what actual voters do. and this is a case in point. now, look, clearly laura moser became a martyr after her own party in washington attacked her and she did better with the election day vote than with the early vote. and at the same time, she is still the underdog in the runoff. what i'm going to be watching carefully in remaining primaries throughout the calendar and keep in mind this is the first of 50, is not whether democrats nominate candidates who are really far left or right, necessarily, it is whether democrats nominate candidates whose life stories resonate with voters in the district. i don't think that is the case with laura moser. which is why i'm skeptical of her chances. >> i get you there. but what does the dccc do now? they already went tunnel saying they didn't want her. she's in the runoff. do they have to put their money

where their mouth is? >> yeah. and look, there is nothing that they can directly say or do that is going to -- >> they could do negative ads or do paid media against her. >> republicans are actually considering airing ads attacking her opponent. so as to -- to help her win the democratic primary and save the seat. >> mackeya developy is the chairman. >> there are things parties can do behind the scenes to affect the outcome of the race. what we haven't heard about is moser's opponent -- lizzy fletcher who hasn't gotten any attention in this whole dust-up. and so if democrats want to -- want to help her prevail in the primary, they're going to have to start shifting the conversation to some positives, some reasons why they should vote for the one they favor. >> pennsylvania '18, quickly, six days what are you looking for? >> this race has become a big,

big problem for republicans in a district that voted for trump by 19 points. and at this point, i might be slightly more surprised if rick sackone wins than if conner lamb wins because even though this is a trump district, these are trump democrats. and -- >> and this is the word democrat. that they are more comfortable with the democratic party in some ways? >> they are. still in some respects. and they are not enamored with congressional republicans, never have been. they did vote for republicans for -- for a long time, tim murphy with close ties to labor but rick saccone took some right to work votes in the state legislature and running against a democrat who doesn't have a voting record. >> there is no challenger --.

thank you. i'm guessing i'll talk to you next week as well. coming up, lies your teacher told you. all of those countries she showed you on the map. they're not countries. at least according to president trump. it's a lot easier to make decisions when you know what comes next. if you move your old 401(k) to a fidelity ira, we make sure you're in the loop at every step from the moment you decide to move your money to the instant your new retirement account is funded. ♪ oh and at fidelity, you'll see how all your investments are working together. because when you know where you stand, things are just clearer. ♪ just remember what i said about a little bit o' soul ♪

things are just clearer. how'd i get this yard? behind pete's great looking yard, is his secret weapon... the scotts turf builder program. all it takes is 4 feedings, with a scotts solution for every season. it's that easy. this is a scotts yard. welcome back. tbts i'm obsessed with something president trump said a few times since announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum. >> it is a historic day for american steel. >> going to build our steel

industry back. >> we need steel. >> american made steel. >> steel. >> steel. >> steel. >> steel. >> if a country doesn't have steel, it doesn't have a country. >> all right. so we began to wonder, if you don't have a country if you don't produce steel, what countries aren't really countries? well according to the world steel association, there are 45 countries that produce steel. which leave us between 150 and 195 countries, depending on whom you ask that aren't really countries. who knew? it is a small world. greece, take your history and culture and big fat greek wedding somewhere else, you are are no country. and north korea, nukes, yes, and steel, not so much. and bolivia, except for brazil and argentina, the whole of south america is empty space and hardly qualifies as a content. and no more conservatives up said about the u.s. funding the

united nations if only 45 countries make the cut and they will pay in steel. and how simple would the olympics be if we eliminated the 81% of countries that we thought were countries. if you limit the list even further to countries proer -- reducing the country there is only two left, china and japan. the u.s. doesn't even make that list. which i suppose actually is president trump's point. now as far as "mtp daily" is concerned, we produce more steel. michael steele with three e's and michael steel and if you wan export more steel from us, we'll start a tariff on them. and i'm not giving you the zoo lander blue steel because my staff won't let me. we'll be right back.

we just got married. we're all under one roof now. congratulations. thank you. how many kids? my two. his three. along with two dogs and jake, our new parrot. that is quite the family. quite a lot of colleges to pay for though. a lot of colleges. you get any financial advice? yeah, but i'm pretty sure it's the same plan they sold me before. well your situation's totally changed now. right, right. how 'bout a plan that works for 5 kids, 2 dogs and jake over here? that would be great. that would be great. that okay with you, jake? get a portfolio that works for you now and as your needs change from td ameritrade investment management. was a success for lastchoicehotels.comign badda book. badda boom. this year, we're taking it up a notch. so in this commercial we see two travelers at a comfort inn with a glow around them, so people watching will be like, "wow, maybe i'll glow too if i book direct at choicehotels.com".

who glows? just say, badda book. badda boom. nobody glows. he gets it. always the lowest price, guaranteed. book now at choicehotels.com welcome back. time for "the lid."

the panel is back. i want to get to this michael cohn, obviously the fixer, and he was trying to fix an issue with stormy daniels. now this thing is kind of blowing up. does it matter? >> you're not going to -- people aren't going to like this. i don't think it does. i think -- listen, michael cohen is, there's nobody more loyal to michael cohen has said to he would take a bullet for donald trump. for him to have paid off a porn star before the election. it's all but confirmed by the way we have been talking about

it. >> arbitration, that was really weird to me. >> people know about it, it's out there, the trouble could be in the sec filing. and that's where things could be hairy, but i think that will ultimately be resolved. >> i remember someone, michael steel, he paid a gift tax. so he did it by the book. did michael cohen pay a gift tax? there's going to be some irs audit. >> i don't think anything happens to the president now. this is all part of the grist in the mill that the voters will look at as they get closer to 2020. and lord knows a whole lot of other stuff is going to happen. but the question of where we are in the culture of the presidency, is going to be an important for what we look for

in a president down the road. >> why did they think ralph nor northam was successful, they were two prosecutors, that goes to -- it's not stormy daniels, but it's the morass of trump. >> the fact that it's not that big of a story is in fact evidence of how low the expectations are for donald trump. imagine it was barack obama. the bar is so low. on the one hand you say it's so easy for him to get over the bar because the bar is so low. but over time, it makes people say, he isn't fit. if he can't even --. >> i think -- >> it's a blackmail issue, and

that's what's important about the russian connection. >> mueller is looking into michael cohen, according to "the washington post" reporting, where does that fit in? >> does michael cohen give mueller a blueprint of how trump moves money around? >> potentially. potentially. if you believe sam nunberg, they were asking him whether or not michael cohen was speaking russian in donald trump tower, that's if you believe what sam nunberg said about what was asked of him in his interview. >> a lot of people are running around pontificating on what will be or may not be. but he's taking many angles into this one central story line with donald trump and it's so far

beyond collusion at this point, it's not even funny, it's about corruption, it is about collusion, it's about a whole bunch of other things that mueller is going to create a narrative that involves all these players. the question remains, how much of it sticks to trump. >> by do think the michael cohen things, i agree with katie, specifically on the affair stuff. but it's a broader pattern. >> and if it becomes a legal issue, it becomes a larger issue over time, it's not just a sex story. >> there's going to be a straw that breaks the camel's bank, potentially, i don't know. but there's anecdotal evidence that people that voted for donald trump are now saying, this is just too much. >> that may where part of the message of midterm 2018. we'll be right back. - 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.

>> tech: at safelite autoglass we know that when you're spending time with the grandkids every minute counts. and you don't have time for a cracked windshield. that's why we show you exactly when we'll be there. saving you time, so you can keep saving the world. >> kids: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace ♪ than♪ you. imagine if the things you bought every day... earned you miles to get to the places you really want to go.

with the united mileageplus explorer card, you'll get a free checked bag. two united club passes. priority boarding. and earn fifty thousand bonus miles after you spend three thousand dollars on purchases in the first three months from account opening plus, zero-dollar intro annual fee for the first year, then ninety-five dollars. learn more at theexplorercard.com

that's all for tonight. now to go check out some horizontal shuttle butt. in case you missed it, the northeast is in the grips of another nor'easter. thunder snow, one of the rarest phenomenon, hard to get on camera because it's so quick and random. or is it?

ladies and gentlemen, i give you thunder snow. i'm sorry. i never get that into it. but there you have it, that was snow and thunder, at the same time. thunder snow. if severe weather doesn't get your blood pumping, the weather channel's jim cantore is happy to coffver for you. >> yes! baby! we got it, we got it! whooo! whooo! we got it! >> what more is there to say, we love you cantore. >> i'm going out into the horizontal snow. >> what you said there, reminds me of the famous line, thunder only happens when it's raining, if you know your fleetwood mac. let me turn to this, our top story tonight is both bizarre and important. this right here, president donald trump, is